Human Clan Defender

He stabbed the Great Strength Ape with his spear. Chu Ding's body also fell from the city wall to the ground, surrounded by the Barbarian Clan from all sides. Calm and collected, he used his spear to lift the Great Strength Ape's corpse and hurl it directly at the other Barbarians.

BOOM!

The massive body was flung, and when it crashed down, it was like a mountain collapsing, crushing a large number of Barbarians, breaking their sinews and bones. Immediately afterward, his Protective Gang Qi exploded, repelling the hail of arrows. Far from retreating, Chu Ding advanced, his long spear thrusting out wildly, its flurry relentlessly reaping Barbarian lives.

In the central army, Mairba saw Chu Ding unexpectedly descend from the city wall, and a murderous intent immediately flashed in his eyes. Originally, while you were on the city wall, I was not confident I could kill you, but now you dare to break out on your own, seeking your own death! With that thought, he stepped into the air. A shockwave erupted beneath his feet, propelling him toward Jincheng.

"General, be careful, Mairba is coming!"

No sooner had Mairba made his move than the people on the city wall instantly noticed. Upon hearing this, Chu Ding's heart stirred, but he did not immediately retreat. His long spear lashed out like a dragon, skewering several Barbarians. Then, with a flick and a toss of the spear, he sent their corpses flying. Right after that, he kicked off the city wall, the force propelling him up by about ten feet. He then stabbed his spear into the wall for brief leverage, vaulting even higher toward the top. During his second ascent, Chu Ding also smoothly retrieved the spear embedded in the wall. Within two breaths, he had returned to the top of the city wall.

The next moment, the ballista fired, loosing several massive arrows toward Mairba. With a punch, his Gang Qi exploded, shattering an arrow in mid-air. Then, Mairba forcibly unleashed his True Qi, elevating himself another three feet. The arrows aimed at him fell harmlessly beneath his feet. Tapping his toes lightly on the arrows for leverage, his body swooped toward the city wall like a great goose.

"Release the arrows!"

"Release all arrows, shoot down Mairba!"

Seeing that the first volley from the ballista had no effect and realizing it was too late to load a second, the other generals immediately commanded their soldiers to fire. A dense shower of arrows burst forth.

Mairba laughed heartily, his Protective Gang Qi flaring to block the multitude of arrows. "Such trifling arrow fire, daring to block me? Utterly ridiculous!" With a punch, all nearby arrows were smashed to pieces.

At this moment, Mairba was less than three feet from the city wall, his ferocious aura terrifying.

"As long as I stand, you shall not enter Jincheng!" Chu Ding roared. All his True Qi and lifeblood surged, veins bulging on his arms. The wounds on his shoulders, which had begun to heal, burst open once more, fresh blood flowing from beneath his armor. He ignored the pain, his aura reaching an unprecedented peak.

In the next instant, the long spear thrust out.

BOOM!

The air exploded, the shockwave splitting from both ends of the spear. Chu Ding, feeling as if he and his spear had merged completely, unleashed a terrifyingly focused intent. Facing this supremely powerful thrust, Mairba, too, grew solemn. He punched out, his very flesh meeting the spear's sharp point.

CRACK—

It was as if space itself had shattered. A dreadful wind erupted from between them.

The long spear shattered. The violent recoil tore open the webbing between Chu Ding's thumbs and forefingers. He staggered back, coughing blood as if dealt a massive blow. At the same time, Mairba, too, was blasted from mid-air by this powerful force. Blood dripped from his fist; clearly, that punch had also inflicted minor injuries upon him.

And as Mairba fell, a deluge of stones and flammable oil poured down, attempting to engulf the Barbarian Clan commander. Seeing this, Mairba could only swing his fists to shatter the stones while simultaneously retreating. The crisis was temporarily averted.

On the city wall, Chu Ding still coughed blood. The recent strike had seriously injured him, nearly displacing his internal organs. Fortunately, he had managed to intercept Mairba. Otherwise, if the enemy had breached the wall, they would have faced certain death.

"General, are you okay!"

"I won't die!" Chu Ding waved his hand and took a few deep breaths to barely stabilize his roiling blood and Qi, but appeared somewhat regretful as he looked at his spear, now broken in two. This spear had been with him for many years; he had not expected to lose it here.

"Prepare inside the city. We hold out for a little while longer, then we open the gates and fight the Barbarian Clan head-on!" The current situation looked dire; they could not hold out for much longer. Only by opening the city gates and using the city's advantages could they continue to contend with the Barbarian Clan.

At these words, several Black Tiger Army generals nodded. Being seriously injured, Chu Ding also temporarily retreated from the city wall to focus on recovering. In the Black Tiger Army, there was no shortage of healing elixirs.

「On the other side,」 the Barbarian Clan's siege continued relentlessly. With his longsword, Nie Xu deflected incoming arrows. Watching his fellow Black Tiger Army soldiers fall one by one, a profound sense of powerlessness rose in his heart.

"Lord Nie, prepare for retreat!" A voice came from beside him.

Nie Xu didn't turn his head. Instead, he continuously defended against potential arrow attacks while simultaneously slaying the Barbarians who had climbed the city walls.

"Are we abandoning the defense of the city walls?"

"Yes!" Wen Ce nodded, his voice grave. "The Barbarian Clan's momentum is too fierce now. There's no need for us to hold the city walls any longer. It would be better to let them in and fight!"

"Good!" Nie Xu didn't object. After slaying another member of the Barbarian Clan, he turned and descended the city wall. It had finally come to this. He understood that stubbornly defending the city walls was no longer the right strategy.

"The enemy can no longer withstand us! Attack with full force! We must take Jincheng today!"

On the Barbarian Clan's side, they could clearly feel the Black Tiger Army's resistance weakening. For them, this decrease in resistance signified an imminent breach of the city. After the first Barbarian gained a foothold on the city wall, a second and then a third quickly followed, successfully scaling it. Before long, the Barbarian Clan occupied a dominant position on the wall, and the remaining Black Tiger Army soldiers steadily retreated.

In less than an hour, the tightly shut city gates suddenly burst open, and a large number of Barbarians poured in frantically.

"The city has fallen!" the Barbarian Clan Priest said in a deep voice, a slight smile on his face. At his side, Mairba, who had returned, also nodded in satisfaction.

The city had fallen. That meant the Black Tiger Army had lost its last stronghold. What remained was to eradicate every last member of the Black Tiger Army within the city. In his view, destroying the Black Tiger Army remnants inside the city would be far easier than breaching the gates had been.

"Pass on my orders! Leave some people to guard outside. Everyone else, enter the city and annihilate the remaining Qin People!" Mairba waved his hand decisively as he commanded.

Instantly, another attack horn sounded, and the Barbarian Clan's momentum surged like a tidal wave into Jincheng. Seeing this, the Barbarian Clan Priest, as if recalling something, couldn't help but furrow his brows.

"Lord Mairba, is it possible that the Black Tiger Army has set up an ambush within the city?"

"Do you think a few thousand remnants could set up an ambush capable of burying my great army?" Mairba countered. An ambush? Impossible. Even if there were some ambush, it would only be a minor issue. Even with the advantage of the city walls, the Black Tiger Army couldn't withstand our assault. Now that they've lost that protection, how could they possibly contend with the Barbarian Clan? A few thousand Black Tiger Army soldiers? With our numbers, a single spit from each of my men would be enough to drown them all. It was precisely because of this confidence that Mairba dared to boldly enter the city.

"In the face of absolute power, any resistance is futile!" he proclaimed. Having said that, Mairba spurred the giant beast beneath him toward Jincheng.

Upon hearing his words, the Barbarian Clan Priest also nodded deeply in agreement. Indeed, with the Barbarian Clan's current advantage, there was simply no need to worry so much. After battling for so long, we mostly understand the Black Tiger Army's strength. They are strong, indeed, but too few. Considering their casualties, there can only be a few thousand left in the city at most. What significant feat could a few thousand Black Tiger Army soldiers accomplish?

A massive number of Barbarian Clan members surged in. At this moment in Jincheng, the streets were utterly deserted, as if not a single soul remained.

"Search! Find every Qin Person in the city! Leave no one behind!" A Barbarian Clan commander riding a fierce tiger showed a brutal smile. We've been attacking for so long, and our own losses aren't light. Now, I'll make the Black Tiger Army pay the price they owe!

"Yes!" The numerous Barbarian Clan soldiers obeyed and then began to search in all directions.

Jincheng was vast. A city capable of accommodating several hundred thousand civilians was no small town. Buildings obstructed sightlines, making it a challenge to find the Black Tiger Army hidden within. Originally, if the Great Strength Apes had been deployed to level all the buildings, it would have been far simpler. But the city walls barred their way, and the gates were too narrow for such colossal beasts to pass. Unless the city walls were destroyed, they simply couldn't get in. However, if the city walls were truly destroyed, the significance of capturing Jincheng would diminish greatly. The Barbarian Clan had no intention of completely obliterating Jincheng unless absolutely necessary.

CLANG—

A tightly shut door was kicked open. Several Barbarians clad in animal skins and wielding large blades burst in, searching high and low for any trace of the Black Tiger Army.

"You go there, I'll go here. Any sign of trouble, shout out immediately!" a Barbarian Clan member who appeared to be the leader ordered gravely, looking at the several bedrooms. After his instruction, the Barbarians immediately scattered to search.

One of the Barbarians entered a bedroom. The interior was spartan, almost everything visible at a glance. But, to be cautious, he didn't leave immediately, instead meticulously searching every conceivable hiding spot.

Under the bed, a pair of cold eyes watched the Barbarian as he slowly approached. One breath passed, then two. As the Barbarian reached the bed, a cold blade emerged from beneath it.

The next instant, the long knife swept sideways—