Chapter 343: The Battle of the Northern Border
Boom!!!!
Amidst the intense explosion, the western section of the Northern Border City Wall collapsed.
Tons of wall stones, weighing tens of thousands, fell from the top of the wall, violently smashing a deep pit into the frozen earth of the Northern Border, sending up clouds of dust and sand.
Through the enormous breach, burly Barbarian soldiers surged into the wall with fierce battle cries.
At the same time, in the sky above, unprotected by a grand formation, Feathered Race soldiers flew, densely crossing the City Wall and instantly entering the Northern Border, which had always been a strategic war zone.
Overwhelming figures, full of oppressive presence, crossed the City Wall, instantly igniting raging beacon fires and wolf smoke across the Northern Border plains.
Whoosh!!!!
From the first line of defense within the Northern Border City Wall, countless arrows whistled from the towering watchtowers.
Specialized sharp arrows, made of black iron and powered by Spiritual Qi, instantly struck the Barbarian soldiers. Amidst loud popping sounds, the night sky turned crimson with blood, and the roars of wild beasts instantly echoed through heaven and earth.
Although it was unclear why the grand formation on the west side of the Northern Border had suddenly failed, the Human Race soldiers chose to intercept immediately.
Over thousands of years, the two races had clashed many times, and the Human Race army was well-versed in how to inflict heavy damage on their opponents.
Huge, flying crossbow bolts, driven by Spiritual Qi, descended like a torrential downpour with a fierce whistling sound, instantly delivering a heavy blow to the Barbarian vanguard, drawing countless roars of fury.
“Charge!”
“Tear down that watchtower!”
A Barbarian Soldier King leading the charge roared to the sky, and the colossal wild beasts, as tall as small mountains, at the rear of the formation, instantly charged forward with furious hooves.
With a thunderous crash, hundreds of watchtowers guarding the Zhenbei Army camp were instantly overrun.
At this moment, five figures streaked across the night sky, all wielding sharp heavy blades, and with terrifying force, they violently cut into the camp, their young bodies agile beyond compare.
These were Prodigies from the Yao Race, now forging a path forward with their formidable strength, constantly reaping lives on the battlefield.
Whether it was the Barbarian Race, who had been attacking the Northern Border, or the Yao Race, who had remained inactive for generations.
Regardless of which race, they had all been preparing for a thousand years for the “Return to Kyushu.” Prodigies like them had long been eager to achieve great deeds at this moment.
The Northwest guard camp was instantly engulfed, and raging fires began to spread across the withered grasslands.
Thick, dark grey smoke billowed upwards, beginning to disperse in all directions.
At this moment, above the collapsed western City Wall, a carriage arrived through the air. Night Chill, the son of the Yao Emperor, sat calmly in the carriage, narrowing his eyes as he overlooked the scene of the advancing army.
He had actually dreamed of today’s scene countless times.
Especially when the Barbarian Race sent envoys to the Snow Region years ago, it had made him restless many times.
However, his Imperial Father had always felt that the time was not yet ripe, wanting to wait for that old fellow from Tianshu Academy to leave this world before peeking into a sliver of Heavenly Dao.
So, their Yao Race had been constantly waiting, until a few days ago, his Imperial Father suddenly sent an envoy to the Ten Thousand Mountains.
At that time, he knew that the time had come.
Kyushu, our Yao Race has finally returned.
Night Chill’s eyes were bright, and he couldn’t help but clench his fists.
He was entrusted with a heavy responsibility by the Yao Emperor to lead the first wave of Yao Race soldiers to conquer the Northern Border, then cross the vast Northern Border, pushing the front line directly to the Youyun border, and joining forces with the Barbarian Race to seize two large prefectures as new tribal lands.
By then, the Ten Thousand Mountains and the vast Snow Region would connect with the Northern Border, and the entire Northwest of the continent would be under their control.
Amidst the fierce flames of war, the agitated soldiers of the two races continuously advanced, reaching the Yuhong Mountain Range in the Northern Border.
It was at this moment that a main Human Race army, stationed in the west, surged forward, their warhorses neighing as they charged towards them.
Leading this force was a famous general from the Zhenbei Army, General Yu Lei.
And with his command, a large number of heavily armored soldiers raised their shields and thrust their spears, charging towards the Barbarian and Yao Race armies. Their heavy footsteps shook the mountain ridge.
Blades clashed, and the battle instantly erupted.
The common soldiers collided like a torrent, instantly engaging in a fierce slaughter.
During this time, countless powerful figures leaped from within the army, carrying majestic auras as they charged into the opposing Human Race army, violently clashing with the rising experts.
Seeing this chaotic and complex battle, General Yu Lei’s eyes instantly narrowed.
For a thousand years, the Northwest had never been the main focus of Barbarian attacks.
But who knew that today, the Northern Border would suffer a night raid, and the protective grand formation just happened to suddenly fail from this position, causing their main forces stationed here to be completely unable to react in time.
This was certainly no coincidence; it must have been a premeditated attack.
“Report!!!!”
“Speak.”
“The City Guard Department guarding the Northwest City Wall is completely empty, but there are large patches of bloodstains in the garrison camp. Judging by the dryness, they are several days old, so it’s likely they were ambushed and completely wiped out on the day the grand formation failed.”
Hearing his subordinate’s report, General Yu Lei couldn’t help but grit his teeth: “A good scheme!”
The messenger knelt and said, “General, the enemy’s numbers are too great. We can’t hold them off by ourselves.”
“Quickly send a message to the central camp and send people to support!”
“Yes!”
The first Northern Border interception battle lasted an entire night. General Yu Lei’s army was steadily pushed back under the powerful pressure of the Barbarian and Yao Races, and they even...
failed to halt their advance.
Actually, this was not surprising, because defending forces naturally have a passive position when facing an attacking vanguard.
Especially since the combat power between the Zhenbei Army and the Barbarian Race was basically evenly matched, now with the addition of the Yao Race, the balance would naturally be broken.
And by the time the central camp sent reinforcements, the Barbarian and Yao Races had already pushed their armies past the southern side of Yuhong Mountain.
Behind the front line, at the former Northwest City Guard Department’s station,
The command camps of the Yao Race and Barbarian Race were stationed here, intending to use the natural height of the Yuhong Mountain Range to oversee the entire battlefield’s progression.
Late at night, as the second offensive gradually unfolded, the Yao Race and Barbarian Race had a brief meeting, agreeing to re-strategize their attack tactics at the tactical command camp.
They were now allies, fighting against the Human Race, and their common goal was to return to Kyushu.
Breaching the Northern Border City Wall was the first phase of their plan. Now that the City Wall had been breached and the army had pushed into the Northern Border, they naturally needed to re-strategize their offensive direction and tactics to ensure full cooperation.
Under the deep night sky, Night Chill, the Yao Prince, arrived, draped in a heavy fur cloak.
This fur cloak was essential for life in the Snow Region, but in the warmer climate of Kyushu, it was already making him sweat.
But he did not take it off; instead, he let the sweat flow, because he wanted to remind himself of the Heavenly Dao’s injustice towards the Yao Race.
Accompanying him were Lin Dou and Ya Shan, the young masters of the Scale and Tooth Clans. They were young Clan Chiefs, and also exceptionally talented Yao Generals, both having reached the Peak Profound Demon Realm.
Both the Yao Race and Barbarian Race were races that classified their Realms by combat power, cultivating their innate talents.
The Barbarian Race’s Realm divisions were Lower Soldier, Upper Soldier, Soldier King, General King, and Clan King.
The Yao Race, on the other hand, distinguished Realms by Dust Demon, Spirit Demon, Profound Demon, Heavenly Demon, and Demon King.
The Peak Profound Demon Realm was already comparable to the Initial Yingtian Realm of the Human Race, and it was rare even within their own clans.
The three arrived at the great camp and first looked at the map and sand table. After much thought, they saw six Barbarian figures enter through the curtain.
Like the Yao Race, whose prince led the army, the Barbarian Race also sent two princes and one princess to this battle.
The one holding real power was the Barbarian First Prince, Tuoba Yi, accompanied by his younger brother Tuoba Chen, and Princess Tuoba Jiazi.
The three’s Realms were also very profound, making Night Chill feel a subtle sense of pressure, indicating that someone had likely entered the General King Realm.
And from their attire, the two groups’ appearances were extremely different.
Barbarian clothing was very rough, especially the men’s attire, which was very revealing. This was their custom; they liked to display their strong bodies to the outside world.
“Prince Ye, long time no see.”
“Our two armies are now allies, so Brother Tuoba naturally doesn’t need to be so formal.”
After Night Chill finished speaking, he invited the Barbarian group to look at the map they had prepared: “Our two armies have advanced very smoothly from entering the Northern Border to Yuhong Mountain. If we continue at this speed, we will reach the border of the Youyun Two Prefectures within a month.”
Tuoba Yi looked up at the map: “For how many years have we yearned to return to our homeland? Now we can finally have our wish fulfilled.
I am not even willing to wait an extra day.”
“Brother Tuoba is right, but I’m thinking of slowing down a bit.”
“?”
Night Chill held up two fingers: “Enter the Youyun Two Prefectures in two months.”
Before her brother could speak, Tuoba Jiazi couldn't help but raise her eyes: "The Human Race's army reinforcements are arriving one after another. The longer the war drags on, the more unfavorable it will be for our subsequent march."
Night Chill shook his head, pointing to the northern border of Youyun: "This place is called Greystone Gorge. It has crisscrossing ravines and rugged terrain, making it a natural chasm. The Human Race's army, after suffering repeated defeats, will surely choose to defend here. If they use the terrain to drag us into it, I think it will be very troublesome."
“Prince Ye hopes to extend the front line and fully wear them down on the Northern Border Plains, which are favorable for our two races to fight.
“That’s right, if we slow down, we can also wait for our follow-up main forces to catch up.”
The Barbarian Race and Yao Race had yearned for Kyushu for too long, and their fervor began the moment they breached the Northern Border City Wall.
But for Night Chill, this fervor couldn't go too far.
Amidst the spreading flames of war, the vanguard armies of the Barbarian Race and Yao Race began to slow down, continuously merging with the subsequent main forces that were crossing the city wall.
The Human Race's main army also continuously rushed to reinforce, expanding the scale of the entire war.
However, in terms of both soldier quality and scale, the Zhenbei Army was slightly inferior, so the entire front line continued to move south, gradually pressing towards the Youyun Two Prefectures.
Fortunately, the Northern Border Plains served as a buffer. Seeing the impending war, all the common people of the two prefectures began to flee with their families.
At the same time, news of the Barbarian and Yao Race allied forces invading the north spread rapidly from the Human Race's cities towards the heartland.
Many people were stunned upon hearing this news, not understanding why the Northern Border's protective formation had been breached, nor why the Yao Race had suddenly allied with the Barbarian Race.
But it must be said that the Barbarian and Yao Races' grasp of the opportune time, favorable terrain, and human harmony was truly precise.
Qingyun was already in chaos and severely weakened due to the disaster, and thereafter, the Sects continuously feuded, and the Immortal Sects' internal strife waxed and waned.
They were utterly powerless against the encroaching great races.
And just as the war gradually spread throughout the world, the conflict in the Northern Border intensified.
Especially as the Barbarian and Yao allied forces approached Greystone Gorge, they launched a fierce assault, uncharacteristically accelerating their march and pressing their troops into the two prefectures.
The Zhenbei Army had indeed launched a counterattack by utilizing the natural chasm, but they still couldn't stop their advance.
At this moment, they reached the border of the Youyun Two Prefectures, first capturing sixteen major Human Race cities.
The Ten Thousand Mountains and the Ten Thousand Mile Snow Region have harsh environments, and the food and fodder produced there cannot support a long period of rapid marching.
Therefore, after occupying one-third of the northern area of the Youyun Two Prefectures, the two races immediately set up their main camps, began to scour the entire cities, and underwent rest and reorganization.
The conflict between races is not a one-and-done affair; they had waited for a thousand years and were not in a hurry.
However, their scavenging was not smooth.
There were no cultivators in the Northern Border wilderness, but there were many Cultivation Sects in the sixteen occupied cities.
These people were fundamentally different from the commoners who had fled earlier.
For commoners, both Yunzhou and Youzhou were purgatories that exploited them, so they would not hesitate for a moment if given the chance to escape.
But for those Sects, their ancestral land was everything.
Because according to the qingyun immortal rules, only the ancestral land could represent the continuation of a Sect, and their Family's generations of operations were all rooted there.
If they truly went into exile in other prefectures, how could other families possibly cede a part of their land to them again? Those who lost their ancestral land would inevitably perish in this constantly contending world.
So they had always held onto a glimmer of hope, until the army entered the city, at which point they had already lost their last chance.
Boom!
Under the rolling smoke of war, the palace gate of the Xiang Family, a century-old great Family in Yunzhou, was violently shattered by a sharp blade descending from the sky.
Countless Xiang Family Disciples soared into the sky, and booming spells fiercely collided with them.
The Xiang Family was not weak, with six Innate Realm Old Ancestors. At this moment, they suddenly flipped their palms, killing a group of Yao Race soldiers. Then, ten figures appeared high in the sky, treading on air.
Those were ten Prodigies from the Yao Race. Upon landing, they erupted with powerful Qi and clashed fiercely with them.
These old men had lived for countless years, priding themselves on having walked more paths than the younger generation had eaten salt, but they truly did not understand the Barbarian Race and Yao Race.
It was only after engaging in battle, feeling the powerful Qi like splitting mountains, that they realized they were different from the Human Race.
The Human Race's Cultivation of the Dao requires years of refinement, but the Yao Race Cultivates their physique, and their strength truly has nothing to do with whether they are young or old.
The Xiang Family was quickly flattened, and other surrounding Sects were also successively slaughtered, leaving only scattered limbs on the ground of the vast city compound.
Once these Cultivation Sects were dealt with, the Yao Race soldiers continued to scour, gathering all the grain, spiritual wine, cloth, and livestock in the city, and then entered a period of rest and recuperation.
At this time, the Zhenbei Army had retreated to the central part of the Youyun Two Prefectures, and the war report also reached Shengjing.
"Between Youzhou and Yunzhou is the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion. They actually didn't make a move—"
“Xuan Yuan has always acted very strangely. Not only did he quickly seal the mountain after the disaster, but the mountain gate formation also had ripples. In my opinion, the Xuan Yuan Sect Leader is probably no longer in the world.”
Chong Wang, holding a teacup, whispered to the officials beside him.
The people of the world are not fools; such discussions had actually occurred quite a bit before.
Even that Old Ancestor Chen, who was in seclusion recuperating, was considered very suspicious by everyone.
Because at such a critical juncture, if they were truly fine, they should, like the young Master Jian of Lingjian Mountain, occasionally show themselves in the mountains to warn the world.
Wei Li refilled Chong Wang's tea at this moment: "Now that the Barbarian and Yao Race armies have entered the Youyun Two Prefectures, Your Majesty's condition has been getting worse these past few days."
"Are they thinking of countermeasures?"
“That’s right, it is said that after the morning court yesterday, the Immortal Supervisor has already sent people to various Immortal Sects, and even that old fellow Wang Mingchang was summoned into the palace again yesterday.”
Chong Wang frowned upon hearing this: "It seems they are, firstly, requesting assistance from the Immortal Sects, and secondly, wanting to send envoys to negotiate and buy time."
Facts proved that their guess was indeed correct.
As the Immortal Supervisor visited the Immortal Sects, apart from the Xuan Yuan Immortal Mansion, whose mountain gate formation was tightly shut, all Sects and Families sent personnel to gather in Shengjing.
You Yingqiu and Zuoqiuyang, after discussion, also dispatched several Elders, along with some Inner Courtyard Disciples, to join them.
This was different from internal strife. The Human Race, having experienced the Taigu War, understood clearly that internal strife had a bottom line, as the Immortal Sects had not yet perished. However, foreign invasion was not something to be complacent about.
On the other side, Wang Mingchang, who had once visited the Snow Region, now led a delegation north again, but instead of going to the Barbarian Race's camp in Youzhou, he only went to the Yao Race's camp stationed in Yunzhou.
This was actually an act of division.
Because ever since the two races reached the Youzhou border, their closely integrated armies began to disperse, and even their main camps were no longer stationed together, indicating that they were also wary of each other.
This is actually related to the vigilance ingrained in the Yao Race.
In the past, the Yao Race and Human Race fought against the Lasting Peace Race. In the end, the Human Race rose, while they were forced to migrate to the extreme northern cold lands, barely surviving. Now that they have returned, they naturally do not want to become someone else's wedding dress again.
At this time, Great Xia sending a delegation to meet the Yao Race alone, whether or not they could meet the Yao Prince, was at least an attempt to break the Alliance between the two sides.
But to their disappointment, the delegation couldn't even enter the city where the Yao Race was located.
And after a brief rest, the Barbarian Race and Yao Race armies, by unspoken agreement, began to penetrate deeper into the Youyun Two Prefectures.
With some cultivators joining the battle, the two armies' siege speed was infinitely slowed down.
However, expelling them from the Youyun Two Prefectures was an extremely difficult task.
At this moment, the Human Race suddenly realized that from the moment the Barbarian Race and Yao Race crossed the Northern Border City Wall together, Qingyun Kyushu was no longer the Human Race's Qingyun Kyushu.
The Yao Race and Barbarian Race, who had left this continent a thousand years ago, had truly returned, and this had become a fact.
(Ji You will probably wake up in the next chapter. This part of the outline is a bit complex, so I need to reorganize it. Please give me your monthly votes.)
