59: Bloody Night

Deafening battle cries, like unending thunder, continuously battered Star South City's crumbling defenses. The barbarian army, like a bloodthirsty tide, crashed against the rocky cliffs of the city walls in relentless waves.

The first to be thrown onto the crest of the wave were those hollow-eyed, ragged Heavenly Origin captives. Among them were Martial Artists, Martial Masters, and even several captains who were Grand Martial Masters—their auras withered but their foundations still intact. Now, like puppets on strings, they were forced by the blades and spears of the barbarian soldiers behind them and the lives of their families, to carry scaling ladders and charge towards the city they had once sworn to defend to the death.

"It's Drillmaster Wang! He's still alive!"

"And Brother Li! They..."

A commotion rippled through the defenders on the city wall. Recognizing their former comrades-in-arms, they found it difficult to aim their bows and arrows, and the heavy logs they had lifted could not be dropped. How agonizing it was to raise a blade against their own people!

"Their wives, children, and elders are in our hands! If you don't want them to die, open the gates and surrender!" The barbarian squad leader's cruel laugh, like a venomous snake's hiss, pierced through the clamor of the battlefield.

City Lord Xia Wuyin's face was ashen, his fingernails digging deep into his palms until they bled. He closed his eyes, and when he opened them again, they held only icy resolve: "Loose the arrows!"

Military orders were as unyielding as mountains. With endless pain and struggle, a rain of arrows poured down. The captives at the forefront fell in swathes, their blood soaking the base of the wall. Seizing this brief moment of hesitation and the psychological shock inflicted on the defenders, the true barbarian elites let out excited roars. Clinging to the walls like maggots to bone, they scaled upward, and the brutal battle for the ramparts instantly turned white-hot.

"Boom!"

At the gate tower, violent surges of Qi energy erupted! City Lord Xia Wuyin's longsword moved like a dragon, clashing head-on with the massive, door-sized battle-axe of the Myriarch, Warlord of the Canglang Tribe. Xia Wuyin's body shook violently, a trickle of blood escaping the corner of his mouth. Although he was a Martial King, the Warlord's strength was superior. The savage axe energy forced Xia Wuyin to retreat repeatedly, only able to hold his ground by relying on his exquisite swordsmanship and the advantageous terrain of the city wall.

Elsewhere, Star South City's Vice City Lord, the old man who had just recently entered the Martial King Realm, was also locked in fierce combat with a barbarian Martial King expert. Constant explosions resounded high in the air, their scattered energy making the soldiers below tremble with fear.

Every section of the city wall had transformed into a bloody meat grinder. The individual combat strength of the barbarian soldiers was formidable, often requiring several defenders to hold one at bay. Screams rang out continuously as soldiers fell from the battlements. At this moment, life was as cheap as grass.

"Quick! Carry him over here!"

"Hemostatic Powder! Hurry!"

Inside the city wall, the temporary treatment station set up by the Huichun Medical Hall was already overflowing. Chu Tianhe's beard and hair were stained with blood as his hands worked swiftly to treat gruesome wounds. His Internal Energy was constantly being depleted, and his face gradually turned pale. Several physicians were running around in a frenzy.

Qin Feng moved among the wounded. The aura he displayed on the surface was only at the Martial Artist Middle Stage, which was utterly inconspicuous on the battlefield. But his movements were extremely fast, his needle placements precise, and his techniques for treating internal injuries and dispersing stagnant blood were incredibly skilled, far surpassing his apparent cultivation level. This was thanks to the Primordial Unity Qi Art he cultivated in secret. This profound technique not only allowed him to conceal his true cultivation depth but also granted him a level of fine control over his Internal Energy far beyond his peers. He deliberately suppressed his strength, only intervening with healing at an appropriate "Martial Artist" level—avoiding undue attention while genuinely saving lives.

Xiao Chun's face was deathly pale. Suppressing the urge to vomit, she shuttled back and forth carrying basins of bloody water, her hands trembling uncontrollably. When she saw her father treating a wounded soldier whose chest was nearly split open, she finally couldn't hold back a low gasp. Her body swayed.

A steady hand caught her in time. "Don't be afraid, look at me." Qin Feng's voice was low, carrying a strangely soothing power. His gaze was calm, as if the surrounding bloodshed and chaos could not shake him in the slightest. "Focus. Do what you can."

Looking into Qin Feng's deep and composed eyes, Xiao Chun's frantic heartbeat gradually calmed somewhat. She nodded firmly, wiped the moisture from the corner of her eye, and threw herself back into the busy work. She only felt that Brother Qin Feng was more steady and reliable than most, unaware that behind this composure lay strength far beyond her imagination and the earth-shattering pressure he was currently facing.

The battle lasted from noon until dusk before the barbarian army, having left behind a great number of corpses, retreated like a receding tide. The setting sun was as red as blood, casting its light upon the even more crimson city walls. The air was thick with the cloying scent of blood and despair.

The exhausted defenders collapsed to the ground. Xiao Chun was almost spent, leaning against a medicine chest to catch her breath. Chu Tianhe also sat cross-legged, seizing the moment to regulate his breathing. Qin Feng stood silently to the side, gazing at the continuous stretch of barbarian tents outside the city, his brow furrowed tightly. The day's brutality was only the beginning. He had to rely on the System to find the key to breaking the siege, and more importantly, face the dark fate hanging over his head.

The night was deep and quiet, broken only by the intermittent sounds of patrol footsteps and the moans of the wounded.

Qin Feng found a secluded corner and focused his mind inward.

[Daily Intelligence has been refreshed]

A light screen appeared, still showing three items, but their contents made his pupils contract slightly.

[Yellow Intelligence: The barbarian forces are preparing to dig a tunnel for a sneak attack. They are currently forcing able-bodied laborers to dig, starting from the mass graves outside the western city suburbs. The target is likely the well in the West Market.]

[Yellow Intelligence: The barbarian army will dispatch a five-hundred-man elite force to launch a sneak attack tomorrow night at the zi hour, targeting the section of the city wall at the southeastern corner that developed cracks due to today's bombardment.]

[Green Intelligence: Two Martial King experts dispatched by the barbarian 'Night Hawk Tribe,' leading three thousand elite cavalry, have already arrived three hundred li away and are expected to reach the Star South City battlefield in three days.]

Looking at these three pieces of intelligence, Qin Feng's heart sank continuously.

The yellow intelligence pointed to tomorrow night's sneak attack—a clear crisis, but also an opportunity that could be exploited.

But that piece of green intelligence was like a basin of ice water poured over him in the depths of winter!

Reinforcements from the Night Hawk Tribe! Two Martial Kings! Three thousand elites!

This meant the barbarians' high-end combat power and fresh troops would receive a massive boost. How could Star South City, already hanging by a thread, possibly withstand it?

And the timeframe of "arriving in three days" was like a cold needle, sharply piercing the most taut nerve in Qin Feng's mind.

Countless thoughts churned in his mind. Immense pressure bore down on him like a collapsing mountain. He possessed foreknowledge, yet he felt increasingly entangled in an invisible net.

He took a deep breath, forcing himself to calm down.

Tomorrow night's sneak attack had to be utilized. Not only could it resolve one crisis, but perhaps he could also use it to do something, to accumulate a sliver of leverage to deal with the desperate situation three days later.

He had to quickly relay the intelligence about the Night Hawk Tribe reinforcements to the City Lord's Mansion in some unsuspicious manner, allowing them to prepare in advance—even though such preparation might be insignificant in the face of absolute strength.

More importantly, within the limited time he had left, he had to find that one path to survival shrouded in black mist amidst the chaotic intelligence and situation! That "choice" that could lead to annihilation—he had to see it clearly in advance and make the correct decision!

The night was thick. Qin Feng's figure seemed to merge with the darkness. He suppressed his Grand Martial Master aura, maintaining it at the Martial Artist Middle Stage level. But those eyes, shining brightly in the dark, revealed a determination and sharpness completely at odds with his apparent cultivation.

Tonight was destined to be sleepless. The moment of choice was steadily approaching.