Castle of Black Iron
Castle of Black Iron - Chapter 1971: Overwhelming Strikes (I)

Zuoqiu Mingyue was on the right side. Zhang Tie was indeed leaving Youzhou Province for demons’ encampments.

After Old Man Taiyi and Grand Master Shenkong were killed, the conspiracy that the three major sects founded Royal Alliance would definitely be exposed to the public. In the near future, Taixia Country would face an ordeal——how to deal with the three major sects and those major clans which were closely related to the three major sects. If it couldn’t be dealt with properly, Taixia Country might face another disruption, even civil strife.

Given the white-hot state of the holy war between Taixia Country and demons, would demons ignore the opportunity of arousing disruption among humans in Taixia Country?

Of course not!

Actually, demons would add the trimmings and try every possible method to make Taixia Country more chaotic internally.

Therefore, if Taixia Country wanted to defuse the crises caused by Royal Alliance and the three major sects at the least price, they must launch a destructive strike towards the armies of demons in Taixia Country. Only in this way could demons not bring troubles to humans anymore. Meanwhile, by striking demons, they could create good external conditions for clearing up the Royal Alliance. Kill two birds with one stone!

Only part of humans in Taixia country saw Zhang Tie killing Old Man Taiyi and Grand Master Shenkong. Neither did the three major sects dispatch all of their forces to Youzhou Province this time. Even though they had lost Old Man Taiyi and Grand Master Shenkong, some people in Royal Alliance and the three major sects might still think about reversing the situation. If Zhang Tie launched a destructive strike towards the armies of demons at this moment, he would completely smash those people’s fluke mind and tell them that they would die altogether as long as they dared to resist and make Taixia Country chaotic no matter how many forces did they gather up. Additionally, the greater the trouble they made, the faster they would die. They could never live unless behaving carefully and cooperatively. As long as those people had such a sensible recognition, Taixia Country would be stable domestically.

As tens of thousands of ordinary human fighters would sacrifice for the country in the frontlines every day. As long as Zhang Tie could clear up the core powers of demons one day earlier, even one hour earlier, the overall situation facing humans would be reversed and tens of thousands of human fighters would be saved on the battlefields.

After leaving Youzhou Province, Zhang Tie had already activated his invisible Shen bead and flown towards the Force Province in the western part of Taixia Country silently at a high speed like a lightning bolt.

It was Zhang Tie’s highest speed. After his spiritual energy and battle qi turned into that rainbow-like energy, Zhang Tie found that his full speed had increased by almost 40%.

At this moment, Zhang Tie was afraid that demon commanders would make a fast response by separating the army of demon knights in the frontline and having them escape in all directions. If it really happened, it would be trouble. With this concern, Zhang Tie didn’t tell the others about his destination when he left Youzhou Province.

If not the three major sects had already arrived at Youzhou Province and put Jinwu Palace in great danger, Zhang Tie even planned to solve the armies of demon knights in Taixia Country first before returning to Youzhou Province and reuniting with his family members.

Zhang Tie was carrying out a war of time.

Zhang Tie had aroused such a great shock in Youzhou Province, the commanders of demon armies must know that he had already come back. However, when this message reached the commanders of demon armies, it might be late. No matter what, very few people would like to succumb to demons. Additionally, Heavens Reaching Church had almost disappeared over these years. Their influence could never match that when Zhang Tie arrived in Taixia Country from Waii Subcontinent at the beginning. Even though Heavens Reaching Church still had some ears and eyes in Taixia Country, it would take them some time to transmit the message to the territory of demons.

Would the commanders of demon armies declare to retreat their forces and ask all the demon knights to escape individually in all directions after knowing that Zhang Tie killed two sage-level knights in Taixia Country after coming back?

According to Zhang Tie’s estimation, they might not do that! Even though they knew that Zhang Tie was already back, the commanders of demon armies would not make such an incredible decision in only a few hours. They must hesitate, consider it, even negotiate with their colleagues or subordinates about dealing with Zhang Tie who might launch a sneak attack towards them in the frontline. Therefore, they spared a few hours for Zhang Tie.

Zhang Tie could spend such a few hours to leave Youzhou Province for Force Province. Actually, these few hours were the last golden window for the main forces of demon knights to escape. However, demons might not have such great foresight. They didn’t know how each second was precious for them until Zhang Tie closed this golden window.

Zhang Tie was not afraid of the great population of demon knights; he was actually worried about demons’ separation.

Thankfully, over 90% of demon knights were gathered in the three major encampments, respectively in Liangzhou Province, Anzhou Province and Force Province.

The first two were attacking the garrisons and armies of the knights of Taixia Country in Lingzhou Province, Lizhou Province and Tongzhou Province. The third encampment was in the rear end of demons. Over half demon knights and powerhouses were in this encampment.

Although Force Province was far as compared to Youzhou Province, Zhang Tie’s first target was demons’ encampment in Force Province.

After wiping out demons’ encampment in Force Province, Zhang Tie would make a back thrust by blocking the other two encampments respectively in Liangzhou Province and Anzhou Province and cleaned them all one after another. If Zhang Tie solved demons’ encampment in Anzhou Province or Liangzhou Province first, he might scare off all the other demon knights and would barely have such a rare opportunity any longer.

When Zhang Tie flew by Lingzhou Province and Tongzhou Province, he found that all the airports for air cavalries in Lingzhou Province and Tongzhou Province had been busy working. On those airports, those heavy bombers had been drawn out of the warehouses and started to form a formation on the runways for a quick attack. Additionally, artillery caissons and supply trucks were loading bombs for those bombers. Tens of thousands of ground crew and air cavalries were running in the field airports and air cavalries bases with anxiety as if their butts got a fire…

Besides air cavalries, all the field corps’ bases had been boiling as many armored vehicles had been started and troops were moving towards the frontline.

In the sky, the population of knights being responsible for patrolling and warning was abnormally much greater than before. These knights blocked the air territory of the three provinces so that demons didn’t discover the abnormal actions over there.

What a military god! Zhang Tie knew that Zuoqiu Mingyue had already known what he wanted to do in the following…

Only after a short while, Zhang Tie had flown by the frontline near Tongguan Pass, where he saw Hua people’s huge battle fortresses in the sky and on the ground. Hiding in the dark, they were as lofty as mountains and iron Great Wall.

The Lion Fortress where Zhang Tie once stayed in Earth-elements Realm was also at the frontline nearTongguan Pass.

After coming back, Zhang Tie had learned about the reason why Lion Fortress retreated from Earth-elements Realm——five years later after the battle at Yinhai Desert, demons broke through a secret tunnel from Earth-elements Realm to Force Province, making a detour from Lion Fortress. Facing the oppression from the armies of demons, Lion Fortress must retreat from Earth-elements Realm and return to the earth’s surface in Force Province and cover Taixia corps from evacuating from Weishui River and Helan Mountain. From then on, the overall situation facing the Western Theater of Operations of Taixia Country could be barely maintained. As a result, Taixia armies must keep retreating. Over the past two decades, all the three military regions in the west of Taixia Country had been occupied by demon armies. The territory of Heavens Reaching Empire had also expanded constantly…

However, when they lost their land, Zuoqiu Mingyue made the right decision, namely, he didn’t leave humans to demons. With the policy of strengthening defense works, evacuating noncombatants and hiding provisions and livestock, demons could get nothing but land.

In the sky, Zhang Tie could see dim sparkles and shiny battle qi over 600 miles’ land sparsely. Even in the evening, they were still fighting incessantly. The dim flames like fireflies implied the death call of inflammable grenades and inflammable bolts.

After entering the territory within the control of demons, Zhang Tie found all the dim sparkles and shiny battle qi had disappeared. Meanwhile, he saw many camps of ground forces of demons. Those in these camps were all low-level demons.

Behind these demon camps, most of the human cities had deteriorated into ruins. All the city-defense system inside those cities which couldn’t be taken away had been completely destroyed. All the water channels in the farmlands in the field had been filled with soil. Even though woods had been burned up.

Zhang Tie saw some demon battle fortresses which were like odd-looking towering trees after completing their transformation. As few resources could be available on the ground, the number of demon battle fortresses was limited.

At this moment, the encampment of demons in Liangzhou Province entered Zhang Tie’s eyes. It was a huge block of 30 demonic beehive-sized air battle fortresses. Tens of thousands of wing demons and demon knights were flying here and there outside their nest-like encampment.

Watching the situation facing demons’ encampment in Liangzhou Province, Zhang Tie finally became reassured. Demon commanders indeed had not ordered their encampments to evacuate and separate. Perhaps the demon commanders had not even received the message about Zhang Tie’s return yet.

Only after half an hour, Zhang Tie had flown by Liangzhou Province and Lizhou Province and entered Force Province.

Previously, Force Province was covered with human battle fortresses. But now, it was covered with ugly demon battle fortresses.

Only after a short while, the encampment of demons in Force Province had already appeared in Zhang Tie’s eyes, which was over 3 times greater than that of demons’ encampment in Liangzhou Province. Over 100 beehive-sized battle fortresses of demons were connected with each other and floating over 2,000 m high in the sky like a huge mountain range hiding in the dark, which was such awe-struck.

There were tens of thousands of tents on the ground. The encampment lasted thousands of miles like huge cities.

Thousands of wing demons were flying around the encampment of demon army working as patrollers and guardians in the air.

Inside the demons’ encampment in Force Province, demon knights were accessing to the holes on those beehive-sized battle fortresses. Besides, many demon knights were on the alert in the surroundings. Only with a glance, Zhang Tie had spotted at least 1,000 demon knights outside the encampment.

This encampment gathered at least 70,000 demon knights. There were over 500 demon corps over the 600 square miles’ land. It was said that two demon abyss monarchs were guarding here too…

Zhang Tie didn’t directly rush over there, instead, he stopped over 400 miles away from the encampment. Licking his lips, he instantly released his terrifyingly powerful spiritual energy into the endless sky. In an instant, the two separate mysterious energies in the sky started to surge and gather within Zhang Tie’s spiritual control like water flooding out of a sluice gate…

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