Human Clan Defender

The Demon Evil attacked, causing many deaths among the Black Tiger Army and some disturbance on the city walls. But soon, with Chu Ding and others taking action, they eliminated those Demon Evils.

However, this also gave the Barbarian Clan an opportunity to reach the city walls and start a fierce battle with the Black Tiger Army. Once the Barbarian Clan stood atop the walls, it meant the Black Tiger Army's defensive strength was weakened. And so, even more of the Barbarian Clan followed, climbing up the ladders in succession.

"Defend the walls at all costs! We absolutely cannot let the Barbarian Clan get up here!"

"Everyone, follow me and kill!"

Chu Ding's face was stern as he held his spear in one hand, his aura unmatched. Wherever his spear struck, a Barbarian Clan member fell.

One!

Two!

In just a few breaths, a dozen Barbarian Clan members died at Chu Ding's hands. The Jianghu martial artists also took action, efficiently felling Barbarians.

It took a quarter of an hour for all the Barbarian Clan members who had climbed the city walls to be thoroughly eliminated. Once they were cleared, the Black Tiger Army regained the initiative on the walls.

「Barbarian Clan Army」

The Barbarian Clan Priest's expression was unsightly. The Demon Evils he had nurtured had caused some disruption but hadn't enabled the Barbarian Clan to completely seize the walls; instead, his forces had suffered losses.

It seems I need to take action myself! Mairba thought, shaking his head. He no longer counted on the Barbarian Clan Priests beside him. Being able to command Demon Evils was indeed an unpredictable method to some extent, but the Demon Evils they could command were not particularly strong. They hadn't lasted long before being eradicated by the Black Tiger Army.

He dug his heels in, and the massive beast beneath him moved forward, heading toward Jincheng. The beast was gigantic, over ten feet tall, and each step it took seemed to make the ground tremble. Mairba sat on its back, as steady as Mount Tai. All Barbarian Clan members respectfully cleared a path at the sight of the enormous beast approaching.

Arrows rained down along the way, but the beast, with its thick hide, was completely unafraid. It only closed its eyelids to block arrows aimed at vital spots like its eyes, deflecting them. However, the closer it got, the more powerful the arrow rain became, and gradually, the beast's steps grew labored. Its thick hide offered great protection, but it wasn't impervious to blades and spears. It was merely more durable than most creatures; it would still be wounded if hit hard enough.

At this moment, the beast was less than five zhang from the city walls.

Mairba suddenly leaped from the beast's back, an explosive surge of energy under his feet propelling him as if stepping through the void toward the city walls.

"Stop him!" Chu Ding's expression changed dramatically. If a Grandmaster went all out to attack the city, no one on the walls could contend with him.

At Chu Ding's shout, a barrage of arrows flew towards Mairba. The dense rain of arrows, like a huge net, enveloped him.

"A mere arrow rain, you think it can stop me!" Mairba sneered as his Protective Gang Qi erupted, shattering all incoming arrows to pieces.

Immediately following this, he struck out with his palm from midair, his Palm Gang tearing through the air. In an instant, several Black Tiger Army soldiers were hit by the Palm Gang and exploded, their flesh and blood scattering everywhere. This sight once again caused the expressions of those from Jincheng to drastically change.

Seeing Mairba about to breach the city walls, Chu Ding immediately took up a bow and arrow, drawing the string to a full moon. Due to the exertion, his shoulder wound split open again, blood soaking his clothes. Despite this, he was completely indifferent, his eyes fixed only on Mairba.

"Turnabout is fair play! Now you experience my archery!"

WHOOSH!!

Nine arrows shot out, forming a deadly arrow formation that flew with tearing speed, prompting Mairba's expression to shift slightly.

Such power. Mere Innate Gang Qi cannot withstand it, Mairba thought, but he was not afraid. Stepping through the air, he threw a punch that shattered the air itself. The nine arrows trembled violently before being crushed into dust by his immense force in the next instant.

Following that, a powerful intent swept out from him. At that moment, Chu Ding felt as if struck by lightning. His head throbbed with splitting pain, and his expression twisted ferociously.

A Grandmaster! A spirit attack! It was a power that completely surpassed True Qi, one that could directly affect a person's soul. After suffering such an attack, Chu Ding vomited a mouthful of blood and temporarily lost the ability to fight.

Just then, a whistling sound rang out as several ballistae aimed at Mairba and fired simultaneously. The massive bolts tore through the air, their momentum unmatched.

Seeing this, Mairba's expression darkened. He couldn't easily dodge in mid-air, so he punched out, knocking down one bolt while his Protective Gang Qi erupted to block the others.

BOOM—

The collision shattered his Gang Qi instantly. The bolts struck Mairba squarely, sending him plummeting from the air.

Everyone's gaze turned downward to where Mairba had fallen.

Is he dead? they wondered. Ballistae could kill Great Strength Apes; their power was terrifying. Even an Innate Martial Artist struck head-on would be blown to pieces. Mairba was strong, but he wasn't necessarily able to withstand a ballista attack.

However, as soon as Mairba landed, he flipped in mid-air and resettled on the beast's back. Parts of his armor were shattered, but aside from that, there were no other wounds.

Seeing this, many on the city wall inhaled sharply.

So strong! To suffer only shattered armor from a direct hit by a ballista, with no other injuries! With such strength, he was completely beyond their ability to contend. Fortunately, he hadn't breached the city wall; otherwise, it would have been a nightmare for them.

Damn it! Mairba thought. On the beast's back, his face was as dark as water, a subtle pain throbbing in his chest. He had set out confidently, intending to scale the walls and carve a path for the Barbarian Clan Army. But unexpectedly, he hadn't even reached the top of the wall before being shot down. If he weren't a Grandmaster with the protection of Innate Gang Qi, he would have already fallen to the ballista.

The pain in his chest angered Mairba but also filled him with apprehension. Although Grandmasters were strong, it didn't mean they could act recklessly. The number of Grandmasters who had fallen on the battlefield was not insignificant. It was only because Jincheng's defending force was small that Mairba had dared to charge alone. Had it been another city with stricter defenses, he wouldn't have acted so rashly.

However, having been shot down by the Black Tiger Army, Mairba no longer intended to make another move. The air was chaotic with arrows, and the threat of the ballistae loomed. If he pressed the attack, he might stumble. Therefore, Mairba chose to retreat. Compared to capturing Jincheng with utmost speed, he opted for a steadier approach. After all, though the Black Tiger Army resisted fiercely, their limited numbers were a fatal flaw. They couldn't win a war of attrition against the Barbarian Clan.

Mairba returned to his ranks but did not order the Barbarian Clan to stop their assault.

Seeing his retreat, the people on the city wall, though somewhat regretful they hadn't killed him, secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

A Grandmaster! Tang Hong thought, recalling the scene where the enemy had walked on air. The shock in his eyes had not completely dissipated. So close! We were just a hair's breadth from him breaking through! With the strength he showed, had he scaled the wall, we would have been utterly doomed.

The dawn sky began to lighten. The early morning air wasn't fresh; instead, it carried a rich, nauseating scent of blood. A night had passed, but the Barbarian Clan's assault had not ceased. Below Jincheng, countless bodies lay fallen, and the once-blue stone walls were now stained a dark, blood-red. The Black Tiger Army atop the wall had rotated through several shifts; otherwise, they would have long since collapsed from exhaustion.

The Barbarian Clan is truly tenacious! Chu Ding sighed inwardly as he slashed down a Barbarian who had climbed up. A night of fighting had left him weary. Many Barbarians were dead or injured. Although the Black Tiger Army held the advantage of the wall, resulting in relatively fewer casualties, compared to the Barbarian Clan's vast numbers, they were gradually falling into a disadvantage.

HUFF, HUFF!!

Wen Ce panted heavily. From last night until now, he couldn't remember how many Barbarians he had killed. Bandages were wrapped around him to staunch bleeding wounds from arrows sustained during the battle.

"If the Barbarians don't stop," Wen Ce gasped, "we won't be able to hold out much longer!"

"Even if we can't, we must!" Chu Ding declared, his blood-smeared face calm. "We've sustained heavy losses, and so have the Barbarians. After a night of siege, their momentum has waned. If we hold out a while longer, they'll likely need to rest and regroup."

He could see that the momentum of the Barbarian assault was nowhere near what it had been at the start. A night of bitter combat had taken a heavy toll on the enemy as well. On their side, the Black Tiger Army still fought valiantly, doing their utmost to kill every Barbarian who scaled the wall. Meanwhile, other Black Tiger soldiers collected arrows the Barbarians had shot onto the wall to replenish their own supplies.

Another two hours passed.

The Barbarian Clan Priest looked at the blood-stained Jincheng, his expression calm. "Lord Mairba," he said, "our tribe has been attacking all night, and everyone is significantly depleted. I suggest we rest for a while and then resume the siege. If we continue to attack in our current state, even if we take Jincheng, our losses will be severe!"

Mairba did not reply, merely gazing coldly at the Black Tiger Army atop the ramparts. He hadn't expected the Black Tiger Army of Jincheng to be so stubbornly resilient. A nightlong battle, and still no sign of collapse. If he weren't certain there were only twelve thousand defenders in the city, Mairba would have almost believed tens of thousands of Black Tiger soldiers were inside.

Continuing the arduous fight indeed offered a high probability of breaking through Jincheng. But as the Priest said, doing so would mean severe losses for the Barbarian Clan. Sacrificing so many for a single Jincheng was clearly not worth it.

Suddenly, Mairba made his decision.

"Withdraw the troops!"

WOOOO!!

The horn sounded, and the Barbarian Clan retreated like a receding tide, leaving behind numerous corpses.

Seeing this, many of the exhausted defenders slumped down on the city wall, gasping for air.