Dongzhou is so big that even though the human race has been expanding its coverage over the past hundred years, including the northern barbarians who are mixed with demons and the millions of barbarians in the mountains in the southwest, they only occupy a corner of the southeast.
It took the human race a hundred years to carve out their own territory in Dongzhou, where demons were rampant and strange beasts and monsters were everywhere. The human race gradually expanded and grew stronger, no longer becoming food for the strange demons, and became the beings that dominated the earth.
And Wang Hua, a native of Dahuan, ascended to the throne of Emperor Longqiu because of this merit.
In the north, and in the far west, nearly three-quarters of the area is still a wild land, still inhabited by wild beasts, demons and monsters. If you don't have a cultivator with great magical powers, you would never dare to go deep into it.
In the north of Pan State, outside Tianyang Pass.
It's not winter yet and there's no snow yet, but it's already so cold here that it's unbearable for ordinary people.
Many families in the northern city of Pan Kingdom started to use the kang (hard-to-burn stove) passed down by Feng Sheng from the academy. Without cotton and cotton clothes, the human race was able to survive in this cold northern border, partly due to the kang.
War and killing are happening here at this moment.
Tens of thousands of barbarians wrapped in animal skins, with faces like evil beasts, broke into the northern border in various directions and slaughtered the people of Pan Kingdom at will.
They rode horses, or controlled wolves, lions and tigers, and swept across the northern border of Pan Kingdom.
These barbarians, armed with bows and arrows and stone axes and hammers, killed all the men who resisted and held weapons, and burned the border villages and towns to the ground.
Among the barbarian army, there were also terrifying monsters. Some of them were three or four meters tall and looked like cows or sheep. They crawled on the ground and moved forward slowly. Anyone who saw them would have their souls hooked away immediately.
The terrifying demon bird Gu Diao flying in the sky carrying the barbarians spread its wings and made a baby-like cry, making people feel weak in their limbs and dizzy.
Even the black horses they rode had fangs and sharp teeth, and some of the Manchus had thick hair and scales on their bodies.
Along the way, there were nobles from the Pan Kingdom bringing soldiers and horses to protect their fiefdoms and homelands, but this time, the number of barbarians who broke into the north was several times more than in the past. It was no longer like in the past, when they came out to beg for food just because the wild land in the far north lacked food for the winter. It seemed that there were other intentions behind this.
However, they were simply unable to stop these barbarians who came and went as fast as the wind and were like monsters. They were armed with bows and arrows and javelins, which could penetrate the armor of soldiers from a distance of dozens or even a hundred meters. They injured them severely, and fought even more frantically like wild beasts.
Some of the barbarians were able to directly demonize part of their bodies, crash into the city walls, and tear apart the stone fortresses. The barbarian priests breathed out flames, set the tops of the city walls on fire, and held skulls in their hands to curse those who resisted them.
Thousands of refugees from the Kingdom of Pan rushed into the city and hid inside, trembling in fear. The soldiers on the city walls also watched angrily as these barbarians passed by the city in a show of force.
More people flocked to Tianyang Pass, and the entire northern border of Pan Kingdom fell into blood and fire, with thousands of common people wailing.
These barbarians are different from the people of the Great Huan and vassal states in the Middle-earth. It is rumored that their ancestors came from the fairy island Youdu a hundred years ago. They are transformed demons who lived here and intermarried with humans and demons over the past hundred years, becoming mixed blood.
Finally, they took root in this cold land, living with demons and walking with wild beasts.
Most of these barbarians are very different from the people in the Central Plains. Their faces are like those of evil spirits, hideous and terrifying.
They are strong and tall, and can tear tigers and leopards apart with their bare hands. Regardless of gender, age or status, they are naturally much stronger than ordinary humans. Women and children are also the most elite soldiers and warriors.
Even in the bitter cold of the north, or in the extreme conditions of ice and snow, you can survive.
Even the Great Huan of the Central Plains and the vassal states did not consider these barbarians to be human beings or their fellow tribesmen, but rather beasts and demons.
Before every winter, these northern barbarians would enter the territory of Pan Kingdom and plunder. However, in the past, as long as they suffered hardships and strong resistance within Pan Kingdom, or if they had looted enough food and supplies, they would naturally retreat.
This time they seemed to be crazy and started to attack Tianyang Pass directly.
Tianyang Pass is known as an iron wall. Since its construction began decades ago, it has been continuously expanded and raised in height as the barbarians have continued to grow stronger.
Not only were countless craftsmen, laborers, and slaves conscripted, but the power of witches and monks was also mobilized.
Tens of thousands of barbarians gathered at the foot of Tianyang Pass. Looking from Tianyang Pass, outside, on the vast land, endless barbarians came with thousands of demons.
On the earth, war horses were neighing, barbarians were roaring, and the city was in chaos.
Tall demons as big as houses and tall buildings were controlled by them and came from afar, walking into Tianyang Pass with violent vibrations.
There were groups of terrifying Gu sculptures in the sky, making creepy baby crying sounds.
The setting sun burned like blood, dark clouds covered the sky, and the sky and earth were submerged under the power of the demons and barbarians in the north.
No one had ever seen such a scene. Standing on Tianyang Pass, it felt like the earth and the sky were occupied by the barbarians. The whole world was plunged into darkness, and everything within sight was swallowed up.
The soldiers of Pan State standing on the city wall opened their mouths wide at the same time, their spirits collapsed to the limit, they shouted, urged, and moved the city defense equipment and weapons to the top of the city wall. Everyone arrived at the position under the stern rebuke of the city gate commander. On the top and below the city wall, densely packed heads were shaking, ready for battle.
An old-looking barbarian shaman priest was riding on a giant black ape. His face was exactly the same as the black ape, with messy thick hair and a large number of human bones, skulls and sacrificial utensils hanging on his body.
If it weren't for the huge difference in their body shapes, one would probably think they were from the same clan.
Thousands of barbarians and demons automatically moved away wherever he passed, opened their eyes and looked towards Tianyang Pass, and revealed the same ferocious smile as the black ape under his seat.
"kill!"
With a roar, revealing its dark and dirty teeth, tens of thousands of barbarian troops, accompanied by overwhelming demons and strange beasts, moved together and rushed towards the Yangguan Pass.
The earth was like a huge wave, with black smoke and spiritual light rising into the sky, accompanied by the howling of demons and beasts, and crashing into Tianyang Pass.
Overwhelming numbers of Gu Diao and demon birds swarmed onto the walls and into the city.
Demonic wolves and lions and tigers that were two or three meters long leaped up and actually led the barbarians to climb up the city wall, rushing onto the top of the wall. The densely packed soldiers were directly crushed into meat paste or swallowed.
At this moment, a crane cry suddenly sounded at the end of the sky.
A white crane came from the depths of the clouds, carrying a figure across thousands of meters, breaking through the clouds and strong winds and rushing down.
The Taoist sitting on the white crane took out a small white stove from his sleeve and threw it down from the clouds.
In an instant, a light of more than ten feet wide burst out, leaving a huge shadow, and fell on the ground. The barbarian witch priest riding on the black ape was crushed into powder before he could react.
The air wave rolled and vibrated out, the earth sank deeply, hundreds of barbarians were torn apart in an instant, and the tens of thousands of barbarians who were originally attacking Tianyang Pass were paused, staring in shock at the phantom of the white jade furnace falling from the sky.
At this time, a colorful stream of light fell from the sky and pierced the earth. Colorful mysterious energy broke out, and wherever it passed, dozens or hundreds of barbarians died in the blink of an eye due to the violent stirring of the colorful mysterious energy.
The light turned and flowed back to the top of Tianyang Pass, where a Taoist with a bit of good fortune was seen standing on the top of the city wall, holding a colorful banner.
On the top of the city walls, practitioners wearing shaman robes began to appear one after another. They looked towards the barbarians under Tianyang Pass and chanted sacrificial texts or spells.
At this moment, the gate of Tianyang Pass slowly opened and slowly fell.
Thousands of brave soldiers wearing red armor and riding on fine horses looked outside the pass, and their eyes behind their helmets seemed to reveal a bloodthirsty gleam.
The leading general exuded a terrifying bloody aura, and rushed out holding the flag of Pan Kingdom high. Thousands of cavalry followed closely behind him and rushed into the barbarian army outside the city.
Three people were able to resist thousands of troops and tens of thousands of barbarian monsters, but under the powerful and fierce counterattack of magical powers and Taoism, they were easily torn apart like paper, and blood flowed like a river.
The spells and magical powers rolled up like a storm, tearing the barbarians to pieces and crushing them to death as easily as ants. The barbarian shamans also followed suit and released their spells and magical powers, leading to a fierce fight at the Tianyang Pass.
With the roar of demons and the surge of magic, they became the protagonists of the battlefield.
The defeat was disastrous, but when retreating, the barbarian army was still extremely fast, even faster than when they came. They fled more than a thousand miles in one day. Those barbarians rode on lions, tigers, wolves, or poisonous eagles and monster birds, and they dispersed in the blink of an eye.
The generals of Pan State led thousands of cavalrymen in pursuit, but in the end they could only watch the large number of barbarians disappear at the end of the sky.
When Fang Xiu arrived here, he saw the end of this scene. There were roars of fighting everywhere, and the fleeing barbarians were killed and captured by the northern border soldiers of Pan State. The barbarian boys who could not speak and were like wild beasts had their heads chopped off and hung on the waists of the Pan State soldiers.
At the same time, there were villages and cities that were burned to the ground, and the tragic scene of no one living for thousands of miles. Charred corpses were impaled in the fire, half-eaten women were abandoned on the road, and corpses floating in the river were piled up downstream, rotting and swollen.
Fang Xiu stood in front of this tragic and shocking scene, his eyes flickering, not knowing what to think or what to say.
Because at this moment, he didn't know how to tell who was right and who was wrong, who was righteous and who was evil.
From his perspective, all living things in the world are just struggling to survive.
Fang Xiu turned his horse and headed towards Tianyang Pass, which seemed to have just experienced a battle.
There were still large amounts of blood and bloody smells on the city walls, and there were potholes everywhere, as well as traces of fire and magical bombardment. (To be continued)