Chapter 1053: East City Alarm

Chapter 1042: The East Gate Alarm Bell

They raised torches, attempting to disperse the crowd, as most mind-controlling spells fear fire. However, the frenzied civilians stared blankly, even lunging to bite the arms holding the torches. Afraid of fire? Not even close!

"What kind of mind-controlling trick is this?" Wen Daolun murmured to himself. He ignited a small flame at his fingertip and pressed it onto the forehead of another frenzied civilian. The latter screamed, fell backward, and stopped struggling.

Wen Daolun then heard Meng Shan shout, "Bugs! They're controlled by bugs! Knock them out and the bugs crawl right out!"

Bugs? Wen Daolun looked down at the unconscious man and saw a black beetle, about the size of a fingernail, crawl out of his nostril. It flapped its wings twice and flew away. Wen Daolun seized the opportunity, took out his spider silk gloves, and snatched the beetle.

The beetle thrashed wildly in his hand, surprisingly powerful. Wen Daolun even felt his grip loosening. He braced himself before opening his palm, and the beetle immediately flew towards his mouth and nose. However, halfway there, it seemed to lose interest in Wen Daolun, turned, and flew off to find someone else. Wen Daolun followed it, watching it fly into an alley and try to enter an ordinary household. Only then did he recapture it and incinerate it with true fire. The beetle shrieked horribly, dying only after about ten seconds. This posed a problem, as not all warriors could manipulate true fire.

At this moment, with the strange bugs controlling civilians, the city streets became chaotic. Combined with the influence of the Emperor's Dew, sounds of fighting, screaming, and breaking objects echoed everywhere. The East Gate was in trouble. Civilians controlled by the strange bugs were scrambling for the city gate's hoisting ropes, fearless of blades or spears. They simply lunged and twisted. If the ropes were twisted open, the drawbridge would lower, and the enemy forces outside would storm in.

Although the city guards tried their best to push them back, they couldn't withstand dozens of people rushing towards them. Each civilian grasped the capstan as if it were pure gold, refusing to let go. Meng Shan roared, leaping twelve meters. He landed with a resounding crash, instantly knocking out seventeen or eighteen civilians. The remaining ones were left seeing stars from the impact. Meng Shan grabbed two heads and violently knocked them together, rendering both unconscious.

The beetles that crawled out of their orifices could be easily crushed by the city guards with a few random stabs of their swords. However, even civilians holding awls couldn't kill them. Meng Shan was no fool; he understood after a quick look: "Primal energy! They fear primal energy!" Primal energy was the nemesis of almost all supernatural creatures and the bane of arcane arts. But ordinary civilians didn't possess it.

Wen Daolun, who had just rushed over, also heard it. He paused, silently repeating the words "primal energy" several times. There were too many beetles, possessing too many people. How long would it take to expel them one by one? Could the guard unit knock out everyone? What about the battle at the city gate? What about the enemy forces outside?

Then, Wen Daolun saw the giant bell on the corner tower of the city wall. This specially crafted bronze bell was three meters in diameter, and it took a sentinel's full strength to ring it. It was called the "Alarm Bell," and its ringing signaled an external invasion. Since Panlong City had conquered Yuheng City, it had only rung twice: once during the river bandit attack over a year ago, and again today.

A thought flashed through his mind, and he immediately dashed towards the city wall, followed closely by several guards. Reaching the bronze bell, he bit his index finger and used his blood to draw several talismans on the bell. Then he pressed his official badge onto the striking ram and told the guards behind him, "Ring the bell, quickly!" Two guards stepped forward, lifted the striking ram, and slammed it against the bronze bell. "Clang!" A loud bell toll immediately resonated throughout the eastern part of Yuheng City. With the blessing of Wen Daolun's official badge, both the striking ram and the great bell emitted a faint green glow. The primal energy was taking effect.

The bell tolled again and again, faster and more urgently with each strike. Under the influence of Wen Daolun's "amplification spell," the bell's penetrating power became even more astonishing. Healthy people felt their minds sway, while those controlled by the strange bugs stopped their erratic movements, pressed their hands to their ears, collapsed to the ground, and shrieked in agony. After only a few screams, they passed out. The strange bugs crawled out of the humans' orifices, staggering as if intoxicated and struggling to fly. The East City Guard quickly moved in for the kill, repeatedly stabbing them, taking advantage of their weakened state.

Just then, a cluster of crimson fireworks suddenly erupted in the south. The South Gate was also in distress? Clearly, the enemy had split their forces. Fushan Lie had truly gone all out this time, managing to gather so many troops. Wen Daolun glanced south, knowing that no matter how anxious he was, there was nothing more he could do. He couldn't be in two places at once, so he could only focus on the East Gate for now. As for the South Gate, with Liutiao and Huang Qian guarding it, it should be safe for the time being.

At that moment, a rolling drumbeat suddenly sounded from outside the South Gate. The guards behind Wen Daolun peered over the wall, startled and delighted: "Reinforcements are here!" They were all standing on the city wall. Wen Daolun turned and saw a fresh force charging out from behind the sprawling Jinmao army outside the city. "It's Cai Qiyong!" Wen Daolun recognized the charging general at a glance; it was He Lingchuan's young deputy, Cai Qiyong, who had been promoted just six months prior and was also under twenty years old. For Cai Qiyong's first independent command, He Lingchuan had him lead eight hundred troops to assault the rear flank of the Jinmao army.

Although the Jinmao army numbered over two thousand, the sudden arrival of the Emperor's Dew immediately disrupted their morale. Fushan Lie, hailing from the Beijia military, looked down on the Jinmao army, deeming its combat strength mediocre. That was why he ordered them to attack Yuheng's East Gate. And true to his assessment, this unit did not disappoint: while the front-line soldiers were still attacking the gate, those in the rear stood in place, heads tilted skyward, busy catching the Emperor's Dew with open mouths. Some even pulled out more cloth, catching the dew and licking it as it fell. It was a pity they had joined the army so hastily this time and brought no containers. The Emperor's Dew had an irresistible allure for living beings, akin to a person who has been without water for three days suddenly stumbling upon a lake—that desperate, head-first urge to drink deeply was hard for ordinary people to resist. In extraordinary times, the quality of an army was immediately apparent. The eight hundred Yuheng soldiers who had just charged out of the shadows marched with firm steps and surging killing intent, almost completely ignoring the spiritual dew falling from the sky. Their eyes were fixed only on the enemies awaiting slaughter. The two armies clashed, and battle cries shook the heavens. The Jinmao army was unprepared for the ambush from behind. Their generals roared commands, but the soldiers were slow and panicked, turning very slowly.

On the city gate, Wen Daolun's heart swelled with excitement: "What a chance! Quick, charge out and attack them from both sides!" Although Zhao Linyang was primarily responsible for internal affairs, he was also temporarily in charge of the East Gate's military matters. How could he ignore such a good opportunity? Hundreds of warriors inside the gate were eager to charge out. However, no one gave the order for the East Gate to open. Where was Zhao Linyang?

Wen Daolun looked around but couldn't find him. He made an immediate decision, standing on the city wall and shouting down, "I am Wen Daolun! East Gate army, heed my command: Open the gate and attack!" He had diligently managed Yuheng City's administration for over a year, and most of He Lingchuan's subordinates recognized him. There was no officer present with higher authority, so his words were commands. As soon as he spoke, the mechanisms ground loudly, and the city gate swung open. Before the drawbridge had fully lowered, hundreds of warriors roared as they charged out, joining Cai Qiyong's force in a pincer attack to thoroughly defeat the Jinmao army. For over a year, Jinmao had been consistently harassing the border with minor provocations. Yuheng City, focused on its own development, usually ignored these actions. But that didn't mean the Yuheng soldiers had simply swallowed their pride. Now they had a legitimate reason to kill and vent their frustration—what Yuheng soldier wouldn't want to swing their blade with satisfaction?

However, just as Wen Daolun was about to duck his head, he suddenly caught a fleeting glimpse of a shadow from the corner of his eye. A nearby guard yelled, "Watch out!" and both guards lunged to intercept. These two personal guards had followed him for over a year, from Yuheng City all the way back to Panlong City. They were highly skilled and fiercely loyal. Wen Daolun saw them fighting several strange figures. They appeared to be two nearly human-sized mantises, and three or four, uh, bees? Those two monsters only had the mantis's characteristic scythe-like forelimbs and upper body, but lacked the mantis's large abdomen. Their hindquarters resembled a flea's, creating afterimages in the air with a light leap. The other few bees were of an unknown species, each larger than a human fist, with yellow and black stripes across their bodies.

As soon as Wen Daolun saw them, he caught a strange scent that made his head feel dizzy. He quickly cast a wind-summoning spell to disperse the peculiar scent, simultaneously warning, "Their pollen is poisonous!" The bees' lethal weapons were not just the stingers on their tails; even the fragrant powder released by their rapidly beating wings contained a mind-numbing poison. It was fortunate that all three had primal energy protecting them, otherwise, this scent would quickly incapacitate living beings. Both guards were busy fighting and couldn't spare a moment to respond. Wen Daolun, from behind, used his divine abilities to help them counterattack. Meng Shan, who was on the ground, also noticed the strange situation at the city gate and quickly rushed up.

The good fortune didn't last long. After only about five seconds, one guard was caught off guard, and his movements ceased. Wen Daolun watched as a grotesque folding blade protruded from the back of the guard's neck, with barely a drop of blood shed. The sole remaining guard struggled desperately, facing perilous odds. Meng Shan had just reached the city gate, about to let out a roar and rush to provide support, when he heard a familiar voice beside him: "Steady yourself, prepare to charge."

Meng Shan, who always followed the commands of this voice's owner, immediately stopped without hesitation. He lowered his body, his hind legs pushing off the ground for leverage— "Clang, clang!" With several loud tolls, the alarm bell rang out again. This time, the bell's toll was louder than all previous ones combined. Not only was it clearly audible throughout Yuheng City, but even in Jinmao City across the river! It was as if muffled thunder in the distance had suddenly erupted. Even with primal energy protecting him, Wen Daolun felt his ears ringing, his head spinning, and his mind reeling, almost spitting out a mouthful of old blood. The insect demons fared even worse; they were so shaken that they saw double. The bees fell to the ground, and the mantises collapsed.

Wen Daolun turned his head and saw that someone had appeared beside the bronze bell, capable of lifting the 150-kilogram striking ram with one hand and ringing the giant bell with resounding clangs. However, the light emanating from the striking ram and the giant bell was dark red, far more intense than the primal energy Wen Daolun had imbued. Although Wen Daolun was also an official from Panlong City, he didn't command troops in Yuheng City, and his primal energy was far from this level. The bell's toll, amplified by this power, inflicted even greater damage on the insect demons. Immediately after, Meng Shan charged, knocking one of the giant mantises directly off the city wall. The figure by the bronze bell also flashed over, killing a strange bee with a single stab of a blade.

Wen Daolun was overjoyed: "Commander He!"