337: Chapter 337 The enemy arrives at the city gates, their momentum fierce.

The moment the numbers on the countdown screen jumped to "06:12:00", the horizon outside the city walls began to tremble.

Chen Wuwang was standing in front of the main control console, his fingers still tapping on the tabletop. The rhythm remained unchanged—tap, tap, tap—as if he were counting heartbeats.

He did not turn back; instead, the blue light of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye suddenly contracted. A thermal map of the distant plains appeared in his field of vision—dense clusters of red dots were pressing forward in three prongs, and the vanguard had already stepped within two miles of the defensive Spirit Array.

As the tremors from the ground arrived, the first warning rune exploded with a boom.

"Hum——!"

The spiritual energy radar screens at the four corners of the city walls lit up instantly, red light spreading like blood.

Chen Wuwang finally raised his head, his gaze sweeping over the seven pre-marked light points on the star map, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.

"They arrived earlier than I thought," he said in a low voice. "Six days and twelve hours? These old foxes, they can't even be bothered to put on an act."

As soon as he finished speaking, the communication array connected with a "beep".

"Family Head!" the intelligence officer's voice was urgent. "The enemy has arrived three miles outside the city. The coalition of seven factions, including the Chuanyun Sect, Leiyin Pavilion, and the West Desert Sand Clan, totals over twenty thousand. Their formation is complete, with no signs of stragglers. They are clearly well-prepared!"

"I can see that," Chen Wuwang said indifferently, lifting his foot to walk toward the city walls.

The stone steps emitted a dull echo beneath his feet.

The wind blew from the south, carrying sand and a hint of the smell of rust—that was the scent of armor rubbing together.

He stood on the highest command platform. His cloak was suddenly whipped open by the wind, his long silver hair dancing wildly behind his head, and the three claw marks on his right cheek were faintly burning.

In the distance, smoke and dust billowed.

A black line split the earth, followed by the sound of orderly footsteps, thundering like a storm.

Seven large flags fluttered violently in the wind. Embroidered on the flags were the void-splitting sword shadow of the Chuanyun Sect, the thunder-shaking rune of the Leiyin Pavilion, and the yellow sand Giant Scorpion of the West Desert Sand Clan... Each flag represented an ancient faction.

At the very front, a pitch-black Yao Beast stepped out.

It resembled a giant wolf but had three heads, its eyes glowing with ghostly green flames. With every step it took, the ground cracked open.

On the back of the Yao Beast, a man clad in red-gold battle armor slowly raised his head. He wore a half-bronze mask on his face, and his voice sounded like a blade striking mountain rock:

"Chen Wuwang! Today is your death day!"

The voice, amplified by spiritual power, rolled across the wilderness and struck straight at the city walls.

Chen Wuwang did not move; his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye turned slightly, and a stream of data flashed across his field of vision: three-headed Yao Beast, vital energy value approaching the Late Stage of the Nascent Soul; the rider's Spiritual Pressure was restrained, but his breathing frequency was abnormal, clearly using some kind of concealment Cultivation Technique.

He sneered. His voice was not loud, but it was clearly transmitted to the entire army through the resonance array on the city wall:

"Based on you lot?"

As soon as the words were spoken, thousands of clansmen on the city walls behind him gripped their weapons in unison.

The leader's expression darkened, and the three-headed Yao Beast roared at the sky, shaking the air itself.

He raised the long halberd in his hand and pointed it at the city walls: "Chen Wuwang, you are merely an upstart from a humble background who dared to covet the Spiritual Vein, privately build mechs, and alter the rules of the Heavenly Dao! Today, the seven families have joined forces to suppress you; neither heaven nor earth will tolerate you!"

"Alter the Heavenly Dao?" Chen Wuwang scoffed, raising his right hand and tracing his fingertips through the air. "You call this alteration? I call this—an upgrade."

Before his voice had even faded, he slashed his right hand down violently and spat out a single word:

"Fight."

The moment the command was given, the entire city wall seemed to come alive.

Red runes ignited from the base of the wall, like a Bloodline awakening. On the inner side of the city walls, alarm lights suddenly lit up, and a sharp buzzing sound echoed throughout the city.

"Artifact Refining Workshop, activate!"

"Sword Cultivator Team, form up!"

"Spiritual Energy Hub, connect!"

Instructions for each post sounded simultaneously.

Chen Tiezhu was in the mech hangar checking the dual-core engine of the last "Pojun-III" model. Hearing the order, he kicked open the cabin door and leaped into the cockpit.

The seat automatically conformed to his body, and the control panel lit up. While quickly sliding his fingers to calibrate the System, he cursed:

"I just got the cooling valve stabilized, and these bastards showed up? Fine, it's just the right time to use you lot to test if the new engine can take a beating!"

He slammed the start button, the six wings on the back of the mech unfolded, and the spiritual energy core roared to life.

Meanwhile, in the passage inside the city gate, Chen Xiaodao drew his laser sword. The blade hummed as it left its sheath, the blue light illuminating his young face.

He looked back at the Sword Cultivator Team behind him. Three hundred people were fully equipped and ready, their eyes burning with Battle Intent.

"Remember," he said coldly, "I don't need madmen who slash wildly. What I want is—precise coverage. Even with your eyes closed, you must send your swords into the same hole."

"Yes!" everyone roared in unison, the sound shaking the city gate.

In the western tower, Bai Ling sat cross-legged, her hands resting lightly on the data interface.

She closed her eyes, her fingertips trembling slightly as the magic code of the Moon Shadow Barrier was slowly being imported into the defensive array through the neural link.

Suddenly, she frowned and whispered to herself:

"The Life Tree sap is still rejecting it... unless..."

She opened her eyes, bit her fingertip, and a drop of blood fell into the interface slot.

"This time, it is my turn to 'invite' you."

The screen flashed, and a line of text appeared: "Identification successful, access granted: S-rank Secret Technique—Moon's Sigh."

She let out a breath and formed hand seals, chanting in a low voice.

The rune array at the top of the tower slowly rotated, and a nearly transparent film of light began to spread toward the edges of the city walls.

On the city wall, Chen Wuwang stood in place, his gaze fixed on the enemy formation.

He saw the Sword Cultivators of the Chuanyun Sect lined up in three rows, each holding a Flying Sword, the tips pointed toward the sky;

The Cultivators of the Leiyin Pavilion were setting up thunder drums, preparing for long-range bombardment;

The cavalry of the West Desert Sand Clan had already moved forward, the yellow sand churning like waves beneath their mounts.

The coalition of seven families had a tight formation and was filled with Killing Intent.

But he also saw the flaws.

Between the left flank of the Chuanyun Sect and the right flank of the Leiyin Pavilion, there was a connection gap of less than ten zhang—that was the most common blind spot when different factions collaborated in battle.

And the vanguard cavalry of the West Desert Sand Clan had not yet fully activated the spiritual patterns beneath their hooves; they needed at least three breaths of warm-up before charging.

The corners of his mouth curled up again.

"An army of twenty thousand? The lineup is quite intimidating," he whispered to himself. "Unfortunately... they are all paper tigers."

The wind grew stronger, making his cloak flap violently.

In the enemy ranks, the leader spoke again, his voice colder: "Chen Wuwang, if you open the city gates and surrender now, and hand over the technological classics and the Spiritual Vein blueprints, I can spare the lives of your entire clan! Otherwise—the day the city falls, not even a chicken or dog will be left alive!"

Chen Wuwang finally moved.

He slowly raised his left hand, the blue light of his Mechanical Prosthetic Eye surging, locking onto the figure.

The next second, he spoke into the communication channel, his voice calm yet like a blade leaving its sheath:

"All units, listen to my command—"

"Maintain Level 1 combat readiness."

"Without my order, no one is allowed to attack without authorization."

"Wait until they get five hundred meters closer, then tell me, who is the first to cross the warning line."

He paused, a manic arc curling at the corner of his mouth.

"I want his head hung at the city gate to be used as a lantern. Hahaha hahaha—!"