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nTranslator: Nyoi-Bo Studio Editor: Nyoi-Bo Studio

nUnder the hazy moonlight, a team of prepared soldiers walked toward the forest, about a hundred men strong. Between them were two Spellcasters dressed in white robes. Beside the spellcasters were ten archers with longbows in their hands. The outer circle was comprised of infantry in black heavy armor.

n“Barker, it’s too quiet around here. Something seems off!” As they neared the forest, a Black Armor Guard looked around uneasily. “Could it be that the Rossi forces have set up an ambush here?”

n“Oh Yiblis, they turned into cowards a long time ago. They wouldn’t dare come out now; they don’t have the gall!” The soldier called Barker did not seem concerned. He looked fiercely at his partner. “Joseph, you usually aren’t this paranoid. Could it be that you gave all your strength and courage to those ladies last night?”

n“Hehe, those ladies felt good indeed. Their boobs were larger than rice bowls!”

n“That’s right, Joseph, you sure got lucky. Being pleased seven or eight times in a single night? You’re so tired that you’re still shivering even now, haha!”

n…

nIt was a relatively peaceful time as the Rossi soldiers had been unable to strike recently. Furthermore, they had the numbers advantage. The soldiers did not care much for Joseph’s worry, and they teased him mercilessly. Their conversation revolved around women and alcohol. Some said that they could down two barrels of wine in a sitting, and some said that they could torture a lady a dozen times over the night. Their stories got more and more ridiculous.

nAs they laughed, the soldiers walked into the forest, completely unaware of the fist-sized Horned Bee Beasts within the bushes and treetops. No one noticed the strange, fresh mud on the ground.

nThis small forest was situated between the army barracks and town center, still a great distance away from Terras Forest. The patrol team came here frequently, and the Rossi forces had never dared infiltrate this area.

nOther than the suspicious Joseph, none of the other troops thought that there would be any danger. Even the leader of the patrol team was no exception; his brain was filled with the fair ladies. Over this period of time, most ladies with notable assets had hidden within Yang Ling’s castle. Fortunately, there were still a few ladies selling their bodies; otherwise, the soldiers would have been deprived.

n“Hey, something really is strange about this forest. It’s too quiet!”

nA Spellcaster looked around the small, dark grove of trees. Even though it was winter, there should still be some birds or insects coming out to search for food. But at that moment, other than the wind, there were no cries of any birds or insects. It was too strange.

nUnlike Joseph, who was usually slacking off, the Spellcaster was respected and his words naturally carried some weight. The leader of the patrol team did not dare hesitate; he immediately ordered the soldiers to get into formation where they stood as he ignited the torch he carried with him.

nThe Black Armor Guards were well-trained. They immediately formed a circular defensive formation, tightly surrounding the Spellcasters and archers. The two cautious Spellcasters joined hands and unleashed a brown protective barrier, guarding the group against any surprise attacks from their enemies.

nThe soldiers reacted quickly, but unfortunately, it was still too late!

nWith a roar, Evil Eyes came out from behind the trees. The group had not had the time to react when they saw a blinding light in front of them. In that instant, their eyes were overcome with pain, as if they had been blasted with scorching hot sand.

n“Ah, my eyes!”

n“Save me…”

n…

nCaught off guard, the outer ring of soldiers fell onto the ground rubbing their eyes. Even the leader of the patrol team was unable to reverse the situation with his loud shouts. Everyone tried to protect himself, and the formation fell into chaos!

nUnder the command of the Evil Eye Tyrant, the Evil Eyes shot out a continuous barrage of light bullets like rockets, destroying the protective spell cast by the Spellcasters in an instant. At such close range, the black heavy armor that the soldiers were so proud of was unable to withstand a hit. They became like a bunch of embarrassed ladies in the blink of an eye, helplessly exposed in front of a group of lechers.

nSeeing the disastrous situation, the soldiers who were lucky enough to survive fled in all directions. But they soon realized that it did not matter how fast they ran.

nAmidst the bushes, in the treetops, under the fallen leaves… Fist-sized Horned Bee Beasts suddenly emerged. They flew toward the soldiers, baring their sharp fangs and shooting out poisonous stingers.

nCaught off guard, several flustered soldiers became poisoned and slumped helplessly onto the ground. They looked on helplessly as the horde of Horned Bee Beasts approached them. Their foreheads, faces, and backs of their skulls all became priority targets. The munching sounds were continuous.

nIn the blink of an eye, limbs were torn off and heads were chewed in half. Some soldiers were even reduced to a pool of fresh blood as the Horned Bee Beasts swarmed forward. Looking at the bloody scene, the soldiers who were lucky enough to survive felt their legs buckle. They could not even stabilize themselves, much less launch a counterattack.

nThe air was filled with low-flying Horned Bee Beasts, and the ground was covered with Red-haired Tarantulas that had dug their way out of the earth. They shot out droplets of lethal poison, swarming forward like the tide.

nThe small forest had been surrounded by a group of Magical Beasts. The soldiers soon realized that there was no way for them to escape!

nSeeing that they had lost any advantage, the two Spellcasters and the leader of the patrol team did not dare battle any longer. They fled under the cover of a few soldiers in an attempt to break through the embattlement.

nBut just as they were about to charge out of the forest and thought that they were able to escape the crisis, a few bolts of purple lightning descended from the sky, instantly burning them to a crisp. They died on the spot.

nA perfect surprise attack!

nUnder the combined attacks of the Evil Eyes, the Horned Bee Beasts, and the spider army, the small patrol team crumbled!

nSoon, the one-sided massacre ended. The air was filled with the thick metallic stench of blood.

nA few barbarians dragged the corpses of the soldiers to deep pits that they had dug previously, piling stones onto the ground after filling the pits with dirt. They then transplanted a few low lying bushes and some of the maize that could be found anywhere. Finally, Yang Ling cast a psychic spell, causing the bushes and maize to grow quickly. The disguise was perfect.

nWhile he was investigating the secrets of the Elven Sapling a few days ago, Yang Ling had accidentally discovered that he could greatly boost the growth of the Elven Sapling if he cast a psychic spell and injected the life force from his body into its stem.

nIn just a few days, the Elven Sapling had grown from the height of a person to about five meters tall. After repeated tries, Yang Ling found out that the green life force had the same miraculous effect on other plants.

nGoode walked out after he saw Yang Ling recall the Horned Bee Beasts, Evil Eyes, and spiders. He muttered something, and wind and rain suddenly swept down, dispelling the metallic stench in the air and washing away the traces of blood on the ground.

n“Hehe, let’s go find the next batch of unlucky victims!”

nAfter confirming that the traces had been erased, Yang Ling let out a cold smile and led the group away quickly.

nAnother group Black Armor Guards had heard the action, but by the time they arrived at the scene, they were unable to find any clues except for the traces of water. A full patrol team, a hundred men strong, had vanished into thin air.

nYang Ling’s surprise attacks were unpredictable and didn’t leave behind any evidence. At the same time, the attacks of the Rossi forces became unusually fierce, causing the patrolling Black Armor Guards to fear for their lives.

nRenaya was elated after witnessing the power of the heavy crossbows, and he immediately accepted Yang Ling’s request for a hundred and fifty thousand Purple Crystal Coins. If they could severely damage Steve’s Black Armor Guards and foil the Banto Empire’s plans, they would have been willing to spend ten times that much.

nWith the mighty crossbows being wielded by the Rossi warriors who weren’t afraid of death, Steve’s patrol team soon suffered heavy casualties. He lost nearly seven hundred people in a mere three days, and coupled with the injured warriors, Steve only had about two thousand able-bodied soldiers left. The Rossi forces only had about a hundred casualties, which was exceptional when compared to the heavy casualties of the Black Armor Guards.

nAt a close range of about twenty meters, the black heavy armor of the Banto soldiers was ineffective, unable to defend against the heavy crossbows that seemed to have been summoned by the god of death. With no choice left, Steve could only retract his forces again.

nAside from his trips to flirt with Maryse at Shangri-La, he locked himself up within the army barracks. The soldiers no longer brazenly dared to collect taxes from the townspeople. They were afraid that they would fall into Rossi ambushes if they were not careful.

nHarribell suggested that in order to obtain the greatest benefit, Yang Ling should also launch attacks on the Rossi forces and make it look like the work of the Banto Empire. He took her advice.

nNo matter how carefully the Rossi soldiers hid themselves, they were unable to escape from the Horned Bee Beasts and their sharp senses. The Rossi soldiers were caught off guard by his Magical Beast army, and they didn’t have any chance to retaliate. Of the hundred or so Rossi soldiers that were killed, a large portion of them had died by Yang Ling’s hands.

nAfter a few of his teams had been exterminated, Renaya wrongly believed that a group of experts had come to reinforce the Banto soldiers. He no longer dared to attack recklessly. With the weather getting colder and colder, and the Banto reinforcements getting closer and closer, the situation was growing more and more tense. Renaya placed his hopes on Yang Ling. He would send someone to urge Yang Ling to personally lead his men to defeat Steve’s army daily, promising generous rewards.

nAt the same time, Steve’s reinforcements still hadn’t arrived, and he was now facing a new flood of devastating surprise attacks. Steve was in terrible shape. Without sufficient rations, winter clothing to ward off the cold, or enough priests and medical supplies… Without any other choice, he had to seek Yang Ling’s help time and time again.

nJust like that, with Harribell’s advice, Yang Ling began to profit from both sides. He not only attacked Steve’s forces, he also greatly exhausted the abilities of the Rossi soldiers, creating a solid foundation for his sole control over Wissen Town. Of course, he also earned a large number of crystal coins as the price of rations and medical supplies increased by several multiples, some items rising to ten times their original price.

nEverything had been prepared, and all that was left was to wait for the opportune moment!

nThe Banto and Rossi armies were fraught with worry, while Yang Ling saw images of his victory. When the time was right, he could personally lead his army in an attack, seizing complete control of Wissen Town.

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