Human Clan Defender

In the darkness of night, flames soared to the sky around Jincheng. The Barbarian Clan Army attacked the city with unceasing vigor, escalating the situation to a fever pitch. Vast numbers of siege ladders were erected; barbarians climbed up one after another. Some stormed the ramparts, only to be swiftly dealt with by the defenders. The Centurions and higher-ranking officers of the Black Tiger Army were all Martial Artists of the Pulse Condensation Realm.

At the same time, the Jianghu Martial Artists who had remained in Jincheng now also fought atop the walls. When it comes to military campaigns, the Jianghu Martial Artists were no match for the Black Tiger Army. But for merely standing on the walls and felling the invading barbarians, they encountered no significant trouble. In terms of individual strength, the Jianghu Martial Artists were not something the common Black Tiger Army soldiers could compare with. Battles raged incessantly, blood splattered, and severed heads rolled to the ground.

"Drop the rocks!" a fierce shout rang out. The Black Tiger Army lifted stones they had prepared earlier and hurled them downward. Stones weighing over a thousand jin each, combined with the momentum of their fall, were too much for any Martial Artist of the Body Tempering Realm to handle head-on. Instantly, many barbarians were smashed, spewing blood from their mouths as they tumbled off the ladders.

However, no sooner had barbarians fallen than others took their places. The death of those before them did not deter the barbarians that followed.

"Pitch!" an officer commanded. Jars of pitch were poured down and then lit by torches, igniting the oil. In a moment, a sea of fire erupted below the city, and the barbarians burned, wailing in agony.

"General, the Barbarian Clan's assault is too fierce!" Wen Ce said, his expression grave as he looked at the barbarians below, scorched by the fire, and at more pressing forward relentlessly.

Despite the situation thus far, it seemed as though the barbarians had not gained any advantage. But it must be understood that their greatest strength lay in their numbers. The Barbarian Clan Army was one hundred and twenty thousand strong, a number incomparable to the twelve thousand of the Black Tiger Army. If they wished to kill all the barbarians, it meant that each Black Tiger Army soldier needed to slay ten barbarians just to even the odds. From the current state of the siege, these attackers were clearly the Barbarian Clan's elite troops. To face ten for every one was as difficult as reaching the heavens. What's more, when the number of troops reached a certain level, their power could multiply exponentially.

Chu Ding watched calmly as the barbarians below attacked the city, his pupils reflecting the firelight, his visage somewhat terrifying. "No matter how fierce their assault, we must hold our ground. We need to last at least two days, giving Great Wilderness Prefecture time to react; perhaps reinforcements will arrive by then."

"Yes—" Wen Ce replied, bowing his head.

He understood the implication in Chu Ding's words; the priority was to hold Jincheng for two days. Two days. One, to afford Great Wilderness Prefecture the opportunity to devise an appropriate response. Two, to buy the evacuating citizens of Jincheng a little more time. As for reinforcements... truthfully, Wen Ce believed they likely wouldn't last until reinforcements arrived. Everyone in the Black Tiger Army understood that defending the city was a near-certain death situation. Nonetheless, no one felt any fear. The Black Tiger Army never shied away from combat, nor did they dread a fight to the death.

Yet, a worry still weighed on Wen Ce's heart. "We can hold Jincheng for two days," he said, "but according to reports, the Barbarian Clan's assault isn't just focused on Jincheng. If the barbarians find a breakthrough elsewhere, all our efforts here might prove meaningless!"

At Wen Ce's words, Chu Ding turned to look at him, his gaze seeming a few degrees colder. "Remember, there are things you need not concern yourself with. Our job now is to hold Jincheng and wait for the Imperial Court's reinforcements."

"I understand!" Wen Ce replied hastily, startled, his head bowed.

Seeing this, Chu Ding's tone softened somewhat. "The Barbarian Clan is fierce this time. For every moment we hold them back, we buy Great Wilderness Prefecture an additional moment to prepare. For each barbarian we slay, we diminish their strength by that much more.

"If our twelve thousand Black Tiger Army soldiers can kill twelve thousand barbarians, then we will have done our duty. If we can slay twenty-four thousand, that would be an enormous profit."

The situation now left no path for retreat. Kill one to break even. Kill two for profit. If they could manage to cripple the one hundred and twenty thousand strong Barbarian Clan army before them, then even if all twelve thousand Black Tiger Army soldiers were to perish here, it would be worth it.

"To die for Great Qin!" Wen Ce declared resolutely, kneeling on one knee, his fist to his chest.

"Rise," Chu Ding said with a nod, moving to the edge of the city wall. In his field of vision, barbarians swarmed like locusts across the land. It was evident: the barbarians were determined to take the city.

"With momentum like a tiger at full charge, the Barbarian Clan has never once faced defeat nor experienced any setback since they began their incursion into Great Wilderness Prefecture. Their morale has accumulated to a terrifying level," Chu Ding stated calmly. "Look at those barbarians; each one is brimming with confidence, so they can summon strength well beyond their usual limits when attacking. If we can withstand this assault, things will get much easier afterward."

He continued, "Marching and fighting in war often hinge on an unstoppable momentum. That's exactly what the Barbarian Clan is harnessing now. Without any pause, they directly assaulted Jincheng, aiming to build that momentum. Should Jincheng fail to hold during this first wave, the Barbarian Clan's morale will surge even higher. Conversely, if Jincheng endures this initial assault, their subsequent offensives will likely slow down."

"Kill!"

"The first to scale the city walls will be rewarded with a hundred taels of silver afterward!"

"The first to break through the city gate will be rewarded with a thousand taels of silver and appointed as a Chiliarch!" a Barbarian Clan General, mounted on a fierce tiger, bellowed loudly.

A reward of a hundred taels of silver! A reward of a thousand taels of silver and the title of Chiliarch! Hearing these words, all the barbarians intensified their assault instantly. What was war fought for? It was for promotion and wealth, for securing a future for oneself. As for life itself, to these barbarians, it seemed less important than seizing such an opportunity. However, they also understood that while being the first to scale the walls was relatively easy, surviving until the end of the battle was incredibly difficult; many barbarians had already made it to the top of the walls, yet not a single one had survived. Even so, this reality did not dampen the fervent spirits of the other barbarians.

"Bring me my bow!" Chu Ding commanded.

"Yes!" Wen Ce replied, turning to leave. He returned shortly after with a jet-black great bow, which he handed to Chu Ding.

With the great bow in hand, Chu Ding took an arrow and immediately drew the string, almost without aiming. The next instant, his fingers released the bowstring. WHOOSH! The arrow whistled through the air, shooting towards the Barbarian Clan General.

The Barbarian Clan General's heart skipped a beat as he caught sight of the incoming arrow. Without hesitation, he swung his long saber, intending to deflect it.

BOOM!

The collision caused the long saber to vibrate violently. A tremendous force erupted from the impact, splitting the webbing of the Barbarian Clan General's hand and forcing him to involuntarily release his grip on the saber. Immediately after that, the arrow continued on its trajectory, undeterred, piercing through his armor and impaling the Barbarian Clan General in an instant.

"Ah!" With a scream, the Barbarian Clan General fell from the tiger's back to the ground.

The general was dead. Instantly, the morale of some barbarians plummeted.

"Excellent archery!" Wen Ce exclaimed in admiration upon seeing the general fall.

Chu Ding remained silent, continuing to take arrows from beside him. He drew his bow again and again, targeting other Barbarian Clan generals, who fell one after another to his shots. He was a powerhouse of the Innate Outer Gang Realm, and his archery had reached a level of astonishing mastery. Especially now, amidst the chaotic battle where no one could fully watch for hidden arrows, the Barbarian Clan generals targeted by Chu Ding mostly had no way to defend themselves and were killed one by one. Only a very few, due to various reasons, managed to survive his deadly shots. As numerous Barbarian Clan generals fell, the morale of the Barbarian Clan's side sharply declined.

「From the rear of the army.」

Mairba watched as arrows from the city walls took down one Barbarian Clan general after another, his expression growing somewhat somber. "Who is that man?"

The Barbarian Clan Priest beside him frowned slightly, then spoke in a deep voice, "If I'm not mistaken, that should be Chu Ding, the commander of Jincheng's Black Tiger Army." The Priest paused, then continued, "Chu Ding is not weak. He was originally the Black Tiger Army's Commander of Ten Thousand but was later promoted due to his outstanding ability. His Realm is around the Innate Outer Gang level. Compared to you, Lord Mairba, he is much inferior."

"Innate Outer Gang," Mairba repeated, nodding slightly.

He himself was a Grandmaster Level powerhouse; to him, the Innate Realm was insignificant. However, that was only relative to someone of his caliber. To ordinary people, an expert of the Innate Outer Gang Realm was indeed a top-tier warrior.

"Bring me my bow!" Mairba spoke indifferently.

Soon, a few barbarians, working together, brought forward a Gold-Inlaid Great Bow, weighing several hundred jin, while others presented several golden arrows. Seeing this, Mairba grabbed the Gold-Inlaid Great Bow with one hand. A bow so heavy it usually required several men to lift seemed almost weightless in the hands of this Barbarian Clan commander. One hand held the bow, the other fetched an arrow. He nocked the arrow, and the bowstring was instantly drawn to a full moon, the gleaming arrowhead aimed directly at Chu Ding on the city wall.

As the arrow was aimed at him, Chu Ding immediately felt an immense sense of danger.

At that moment, the arrow shot through the air. Its roaring sound, as shocking as a dragon's roar, was clear amidst the din of war cries.

On the city wall, Chu Ding had just spotted the incoming arrow. Its incredible speed caused his heart to race. Instantly, he quickly grabbed three arrows and shot them in rapid succession, like a string of stars colliding violently with the distant gleam of gold.

RIP!

All three of Chu Ding's arrows shattered, but the golden light continued unabated towards the city wall. It was too late to draw his bow again. Chu Ding immediately grasped his long spear, which shot forward like a dragon emerging from its cave. The air around it blasted outwards with a sound like thunder as the spearhead collided with the golden light.

BOOM!