Free Web NovelAt dusk, six hundred li west of Hangu Pass lies the gray moss plain.
The gray-green moss plants covered the ground low, like a thick carpet, soft and silent when stepped on.
The temperature had dropped to a few degrees, and a cold wind was blowing in from the north, carrying the smell of damp earth.
Hammerhead Salgar's 45,000-strong orc army had already set up camp on the Gray Tundra.
Tents were packed tightly together, and campfires lit up the landscape, turning the gray-green field into a dark red.
The orc soldiers sat around the campfire, gnawing on raw meat and sharpening their axes, with occasional low murmurs of conversation drifting out from the camp.
Hammerhead Salgar stood in the center of the camp, surrounded by a group of orc warriors.
He glanced up at the sky, then turned to look east, muttering, "Where's Goron yet?"
As soon as he finished speaking, a dark mass appeared on the horizon.
Gronn's army of 35,000 orcs arrived late, their ranks stretched out in a long line, the torchlight forming a winding fire dragon.
Salga took to the air and flew towards Goron. ƒгeeweɓn૦vel.com
Gronn hovered in mid-air, the Bonebreaker's giant axe held horizontally in front of him, his mammoth hide cloak fluttering in the wind.
Salga stopped in front of him, his giant bone club slung diagonally over his shoulder, grinning to reveal a mouthful of fangs, his voice hoarse: "Gron, you're too slow! I've been waiting for you until the moss is almost up to my knees!"
Goron remained expressionless, ignoring that question, and directly asked, "Has Beacon Fire Territory been upgraded to a city-level territory?"
Salga grinned, his smugness undisguised: "Haha, no! The latest reconnaissance results show that Beacon Fire Territory is still a county-level territory."
Furthermore, the prophet also deduced that the guardian beast of the Beacon Fire Territory was still missing, and it seemed unlikely that it would advance anytime soon. Truly, heaven is blessing our beast race!
Goron's lips finally curled into a grin, and the dark red flames in his eyes flickered even brighter: "Then what are we waiting for? I can't wait to cut off that Lord of the Beacon Lands' head!"
He raised the Bonebreaker, its axe blade flashing coldly in the twilight, "To hang on my tent as decoration."
The surrounding orc leaders all laughed.
An orc swordsman brandished his greatsword, his voice gruff: "Cut off that human brat's head and burn his territory to ashes!"
An orc prophet's withered fingers slid across his staff as he said ominously, "I'd like to see what color that human's soul is."
An orc warrior brandished his battle axe and grinned, "I heard that young lord is only level 39? I can cleave him in two with one swing of my axe!"
Salga grinned and swung his giant bone club eastward: "Break camp! All troops, move out! March through the night, and tomorrow afternoon, I will drink their blood on the walls of Hangu Pass!"
The camp erupted in chaos. Tents were overturned, fires were extinguished, and the 80,000-strong orc army rose from the ground like a dark green tide, beginning to surge westward.
The orc infantry, carrying iron axes, formed a dense, dark column that stretched as far as the eye could see.
The dire wolf riders roamed the flanks, the gray dire wolves lowering their bodies and baring their fangs.
The moss on the gray tundra was trampled to pieces, revealing the black soil underneath.
Twenty mammoth war elephants walked at the head of the procession, their hooves trembling slightly as they pounded the ground, the barbs on their tusks gleaming coldly in the twilight.
In the middle of the formation, two massive battering rams moved slowly, propelled by orc infantry.
They were two enormous black iron hammers, each ten meters long, shaped like ferocious wolf heads, suspended from a wooden frame by thick iron chains.
The hammer's surface gleamed with a purple light, the unique luster of purple-quality equipment.
With each step, the chains creaked and groaned, like the panting of a giant beast.
The battle flag fluttered in the twilight, black with a white wolf on a white background, its mouth wide open and fangs bared.
...
Hangu Pass, West Gate Tower.
Night had fallen, and the moonlight was obscured by clouds; only the torches on the city walls illuminated the surroundings in a dim, yellowish light.
All the third-tier combatants inside the pass gathered on the city wall, some standing, some sitting, some leaning against the battlements, talking in hushed tones.
A cold wind swept in from the western wilderness, causing the torches to flicker.
Iron Block lay on the wall, head tilted to one side, eyelids drooping, shield leaning weakly against his leg, looking westward.
Wang Wu slowly took a sip of tea, glanced at Tie Dun, and said, "Tiedun, your constitution has been awakened, you don't need to sleep, so why do you still look so listless?"
Ironclad scratched his head: "I'm not sleepy, I'm just getting impatient! Why haven't the orcs come to ambush us yet? I've wiped my shield three times already!"
Zhao Hu said expressionlessly, "Isn't it better if they don't come? Why do you have to wait for them to come?"
Tie Dun chuckled: "It's better if they don't come, then I can eat a few more meals and save up more energy."
Feng Qingyan planted her staff on the ground and muttered, "How boring! Why aren't the orcs here yet?"
Jiang Zhaoyue stood beside her, the Silver Moon Heavenly Spear slung over her back, gazing at the darkness in the distance, and said calmly, "It's a good thing they didn't launch a sneak attack. But what's meant to happen will happen eventually, so let's prepare."
Ivan leaned back in a grand chair that had been moved from somewhere, crossed his legs, and held a bowl of hot wine in his hand, sipping it slowly.
He squinted, looking as if he was about to fall asleep, but his hand holding the wine bowl was as steady as a rock.
Scarface Liu and Ah Wang leaned against the inner wall of the city gate, Scarface Liu with a toothpick in his mouth and Ah Wang with his arms crossed. Neither of them spoke.
Lin Feng stood in the center of the city tower, his hands resting on the battlements, his gaze fixed on the darkness to the west.
His fingers tapped lightly on the city bricks, with a steady rhythm.
Lin Feng glanced at the time: 11:59 PM.
One minute left.
He thought to himself: The orcs are actually showing some martial spirit this time, and they didn't launch any surprise attack. I was worried all day, afraid that the orc high command would carry out a decapitation operation in the middle of the night.
In retrospect, there aren't that many unexpected situations. What's meant to happen will happen, and what's meant to wait will wait.
Just then, a figure descended from the sky.
Jiang Yelan landed silently on the city wall, his Shadow Moon Blade swaying gently at his waist.
The whispers on the city wall instantly fell silent.
Zhao Hu opened his eyes and straightened up from the pillar.
Ivan put down his wine bowl and sat up straight in his armchair.
Lin Feng turned around and looked at Jiang Yelan: "Yelan, what's the current situation of the orc army?"
Jiang Yelan walked up to him, his right fist pressed against his chest: "The orc army is currently about four hundred miles away from here, marching through the night, and is expected to arrive around two o'clock tomorrow afternoon."
There are approximately 24 orcs with combat strength of level 39 or above, including two level 40 war lords, two orc prophets, ten sword saints, and ten warriors.
The total force numbered approximately 80,000, including twenty mammoth war elephants and two purple-quality battering rams.
After hearing this, everyone had different expressions, but not much fear.
