The Fuliuhe Palace did not interfere with the conflict between the two sides, but they were happy to fan the flames and add to the situation.
Augustus led the Xuanjia Divine Soldiers, rapidly approaching the valley entrance. However, he had already issued an order that the Saint Ti Luoman army that broke through the valley entrance would no longer be pursued.
Even so, the Xuanjia Divine Soldiers were still in high spirits, charging towards the valley entrance with frenzy. Before the sharp edge of the Xuanjia Divine Soldiers even reached the valley entrance, their path was blocked by the scattered black cabinets lying across the way. Broken helmets and armor were casually discarded on the ground, all of them revealing the disarray of the Saint Ti Luoman army's retreat.
Augustus waved his hand to stop the advance and glanced at Shangji beside him.
Shangji understood and stepped forward alone towards the "smokestack" in front. As he got closer, he smelled a strange odor, a bit pungent. He sniffed it again carefully, and the irritating smell made him frown.
This smokestack was a magic cannon built from the blueprints left by Sailupeisi, capable of unleashing power equivalent to the peak state of a Great Archmage.
Suddenly, a series of powerful clangs echoed from above the valley, followed by countless fireballs raining down. The whistling sound of the fireballs breaking through the wind reverberated throughout the Longling Valley.
"Not good! It's a trap!"
Augustus realized this and shouted.
"Retreat!"
But the fireballs falling from the sky had already landed on the ground and the Xuanjia Divine Soldiers.
What Augustus found hard to believe was how incredibly potent this fire was. A single touch on the Xuanjia Divine Soldiers caused it to flare up fiercely, engulfing a Xuanjia Divine Soldier in an instant.
He couldn't imagine how the iron and stone armor, which was usually immune to fire, could be so vulnerable in the face of such flames.
When these fires landed on the ground, they triggered continuous explosions. The immense air currents blasted the Xuanjia Divine Soldiers far away, unconscious, heedless of their burning pain, only to be slowly consumed by the raging flames.
The valley was filled with debris stirred up by the blast waves, billowing smoke, and the heartbreaking cries of the Xuanjia Divine Soldiers. Their earlier arrogance had vanished with the smoke and fire.
The front lines of the Thousand Gate Mountain Beast Tribe's Winter War.
Tadaiel was lamenting the abundance of talent in Mengyuan for being able to set up such a formidable formation. Suddenly, he felt his warship tremble and become more turbulent, making it difficult for him to stand steady.
Looking at the water surface, the long waves were formidable, and the surging waves reached the sky. He urgently asked those around him.
"What's wrong?"
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw massive waves rolling in on the water, one higher than the last, surging in like a tidal wave.
Although Tadaiel was a master of magic, he had never witnessed such a scene. His face changed drastically.
Most of the people on the warship were the civil and military officials from Winter that Tadaiel had brought. There were only a few junior officers familiar with water, and no famous generals who had long confronted the Mengyuan navy. They were all trembling before Tadaiel, lacking the ability to react decisively in a crisis.
What's more, the situation on the water surface at this moment could be described as rare in a century. While the junior officers were in a panic, one of the adjutants quickly ordered a signal flag to be flown to ask for instructions from Agamemnon, the overall person in charge of the Thousand Gate Mountain War Zone.
Tadaiel's warship, though imposing like an aircraft carrier, was actually strong on the outside but weak on the inside. It could manage in calm weather, but it could not withstand such dangerous weather. It swayed and pitched, as if it might capsize at any moment, posing an extreme danger.
One of the adjutants, after arranging everything, held onto the guardrail and looked at the emperor standing tall and contemplative at the bow of the ship. A strange scene suddenly appeared in his mind: if Tadaiel were to die at this moment, what would the world be like?
Just as he was thinking this, a loud shout came from the water surface: "Your Majesty, do not worry! Your subordinate is here!"
In the north, within the canyon, it was a scene of hell on earth.
The moment Augustus realized he had been tricked, the sky above the narrow valley seemed to welcome a rain of fire. Overwhelming fireballs descended like raindrops from the sky above the narrow valley, the dense firelight instantly illuminating the sky above the valley a fiery red. Continuous explosions on the ground sent debris and dust flying in all directions.
Augustus, of course, was not spared. The fire snakes that seemed to be spitting flames bit into his mount, spreading upwards along its four giant pillar-like legs. The mount let out an extremely terrifying beastly roar.
In the chaos, the fire snakes actually spread to Augustus's leg, causing him excruciating pain as if being pierced by bone. Cold sweat broke out instantly, and he quickly patted at the flames on his body.
A rather large explosion occurred on the ground beside him, and the immense air currents mixed with debris struck the mount beneath his crotch. The mount lost its balance and collapsed with a bang, its massive body crushing a large number of Xuanjia Divine Soldiers...
Wails, cries, and roars intertwined and filled the entire narrow valley. Amidst the vast firelight and rolling smoke, it was like a living hell.
The firelight illuminated the painfully contorted faces of the Wu clan warriors, making them appear unusually ferocious, like malevolent spirits suffering the torments of the eighteen levels of hell. They writhed and struggled back and forth on the ground.
But those fire snakes clung to them like maggots, and before long, they would be consumed, their charred limbs curling up in a place until they turned to ashes.
Desperate screams came from the rear, filled with despair, even tinged with sobbing, "The rear is blocked!"
"We are finished!"
...
Piercing cries echoed mournfully in the valley, so heart-wrenching that they sent chills down the spine of anyone who heard them.
Xiao Xun stood on the peak, looking down at the 'masterpiece' he had personally directed. He could even feel the hateful gazes from those Wu clan warriors. On the vast mountaintop, countless Saint Ti Luoman soldiers stared blankly at the tragic scene in the canyon, silent. Who could have imagined the inner turmoil of these battle-hardened warriors?
They had never before experienced the heartlessness and cruelty of the battlefield so vividly.
The enemies who had just moments ago been like malevolent spirits from hell, slaughtering their brothers, were now writhing on the ground in pain, moaning, wailing, and despairing...
Xiao Xun exhaled a breath of turbid air: speechless for a long time.
As Xiao Xun was sighing, his mind momentarily lost focus, and a sudden vision flashed before his eyes, breaking his composure. Suddenly, a warning signal arose in his heart.
When he came back to his senses, a terrifyingly charred and distorted face rapidly enlarged before his eyes. The entire face was unrecognizable, but its eyes were exceptionally bright and fierce, like a terrifying gaze from hell, locked onto Xiao Xun. Hatred, anger, and determination were all intertwined, causing Xiao Xun's heart to tremble.
He could even feel the sharp killing intent spreading along with the rapid impact of the opponent, the immense force of impact seeming to drain all the air in front of him.
"Not good! Something's happened!"
Zuan cried out, looking at the billowing smoke and the fiery red sky rising from the Longling Valley ahead.
As soon as he finished speaking, he had already spurred his horse towards the Longling Valley.
Although Sai En had concerns in his heart, seeing the situation in the sky above the Longling Valley, he knew something must have happened. Moreover, he had an ominous premonition. He immediately put aside his doubts and spurred his horse to follow closely.
As this team rushed into the valley entrance, they could even clearly hear the screams and the intense burning sounds coming from within the valley, when suddenly a loud shout was heard, "You must be Zuan?"
After this shout, there was a series of clanging sounds, flashes of swords and blades. Saint Ti Luoman soldiers from all directions emerged from nowhere, completely sealing off the valley entrance and surrounding Sai En and his men.
Among them, a great general, with a smile on his face, his gaze bypassed the line of sight of everyone else, firmly locking onto Zuan, who had been the first to charge into the Longling Valley.
In fact, without the other party speaking, Zuan felt a sense of being targeted by a master. The immense pressure made him tremble involuntarily. He slowly turned his head, and his gaze intersected with the other party's in mid-air.
"Yaren?"