I established the Eternal Immortal Clan by taming beasts.

The outline of the South Camp gradually emerged from the horizon in the afternoon sunlight. The city wall, built of a mixture of black basalt and bluestone, presented alternating shades of dark gray under the slanting sunlight. The array patterns and grooves on the surface of the wall had been mostly filled by wind and sand, leaving only shallow indentations that meandered along the direction of the wall.

The airspace above the city walls remained in a state completely different from that of Burning Bone City.

Scattered dark figures hovered slowly above the city wall at fixed intervals, maintaining a continuous patrol frequency. Their flight paths showed even intervals, not like a chaotic formation after being disturbed, but more like a daily vigilance operating according to a fixed pattern.

Lin Che stood at the bow of the flying boat, his gaze passing over the advancing formation ahead and landing on the flagpole above the main gate of the South Camp, which was mostly broken.

The flagpole was reduced to half its original length. The metal at the cut end had been worn down by the wind and sand, leaving a dark brown rust layer. Residual metal wires hung down from the cut end, swaying slowly in the wind and drawing almost invisible circular tracks in the air.

He estimated the distance; at the current speed of the Dawn Army, it would take about half an hour to reach the outer defense line of the Southern Camp.

"Father, the scouts have reported back."

Lin Xuanjing walked to his side, holding a glowing jade slip in his hand, its surface shimmering with spiritual light at a fixed frequency.

"The frontal defense of the South Camp is more complete than expected. The foundations of the city walls at the East and South Gates are not obviously damaged, but the main gate is blocked. It should be that the tribe of the Azure Python Demon King deliberately reinforced it after occupying the city."

A section of the wall at the west gate has developed a crack, but it's not very wide; the engineering team would need to work continuously for about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn to break it open.

He then turned the jade slip over, revealing a simple sketch drawn on the back, which marked the extent of damage to the four sides of the city wall and the estimated time for demolition.

Lin Che's gaze moved across the marked locations on the sketch: "The section of wall at the west gate is the weakest point in the entire defense, but the tribe of the Azure Python Demon King cannot be unaware of this. They must have made corresponding deployments for the western defense. If we concentrate too many troops outside the west gate, it will only give them time to concentrate their defenses on the west gate."

"Then we'll advance in three directions." Lin Xuanjing pointed to the west gate on the sketch.

"Outside the West Gate, we mainly launched a feint attack, without committing our main force. We maintained continuous contact pressure to make them think that our main attack was directed at the West Gate."

To the south, the main force of the spirit beast army advanced, while the group of alligator turtles on the mountain made a frontal advance to attract their attention.

The Lin family not only prepared the Dawn Army, but also an engineering corps for conquering cities and territories.

This engineering corps was trained by Lin Xuanqing and consists entirely of array masters. Currently, it comprises approximately two hundred second-tier array masters, eight hundred first-tier array masters, and two third-tier array masters, Lin Xuanqing and Qin Yulin. However, the two have not yet arrived, and the recapture of the Burning Bone Pass line does not require their involvement.

This engineering unit was primarily responsible for breaking through enemy formations and providing temporary formations for the legion as support.

After all, this is the world of cultivation. A force without defensive formations would be embarrassed to appear here. A team of formation masters is especially important when attacking a stronghold.

Who will lead the attacking force from the north?

"I'll lead the team." Lin Xuanjing put the jade slip back into his sleeve. "Take two battalions of elite Dawn Army soldiers and a squad of engineers, and we'll circle around from the north. The Azure-Eyed Eagles will maintain continuous harassment flights over the west and south to cover the operation in the north from being detected in advance."

Lin Che remained silent for a moment, his gaze sweeping over the marked locations on the sketch, finally settling on the dotted line to the north: "Two battalions... If the demolition on the north side takes longer than expected, you will be exposed under the city wall."

"Therefore, I need enough pressure from the west and south gates to make the Azure Serpent Demon King focus his attention on those directions." Lin Xuanjing's voice remained steady. "As long as the spirit beast legion in the south and the feint attack force in the west maintain sufficient pressure, the defenders in the north will not notice anything unusual in advance. After the engineering team starts breaching, they will immediately set up temporary defensive positions on both sides of the wall crack. Once that crack is opened, the follow-up troops can directly cut into the city from the north."

"Alright, let's proceed with this plan. Since you're personally commanding the northern front, I'll take overall command."

Lin Che turned his gaze away and towards the communications array, beginning to explain the tactics to the commanders of each department.

From the advance route of the spirit beast legion in the south to the frequency of feint attacks in the west, from the breaching and entry points of the engineering corps in the north to the timing of the encirclement by the main force, every instruction was clear and precise.

The lights on the communication array panel lit up one by one as he spoke, and then gradually went out as the instructions were confirmed.

After all units confirmed that everything was in order, Lin Che immediately ordered: "All units, move to your designated positions."

Commands are transmitted in all directions via the communication array.

The spirit beast legion began to move towards the south city wall, with the crocodile turtles leading the way. After reaching their designated position, they slowed down and finally stopped about 600 zhang away from the south gate, forming a thick horizontal line.

The golden lion beast spread out in an arc on its flanks, forming a semi-circular encirclement with the group of crocodile turtles.

The swarm of Cangming dragons remained at a low altitude, about two hundred feet behind the formation, their whiskers swaying slowly in the wind, remaining in a state of readiness.

The feint attack force from the west gate consisted of two reserve battalions, which deployed at a distance of about 800 zhang from the west wall, maintaining a posture of "preparing to advance".

The archers crouched in the middle of the formation, their arrows pointed diagonally at the demonic bird sentinels circling above the west gate, but they did not fire. They simply maintained their aim, creating a persistent and unresolved threat.

Meanwhile, to the north, Lin Xuanjing had already led two large battalions of elite Dawn Army troops away from the main formation and moved northward along the ruins surrounding the city wall.

Their route deliberately avoided open areas, using the collapsed building ruins and piles of stones outside the city walls as natural cover. Every time they passed through an open area, they would confirm that there were no patrol tracks of demon bird sentinels in the airspace above before continuing forward, like a dark stream flowing close to the ground.

The first wave of attacks from the south began half an hour later.

The group of alligator snapping turtles stepped forward simultaneously, their heavy footsteps making a continuous, drum-like thud as they landed on the ground.

The monstrous bird sentinels circling above the city wall began to emit short cries after sensing the ground tremors. The cries continued to spread above the wall, like elongated metal wires intertwining in mid-air.

At the same time, the reserve force on the west side advanced about fifty feet. After advancing to the predetermined distance, the archers began to fire in volley. Hundreds of spiritual arrows swept across the airspace above the west gate in an upward arc, forcing the circling demonic bird sentinels back to the inside of the wall.

The attack from the south officially began after the group of alligator snapping turtles reached the base of the wall.

The giant tortoise pressed its shell against the wall surface, and a dark yellow aura continuously gathered on the shell, forming a sustained horizontal pressure.

Under that pressure, the rubble on the surface of the city wall began to peel off, sliding down the wall and accumulating into a pile of small stones at the base of the wall.

The mortar layer inside the wall made a faint cracking sound under continuous pressure, like a dry branch being slowly bent.

The counterattack from the Biling Python Demon King's tribe came faster than expected.

About ten breaths after the group of alligator snapping turtles began to exert pressure, the inner wall of the city wall suddenly retreated a distance.

The piles of rubble inside the city wall were pushed aside from the inside, revealing the swarm of Jade Serpents hidden behind them.

The first three Emerald Pythons to emerge were nearly five zhang in size, their bodies covered with dark brown scales, with a narrow dark green border around the scales. As they moved, the gaps between the scales opened and closed, forming a stretched net-like structure in the morning light.

Their heads were slightly lowered, their jaws pressed against the ground, and they moved rapidly outward in an S-shaped path. The row of fine venomous stingers on their necks opened and closed continuously, releasing a thin layer of dark gray venomous mist with a metallic sheen.

Behind them, countless python-like monsters began to gather.

At that moment, the situation on the southern battlefield shifted from an offensive battle to a close-quarters stalemate.

After the influx of the Biling pythons, the carapace of the alligator snapping turtle was no longer just facing static pressure from the wall, but was enduring continuous impacts and entanglement.

The giant tortoises slowly adjusted their formation, and the spiritual light on their shells changed from continuous gathering to intermittent release. Each flash would repel a coiled python several feet away, but more pythons continued to pour out from the opening in the pile of rubble.

The golden lion beast deployed a second line of defense on the south side, using continuous attacks to force the python swarm attempting to flank back to the main battle line.

The swarm of Cangming Jiaolong spread out at low altitude, using water bullets and impacts falling from above to disrupt the follow-up troops that were gathering behind the city walls.

The southern front then entered a prolonged stalemate.

The archers of the Dawn Army continuously fired from behind the southern formation to suppress the individual pythons that tried to cross the Fuyue Crocodile Turtle formation. The arrows were fired at relatively dense intervals at the openings in the rubble of the city wall, pinning the emerging Biling pythons to the foundation of the wall. However, after each volley, new pythons would emerge from inside the ruins to take their place.

The pressure on the Golden Lion's flank defense line is also increasing. As more and more pythons try to bypass the flanks, the flank defense line is slowly retreating, and each retreat is reducing the maneuver space of the follow-up troops.

Lin Che stood on the flying boat, his gaze piercing through the sky above the battlefield and landing on the direction of the northern city wall.

There, Lin Xuanjing's troops were already close to the designated breaching position.

The silence on the northern city wall, along with the ongoing pressure on the western and southern battlefields, is creating a gap that can be exploited between them and the main battlefield.

The engineering team was setting up array plates below the unfinished reinforced section. Auras lit up one by one on the surface of the array plates, forming a continuous flowing light pattern that was slowly but irreversibly penetrating into the interior of the wall.

The demolition on the north side officially began a few breaths later.

After the engineering team poured directional impact spiritual energy into the array plate, the cracks on the wall surface began to extend, connect, and penetrate along the predetermined path.

The sound of gravel sliding down the wall was more frequent than before, like shards of broken pottery rolling down a slope.

Upon noticing the anomaly, the sentries of the Azure Serpent Demon King tribe atop the city wall emitted short cries. These cries were delayed by about three to four breaths from the commotion on the southern battlefield, meaning that the northern section of the wall was not effectively blocked for the first ten breaths after the crack was opened.

As the breach widened to a width sufficient for infantry to pass through during continued operations, Lin Xuanjing's voice rang out from the array: "Vanguard, advance."

The Dawn Army's ranks began to surge into the city walls through the breach, with spearmen in front, followed closely by swordsmen and shieldmen, and archers standing by in the middle of the ranks.

The resistance within the city came later than expected. It wasn't until the first batch of Dawn Army soldiers had completely crossed the wall foundation and deployed their formation on the northern section of the main street that they saw the python formation gathering in that direction at the street corner.

When Lin Xuanfeng arrived in the north from the southern battlefield, the Dawn Army in the north had already established a foothold about 120 feet deep inside the wall.

They used the debris from the collapsed buildings at the street corner to construct a temporary defensive line, with pikemen standing behind the pile of debris and swordsmen and shieldmen maintaining the formation on the flanks.

Upon arrival, he did not linger but led his team directly westward. Crimson-gold sword light flashed continuously through the streets and alleys, dividing the assembling python formation into smaller units.

After establishing a foothold, Lin Xuanjing did not rush to advance. Instead, he ordered the archers to establish a continuous blockade line in the airspace above the city wall to ensure that the demonic birds that tried to retreat eastward from the city wall could not cross the line.

The archers maintained a continuous barrage of arrows in three shifts, fixing the constantly glowing spirit arrows above the city walls at those heights, forming an impassable blockade.

The changes on the southern battlefield came about after about half an hour of fierce fighting on the western battlefield. As more and more Biling Pythons were cut off from the flanks and pushed back into the inner side of the city wall, their defensive density on both the north and south sides began to decrease.

The python formations that were originally surging out from inside the south wall are now being forced to divert some of their forces back to defend the north, as the northern defense line has been breached.

This defensive maneuver resulted in a decrease in pressure on the outer side of the southern city wall, and the alligator snapping turtles on the south side, sensing the change in pressure, began to advance again.

The alligator snapping turtles resumed their movements the moment the pressure subsided.

The giant tortoises advanced at an even faster pace than before, their shells pressing further inward against the already loosening walls under sustained pressure.

Under that pressure, the rubble on the surface of the city wall began to peel off in pieces. The stones that slid down the wall piled up on the ground to form a low wall, which was then crushed by the footsteps of the giant tortoise and formed a new layer of accumulation.

The crack in the south wall, under the continuous pressure from the alligator snapping turtles, finally opened after about a cup of tea.

The wall tilted inward, and layers of stone peeled off the surface, making a continuous cracking sound, like pottery being repeatedly struck and breaking from the inside.

The Dawn Army poured into the city through a crack in the south wall, forming an encirclement of the Biling Python swarm inside the city with the troops that had already entered from the north.

Faced with a pincer attack, the Biling Python Demon King's defenses began to retreat towards the city center.

The pythons that had been roaming the streets and alleys, resisting each other piece by piece, were squeezed into a relatively open square area in the city center. In that location, which lacked walls to rely on and no ruins to use for cover, their mobility and close-range strangulation advantage were greatly weakened.

The Dawn Army advanced towards the center of the square from two directions simultaneously, maintaining a tight square formation. The spearmen in the front row used continuous thrusting to compress the movement space of the python swarm, while the archers in the rear of the formation used diagonal fire to eliminate those individuals who tried to bypass the formation from the flanks.

Ultimately, the remnants of the Biling Python Demon King's tribe, realizing they could not hold the city's central square, began their breakout towards the south gate.

Lin Xuanjing did not order a pursuit.

The Lin family's strategic intention was never merely to recapture the various cities, but rather to exterminate the demonic beasts.

This is not only because the Lin family has been friends with spirit beasts for generations, but also because this action is related to the subsequent "Southern Region Plan"!

The Dawn Army's formation halted at the edge of the square, shifting from advancing to on alert. Only after confirming that the retreating python formations showed no signs of regrouping towards the south gate did they begin to converge towards the city wall.

On the city wall of Nandaying, the Lin family flag was unfurled in the afternoon sunlight.

Burning Bone Pass and Burning Bone City have returned to the Lin family's control, and the Southern Camp has also been officially recaptured at this moment.

The final piece of the puzzle for the Lin family's defense line at Burning Bone Pass has finally fallen into their hands.

Now all that's left is the battle around Green Water Gorge.

Once the alliance of monsters there is defeated, the eastern front of the Southern Region will be completely liberated!