Once they were on the ground, even powerful flying mounts couldn’t withstand the overwhelming firepower of the Frost Armored Catapults. If the distance was over a hundred yards, flying mounts could easily dodge the projectiles, but within twenty yards, even the strongest mount couldn’t survive six or seven direct hits from the Frost Armored Catapults.
Angew, the Winged Angel, glanced at the battlefield below. Under the command of Shui Se Yan Tou, the wreckage of the destroyed Frost Armored Catapults was cleared away, and the remaining units regrouped, preparing for further combat.
Recalling the gruesome scene moments ago, Lie Yan and others still felt a chill run down their spines. To instantly kill so many flying mounts—what kind of destructive power was that?
They no longer had the courage to attack the Frost Armored Catapults.
“Boss, what do we do next?”
Angew Winged Angel gazed down upon the entire battlefield. The fall of the Mage Alliance was inevitable. Their massive army had been steadily diminished by the Ox Tribe, with less than a third of their original forces remaining. Many, realizing the Mage Alliance stood no chance of recovery, quietly withdrew from the fray.
A wave of resignations swept through the Mage Alliance. Many quietly left the guild. With so many people quitting, the saying “punishment cannot reach the masses” applied, and many who had previously feared the tyranny of Kuang Fa now followed suit, resigning one after another. They understood that once Ejedun Fortress fell, the Mage Alliance would never recover. Rather than staying in a guild with no future, they might as well find a stronger guild.
Defeat itself wasn’t terrifying. Everyone could resurrect, and equipment losses were minimal. As long as the people remained, they could rise again. But when morale crumbled, that was dangerous—like scattered sand, always on the verge of collapse.
Many within the Mage Alliance had already lost the will to fight. Some fled, while others scattered. The few who remained were no longer effective and were soon slaughtered by the Ox Tribe warriors under the radiance of Holy Light.
(Note: “牛人部落” is translated as “Ox Tribe” here, as it conveys the original meaning of a powerful or elite warrior group. If “牛人部落” is a specific faction name in the context, it could alternatively be rendered as “Niu Ren Tribe” to maintain cultural authenticity.)
On the battlements of Ejedun Fortress, countless players from the Bull Tribe emerged. They pressed forward relentlessly, forcing the players of the Mage Alliance to retreat. Many Mage Alliance members were pushed off the walls due to the lack of space. Over thirty warriors from the Bull Tribe at the vanguard advanced steadily, meeting fierce resistance from the Mage Alliance. With no way out, the Mage Alliance players resolved to fight to the last, inflicting heavy casualties on the Bull Tribe.
Divine Light Blessing!
A thick beam of light descended from the sky, enveloping over three hundred players from the Bull Tribe. Bathed in the Divine Light, these players felt a surge of strength, their health and mana abnormally full.
“Damn, my stats increased by over 70%!”
“What a powerful divine spell!”
The players from the Tribe of Masters were all extremely excited.
Just then, the sky suddenly darkened, and a cold breeze swept through.
Demon Curse!
Above, more than ten yards in the air, a massive demonic figure materialized. Its grotesque face twisted into a hideous grin as it let out a piercing, shrill laugh—its razor-sharp voice seemed to bore straight into people’s eardrums. The players from the Mage Alliance stared at the demon in sheer terror.
After appearing for more than ten seconds, the demonic image vanished. The players of the Mage Alliance felt their energy drained, their bodies unusually weak.
Someone checked their stats and found a drop of over 70%.
“Priests, quickly dispel!”
“Not enough dispel level! This curse is too high-level. We can only wait for it to pass!”
The strength of one side surged by 70%, while the other’s plummeted by 70%. The disparity in power became instantly evident. The warriors of the Niu Ren Tribe cut down players from the Mage Alliance with near single strikes, rarely requiring a second blow. They had never witnessed such a scenario before—plate-armored warriors being this fragile.
“Awesome, so powerful!”
The warriors of the Niu Ren Tribe charged into the ranks of the Mage Alliance, initiating a one-sided massacre.
Stunned by the two spells, the mages and priests of the Niu Ren Tribe gazed reverently at the two priests in the crowd. Their divine spells and curses were simply astonishing.
They were Black Heaven and Black Hell, who had recently joined the Tribe of Legends. Their skills complemented each other perfectly, making them practically invincible.
Watching the Mage Alliance forces being slaughtered before them, Hei Se Di Yu lowered his staff and said to Hei Se Tian Tang, “Let’s go down and take a look.”
“Okay.”
The two descended the staircase of the wall. Players from the Niu Ren Tribe stepped aside to make way for them.
Inside Ejedun Fortress, the Mage Alliance had either been expelled or eliminated. Kuang Fa and Sheng Yan were nowhere to be found.
Soon, a message spread wildly through the guild chat of the Niu Ren Tribe: Ejedun Fortress had fallen! Upon hearing this, the entire Niu Ren Tribe erupted into cheers that echoed across the sky. This victory meant one fewer rival capable of challenging the Niu Ren Tribe in the entire Granlan Empire. The remaining Holy Guardians would likely struggle alone.
Those players from the Mage Alliance who had once fiercely resisted eventually all departed in silence.
Above, Angew and the others rode their flying mounts, circling for a long time before departing.
Cui Candao Guang and the others stood atop the city wall, gazing into the distance. From the base of Ejedun Fortress all the way to the horizon, an endless expanse of corpses stretched out. Players from the Bull Tribe were busy collecting the equipment dropped on the ground—enough to fetch millions of gold coins at auction.
“We’ve taken Ejedun Fortress. What should we do with it?” Cui Can Dao Guang privately messaged Nie Yan.
Two options lay before the Niu Ren Tribe: one was to completely destroy Ejedun Fortress and withdraw, the other was to station part of their forces to defend it, establishing it as a branch base.
Nie Yan fell silent for a moment. Splitting their forces would mean dividing their strength, but destroying Ejedun Fortress seemed like a waste. It was a mid-tier fortress. If the Tianxia Group could develop it, it would generate substantial profits and bring great benefits to the organization.
“Rebuild Ejedun Fortress, reinforce and thicken the walls, and deploy Frost Armored Catapults and Ballistic Catapults atop them. I refuse to believe anyone can break through!” Nie Yan declared. In the end, he couldn’t bring himself to abandon Ejedun Fortress. With the technological superiority of the Cowherd Tribe, defending Ejedun Fortress should still be achievable.
“Defense alone might not be enough. We also need to station some people here!” Cui Can Dao Guang said. His thoughts aligned closely with Nie Yan’s.
“Assign the five surrounding fortresses of Ejedun to the Holy Roman Empire, Radiant Divine Flame, War God Tribe, Ji Lan Temple, and Berserk War Alliance respectively. Allow them to establish branches in Moonlight City and begin recruiting members. As for the central Ejedun Fortress, we can station a portion of the Bull Tribe and members from the five branches there. The number shouldn’t be too large—three to five thousand should suffice. Establish teleportation arrays between the fortresses. If Ejedun Fortress comes under attack, the other five fortresses can dispatch reinforcements.” Nie Yan had already meticulously planned the details. For now, the Bull Tribe could only manage six fortresses. Once they stabilized their position here, they could gradually expand further.
“This method is quite good.” Cui Can Dao Guang said. He had nothing to add, as Nie Yan had already considered everything thoroughly.
After a while, Guo Huai arrived at Ejedun Fortress. Following the optimal design provided by the engineers, he began constructing an entirely new Ejedun Fortress—rebuilding the walls and completely renovating the streets and shops. After all, the Niu Ren Tribe had plenty of money. Previously, the war budget was five million, and later, over seven million was spent on compensation and rewards after the war ended, while equipment worth more than five million was acquired. In effect, only a little over two million was actually spent on the war itself. The remaining funds were more than enough to cover the construction of Ejedun Fortress.
Building after building rose from the ground, completely transforming Ejedun Fortress. Placed atop the towering walls were rows of heavy catapults, creating an extremely formidable defense. Without large-scale war machines, even an army of hundreds of thousands might struggle to capture the fortress.
Following Nie Yan’s instructions, Guo Huai handed over the commercial district of Ejedun Fortress to A Chen.
As soon as Ejedun Fortress was established, numerous merchants came knocking. Their shops had been destroyed during the war. Seeing that the Niu Ren Tribe had captured Ejedun Fortress, they approached to discuss cooperation.
The commercial significance of Ejedun Fortress was unquestionable. Though their shops had been destroyed, these merchants had previously earned enough to amass considerable wealth.
Under the control of the Niu Ren Tribe, Ejedun Fortress enabled them to impose high prices and reap substantial profits. It wouldn’t take long for the investment in constructing Ejedun Fortress to be fully recovered.
Every member of the Cowherd Tribe reaped substantial benefits, and the entire guild radiated a vibrant and thriving atmosphere. Initially, many players within the Cowherd Tribe had already begun wavering under the influence of Century Capital’s Cao Xu. But now, they were forced to reconsider. If the Alliance of Mages had been defeated, would aligning with Century Capital truly offer any prospects? Although Century Capital promised salaries several times higher than their current earnings, along with additional bonuses, the Cowherd Tribe had demonstrated formidable potential. After capturing Ejedun Fortress, Nie Yan instructed Guo Huai to raise the salaries of all veteran members, and future wages were certain to continue rising.
The members of the Bull Tribe gradually felt more secure. Cao Xu had initially incited nearly six hundred people. If they had all left the guild simultaneously, it would have dealt a heavy blow to the Bull Tribe. However, after the battle for Ejedun Fortress, all his efforts came to nothing. Now, recruiting the same number of people would cost at least five to six times more money. Even if they succeeded in poaching them, it would place a significant financial burden, as these individuals wouldn’t be able to generate value commensurate with their salaries.
This meant Cao Xu’s plan had failed.
As the Bullman Tribe flourished, Nie Yan’s heart, which had been weighed down with anxiety, finally found peace. Now, he could finally devote himself wholeheartedly to honing his skills for the coming days.
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