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Chapter 318: Sudden situation

Chapter 318: Sudden situation

Over the next few days.

The Southern Summer King began the inspection.

In the frontline fortress, there were over six hundred thousand soldiers stationed there with one hundred thousand being cavalry soldiers. Every single person that was stationed in the frontline fortress was an elite of the Southern Summer Country.

The Southern Summer King's personal inspection quickly filled the soldiers with cheers. The Southern Summer King had been very generous this time, giving out large amounts of money, meat, and wine, as well as presenting rewards to the various officers. This was to promote morale in preparation for the future northern expedition.

Chu Tian and Meng Qingwu were both busy at work.

The Magnetic Sound Tower, the Magnetic Image Tower, and the Ultra Wave Signal Transfer Tower took a single week to finish. Since this place was not far from Imperial City, once the three towers were created, the signal could already be transmitted.

While everyone was busy, the little fox was feeling very bored, so it went around by itself.

It slipped up onto the highest watchtower, sitting on the high up peak, licking its fur. It curled itself up into a ball as it looked into the distance with immense boredom.

The fox felt that this place was too boring. There was nothing to eat or play with. It did not know why its master had brought it here, but it was a good thing that it had stored a lot of food in its stomach.

The little fox rubbed its stomach to spit out a pill bottle which was filled with Sacred Grade Pills. It just ate them while lazing around, swallowing them like jelly beans. It threw those Sacred Pills that couldn't even be bought with money into its mouth and enjoyed the bourgeois life that belonged to this little fox.

If Chu Tian were to see this scene, it was impossible for him not to beat him. This was simply a wastrel!

The little fox finished off the bottle of Sacred Pills and only felt half full, but he did not continue eating. Its master had not provided food for it in a long time and although it had a lot stored in its stomach, it had to save some for later or else it would end up with an empty stomach.

The little fox thought of something and spat out a round object, holding it in both claws as it examined it. This thing looked to be a top grade white jade ball the colour of lamb fat, very smooth and clear, while also releasing waves of a mysterious energy. When the little fox turned the jade ball over, a jet black pupil appeared in front of it, like it had been staring at it the entire time.

Instantly an immense pressure was released which was enough to break the spirit of normal beings!

This was an eyeball, but more accurately, the eyeball of an ancient god!

The little fox had risked its life in Central State's Trial Tower swallowing it. In the past few months, the little fox had been swallowing its energy, using it for its own growth. The majority of the power had been used to refine it.

The eyeball was several times larger than the little fox at first, but now it was only a third of the size of the little fox, but it was still two-three times bigger than a normal person's eyeball.

This damn eyeball had actually consumed that much energy. If that energy was used by the little fox to grow, it would have had the ability to instantly kill its master already.

It hoped that this item was easy to use!

The little fox held the eyeball high up as it blew onto it. This eyeball seemed like it was being controlled by an ancient clan's secret technique and instantly flew up, flying dozens of meters into the air. The little fox closed its eyes and connected its Divine Sense into the eyeball. It saw the ancient god's eyeball that had already been glazed over suddenly recover as the pupil came into focus.

When the little fox inserted its Divine Sense into the eyeball and had it released once again, it was like sound going into a loudspeaker, being amplified several tens of thousands of times. In an instant, the image of the entire iron wall fortress appeared in the little fox's mind.

This field of view was a "god's view" or it could be called a "3D view". A more popular method of addressing it was Divine Sense view which was not something the naked eye could compare to. The entire complex structure of the iron fortress had appeared inside the little fox's mind.

Every secret room, every warehouse, every soldier, and every corner.

All matters big and small appeared in full view. The secret weapons stored in the secret rooms, the delicious items in the warehouses, the positions of the soldiers and secret sentries, and even the nets set up in the corners, they were all clearly seen by the little fox.

The little fox revealed a grin.

This eyeball was very easy to use. With it, it would no longer need to fear finding delicious things.

The little fox decided to test out the eyeball's distance, so it looked north because of this. A wave of Divine Sense was released, crossing a distance of several hundred miles, falling onto a position in the prairies.

The little fox realized the special point of this divine eyeball, it functioned just like a searchlight. It could cross several hundred miles of distance, but only the area within its range would be illuminated. This also meant that other than this area, whether it was front, back, or to the sides, they were all blind spots.

The only way to illuminate an area was to change the field of view.

The further the distance, the smaller the view range and the more blurrier the things inside are. For example, looking at the prairie several hundred miles away, whether it was the range or the clarity, they were all far from when it used the eyeball on the iron fortress.

This was probably related to the strength of its Divine Sense.

The little fox's Divine Sense was not strong enough. If it could raise the level of its Divine Sense, even if it looked at something tens of thousands of miles away, the little fox would be able to clearly see it.

Easy to use!

Not bad!

The little fox was very satisfied with the effects of the divine eyeball. It moved the range and looked over the prairies. Those flying and walking beast moving on the prairies were all clearly seen by the little fox, but they were not aware of it at all.

The little fox played for a while before feeling a bit tired. It should be because it used too much Divine Sense. When it was prepared to put away the divine eyeball.

Suddenly!

The little fox stood up.

Yi, what is this!

In the little fox's line of sight, a large group suddenly appeared that was black and dense as lake water. It was of an enormous scale with rhinos running, giant shapes within, and flags waving. Although this formation was chaotic, the scale was still gigantic.

This is bad!

The little fox put away the eyeball and suddenly turned into gray mist. After several lightning fast teleportations, it arrived on Chu Tian's shoulder in an instant. It used its claws to grab Chu Tian's clothes, using its claws to draw out the scene it had just saw.

Meng Qingwu was by Chu Tian's side. She had rarely ever seen the little fox with this kind of appearance, "What does it want to say?"

Chu Tian knit his brows and spoke in an uncertain voice, "It said that it had discovered a large scale army that is currently charging in our direction."

"War Hounds army?"

"It should be!"

"Are you sure you didn't see wrong?" Chu Tian carefully asked the little fox again, "How many enemies are there?"

The little fox gave a strong nod and used its claw to vigorously draw a circle, showing that the formation was very, very big. Then it pointed south, signifying that they should escape!

Meng Qingwu's nerves became very tense, "Chu Tian, what do you think?"

"This little fellow usually isn't reliable, but it wouldn't lie in crucial situations." Chu Tian's face turned serious, "I'm afraid it's true!"

Meng Qingwu was shocked and nervous.

This was completely unreasonable!

The War Hounds Tribe had already sent a four hundred thousand large army into Cang State!

To the various tribes of the War Hounds Tribes, this four hundred thousand large army was already a hard to muster army. How could they possibly send another one into the Imperial Region? It had to be known, the Imperial Region's defenses were several times stronger than Cang State, so it was very difficult for the War Hounds to penetrate into the Imperial Region!

Could the War Hounds have already been unified?

Even if several tribes unite as one, it would be hard to cross these large city walls. After sending four hundred thousand soldiers to Cang State, how many people could they still send to attack the Imperial Region? Moveover, since they want to attack the Imperial Region, why did they need to send a portion to Cang State? Wouldn't it be better to attack together?

Even if Chu Tian and Meng Qingwu did not understand war, they still had basic knowledge. The five frontline fortresses had six hundred thousand soldiers who were all elites of the Southern Summer Country. The War Hounds Tribe needed to send a higher amount of elites to even threaten the situation here.

The War Hounds Tribe were in a precarious situation. The War Hounds did not store many grains, so it was impossible for them to raise an army of a million!

No matter what, the matter of the War Hounds sudden surprise attack was a fact and this matter needed to be reported to the Southern Summer King and Dongfang Zhan. The frontline fortress had to prepare themselves ahead of time.

Chu Tian immediately went to find the Southern Summer King.

"What?!"

The Southern Summer King had just finished inspecting the five fortresses and was currently drinking tea in Dongfang Zhan's office. When he heard this news, the teacup immediately fell down and shattered.

"The War Hounds want to surprise attack the Imperial Region?" The Southern Summer King was enraged, "Good, since they dare send themselves to death, then we'll let them taste how strong our Southern Summer's fortress garrison is! Dongfang Zhan, immediately prepare for battle!"

Dongfang Zhan did not need explanations.

Dongfang Zhan already felt that this was strange. Lately, there had been no reports from the scout outposts on the prairie, which was something that should not happen. Moreover, there has not been a single word from the scouts the Calm Martial Ruler placed in the prairies.

These were all clear signs that something had happened!

When the bells resounded in the fortress, all the soldiers within were mobilized. Several tens of thousands of soldiers entered firing slits and various crossbow carriages were prepared. The frontline fortress needed to deal with enemy attacks frequently, so they had already developed lightning fast reactive speeds.

Not to mention the fact that the little fox noticed the War Hounds army beforehand, giving them at least an extra two hours of time to prepare. This was enough to prepare any kind of defenses.

"The battlefield will be dangerous. For my king's safety, my king should immediately be escorted back to Imperial City by the griffin knights!"

"Now that the entire frontline army knows that this king is here, but this king escaped when a large amount of enemies come, wouldn't that destroy the army's morale? Where would my face as the Southern Summer King go!" The Southern Summer King was not weak, "This king will personally watch over today's battle, fighting against the War Hounds with the frontline soldiers!"

Although Dongfang Zhan wanted to advise him otherwise, but if the Southern Summer King did leave now, it would affect the king's prestige.

The Southern Summer King was after all a True Spirit Expert. He could fight against a thousand cavalry by himself, so keeping himself safe was not an issue. Not to mention the fact that he has had a unit of powerful griffin knights guarding him. As well, with the enemy close by, evacuating was not considered safer than staying in the fortress.

Fine!

The war was more important!

Dongfang Zhan immediately began to deploy the troops!

When the iron fortress had made all their battle preparations.

Earth shattering drums came from the horizon. It was like thunder coming from storm clouds and made people feel very restrained. The War Hounds Tribe members were too many, stretching out over the prairies. From head to tail, they covered several miles, with their troops reaching the seven-eight hundred thousand mark!

When they saw the scale of the enemy, even Dongfang Zhan's heart was filled with shock.

A kind of unlucky premonition suddenly enveloped the frontline fortress.

Four hundred thousand invested in Cang State and eight hundred thousand sent in the Imperial Region.

These two armies added up to a total of one million and two hundred thousand people!

A one million and two hundred thousand army was enough to bring great danger to the frontline fort, so why did the War Hounds Tribe send four hundred thousand to Cang State? There was only one reason, the War Hounds Tribe thought eight hundred thousand was enough to attack the Imperial Region!

That's right!

Not attack the fortress, but attacking the Imperial Region!

The six hundred thousand soldiers in the frontline fortress was for guarding against a portion of the enemy and Imperial City could quickly send reinforcements which was namely the Storm Cavalry. If it was an urgent situation, the Calm Martial Ruler could lead the Storm Cavalry to provide support.

The goal of the War Hounds attacking Cang State was not to attack Cang State City or even to destroy the breeding farms. They just simply wanted to lure the tiger from its mountain!

In the entire Southern Summer Country, the only one the War Hounds feared was the Calm Martial Ruler.

There was a total of five hundred cavalry soldiers in the northern Southern Summer Country, with a hundred thousand stationed at the iron wall, two hundred thousand in Cang State, and two hundred thousand in Imperial City. These five hundred thousand soldiers reacted very quickly, being able to provide reinforcement no matter where the attack was. This was what the War Hounds were most worried about.

When the War Hounds attacked Cang State, the Calm Martial Ruler left with Imperial City's Storm Cavalry for Cang State. Combined with the two hundred thousand cavalry in Cang State, they annihilated the four hundred thousand War Hound cavalry.

The War Hounds Tribe used four hundred thousand cavalry to tie down the Calm Martial Ruler and four hundred thousand Southern Summer cavalry!

With the two quick reacting forces unable to leave and the strongest Southern Summer general, the Calm Martial Ruler being tied down, the War Hounds' goal had been achieved.

With the four hundred thousand cavalry being trapped in Cang State, the frontline fortress could not receive any timely support and the War Hounds now had ten days. They would use those ten days to break through the fortress and enter into the Imperial Region!

When Dongfang Zhan understood the War Hounds Tribe's intentions, that deep unsettled feeling became even stronger. Dongfang Zhan had fought the War Hounds for over fifty years and this kind of strategy was impossible to appear in the War Hounds who were lax in discipline. For this kind of unusual behaviour, how could one not be shocked?

Chapter 319: The War Hounds attack

Chapter 319: The War Hounds attack

What kind of changes occurred on the War Hound Plains? The War Hounds ten great tribes had populations of four-five million people, but with constant internal strife, they suffered heavy losses to their elites. How could they have raised a million men army?

Although the War Hounds citizens were all soldiers, to attack the Southern Summer Country, normal soldiers could not be used and only elites of one out of ten would do. Not to mention a single tribe being able to take out an army of a million, even if they did take it out, how could a single tribe initiate a war of this scale?

The only possibility was an allied army!

The War Hounds ten great tribes were once again in an alliance!

The strange part of this alliance was that it seemed like it was completed in a single night. The War Hounds that had been previously attacking each other suddenly reconciled with each other and now worked to take over the Southern Summer Country. The Southern Summer Country was not prepared at all.

Where did the War Hounds receive this confidence?

They were no longer the previous Great Hound Kingdom.

Did they really think they could capture the frontline forts with just seven-eight hundred thousand soldiers?

The Southern Summer frontline fortress did only have six hundred thousand soldiers, but whether it was equipment, weapons, soldier quality, commander ability, or material reserves, they were all things the War Hounds Tribe could not compare to. Not the mention the grand iron walled city, this was a solid fortress that could not be penetrated!

The War Hounds' individual soldier's strength was not bad and they did not fear death, but unless they had twice the quantity, they did not have a way of fighting. Even if they did have twice the quantity, it is not certain the War Hounds could charge through the Southern Summer barrier.

Let alone a seven-eight hundred thousand army that seemed to be in disarray?

Of course, no matter what ideas the War Hounds had and what kind of trump card they possessed, it was not important at this moment. The facts were in front of their eyes, this is an once in a hundred year large war!

The Southern Summer Country did not know what changed in the War Hound Plains, but the current Southern Summer Country was not the previous Southern Summer Country. Only the most elite soldiers were stationed in the frontline fortress and it was definitely enough to stop the War Hounds with this battle strength!

Dongfang Zhan personally ascended the watchtower to supervise the battle, "All troops, prepare!"

The Southern Summer soldiers pulled back their bows with each arrow having a talisman attached to it. When the arrows were pulled back, the talismans were activated and ice, fire, lightning, and various types of energy were released from the talismans attached to the arrows. This was a grand sight that one could not easily forget.

The War Hounds surged forward like a tidal wave, but when they were about to enter the range of the arrows, they suddenly began to slow down. They actually entered into a confrontation state with the Southern Summer fortress.

What was happening?

Meng Qingwu was very confused when she saw this. The War Hounds army's momentum was very threatening, so why didn't they continue this into an attack? When they came this close, they only called out curses, but there was not a single horn signalling to attack.

Chu Tian was carefully observing the War Hounds formation.

These fellow looked like a disorganized crew. They were mainly composed of cavalry, with various different mounts, with most of their mounts being giant beasts. There were lions, tigers, warhorses, and etc., even having people riding wolves and lizards, making it look very strange in general. Their equipment were very simple and although their formation was grand, it looked very loose.

Only the quantity was too shocking!

With the dense sea of people on the prairies, it was impossible to see the front and back, one could only see the various coloured flags swaying. Various drums, horns, shouts, and roars resounded through the air, becoming the sound of the world.

The most eye catching parts of this army were the few incomparably giant monsters in formation.

There was one that looked very much like a large gorilla, but it had a much fiercer appearance. Its skin was ash grey like it was made of stone, it had a big and round face, four thick limbs, and its height reached close to forty meters. Its head and chest were all covered in layers of thick armour and it had several chains attached to it, with a giant bamboo basket attached to its back which was filled with War Hounds soldiers.

The War Hounds did not have any siege machines, so how would they attack the fifty meter tall city walls?

This monster with a gigantic build was the War Hounds' siege machine!

Normal arrows did not have any method of hurting it and even those heavy crossbows would only produce flesh wounds. They could directly throw several heavy boulders into the city and could also carry the War Hounds soldiers in the baskets into the city.

The Southern Summer King gave a few disdainful cold laughs, "After a hundred years, the War Hounds have made no progress at all! This motley crew, even if you could double your quantity, you want to attack the Southern Summer Country depending on them? What a joke! This should be the greatest strength the War Hound Plains can send out. Once this battle exterminates them, the Southern Summer Country can sweep through the War Hound Plains unstopped!"

Although his words were like this.

The War Hounds Tribe could not be underestimated.

The Spirit Beasts did not fear death and would wildly charge forward when heading into battle, so this loose formation could not be looked down on. There were many experts in the War Hounds Tribe's hands and there were frequently some unknown Spirit Beasts that were experts of the 8th and 9th Awakened Soul Layer, so one could not be careless dealing with these fellows.

Meng Qingwu asked, "Why are they not attacking?"

Gu Qianqiu said with a serious expression, "This old man thinks they are waiting for air support."

What air support? Meng Qingwu had just asked this in her heart when a terrifying screech suddenly came from the sky, like it was being torn apart. Several dozen giant demon beasts that were several feet long were leading thousands of ordinary demon beasts, falling like meteors at the fortress. It was like a dark cloud falling down on the walls.

These giant demon beasts were giant vultures, with each one carrying around six-seven hundred War Hounds experts and they were just being used as transportation tools at this moment. There were quite a few normal War Hounds in the air, riding all sorts of strange demon beasts, being escorted by the giant vultures.

This was the so called air support?

The War Hounds also had an air army?

The frontline fortress' thick walls were very high and although there were siege beasts, it was very hard to approach. Then they should first use the airborne beasts to send a group of elites down first. Even if they couldn't open the fortress, they would at least disrupt the Southern Summer army. In this kind of situation, it would increase the chance of success for the ground army.

This did not count as any kind of tactics. The War Hounds had been fighting with the Southern Summer Country for many years, so they did know a few tricks to attacking cities. From this point alone, one could tell that they were fully prepared for this fight. With several hundred thousand normal soldiers, they had prepared at least twenty thousand airborne soldiers!

Dongfang Zhan's expression sunk, "Fire!"

When the War Hounds airborne soldiers were prepared to attack.

A dense sea of arrows was released from the city walls!

Shua, shua, shua, shua!

Each arrow was covered in the light of spirit energy, flying out with accuracy and shocking speed. Each arrow hit the giant beast bodies with a powerful might which the demon beasts could not stop with their defenses. When these arrows pierced into their feathers and flesh, talismans on the shafts of the arrows were activated.

Peng, peng, peng!

Looking into the sky from the fortress.

The bodies of these demons beasts exploded, causing endless blood, feathers, and pieces of meat to rain down from the sky. An ear grating sound penetrated into the heavens.

Dongfang Zhan waved the flag high up, "Continue shooting arrows!"

The War Hounds airborne army had already approached at this time and a War Hounds commander on the back of black hawk stood up. Releasing his source spirit, it changed into six spiritual wolf soldiers, parrying the rain of arrows for the mount. He raised the blade in his hand high up and released a resonating roar!

"Kill!"

"Kill all humans!"

"For the War Hounds!"

Chu Tian said in a surprised voice when he saw this person, "Nuo Luo?"

Meng Qingwu was very surprised, "You recognize this person?"

Chu Tian explained, "He was the War Hounds expert I met in the Scarlet Swamp. He is someone in the peak 9th Awakened Soul Layer with a very powerful strength!"

Meng Qingwu's heart was very heavy.

A peak 9th Awakened Soul Layer expert actually joined this death squad. It could be imagined how determined the War Hounds were this time.

Although they met the fortress' fierce resistance, the War Hounds Tribe was fearless. There was a group that successfully approached and quickly landed on the fortress.

This did not mean that they could attack.

The iron walls were all sealed and ever if they attacked the top, there were several iron nets that covering the top of the walls with sharp thorns adorning their surface. The iron fortress' archers were mainly shooting from the windows or being deployed to different places in the corridors.

How could such an important fortress not consider air defenses?

The War Hounds air attack brought quite a bit of trouble, but it was impossible for them to break through the fortress with this. The Southern Summer troops continued firing arrows and countless giant hawks, giant vultures, and War Hounds members fell down like raindrops. Some of them directly fell over the battlefield, falling onto the sharp nets and were cut into a thousand pieces, turning into a pile of flesh on walls.

The Southern Summer army was very methodical.

The entire army focused on fighting from inside and the War Hounds on the outside could not reach them.

However, at this time, a giant vulture that was filled with arrows suddenly engaged in a brave charge, landing right in the middle of two walls. It used its giant claws to rip the iron net and although it was killed by the arrows fired in the end, it had created a breach!

"Roar, roar!"

Several hundred War Hounds warriors jumped down from the wing and fell down into the iron wall.

"This is bad, the War Hounds have come in!"

"Kill! Stop them, stop them!"

Several thousand Southern Summer soldiers entered the pathway, attacking from both sides. These suicidal War Hounds soldiers were all elites and although they knew they were about to die, they were all fierce beyond imagination. They caused the Southern Summer soldiers twice the amount of casualties.

Wu, wu!

The War Hounds army sounded the horn to attack!

That dense, black army suddenly began to charge at the fortress, just like an imposing black wave, trying to rip the city to pieces. The War Hounds airborne troops had attracted quite a bit of firepower, so it was the right time for the War Hounds army to attack.

This kind of pressure was too terrifying.

The heaven and earth trembled and the entire fortress shook, with wild sounds of killing being heard from every direction. This was a war between countries?

Meng Qingwu had never seen such a fierce battle before, so this was a large shock to her, causing her face to turn pale white. On such a large battlefield, a single person's strength had too little effect.

Chu Tian comforted her, "Don't worry, we will win!"

"Damn! Damn War Hounds!" The Southern Summer King found that the fortress was filled with War Hounds air troops and immediately flew into a rage. He ordered the griffin knights to the side, "What are you all still doing? Quickly block the War Hounds' air troops!"

The griffin knights platoon leader had a face of hesitation, "But, your majesty….."

The Southern Summer King revealed a terrifying aura, "Does this king need your protection? Do you not see the Southern Summer soldiers fighting a bloody battle? Can the glorious palace knights like you coldly watch from the side like this?"

"Yes!" The griffin knight leader waved his hand, "Go, attack the War Hounds!"

Several hundred griffin knights soared out on their griffins, charging out of the iron fortress' corridors. These royal knights were all Illustrious Soul Realm experts and although there were not many of them, the Southern Summer army felt a lot of pressure being relieved by them joining the fight!

The Southern Summer King walked in front of Chu Tian, Meng Qingwu, and Gu Qianqiu, "Two great scholars and miss Meng Qingwu, you will immediately head for a safe place."

Gu Qianqiu knit his brows, "Your majesty is not retreating, so how could this old man leave?"

"This is an order!" The Southern Summer King said in a severe voice, "You scholars have your scholars stage, a scholar's blood cannot be shed on the battlefield! Go!"

The Southern Summer King had already made his decision.

He would personally join the battle!

On this large scale battlefield, although a trivial True Spirit Realm expert could not play a decisive role, the Southern Summer King's strength was enough to be a deterrent to the War Hounds. If the king were to personally head out, it would be a large morale increase to the soldiers.

Gu Qianqiu did not even have time to speak.

Chu Tian's Divine Sense felt something and he immediately shouted, "Be careful of the window!"

Hong!

The iron built window was hit by an explosion and a large amount of arrows flew into the room. Several dozen figures tightly followed these arrows, dashing at where they were currently standing.

Chapter 320: Crisis

Chapter 320: Crisis

The moment of the War Hounds Tribe's sneak attack.

Chu Tian's feet jumped back and he used his sword to slash down all the arrows. Then he pulled Meng Qingwu into a safe corner.

"They are attacking." Chu Tian pulled out a treasure sword from his gourd space for Meng Qingwu, "Carefully defend yourself."

Meng Qingwu took the sword and nodded.

The Southern Summer King released a roar of rage at this moment.

"Overconfident things, you want dare to assassinate this king?!"

A vast wave of spirit energy suddenly formed into a giant shield and all the hidden weapons falling onto the shields shattered to pieces. This source spirit released a strong pressure when it was summoned, making the mounts of the War Hounds elites lose their mind, almost running away in terror.

The Southern Summer King was very confident, but he had reason to be confident.

A True Spirit Realm expert was a peak expert whether it was a small kingdom or a large kingdom, normal people could not go against them at all. So, even if the griffin knights were not by the Southern Summer King's side, he did not have a problem guarding himself.

Several dozen agile figures jumped out like crossbow bolts, coming from the broken window. They were very quick and had the protection of source spirits, clearly being Awakened Soul Realm experts.

The Southern Summer King's aura made them feel very shocked.

The War Hounds were clearly surprised since they never thought that they would meet such a terrifying person here. However, fear and hesitation was the most fatal thing, so even when they were faced with such a strong enemy, they did not have any hesitation. When the weapons used fell to the ground, they immediately surrounded the strongest person, the Southern Summer King.

"Cowards!"

Gu Qianqiu sent out a palm and under that powerful strike, the War Hounds elite's armour and helmet were shattered. They slammed into the broken window and fell down into a pile of flesh.

When Chu Tian blocked a blade glow aimed at him, Meng Qingwu used this chance to stab her sword into the chest of a War Hounds Tribe member, instantly piercing their armour and chest. Blood sprayed all over Meng Qingwu, making her unable to not feel a wave of disgust.

"Young miss, not bad!"

Chu Tian never thought that an usually calm person like Meng Qingwu would be able to kill someone so ruthlessly. It was a pity that the young miss did not have talent for fighting. Her Heavenly Book Source Spirit could allow her to become a peak scholar, but it did not have any means of making her a formidable warrior.

Meng Qingwu's face turned white as she scratched the blood on her clothes, but she found that scratching it made the stain bigger. In the end, she didn't care about it anymore, "There are more and more enemies, you still have the mood to tease me? Why aren't you making a move yet!"

Chu Tian gave a carefree laugh, "I don't think it is our turn."

Meng Qingwu could not understand what Chu Tian was saying.

She only saw the Southern Summer King's robe float up. The source spirit condensed as a shield instantly turned into several dozen spears that shot out. It went at a speed that the War Hounds elites could not clearly see and they could only see a streak of light piercing through their bodies. That brutal strength had completely crushed their bodies.

Meng Qingwu was very shocked. Several dozen Awakened Soul Cultivators were all instantly killed. Was this the Southern Summer King's strength?

"True Spirit Realm expert? Quickly retreat!"

The few surviving War Hounds experts all lost their courage. They had many Void Soul Realm cultivators in the 2nd and 3rd Awakened Soul Layer and even the strongest person was only in the Illustrious Soul Realm. Their strength was considered good for this small kingdom battlefield, but how could they go against a True Spirit Realm expert?

Before these people could even take a few steps.

A figure suddenly appeared in the corridor with a long spear in hand that swept out like lightning. The War Hounds elites did not even have time to run before they were ripped apart by this long spear!

"This subordinate has arrived late, I ask your majesty for forgiveness!"

Wang Tianlong was wielding a bloody spear and his armour was covered in blood, clearly he had killed his way here. Wang Tianlong had four-five Southern Summer high level generals behind him, all wearing heavy armour with the Battle Dragon Army symbol on it.

The Southern Summer King nodded, "General Wang has come right on time. You can charge out with this king and we'll kill the War Hounds together!"

"No!" Wang Tianlong knelt down on one knee and said with an anxious expression, "My king, the battle situation is very dangerous, the enemy has sent too many experts this time. I ask my king to think of Southern Summer's situation and first retreat to a safe place!"

The Southern Summer King was very dissatisfied, "You…."

Before he could say anything.

Wang Tianlong suddenly gripped his spear and a hard to detect killing intent appeared in his deep eyes.

This detail was caught by Chu Tian's keen senses and his face fell as he shouted, "Be careful!"

It seemed very detailed, but it happened in an instant. The kneeling Wang Tianlong suddenly stepped down with his right foot and the strength that he had been saving for a long time suddenly exploded on the floor. The long spear in his right hand bloomed with a cold glow as the spearhead stabbed out at the Southern Summer King's forehead.

Too sudden!

With this sudden moment, although Chu Tian had given a warning, the Southern Summer King did not have his guard up, so he did not have time to gather enough strength, only using his conditioned reflexes to grab the spear. The Southern Summer King's strength was very deep and with this grip on the spear, no matter how much strength Wang Tianlong used, it would not move an inch.

Wang Tianlong already expected this.

When the spear had been grabbed, he decisively let go of the spear. Slightly bending down and charging forward, a green dagger popped out his right armguard and he ruthlessly stabbed out.

The Southern Summer King felt a pain in his chest which was clearly the dagger entering his body. A burning sensation instantly spread as the Southern Summer King gave a furious roar, sending out a palm with his left hand. Wang Tianlong was sent into the iron wall with this powerful might, creating a large circle in the iron wall.

Gu Qianqiu angrily shouted, "Wang Tianlong, you rebel!"

The Southern Summer King's face turned black as he pulled the dagger out of his chest. This dagger was clearly covered in poison and he could already feeling the toxins enter his body. If he had not moved to the side at the critical moment and allowed that dagger to pierce his heart, that one stab would have been enough to take his life!

The Southern Summer King spat out a mouthful of black blood as his face filled with disbelief, "You dare sneak attack this king!"

Wang Tianlong came out of the hole in the wall and he instantly changed into a different person. His face was no longer humble, but rather deep and sinister with a taunting smile. Because his flood dragon protected him, the Southern Summer King's palm could not kill him and could at most cause him severe injuries.

"King? Are you worthy? Is your Dongfang Family worthy? My family is the king! You are just a traitor that usurped the throne!" Wang Tianlong broke out in cold laughter, "You think that by leaving behind my Great Summer Royal Clan's bloodline, we would be grateful to your Dongfang Clan? That is a mistake, a grave mistake!"

Gu Qianqiu angrily scolded, "If it wasn't for the Dongfang Family, then the Great Summer Country's last piece of territory would have been lost! As for you, for your own selfishness, you actually colluded with the War Hounds! Do you know how the Great Summer Country was destroyed? You evil hearted dog that even the gods have abandoned!"

The Southern Summer King was filled with regret.

Dongfang Zhan, this experienced family elder had actually seen through Wang Tianlong, seeing that he had a terrifying ambition hidden deep within him. Although Dongfang Zhan did not know what Wang Tianglong was after, he knew that this kind of person was dangerous, so he warned the Southern Summer King.

If the Southern Summer King had listened to Dongfang Zhan's warning and had his guard up against Wang Tianlong, Wang Tianlong would not have the chance to sneak attack him!

It was too late to say anything now.

"Since this is a mistake, this king will make up for this mistake today!"

The Dongfang Family's Weapon Transformation Source Spirit was released once again. This source spirit could change into different forms, so it could react to different situations in different ways. The Southern Summer King turned it into a purple giant sword, chopping down with an earth shaking aura at Wang Tianlong.

The Southern Summer King was a True Spirit Realm Cultivator that was weaker than the Three Rulers, but the True Spirit Realm and the Awakened Soul Realm were two different concepts and this gap was not easily overcome. If this sword were to hit Wang Tianlong, Wang Tianlong's defenses would be no use, killing him with a single slash!

Before the giant sword even arrived, the strong pressure made Wang Tianlong already unable to move.

The Southern Summer King angrily shouted, "Die!"

A general jumped out behind Wang Tianlong at this time and pulled out a long, black blade from his waist. He instantly appeared in front of Wang Tianlong and used this long, black blade to block the Southern Summer King's sword which was as strong as lightning!

Even if the Southern Summer King had suffered a sneak attack, he was still a True Spirit Realm expert. If a person could block the Southern Summer King's strike head on, that person had to be a True Spirit Realm expert!

The Southern Summer King took a few steps back and held his still bleeding chest. He felt the poison become stronger as he asked with a dark face, "Who are you?"

"Is your excellency the famous Southern Summer King?" This person took off his helmet, revealing himself to be a wolf tribe spirit beast, clearly being one of the War Hounds experts. He had monster like eyes and mysterious aura. He was wielding a long, black blade in his hand that was unadorned and seemed like it was made of stone, with a layer of black flames surrounding it, "Hell Song Tribe's vice chief, Underworld Flame Blade, Malim!"

A War Hounds Tribe True Spirit Expert?

This was the newly emerging large tribe the Calm Martial Ruler had mentioned?

The Southern Summer King felt regret in this moment. The Calm Martial Ruler had mentioned this clan many times and that there might be problems with them, but the Southern Summer King never cared.

Dongfang Zhan, the Calm Martial Ruler, the two protective pillars of this country, this king has truly shamed you two!

Wang Tianlong could sneak the Hell Song Tribe's vice chief Malim into the frontline fortress as a member of the Battle Dragon Army, this made the Southern Summer King's heart skip a beat and he suddenly had a bad premonition.

Wang Tianlong was one of the vice commanders of the frontline fortress, the consequences would be unimaginable if he rebelled. Since he could bring one War Hounds expert into the fortress, he could also bring in many more War Hounds experts. There may even be an entire War Hounds army inside the fortress already.

Wang Tianlong was the Battle Dragon Army's commander!

If Wang Tianlong was rebelling, even if the Battle Dragon Army itself did not revolt, at least the Earth Dragon Knights under him would change sides. Although there were only one-two thousand people, they were still a very strong army!

This is bad!

The fortress was in danger!

No matter how impenetrable the fortress was, that was only against external attacks. If the enemy were to appear inside the fortress, then would the fortress still be impregnable?

Whether it was the Imperial City cavalry or the Cang State cavalry, they could not come to the rescue right now.

Even if the Imperial City still had several hundred thousand soldiers, they were mainly heavy armour troops. Water in the distance could not put out a close fire!

"Stupid human king!" Malim raised the unadorned black blade and spoke with fluent human language, "You have been inflicted with the special poison the Hell Song Tribe has made for True Spirit Realm experts. You are doomed to die here and your death will be the beginning of the Southern Summer Country's destruction."

"In your dreams!"

"Even if you don't admit it, the Southern Summer Country has thoroughly lost." Malim coldly said, "The human race does not have any chance of winning, your death is already inevitable."

This spirit beast was calm and collected, not like the style of the War Hounds Tribe at all. Although this True Spirit Realm expert was terrifying, the Southern Summer King had never heard his name before, so he could not understand this.

"Venerated envoy, that person is very important!" Wang Tianlong pointed at Chu Tian and said, "Please, you must capture him!"

The Southern Summer King suddenly put his hands together and a violent energy burst into the air, turning into a rune covered long spear that immediately clashed with the long, black blade Malim was holding. The moment the two weapons collided, there was no sound or explosions and the Southern Summer King had a strange feeling.

At the moment of the collision, it had actually all been absorbed.

This person's weapon was like a bottomless black hole. It could suck in the Southern Summer King's spirit energy and nullify the Southern Summer King's attack.

Malim coldly said, "Leave the human king to me, you can deal with the others. Other than the one named Chu Tian, kill them all!"

Several people wearing the attire of the Battle Dragon Army took off their armours. They were revealed to be famous War Hounds experts, each one being existences in the peak 9th Awakened Soul Layer.

This is bad!

How did Chu Tian not see this?

This Malim's personal strength was already a bit stronger than the Southern Summer King, not to mention the Southern Summer King had suffered a sneak attack, so it was certain he would lose. Other than the powerful Malim, the War Hounds side had five peak 9th Awakend Soul Layer experts as well as the rebel Wang Tianlong.

Six peak 9th Awakened Soul Layer experts!

Gu Qianqiu and the little fox could block one each at most, so this was a fight they did not have a chance to win. For matters to develop to this moment, this was something Chu Tian never would have imagined.

Chapter 321: Danger approaching

Chapter 321: Danger approaching

The two big True Spirit Round experts made their move and the spirit energy that surged forth almost tore the room to shreds.

Malim's blade covered in black flames destroyed the Southern Summer King's spear and took the opportunity to land a slash on the Southern Summer King. Although he transformed his source spirit into a defensive form, the strange black blade could absorb spirit energy. In the end, it released a strong power that sent the Southern Summer King flying.

"This is too boring!" Malim waved his black flame covered long blade a few times with a look of disappointment, "Why was there a need to use the poison? It would be better to have a direct fight. It's a pity big brother would not listen to me, making this fight too boring."

This insult was a great shame to the Southern Summer King, only the currently heavily injured Southern Summer King really could do nothing. With his current condition, he could not defeat Malim. Almost at the same moment the Southern Summer King was knocked back, Wang Tianlong brought the five War Hounds experts to attack Chu Tian.

Chu Tian shouted, "Fox!"

Of course the fox understood what it should do!

It raised its soul puppet high up and the little fox blew on it.

The Dragon Lizard Beast's giant body almost instantly filled over half the room. A green glow came from its mouth that swept out at the peak 9th Awakened Soul Layer experts. The Dragon Lizard Beast's was not weak, so even these experts had to dodge this attack.

"Humph!"

Malim swept out with his black blade and the corrosive green light of the Dragon Lizard beast was actually split apart by the black blade, not having any use at all.

"Capture Chu Tian alive!"

The six experts attacked at the same time. Gu Qianqiu blocked one expert, but another expert launched a sneak attack on him, stabbing through Gu Qianqiu's protective spirit energy with a halberd. That powerful energy caused him serious injuries.

Meng Qingwu's heart sunk to the bottom of her chest.

It's over!

The Southern Summer King and Gu Qianqiu did not have the ability to resist and Meng Qingwu and Chu Tian had weak cultivation bases, so they could not help. There was no reinforcements or any miracles, they could only see death no matter how they looked at it.

At this crucial moment, Chu Tian pulled out two submachine guns.

"Do you still remember these?"

"This is bad!"

Wang Tianlong's expression changed as he quickly retreated. A large amount of red needles shot out like a violent storm, with the War Hounds experts being hit in abundance, letting out pitiful cries as they fell down. Each needle was covered in large amounts of poison and although it wouldn't kill these experts, it would still make their bodies feel numb.

Malim saw this situation and a black flame was released from his black blade, blocking in front of them. The True Spirit Realm spirit energy was too strong and the level two Blood Yin Steel Needles could not penetrate it. There wasn't a lot of ammo in the two guns in the first place.

Chu Tian knit his brows.

There was no other way like this!

This was the True Spirit Realm, an Awakened Soul Realm's methods had no use against a True Spirit Realm expert. Only by consuming the True Spirit Realm expert's spirit energy through continuous battle and fighting them when they were exhausted, there was no other way of fighting them.

Malim saw that Chu Tian had already used all his tricks and did not send out another attack, "Chu Tian, you have some skills. If you swear loyalty to the War Hounds, I can let you not die."

"Alright!" Chu Tian gave a laugh, "You want me to join the War Hounds? Then I have a condition, kill Wang Tianlong!"

Wang Tianlong never thought Chu Tian would Chu Tian would make this move, "Venerable envoy!"

"Humph, you think you have the qualification to give me a condition? Letting you live is already the biggest grace!"

Chu Tian gave several large laughs, "Then I'm sorry, I am not human waste that can sell out my ancestors nor am I a person that can endure living under the control of long haired beasts!"

Waste that sells out their ancestors was naturally referring to Wang Tianlong.

Long hair beasts was clearly indicating the Spirit Beasts.

"Shameful boasting!" Malim's eyes flashed with rage, "Since you're not willing to surrender, then we'll make our move. I'll first kill all the people by your side and see if you can still laugh like you are doing now!"

Malim's monstrous blade was surrounded in a layer of black flames.

Meng Qingwu felt a terrifying killing intent envelop her.

This is bad, Malim could already see Meng Qingwu's relation to Chu Tian, so he decided to kill Meng Qingwu to enrage Chu Tian? If Malim personally went after Meng Qingwu, it would be impossible for her to escape!

"I'm afraid you don't have that capability!"

When Chu Tian's words fell.

A sudden terrifying aura was released from within Chu Tian's body. It was like an ancient demon god had suddenly descended down to earth. Malim, Wang Tianlong, the other War Hounds experts, and even the Southern Summer King were stunned by this power.

Chu Tian slowly floated into the air, no longer having a cynical look on his face. Rather he looked like a high emperor, a god looking down on all mortals.

Nine Eyed Demon God Source Spirit!

Awaken!

An incomparably large outline appeared behind Chu Tian and that strong pressure filled the entire fortress. All the War Hounds attacking the fortress felt this aura and their mounts were filled with fear, not being able to control themselves. The entire battlefield was filled with chaos.

What was this shocking power?

Malim did not dare believe that the terrifying power of an ancient god would come from a weak human. When Chu Tian released this terrifying aura, he immediately stopped attacking and went to a defensive stance.

Illusion?

No, it didn't seem like it. This strength was something that was solid!

"Just an empty trick!"

"Kill him!"

The five War Hounds experts received this order and jumped out together, releasing their source spirits and attacking at the same time.

When Chu Tian was faced with five peak 9th Awakened Soul Layer experts, his eyes went cold and his expression did not change. If anyone was paying close attention to his eyes, they could see that the colour had changed, with the left being silver and the right being gold. There were seven different pupils, forming the shape of a flower.

"You want to kill me with just these people?!"

Chu Tian's voice was not loud, but it was filled with the prestige of a god, cracking the minds of the five War Hounds experts like a bomb. This spiritual energy was too strong and their source spirits all collapsed, causing all their condensed power to vanish.

"Soul Harvest!"

The purple pupil began to glow.

That vague Nine Eyed Demon God raised a purple sickle and slashed through the five War Hounds expert with an unbelievable speed. When the blade went through them, the five peak 9th Awakened Soul Layer experts did not have any wounds, but they all gave pitiful cries as they fell to the ground. Their eyes were wide open and glazed over, unable to die anymore.

Wang Tianlong suddenly revealed a look of terror. Instantly kill five peak 9th Awakened Soul Layer experts?

Even True Spirit expert could not accomplish this! What kind of thing was he!

After Chu Tian finished this attack, blood began to seep out from all over his body and his body began to sway. It was like he had used a powerful strength that had almost torn his body to pieces.

Malim also noticed this, "Although he is very strong, there is a very large price. His body is quickly drying up and can't hold on any longer. You, go!"

How could Wang Tianlong dare go forth?

Even if Chu Tian's body was quickly breaking down, that terrifying pressure still existed. Faced with the aloof pressure of a Spiritual God, even the bravest warrior would be timid. Didn't Malim himself not dare go forth?

"Useless trash, father will not play with you!"

Chu Tian's white pupil lit up and an energy enveloped them, covering the Southern Summer King, Gu Qianqiu, and Meng Qingwu. Instantly spatial fluctuations appeared and the four of them disappeared.

That terrifying aura also disappeared.

Malim and Wang Tianlong let out sigh of relief.

"Teleportation?" Wang Tianlong was shocked by Chu Tian's sudden disappearance, "It's actually teleportation!"

After this pressure disappeared, Malim's calm was restored and he thought it over. Chu Tian had no other choice and could not fight him, so he used a secret spatial technique to escape. This meant that he had reached his limit and did not have the confidence to continue using this power any longer.

This power was very strong!

Even a True Spirit Realm expert had to fear it!

But with his weak cultivation, continuously using this strength was akin to committing suicide. His body would quickly collapse from using it and sustaining this effect for a period of time was not good. Even if Chu Tian did not die, he would still be half dead.

This kind of power was hidden on this person!

Chase, he had to chase!

Malim took a sniff, "Very close, he didn't go far! Chase for me!"

There were several people's auras nearby, so close that it didn't confirm his guess. Chu Tian could use the teleportation technique, so why didn't he escape a bit further? There was only one possibility, he did not have enough power!

At this time, Chu Tian, the Southern Summer King, Gu Qianqiu, and Meng Qingwu appeared in a corridor several hundred meters away.

The little fox gave a few angry cries. It did not have time to take back its soul puppet and in order to use the Dragon Lizard Beast to stall for time, he had lost his favourite soul puppet.

"Chu Tian!"

Meng Qingwu went to support Chu Tian and found that her hands were covered in blood. Chu Tian did not have any injuries and this blood clearly came from the strong pressure, making his veins unable to stop themselves from bursting.

"I…..won't die."

Chu Tian was very weak, almost being unable to stand up. He could only eat a few Blood Stopping Pills and stabilize his injuries.

The other people's situations were not good either. The little fox was throwing a fit from losing its soul puppet and Gu Qianqiu and the Southern Summer King were both injured, especially the Southern Summer King, his injuries were very serious. He spat out a mouthful of blood and fell to the ground.

Gu Qianqiu quickly supported him up, "Your majesty!"

"Let me see….." Chu Tian held Meng Qingwu's arm as he walked over with difficulty, using his Divine Sense to scan the Southern Summer King. His expression was serious as he used a weak voice to say, "I'm afraid this is troublesome. The poison is very vicious and has already spread to his visceras, this is a bit bad!"

Gu Qianqiu asked, "Is there an antidote?"

Chu Tian said with a nod, "An antidote…..of course there is! But I'm afraid it's too late. I don't have enough materials and there is no time to concoct the medicine."

"Chu Tian, tell it to me straight!" The Southern Summer King looked at Chu Tian with a complicated gaze, "How much time does this king have left?"

Chu Tian hesitated a bit. The Southern Summer King's body was very bad and if it couldn't be detoxed in time, even with his True Spirit Realm cultivation, he wouldn't be able to hold on for long.

"At most…..one to two hours!"

Everyone's expressions filled with fear.

Hong!

The sealed channel was blown up to form a hole.

This is bad, they caught up this quickly!"

"This king will not be able to make it past this event, but the Southern Summer Country must make it through." The Southern Summer King tightly gripped his fist, "This king will stall for time, you all go and find old general Dongfang Zhan and have him deal with the Battle Dragon Army. The War Hounds army was scared by Chu Tian's aura, so they will not attack right now. You still have time to accomplish everything!"

As long as the frontline fortress was not penetrated, nothing would happen to the Southern Summer Country. Once the fortress was breached, everything would be too late!

Gu Qianqiu angrily said, "I'll stall for time, you all go!"

The Southern Summer King grabbed Gu Qianqiu's clothes, "The situation is too severe!"

Gu Qianqiu was suddenly silent.

He knew that he could not block Malim with his strength. With how weak Chu Tian was now, only the Southern Summer King could stall for time.

"Chu Tian, this king has always been jealous of your talent, so I have always been biased of you. It's a good thing I saw your true strength today, this king finally realized how stupid this one was. With your strength, you will one day stand at the peak of the continent and even those emperors will bow to you, what does a small Southern Summer Country count for? You can't die. If you die, it would truly be a pity!"

The Southern Summer King had come to terms with everything. A man's words came from the heart when he was on the brink of death.

"Take this token with you." The Southern Summer King gave his token to Chu Tian, "Great scholar Gu, please act as a witness. Help this king send back his final order."

Gu Qianqiu's old eyes were already filled with tears, "Your majesty!"

The Southern Summer King said in a deep voice, "This king was incompetent and have brought shame to my ancestors. In this difficult situation of the Southern Summer Country, this king can only use his own body to help. However, this country cannot lack a master. Dongfang Haoran cannot withstand this position and will not be able to turn the situation around in this crisis. The Calm Martial Ruler Dongfang Gan will inherit the Southern Summer King title and will lead the country against the War Hounds! Other than that, Chu Tian will be titled the Country Guarding Ruler, as well as being named the leader of the rulers and a descendant of the Dongfang Family. If anyone dares go against the ruler, he will be abandoned by the gods and condemned by the heaven and earth!"

Chu Tian cupped his hands.

The Southern Summer King held Chu Tian's hands and said, "If the Dongfang Family is not worthy, the ruler can abandon the throne and name yourself the Southern Summer King!"

Gu Qianqiu's old eyes burst with tears, "This old minister will follow the king's orders!"

Chu Tian and Meng Qingwu also bowed to the Southern Summer King. At this time, a fierce killing intent enveloped them. The Southern Summer King displayed the Dongfang Family's secret technique, burning his life essence and instantly erupting with power. An invisible hand grabbed the three of them and threw them outside.

The Southern Summer King kneeled to the three of them.

"I'll trust you all with the Southern Summer's territory!"

"You must take revenge for this king!"

A king would rather die than bow, but today he was kneeling to the three of them. What kind of tragic and desolate scene was this?

The instant the channel closed, a large sound came from behind him. Malim's group charged in and the Southern Summer King turned to coldly look at them.

"You're not escaping?"

"This king is the Southern Summer King, if I die, I die with dignity!"

Malim was silent for a few seconds before nodding at Wang Tianlong beside him and saying, "You stay back and you're not allowed to make a move. I will give the Southern Summer King his last rites!"

The Southern Summer King broke out in laughter, "Come!"

The moment they clashed, the True Spirit Realm strength instantly created a giant explosion. The sounds of the fight lasted around ten minutes before it went completely silent.

Chapter 322: Putting down rebels

Chapter 322: Putting down rebels

The War Hounds army adjusted after the disturbance and began to wildly attack the fortress.

Several dozen monsters charged forward with earth shaking momentum, as several thousand talisman bound arrows rained down on them, not being able to cause them any damage. Only an archer at the Illustrious Soul Realm or above, or perhaps with a crossbow cart could they be barely injured.

Dongfang Zhan stood on the watchtower with two treasure swords in hand and sweeping his gaze over the tragic battle. Messengers were running from various locations, reporting the defensive situations of different walls. This allowed Dongfang Zhan to mobilize troops according to the situation.

The battle had started half an hour ago and the killing on the battlefield had reached a burning point.

This was a rarely seen large fight and the War Hounds were fighting exceptionally fierce, but the situation had not collapsed yet and everything was still under control.

Dongfang Zhan was an old general that had fought hundreds of battles, so he had a strong control over the battlefield. The War Hounds had three times the casualties of the Southern Summer army and the War Hounds air units had basically been crippled. The Southern Summer Country's casualties were heavy, but this was only one half of their entire troops, so they could be swapped out to maintain battle efficiency.

The War Hounds were the attackers.

The Southern Summer Country were the defenders.

Stopping all movements and calming oneself, this was the key to the Southern Summer side's victory.

Dongfang Zhan did take wiping out the War Hounds as a victory, only focus on steadily defending, wearing down the War Hounds Tribe's morale. As long as the War Hounds attack fails, the War Hounds would find it hard to launch a second attack.

This was because the War Hounds had already lost their airborne unit and they had lost many city sieging giant beasts.

This fight could only be done in one breath, otherwise it would fade away. The fortress did not know where that mysterious pressure had appeared from just now and caused the War Hounds formation to fall into chaos, but it had seriously disturbed the War Hounds' order. Even if the War Hounds were still aggressive, they were slowly on the decline.

"Almost there." Dongfang Zhan coldly said, "Have the cavalry gather at the east and west number thirty gates. Once the War Hounds begin to retreat, immediately attack the dispersed soldiers from both sides. Only attack once and do not prolong contact out of greed. Open the number fifteen gate to send help."

The War Hounds would be repulsed sooner or later, so he had to maximize their victory. Once the War Hounds began to retreat, the several hundred thousand soldiers would be filled with chaos. If the Southern Summer cavalry were to charge in at this time, they would kill at least eighty to one hundred thousand people, dealing heavy losses to the War Hounds!

Who would have thought that at this time, a sharp voice would sound in the sky above the fortress!

"The Southern Summer King is dead!"

"Why doesn't the Southern Summer army give up on resisting already!"

A War Hounds expert holding a black blade ascended a watchtower, raising a head high up in his left hand. When the Southern Summer troops saw this head, their spirits almost broke.

This head belonged to no one other than the Southern Summer King!

"The Southern Summer King is dead!"

"The Southern Summer King is dead!"

This was simply lightning on a clear day!

It instantly stunned the Southern Summer troops!

Everyone fell into a panic. If even the Southern Summer King died, should they still fight this battle? The War Hounds army noticed this action and they began to attack even more fiercely. They increased their effort after the Southern Summer army's morale had suffered a hit.

Dongfang Zhan indifferently stared at it and his eyelid did not even move, "The enemy is using a clever psychological attack. My king has already left, how could he be harmed by these trash? Pass down my orders and dispel the rumours. Cut down those hesitant with no mercy!"

Dongfang Zhan's words made the generals feel assured.

The generals immediately cut down a few shocked and shaken people before giving out their orders. No one had seen Dongfang Zhan's hand slightly trembling.

My king? Have you really been killed?

If the Southern Summer King really died in the frontline fortress, it would surely be a large morale hit to the soldiers if this was known, as well as creating a large stir in the country! Dongfang Zhan did not know the truth and could only choose not to believe. He was the army's commander, if even he was shaken, then how could the soldiers fight without worry?

At this time Chu Tian, Gu Qianqiu, and Meng Qingwu rushed into the watchtower.

They all had very sorry looking appearances, especially Meng Qingwu being covered in blood. In order to protect Chu Tian on the way here, she had killed at least twenty War Hounds experts.

Chu Tian was very weak and his battle strength had been reduced. If it wasn't for Gu Qianqiu and Meng Qingwu's protection, he would have been killed by a War Hound warrior.

Gu Qianqiu had an anxious expression as he shouted, "Commander! I have something I must report!"

Dongfang Zhan asked with a sunken expression, "What is it?"

"The Battle Dragon Army is suspicious of rebelling!" Gu Qianqiu very anxiously said, "My king has given the order to quickly pacify them to avoid a riot in the fortress!"

"What? The Battle Dragon Army is rebelling!"

In that instant, Dongfang Zhan's intuition told him that this was most likely true. He already had suspicions towards Wang Tianlong, but Wang Tianlong was too careful and he could not find any evidence. If the Battle Dragon Army was really rebelling, the danger to the frontline fortress was too big.

There was also another point that made Dongfang Zhan's heart fall.

If Wang Tianlong were to rebel, he would not give up such a good chance to kill the king. This also meant that there was a good chance the news just now was true and perhaps the Southern Summer King had already been killed. Gu Qianqiu's group also knew how dangerous this was, so they didn't directly say it.

"This is the king's token!"

This was the Southern Summer King's supreme command token, it was not something that could be casually given to anyone. If this token was not on the Southern Summer King, there was only one possibility. The Southern Summer King was already dead!

Damn!

Dongfang Zhan suppressed his sorrow, "Those bastards deserve to die!"

Chu Tian weakly walked over and cupped his hands at Dongfang Zhan before saying, "Commander, since matters have reached this point, you must be quick. Whether the fortress can be defended or not will all depend on the commander!"

Gu Qianqiu also said, "As long as the fortress stands, the Southern Summer Country is impregnable. If the fortress is broken through, the Southern Summer Country will be in grave danger!"

"Reporting in!" A messenger quickly ran in, "Commander! The Battle Dragon Fortress to the west is suspected of being invaded by the War Hounds. The garrison is stuck in a bitter battle and has currently lit their beacon for help!"

Dongfang Zhan's fist cracked the wall.

"Open the Blood Hawk Camp!"

"This old man will personally pacify the chaos!"

The Blood Hawk Camp was the Dongfang Family's army and was the Calm Martial Ruler's headquarters. It was also a precious unit of air troops!

Because of the specialty of the Blood Hawk Camp, making it a quick reaction team, although it was stationed in the middle of the fortress, it did not easily participate in the battle. Only in an emergency and with the marshal's command would the Blood Hawk Camp participate in battle.

"We're going too!"

Gu Qianqiu blew into a flute.

The several dozen remaining griffin knights gathered together.

At this time, Dongfang Zhan had already activated the Blood Hawk Camp and several hundred Dongfang Family blood clothed general were riding blood hawks out of the fortress. Chu Tian, Gu Qianqiu, and Meng Qingwu were riding a single griffin and they used the king's command token to have the royal knights work with the Blood Hawk Camp. Together, they were charging in the direction of the Battle Dragon Fortress.

Whether it was the griffins or the blood hawks, they were both very fast, especially if they went at full speed. They travelled the long distance in less than half an hour, arriving to see the Battle Dragon Fortress in turmoil.

The Battle Dragon Fortress was already filled with chaos.

The Battle Dragon army really were rebelling, hiding large amounts of War Hounds experts amongst them!

This sudden attack caught the Southern Summer troops off guard. The lucky thing was that the only ones rebelling were Wang Tianlong's direct subordinates, the Earth Dragon troops and the other several thousand soldiers did not rebel with them. There was also the fact that the Battle Dragon Fortress was not only guarded by the Battle Dragon Army and there were other high level generals sent here. Although the situation was dangerous, it had not collapsed just yet.

"Crazy! Have you all gone crazy?" A Battle Dragon Army's vice general was covered in bleeding wounds, personally leading several hundred soldiers in fighting back, "I do not believe the young commander would betray Southern Summer!"

Wang Tu held a long spear in his hand and was leading the Earth Dragon knights in attacking alongside the War Hounds experts. Wang Tu gave a cold laugh as he shouted, "Wang Lie. Whether my clan can regain their royal clan status all depends on this one battle. The young commander did not tell you because he knew you were stubborn! I never thought that even now you would still obstruct this royal clan matter. If you keep stubbornly resisting, don't blame this general's spear for being impolite!"

"Royal clan?" Wang Lie gave a loud laugh, "If the royal clan needs to act as servants to the War Hounds, is there a need for the royal clan status? Do you all want to become the War Hounds Tribe's lackeys?! The War Hounds are our enemy. Betraying Southern Summer and the human race, you can't even compare to dogs! I would rather die than surrender!"

"Good, you're seeking death!" Wang Tu flew into a rage, "Kill!"

The Earth Dragon army charged forward, causing the general named Wang Lie several severe wounds and killing all the soldiers by his side.

A Battle Dragon Army deputy charged forward with his blade.

"Ah!"

Wang Lie had an arm cut off as he gave a pitiful cry.

Wang Tu revealed a cold smile of disdain, "This is the consequence of being disobedient. Cut him up for me!"

"Rebel scum! Die!"

A terrifying roar came from the corridor as several hundred blood hawks charged out like a storm. The Battle Dragon Army's knights did not have time to react before several dozen of them were instantly killed.

Wang Tu was shocked and angry, "Blood Hawk Camp? Why did they come so quickly!"

The Earth Dragon Army was the most important army for the Wang Family, only having around two thousand members. They had already lost quite a few members while fighting and now they had lost quite a few more with the Blood Hawk Camp joining the battle. How could Wang Tu not be angry?

"What does the Blood Hawk Camp count for? How could the Wang Family's Earth Dragon knights fear you?"

Wang Tu did not even have time to curse before seeing a white haired old general at the head of the Blood Hawk Camp troops. He stood on the blood hawk with a giant sword in his hand which he swung at Wang Tu.

"It's Dongfang Zhan?!"

Wang Tu quickly raised his spear to block it.

"Die for me!"

Dongfang Zhan's slash even destroyed the head of the spear.

Dongfang Zhan had wandered the battlefield for centuries, cutting down countless people, even meeting True Spirit Realm experts. His strength was higher than any marquis' and was definitely not something a 9th Awakened Soul Layer Cultivator like Wang Tu could resist.

Wang Lie saw Dongfang Zhan appear and he let out a sigh of relief, "This subordinate is ashamed, I couldn't block them…..I ask the marshal to protect the frontline fortress. My Southern Summer and the War Hounds cannot co-exist, even a single inch of land must not be given!"

After saying this, he collapsed in the sea of corpses and blood.

This Wang Family general had been resisting until now, finally succumbing to his heavy injuries.

Chapter 323: Fang King

Chapter 323: Fang King

Dongfang Zhan's eyes opened wide in anger. If there wasn't a righteous and selfless general here, the Battle Dragon Fortress would have already fallen to the enemies!

This place would have fallen and the entire frontline army's defenses could have collapsed from this!

"Be assured general!" Dongfang Zhan pulled off his cloak and covered Wang Lie's body, giving a deep military salute, "This old soldier vows that the lives of the frontline soldiers will fall with the frontline defenses!"

After saying this.

He kicked Wang Tu's broken body away and threw Wang Lie's spear at it.

This spear rotated at high speeds as it flew out. Like it had pierced into paper, it passed through the armour of the corpse and sewed it into the wall. Finally the great strength exploded forth and it created a flower of flesh and blood.

"This is the fate of a rebel!"

Dongfang Zhan raised the large sword inserted into the ground and instilled spirit energy into the blade. A sword glow was released into the air, releasing a sharp aura that filled people with awe. This old white haired general that was close to a hundred was like a thoroughly enraged lion at this moment. He angrily roared out, "For Southern Summer, for the human race, kill the rebels and sweep the War Hounds. As long as we have a breath left, we will not stop fighting!"

"Kill the rebels and sweep the War Hounds!"

"Kill the rebels and sweep the War Hounds!"

Several dozen royal griffin knights, five hundred experts of the Blood Hawk Camp, and the several tens of thousands of soldiers of the Battle Dragon Fortress all tightly gathered together. Their blood was excited by this old general, swearing to die with the frontline defenses.

Seeing this scene, Chu Tian and Meng Qingwu were a bit moved.

For the Southern Summer Country to have a good general like Dongfang Zhan, it really was the blessing of the Southern Summer Country!

"Young miss, we should go too."

"Your injuries are too serious, you can't fight anymore!"

Meng Qingwu knew that Chu Tian's situation was very serious and only Chu Tian could hold up to this point. If it was a normal person, they would have fainted already. Although the power Chu Tian used was very strong, the side effects were also very large. If he were to participate in this battle and were injured, the consequences would be hard to deal with!

Chu Tian pulled out his smooth as ice treasure sword, "Young miss, your words aren't correct. No matter what, I am a Southern Summer ruler. Although it was something the Southern Summer King forced on me, since I've already been given the title, I should help them vent, don't you think so?"

What else could Meng Qingwu say?

Chu Tian had strangely become the Country Guarding Ruler!

This ruler title was even more elegant than the Calm Martial Ruler!

Chu Tian was a person that cared about comfort, so he would not accept responsibility easily. However, now that heavy responsibility had been given to him, Chu Tian would not run away from it. Dongfang Zhan and Gu Qianqiu, even these hundred year old men are rushing into battle, so what reason did Chu Tian have to run?

"We'll go together!"

"Ha, ha, young miss, we'll kill until we're satisfied!"

After Dongfang Zhan killed Wang Tu in a single hit, the Earth Dragon knights quickly retreated. Their task was not to fight the commander in front of them, but rather to open the gates and allow the War Hounds army to come in. When Dongfang Zhan arrived with these soldiers, it meant they did not have much time left.

Dongfang Zhan will not let any rebels go and only opening the Battle Dragon Fortress gates from inside was the only road of survival for the traitors. They were very aware of this, so they were prepared to use everything to reach the gate.

"Don't give them the chance!"

"Encircle them!"

Dongfang Zhan was a veteran on the battlefield. Although they had just arrived at a Battle Dragon Fortress where a raging battle was occurring, they quickly integrated the several tens of thousands of soldiers in a short period of time. Some of them were sent to tower to defend the city and the other portion was chasing after the rebels.

The Wang Family's Battle Dragon knights did not have a chance because they were tightly surrounded. Even with the Earth Dragon's battle strength, they still could not break through in a short period of time. Not to mention the fact that Dongfang Zhan was bringing the army to kill them from behind.

"This damn old Dongfang!"

"You think the Battle Dragon Army will fear you? We'll go all out with you!"

Several vice generals gave out orders and the Earth Dragon cavalry turned around. The knights were wearing excellent black armour with three meter long special made spears in their hands. Their eyes were red and they were wildly shouting "kill". A giant and bulky Earth Dragon was currently aggressively charging forward with incredible strength. The sharp thorns and blades specially installed on the Earth Dragon's armour turned into harvest tools for the death god.

Cavalry soldiers always had a superiority over infantry.

Not to mention the heavy armoured Earth Dragon cavalry?

These Earth Dragon cavalry were generally in the 1st to 2nd Awakened Soul Realm, with some even reaching the 3rd Awakened Soul Realm. There were even some leaders that were Illustrious Soul Realm experts. They were not inferior to the Dongfang Family's Blood Hawk Camp and would not even lose to the royal palace's griffin knights!

An incomparably hot energy began to gather in the Earth Dragon's mouths. The Earth Dragons could release high temperature flames and although it couldn't compare with a real dragon's breath, it could still easily melt iron. Even an Awakened Soul Cultivator might not be able to block it.

There was not much space here and Dongfang Zhan's side would suffer heavy losses.

Dongfang Zhan shouted, "Blood Hawk Camp, shields!"

The agile blood hawks dropped down from the sky, it was not something the slow Earth Dragon cavalry could fight. The blood hawk knights did not directly attack the thick skinned Earth Dragons, but rather they launched surprise attacks.

A single round killed an entire row of Earth Dragon knights.

Once the Earth Dragons lost their knights, they would fall into chaos.

At this time, Dongfang Zhan would lead soldiers to surround the giant Earth Dragon mounts to kill them. Not long passed before one-two hundred Earth Dragon knights were done in, making the Wang Family general grit their teeth in anger.

Chu Tian and Meng Qingwu did not have the strength for close combat, but they could ride the griffin and follow the Blood Hawk Camp as they released their aerial attack. Meng Qingwu pulled out a Source Energy Submachine Gun and aimed it at an Earth Dragon cavalry soldier from a hundred meters away, sending out a wild storm of shots.

Ordinary Source Energy Submachine Guns might be a bit weak, but its main advantage was its increased rate of fire. This gun was specially modified by Chu Tian with each bullet being strengthened, not being weaker than normal pistols, even being a bit stronger. It would penetrate the defensive spirit energy of all Awakened Soul Cultivators below the 4th layer and even 4th Awakened Soul Layer Cultivators can't take more than two hits.

Meng Qingwu swept out with the gun.

At least four-five Earth Dragon knights were hit.

At this time, Chu Tian controlled the griffin to dive down and slash across them with its claws. The two of them worked together to take of several dozen Earth Dragon knights.

"Damn!"

"We'll lose for sure if we keep fighting like this!"

The several vice generals saw this situation and knew that the only way to survive was to open the gates. The rushed at Dongfang Zhan together, wildly attacking without caring about their lives, only caring about opening the gate.

How could Dongfang Zhan allow them to succeed?

This white haired old general charged into the Earth Dragon cavalry and slashed down twenty knights in just one sweep, finally killing a 9th Awakened Soul Layer vice general. Although he had suffered seven-eight wounds, he fought like a cornered beast, so wild that no one could withstand him,

"This old lunatic! Does he want to perish together with us?"

There were over eight hundred Earth Dragon cavalry already defeated and there were three thousand wounded by this wild attack. Their momentum was getting weaker and they began to attack less.

Finally with the assistance of the Blood Hawk Camp.

The entire group of Earth Dragon knights were eliminated.

Dongfang Zhan continued sweeping through, killing all the War Hounds experts that had infiltrated.

Although the Battle Dragon Fortress was temporarily saved, it was a tragic battle with severe losses, almost making it crumble down. At this moment, the fighting had already lasted two hours. Inside and outside, blood flowed like a river, with both sides suffering countless casualties!

"Keep defending!"

"The War Hounds can't hold on any longer!"

Dongfang Zhan's body was covered in blood and he had suffered several dozen wounds, but he still brandished that giant sword that had many holes, almost as if his body no longer belonged to him.

Of the five hundred Blood Hawk Camp generals, at least half of them died in this fight. This was the trump card of the Dongfang Family!

Dongfang Zhan felt a dagger pierce into his heart, but if he could defend the frontline fortress, it didn't matter what kind of price he had to pay! As long as the frontline fortress wasn't penetrated, the Southern Summer Country had the ability to launch a counterattack! From the present situation, it seemed like victory was right in front of them!

Finally!

The retreat horn sounded from the War Hounds.

This giant army threw down several hundred thousand corpses as they slowly retreated like the tide. The Southern Summer Soldiers covered in blood who had fought for several hours gave out excited cheers. The War Hounds finally couldn't fight any longer and were retreating?

"The War Hounds are retreating!"

"The War Hounds are finally retreating!"

"The Southern Summer Country has won! Long live the Southern Summer Country! Long live the marshal!"

The War Hounds military system was very chaotic. When the heard the retreat signal, the entire team quickly began to retreat, suddenly causing chaos amongst them. The threw away their armour and ran, looking very embarrassing as they retreated. From this situation, it seems like it was impossible for a second attack.

At this time.

The cavalry unit Dongfang Zhan had prepared set out.

This was a surprise attack unit the War Hounds never would have expected. The Southern Summer army had just suffered a bloody battle, but they still sent out soldiers to chase them!

The two cavalry groups did not have many people, with each team having around forty-fifty thousand people!

However, the key to strategy was not quantity, but rather having the right timing!

When the cavalry left the gate and charged forward on the plains, they were like two sharp blades piercing into the War Hounds formation, wildly harvesting away.

The War Hounds were currently retreating. They had failed in sieging the city and were quickly fleeing, avoiding the rain of arrows from the walls. They were already very ashamed and their morale had frozen, only caring about running away, how could they fight back? This was already an one sided slaughter. Not long from now, at least ten thousand War Hounds soldiers would be killed, becoming a pile of bloody corpses.

Chu Tian couldn't help praising, "Beautiful move!"

The old general really was the most experience general, using the cavalry at just the right time.

The War Hounds were already frustrated at failing to attack the city, if they lost another fifty-eighty thousand people while they were running, it was equal to pouring salt on their wounds, making them unable to think about attacking the city again. After this battle ended, the War Hounds would flee in disgrace back to the prairies!

The Southern Summer Country had also paid a large price, but that was mostly in terms of damage to the fortress. It would only need around a year to fix and most the Southern Summer forces were preserved.

If it wasn't for the fall of the Southern Summer King…..This would have been a beautiful battle!

However, when no one expected it, a sudden change happened on the battlefield.

A deep drum came from the center of the battlefield. This kind of drum had never been heard before and although it was deep, it was still very strong, as if it came from the earth itself. This sound was filled with battle intent, completely different from the defeated War Hounds army.

Dongfang Zhan's face instantly changed, "Retreat! Quickly retreat!"

Dongfang Zhan had already left the watchtower and in his current position, he could not send down orders.

In just a short ten minutes, the battle in front of them underwent a shocking change. The flags of various colours and shapes that were scattered all around suddenly disappeared without a trace. The horns of various sound all suddenly stopped.

In the center of the War Hounds army, a large group of black flags suddenly appeared.

This was an army that had not made a move since the beginning of the fight. They had remained in the center of the War Hounds formation the entire time and had suddenly appeared in this moment. It was like from within the deep sea, a dangerous hidden rock had suddenly appeared!

This is bad!

The War Hounds still had tricks!

They hadn't used their full strength the entire time and had even pretended to retreat. It was like the enemy commander had a full understanding of Dongfang Zhan's style and Dongfang Zhan knew nothing about the enemy!

Who was the commander of this army?

Where had such an organized army appear from?

Dongfang Zhan had a strong sense of foreboding within him. There was a change in the War Hound Plains he could never imagine and the Southern Summer intelligence team had not collected a single piece of information!

"Fang King, Fang King, Fang King!"

The War Hounds army began to call together, just like their emperor was about to appear.