CHAPTER 393: CHAPTER 384: NORTHERN MEN!

What does the Inferno on Earth look like?

Many soldiers had heard various storyteller versions, but felt that compared to what they were seeing now, those storytellers simply lacked imagination.

The entire crust of Beihai City had been turned over, magma and ash soil from underground were exposed, the once most beautiful and prosperous city in the Northern Territory was now a scorched wasteland, alive with writhing chunks of flesh, many of which were the shed skins of snakes, the rotten stench filling the entire city. This was all bearable, but what was truly unbearable was the ground littered with flesh orbs....

Those flesh orbs were clearly made up of people, a mass of them swallowed whole, melted into a mush inside the bellies of the giant serpents, and then spat out, cemented together by mucus, most of them already a blur of blood and flesh, but a few not completely dead, convulsing painfully inside the flesh orb, their eyes full of other people’s dissolved faces and fallen eyeballs....

"Ugh!!"

The sons of the Northern Territory often enlisted in the army and fought wars from the age of sixteen, particularly those of the noble bloodlines who had seen blood at a young age and had far greater endurance than those from the south, not to mention that those accompanying now were veterans of over a hundred battles.

Yet still, many were so disturbed by the sight before them that they couldn’t help but vomit incessantly.

The foremost Princely Heir also felt unwell, but was more angry.

The Lu Family, just because they lost a son, had unleashed such a catastrophe. How many beings in the Northern Territory had suffered deaths more miserable than those of pigs and dogs?

Did they not feel a shred of guilt after seeing all this?

"Princely Heir..." The deputy general next to him also had a grim expression. If possible, he truly wanted to skin and debone all of the Lu Family, soak them in a cesspit for half a month, then feed them to the Serpent Demon, to let them personally experience such desperation!

"Move, focus the soldiers’ spirits, and be careful."

The only good news was that it seemed quiet after being ravaged, and most of the Earth Serpents must have gone out to hunt for food. If so... perhaps there was a sliver of a chance....

While he thought this, the deputy general next to him suddenly pushed the Princely Heir away with force.

The next second, a Giant Serpent burst forth from the ground, biting the deputy general and shooting straight into the sky!

"Uncle Guo!!" The Princely Heir’s eyes were filled with rage, but before he could take any action, the ground around him churned, countless Giant Serpents emerged, the sky was obscured, dust billowed, and terrifying hisses combined with the surrounding scenes as if it were the apocalypse!

"Princely Heir, don’t worry about me, run!!"

The deputy general struggled in the serpent’s jaws above, while the soldiers below fell into chaos. Thankfully, after the trials of the past ten-plus days, most of them had developed some resistance to the Thousand-Fathom Giant Snakes that blanketed the sky.

However, the scene was still utterly despairing, because the number... was far too great!

It’s hard to imagine what it looks like when such massive creatures appear in groups, giving the feeling that the entire space, as far as the eye could see, was filled with these Giant Serpents, a sight so shocking and terrifying it drove one to despair.

"Charge! Everyone charge forward!"

Wang Shiyu realized in an instant that he had been outmaneuvered; while there were many Giant Serpents in Myriad Serpent Valley, their focused presence in Beihai had to be prearranged.

Who could it be?

Wang Shiyu’s mind flickered rapidly. The Lu Family couldn’t escape blame, but the decision to break through Beihai had been made only yesterday, attended by the highest-ranking Elders of the great families, and magicians in the hall establishing Technique contracts for those partaking in the meeting.

The soldiers and generals involved in the operation had been notified and forcibly included in the predawn hours. Once participation was confirmed, to prevent desertion, they were immediately incorporated into the teams for monitoring; there was no way to leak the information so quickly.

If pushed, there was only one possibility....

All the families had betrayed him!

It was simple, the Technique contract didn’t lie. If it didn’t take effect, it meant there was an issue with the magicians, that from the beginning they never truly established the contract, everything was a performance.

But a Technique contract like this, once established, would elicit a strong physical response, making it impossible to fake one-sidedly. Thus, the only possibility... was that the Military Generals of the noble families were acting as well!

Yet if so many families were acting, why didn’t they simply surrender?

Wang Shiyu closed his eyes and thought, quickly arriving at an answer.

In fact, they did not wish to surrender; they just wanted to abandon him. He brought his army to Beihai City, spreading news to lure a large number of Earth Serpents for a pre-emptive ambush while they... could more conveniently retreat and escape.

Perhaps the Lu Family and those behind the scenes never expected that the noble families of the north had long planned to abandon the billion civilians, had they?

With that thought, Wang Shiyu’s lips curled into a bitter smile.

In the end, above all else, remained the common sentiment of most families - he... still thought too highly of human’s bottom line!

In the midst of chaos, nearly half of the fifty thousand cavalrymen fell into the maws of serpents in moments, yet many nimble horsemen escaped the sea of snakes.

After all, they rode only the finest steeds, unafraid of demon bloodlines, galloping like the wind. Under years of exquisite horsemanship, even in such dire straits, nearly twenty thousand cavalrymen, following Wang Shiyu, managed to break out!

The multitude of giant serpents at the gates left them no way back; they could only sprint toward the seaside. Beihai City lay in ruins, oddly favorable to the cavalry at this moment. The landscape, no longer restricted as before, opened wide before them.

In less than half a moment, a group of soldiers had reached the docks!

"Everyone, get ready... to jump into the sea!!"

The Princely Heir used his vitality and bellowed loudly.

This had been the agreed strategy. Now, nearly all the ships in the Northern Sea had been destroyed, and these giant snakes were exceptionally destructive to vessels. To say nothing of their own ships, even those from Jiangnan that surpassed their era could not withstand these immense creatures; larger ships were merely targets.

Better to jump straight into the sea then, where, with a hint of Dragon Horse ancestry, the horses of the north maintained considerable speed. Although their stamina was not great, the snakes’ pursuit was not much better.

As tens of thousands of cavalrymen scattered in the sea, some were bound to escape. If they could swim to the nearby islands, resupply, there might still be a chance to break through to Jiangnan!

But such thoughts were doused with a bucket of ice water as they neared the dock.

It chilled them to the bone!

At the docks, an enormous serpent appeared, unlike any seen before. It slowly rose from the water, so massive that the surrounding Thousand-Fathom Giant Snakes seemed like mere earthworms in comparison!

All the soldiers, including Wang Shiyu, were wide-eyed in disbelief. This creature... could probably swallow Beihai City whole!

What monstrosity was this?

Wang Shiyu quickly found his answer... it must be... what his father once mentioned, the Mother Earth that nearly overturned the world!!

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"Mother Earth... truly lives up to the name," the Lu Family, watching from afar as the gigantic serpent head emerged, were excited.

This fearsome monster had eyes that rivaled the sun and moon, emitting a chilling gleam that made even the blazing sun lose its color. At the moment of its appearance, Beihai City seemed to plunge into coldness; even the intense sunlight lost its dazzle, a chilling shadow enveloping the entire city, and a rapid onset of cold spread swiftly!

"What a spectacle!" an elder gasped. Earth Serpents mostly feared sunlight. The enemy had chosen noon, when the sun shone brightest, to launch a cavalry raid on Beihai City. Risky, but it was undoubtedly an effective strategy. If it hadn’t been for the premature exposure, given the previous defenses of Beihai City, they might have actually managed to escape.

But unfortunately, they faced this unreasonable beast, whose sheer presence could change the entire situation!

Indeed, after Mother Earth’s emergence, the serpents of Beihai City became even more vibrant. With the shadow’s cover and a unique cold countering the heat, they regained their peak vitality for a moment and darted towards the escaping soldiers with unprecedented swiftness.

The cavalry watched with dread in their hearts. The serpents were faster now than at night. If they had been this swift earlier, escaping to this point would have been difficult.

"Princely... Princely Heir!!"

The deputy commander looked at his lord in despair.

With a creature capable of devouring the heavens ahead and myriad serpents in pursuit from behind, the situation seemed insurmountable, even for a god or Buddha!

It wasn’t just the deputy commander who despaired; hope had faded from the Princely Heir’s eyes as well.

It was clear to anyone... all hope was lost.

"Form up!" Finally, summoning the last bit of courage, the Princely Heir pointed his long spear towards the towering presence ahead and roared with all his might: "Charge!!"

The call to charge sounded, and the young general on his silver steed, under the obscured sun, shone like the brightest light, fearlessly charging towards the most terrifying darkness ahead!

"Charge!!"

All the soldiers’ blood heated once more, following their commander, who had never abandoned them, they faced the unprecedented horror!

The young general facing the darkness smiled amidst the echoes of fiery responses...

Perhaps... there really was no hope left for the world...

But Father... your son is not afraid, and neither are the men of the north!