Chapter 752
Chapter 752
“Prepare!”
Three massive catapults were readied, each with three barrels of fish oil placed beside it. Over the next few days, they intended to hurl all of these hundreds of thousands of pounds of fish oil into Woe City. Their plan was to burn the fortress to ruins and incinerate everyone inside.
“Ready the catapults to fire! You will be roasted in a blazing inferno. All that awaits you is annihilation!”
But just then, the incomparably beautiful Jin Mulan appeared. She stood atop the city wall, drawing a massive, unprecedented bow and aiming it toward the numerous barrels of fish oil. Zhong E was stunned. The barrels were a full seven hundred meters from the wall; no bow could possibly hit them. Even a master archer like Jin Mulan, with an even stronger bow, could not make that shot. A weapon that could hit a target at such a distance could hardly be called a bow.
‘Jin Mulan, your form is magnificent, but it is a futile effort. At a distance of a thousand paces, not even an immortal could make that shot!’
*Swish!*
Mulan loosed the arrow with force, and the enormous projectile carved a beautiful arc through the air. Could her arrow truly strike a target over seven hundred meters away? Of course, that was impossible. The kinetic energy a bow could provide was finite. Yet, after the arrow Mulan had fired flew two hundred meters, its tail suddenly began to trail smoke, and it started to accelerate.
‘D-dammit. What is this now? An arrow that spews fire?’
Hitting a target seven hundred meters away should have been impossible, but the flaming arrow was now flying faster and faster, unexpectedly reaching the airspace above the barrels of fish oil. But what did that matter? Hitting a target from such an astonishing distance was out of the question. But then, the flaming arrow suddenly exploded in mid-air.
*Boom!*
Despite the bright daylight, an incredibly dazzling light burst forth, followed by a shower of countless sparks. It was a truly beautiful sight. Thousands, tens of thousands of sparks scattered in every direction. These sparks were, in fact, thermite, with temperatures reaching up to 2,500 degrees Celsius. Though the arrow had not hit its target, the sparks created by the thermite rained down like droplets, sure to ignite their mark.
“Protect the fish oil!”
Zhong E shouted, but it was already too late. Countless thermite sparks landed on the barrels, and the 2,500-degree flames easily set the wooden casks ablaze.
Then, with a tremendous roar, a heaven-and-earth-shaking explosion erupted. A chain reaction of explosions created numerous fireballs across the ground. The light from the detonation of nearly two hundred thousand pounds of fish oil was so bright it momentarily eclipsed the sun. The thousands of Zhong clan soldiers near the barrels were blown to pieces, and the entire ground shook violently.
Zhong E, who had witnessed the explosion firsthand, was completely dumbfounded. He had been relatively close to the barrels, and feeling the powerful shockwave approach, he fiercely struck his own chest with his palm, the force of the blow sending him flying backward. At the same time, the numerous soldiers around him were swept away like a field of wheat in a strong wind, crashing to the ground.
After landing, Zhong E stood unsteadily, feeling that a good portion of his eyebrows and hair had been singed off. The flames, soaring high into the sky, made it seem as if the entire world was on fire. Countless Zhong soldiers had been turned to charcoal, and even more writhed on the ground, screaming in agony. This was no longer a battlefield; it was like the eighteenth level of hell. With the ground still burning, wasn't this a scene straight from the boiling cauldrons of hell itself?
“Aaaargh!”
Zhong E let out a wretched scream.
‘Why? Why is it so difficult to take this tiny fortress? We've already suffered 23,000 casualties, and now how many more have died in this great fire? Doesn't the Nirvana Army have only about four thousand soldiers? Prince Yan of the Empire was right. This army should never have existed. It must be completely wiped from the face of the earth!’
***
Several hours later, the casualty report came in. Over three thousand men were dead, either burned or killed in the explosion, and over seven thousand were wounded. Another ten thousand casualties. This meant that from the start of the battle until now, the Zhong clan's army had suffered over thirty-three thousand casualties. They had lost a third of their hundred-thousand-strong army.
Of course, he still had forty thousand troops at his disposal, a force ten times the size of the Nirvana Army. But the towering inferno today had struck terror into the entire army. The surviving soldiers had lost all will to fight, their morale on the verge of collapse. The ground was littered with the wounded and charred corpses. The sight alone was horrifying; this battle could not continue. With a pain that was almost unbearable, Zhong E gave the order, pulling his army back twenty li, maintaining the siege but no longer attacking. The first phase of the battle for Woe City had ended in complete failure.
***
Zhong E returned to Westguard Province. The atmosphere within the Marquis of Westguard’s estate was unspeakably grim. No one had anticipated such a disastrous outcome. Even with the addition of newly conscripted soldiers, the Zhong clan had lost a third of its hundred-thousand-strong army in one fell swoop. The most troubling part was that the casualties for Shen Lang's Nirvana Army were extremely light.
“The Nirvana Army must have exhausted its supply of arrows by now, wouldn't you say? In the recent battles, they've fired at least two million arrows. Even if they were well-prepared, it’s unlikely they would have millions of arrows in reserve, don't you think?”
Prince Yan of the Empire spoke slowly.
“Zhong Yao, I told you before to destroy the Nirvana Army, no matter the cost. They should never have existed. I said that if you annihilate the Nirvana Army, the Zhong clan will be able to establish its own nation.”
It seemed the Great Yan Dynasty was determined to seal away all traces of ancient civilizations in the world. Zhong Yao replied.
“Your Highness, I was prepared to pay any price. But as things stand, even if I threw my entire army at them, taking the fortress would be difficult. You are right, Your Highness. The Nirvana Army truly should not exist. They are too strong.”
Zhong E added.
“The key is morale. Once our casualties exceed twenty or thirty percent, our morale will break. No matter how many troops we have, it will be of no use.”
Zhong Yao said.
“Your Highness, Prince Yan, is there perhaps a way to instantly boost our army's morale and combat strength? Something like the Blood of the Golden Dragon that Shen Lang used before.”
Hearing this, Prince Yan of the Empire’s eyes narrowed.
‘What do you mean by that? I just said that the Nirvana Army should not exist… The Empire seeks to thoroughly erase all traces of ancient civilizations, yet you want to use such a thing? To fight fire with fire?’
Zhong Yao continued.
“Your Highness, the enhancing effects of the Blood of the Golden Dragon are short-lived. Once it wears off, it has no lasting impact on the user, so it would by no means go against the Empire's will.”
Prince Yan of the Empire slowly closed his eyes. As Zhong Yao had said, the current situation made it seem extremely difficult to destroy the Nirvana Army and capture Woe City through conventional means. To be honest, the Nirvana Army might have already exhausted its arrows, but what if they still had a considerable number in reserve? The Zhong clan's army's morale had plummeted, and they couldn't endure any more fighting. Using a drug similar to the Blood of the Golden Dragon could instantly turn the tide.
“I will give you an answer tomorrow!”
***
The next day, Prince Yan of the Empire departed, and in his place, an emissary from Mount Fudao remained. Dozens of scholars from Mount Fudao appeared in Zhong Yao's Marquis of Westguard’s estate, bringing with them dozens of boxes. Perhaps Prince Yan had brought the items with him long ago but left today to avoid taking responsibility for them. In other words, whatever happened from this day forward would have nothing to do with him.
“Is this the Blood of the Golden Dragon?”
A scholar from Mount Fudao replied.
“This is called the Nirvana Agent. There was never any such thing as the Blood of the Golden Dragon in this world to begin with.”
“How does its effect compare to Shen Lang’s Blood of the Golden Dragon?”
“Seventy percent.”
‘Seventy percent? That’s fine. That’s more than enough.’
In the previous war with the Southern Kingdom, ten thousand of Tianyue City's pathetically weak guards had taken a heavily diluted version of Shen Lang’s Blood of the Golden Dragon, and their combat strength had skyrocketed in an instant, nearly wiping out the formidable warriors of the Four Tribes.
“How many doses are there?”
Zhong Yao asked, and the man replied.
“Enough for fifteen thousand men!”
That was more than enough.
A short while later, Zhong E brought in a new recruit from the Zhong clan to test the Nirvana Agent from Mount Fudao. The moment he consumed it, his eyes turned bloodshot.
“Aaaargh!”
The soldier began to scream like a madman. Before taking the agent, he had been a coward who had even wet his pants in fear.
“Release the tiger!”
At Zhong Yao’s command, a massive tiger was unleashed and charged at the new recruit. Previously, the soldier would have instantly wet himself again. But now, he let out a great roar and rolled on the ground. Then, with incredible speed, he dodged the tiger's pounce, rushed forward, and slashed open its belly with a single stroke of his blade.
*Splurt.*
The tiger’s entrails spilled out.
*Swish.*
But just before it died, the tiger raked the soldier’s back fiercely with its claws, leaving deep gashes that exposed the bone and sent blood gushing forth.
“Hahaha! How invigorating! Invigorating!”
Yet, the soldier seemed to feel no pain, still shouting in excitement. Feeling the blood on his back, he reached around to touch it, then licked the blood from his hand. Everyone present was stunned by the sight.
‘The Nirvana Agent is this powerful? It can turn a worthless recruit into such a valiant warrior.’
Not only had his courage surged, but his strength and speed had also increased dramatically, and his reactions and senses had all been greatly enhanced. By how many times had his combat effectiveness multiplied?
“Hahahaha!”
The recruit was still laughing loudly, and he kept laughing until he finally died. No one had staunched his bleeding, and he had bled to death. Yet, even at the moment of his death, he was still laughing heartily. Like the Blood of the Golden Dragon, this agent made its user completely fearless.
“Excellent! Excellent!”
Zhong Yao was overjoyed. He now had enough Nirvana Agent for fifteen thousand men, which meant he would have fifteen thousand warriors who did not fear death. With this, he had no need to worry about failing to take Woe City or annihilate the Nirvana Army.
‘I will kill every last one of them!’
***
Over the next ten hours, fifteen thousand soldiers of the Zhong clan consumed the Nirvana Agent from Mount Fudao. Instantly, their morale and killing intent soared to the heavens. Their eyes turned bloodshot, and they transformed into fearless beasts. Every soldier's strength, speed, agility, senses, and courage were massively amplified. At Zhong Yao's command, this newly born army of fifteen thousand warriors was deployed to the battlefield of Woe City at top speed. With this, the Zhong clan's army besieging Woe City once again numbered twenty-two thousand.
Of the Zhong clan's hundred-thousand-strong army, ten thousand remained at White Night Pass, and fewer than ten thousand now guarded their old stronghold of Westguard Province. He was truly going all-in, prepared to pay any price to destroy the Nirvana Army. With the chance to establish his own nation, how could Zhong Yao resist such a temptation?
The fifteen thousand Zhong warriors, transformed by the Nirvana Agent, finally reached the base of Woe City and began to fight like madmen.
‘Kill them! Kill them all! Slaughter every last member of the Nirvana Army! Shen Lang, the final day for your Nirvana Army has come.’