It was worth noting that this place was still more than a month’s journey from the Yao capital, at least for ground troops. Judging by Miao Fengxian’s appearance, he had ridden the Rainbow Luan to get here, traveling as swiftly as lightning—it wouldn’t have taken more than a day.
Why would he come? After the death of the former Crown Prince Miao Fengyuan, he was the only legitimate heir to the Yao royal family. How could the King of Yao allow this precious prince to come alone into danger?
Times had changed; even Yun Ya wouldn’t dare to face thousands alone. Anyone who dared to rely on their strength to face an army of tens of thousands was either foolish or had something to rely on. Feng Miaojun certainly didn’t think Miao Fengxian was the former.
Sure enough, after Miao Fengxian landed, he clapped his hands.
From such a distance, no one could hear the sound of his clapping, but as soon as he made this gesture, a strange phenomenon occurred behind him, attracting everyone’s eyes.
On the vast open space behind him, a huge city gate suddenly appeared like a mirage, with city walls extending backward continuously, and the scenery becoming increasingly clear.
In just three or four breaths, an entire palace stood there!
The sunlight was just right at this moment, shining directly on the tall city walls and majestic buildings of this city, casting a dazzling golden glow that almost blinded the eye.
The Golden City!
The roof of every building in this city was clearly cast in gold. Even observed from several li away, it was still stunningly beautiful and heart-stirring.
Such a magnificent city, there was only one in the world. Feng Miaojun had not only personally witnessed it but had even entered it.
The Palace of the King of Yao!
She drew in a sharp breath. Miao Fengxian had brought his own home directly here!
His courage was truly extraordinary—how could he even think of such a tactic?
Most amazingly, the control of the Yao Palace must be in the hands of the sovereign. Did Miao Fengxian’s father also agree to this plan?
The sudden appearance of the Golden City also greatly surprised the Wei army, and their steps involuntarily slowed. Before the commanders could urge them forward, the gates of the Golden City swung open wide, and Yao soldiers in bright armor poured out like a flood!
This inner city had eight gates in total, all of which were now open, simultaneously releasing troops.
Even the soldiers on the city walls quickly descended via cloud ladders, gathering in front of the gates.
The time it took the Wei army to advance four or five li was just enough for the Yao troops inside the Golden City to rush out and gather on the gentle slope.
One unit after another raced out, seeming endless.
With just a casual glance, Feng Miaojun knew the enemy’s forces numbered at least fifty thousand, and they were still rapidly emerging and assembling.
Seeing this scene, she finally understood Miao Fengxian’s calculation, and had she not been in the Wei camp, she would have applauded his brilliance.
After the disappearance of many large-scale vehicles and space-containing magical artifacts from the pre-epoch era, long-distance transportation for armies and merchants could only rely on human and animal power, greatly limiting the number, combat effectiveness, speed, and mobility of armies. The Wei army’s ability to continue fighting more than four hundred li away from their homeland already proved their excellent organization. One of the reasons Yun Ya and Xu Guangxiang had previously advised the King of Wei was that the extended battle line caused a severe shortage of supplies and difficulty in maintaining both front and rear lines.
But the Golden City itself was a magical artifact of enormous capacity.
This treasure left by the ancestors of the Yao Kingdom to their descendants originally maintained the most basic ability of magical artifacts—it could grow or shrink. On normal days, from the sovereign down to the servants, there were at least fifty thousand people active in the Golden City. Using it to house an army would be effortless.
Yet the Yao Palace had been established in the capital for a hundred years. Both natives and foreign merchants viewed it as a landmark building. How many people still remember that its true nature was a magical artifact of astonishing capacity? How many recalled that its initial function was not merely for showing off wealth and decoration, but for large-scale, one-time loading and transportation of manpower and resources?
Feng Miaojun dared not imagine how much pressure and obstruction Miao Fengxian must have faced when proposing this idea, but he still brought the Golden City here, along with the fifty thousand—no, now at least seventy thousand troops inside it!
Looking at the dense mass of troops in front of the city gates, the Wei army on this side also felt the pressure, their steps becoming increasingly slow. Since the opponents were an entire imposing army rather than a single person, they also needed to assemble and maintain neat formations.
What Feng Miaojun was thinking about, however, was the signal released by the advance force on the other side of the snow mountain.
The Rainbow Luan had also flown from there, showing that Miao Fengxian had first released some forces on that side to suppress the Wei vanguard, then flew toward Xiao Pass to release superior forces to pressure the King of Wei.
It should be noted that excluding the vanguard of eight thousand men and the second division of over ten thousand in the snow mountain, the Wei forces remaining on the Xiao Pass side numbered just over twenty thousand. But what about the Yao army?
Now, the Yao troops pouring out from the Golden City, by initial estimate, numbered at least seventy thousand!
That was three times the Wei forces.
In such an open area, without the advantage of city fortifications, it would be very difficult for the Wei army to achieve victory.
However, even at a numerical disadvantage, the Wei army didn’t panic much. They still quickly assembled and changed formation under long commands, narrowing the front of their formation, and preparing to pierce into the enemy ranks like a sharp knife.
This scene made Miao Fengxian and other Yao high officials on the slope sigh in admiration. The quality of the Wei army was unmatched in the Northern Continent.
Such a powerful enemy should be crushed as early as possible, absolutely not given the opportunity to grow stronger.
The torrent of Yao soldiers rushed past Miao Fengxian, surging majestically toward the front. He narrowed his eyes and ordered: “Begin.”
As soon as he spoke, explosions suddenly bloomed everywhere beneath the Wei army’s feet!
Feng Miaojun, marching with the army, felt a sudden premonition of danger in her heart. She couldn’t help but stop, activating her spiritual power to generate a protective energy barrier, which operated automatically.
She was following in the supply convoy, far from the front lines of the battle, and should not have been in any particular danger.
But…
An attendant beside her was saying to his companion: “This Golden City is truly magnificent. But the situation seems grim—they appear to have more people than us?”
His companion replied bitterly: “No wonder we couldn’t find any trace of them no matter how we scouted. They didn’t need to set up ambushes at all; they just rode a giant bird and brought over an entire army!”
Just as he finished speaking, the ground beneath his feet exploded violently!
This explosion came without warning, but its power was terrifying. Feng Miaojun felt a horrifying blast wave coming straight at her, instantly propelling her more than twenty zhang (over sixty meters) away!
Despite her cultivation achievements, she was still like a leaf in the wind before such an explosion, without any power of resistance.
She landed squarely on a grain cart, the impact knocking the pulling Molong beast off balance and causing it to fall.
In that instant, Feng Miaojun’s mind went completely blank, not knowing where she was.
She struggled to open her eyes, but her vision was blurry, seeing only strange, colorful blocks, unable to distinguish lines or figures.