Chapter 212: Nine Out of Ten Houses Empty
Chapter 212: Chapter 212: Nine Out of Ten Houses Empty
The old general closed his eyes and fell into the silence of death.
Sensing their commander’s death through the Bond of Comrades effect, the surrounding Soldiers each reacted in their own way.
"No, Commander!"
"The Commander is dead. I will charge into Yilong Marsh and kill Demon Beasts until I die."
"I’ll go with you, brother!"
"I’m already spent. In that case, I’ll stay here on the wall and accompany the Commander."
"I... I have a wife and kids at home. I’m sorry, my brothers..."
"Commander, I’ve repaid my debt to you. Now, I wish to lay down my arms and return home."
"It was a Demon Beast that killed the Commander! I’ll switch to the Heroic Dao and dedicate my life to slaying every Demon Beast in the world!"
By the late commander’s side, every Soldier had chosen their own path.
A small number retreated, casting off their armor and weapons.
The vast majority, however, charged into the nearby Yilong Marsh.
Some were furious, some were mournful, some were cold, and some were boiling with killing intent.
With their commander dead, they no longer cared for right or wrong. They only wanted to slay as many Demon Beasts as possible before they fell, to accompany their commander in death!
As for their own lives?
If their commander were still alive, he might have cherished their lives, perhaps using battle formations to defend against and attack the Demon Beasts.
But now that their commander was gone, these proud and valiant soldiers had lost their backbone, left with nothing but a desperate will to die.
"KILL, KILL, KILL!"
"DIE, DIE, DIE!"
"We’ll stain Yilong Marsh red with the blood of Demon Beasts!"
"Avenge the Commander!"
Over ten thousand Soldiers charged into Yilong Marsh like a scattered, disorganized mob.
Facing the Demon Beasts, they were no longer as formidable as they had been within their battle formations.
But driven by their death wish, they proved even more ferocious than the First and Second Realm Demon Beasts.
The blood of men and Demon Beasts stained Yilong Marsh red.
By the time Zhu Ge arrived at Yilong City with his troops, the entire city was steeped in a somber, heroic atmosphere.
Liu Jianjian and the others were affected by the mood, and none of them could muster a smile.
Zhu Ge, however, went to the top of the half-collapsed city wall, where he saw a man standing watch.
He was a middle-aged man, his face and arms covered in a dense network of scars from blades, blood, and fire.
Though he was clearly no longer breathing, he remained standing on the wall, a silent sentinel among the handful of dead Soldiers scattered around him.
All of them had planted their swords upright into the ground before closing their eyes, standing as still and unmoving as statues.
"Though he was only at the Third Realm, his character was worthy of a true Grand General," Zhu Ge sighed. "We’ll leave this section of the wall as it is. Let the people of Yilong City decide what to do."
Liu Jianjian, Yu the Scholar, and the others all wore solemn expressions.
To defend the city, this man had exhausted all the Blood Qi in his heart. He had depleted every last drop of life force and potential from his flesh and blood, his muscles and bones, his very organs, just to last until this moment.
If not for him, Yilong City would have fallen long ago.
Only when he sensed Zhu Ge’s approaching army in the distance did he finally let go of his worries for the city’s people.
A man like that deserved respect.
However, as Zhu Ge led his troops into the city, he discovered that the entirety of Yilong City was practically in ruins.
He didn’t know what shape Yilong City originally had, but now only its square walls remained, and most of them were heavily damaged.
The Third Realm lizard known as the Yilong had broken into the city before to devour its people.
Now, Yilong City was a ghost town. The few who remained were all hidden amongst the rubble, only emerging from their hiding places after seeing Zhu Ge and his people arrive.
"What’s going on? I think I hear footsteps."
People whispered to each other from within the ruins.
"Hush! It might be the Demon Beasts again! Those brutes have keen senses of smell and hearing. Don’t let them find us!"
Walking through the deserted streets, Zhu Ge overheard some of the whispers.
He raised his voice and called out, "The Third Realm Yilong from outside the city has been slain by my hand! Everyone who is left in the city, you can come out now!"
Zhu Ge had imbued his voice with Blood Qi, so it echoed throughout the entirety of Yilong City.
At this, some people peeked out from cracks in the walls. Seeing that Zhu Ge and his party were indeed of the Human Race, they burst into tears of joy.
"The Yilong is dead?! The Yilong is dead?!"
"Father, Mother, I swear I will avenge you! I’ll drive every last Demon Beast from this world!"
"This is wonderful! We’re finally saved!"
"What about Lord Xu? Lord Xu has been defending the city all this time. He can finally get some rest."
"That’s right! Let’s hurry and prepare some food and water for Lord Xu and for these Soldiers who’ve come to help!"
Men and women, old and young, emerged from the ruins, every one of them disheveled and covered in grime.
Most of them were ordinary people, with only a few who looked like Artifact Refiners, Sewing Masters, or other artisans mixed in.
It was clear that everyone in Yilong City had been forced to fight; anyone with a Cultivation base had likely already fallen on the battlefield.
’If Jianshui City hadn’t held, it probably would have suffered the same tragic fate,’ Zhu Ge thought.
"Everyone, gather here by the city wall!"
Zhu Ge shouted again, his voice carrying across the entire city.
There happened to be a large, open area near the wall with less rubble.
Furthermore, this spot was closer to Mengzi City.
Zhu Ge’s plan was to detach a part of his force, led by Yu the Scholar and Zhao Tieshan, to escort all the civilians to Mengzi City, with the Sword and Axe Mantis providing additional protection.
Mengzi City had also suffered damage and could use the people, whereas Yilong City was no longer habitable.
Although Yilong Marsh was not as vast as a great river or swamp, it was still a complex and treacherous landscape.
Zhu Ge couldn’t stay here for long, and once he left, a large number of Demon Beasts would inevitably attack again.
Therefore, this was the safest course of action.
"Zhao Tieshan, Scholar, go and help everyone," Zhu Ge gestured.
"Yes, sir," Yu the Scholar sighed. He had felt respect upon seeing the commander on the wall, and now, seeing the state of the city’s people, he was filled with compassion.
Zhao Tieshan felt much the same.
Having come from a village himself, he was overcome with sorrow at the sight of the people’s tragic plight.
The two of them led their Soldiers and quickly moved into the city to help.
Some helped women carry their young children, while others supported the injured.
In the end, just over twenty thousand people were crowded together in the open space below the city wall.
Looking at the original scale of Yilong City, Zhu Ge couldn’t help but sigh to himself.
This city must have once held at least one or two hundred thousand people, but now, only these twenty-thousand-odd survivors remained, most of them sallow-faced and in poor health.
Moreover, this group would not be able to travel nearly as fast as his army on the march.
This meant he had to arrange a time and place to rendezvous with Yu the Scholar, or the escort party would never be able to catch up with the main force after seeing the civilians to safety.
"Alright, Scholar. The next city will be here..."
After studying a map for a moment, Zhu Ge pointed to a small dot.
Fenshui City!
That was the very city where the Strong Monkey King was located!