Chapter 474: A Trigger Ready to Ignite

Title: Duke Dansi and his son half‑kneel on the ground, loudly performing a bow of greeting.

However, Aimilisi only stares at them, purses her lips without a word, her eyes flashing with dangerous light.

The atmosphere around grows increasingly tense; Title: Duke Dansi remains motionless, exuding great patience, but his son Keste grows restless, looking up to meet Aimilisi's gaze. Keste, seeing the adult Aimilisi for the first time, is astonished by her beauty, and also perceives her malice toward him and his father, his heart suddenly leaping.

"She wants to kill us!"

Keste's heart races; instinctively he rises to guard, and immediately spots the people around Aimilisi, the first being Lei En.

Also present are three close‑range Legendary Scale‑Controlling Blood Guards, the Legendary High‑rank Title: Duke Feishe, Prince Dilan of the Laobo Dier family, and numerous other Legends under the two great families, all heavily shielding Aimilisi in the center.

The most intimidating to Keste are two Wizards, one with a head of white hair, the other a high‑elf; they are Chairmen from Weizelan Fu Kong Cheng, each as powerful as Ryan Augustus. A single Lei En could grievously wound him, taking half a month to heal; with three Chairmen present, daring to act would be courting death.

The terrifying Legendary formation beside the dragon‑blooded makes Keste dare not act rashly; he can only grit his teeth and bow his head.

He has never in his life endured such humiliation.

Even the exposure of his affair with sister Lin Na, being condemned by thousands, being spat at by Ma Erke during negotiations, never felt as mortifying as today—kneeling on the road, surrounded by so many, utterly losing face.

The suppressed silence lasts three minutes.

Title: Duke Dansi remains half‑kneeling, like an unmoving statue; Keste's body begins to tremble, his face flushing red then turning pale. Just as he is about to lose control and burst forth, he hears a melodious yet authoritative voice:

"Lord Walter, Commander, both of you rise."

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Title: Duke Dansi replies loudly, and only after bowing again does he stand.

His face shows no hint of change, calm and steady, as if the one who knelt minutes ago were not himself; he respectfully reports, "Your Majesty, the Golden Lion Brigade of the Dansi clan, two thousand Lionheart Knights and two thousand Transcendent troops are all in place, awaiting your orders."

"Very well." Aimilisi's reaction is flat.

She looks at the duke before her, dubbed 'Lion King', his visage aged, hair long since balding, leaving only two streaks of white, cut short; if not for his towering stature and the aura of a Legendary Primary, his bright eyes make him seem a common old man, nothing like the decades‑long prime minister, the second figure of Kangjiatuo.

This man is the nemesis who keeps her sleepless, one of the chief culprits behind the fall of the Zhuogengbao Dynasty, second only to Ma Erke!

Aimilisi finds it hard to appear friendly; even for the greater good, she cannot put on a façade.

Another silence follows, Title: Duke Dansi's gaze flickers slightly.

Keste's scalp prickles even more.

He fears that the female dragon‑blooded, with a single command, could kill him and his father on the spot; with her power, there is no chance for them to escape.

"Hmm…"

Lei En breaks the silence, saying, "Lord Duke and Commander Keste, thank you for your efforts. Your Majesty, please issue orders on how to deploy the Dansi family's troops."

He is reminding Aimilisi not to lose composure again.

Aimilisi nods, then a hint of sarcasm curls her mouth, she says lightly, "Ding Laji, the troops under Lord Walter fall under your command; all actions require your approval. Your orders are my orders, understand?"

The last sentence is addressed to Title: Duke Dansi.

"Take orders from me?" the short‑statured Ding Laji steps forward, seeing Aimilisi is not joking, forces himself to say, "Yes, Your Majesty."

Unexpectedly, Title: Duke Dansi shows no strong reaction, politely replying, "Obey Your Majesty's command."

"Dario, Mi Na Sang, you take a hundred Scale‑Controlling Blood Guards with Ding Laji." Aimilisi gives Title: Duke Dansi a deep look, then continues, "Burlinton, you and your two hundred Xun warriors also go, do not disappoint me."

"Yes." several Legends answer in unison.

Title: Duke Dansi bows again, then retreats outside the dragon‑blooded army. Ding Laji, protected by over three hundred Transcendents, enters the Dansi clan's legion and assumes command.

The army continues forward.

Aimilisi uses the speaking device to order Ding Laji, directing the Golden Lion Brigade to lead, followed by the Dansi clan's two thousand Transcendents, then the Centaur army.

After the Dansi clan joins, the dragon‑blooded army swells to 17,000.

The massive procession strides the boulevard, endless from front to back; residents of towns and villages along the way, seeing the army's rising dust from afar, all retreat into their homes.

Lei En rides a phantom horse, saying, "You've gone a bit too far."

"I know."

Aimilisi looks at the Golden Lion Brigade ahead, speaking gravely, "Since the Dansi clan wishes to submit to me, they must show sufficient loyalty; what does this humiliation matter? Otherwise, on what grounds can I forgive their past deeds?"

Lei En can understand her mindset.

The years‑long blood‑deep feud is not easily resolved.

No matter how deep the city's fortifications, a ruler is first a person, then a politician; unless one has a heart of stone, it is truly hard to force a false smile.

Waluogen, however, frowns.

"Your Majesty," he urges, "our greatest enemy now is Ma Erke; do not push Duke Dansi into rebellion. I hope you can restrain a bit, at least wait until Ma Erke is defeated before acting."

"I just can't help it," Aimilisi hums, "if they truly dare to defect again, just as before, it gives me a perfect reason to eliminate them."

"This…"

Waluogen feels helpless, can only hope Ding Laji keeps the big picture, avoiding conflict with Duke Dansi.

Half an hour later.

The walls of the capital Jinsilan become clearer in view, a great river blocks the road. Jinsilan sits on a riverbank where three rivers converge; two of them merge west of the city, about ten‑plus li away, forming the Black Water River, which flows along the southern wall into Dragon Fang Bay.

The third river lies north of Jinsilan, forming a natural moat, called the North River.

Jinsilan's eastern side faces the sea entirely, with no entrance.

The west hosts the largest main gate, facing the flat riverbank, endless in view. Yet between the southern gate and the Black Water River lies a narrow plain over two li wide; originally three great bridges spanned the Black Water River, linking north and south, with a sturdy stone bridge directly opposite the southern gate. When the dragon‑blooded army reaches the riverbank, they find all three bridges destroyed.

The army halts on the south bank of the Black Water River.

Lei En gazes at Jinsilan's citadel; the guards above also look down on the dragon‑blooded army, their soul‑eyes seeing frantic faces.

In the sky, the Snow Eagle Guard continuously scouts the army's movements.

Aimilisi's speaking device sounds; Ding Laji asks, "Your Majesty, shall we cross the Black Water River?" The Golden Lion Brigade at the river's edge begins to urge.

She does not decide immediately.

"Waluogen, what is the situation in the city now?"

Waluogen, who has for years woven an intelligence network in Kangjiatuo, replies instantly, "Your Majesty, it remains as yesterday, no change; Ma Erke decided last week to defend the city, and there has been no activity for a long time."

Ai Mi Li Si looked up at the three-headed giant dragons in the sky.

Since entering the royal domain, she had constantly sent the dragons to scout in the sky; at this moment, Yi Geng, Jialadeluos and Xindala had not noticed any abnormality.

After consulting Lei En and the two chairmen, there was no ambush in the Black Water River.

Thus they decided to cross the river.

Lacking a bridge was no obstacle for the Dragon-born army; the Wizard Corps combined their spells and quickly froze the Black Water River, which was dozens of meters wide, creating a solid ice sheet a hundred meters wide, allowing the army to easily cross the rapid waters, reaching the opposite bank in just half an hour.

A stir broke out atop Jin Si Lan; the guards watched helplessly as the enemy crossed the river safely.

Ai Mi Li Si issued command after command.

She ordered Ding Laji to lead the Dan Si family's legion away from the Dragon-born army to block the western main gate of Jin Si Lan, while she took the remaining troops to camp in the narrow area at the foot of the southern wall, leaving the north gate, which is protected by the moat, open.

This is a classic surround‑three‑gate‑one tactic; not sophisticated but very useful.

The Dragon-born army blocked Jin Si Lan's western and southern exits; if Ma Erke discovered they could not hold, and chose to abandon the city, the only way out would be north. As soon as Ma Erke left the city, Lei En would summon the Void Spirit Gate to block him in the north, ensuring Ma Erke could not slip back into the city.

When Ai Mi Li Si arranged the troops, there was no response within Jin Si Lan, and Ma Erke sent no one to interfere.

Both sides understood that this would be a siege battle.

The sky gradually darkened.

Flames lit up on Jin Si Lan's walls; the dragon-shaped towers under the night sky faintly glowed with scorching red light. These towers formed a Red Dragon Formation, not only on the walls but throughout the entire city, with such bastions or stone towers protecting the capital.

Lei En hovered high in the dark sky, accompanied by Kaidejia and Kelaoaosi, the two chairmen.

The three took advantage of the night to scout the Red Dragon Formation.

"Interesting."

Chairman Kelaoaosi said with a smile.

Lei En gave him a glance; this chairman, disguised as a high elf, was in fact a powerful mature red dragon.

But in front of outsiders, Kelaoaosi never revealed his link to the red dragon; to the Weizelan Wizards, he was a Legendary High-rank elf mage, proficient in shaping-energy spells.

Kelaoaosi pointed at Jin Si Lan below and said, "I had heard that the Red Dragon Formation could protect an entire city, which startled me; I thought the Dragon-born family's ancestors were unfathomable, capable of arranging such a massive rune formation, but it turns out they just took a shortcut."

Lei En and Kaidejia also nodded, sharing the same sentiment.

A large formation capable of shielding an entire city instantly reminds any Empire Wizard of the floating city, such as Weizelan's shield, officially called the "Arcane Barrier of VijesCui", which is one of the world's rare Ten-ring Spells!

From its name one can tell it is a spell created by the God of Magic herself, requiring the massive power of the Iola Core to sustain.

The Fu Kong Cheng of Weizelan covers about ten square li, while Jin Si Lan is several dozen times larger. A shield that could envelop the whole of Jin Si Lan—how many rings would the Red Dragon Formation be?

Probably only the God of Magic could arrange it.

Now it is clear that the Red Dragon Formation cannot lift the shield.

In fact it consists of many smaller formations, each based on a dragon-shaped bastion or stone tower, covering a sector. When attacked, they trigger a wide‑area "Flame Shield", equivalent to a Six-ring Spell, repelling aerial foes while launching "Flame Torrent", "Scorching Ray", and "Fireball" in retaliation.

These are the Red Dragon's customary innate spells.

On Jin Si Lan's walls and throughout the city there are over two hundred Red Dragon Formations; when needed, several nearby formations can activate simultaneously, greatly boosting defense and unleashing more powerful fire spells.

It is a very clever method; as long as there are enough Red Dragon Formations, even the largest city can be fully covered.

But it has many flaws.

Its biggest flaw is that the Red Dragon Formation is not a single whole; it cannot keep all formations active for long, sealing off the city's interior.

The enemy need only enter the interior through a portal in an area where the formation is inactive!

Perhaps the Dragon-born ancestors considered this; a single portal can only transport a few or a dozen people. As long as the city gates are defended and invading enemies eliminated, it won't greatly affect the overall defense.

Kangjiatuo's profession system leans toward melee, lacking casters skilled in teleportation, so the Red Dragon Formation has run smoothly.

However, times have changed.

Lei En carefully examined Jin Si Lan's inner layout and immediately spotted the "Red Dragon Fortress" within the inner city, the castle of successive Kangjiatuo kings, towering and sturdy, covering hundreds of mu, heavily guarded by over a thousand giant‑stag warriors and many Transcendent beings.

He memorized the fortress's terrain and said, "After sunrise, I'll open the Void Spirit Gate to teleport people into the Red Dragon Fortress and take out Ma Ke Er."

Kelaoaosi nodded in agreement.

"Beware that Legendary High-rank caster," Kaidejia warned, "though we don't know who they are, I sense their strength is certainly high; we must not be careless."

Lei En naturally didn't forget, "Then it's up to the two chairmen."

"Fine."

Kaidejia and Kelaoaosi exchanged a glance, confidence showing beneath their caution.

The three teleported back to the camp; after a brief rest, a commotion arose outside.

Lei En rose to observe: a Transcendent army of over three thousand, under the cover of night, approached the camp; the Dragon-born army showed no extreme reaction, and Ai Mi Li Si had already received the message—it was the Molsi family's Snake Legion and Transcendent troops.

After the two sides met, their forces merged, and the Dragon-born army numbered over twenty thousand.

In the deep night only the howling cold wind blew; Jin Si Lan was silent inside and out, awaiting the first ray of sunlight to touch the ground, when the battle will commence!

This month we updated 120,000 words, still far from the goal—kowtow and apologize!

I need to think carefully about how to match up… for those who want to duel, I have a Frostmourne forged from high‑manganese steel—can I use it?

(End of chapter)