Chapter 593: Offense and Defense

On the ground, the vanguard of the Beacon Fire Territory moved.

Twenty level 35 mammoth war elephants lined up in a row, like a moving city wall, and took the lead in pressing towards Blood Nest No. 10.

Their steps were heavy and slow, and with each step they took, the parched earth trembled slightly.

Behind the war elephants, 100,000 Qin soldiers raised their shields and pointed their long swords forward, stretching out horizontally for a full eight miles.

The black shield wall, like an iron curtain, stretched from one end of the wilderness to the other, seemingly without end.

Scattered among the shield walls were over four hundred Three Fiend Cloud Piercing Ballistae and eight hundred and sixty-four Flying Tiger Rope Winch War Chariots, their wheels grinding against the cracked earth with a dull creak.

In the center of the army formation, dozens of soldiers pushed a battering ram that emitted a purple light forward slowly, the ten-meter-long wolf-head iron hammer swaying gently under the iron chain.

Further on, 100,000 elite Qin soldiers formed a dense square formation, crossbows held horizontally.

More than two hundred third-stage awakened individuals, who were more focused on physical strength and power, were scattered among them, like a group of ferocious beasts walking in an army formation.

When the vanguard of the Beacon Fire Territory approached within 800 meters of Blood Nest No. 10, the Demonic Sect on the city wall suddenly unleashed its full firepower.

"put!"

At a command.

Hundreds of Three Fiends Cloud Piercing Crossbows fired simultaneously, the three arrows working in unison, and thousands of massive black iron arrows rained down on the city like a black storm.

The arrows whistled as they pierced the air, leaving thousands of dark, long trails in mid-air.

Three ballistae simultaneously locked onto a mammoth war elephant charging at the front.

Nine massive iron arrows pierced the air from three directions, their tips as thick as an adult's arm, carrying the full force of the winch eight hundred meters away, and slammed into the mammoth war elephant's shoulders, ribs, and forelegs.

"Hit! It's just a beast. Nine arrows fired at once, let's see what you can do..." A demonic sect disciple on the city wall shouted excitedly.

But the next second, his smile froze on his face.

The nine giant arrows struck the mammoth war elephant with only a few muffled thuds before being deflected by the horny plate armor covering its entire body.

"Nine arrows fired simultaneously, and it didn't break through the defense? What the hell kind of monster is this?"

The other disciple next to him stared wide-eyed, his voice trembling.

"Impossible! The giant iron arrows of the Three Fiends Cloud-Piercing Crossbow can even pierce through innate qi, how could this be..."

"Shut up! Change targets! Shoot it in the head! Shoot it in the eye!"

However, the mammoth war elephant didn't give them a chance to change targets.

The more than 20-meter-long trunk, like a flexible iron whip, lashed wildly in the air, deflecting the incoming giant iron arrows one by one.

Each strike was accompanied by a dull whistling sound as the arrow was shattered and iron filings flew everywhere.

Stop shooting that bastard! Shoot the soldiers behind him! Change targets!

The demonic sect disciples on the city wall frantically turned their crossbows around.

The front line continued to advance.

Hundreds of massive iron arrows flew over the mammoth war elephants and landed on the Qin garrison formation behind them.

The giant arrow slammed into the formation with a piercing whistle. A soldier raised his shield to block it, and a burst of sparks exploded on the shield. He slid back half a step, his health points dropping by 160, but he still gritted his teeth and continued to charge forward.

Another soldier was caught off guard and shot through the thigh by an arrow. Blood gushed out like a fountain. He groaned and knelt on one knee. His comrade grabbed his arm and dragged him into the shield formation.

A centurion, brandishing his halberd, roared, "Hold on! Hold on! Cover the gaps! Push forward!"

The people in the back row quickly stepped forward, one foot into the empty space left by their companion, and the shield closed again.

The entire eight-mile-wide array, °• N 𝑜 v 𝑒 l i g h t •° amidst the rain of arrows, resembled an iron wall that was constantly breached and then continuously mended itself.

Finally, the Three Fiends Cloud Piercing Ballista of Fenghuo Territory also entered firing range.

More than 400 crossbow carts were lined up behind the shield formation, their winches spinning rapidly and their arrow slots opening simultaneously.

"Balloon carts in position!"

"Target: the ballistae on the city wall!"

"put!"

More than 400 Three Fiends Cloud Piercing Crossbows fired simultaneously.

More than a thousand giant arrows of black iron shot out of the sky, like a reverse iron rain, and slammed into the city wall.

On the city wall, the faces of the demonic sect disciples changed instantly.

"Lying down..."

A demonic sect disciple in charge of operating the ballista had barely uttered half a word when a massive black iron arrow struck the battlement beside him, sending shards of stone flying and nearly knocking him off his feet.

"Get out of the way! Get out of the way!"

"They also have the Three Fiends Cloud Piercing Crossbow?"

"Nonsense! Look at the design of that ballista; it's exactly the same as ours!"

Chaos erupted on the city wall.

One ballista was hit directly, the ballista arm broke, and the three disciples operating the ballista were blown away, their screams drowned out by the roar.

"Good! Well done!"

"That's it! Hold them back! Let those bastards taste the power of this crossbow!"

An awakened individual who had been promoted to a Qin garrison soldier pushed a crossbow cart while shouting at the top of his lungs.

Another young soldier beside him was loading arrows into the crossbow's quiver with lightning speed, his mouth never stopping.

"These crossbow carts were seized from the Demonic Sect. It took them two days to repair. Now, using their stuff to fight them, I feel so good about it!"

An old soldier nearby burst into laughter: "You feel good? I feel even better! This is what they call giving us a taste of our own medicine! Those bastards from the Demonic Sect were shooting at us below Hangu Pass, now it's our turn!"

As soon as he finished speaking, another crossbow fired with a roar, releasing three arrows at once. A demonic archer on the distant city wall was pinned to the wall.

At the same time, 864 Flying Tiger Rope Winch War Chariots charged forward against the firepower of the Demon Sect archers and ballistae.

The massive iron arrows and rain of arrows pounded against the chariot, sending wood chips flying and denting the iron plates.

A chariot was hit by three giant arrows at the same time, the chariot body was shattered, and the soldiers operating the chariot were thrown out.

Another chariot's winch got caught in an arrow, preventing the winch from releasing and causing the entire chariot to overturn, crushing the surrounding soldiers.

When the Flying Tiger chariots reached within 100 meters of the city wall, more than 50 had already been lost.

But the remaining chariots continued to advance, their winches already fully loaded, the grappling hooks swaying gently at the front.

"Release!" roared one of the five hundred leaders.

More than 800 Flying Tiger Cables were launched simultaneously, their massive black metal claws tearing through the air with ropes thicker than an arm, precisely hooking the battlements.

The moment the grappling hook embedded itself in the city bricks, a sharp whistling sound of metal rubbing against stone rang out simultaneously from both above and below the city wall.

The noose was suddenly tightened, and eight hundred thick cables stretched between the city wall and the ground, like eight hundred taut musical strings.

"Charge!" The centurion and the five hundred men led the charge up the noose.

With a stomp of their boots on the winch, they leaped high into the air, soaring more than ten meters in just a few bounds.

The soldiers behind him, shields raised, followed closely behind, forming long black dragons along the noose, rushing toward the city wall.

The demonic archers on the city wall fired arrows frantically.

"Shoot! Don't let them get up here!"

"I hit it! I hit it! That one fell down!"

"Look at that! That one's still running!"

Arrows from the Stone-Splitting Bow and massive iron arrows rained down on the people on the noose.

Arrows clanged against the shields, and some soldiers were hit in the shoulder, their bodies swaying as they tumbled off the noose, falling to the ground in a bloody mess.

"Charge! Don't stop!" A centurion wiped the blood from his face, took three quick steps on the noose, and thrust his halberd forward, stabbing a demonic sect disciple who had just peeked out from behind the crenellations.

Several soldiers behind him leaped onto the city wall, their bronze swords sweeping across, cutting down the servants and disciples who rushed at them from both sides.