The level 45 city defense structures were not a significant threat to Zhou Ningdong and his companions, but they were almost invincible to Liu Ye's Third Legion.
"Dare to betray me? Then be prepared to die!" An Chenshang stood in front of the screens within the Qitian Tower. The various city defense structures were rapidly switching on the displays.
"System prompt: Congratulations to the Lord of Dark God City for upgrading the city defense structure 'Shadow Demon Arrow' to level 46, consuming 3.6 billion Dark Holy Stones."
"System prompt: Congratulations to the Lord of Dark God City for upgrading the city defense structure 'Shadow Demon Arrow' to level 47, consuming 7.2 billion Dark Holy Stones."
...
System prompts flashed by on the screen at a rapid pace, and the financial reserves accumulated over millions of years in Dark God City were being consumed just as quickly. If Zhou Ningdong and the others had seen these consumption figures, they would have been so enraged that they would have directly killed An Chenshang.
An Chenshang was like a madman, rapidly upgrading the levels of one city defense structure after another. In just a moment, An Chenshang had depleted all twenty-five trillion holy stones accumulated in the city's treasury, raising all one thousand city defense structures surrounding the City Lord's Mansion to level 48.
Level 48 city defense structures could instantly kill any soldier below the sixth tier, and could even take away more than half of the health of a seventh-tier general in a single strike.
"Report, messages from the Shadow Legion, Black Iron Legion, and Shang Zhan Legion have arrived. They have completed their preparations on the training grounds outside the mansion and await the City Lord's command to engage the enemy at any moment!" came the shout of a trusted subordinate from outside the door, indicating that his three million private troops were ready.
The City Lord's Mansion's private army was usually stationed within the mansion itself, which was one of the reasons why the mansion needed to be built like a small castle. However, An Chenshang was the first City Lord in history to possess such a large private army.
The main difference between these private troops and other combat units was their loyalty. Other armies were loyal to the entire Dark Tribe. If the City Lord's decision threatened the survival of the entire tribe, these armies would take appropriate countermeasures. They could even, with unanimous consent from all legion commanders, directly depose the City Lord and appoint another successor.
The private army, however, had only one master: their owner! Even if An Chenshang ordered the slaughter of the entire Dark God City, they would carry it out without hesitation.
"Good, tell them to await my command! Also, when the Public Security Corps arrives, they are to be placed under the unified command of the Shang Zhan Legion!"
As the Third Legion approached, An Chenyu's previously panicked heart gradually calmed down, even becoming excited.
"Dark God City belongs to me, and only in my hands can it rise to become a power like the Divine Realm! This time, if I survive, it will be my rebirth from the ashes!"
"Send a message to Yi'e. The Third Legion has rebelled. Order them to dispatch troops to kill all soldiers of the Third Legion. For every one hundred thousand soldiers killed, this City Lord will grant you corresponding resources! If you can kill the entire Third Legion, this City Lord will grant you the right to return to the city for rest and recuperation at any time!"
Even with a thousand city defense structures, and even with nine million soldiers standing by on the City Lord's Mansion's training grounds, he was still willing to expend more resources to hire the Third Legion, even promising them the right to return to the city for rest and recuperation.
It was known that in previous years, these external combat units were not allowed to enter the city without the City Lord's permission. Thus, An Chenshang's promise was far more valuable than the resources he offered.
...
The commander of the Third Legion, Liu Ye, like Yi'e, was also a seventh-tier general. However, he was a ranged class, a Shadow Archer. His entire body was concealed within black leather armor, with only a pair of scarlet eyes exposed.
"Master, weren't you forcibly dispatched by the eldest young master to attack the Human Divine City? How come you..."
As they walked, Liu Ye, who had been watching the figure riding a black tiger in front of him, could no longer contain his questions.
That's right, Liu Ye was An Chenyu's subordinate, a chess piece that An Chenyu had placed tens of thousands of years ago. He had not had a chance to use it before because An Chenshang had dispatched him to attack the Human Divine City. At that time, he also thought that attacking a human city of that magnitude was too simple, so he saw no need to act. He never imagined that he would be so badly defeated, and even had to lower himself to become Ye Yun's general to survive.
"Don't ask what you shouldn't know. The objective now is to drive out that dog An Chenshang!" An Chenyu said coldly.
"Yes, but master, scouts have sent word that An Chenshang seems to be planning a desperate gamble. Not only does he have three million private troops in the City Lord's Mansion, but he is also conscripting an endless stream of Public Security Corps into the mansion."
"Additionally, word from the Fourth Legion indicates that their nearly four million soldiers have disengaged from the battlefield and are now converging on the City Lord's Mansion."
Liu Ye rode the unique warhorse of Dark God City, swaying slightly as he followed behind An Chenyu.
"The Fourth Legion? Yi'e? Let him come. We'll deal with him along with the others." An Chenyu pondered for a moment and said indifferently.
He had been away for half a year, and many things and many people had changed.
But speaking of change, who had changed more than himself? Not to mention anything else, his attribute points alone were tens of times greater than before he became a general, and this gap would only widen as his level increased.
"Understood, master. With the Fourth Legion now intervening, shouldn't we speed up?" Liu Ye asked, looking at the leisurely An Chenyu with some impatience. In battle, timing was crucial.
"No need, this pace is just fine."
An Chenyu looked up at the massive outline of the city walls in the distance, his eyes holding a mixture of complexity and indifference.
He was now a general under 'Jieming,' the City Lord of the Human Divine City, and his strength far surpassed the limits that Dark God City should possess. This meant that he was now an 'unexpected element' in the games of the higher-ups. If nothing unforeseen happened, he would soon attract the attention of those in power, and a storm would follow. However, he had no choice.
Moreover, the promises his master had made to him were too tempting, too tempting indeed. Although he was merely his general and was almost unconditionally bound to obey his words, even so, he found it difficult to resist such temptation.
"There is still an hour and a half left. At General Zhou's speed, I reckon those mere million soldiers won't take them more than ten minutes to defeat," An Chenyu murmured softly.