Chapter Seventy-Five: Attack! The Battle of Yuxiao City (Part Three)

The situation had reverted to that initial, faintly melancholic state: players desperately setting things ablaze, monsters relentlessly pounding the walls. Li Ren was waiting, Fan Yunshan was waiting, and even that lone dragonkin was waiting. They were all anticipating one thing—the collapse of the city wall.

Before that happened, Fan Yunshan could no longer leave the city; his presence alone was a silent threat, a wordless deterrent. Unless, of course, he truly believed he could single-handedly repel all the monsters. But that was impossible. Leaving aside the dragonkin, even the other lords were formidable adversaries—none were to be trifled with. If it came to a showdown on the open plains, Yuxiao would be the one to lose.

Countless monsters hurled themselves forward, howling under the scorching flames of the mages, venting their final grievances upon the city wall. The wall’s durability was rapidly dwindling.

Although Fan Yunshan himself could not leave the city, no one said his subordinates had to stand by idly. The greatsword guards began to assemble, marching in squads toward the city gate. Behind them came a host of heavily armored knights, all mounted on earth drakes—robust, agile beasts with glossy black coats like satin and snow-white hooves as large as bowls. Their bright eyes gleamed with a touch of wildness, and their stamina was unmatched; even bearing the knights’ crushingly heavy armor posed no difficulty at all.

The gates swung open. In an instant, the greatsword guards surged forth, each seeking a target and swiftly clearing the entrance. Then, the earth drake cavalry charged with lightning speed.

From outside Yuxiao’s gates, a wedge of black formed—a spearhead that widened, threatening to sweep across the entire battlefield. These were the earth drake knights, fully unleashing their strength under the protection of the greatsword guards.

At level 150, these elite earth drake knights were invincible before the enemy’s cannon fodder, especially when charging en masse. The tide of battle shifted in an instant; the threat posed by the city wall was lifted. Seeing their mission nearly accomplished, the earth drake knights prepared to wheel around and return to Yuxiao. But could they leave as easily as they had arrived?

Despite their mounts’ acceleration, they’d already expended their initial momentum. Before they could even turn, the surging horde of monsters had caught up to them.

Li Ren watched the battle unfold, pondering ceaselessly. When he looked back again, nearly half the earth drake knights had fallen; the survivors managed to turn and retreat back into Yuxiao. Shining armor littered the ground, alongside the corpses of fallen earth drakes.

“Quest update: Breach the lord’s manor in Yuxiao within three hours to receive one evolution effect. Failure will result in a deduction of 20,000 attribute points.”

The system suddenly issued this notification. It was clear not only Li Ren received it—every monster on the field did as well, as their reactions instantly betrayed. Roused as if by some stimulant, all the monsters charged forward in a frenzy. The lords showed no concern for their subordinates’ casualties, hurling wave after wave into the fray.

The battlefield descended into chaos. The mages’ walls of fire still blazed, but with the monsters’ strength so greatly increased, it seemed impossible to incinerate them all in short order.

Meanwhile, the wall’s durability was plummeting at a speed visible to the naked eye, as the monsters’ attacks had risen to an entirely new level.

Li Ren now found his chance to join the battle. He didn’t venture too far, heading straight for the ground recently held by the earth drake cavalry. One hand transmuted blood essence, the other hung at his side. Wherever he passed, the shining armor once worn by the earth drake knights vanished without a trace.

Had there been any players present, they would have shouted, “Holy crap! Looting gear! Take him down!” But no players were around, so the spoils belonged to him alone.

Li Ren glanced toward the front lines, tempted to snatch up more equipment from the battlefield by the walls. But he didn’t dare advance, forced to watch helplessly as sparkling loot and the blood essence of corpses—already refreshed by the system—slipped away before his eyes.

If he was courting death, he could charge ahead and try his luck. But was he that foolish? Of course not.

Naturally, he reined himself in, watching as the endless waves of monsters crashed against the defenses.

Suddenly, a thunderous crash echoed from the direction of Yuxiao, and a towering plume of dust rose where the city wall stood.

“At last, it’s fallen,” Li Ren murmured, waiting quietly for the dust to settle and reveal the aftermath.

The once-mighty wall now presented a very different sight. A breach had appeared on the eastern side; beneath the collapsed section, several monsters and archer guards lay crushed. Though the gap was narrow—barely wide enough for three to walk abreast—it was more than sufficient for most monsters.

The first creature to break through was cut down mercilessly by a greatsword guard, but countless more followed, stabbing fiercely. As the defensive strength of that section waned, monsters near the breach concentrated their attacks on the wall, seeking to widen the gap. This tactic was highly effective; in this blind spot, the crack spread at an even faster pace.

Players atop the wall began to panic, especially as level 80 elite monsters—winged mantises—leapt up and slaughtered indiscriminately. Though they were quickly dispatched, the damage they inflicted in that short time lingered.

Soon, more players rushed to fill the breach, but with every exchange of blows, the wall’s condition grew ever more precarious.

Nearly an hour had passed since the siege began. Surveying the scene, Li Ren sensed the moment was at hand.

Sure enough, just then, the lords who had lingered in the rear began to move.

The Forgotten Golem, still missing an arm, appeared once more, leading a host of lesser constructs. Its blood-red eyes blazed with vengeance, determined to make its enemies pay for its injury.

Following close behind, the Voodoo Lord unleashed his own methods—a cloud of green mist surged from his hands, sweeping toward the wall. As it spread, the archer guards’ attack speed and power visibly diminished.

Players, too, found their health rapidly draining within the poisonous fog. However, with the arrival of the cleric corps inside the city, the situation was brought under control.

Light magic’s Dispel was a particularly effective counter to such attacks. The mist was swiftly banished, but the Voodoo Lord was unfazed—those clouds were merely a secondary weapon. His true strength lay in his own formidable body.