Chapter 289 – Is Your Lineup Even Reasonable?

High above in the sky, within the void realm, two consciousness-based figures stood facing each other from a distance.

Across from him, the old general had hair and beard as white as snow, yet not a single wrinkle marked his face. His entire frame was tall and straight, holding a long halberd while clad in silver armor, with a grand cloak flapping sharply in the wind—truly majestic and extraordinary.

“Young lord, congratulations on reaching this stage. Next, this old man shall teach you what true command and leadership entail. Keep your eyes wide open, observe carefully and learn much.”

“I forgot to mention—in my time, I was hailed as a generation’s Military God.”

“So, losing to this old man is no shame. The true shame lies in failing to improve.”

“Come, let this old man see how skilled you are in command. Let’s see how many attempts it will take for you to safely defend these three cities against my assault.”

The old general spoke with soaring spirits, rambling on at length.

After a long pause, he glared at Mu Yuan. “Young man, don’t you have any thoughts to share?”

Recalling his past life, when he was revered as the ‘Shield of the Sky’ and idolized by countless youths, he sighed inwardly. Alas, times had changed, and few young people nowadays had likely even heard of his name.

This was no longer their era.

The old general grew melancholic again, waving his hand dismissively. “Let us convey our sentiments through the clash of armies instead.”

As his words fell, countless golden lights erupted across the vast earth, over a dozen kilometers away from the three towns.

Various types of troops emerged from the golden radiance—goblins, gargoyles, giant scorpions, dire oxen, gnolls, and more.

Catching sight of the troops under his command, the old general let out another sigh before casting aside all melancholy and distractions, becoming fully focused.

Under his direction, battalion after battalion advanced, cutting through thorns and thistles.

“As expected, it’s still predominantly common monster types,” Mu Yuan pondered.

Similar to the monster tides, the enemy before them overwhelmingly outnumbered the defending forces.

The enemy numbered in the tens of thousands.

Among them were large numbers of elite peak main forces, a considerable count of Third-Order Warlord Tier powerhouses, and even Fourth Order peak commanders leading the battalions.

Most crucially, compared to the monster tides, the assault force from the Orange Giant Tower was more elite and methodical.

They were already swiftly traversing the mountain forests, maintaining incredibly fast marching speeds while subtly preserving formations brimming with hidden lethality.

Mu Yuan had a premonition.

If challengers dispatched certain powerhouses to ambush them along the necessary route for a round of attrition, they might very well fall right into the old general’s trap.

These rapidly advancing battalions were like massive nets, waiting for prey to deliver themselves.

“Quite intriguing.”

Even though challengers ‘innately possessed the Heavenly Eye’ and held the advantage of defending fortified positions, clearing this stage remained extremely difficult.

First, due to the gap in command proficiency;

Second, due to the gap in raw strength.

Although Mu Yuan didn’t know whether the old general’s self-proclaimed title of ‘Military God’ was mere bravado, he had enough self-awareness. A general who had lived countless years and served as a guardian of the Orange Giant Tower most likely surpassed him in command ability.

Engaging in a battle of wits would likely lead him straight into the opponent’s traps.Thinking this, Mu Yuan did not adopt any unconventional tactics aside from arranging the town’s defenses.

He was prepared to advance steadily and strike sure blows. (×)

He was prepared to charge head-on. (√)

As these thoughts crossed his mind, one siege legion after another had already arrived outside the three towns. They began their first round of probing attacks.

And Mu Yuan…

“All troops, attack!”

“The best defense is a strong offense.”

Except for a few reserve forces, the main Tianyuan troops, who had long been ready for action, abandoned the advantage of the City Walls and charged directly toward the enemy forces.

The old General in the sky was fuming with rage.

“Who taught you to fight like this! Who taught you to fight like this!”

Are the young Lords these days so reckless?

The Lords who could reach this stage were already extremely few, and this challenger was so young—he must be a very promising individual. Yet such a fine seedling had grown crooked; how could the old General not be furious?

If he weren’t already thoroughly dead, he would have flipped open his coffin lid and crawled out.

The two armies clashed!

Outside Town One, the Undead Legion stirred up a black storm, slashing out terrifying Sword rays two to three hundred meters long.

Outside Town Two, the Human Race legion advanced rapidly. Shield-bearers resembled bulldozers, crushing everything in their path with overwhelming force. Archers transformed into humanoid Gatling guns, whooshing out volleys of arrows like rain.

Outside Town Three, the Treant Forest surged forward carrying the Snow Maidens, like a terrifying demonic entity, sweeping over and devouring one siege monster after another.

“These legions seem fairly elite, but it’s a pity they’re ruined by blind command.”

Relying on the power of their Military Souls, the three legions crushed everything in their path, advancing triumphantly.

However, the guardian was an old General with rich command experience. How could he not know how to deal with Military Soul Legions?

On the surface, the three legions were slaughtering freely, but any experienced commander could see that these legions were already trapped.

Trapped in a situation where advance and retreat were equally difficult.

The siege soldiers maintained a rhythm of constant harassment, both firmly biting the Military Soul Legions and dispersing their positions to ensure that not too many would be annihilated by large-scale skills at once.

When a legion resonated and manifested its Military Soul, it was indeed formidable and invincible. But how long could a full legion maintain Military Soul resonance? Half an hour, at most an hour.

That was under conditions of minimal consumption.

Currently, the monster army surrounded them tightly, constantly wearing them down. Under such circumstances, the Military Soul Legions might not even last twenty or fifteen minutes, let alone half an hour.

In such a short time, how many enemies could the three Military Soul Legions eliminate?

One or two thousand? Or three or four thousand?

Even if they could wipe out ten or twenty thousand enemy troops, it would still be a certain defeat.

Moreover, the troop types being eliminated were merely the ‘cannon fodder’ within the attacking army. The true war-commander level powerhouses and commander-level leaders stayed in safe positions, attacking from a distance.

No matter how powerful the Military Soul Legions were, once stuck in the quagmire, they could do nothing against them.

At that moment—

Boom—

A massive forest-blue figure flew out from within the black mist. The black mist surged forward accordingly, as if serving as its chariot.

As the black mist advanced, giant wings spread high, and an abyssal, prison-like pressure suddenly spread out.

Ten meters! A hundred meters! A thousand meters!

Many monsters besieging the Military Soul Legions suddenly froze, their eyes revealing instinctive terror. Under the gaze of those forest-blue vertical pupils in the sky, they seemed like insects that could be crushed at any moment.These monsters were, at the very least, elites who had stepped into the Elite Rank.

Under the dragon’s might, they wouldn’t collapse on the spot, but they couldn’t avoid being greatly affected. Those farther away moved sluggishly, while those closer trembled like sieves.

Seizing this opportunity, the Military Soul Legion advanced with unstoppable force, aiming at areas where the enemies were densely packed, and struck down one black sword ray after another, as if intending to cleave the very earth apart.

“It’s actually a Frost Dragon.”

In the sky, the old General commented, “Indeed, in a large-scale war like this, a single Frost Dragon is worth many, many Fourth-Order Experts. It possesses the ability to turn the tide in a local battlefield.”

“However, don’t forget, there are three battlefields here.”

But as soon as he finished speaking.

On the left, outside the second town, a crimson Red Dragon soared into the sky. It cast down vast draconic might and hurled blazing scarlet flames.

On the right, outside the third town, a blue dragon also took to the air. As it spread its draconic might, it deployed a fluorescent blue barrier that actually absorbed numerous spells and reflected them back.

For a moment, the defending forces’ momentum surged once more.

This was the strategic value of Dragons.

Other experts could only protect themselves in such large-scale wars, but Dragons had the ability to ignore low-Rank attacks while spreading draconic might that didn’t consume their own energy, weakening enemies across a wide area.

However,

“The blue dragon at the third town is the Water Mirror Dragon, right? It doesn’t possess the strong Physical Body defense of ordinary Dragons, and its Rank is somewhat low, not yet having entered the Fourth Order.”

“Compared to the Frost Dragon and the Red Dragon, the battlefield where the Water Mirror Dragon is located is your weak point.”

The old General had a sharp eye, instantly identifying which dragon was the slacker.

He commanded the first and second battlefields to maintain their maneuvering posture. However, under his command, the legion at the third battlefield launched a strong offensive.

He was the commander-in-chief.

Across the various battlefields, there were Fourth-Order commanders providing more detailed command. There were also Third-Order experts leading elite squads, patrolling the surroundings and seeking opportunities to strike.

Ding ling~

A light bell chime rang out, yet it spread eerily far and wide.

Surrounding Third-Order experts leading elite squads rolled their eyes back, powerless to resist, as ice spikes shot from a distance pierced through their chests.

A wisp of gray smoke simultaneously flew out from the Treant Forest, speeding toward the location of a Fourth-Order commander in the distance.

The gray smoke was like lightning, covering a thousand meters in the blink of an eye.

The gray smoke was also like an arrow, piercing through several Minotaur Warriors blocking its path as if they were cardboard.

A Spear appeared, followed by a dark, powerful hand gripping it tightly. A robust figure materialized from the gray smoke, his muscle lines bulging as he brandished the Spear, stirring up a black-gray coiling dragon.

“Bold indeed.”

“But thinking you can defeat the officers under my command with just this is far too simplistic.”

“The generals under my command are no weaklings either.”

This was a Peak Fourth-Order Minotaur Chieftain. His physique was as massive as a small hill, and he wielded two Giant Axes larger than bed planks.

His back arched high, battle axes swinging down, his large eyes revealing a human-like mockery.

The next moment, the clang of metal rang out.

The Minotaur Chieftain’s hands split open at the tiger’s mouth, trembling as he staggered backward, leaving deep imprints on the ground.

However, he wasn’t alone. As Rakshasa pressed his advantage, the surrounding guards and distant shamans all sprang into action.A dim yellow light enveloped the area.

Giant axe blades formed a net-like pattern.

But Rakshasa grew two additional pairs of arms from his back. One pair clapped together, shattering the yellow light with a crash; the other pair swept outward, creating countless palm prints that filled the sky.

The third-order Bison Guards were all sent flying backward, crashing into countless soldiers.

Rakshasa took several steps forward, thrusting his Karma-Burning Fiend Spear from the side.

Thud—

The long spear pierced through the Bison Commander’s neck.

The next moment, boom—

Countless long-range attacks rained down. The old General intended to use the Bison Commander as bait to eliminate this dark, burly man, but Rakshasa had already vanished from his original position.

When he reappeared, he was hundreds of meters away.

Holding his spear, he thrust and swiftly took down another Fourth-Order Expert.

He charged in and out seven times, treating the enemy army as nothing.

He truly lacked the ability to ignore numerous attacks and couldn’t single-handedly confront the entire army. However, he was far, far stronger than any Fourth-Order Expert.

No Fourth-Order Expert could withstand three moves from him.

With no one able to restrain him, he moved through the battlefield as if it were unguarded.

“Such a powerful expert…”

The old General was somewhat surprised.

But at that moment, in Battlefield One and Battlefield Two, Bone Two Three Four danced through the ranks, while Uta in his normal form roamed freely in all directions.

Asun soared through the sky, shrieking as he darted back and forth with Godspeed;

Lu Liu manifested the shadow of a Divine Venerable, the Giant Spirit God’s Divine Might shaking the earth;

Isloria strolled through the chaotic army, never lifting a hand, yet killing countless enemies with mere orbs.

“Isn’t the number of such powerful experts a bit excessive?!”

The old General fell silent.

As a man of his stature, he wasn’t surprised by the combat prowess displayed by commanders like Rakshasa and Lu Liu. He had seen many such top-tier experts. He had even encountered some Fourth-Order Experts at the peak who were stronger than these commanders.

However,

having so many top-tier experts all belonging to the same territory was somewhat exaggerated!

Based on this Lord’s appearance and the ranks of these commanders and troops, he estimated that the Lord had only established his territory for two or three years at most.

In such a short time, how had he managed to recruit and cultivate so many top-tier experts?

His future held great promise.

“Young man, I’m beginning to see you in a new light.”

“Regardless of your command skills, gaining the recognition of so many top-tier commanders means you, as a Lord, are anything but ordinary.”

“But don’t think this is over yet.”

“No, it is you who is finished. Don’t forget the rules of this Challenge.”

As soon as he finished speaking,

across the three battlefields, the three monster legions left a small number behind to continue engaging the Military Soul Legion, while the rest broke away and rushed toward the distant town.

From beginning to end, the monster legions’ target had always been the town.

“But from start to finish, my purpose in taking the initiative was only one:”

“to prevent the aftermath of the battle from affecting the town that needs guarding.”

“The town is far too fragile.”

On Battlefield Three, the earth trembled violently as hundreds, even thousands, of thick roots burst through the soil.

Clumps of dirt scattered down.

The roots’ shadows enveloped the entire field.

At this moment, the main force of the Treant Legion numbered only a little over a hundred, but by sustaining themselves through battle, the treants never grew weary.

One hundred against fifteen thousand—the advantage is ours!

On Battlefield Two, Dolai, having prepared for some time, clapped its hands together.

“From heaven to earth, a thousand miles of ice.”The majestic and grand ice city walls spread out from behind it, forming an arc that blocked and enveloped the enemy forces.

In the next moment, Dolai raised its hand and pointed toward the sky.

The sky darkened, and dark clouds rolled. Lightning illuminated the heavens as pillars of thunder crashed down upon the earth.

In the blink of an eye, it transformed a radius of several thousand meters into a terrifying prison of lightning!

With Dolai’s single move, its output and killing power had already surpassed that of a fully-formed army corps that had resonated with a military soul.

Battlefield One.

Here, there was no shaking of heaven and earth, no dazzling flashes of lightning or ice. Yet, this was the most stable battlefield.

A towering holy mountain stood firmly in the center of the path.

The Bone Domain slowly closed in from all sides.

Thus, they entered the territory of the King of Bones.

“Our side holds the advantage in high-end combat power.”

“Our numbers… are also superior, cackle cackle.”

Bone Two let out a sinister laugh.

Deadbone nodded slightly.

Tens of thousands of undead surged forth from the holy mountain and the Bone Domain like a tide.

At this point, the overall situation was settled.

The old General fell silent.

This stage was meant to test the challenger’s command skills. Yet, faced with overwhelming force, even with countless tactics at his disposal, he had no chance to use them.

He simply couldn’t hold them back.

The power disparity was not even on the same level!

“Wait, I’m the one guarding this stage!”

But as he looked at the hundreds-of-meters-tall treant and the special being that could freeze thousands of miles with a single clap of its hands, the old General fell silent once more.

He was experienced and knowledgeable, and no matter how unusual the situation, he was never easily surprised.

Yet at this moment, he couldn’t help but wonder…

Is this lineup even reasonable?

What kind of challenger has a hand full of nothing but trump cards?

This is something you only see if you live long enough.

The old General surrendered in just twenty minutes, ending this stage even faster than the previous ones. Perhaps this was one of the benefits of having a guardian overseeing the stage.

Ding!

Prompt: You have completely cleared the ‘Land of Trials · Orange Giant Tower’ and may now enter the third region.

Prompt: Your authority in the Secret Realm of the Land of Trials has been upgraded. Explore the specific permissions on your own.

Prompt: Retrieving clearance rewards…

——

Ding~

Prompt: You have obtained ‘Equipment Blank (Excellent)’ ×3.

Prompt: You have obtained ‘Beacon of Commerce (Excellent)’.

Prompt: You have obtained ‘Hero’s Token (Special)’.

Prompt: You have obtained ‘Miracle Blueprint · Self-Select (Excellent)’.

Prompt: You have obtained ‘Troop Building Upgrade Stone (Special)’.

Clearing an entire Giant Tower indeed brought a bountiful harvest.

The only regret was…

“We finished too quickly, and I didn’t get the chance to learn from the old General about command skills.”

The New Year is almost here, so I’ve set a small goal: this little author will restore his glory next year, ahhh!

And then, Happy New Year! Wishing all you esteemed readers good health, smooth sailing in all matters, and the fulfillment of all your wishes in the coming year

(End of Chapter)