paranoianovel Chapter 154 Iron-Blooded Defense Line
Chapter 154 Iron-Blooded Defense Line
The main defensive line of Blackstone Mountain stands atop the mountains, resembling a giant black dragon lying across the ridge when viewed from afar. The city wall, tens of feet high, is entirely constructed of black stone, the gaps between the stones filled with glutinous rice paste and iron filings, so hard that even the fangs of a level four ferocious beast cannot gnaw it. Every hundred paces along the wall is an arrow tower, three stories high: the top floor houses heavy crossbows, the middle floor is piled with rolling stones and logs, and the bottom floor serves as a resting place for the soldiers. Inside the wall, every two hundred paces there is a cannon platform, each equipped with a spirit stone cannon, its muzzle pointing outwards, dark and gaping like open eyes. Array nodes are distributed at every key location along the wall, normally inconspicuous, appearing as copper plates embedded in the stone walls, densely engraved with runes, spiritual light flowing between them, connecting the entire wall into a unified whole.
But now, the black dragon was covered in wounds. Several huge breaches had been smashed into the city wall by the beast, the largest being at the west gate, several meters wide, with rubble scattered everywhere, revealing the rammed earth wall behind it. The edges of the breaches were stained with dark red blood, some dried, turning blackish-purple, others still wet, gleaming dimly in the moonlight. Most of the watchtowers were in ruins; some had their roofs blown off, exposing the beams inside, while others had collapsed halfway, leaning precariously against the city wall, seemingly on the verge of falling. Half of the array nodes were malfunctioning; some of the copper plates embedded in the stone walls were corrupted by evil energy, their runes dim and lifeless, while others had been shattered by the beast, leaving only a few fragments that fell from the stone walls and were trampled into the mud.
The soldiers on the city wall were all exhausted, their clothes tattered, and their bodies wounded. Some dozed off against the battlements, some sat on the steps eating dry rations, some squatted in corners bandaging their wounds, and some stood at the gate of the watchtower, leaning on their spears, their eyes fixed warily on the dark forest beyond the defensive line, their gazes unblinking like stone statues. Their clothes were covered in blood, some others', some their own, indistinguishable. Their armor was torn, so they bound it with rope; their swords were dulled, so they sharpened them with stones; their shields were cracked, so they patched them with wooden strips. No one complained, no one retreated, no one asked, "When will reinforcements arrive?" They simply stood there, weapons in hand, staring into the darkness, waiting.
When Lin Chen and his reinforcements arrived, Li Kuangdao, the commander of the Third Army Corps stationed at the defensive line, personally came out of the city to greet them. He was nearly fifty, a towering figure, bald, and helmetless, his scalp gleaming bluish in the moonlight. A deep scar ran from his forehead to his jaw, pulling his left eye lower than his right, making him appear perpetually frowning. His left arm was bare, the sleeve pinned to his shoulder with a safety pin, swaying slightly as he walked. His right arm was as thick as a tree trunk, and he carried a hundred-pound machete in one hand. The blade was as wide as a door, with seven iron rings running along its back, rattling like wind chimes as he moved—not melodious wind chimes, but deadly ones.
Li Kuangdao strode up to Chen Feng, extended his right hand, and gripped Chen Feng's hand tightly. His palm was rough like sandpaper, his knuckles were large, and the area between his thumb and forefinger was covered in calluses; his grip was as strong as an iron clamp. His voice was loud and clear, with a hint of hoarseness, as if he had a handful of sand in his throat, but every word was clear and penetrating.
"Director Chen, young friend Lin Chen, thank you so much for your timely assistance!" As he spoke, his chest heaved violently, as if he were gasping for breath. It wasn't from tension, but from his injury—his left chest was wrapped in thick bandages, and a dark red bloodstain seeped through the bandages, running from his collarbone down to his ribs. "If we had arrived any later, the Blackstone Mountain defense line would have fallen."
"General Li, you're too kind. Defending the border is our responsibility all over the world." Chen Feng gripped Li Kuangdao's hand firmly, then released it. His gaze swept over Li Kuangdao's wounded chest, and without asking further questions, he cut straight to the point. "What's the current situation with the defenses?"
Li Kuangdao's face darkened. He didn't speak, but turned and led the group toward the city wall. His steps were long and hurried, his severed sleeve fluttering in the wind, and the iron rings on his machete rattling.
The soldiers on the city wall made way for Li Kuangdao as he approached. Some shouted "General!", some nodded, and some merely glanced at him before continuing to stare into the darkness outside the city. That gaze wasn't that of a subordinate looking at a superior; it was the gaze of a soldier looking at a general—you're not a general sitting in command post drinking tea; you're a general standing on the same wall as us, facing the same enemy, sharing the same blood.
Li Kuangdao led the group to the highest point of the city wall and pointed to the dark forest beyond the defensive line. During the day, the forest appeared dark green, but at night, nothing could be seen except for an impenetrable darkness, like a gigantic mouth, gaping and waiting. But Lin Chen could see it—not with his eyes, but with his stellar power. In that darkness, countless eyes stared at the city wall—crimson, glowing green, cold, bloodthirsty—densely packed, as numerous as the stars in the sky.
"Three days ago, the evil race suddenly launched a beast tide." Li Kuangdao's voice was deep and steady, as if he were reading a battle report, not telling a story. "More than 100,000 ferocious beasts controlled by the Soul-Controlling Gu attacked day and night. They fought during the day and at night, wave after wave, like the tide, receding and rising again. We have suffered more than half our casualties, and our food and medicine are about to run out."
He paused for a moment, then his tone became even more somber.
"What's even more troublesome is that this beast tide is backed by a Void Breaking Realm expert from the Evil Clan. He has been secretly controlling the ferocious beasts, specifically targeting our weak points in defense. Wherever the city walls are not repaired sufficiently, he will charge there; wherever the soldiers are exhausted, he will rush there. He is not fighting us, he is wearing us down."
Lin Chen's heart sank. The Void Breaking Realm. Not the Qi Transformation Realm, not the Earth Martial Realm, but the Void Breaking Realm. Above the Qi Transformation Realm is the Earth Martial Realm; above the Earth Martial Realm is the Void Breaking Realm. A Void Breaking Realm expert can destroy the heavens and the earth with a mere gesture. A city, an army—before them, they are nothing more than a pile of ants that can be crushed at any moment. The highest cultivation level in the entire Black Stone Mountain defense line is Li Kuangdao, at the peak of the Qi Transformation Realm, still a whole major realm away from the Void Breaking Realm. That's a gap that can't be bridged by effort; it's the gap between heaven and earth, the gap between man and god.
"Yesterday he personally took action and destroyed our western city wall in a single blow." Li Kuangdao pointed with his right hand to the largest breach on the western side of the city wall. The stones at the edge of the breach weren't broken by impact, but shattered by blasting. The fragments flew dozens of feet away, rolling all over the hillside outside the city wall. "I fought desperately and barely managed to hold the line. But I was injured, and my cultivation level dropped drastically. I'm afraid I won't be able to hold out for much longer."
He pulled down his collar, revealing a bandage on his left chest. The bandage was a temporary replacement; it was white, but already soaked in blood, turning a deep, almost blackish red from the inside out. The wound was right next to his heart; any inch more and he would be dead.
"The Martial Arts Alliance reinforcements won't arrive for another three days. Three days, seventy-two hours." Li Kuangdao's gaze swept over every soldier on the city wall, over those weary, wounded figures who still hadn't fallen, his voice hoarse. "For these three days, we can only rely on ourselves."