Beneath the dark silhouettes, smoke and dust billowed, an endless black tide that stretched across the mountains and filled every corner of sight! This only served to accentuate the massive shadow floating in the sky like a solitary island.
Was this the rumored three-million-strong Demon Dragon Legion? And added to that, the notoriously infamous Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master.
Everyone felt an icy chill seep into their very bones, like lambs trembling before a ferocious beast.
With such a massive Demon Dragon Legion advancing in unison, the sheer, vast momentum was astonishing. Even the battle-hardened Black Flag soldiers found themselves gasping for breath under the terrifying aura!
The black tide rapidly closed the distance. When they were fifty meters from the alert line, countless volleys of arrows and catapult stones rained down upon the city walls.
The first wave of attack from the Demon Dragon Legion had finally begun!
Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, heavy, muffled whistling and roaring filled the air as countless arrows and stones hammered the battlements.
"Take cover!"
Swish! The warriors, previously arrayed in a single line along the ramparts, swiftly retreated into their shelters.
Thud! Thud! Thud! The massive stones slammed into the thick city walls or the ground atop them with blinding speed. Rumble! The solid bluestone pavement shuddered under the terrifying impact of the boulders, sending out distorted ripples like those cast on a calm lake! And this insane barrage of rock fire seemed endless, never pausing for an instant! Wave after wave! As if determined to smash the tall, thick walls into dust.
The Demon Dragon Legion’s ranged attacks were ferocious and sharp. Perhaps due to the disparity in individual power, even fighting from an unfavorable terrain, the arrows and stones launched by the Demon Dragon Legion possessed a far greater range than those of the human forces. In terms of ranged firepower, the human faction held no advantage whatsoever!
The defensive siege crossbows only had an effective range within the alert line, making any current ranged attack futile. Thus, all they could do was wait.
Rumble, rumble, rumble! The dense rain of massive stones hammered down relentlessly for a full ten minutes! Under the cover of this stone shower, the dense, iron-armored phalanx of the Demon Dragon Legion rapidly approached the base of the walls. The warriors on the ramparts didn't even have a chance to peek out and retaliate, completely suppressed by the ranged assault of the Demon Dragon Legion.
However, the effect of the Demon Dragon Legion’s ranged attack was limited merely to suppressing fire!
The defenses atop the walls were still watertight. The warriors utilized the geographical advantage and the cover of the parapets, sustaining no significant damage. Everyone waited in silence.
Years of constant conflict had accustomed the warriors to the fanatical fighting style of the Demon Dragon Legion, whose favorite and most utilized tactic was a forceful charge to seize the battlements!
The fight for control of the ramparts would inevitably be the most intense close-quarters combat!
But it would not be easy for the Demon Dragon Legion to cross the alert line and reach the walls.
Yin Hu stared fixedly at the rapidly approaching Demon Dragon Legion below the walls, meticulously calculating their distance!
Finally, as the black iron phalanx crossed the conspicuous alert line!
"Magic attack."
"Catapult attack."
"Heavy arrow assault!"
Boom! The defending side finally launched its counterattack!
All the mages began chanting, unleashing their spells: Fireball, Lightning Bolt, Bursting Flame, Ice Roar—all manner of magic rained down like a tempest!
And mixed within this dense magical storm were colossal stones and long, powerfully propelled arrows, forming a rain of death capable of obliterating everything!
The Demon Dragon Legion, caught in the sea of fire, immediately let out a deep, muffled roar. The dense flames, powerful catapult stones, and heavy arrows gave them absolutely no space to maneuver. They could only rely on their robust armor and Battle Qi to endure, but such defenses would not last long. In just a short while, a large portion of the Demon Dragon warriors fell. Even the few who managed to reach the base of the walls were pulverized into paste by the overwhelming, cascading boulders and logs!
The clash between the conventional armies had finally drawn its tragic prelude!
Yet, on an open space atop the city wall, more than thirty thousand troops formed into the Thunder Formation, comprising Xing Ye, Xing Zhan, Feng Qingtian, and others, stood ready, staring intently at the colossal entity hovering in the sky.
"Still out of range!" Feng Qingtian carefully measured the distance. "What is it trying to do?"
The others could not fathom the Cult Master’s strange actions, but Xing Ye and the others felt a primal sense of unease!
"It's not attacking heavily, and it's not retreating—what is this about..." Xing Zhan murmured, puzzled.
"Hahahaha," the Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master's arrogant, triumphant laughter echoed from mid-air. "You'll soon learn the extent of my might."
"Keep bragging," Feng Qingtian scoffed dismissively. "It was sheer luck you didn't die last time."
"Hmph. Do you really think your tortoise shell is invincible?" The Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master sneered. "Today, I will show you what true means look like." With a sudden, deep roar!
That muffled sound was like a magic sound piercing the brain, causing everyone's heads to ache violently!
When the muffled roar faded, the sky suddenly darkened! From all directions, at the distant horizon, a massive cloud appeared, obscuring the sky, accompanied by a strange, buzzing sound!
"Ah! What is that!" Feng Qingtian cried out loudly, staring fixedly at the dark cloud that covered nearly half the sky.
"Ah, those are Demon Dragon Giant Moths," Xing Ye gasped.
"My heavens, so many of them." Xing Zhan's face shifted dramatically!
Buzz buzz buzz! The sky-covering Demon Dragon Giant Moths swooped down from all directions like low-flying bombers, charging toward Xing Ye and his group.
"Damn it, he intends to use the Demon Dragon Giant Moths to forcibly shatter the defenses of the Thunder Formation!" Mo Luo Tian Feng exclaimed. "Activate the Mo Luo Sacred Shield."
At this moment, even a fool could see the Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master’s wicked plan!
The Demon Dragon Giant Moths were arguably the most terrifying unit among all Demon Dragon warriors, superior in speed, defense, and attack power. Even more frightening was their ability to fly!
However, in previous battles, the Demon Dragon Giant Moths had not appeared on the battlefield, so the others had never witnessed their power. But now, the Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master had summoned such a vast number of them from who knows where!
These terrifying aerial assassins were simply impossible for conventional troops to resist! In the blink of an eye, they swept over the city walls! Ground-based magic, heavy swords, and catapults couldn't even touch a single one of them!
"Damn it, they broke through!" Ji Du and Yin Shuang’s faces fell, turning frantic, yet they were helpless!
Although the Thunder Formation was formidable, its massive area of occupation—thirty thousand people—made it inherently inflexible. The Orc armies, having suffered losses twice, had naturally devised a countermeasure.
A frontal ground assault could not possibly breach the Thunder Formation's defense. And wary of the Thunder Formation's power, the Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master dared not attempt close combat. Therefore, he resorted to using flying elite units like the Demon Dragon Giant Moths, diving down from high altitude from all directions! Relying on the terrifying impact force of the Giant Moths to forcibly break through...
This way, even Xing Ye and Xing Zhan’s powerful ranged attacks could not completely stop them. Even more terrifyingly, once the Demon Dragon Giant Moths penetrated the formation, no matter how abnormal the defense of the Mo Luo Sacred Shield was, it couldn't completely negate such frenzied collisions.
Buzz buzz buzz, wooo-wooo!
Countless Demon Dragon Giant Moths screamed as they dove from the high skies!
Inside the formation, Mo Luo Tian Feng and the others were already desperately pushing their magic to the absolute limit to boost the power of the Mo Luo Sacred Shield’s defense!
Clang! Rumble! These rain-like diving Giant Moths were impossible to guard against. No matter how precise Xing Ye and Xing Zhan’s fireballs were, they couldn't defend against this omnidirectional aerial surprise attack!
Soon, quite a few Demon Dragon Giant Moths slipped past the interception of Xing Ye and Xing Zhan’s fireballs and slammed violently into the Mo Luo Sacred Shield, the dazzling wall of light!
Clang! Rumble! Deafening impact sounds exploded repeatedly, shaking everyone’s chests and threatening to tear their livers and guts apart!
The terrifying impact force made the dazzling light wall of the Mo Luo Sacred Shield flicker and distort continuously, like a lake struck by countless stones!
Clang, clang, clang, clang!
And with every collision, every distortion and ripple of the light barrier, countless splashes of bloody mist and severed limbs exploded outward—these were the Demon Dragon Giant Moths instantly killed by the powerful recoil force of the Mo Luo Sacred Shield! This demonstrated how utterly monstrous the shield's defensive capability was; the mere rebound force was enough to shake the massive Demon Dragon Giant Moths to death!
But even so, the sky-covering Demon Dragon Giant Moths charged down fearlessly!
"If this continues, Xing Ye and the others won't be able to hold on..." Ji Du’s old face was twisted into a painful mess, yet he had no recourse!
"Have we humans truly lost hope?" Yin Shuang murmured to herself, slumping onto her command chair.
"General, we have news from the Great City front," just then, a messenger pigeon runner hurried over. "The Prince is alive."
"What? The Prince is alive?" Ji Du cried out in joy. "Where is he?"
"At the Tian Hong Legion's outpost, in Viper Valley," the messenger replied.
"That's wonderful." Yin Shuang’s spirit soared. "Contact the Tian Hong Legion immediately."
As long as he lived, there must be a way! Both Ji Du and Yin Shuang held the same conviction!
On the city wall, the battle remained fierce!
The desperate fireballs launched by Xing Ye and Xing Zhan managed to strike down quite a few Demon Dragon Giant Moths, but compared to the overwhelming, tightly packed swarm, it was merely a drop in the ocean, insignificant!
Thud, thud, thud, thud! The impact of the Demon Dragon Giant Moths was like an unending storm. The light of the Mo Luo Sacred Shield grew dimmer!
Furthermore, quite a few mages sustaining the Mo Luo Sacred Shield could not bear the strain, vomiting blood and collapsing to the ground!
Some even suffered magical backlash due to intense magical depletion and exploded on the spot!
This was the first time the Thunder Formation had sustained casualties since its deployment! The situation was critically perilous!
Yet, the frenzied collision continued unabated!
"Divert all your magic to the Mo Luo Sacred Shield’s defense," Feng Qingtian decided instantly. The magical power of Mo Luo Tian Feng’s mage corps could not sustain this for long. While diverting all magic to defense meant abandoning attacks against the Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master, if they didn't switch to defense, they wouldn't need the Cult Master to act; these fearless Demon Dragon Giant Moths alone would be enough to destroy the Thunder Formation!
"Hahahaha, your time of death has come." The massive body of the Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master finally began to move. With just a slight tremor, it vanished from its spot!
When it reappeared, it was directly above the Thunder Formation! The thick Dark Demon Dragon Spear stabbed downward!
"Ah!"
Xing Ye and Xing Zhan's faces turned ashen! Was this truly the end?
"It's over." Feng Qingtian closed his eyes in despair! The Cult Master’s full-force spear thrust, even the defense of the Mo Luo Sacred Shield couldn't withstand it! Once the formation was broken, their fate was death!
"No!" On the city wall, Yin Hu and Yin Tao couldn't help but cry out in alarm!
Whoosh!
But at that moment! A sharp whistling pierced the air! Under the gloomy sky, a blinding flash of light suddenly appeared! Like the first ray of dawn cutting through a dark world, followed by an energy fluctuation capable of shattering heaven and earth!
"Ah! What is that!" The Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master’s expression changed drastically; it was an aura it knew far too well! The dazzling light instantly magnified, resembling a colossal Fire Bird approaching with astonishing speed, like lightning! No one could imagine the combination of speed and power involved! Space and distance were no longer effective constraints or limitations! That terrifying, destructive aura sent shivers down the Cult Master’s spine, causing its entire body to tremble, rendering it almost immobile! The image that had haunted its mind like a nightmare instantly became clear!
"Ah! It’s them! Damn it..." The Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master could scarcely believe its eyes! Ancient Heroes! They were Ancient Heroes!
No! Without hesitation, the Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master’s massive wings flapped frantically, heedless of everything. Its enormous body curved in an incredibly agile and swift arc, shooting toward the distance!
But it was fast, and the giant Fire Bird was faster!
Whoosh! The indistinct Fire Bird flashed past like lightning! It tore apart the gloom and darkness across the sky like the sunlight breaking the dawn!
Xing Ye and Xing Zhan hadn't even clearly seen what it was!
Whoosh, whoosh! Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss! The overwhelming, diving Demon Dragon Giant Moths were swept away like dead leaves in a gale, exploding into nothingness without warning!
"Ah! What was that!" This aura! What exactly was this! Even with the cultivation levels of Xing Ye and Xing Zhan, they couldn't react in time! The Fire Bird, like an illusion, struck the rapidly flying, colossal body of the Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master with unbelievable precision and speed, like a guided missile!
Clang! Rumble! Amidst the muffled roaring came the Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master’s incomparably piercing shriek! A massive ball of light suddenly exploded in the sky! Blinding everyone’s eyes! And within that brilliant light, countless vague fragments and gray shadows drifted down like raindrops, scattering everywhere!
"Ah!" "What is that..." "What on earth happened?"
No one knew what had occurred, but Xing Ye, Xing Zhan, and the others clearly knew that in the explosion just now, the aura of the once-almighty Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master had vanished!
No one dared to believe it; the Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master was instantly annihilated in a single move, without even a chance to flee or fight back! Everyone was dumbfounded! Staring at the exploding ball of light in the sky!
After the light faded! Two indistinct figures gradually became visible! Floating quietly in the sky!
"Who..." "Who on earth is it..." "Phoenix Sky War God." "And there are two of them." "Ah, it’s... it’s Old Man," Xing Ye and Xing Zhan exclaimed simultaneously! Although they were far away, that familiar silhouette among the two allowed Xing Ye and Xing Zhan to recognize who they were immediately!
"Am I dreaming?" Feng Qingtian instinctively rubbed his eyes. "It really is him."
"But who is the other one?" Everyone could sense the figure clad in the Phoenix Sky Demon Armor beside Jiu Yao Shen Zhen, radiating a terrifying aura! Even without seeing it clearly, the others could guess that the one who killed the Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master must be that person!
"Could that be an Ancient Hero?"
In the 3778th year of the Sacred Word Calendar! The 26th year of the Divine Calendar! The full-scale invasion by the Orc race was finally repelled by humanity! In this war of humanity against the Orcs, the Ancient Heroes, who had been missing for ten thousand years, reappeared on the Marfa Continent! It was because of this that humanity was finally able to defeat the Dark Demon Dragon Cult Master and achieve final victory!
In October of the same year! The elite forces composed of the finest generals drawn from the four human nations launched an offensive into the Orcs' main base, Woma Forest, but failed to find any trace of the Orc race! However, they discovered numerous shipbuilding docks along the coast, leading to the deduction that the Orc race had built ocean-faring vessels and left Woma Forest! Thus, the Orc race finally withdrew from the Marfa Continent! Humanity entered a rare era of peace!
In the 3778th year of the Sacred Word Calendar, the 26th year of the Divine Calendar, the various tribes of the Snow Region Continent finally laid aside their worldly hatreds and united to establish the fifth nation on the Marfa Continent—the Snow Region Empire! You Yue, the young leader of the former Han Ridge Tribe, became the Emperor of the Snow Region Empire, historically known as Emperor You Yue! Seth served as Prime Minister! In the same year, the Snow Region Continent established diplomatic relations with the nations of the Marfa Continent!
Although the Orc race had withdrawn from the Marfa Continent, no one knew where they had gone! This meant that no nation on the continent dared to let down its guard! To prevent the human factions from slaughtering each other again and creating an opportunity for the Orcs, and also weary of the endless warfare, the people were finally willing to sit down at the negotiating table with peace in mind!
In the 3778th year of the Sacred Word Calendar, the 26th year of the Divine Calendar, the Demon Dragon Empire, the Beiqi Empire, the Feng Mo Empire, and the Cang Yue Empire signed a permanent peace treaty in the Demon Dragon capital, Demon Dragon City. With this, the war among human factions that had lasted for over three thousand years finally came to a perfect conclusion!
In the original outline, Wandering Through Marfa was supposed to conclude here! To be honest, after the introduction of Heavenly Gate, the Mall, and Heroes, I stopped playing Legend! In my opinion, the most classic version of Legend was from 1.76 to 1.80; anything after that gradually lost the original fairness and entertainment aspects of Legend, becoming increasingly commercialized and profit-driven, especially after the introduction of Heavenly Gate, the Mall, treasure chests, and keys—if you had money, you were king; if you didn't, you couldn't play. This was the fundamental reason I eventually abandoned Legend.
I didn't play the Hero version much and don't know how to write it, but I will try my best to finish writing it. Whether it turns out well or not, I cannot guarantee! I can only say I will strive to give it a proper beginning and end! Legendary super-equipment that hasn't appeared before, such as Dragon Slaying, Fury Slasher, Xuan Tian, Heaven Suppressor, and items like the Paralysis Ring and Protection Ring, will appear in subsequent chapters! At the same time, I am attempting to write this in the third person; everyone can treat this volume as a standalone part!