The sky was overcast, dust billowed across the ground, and the cries of battle echoed throughout the mountain peak. Arrows struck down men one after another amid the chaos at the Mountain Pass. After three days of relentless war, each day grew more brutal; both sides fought without pause, day and night.
In this kind of weather, the wind blew, but no rain fell.
"Do not falter! Take the Mountain Pass! Attack, attack..."
Within the ranks of the Wynn Domain, generals shouted ceaselessly as soldiers assaulted the gates of the Mountain Pass. Battering rams were brought forward one after another.
Edward Grant stood atop the watchtower, his voice hoarse as he shouted commands.
"Move the wounded soldiers away! Rotate the defenses, rotate the defenses..."
Every moment, soldiers fell from the ramparts. The enemy had already begun climbing the earthen walls using ropes. The situation at the wall was dire. Phoenix Yu watched anxiously as a battering ram arrived at the city gate.
Behind the gate, soldiers gripping spears looked panicked, staring at the doors about to be breached. Their only chance was to charge out; if the enemy broke through, they would be forced onto the defensive.
Edward Grant climbed down from the watchtower and joined the assault team. As the gates swung open, after a volley of mounted archers, Edward led his men in a charge.
The clash of weapons rang out instantly. The enemy surged toward the gate, heedless of danger. Edward tried to break through, but the enemy had already prepared tactics. As the spearmen rushed out, the front ranks of the enemy raised their shields and pulled back, while their archers shifted aim and fired at the gate.
The situation was dire. The soldiers climbing the ramparts could no longer keep up with the rate at which their comrades fell. The enemy was fully prepared. Each attack over the past three days had reached the city gate, and Edward Grant had repeatedly led his men to drive them back. But today was worse than before.
Under the protection of the soldiers, Edward Grant was already exhausted. News arrived from the right flank: the Zou Clan had begun a fierce assault three days ago, and the battle was growing increasingly intense.
The soldiers on both sides were bloodshot, colliding again and again. Fresh blood splattered everywhere, and the screams of the wounded filled the air.
A large number of soldiers surged out from the city gate, joining the fray. The scene grew more chaotic. Fierce and relentless, Phoenix Yu loosed arrow after arrow toward Edward Grant's position, wounding him. Soldiers escorted Edward back inside the Mountain Pass. The morale of their unit was no longer as fierce as it had been days before. The enemy, however, grew ever more ruthless as time passed, sensing an opportunity to breach the Mountain Pass.
Inside the Mountain Pass, countless arrows rained down on the enemy, but their effect was minimal. The defenders began to fall back toward the city gate as more and more enemies surged forward.
"Close the gate!"
Phoenix Yu shouted loudly. On his side, the soldiers had been completely pushed back by the enemy. The shouts grew louder and louder, as if victory was within reach for the enemy. They attacked again.
With a thunderous crash, the city gate closed. The soldiers who hadn't made it back fell one after another until the entire force was wiped out. The enemy reached the gate, and Phoenix Yu climbed down from the watchtower, urging his men to hold the gate with their bodies.
Another thunderous crash—the first battering ram strike. The wooden gate shook violently, sand and dust flew up from the earthen wall, and the repeated impacts echoed through the air.
Many enemies fell beneath the gate, arrows flying wildly at the defenders near the entrance. At this moment, the enemy began to retreat.
Phoenix Yu, panting, gazed into the distance. Through the thick clouds, a faint yellow light shone—it was nearly evening. They had barely managed to hold the gate.
The three-day tug-of-war had left the soldiers inside the Mountain Pass exhausted. Many hands were needed just to carry the wounded to the rear, and the defense was growing more difficult.
Tomorrow's assault would be even fiercer. Phoenix Yu was conflicted inside; he wanted to escape the Mountain Pass—there was no hope if this continued.
More than twenty thousand had been killed or wounded in the past three days, and with the weather and fatigue, fewer than thirty thousand could still fight. The enemy was in the same state, but their numbers were ten times greater than those defending the Pass.
The sky began to darken; night was falling. Edward Grant was mostly unharmed, though one hand had been smashed and was now swollen. Phoenix Yu, panting, climbed up the watchtower. Smoke billowed everywhere on both sides.
Several plumes of smoke had started that morning. Though some died down for a while, the flames now seemed to be burning again.
"Things look promising, Commander Bella Liang, Commander Gus Bull—tomorrow is our turn."
Cyrus Sage stood delighted atop the slope, gazing at the distant Mountain Pass. Today, the enemy was too exhausted to charge out. Tomorrow, it would be the Sage Army's turn—their soldiers had rested all day, while the enemy had no chance to recover. The past three days of war had been relentless; any lapse would mean the gate would fall.
"At most, by the day after tomorrow—we’ll have it for sure."
Bella Liang looked confidently at the Mountain Pass. Five thousand soldiers had already been stationed outside the left flank, ready to launch an attack tomorrow. The enemy would not be able to send reinforcements.
Gus Bull stared solemnly at the Mountain Pass before him.
"The enemy has at most thirty or forty thousand left. Move up the attack—strike at dawn. We can't stop now."
"Report..."
A messenger rushed up in haste.
"Ten thousand troops are moving east from the rear—they're passing through the camp right now."
"What's going on?"
Bella Liang was startled.
"That woman—what is she thinking?"
A fierce wind howled past. Cyrus Sage sniffed the air; the scent of fire drifted by.
"It's over there."
Cyrus Sage pointed to the forest on the right side of the Mountain Pass. Everyone looked over—thick columns of smoke were rising.
The fire had started. Flames shot skyward from both sides of the forest, standing out starkly against the dark night.
"All troops, leave the forest area!"
Bella Liang immediately shouted, as clouds of smoke drifted through the air.
"This is bad—the woods to our east are burning!"
With a chorus of shouts, the exhausted soldiers poured out of their quarters and stared at the fire blazing in the eastern sky. Phoenix Yu stood atop the watchtower, clenching his fists.
The fire was raging now—vast stretches of forest burned, and the heat waves could be felt even in the wind.
"Don't panic! Go down the mountain and fetch water—douse the forest as quickly as you can!"
At Edward Grant's command, the soldiers sprang into action. But now the forest on the left side was burning too. Phoenix Yu hurried down from the watchtower and ran to Edward Grant.
"We need to evacuate. With a fire this big, water won't stop it. If it reaches us, we're finished."
Edward Grant grabbed Phoenix Yu and glared at him.
"It's harvest season now. If we abandon the Mountain Pass, the enemy will pour into the center and sweep south. Everything will be lost."
Soldiers at the foot of the mountain hurriedly left the forest's edge. All eyes were on the burning woods—now a sea of fire. In everyone's mind, there was only one thought: victory in war.
With flames this huge, the enemy could only retreat. Once the fire died down, they could charge straight into the center of the Grant Domain. By then, the Grant Family would be powerless to stop them.
A sinister laugh echoed—Lydia Lien laughed wildly in the wind, gazing at the forest fire in the distance.
"Enough. No one is allowed to question my methods now—do as I say."
"You..."
Bella Liang was frustrated, but the fire was real and growing. With the wind, by morning the forest could be nothing but ashes, enemy included.
"In a few days, we'll take the Mountain Pass for sure. But your approach..."
Lydia Lien stepped up to Gus Bull, glaring at him.
"A few more days—how many lives will that cost? Twenty thousand? Thirty thousand? Fifty thousand?"
Lydia Lien's voice rose sharply. Gus Bull and Bella Liang were left speechless, staring at her.
"We've lost. From now on, we won't question your battle plans."
"Good. Commander Bella Liang, I want you to quickly head west and command the operation near the forested Mountain Pass. Begin the assault at dawn. My forces have already moved east, to the right side of the Pass—the enemy will likely retreat. My troops will push directly through the Pass toward the south. The enemy's only option now is to take as much grain from the southern fields as possible. Our top priority is to seize the grain."
"You don't need to tell me."
Bella Liang immediately mounted her horse and ordered fifty thousand soldiers to follow her to the left side of the Mountain Pass. Once the three armies entered, they could wipe out the remaining Grant Family forces along the way and encircle any troops retreating from the Pass, consuming them entirely.
"Life or death—see for yourself. Use your own eyes."
Phoenix Yu grabbed Edward Grant as soldiers continued hauling water from the lake below, pouring it into the eastern forest. The towering flames were now close at hand.
"If we don't leave now, everything here will burn. Think carefully, Edward Grant—this isn't the time to lose your head."
Edward Grant stood dumbfounded, holding a bucket of water, staring at the distant inferno. His expression was complicated, as if a heavy weight pressed on his chest. All around, the soldiers were terrified, exhausted, and despairing.
"All troops, listen! Take everything you can—evacuate the Mountain Pass!"
Phoenix Yu shouted. Edward Grant remained frozen in place. Chaos erupted inside the Pass as soldiers scrambled to carry the most vital grain down the mountain.