Traversing the edge of the Fire Demon Marsh, knights astride Land Dragons thundered across the earth in great hosts, the vanguard reaching the northern reaches of Ruhe Beast Island.

Canine beasts bearing supplies followed closely behind, the soldiers outfitted in leather armor, their heavy armor, spears and blades lashed to the beasts for the march.

Tents stretched endlessly as herds of canine beasts were driven across the plains.

Soldiers, support troops, herdsmen, slaves and even merchants joined together, various peoples converging into this vast and mighty procession.

From afar it seemed less a military expedition and more a grand migration.

Yet upon reaching this place, the terrain and landscape were entirely different.

Here lay frigid highlands with gurgling rivers flowing down from thawing mountain peaks and Fire Demon Marshes where lakes great and small merged into one.

Compared to the densely populated south and the beast-herding plains, all here was primeval and untamed.

The allied forces of the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents appeared in high spirits and full of confidence.

The previous year they had come to this place, seizing the City of Avel with effortless ease.

The Avel people had been utterly powerless to resist, even the King of Avel perishing at their hands.

Multitudes of royals and nobles had surrendered themselves to execution.

Now returning once more, how could they lack confidence?

The commander of the Royal Guards had been merely the army’s deputy commander previously, but due to his prior merits, and with the former commander having become the new King of Ten Thousand Serpents, he had naturally assumed the role of supreme commander over all forces.

He stood atop a command tent drawn by four Land Dragons, the heavily armored generals below closely following while loudly inquiring.

“Commander, what is our strategy this time?”

The titles used in the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents differed somewhat from those of the city-states, but the meaning was essentially the same.

The Commander of the Royal Court Army gazed toward one side of the ice-bound mountain range with its rather perilous and precipitous ridges.

“We still strike at Ice River Fortress.”

“Once this fortress falls, we can directly threaten the City of Avel, leaving the Avel people no recourse but to flee by ship.”

“However, I have already contacted the current elder of the City of Gold. They also seek vengeance against the Avel people. Even if the Avel lose their city on land, they won’t drift long upon the seas.”

“Last time we were not ruthless enough. This time I will thoroughly exterminate these Avel people.”

“Slaughter all Avel men, seize their women and children, let them be completely absorbed into the Royal Court.”

He paused for a moment.

“This time, we will absolutely not allow them any chance to linger on.”

These words brimming with murderous intent drew cheers from the soldiers below.

Ice River Fortress.

Apart from the main fortress, the entire route was dotted with strongholds, fortified villages, and watchtowers.

There were defensive measures to block the charges of Land Dragons, water channels for resisting Stone Demon assaults and drinking water, and cavities to guard against Fire Demons.

There were even hidden outposts prepared for the Avel’s own Ability bearers controlling Fire Demons and Stone Demons.

Avel’s Ability bearers could suddenly emerge from within to catch the enemy off guard.

All manner of supplies continuously flowed in, filling this fortress to the brim.

Weapons, bows, arrows, crossbow bolts, dried fish, beast meat, and fruit powder were loaded into great wagons and pushed into the fortress and each outpost.

The soldiers were all raring to go, eyes filled with hatred and fury.

Xiuborn stood atop the city wall, his gaze fixed on the distance.

Although the enemy host was not yet in sight, he had already received word of their mobilization.

At the latest tomorrow, or perhaps even today, the enemy army would arrive beneath Ice River Fortress.

“They’ve come.”

The temple apprentice accompanying him at his side was particularly agitated. “This time, let them know the might of the Avel people.”

“Last time they merely took advantage of our war with the maritime alliance to launch a sneak attack. Otherwise, with the valor of the Avel people, we definitely could not have suffered such a crushing defeat.”

Xiuborn merely nodded, clearly deep in thought.

Though the war had yet to begin, Xiuborn had already considered every aspect, planning for the aftermath and envisioning the various possible scenarios that could unfold.

Finally, he pounded his fist against the stone of the city wall.

“Fight!”

“If we do not defeat them, they will never compromise.”

“If we do not defeat them, the Avel people can never all return to their homeland.”

“If we do not defeat them, the City of Avel can never rise again.”

If Xiuborn had been hesitant when first speaking of waging war against the behemoth that was the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents, he now felt with increasing certainty that this battle was a necessity.

The Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents despised and belittled the Avel people. They would never easily hand over what Xiuborn wanted through negotiation.

Only by defeating them, making the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents feel fear, would those captured Avel people be released.

On the other hand, Xiuborn considered even more.

With such a dreadful neighbor as the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents beside them, if they could not achieve victory in this war, the Avel people would never know peace, much less any development.

Vast armies arrived below Ice River Fortress, the distance filled with a sea of black, all people.

“Awoooo!”

The blare of war horns rose from within Ice River Fortress as all braced for the impending fight.

As the Commander of the Royal Court Army issued the order, the battle began.

Xiuborn waved his hand in signal from within Ice River Fortress as this defensive war of the Avel people also officially commenced.

The temple apprentice had appeared in high spirits at first, but grew somewhat nervous as the fighting neared.

“They’re going to storm the city.”

Xiuborn, having experienced life and death once before, was clearly much steadier. Whether before or after the battle, his expression remained unchanged.

“This is exactly what I wanted.”

Xiuborn had harbored this intention from the moment he killed the King of Ten Thousand Serpents.

He knew his side could not possibly defeat the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents on the plains.

The only way was to lure the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents to attack the city, where they could seize the geographical advantage and have a chance at victory.

When he killed the King of Ten Thousand Serpents, the new generation’s King of Ten Thousand Serpents had to seek vengeance.

He had to seek vengeance to rightfully inherit the throne.

He had to seek vengeance to overawe the numerous tribes and subjects.

They would definitely take the initiative to launch a war.

The initial attacks and defense were not on a large scale, more akin to drills and probing actions.

The attacking Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents sought flaws in the enemy’s defenses while the defending side continuously adjusted, remedying their own gaps.

At the start of the war, the Commander of the Royal Court Army had been full of confidence, seeming to believe crushing the Avel people would be a simple task.

But after the fighting began, he immediately sensed something amiss.

The enemy’s arrangements and defenses were completely different from last time. The construction of the city walls and defensive methods were also vastly changed from before.

Their defensive installations were dispersed and concealed. The attacking forces of the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents were like one who had stumbled into a hedgehog’s den.

Pull out one spike and there were still countless other spines.

Apart from squandering troops and generals, they made no progress whatsoever.

After several days of attacks, they had yet to probe any weaknesses, instead exposing the disarray in their own formations.

On the fourth day, the Commander of the Royal Court Army decided:

“Tomorrow summon the Stone Demon Corps and Fire Demon Corps to directly use our strongest and most elite forces for an all-out assault, not giving them any chance to react.”

“If we can draw out Xiuborn, they’ll have no tricks left up their sleeves.”

“If Xiuborn doesn’t show himself, I refuse to believe they can withstand us.”

No sooner had he announced this order than the sound of Land Dragon footsteps emanated from beyond the command tent. A Snake Person loosened his serpentine tail, dropping to the ground and entering the tent.

“Commander!”

“A large enemy force has suddenly appeared in the Fire Demon Marsh to our rear. They skillfully pilot boats through the rivers, continuously harassing and plundering our supply troops.”

“An army of over ten thousand has also abruptly descended from the wastelands, launching a surprise attack on the rear of our army. We’ve suffered severe losses.”

The attackers were mostly soldiers conscripted from the mountains and wastelands, fierce and unafraid of death.

More importantly, the terrain here was extremely peculiar, with icy plateaus, jungles, marshes and lakes all converging in one place.

These people had long familiarized themselves with the environment here, coming and going with ease.

In contrast, the people of the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents were extremely ill-adapted to this place.

Now, it was the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents’ turn to feel anxious.

Inside the command tent, the coiled generals of the Royal Court sat up straight one by one, looking urgently to their commander.

“How could this be?”

“They dare to divide their forces? Then apart from the twenty to thirty thousand in the fortress, they have absolutely no other arrangements behind them. Even the City of Avel might be empty.” Someone analyzed the situation and immediately deduced that the fortress before them already contained the entirety of the enemy’s forces, with no reinforcements or reserves.

“They still have a fleet,” someone mentioned.

“What use is a fleet at a time like this? Can they sail their ships onto the plateau to battle us?” The others shook their heads, not even considering it.

“They’re not trying to defend and stall us, they want to launch a counterattack against us!” an experienced general analyzed.

This was indeed the case.

From the very beginning, Xiuborn had not decided to defend to the death. He had made up his mind to fight the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents in a battle to the death.

When the Commander of the Royal Court Army first heard this bad news, his body stiffened slightly, but after thinking it through, he instead burst out laughing.

“Xiuborn is courting death.”

“The Avel people have so few people, yet they still divide their forces trying to surround us?”

“Does he think that a mere Ice River Fortress can block our army of a hundred thousand, can block my Stone Puppet Statues and Great Fire Demons?”

“Or does he believe he can defeat me?”

As a veteran third-rank Ability bearer, he was confident that even if Xiuborn had some fortuitous encounter, he definitely would not be a match for him.

Last time, when Xiuborn faced the captain of the Temple Knights, he had been utterly unable to display any power before being beaten into retreat by the other party.

In the eyes of the Commander of the Royal Court Army, the other party was just an Ability bearer who had only recently entered the third rank.

The only worry was if the other party had any hidden cards.

But this time, he had invited many temple attendants and knights from the temple, and had also brought the Great Fire Demon inherited from the Temple of Ten Thousand Serpents since the era of Pence.

With his Stone Puppet Statues, coupled with the power of the third-rank Great Fire Demon, he believed the other party had no way to stop them.

“Since he seeks death…”

“Then we shall grant him failure and death with all due courtesy.”

Over the past few days, the probing attacks on the city had been blocked, wasting troops and generals, causing all the people in the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents’ army to be filled with pent-up frustration.

Now hearing the commander say this, they all loudly shouted.

“Those measly Avel people, this time we’ll slaughter them until not even a shred of their armor remains.” A Snake Person wielding a massive axe threw his weapon on the table, instantly igniting everyone’s fighting spirit.

“You call this a perilous fortress? Once we get serious, it’ll crumble like mud.” Someone immediately volunteered to be the first to storm the city tomorrow.

“Tomorrow I want to personally kill that Xiuborn.” Others boasted loudly.

“That’s the head the commander has already reserved. You won’t be able to snatch it.” After saying this, everyone burst into laughter.

The next day.

As the vast war horns sounded, all the soldiers of the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents once again formed their ranks and began preparing siege engines.

But this time, it was no longer scattered probing attacks, nor one or two small Stone Demons or Fire Demons seeking gaps.

This time, rows of Stone Demons, under the control of Ability bearers, arrayed themselves in formation and attacked Ice River Fortress along the mountain pass.

Fire Demons circled in the sky, their bodies semi-transparent.

As the temple attendants below chanted incantations, raging flames ignited on the semi-transparent bodies of the Fire Demons as they began to pounce toward Ice River Fortress.

“Kill!” Throngs of soldiers followed behind the Stone Demons, carrying siege engines as they let out war cries charging toward the city walls.

“Stop them.” The Ability bearers of the City of Avel also immediately summoned Stone Demons and Fire Demons while launching Divine Techniques to attack and intercept the enemy.

But this time, the enemy had used their full strength from the start, completely different from the previous probing attacks.

One after another, the Stone Demons penetrated the barriers set by the Fire Demons, their entire bodies glowing red as they leapt toward the fortress. The Ability bearers on the city walls had no time to control the great waters to douse the Stone Demons before they had already crashed into the city walls.

The three to four meter tall Stone Demons slammed into the sturdy city walls, instantly creating large craters.

“Boom, boom, boom!”

Stone Demon after Stone Demon pounced, the city walls immediately beginning to sway.

The city walls fell into chaos.

Failing to keep pace with the initial breach, the subsequent defenses quickly crumbled.

At this time, the Fire Demons in the sky also seized the opportunity to swoop down, sweeping across the top of the city walls.

In an instant, many of the Avel soldiers defending the city, caught in the confusion, had no time to take cover in the prepared ear cavities.

One by one they turned into human torches, running atop the city walls or directly falling from the battlements.

“It hurts, it hurts, it hurts.” The agony of being burned by great flames was unimaginable. The Avel soldiers defending the city rolled on the ground incessantly.

“Fire… fire… fire!” They let out great shouts, some directly leaping down from the city walls.

“Save me! Please, save me!” On the verge of death, some, in pain, pounced toward others as if grasping at a lifesaving straw.

“Lord Xiuborn, Lord Xiuborn.” Some called out Xiuborn’s name, hoping that this pillar of their people would stand forth.

Seeing Ice River Fortress on the verge of collapse, at this moment, Xiuborn, whom the Commander of the Royal Court Army had always been somewhat wary of, finally appeared.

Xiuborn waved his hand and the Book of the Witch Spirit in his grasp immediately summoned ghost after ghost.

These ghosts varied in power, some first rank, some second rank.

They charged forth, entangling and obstructing the small Stone Demons and Fire Demons, instantly stabilizing the precarious situation.

“Xiuborn.”

On the other side, the Commander of the Royal Court Army was overjoyed to see Xiuborn take action.

In his view, whichever side revealed themselves first was equivalent to falling into a position of weakness.

The Commander of the Royal Court Army immediately chanted an incantation and a peculiar name, summoning a Great Fire Demon.

Flames instantly ignited, a figure of fire over twenty to thirty meters tall striding out from the pillar of flame.

“Go!” he commanded. “Test his power.”

The Great Fire Demon immediately spread its arms like a great bird, pouncing toward Ice River Fortress.

As it spread its arms, raging flames also unfurled from its body, transforming into a layer of fiery clouds.

When Xiuborn atop the city walls saw this Great Fire Demon, his expression instantly changed.

How could he not recognize this Fire Demon?

He could never forget this fire shadow that devoured everything.

On the day the City of Avel fell, he had stood on a ship watching this Fire Demon transform into fiery clouds and swoop down, engulfing the King of Avel, himself, and his friends and family.

At that time, he had even thought it was divine punishment.

If not for him unexpectedly obtaining the Divine Artifact Polik’s Right Hand, he could not have survived in the form of a Witch Spirit.

Xiuborn instantly clenched his fists as he watched this Great Fire Demon.

Then he turned his head, looking toward that black speck in the distance that had summoned the Great Fire Demon.

The black speck continuously enlarged in his vision, transforming into the figure of a male Snake Person.

“So, it was you all along!”

Xiuborn’s expression instantly distorted, his calm demeanor erupting with boundless hatred and fury.

No sooner had the Great Fire Demon inherited from the Temple of Ten Thousand Serpents reached the city’s base than Xiuborn raised the Book of the Witch Spirit high overhead.

“Whoosh.”

The pages fluttered before finally settling on one page.

A peculiar power was instantly released, enveloping a radius of several hundred meters.

“True Illusion Realm.”

Instantly, all the demons and Snake People within this range were dragged into an illusory realm.

They were still below Ice River Fortress, but they had lost their direction and target, turning about in confusion like headless flies.

They even attacked their own side, loudly letting out roars and war cries.

Especially that Great Fire Demon.

It was the most critical existence targeted by this True Illusion Realm Divine Technique. Xiuborn had used this move precisely to entrap it.

But this illusion realm clearly could not obstruct the other party for long.

After persisting for but a moment, signs of shattering appeared.

Even though Xiuborn was a third-rank Ability bearer, attempting to immobilize another third-rank Great Fire Demon with a single illusion technique was still extremely strenuous.

However, Xiuborn had another preparation. At this moment, he let out a furious roar.

“Ghost Ship, arise!”

As soon as his voice fell, there was an immediate response from the ice river not far away, erupting with layers of fracturing ice.

“Rumble.”

No one had anticipated that the ice river, frozen for over a thousand years, would break apart for the first time.

A massive ship burst through the ice layer, carrying vast waters cascading down from on high, pouring into the mountain pass.

“Go forth! Drown them, consume them utterly.”

Xiuborn shouted at the top of his lungs, his face twisted and fierce.

The temple apprentice at his side was dumbfounded. He had never seen Xiuborn display such a countenance.

The frigid river water, bearing massive chunks of ice, continuously surged down from above, submerging everything.

Fire Demons, Stone Demons, Snake People, all were devoured under this might of heaven and earth.

Even the Great Fire Demon could only control flames within a radius of a few dozen meters.

Yet this river could inundate cities and wastelands.

In the past, the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents had used a sea of fire to engulf Xiuborn’s city and ships. Today, his response was a boundless glacial tsunami.

No one had anticipated this sudden lethal move. The Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents’ side suffered a heavy blow under this unexpected assault.

That Great Fire Demon was instantly swallowed by the glacial river waters.

Its flames and form scattered in the blink of an eye, emitting a faint sound.

Fire Demons did not fear water, but they dreaded being submerged while in their flaming state, as that would inflict immense damage upon them.

If this Great Fire Demon did not receive external assistance, it might take months to recover its power. At the very least, it had no combat strength for the time being.

As for the other small Stone Demons, Fire Demons, and the Snake Person soldiers of the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents, they vanished without a trace in an instant amid the great flood.

“Run!” At this, the soldiers originally gathering from afar immediately scattered and fled.

“Disperse, quickly disperse.” But how could their speed evade this deluge?

“Cold, so cold!” More terrifying was that this frigid river water could instantly freeze a person into unconsciousness.

The Ghost Ship followed along with the great waters.

Xiuborn leapt from the city wall, drifting with the wind under the guidance of the ghosts, landing upon the Ghost Ship.

He piloted the Ghost Ship and the surging tsunami.

The power of the seal within the Book of the Witch Spirit unfurled, guiding the great waters toward the encampment of the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents.

From afar, the Commander of the Royal Court Army watched as the Ghost Ship rode atop the billowing waves, pursued by the vast oncoming flood.

He was utterly stupefied.

In but an instant, his great army, his Fire Demon, his dawning victory had all vanished.

The Commander of the Royal Court Army knew he had lost his chance at triumph.

At this moment, the best course of action was to immediately turn and withdraw.

Preserve as much strength as possible.

At the very least, with him being a third-rank Ability bearer, there shouldn’t be much issue with his own survival.

But when the commander of the Royal Court turned his head, he saw the soldiers in panicked retreat behind him.

Among them were old subordinates who had followed him for many years, temple attendants from the Temple of Ten Thousand Serpents, knights entrusted to him by the Temple Knights.

If he retreated now, all these people would perish.

Thinking of the Temple Knights, he suddenly felt utterly ashamed.

“Detestable.”

“I actually lost to the Avel people, lost to a former underling who had tasted defeat at my hands.”

“With so many dead, how could I have the face to return?”

He turned back around, no longer thinking of escape.

Facing the glacial deluge, watching Xiuborn approaching with towering murderous intent.

The Commander of the Royal Court Army suddenly erupted with a voice like shocking thunder.

“Xiu… born!”

At this moment, the Ghost Ship also arrived before him.

Xiuborn, standing on the ship, looked at him and first let out a great laugh.

“Hahahaha~”

Immediately after, Xiuborn spoke through gritted teeth in a low voice.

“At last, I have found you.”

The commander drew his sword, his entire body surging with the power of Wisdom Ability, mental energy and the power of seals emanating from his form.

“Come!”

“Let’s have a fight to the death right here.”

With new and old hatred, there was no need for further words.

The two unleashed all their power amid the great waters, staking their lives.

Stone Puppet Statues rose from the earth like pillars in the current, standing firm in the deluge.

The giant statues resolutely blocked Xiuborn’s Ghost Ship.

The Ghost Ship, carrying immense momentum, crashed into the Stone Puppet Statues with a thunderous impact.

The Stone Puppet Statues summoned by the commander visibly recoiled, retreating continuously.

Only after a long while did they stabilize their forms.

The commander waved his hand, summoning giant boulders and smashing them toward Xiuborn’s Ghost Ship.

Xiuborn raised his hand and the huge waves transformed into one transparent water hand after another, continuously engulfing those rocks.

The Stone Puppet Statues began their counterattack.

One ghost after another separated from the Ghost Ship.

But in these great waters and flood, it was clear that Xiuborn, who could manipulate the water currents and possessed the Ghost Ship, held the advantage.

The Commander of the Royal Court Army had lost his Great Fire Demon and the protection of his soldiers. He had now fallen into the worst situation.

Xiuborn could endlessly draw upon the power of water. He also had the assistance of the numerous ghosts contracted through the Door of Truth.

The two unleashed all their techniques.

It could be seen that the Witch Spirit’s methods were more numerous and bizarre.

The commander grew increasingly unable to hold out in the great waters.

However, his counterattacks were not without effect. At the very least, they bought the army behind him a great deal of space and time to retreat.

The water flow stirred up whirlpools, firmly entrapping the commander’s Stone Puppet Statues.

The Ghost Ship continuously pressed down from the crests of the waves. Cracks incessantly appeared on the Stone Puppet Statues and even large chunks of rock fell away.

Xiuborn stood at the prow, gazing at the commander atop the Stone Puppet Statue.

“When you burned the City of Avel, burned the King of Avel to death…”

“Did you ever imagine a day like this?”

The commander looked at Xiuborn, a hint of remorse showing through his hateful gaze.

“I only regret…”

“Why didn’t I double check that day? I actually let a fish slip through the net like you.”

As soon as his words fell, the Ghost Ship, along with the huge waves, slapped down, crushing the Stone Puppet Statue to pieces.

The commander also fell into the great waters, reduced to a pulp beneath the ship’s hull.

However, at this time, the remaining people of the Royal Court of Ten Thousand Serpents’ army had basically all withdrawn.

Xiuborn also did not continue the pursuit, merely watching from afar.

Who knew what he was thinking?

Xiuborn put away the Ghost Ship, standing in a realm of vast waters.

The moment the water’s might calmed, countless corpses could also be seen floating up from beneath the surface.

In this battle, the Royal Court’s elite had been decimated and even the commander had died at Xiuborn’s hands.

All survivors fled toward the Fire Demon Marsh and the wastelands beyond.

They had been frightened out of their wits by that glacial tsunami.

But in the Fire Demon Marsh, boats crisscrossed everywhere. The Avel people of the fishing and hunting tribes had long been waiting for them.

Only the wastelands still offered a path of retreat.

However, it was also not easy to pass through the wastelands because Xiuborn had already arranged for the over ten thousand soldiers of the City of Avel to block their rear.

This group of fleeing soldiers attempted it, engaging in a melee with the other side, but discovered that breaking out in a short time was impossible.

Should the battle drag on, their pursuers might soon be upon them.

At that time, they would face attacks from both sides.

But the temple attendants of the Temple of Ten Thousand Serpents were indeed formidable. They actually cast a simple fortress out of thin air atop a mountain peak in the wastelands that was easy to defend and hard to attack.

Twenty to thirty thousand fleeing soldiers who had lost their supplies and provisions now huddled here, awaiting rescue.

“Has the message been sent back?” Several knights in a sorry state discussed with a temple attendant.

The temple attendant looked to the sky, eyes filled with unease and also expectation.

In the sky, a young Wing Demon only one or two years old circled and flew into the distance.

“Hopefully the captain will come save us!”