There were still three hours until dawn.
Except for the little girl, no one in the Flame Demon Tribe was asleep.
The frantic construction work had already ended. Every member of the tribe, regardless of age or gender, stood upon the city walls.
The elite warriors stood at the front, while the elderly and the weak stood behind them.
Everyone rested with their eyes closed, but each still gripped a weapon.
Everyone now knew that in another three hours, the energy barrier would disappear and the great battle would begin.
Across the tens of thousands of square kilometres of land, everyone, especially the countless refugees and Near Human people who had lost their tribes, was waiting for this battle, their eyes fixed upon the Flame Demon Tribe.
As long as they won this battle, the Flame Demon Tribe would begin expanding rapidly and would truly begin to rise.
Lan Ling was not on the city wall.
He was eating.
“You can’t win,” Chief’s wife Gou Li said quietly. “You’re a madman and a genius. You alone can shoot down thousands of people, but you still can’t win.”
She had already been fed a nerve poison, leaving her with barely enough strength to walk and lift her hands.
Strangely enough, after being brought to the Flame Demon Tribe, her complexion had actually improved.
Even more strangely, she seemed younger and more beautiful than before.
Lan Ling continued eating large mouthfuls of mutton and drinking fruit wine without saying a word.
“Don’t expect to use me as a hostage. Constantine won’t retreat because of me.” Gou Li sneered. “After I was defiled by you, he treated me with great care in front of others, but in private he hasn’t spoken a single word to me. He won’t even look at me.”
Lan Ling said, “He hates you for not taking your own life, for not dying to protect his pride.”
“Why should I die?” Gou Li shouted angrily. “You men can’t protect your own women, yet you expect the women to kill themselves? In the Savage World, no woman dies for her chastity.”
Lan Ling shrugged.
Then Gou Li said, “Let me go. After you’re defeated, I’ll make sure your woman and your daughter are spared.”
Her expression was completely serious.
Dina quietly poured Lan Ling more wine, completely unmoved by Gou Li’s words.
After eating and drinking his fill, there were still two hours before dawn.
“Aren’t you going to sleep?” Lan Ling asked Dina.
“I can’t sleep,” Dina replied.
…
After everything was finished, there was only one hour left before dawn.
“I’m going to look after the little girl and Ali. Be careful, Husband,” Dina said as she changed into a brand new set of clothes.
Even she did not know why she had chosen to wear new clothes. It simply felt as though today was an important day.
“Mm,” Lan Ling replied.
Dina kissed Lan Ling on the cheek.
“Husband, be careful. I’m… I’m carrying our child.”
Lan Ling’s body trembled, and joy flashed across his eyes.
Then he thought of his other children, especially the children still in Fu Yan’er’s and Gui Qinshao’s wombs.
“Husband, good people are blessed by fate. Our baby’s older brothers and sisters will certainly be safe,” Dina said gently.
Lan Ling’s heart softened.
When a woman loves a man deeply, she can almost tell what he is thinking from a single expression or glance.
Nai’er had once been like that.
Now Dina was the same.
Although Dina’s appearance could not compare with Nai’er’s, she possessed a heart devoted entirely to Lan Ling.
Yet Lan Ling did not love her nearly as much.
That made him feel guilty once again.
It seemed as though his heart and his love had been pierced and taken away by Zhi Yan’s sword long ago.
Lan Ling held her soft body tightly and kissed her, desperately trying to recover the tenderness in his own heart.
At that moment, however, Dina felt incomparably happy.
She knew very well that Lan Ling did not love her that deeply.
Perhaps he no longer truly loved any woman in the Savage World.
Otherwise, he would never have taken Ali, Nini’an, or Gou Li while she was right there.
Especially Nini’an and Gou Li, who were simply cast aside afterwards.
Even Ali would probably never have been rescued had she not been needed.
Yet Dina still loved him, even more than before.
She wanted to use all of her gentleness and love to heal the wounds in his heart.
At least, this man truly cared about her.
She would not take part in today’s battle.
Just as before, she would remain beside the little girl to protect her.
…
Dina left to look after the little girl and Ali.
Gou Li’s hands were tied as Lan Ling led her towards the city wall.
“That woman isn’t worthy of you,” Gou Li suddenly said.
Lan Ling laughed.
“And you’re worthy? Just because you’ve got wide hips?”
He teasingly pinched her hip.
Gou Li’s body trembled so violently that she almost collapsed.
She asked, “Why are you taking me onto the city wall? Are you planning to humiliate me in front of Constantine?”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that,” Lan Ling replied.
“You beast, you’ll die a miserable death!” Gou Li cursed.
Lan Ling said, “I’m taking you onto the city wall simply so you can watch with your own eyes as I defeat your husband.”
“Keep dreaming!” Gou Li turned her head and spat directly onto Lan Ling’s face.
Lan Ling’s expression darkened.
“Come here and lick my face clean. Otherwise I’ll strip you naked, hang you from the city wall with your limbs spread apart, and let every man from the Flame Demon Tribe, the Chimera Tribe, and the Ankara Tribe see you clearly. I mean every word.”
Gou Li’s face turned pale.
“Dream on.”
Lan Ling stepped forward and grabbed her clothes, tearing them open.
“No, don’t…” Gou Li cried. “If you do that, death will be my only choice.”
In the end, she wept as she kissed his face clean.
“How pathetic,” Lan Ling said coldly.
…
“Chief, Chief…”
As Lan Ling approached, the soldiers of the Flame Demon Tribe all stood and saluted him.
When they saw Gou Li walking beside him, they were momentarily stunned.
Although they hated her, seeing Lan Ling bring her onto the city wall still felt rather strange.
Lan Ling said,
“Brothers, you all know the woman standing beside me. Her name is Gou Li, Constantine’s lawful wife. She played her part in humiliating and trampling upon all of you. As everyone knows, I… took her… twice.”
Gou Li wished she could disappear from shame.
The warriors of the Flame Demon Tribe had mixed feelings.
Back when Lan Ling had taken Constantine’s wife inside the Chimera Tribe, they had felt greatly satisfied.
But now that she had been brought onto their own city wall, it somehow felt different.
This was their own home now.
It somehow felt inappropriate.
Lan Ling continued,
“But that happened in enemy territory, where we could freely kill our enemies, seize their possessions, and take their women.”
“Today, this is the Flame Demon Tribe. This is our home. Such ugly things must never happen here again, even if she is our enemy.”
“Today I have brought her onto the city wall, but I will not use her as a hostage. I will not humiliate her, nor will I threaten Constantine with her.”
“I’ve brought her here for only one reason, so that she can witness with her own eyes how I defeat her husband. Our Flame Demon Tribe will defeat its enemies honourably.”
As soon as he finished speaking, the warriors of the Flame Demon Tribe burst into loud cheers.
Their worries disappeared.
They had genuinely feared that Lan Ling intended to use Gou Li as a hostage against Constantine.
Now that they had their own tribe, they also possessed a sense of honour.
They did not want victory achieved through underhanded methods.
More importantly, Lan Ling’s words were filled with confidence.
That was exactly what they wanted to hear.
“Chief, there are only one thousand of us against thirty thousand of them. Can we really win?” one soldier asked.
“Of course we can. If we couldn’t win, why would I bother fighting?” Lan Ling laughed.
Everyone burst into laughter.
“But… how are we supposed to beat thirty thousand? No matter how I think about it, I can’t figure it out,” the honest soldier said.
Pretending to be angry, Lan Ling replied,
“Then keep your eyes open and watch. If you could figure it out yourself, you’d be Chief and I’d be the ordinary soldier.”
His joking quickly swept away everyone’s tension.
…
Half an hour remained before dawn.
A quarter of an hour.
Then only moments remained.
Battle commander Suo Mo suddenly stood up and shouted,
“Prepare, up!”
At once, every Flame Demon Tribe soldier rose to their feet.
“Form ranks. Move into battle positions!”
One thousand warriors immediately took up their assigned positions.
Along the five hundred metre city wall, each person defended two metres.
Lan Ling and Suo Mo led several dozen berserk warriors as the assault force, rushing wherever danger appeared.
Several hundred elderly people, women, and children waited behind the lines, ready to carry stones, logs, arrows, and supplies.
Everyone had their own task.
Duo Duo, Duo Long, and Duo Ning led more than ten berserk warriors mounted on griffins, guarding against attacks from the air.
Lan Ling also had a griffin.
Once battle began, he might fight in the sky or on the ground, depending entirely upon the situation.
…
“Mother, what are Father and Grandfather doing?” the little girl asked after waking up, somehow infected by the atmosphere and becoming excited.
“They’re fighting the bad people,” Dina replied with a smile as she fed medicine to Ali.
“I want to fight the bad people too!”
The little girl bounced up and down excitedly.
Inside the cave, more than ten women were preparing clean bandages as quickly as possible.
Once the battle began, they would be responsible for treating the wounded.
As they worked, they chatted and joked with Dina.
Ali listened with a smile to their cheerful conversation.
At least inside this cave, there was none of the heavy tension that usually came before a great battle.
…
The sky grew brighter.
The atmosphere became increasingly tense.
Everyone focused completely, their bodies filling with adrenaline.
Lan Ling said,
“Uncle, if I’m not mistaken, we’ll probably have to fight hard against about three to five thousand of them.”
Suo Mo instantly understood what Lan Ling meant and nodded.
“Three to five thousand, no problem.”
…
Outside the Ghost Domain.
The thirty thousand allied troops of Constantine and Alfonso stood ready in perfect formation.
Bows were strung.
Swords were drawn.
Everyone held their breath, waiting for the moment the sun rose.
According to the information Gou Ling had provided, today was the day the Ghost Domain’s energy barrier would disappear.
Lan Ling had completely guessed Constantine’s thinking.
The previous night, consumed by rage, Constantine had decided that the moment the barrier disappeared, he would immediately send all thirty thousand soldiers charging in.
But after calming down for several hours, he changed his mind again.
He feared falling into Lan Ling’s trap.
However, his orders had already been given.
His wife had been taken away once again.
If he still ordered everyone merely to continue the siege, no one would respect him any longer.
So Constantine decided to send just three thousand five hundred soldiers as the first wave to test the situation.
If there were no traps, all the better.
If there were traps, the main force would remain safe.
Gou Ling stared nervously at the barrier.
Everything depended upon today.
She had even betrayed her own mother for this future.
“Retreat… Retreat… Retreat…”
The barrier still remained completely intact.
Time seemed to crawl.
Then…
Without warning, the first golden rays of sunlight appeared.
Before everyone’s astonished eyes, the energy barrier began slowly dissolving.
“The barrier’s disappearing! The barrier’s disappearing!”
Gou Ling shouted excitedly.
“Uncle, hurry and attack! Kill Lan Ling and every member of the Flame Demon Tribe. Rescue Aunt!”
Ten minutes later, the barrier had vanished completely.
Everyone finally saw the true appearance of the Ghost Domain.
There was no mysterious world inside.
Only a towering mountain covered in dense forest.
Halfway up the mountain stood a newly built tribe.
A five hundred metre city wall.
Dozens of newly built houses behind it.
The castle itself had not yet been completed.
The walls were crowded with archers.
Everything matched Gou Ling’s description perfectly.
Constantine was astonished.
In only three months, these outsiders had built such a long wall and so many houses.
But a single wall was nowhere near enough to stop thirty thousand troops.
The road leading directly up the mountainside made the attack even easier.
Then Constantine saw a woman.
His eyes nearly burst with rage.
Even from a great distance, he recognised his lawful wife, Gou Li.
That despicable Lan Ling was obviously planning to use her as a hostage.
Dream on.
At this moment, Constantine almost wished Gou Li were dead rather than continue bringing him disgrace.
Drawing his sword, Constantine roared,
“First assault force, attack! Kill Lan Ling and every Near Human bastard. Flatten their nest!”
At his command, the first three thousand five hundred soldiers, anxious but driven forward by the pressure behind them, marched towards the Ghost Domain.
Ahead lay a white line marking the former edge of the energy barrier.
The moment they crossed it, they entered what had once been the Ghost Domain.
Nothing happened.
No illusions.
No danger.
They were overjoyed.
The Ghost Domain had truly disappeared.
“Charge! Wipe out every Near Human on the mountain!”
Holding massive shields, the three thousand five hundred soldiers charged up the road towards the fortress.
To defend against Lan Ling’s deadly arrows, their strongest men held enormous shields, forming a moving wall of steel.
…
Upon the Flame Demon Tribe’s city wall,
one thousand defenders stared without blinking as the enemy vanguard advanced steadily.
Hundreds of huge shields completely covered the attacking army.
Closer.
Closer.
Three thousand metres.
Two thousand.
One thousand.
Five hundred.
They had entered Lan Ling’s range.
A cold smile appeared on Lan Ling’s face.
“You think hiding behind shields means I can’t hit you? What a joke.”
Taking a deep breath, he raised his specially made bow.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Thirty arrows flew in rapid succession, tracing graceful arcs through the air.
Each arrow slipped precisely through the tiny gaps between the shields.
“Ah… Ah… Ah…”
A series of screams rang out.
Dozens of shield bearers fell dead, their shields crashing to the ground.
It was unbelievable.
Even with shields packed together like a tortoise shell, Lan Ling’s arrows still found their way through.
Was he even human?
As the shield bearers fell, gaps opened in the defensive formation.
Then Lan Ling’s slaughter truly began.
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh…
Every volley contained thirty arrows.
Every volley fell like a storm.
Every volley claimed thirty lives.
Even those who had seen his archery before were once again left utterly stunned.
Was this really something a human being could do?