Page 587

...Heh, the Amethyst Platform is the defensive fortress of Sacred Dragon Mountain. Even though it has been used no more than three times over the years, its reinforcement has never been abandoned. It is by no means comparable to the crumbling "Slumbering Ridge." No matter how strong I, a Wolfman, am, it would be difficult to truly deliver a devastating blow. If human reinforcements arrive, I lack the capability to wage a prolonged war. Only by exploiting the dragons' madness can I destroy this fortress both in will and substance. The dragons are not my true enemies—humans are...

While his thoughts raced, Chen Xuanfeng's hands never paused. Unlike his direct breakthrough to the "Slumbering Ridge" earlier, this time the enemy had fully reacted. His path forward was densely packed with warriors—from infantry wielding only a single spear to Dragoon Riders seated atop massive draconic mounts, simultaneously operating ballistae, polearms, and flails. The mountain path was nearly clogged with them, while the dragon-speaking mages continuously cast spells, coordinating with all forces on land and in the air to besiege this invader as terrifying as the Dragon Saint.

"Ha! The great wind rises, clouds fly—"

A colossal storm transformed into a thousand blades, sweeping aside and hurling back all enemies in his path. Next, sword techniques imbued with the power of the earth shattered the massive lesser dragons one by one. Against the swooping wyverns, overlapping light-shadow strikes pierced them, while the pursuing enemies behind faced the bone-chilling barrage of countless icy blades. Everywhere Chen Xuanfeng passed, it was as if a Golden Behemoth and an ancient Sacred Dragon had joined forces to trample through—all resistance was ruthlessly crushed.

However, by the time Chen Xuanfeng neared the Amethyst Platform Fortress, the dragons' "Reverse Scale Curse" had already been completed.

"Zzzzt—zzzt—zzzt—" A massive five-pointed star array loomed high in the sky, raining down dense disintegrating rays like a storm. Anything touched by the ghastly green light—be it rocks, soil, trees, flowers, humans, or Dragon Beasts—turned to dust in an instant, with no exceptions.

"Hmph, perfect timing!" Chen Xuanfeng sneered, accelerating once more while employing the Nine Yin Manual's movement techniques, flickering unpredictably within a radius of several zhang, preventing the pentagram's center from locking onto his position.

Amid this chase, Chen Xuanfeng arrived beneath the walls of the Amethyst Platform Fortress.

"All garrison troops, hear my command—fully encircle the enemy! Do not let him escape!" The roar came from the sky. Things were proceeding even more smoothly than Chen Xuanfeng had anticipated. Before he could further provoke the dragons, the elder dragons above had already issued a scorched-earth order, seemingly prepared to annihilate all defenders if it meant destroying Chen Xuanfeng.

That is, provided Chen Xuanfeng could escape disintegration.

Despite shifting positions over a dozen times per second, the disintegrating rain from the sky was simply too dense and covered too vast an area. Chen Xuanfeng was inevitably struck several times. Fortunately, the instant-death probability of this spell was inversely proportional to the target's strength—90% for ordinary people, but less than one in ten thousand for a powerhouse like Chen Xuanfeng. Combined with his decent luck, he successfully broke through to the fortress walls.

"Activate the 'Storm Dragon' barrier! All sixteen layers of shields—full deployment!"

By the time the Wolfman reached the walls, the defenders of the Amethyst Platform Fortress had fully activated the fortress's defensive systems. Though not as intricate as Fontainebleau's Twelve Star Palace Gate, this fortress, reinforced by dragons for centuries, still boasted proud defenses unmatched on the continent. The instantly deployed magic shields were not static but pulsed outward in wave after wave. Against such dynamic defenses, even wielding a divine weapon like the Sword of Divine Punishment would require considerable time to breach. And with that window, the dragons in the sky could deliver a fatal blow.

At least, that was what the fortress's defenders believed—until the enemy took an action far beyond their expectations.

"Activate the treasure—Anti-Magic Field—Self-Destruct Expansion Mode—"

Without hesitation, Chen Xuanfeng hurled a red sphere—the "Anti-Magic Orb"—the moment he touched the magic barrier. This war trophy, obtained when he slew the two archmages of forbidden spells of wind and fire, had been modified by the King of the Undead and the Liches into one of the key weapons for today's operation.

Of course, against the full might of the fortress, a single Anti-Magic Orb's power was still too weak. Even self-destructing to amplify its effect only created an unstable zone several dozen meters in diameter around the point of contact. But Chen Xuanfeng didn't need it to suppress the entire defensive barrier—just to disrupt a portion. Seeing the barrier's fluctuations destabilize, he immediately swung his sword without hesitation. Where the Platinum Lightning sword aura passed, the Wolfman's figure had already scaled the fortress walls.

"I doubt you'd understand if I spoke of karma and retribution, but since you razed my Qingcheng Fortress last time, be prepared for me to repay it a hundredfold today." Chen Xuanfeng let out a bloodthirsty laugh as his blades plunged into the ranks of the fortress defenders, unleashing another storm of bloodshed.

The highest-ranking officer in charge of the fortress was an old general named Andorai, a branch descendant of one of the five Dragon Knight families. Though not a Dragon Knight himself, he possessed the strength of a Blade Emperor. The Amethyst Platform Fortress had seen little battle over the centuries, but he himself had participated in numerous wars between the Yellow Dragon Empire and the Tiele Empire in his youth, accumulating rich defensive experience—hence his appointment. Unfortunately, no matter how experienced a commander was, none had ever faced a Sword Saint-level expert with just a city's garrison. Especially when the enemy had already breached the walls—it was like a pangolin crashing into an anthill. No tactics would work now.

Just as he stood frozen in hesitation, the elder dragons transmitted a command via psychic resonance—a tactic that left him dumbfounded.

"This... this is practically sending my soldiers to their deaths..." Yet despite his hesitation, the old general ultimately chose to obey. "Pass the order! All magical defenses of the fortress—deactivate! Mage battalions—expend every last drop of mana to immobilize the enemy! All other troops—swarm him! Even if you have to throw yourselves upon him, restrict his movement!"