Arrows ripped through the night sky, and any Ironclad Camp soldiers who hadn't managed to raise their shields in time were instantly impaled, dying on the spot. Those who had just managed to brace their shields found them struck by arrow after arrow with a series of thuds. The sheer force of the impact nearly shattered their shield-bearing arms, and some, shot in the leg, fell to the ground only to be riddled with more arrows. Wails of agony filled the air outside the encampment.
"Still pulling out arrows?"
A demon general sneered. "Charge! Annihilate this encampment! Serpentfolk archers, don't stop. If they want arrows, we'll give them plenty more."
As a result, many more Ironclad Camp soldiers, being pulled up to the camp walls with ropes, were shot and killed. Sometimes, all that was hauled up was a corpse.
...
"Rustle... rustle..."
Chen Yu approached behind Lin Zhao, her footsteps crunching on the accumulated snow. Her delicate brows furrowed. "The Ironclad Camp pulled out arrows... nearly a hundred died. The arrows recovered are still not enough..."
"There's no other way."
Lin Zhao frowned. "Send all the spears and lances to the ramparts. Prepare for close combat."
"Alright!"
A bloody battle raged below the walls, yet Lin Zhao remained seated on the ramparts. He hadn't made a move since yesterday, having been cultivating his sword intent here. As for who this cultivated sword intent was for, the White Dragon Goddess had already stated it.
The battle raged until the following morning. The forces of the Heavenly Pool Army dwindled with each passing hour. There was nothing that could be done. Lin Zhao watched helplessly, but fortunately, directly beneath them lay a Formation of the Fallen Sword Immortal. Stepping upon this formation greatly boosted the morale and combat power of the human armored soldiers, while the demon race suffered a certain suppressive effect. This was one of the reasons the Heavenly Pool Army could withstand demon forces tens of times their own.
Another significant reason was the death of Chu Huaixi and the complete annihilation of the Vanguard, Formation Breaker, Flanking, and Broken Spear camps. The remaining four camps were filled with soldiers fighting with the fury of the bereaved, their anger directed solely at the demon race, naturally making their combat effectiveness extraordinary.
At dawn.
Mizunashi descended gracefully beside Lin Zhao, then sat with him on the edge of the lookout platform.
"Marshal Lin, when will we sally forth to battle?"
Nodding, Mizunashi offered a melancholic smile. "The encampment walls are heavily damaged and starting to crumble. To be suffocated within these walls is hardly the bearing of a sword cultivator like us. The Decisive and Wind-Riding Camps are purely cavalry. The horses in the encampment have ample fodder and energy. As soon as Marshal Lin gives the order, over a thousand cavalry of the Great Chen Dynasty will ride out with you to fight the enemy!"
"Not yet."
Lin Zhao gazed at the battlefield surrounding the encampment. "It's not time..."
"When will it be time?" Mizunashi asked.
"When Yu Zhi herself arrives."
Lin Zhao smiled faintly. "If Yu Zhi personally arrives on the battlefield, it will mean the four northern tribes are marching south."
"Mmm!"
...
Snow Domain Heavenly Pool, a cliff.
Shen Xingchen and Leng Yan still sat by the cliff edge, their beautiful jade legs incredibly alluring. Behind them stood eight male players. Although the closed beta was nearing its end, the great battle in the Snow Domain Heavenly Pool was imminent. Chu Huaixi had fallen, and Lin Zhao was holding the encampment. They had watched these battles almost entirely, never logging off.
"It's hopeless."
Yi Shi Cang Liang frowned, a bitter smile on his face. "My young brother Lin Zhao, a genius of his generation, is trapped in a desperate situation. Surrounded by hundreds of thousands of demon troops, even if other human armies came to rescue him, it would be too late."
Leng Yan's expression was calm, and she said softly, "Why didn't he escape earlier?"
"Deliberate action."
Shen Xingchen pursed her red lips. She gazed at the human marshal sitting on the lookout platform, her eyes filled with a hint of complexity. "He considers himself a chess piece, creating an aura of 'the Son of Heaven guards the nation' for the great demon Yu Zhi. However, once Yu Zhi annihilates Lin Zhao's forces and marches south, they will fall into Lin Zhao's trap. Lin Zhao's plan is one of facing death to live; he exchanges his own life for the survival of the entire situation. It's a pity for such a person to die."
Leng Yan pouted and glared at her.
Shen Xingchen immediately laughed. "Alright, in-game characters might not be fixed. Perhaps he'll be reborn in another way?"
"Let's hope so."
Leng Yan stood up. "I don't want to watch anymore."
"Really don't want to?"
Shen Xingchen did not get up.
Leng Yan gave a wry smile and sat down again. "Has Lin Zhao entered the countdown to death?"
"Mmm-hmm..."
Shen Xingchen didn't know how to comfort her.
Su Xinghe looked toward the northern frontier, at the youth holding his position in the encampment, and felt a surge of passion. If he were in that person's shoes, could he achieve that level of composure? What kind of experiences had allowed this youth to face death without fear?
Yi Shi Cang Liang looked at the youth, his heart filled with sighing. In truth, he didn't have to die. But Lin Zhao, as a participant in the game, couldn't see through it. He was playing his role, and what could his elder brother do but lament? This great battle might influence the fate of humanity upon the public release, and Lin Zhao was a crucial figure in this magnificent chapter. He was doing what he needed to do, and his elder brother shouldn't obstruct him.
Xian Bai glanced at his beloved Leng Yan, then at the human commander sitting on the distant lookout platform. Since they were rivals in love, it would be best if he died sooner.
Jian Huang glanced at the distant battlefield, his heart filled with heroic spirit. He wished he were a true Sword Immortal, able to wield his sword on the battlefield and rescue that youth with a single strike.
Shen Xingchen sighed lightly, looking at the youth in the distance. If only he didn't have to die. It was a pity he had devised a plan that guaranteed his death. Perhaps this was what was meant by heaven's jealousy?
...
Another day passed in the blink of an eye.
At dawn, as the sun rose, it was the third day of Lin Zhao's encampment resisting the demon race.
On this day, the great demon Yu Zhi's war chariot appeared several hundred meters away from Lin Zhao's encampment. Yu Zhi stood upon the fiery red war chariot, her arms crossed, her beautiful eyes narrowed, patiently awaiting the moment to strike down her enemy.
At this moment, the entire encampment was stained crimson with blood. Almost every inch of stone on the ramparts was soaked in blood. Several sections of the city walls had collapsed, and the wooden walls outside were covered in arrows and bloodstains. The corpses of demon soldiers were piled five meters high, their bodies bristling with feathers. The Heavenly Pool Army was truly running out of provisions and ammunition.
Of the more than four thousand soldiers, less than a thousand remained. The Ironclad Camp and the Valiant Camp were completely annihilated, with commanders Zhang Yanping and Wang Jiang falling in battle. The Decisive Camp and the Wind-Riding Camp also suffered heavy losses. Three of the ten captains in the Wind-Riding Camp had perished, while the Decisive Camp remained intact, with the ten individuals from the Mountain Peak Villa all present, though they were all nearly exhausted.
"Lin Zhao!"
Outside the city, Yu Zhi smiled faintly. "Do you dare to sally forth and battle?"
"Good."
Lin Zhao rose from the lookout platform, a smile on his face. "Please, Lord Yu Zhi, set up your formation. Lin Zhao will then lead his troops to charge!"
"Excellent!"
Yu Zhi looked at the youth. It was the first time she had seen him up close. The youth had sword-like eyebrows and starry eyes, with an air of heroism about him that momentarily dazed Yu Zhi. Was this the person who had defeated her multiple times? Why, just by his appearance, did she actually find him quite likable?
Alas, he was an enemy, and she would take his head first!
...
"Form ranks!"
Under Yu Zhi's command, the demon army began to re-form their ranks. The formation stretched for dozens of miles, each grand formation taking a bow shape, like great bows drawn taut. At the center of these great bows were elite formations, like the arrowheads of these bows, composed of the most elite warriors of the demon army. Accompanied by the sound of horns, within each arrowhead formation, the eyes of the demon elite warriors were icy, their bodies filled with killing intent, as if these arrowheads, once shot, would pierce directly through the fragile human army before them.
In the distance, towering structures known as "Jingguan" were erected from the bones of Yunzhou cavalry, exuding a somber atmosphere filled with a strong sense of death. Upon these Jingguan, Ghost Kings held their weapons aloft in the air. Behind a Ghost King wielding a blood-red long saber, a grotesque blood-red Dharma image appeared and receded, fully displaying the brutality and arrogance of the ghost race. With a loud laugh, he pointed his saber directly at the human army formation ahead and said, "Lin Zhao, you ant! Your human main force of millions has already been annihilated. Do you think your meager forces can stop the advance of our four northern tribes?"
As he spoke, from the demon formation, steel spears several meters long jutted out, each one with a severed head nailed to its tip. Many of these heads were familiar to the cavalrymen of the Decisive and Wind-Riding Camps, and most of them belonged to the fallen soldiers of the Heavenly Pool Army's Vanguard, Formation Breaker, Flanking, and Broken Spear camps!
"I see, the Heavenly Pool Army is nothing special."
A twelve-realm great demon slowly rose, holding a long halberd, and mockingly said, "Lin Zhao, do you dare to sally forth and break our formation?"
...
Inside the encampment.
Lin Zhao descended gracefully into the city, clad in white armor, riding his white horse. He said in a deep voice, "Everyone, mount up. Follow me out the east gate and charge the demon army!"
Everyone eagerly mounted their horses, drawing their swords. After three days and nights of fighting, the nerves of every soldier in the Heavenly Pool Army were almost at their breaking point. They had been anticipating this moment, preferring to die gloriously in battle outside rather than a dejected death within the encampment!
Shortly after, less than a thousand cavalry appeared before the vast demon formation of hundreds of thousands.
"Tsk tsk..."
A ten-realm demon warrior sneered. "So, there are still so many strong soldiers and fierce generals... not bad, worthy of being a human commander!"
Bai Lan, a thirteen-realm cultivator, stood beside Yu Zhi, arms crossed, and said coldly, "With such a small force, it can be broken with a single strike. Lady Yu Zhi, why bother? Shall I unleash this strike?"
Yu Zhi frowned. "No need."
"Why?"
"I lost to Lin Zhao in battle, so I must win back in battle."
Yu Zhi raised her hand and pointed in Lin Zhao's direction, shouting, "Kill them! Whoever takes Lin Zhao's head will be rewarded as a demon marquis!"
"Kill!"
The roar was earth-shattering as hundreds of thousands of demons marched south!
...
Lin Zhao looked back at the Heavenly Pool Army cavalry behind him, smiled freely, turned, drew his sword, and pointed it at the hundreds of thousands of demons. He roared, "If you want to attack, attack! Why the nonsense? Lin Zhao of the Great Chen Dynasty leads this army to seek death!"
Instantly, the thousand-plus soldiers of the Decisive Camp raised their spears and swords, pointing them straight ahead, their eyes filled only with arrogance and defiance.
"Fight to the death!"
"Fight to the death!"
"Fight to the death!"
The voices of the less than a thousand soldiers from the Decisive and Wind-Riding Camps echoed in unison through the air.
...
Among the cavalry, Princess Chen Yu of the Great Chen Dynasty, her eyes moist, gazed at the back of the youth before her. At this moment, he was no longer a human commander bestowed by the Emperor, but simply a young and renowned general of the Great Chen Dynasty.