White Horse City was surrounded by an army of a million soldiers, and the neighing of warhorses filled the air. Tens of thousands of riders unsheathed their swords and stood at the front of the city, waiting for the order to attack at a moment's notice.
White Horse City's flag fluttered in the wind, and archers lined the walls, waiting for the moment the China players entered their firing range. Countless Silverlight Arrow Towers had been set up inside the city, further increasing the difficulty of the siege. Everyone else was watching with a normal expression on their faces.
Blood clouds gathered above the city, and it was almost as if even the heavens themselves were adding blood to the atmosphere for the upcoming battle. The Northern Alliance players weren't the only ones who had joined the fray. There were also a lot of NPCs who had joined the fray. White Horse City was a small city to begin with, so there was no doubt that these NPC armies would resist us with all their might if we launched an all-out attack. There was no reason for them to abandon a city so easily.
… …
"All shield-wielding magic knights, stand at the front! All mounted warriors and wanderers, fall back to the second line! Our defense line is to move forward slowly and stop when we are 100 yards away from the city!"
I shouted loudly. By now, the players of Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls, Snowy Cathaya, Blazing Hot Lips, and The Monarch Descends had come to a tacit agreement. I was the commander of this battle, and all strategies had to follow my orders. This was probably the order that Lin Yixin, Stranger of Three Lifetimes, and Ling Xueshang had issued. Otherwise, it would be easy for conflicts to break out and put us at a disadvantage.
I turned around to look at the group of craftsmen behind me and nodded. "Alright. Set up the catapults and ballistae and aim at the city walls. Let's break the morale of White Horse City's defenders and give them a taste of China's lethal siege weapons!"
Everyone burst into laughter.
A group of blacksmiths started using their support skills as they took out the machine parts from their bags and started assembling them. It wasn't long before pitch-black catapults appeared at the rear of the cavalry formation. The catapults were engraved with silver oracle bone characters, and they were none other than the specialty of Sky City, Vanished God City, and Wind City — the Black Tortoise War Chariot. This was a specialty of the China server, and it was similar to the Fire Catapults of the United States. Our Black Tortoise War Chariots were a bit different in that they couldn't burn, but their destructive power was doubled. They were especially effective in siege battles.
After waiting for a full five minutes, close to a hundred Black Tortoise War Chariots appeared around the city. The Black Tortoise War Chariots had a range of 200 yards. Mobilizing so many Black Tortoise War Chariots at once was definitely a sign of strength. Not only did forging a Black Tortoise War Chariot require a lot of manpower and material resources, but it also required the materials of a Level 6 Guild at the very least. Unless one was a Super Guild, one Black Tortoise War Chariot might not even have a single Black Tortoise War Chariot. Preliminary estimates showed that each Black Tortoise War Chariot cost around 50,000 RMB. This was still a conservative estimate.
"Vice leader, the assembly is complete!" a Level 164 Blacksmith reported with a smile.
I recognized this person. He was He Yi's trusted aide and one of the former managers of GGS's marketing department in Suzhou. He was a gaming maniac, and he had fought alongside us during the Spirit of Grief era. Unfortunately, we were all noobs back then, but things were different now. Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls had many talented players, and this guy had finally made a name for himself. He had become one of the best Blacksmiths in the game, and he was nicknamed the "4S Shop Manager" of Ancient Sword Dreaming Souls.
I looked at Lin Yixin, Stranger of Three Lifetimes and Ling Xueshang, and the three girls nodded in unison. "Mn!"
"Alright!"
I smiled and pulled out the Cyan Netherworld Sword. Then, I raised it above my head and shouted, "Black Tortoise War Chariots, aim at the city walls and attack!"
I had barely finished speaking when a series of metallic clangs reverberated in the air. Even the earth itself was shaking from the impact. Dozens of giant black boulders broke through the air and flew straight toward White Horse City!
Swhoosh swhoosh...
Oracle bone runes floated on the boulders, and as they rubbed against the air, they suddenly burst into flames that resembled hellfire and turned into silver-purple boulders that smashed into the city. Instantly, the entire southern wall of White Horse City was covered in holes, and the Black Tortoise Chariot's power was revealed with a series of explosions!
Boom, boom, boom...
The walls shook violently as the silver-purple boulders smashed into the walls, creating frighteningly deep craters. Most of the players struck by the boulders died instantly, losing over 150,000 HP in a single hit. How many players could survive such an attack?
Moreover, the damage caused by the Black Tortoise Chariot's attacks was very fatal. A single stone could create a two-meter deep pit on the city wall. After a series of attacks, the city wall was already riddled with holes. There was even a section of the city wall that had a frightening crack, as if it would collapse at any time.
… …
"Goddammit, what a powerful siege machine!"
The warhammer wielding general's eyes were bloodshot. He waved his warhammer anxiously and shouted, "Brothers, we can't just sit here and wait for death! Bloodthirsty Beast Cavalry, Behemoth Cavalry, follow me! We'll break through their formation and destroy those legendary Black Tortoise War Chariots! We can't stand this any longer!"
Immediately, the crowd became agitated. Three mounted players stepped forward and activated their Knight General skills. Their eyes were cold as they shouted, "Bloodthirsty Beast Cavalry, prepare to slaughter! Let our blades drink the blood of the invaders! For the honor of the North!"
Damn it, they've sent out three Knight Generals at once. That's really impressive!
I raised my sword and said, "Prepare to defend! Knight General, Rapid Thunder, Bombshell, you'll hold the front line! Purple Marquis, find an opportunity to observe their Knight General. The Bloodthirsty Beast Cavalry's Attack and Defense buffed by 100% is terrifying!"
"Mn!" Purple Marquis nodded heavily.
For a moment, the frontline players of the China server gripped their weapons tightly and waited for the enemy to charge. We would win as long as we held our ground. The Black Tortoise War Chariots alone were enough to make the Northern Alliance cry tears of sorrow. Our strategy was to use soldiers to attack strategy.
… …
The rumbling sounds of the horses' hooves shook the plains. The green grassland was trampled into a mess by the horses' hooves. The grass was ruffled, and the cool breeze brought the fragrance of the soil. This kind of battle environment was refreshing!
"Get ready, they're coming!"
I raised my sword and said with a smile, "Our ranged players, do your best! They only have cavalry, so we have the absolute advantage right now! Archers, Mountain Stagger Arrows! Mages, Galaxy Storms!"
The Bloodthirsty Beast Cavalry was getting closer and closer. When they were only 50 yards away from us, Beiming Xue and the other girls couldn't hold back any longer and fired a volley of arrows at them. Over 80% of them were Mountain Stagger Arrows, and the arrows rattled against the enemy's chest armor and reduced their mount tenacity bit by bit. Beiming Xue's Mountain Stagger Arrows were especially powerful. Every time she fired one of her arrows, it would take 50% of a Bloodthirsty Beast Cavalry's tenacity to turn them into foot soldiers in two hits. She was definitely a nightmarish archer.
Li Chengfeng activated Great Earth Transformation and held his sword horizontally in front of him. He chuckled and used Dragonbone Flurry. The cyan shadow of a dragon flickered in the air. The Dragon Warrior's skill was gorgeous and deadly!
Purple Marquis raised his longsword and unleashed his Famous General Skill. One of the enemy Knight General players turned pale with fright and shouted, "Fuck me, my Knight General has been seen through! Change the party leader! Fucking hell! This is disgusting!"
Purple Marquis let out an honest laugh. "Purple Dragon Cavalry, attack!"
… …
The sound of galloping broke the silence of the battlefield. The battle had already begun, and the moment I summoned the Phantom Wolf King, I swung the Cyan Netherworld Sword twice in a row and used Thousand Ice Slash and Burning Blade Slash to either side of me. Then, I charged forward and cut a Bloodthirsty Beast Cavalryman's shield in half. Then, I swatted another Bloodthirsty Beast Cavalryman away like a fly. Different players had different domains and realms, so the difference in attack power was naturally different as well.
Lin Yixin controlled the Moonchaser Tiger and slaughtered her way through a group of enemies. Ice Flame Slashes rained down on them as the silver bells rang in the air. The four pieces of the Dark Prison set boosted a lot of stats, and the one and only Cambrian Divine Armament in the world made it so that no one could stop them.
Chaos Moon, High Fighting Spirits, Eighteen Steeds of You and Yun, Heaven's Rain, Diamond Dust, and the others were also fighting at the frontlines.
At the rear of the frontline, Lu Buyi, clad in scholarly robes and wielding a silver bone fan, buffed 400 Dragonlight Cavalrymen's stats by 90%. He waved his bone fan in the air and fired Dragon Vein Spells into the crowd. High-rank tacticians' spells were just as powerful, and the Dragon Vein Spells were no less effective than a high-level mage's.
Of course, Beiming Xue's AoE weapon of mass destruction was her Evil Spirit Volley. The splash damage of her Evil Spirit Volley and her Spiraling Arrow Blades were even more frightening. Every hit dealt around 70k damage, and two Spiraling Arrow Blades were enough to finish off the Bloodthirsty Beast Cavalrymen at full health. They didn't even have a chance to heal themselves. Moreover, archers had way too many AoE skills, and they were firing Multi Arrows one after another. The ground was littered with Bloodthirsty Beast Cavalrymen's corpses.
"Damn it, that archer is too strong! Richard, activate your Knight General and take her out!" the hammer-wielding player shouted from the crowd.
It wasn't long before a battle-axe-wielding warrior and his Bloodthirsty Beast Cavalrymen charged toward Beiming Xue with killing intent in their eyes. He activated his Knight General stratagem and charged Beiming Xue with 400 players.
"Hmph, come at me …"
Beiming Xue wasn't afraid in the slightest. She fired a volley of Evil Spirit Volleys and a Spiraling Arrow Blades, killing dozens of Bloodthirsty Beast Cavalrymen in an instant.
However, the Bloodthirsty Beast Cavalrymen were simply too fast. A single archer couldn't stop them at all, and they were about to engage Beiming Xue in close combat.
It was at this moment Beiming Xue smiled and abruptly retreated. "Lian Xin, kill them!"
"Ohhh ~"
The two girls were having a lot of fun. Lian Xin replaced Beiming Xue and summoned a dozen or so Origin Force Fields with a wave of her scepter. A bunch of Bloodthirsty Beast Cavalrymen rammed into the Origin Force Fields one after another, and not only were their Charge hindered, they lost a lot of HP as well.
Even worse, a blue matrix of energy appeared on the ground, and the American players screamed in pain as the Ice Spiral Array rained down on them with its Ice Spiral Array.
However, Beiming Xue wasn't satisfied yet. She raised her hand and cast Well of the Abyss, drowning almost a hundred Bloodthirsty Beast Cavalrymen in it. The knight named Richard was scared out of his wits. He turned around and fled immediately, "Bastard, let's fight another day!"