It doesn't matter what the lord is.

The old prime minister was also there, and the civil service group was basically all here. Not many high-ranking military officials were here, but they were enough to calm the situation. The three guards of Sun and Moon were guarding behind the Lingwu lord, and only five of the Ten Kings of Hell came, and they were on full alert to protect the safety of the Lingwu lord.

Generally speaking, the army of Lingwu was the main force under the high platform. Pieces of iron-blooded military formations were connected into a black wave. Each of the thirty-six territories had its own garrison area. Reed saw Bai Ye again. The serious young man nodded at Reed and forced out an ugly smile. Reed also smiled at him, and they had met before.

Going further, you can see the black and white brothers standing not far away. There are a lot of people gathered around Xiao Hei, and he was also smiling and greeting many people. Xiao Bai was sitting alone on a rock, with his fists lightly clenched, scratching the fallen snow like a cat, making it impossible to tell whether he was in a good mood or a bad mood.

Xiaobai noticed Lid's presence almost immediately and looked over here, but didn't say anything. Xiaohei smiled at Lid in between talking to others, and then quickly turned his attention back to communicating with others. Neither party intended to reveal that they knew each other in public, which was good for both parties.

Lid looked around but didn't see Lana. The young man holding the royal family's front was a young man carrying a red spear. When he saw Lid looking over, he glanced at Lid. However, Lid could see that his realm was the ninth level of perfection, but he couldn't tell what realm Lid was in, so he didn't pay attention.

Lid brought Alaya and Shiloh, carrying a box containing small slimes, and walked past the garrisons of the thirty-six territories, passed under the high platform where the spiritual warrior lords were, and walked through tens of thousands of soldiers who formed a military formation. Countless eyes fell on him, some were curious and some were contemptuous, but he didn't care.

He forgot the discussions as soon as they passed by, and the thoughts hidden in his heart did not arouse his interest at all.

When crossing the platform to his own territory, Reed suddenly turned his head and looked up at the platform.

Just met those captivating eyes.

Only then did Lid understand what Xiao Huang meant by "only half of his face is the best looking in the world", and the Lingwu Lord really deserved this title. Even though he was mentally prepared, his body couldn't help but stiffen for a moment, just like the legendary giant Perphilion who was stunned when he saw the Queen Hera.

However, Reed woke up almost instantly, smiled at the Lingwu Lord with his white teeth bared, and left with Aleiya and Shilo without looking back.

Lord Lingwu's gaze lingered on his back for a moment.

29. One Sword Stops the Snowstorm

If Lingwu itself is not counted, the remaining thirty-five territories have about three hundred masters above the ninth level, which means that each territory has eight or nine top masters to support the scene. Of course, it doesn't mean that each territory can only send out such a small number of people. After all, no family can shake out all their assets to support Lingwu's foreign war. Unity against foreign countries is unity against foreign countries, but it hurts the foundation of their own family. Except for a few real Lingwu bootlickers, no one would do such a stupid thing.

Lingwu Territory will issue a pension based on the number of casualties in each family, but the lives of top masters cannot be bought with money. Therefore, the people sent by each territory are not the real pillar-level figures at the bottom of the box. Generally speaking, they are people who have just passed the ninth level or the middle of the ninth level. People like Bai Ye who have reached the ninth level are actually rare.

The core members of the various territories that Lide had met in the capital last time were basically not present this time. Kaiya, Norn, Fangyuan... including Yunyang Prince Liyi, were all absent. Lide still had some familiar faces, and basically only the two brothers Xiaohei and Xiaobai were present.

It was actually quite strange. Lingwu and the royal family were at loggerheads, and Xiqin was in alliance with the royal family. Let's not talk about Nanchu's prince Xiaohei for now, Xiqin's prince Xiaobai should not be here. But in fact, these two people came, and the Lingwu lord didn't seem to care about it.

Lid stayed at Kaige Cliff for one night.

It was not suitable to stay overnight on the top of a mountain in such a cold weather, but everyone was stationed here, probably waiting for those who had not yet arrived. It was extremely cold at night, and this time, not to mention that Alayya and Shiloh had to hold him one after the other, the little slime also had to shamelessly crawl into the bed. Lid acquiesced to its behavior, mainly because he was afraid that if it slept outside, it would turn from a sand sculpture slime into an ice sculpture slime the next day, and he would have to hold a funeral for it before he even started the journey north.

Slime's Funeral ~ Bury Your Memories ~

Considering that its biggest dream has always been to take revenge on the old gods, Reed felt that he would have to make a tombstone for it and engrave some eulogy like "Died before achieving success, making heroes cry", which was troublesome just thinking about it.

The next day, Lid woke up very early, put on a thick cotton coat and walked out of the tent, only to find that the tent he was staying in had been bent by the snow. The snow was heavy at Kaige Cliff, and it would probably be even heavier further north. He would probably have to sleep with one eye open, otherwise he would probably be buried when he woke up.

Today, there was a real northwest wind outside, and the light blue snow that fell on people's bodies could freeze them to insensibility. The weather was cold and visibility was low. Lid wanted to rub his hands and go back to sleep, but suddenly he found that Garberd was carrying a sword and walking up step by step to the high platform where the Lingwu Lord was yesterday.

Out of curiosity, Reed stood there with his hands in his sleeves, watching from a distance what he was going to do.

The wind was getting stronger and stronger, and Reed's ears were frozen red. The scenery in front of him became more and more blurred. At one point, he couldn't even see Gabriel's figure clearly. He could only see a black shadow drawing a sword in the white snow.

Then the snow and wind in the sky seemed to stop for a moment.

In an instant, the sword energy surged, and the wind on the top of the entire Kaige Cliff changed from blowing in one direction to circling around the high platform, as if an invisible blue dragon was flying around the Kaige Cliff. The wind from afar was pulled by the majestic sword energy and stayed here. Lid put his hand in front of his face and looked at Garberd on the high platform with wide eyes. He saw that the old swordsman held the sword in one hand, swung it around his head, and then threw it towards the sky above his head.

At that moment, there seemed to be a deafening dragon roar, and the air wave surged up in the direction of his sword tip, carrying the soft snow on the ground and flying back to the sky, and also swept up many territories' supplies. Poor young masters of some territories were in their dreams, and found that the tents above their heads that protected them from the wind and snow had flown away, and they stood there in a daze for a while, unable to recover.

It seemed as if two surging forces collided between heaven and earth. A huge circular air wave exploded in the sky and spread to a radius of dozens of miles before barely stopping. A bright halo seemed to appear right above the Kaige Cliff, which lasted for dozens of seconds before slowly disappearing.

Then, the sky, which had not cleared up for nearly a month, was torn into a crack. There was no more snow between the sky and the earth. Instead, a few rays of sunlight came out from the cracks in the dark clouds and sprinkled on the cold world. From the hazy snow to the crystal clear, it was like pouring cold water on the foggy glass after taking a shower.

The wind that was howling just now seemed to have used up all its strength, and the lonely mountaintop was eerily quiet.

Lid took back his hand and looked at his palm. There were several small wounds there, and drops of blood were pouring out of the wounds. The sword energy formed by a casual swing was so violent and sharp that if Garberd's sword did not pierce the sky but slashed at the ground, I'm afraid the top of the Gaige Cliff would collapse directly, and most of them would die without a burial place.

In addition to clearing away the snow and wind, the biggest effect of his sword was to wake everyone up from their dreams. Before the people from other territories could get angry, the Lingwu Lord had already stepped onto the high platform and looked down at the people present with cold disdain. After their eyes met, no representative from any territory dared to ask any questions.

"Last night, the people from the last territory also arrived."

Lord Lingwu's voice was very pleasant, one of the most pleasant voices Reed had ever heard.

The only drawback is that it is too cold and the feeling of oppression is too strong. Perhaps it is because the Queen has such a strong aura that even though it is just a plain narration, it gives people a lot of pressure.

"I'm glad none of you are late."

She swept her eyes over the people present. Some young men and women who were not used to getting up early were still rubbing their sleepy eyes.

Lingwu Lord said coldly:

"But the journey north has officially begun, which means your leisurely days are over. This is a war, a war between humans and giants! Look in the distance, the enemy standing there is the one you are going to face—"

As her voice fell, Reed noticed that because the flying snow was cleared away by Gabriel Bode, the distant scenery could be clearly seen from the Kaige Cliff.

On the snow in the distance, the towering iron wall defense line stretched across the east and west, extending to the end of the horizon.

Even Reed, who proposed the concept of "Iron Wall", did not expect that Lingwu would be able to achieve its current scale in just one year.

Countless giants had gathered outside the iron wall. Although the sound of the wall being smashed was barely audible when it reached here, the sight of those hundreds of giant figures, attacking in a brutal and violent way like wild beasts, made people feel cold in their hearts. The iron wall defense line was like a dam that kept the beasts out of human territory, but every time a giant more than ten meters tall smashed down with a heavy fist, people watching from afar could not help but be nervous, fearing that the iron wall would be broken and the monster that was wreaking havoc on everything would completely go out of control.

Ten times taller than humans, a hundred times stronger than humans, the huge visual difference made many people who saw the giants for the first time feel weak in the knees. Even those with strong wills could see a trace of cold sweat on their faces.

To fight against such a race, one must not only have great strength, but also have enough courage.

30. Strike first to gain the upper hand

"Last year, we marched north with 70,000 troops, but only half of them survived."

Lord Lingwu spoke calmly, as if he was announcing something completely unrelated.

“Two years ago, less than a third of them survived.”

The people standing under the platform were already silent. The Lingwu Lord only spoke some cold numbers, but these numbers were closely related to their lives. Based on last year's level, it meant that only half of the lives standing here and still alive would remain after this war. The people who were still standing beside him now were uncertain about their future life and death, and even whether he could come back alive was a question that no one could answer.

At that moment, the chill in my heart was colder than the air around me.

"So I can tell you responsibly that there are only two kinds of people among you now. One is the person who is sure that he will survive, and the other is the abandoned children sent by each family. I know you are carrying an important mission, and you have come to see what my Lingwu looks like now. Yes, from the moment you came in, I have never hidden any of my strength from you."

The Lingwu Lord's veil covered half of his face, leaving only his beautiful eyes exposed.

Lid looked around quietly and found that everyone was listening very seriously. Those familiar faces were now looking up to listen to the Lingwu Lord's announcement. Many people had begun to breathe hard. It was difficult to admit that they were abandoned, but it was easy to realize this. Especially those who did not bring many masters, they quickly figured out their position in the territory.

"But you have to be alive to bring back the news you saw. This time we are going to attack the Golden Giant, one of the seven commanders of the Giants. The Prime Minister will explain the specific situation to you in detail. What I can tell you is that last year we sacrificed half of our soldiers' lives to kill the last of the seven commanders, the Red Copper Giant. This year we are going to kill the third of the seven commanders, so you should have an expectation of the difficulty."

The little slime secretly poked its head out from Lid's arms, and Lid took the opportunity to lower his head and whispered:

"Is this golden giant that Lingwu Lord mentioned powerful?"

The little slime replied in a voice that only Lid could hear:

"It's not a question of how powerful it is, it's the kind of existence that you can't deal with... I'm not very surprised that the Red Copper Giant was killed, but the Golden Giant is a little different. It is said that its body is red-gold, invulnerable to swords and guns, and immune to water and fire. If you had your national defense formation to suppress it, maybe you could still fight it, but it's absolutely impossible to do it outside. This time I'm in big trouble, I only hope that you won't be assigned to the team that is fighting the Golden Giant head-on, and let me live, wuwuwu, wuwu..."

Lingwu Lord raised three fingers and said:

"According to our scouts' reports, there are currently three roads leading to the location of the Golden Giant. Therefore, our team will be divided into three groups. The specific grouping will be mainly determined by drawing lots, and some adjustments will be made based on the balance of strength. There will be no team with a very low survival rate, but there is no absolute balance. You have to fight for your own lives."

The red sleeves of Lingwu Lord were blown up by the wind, and Lid suddenly remembered what He Yue had told him last year, that the red copper giant was killed by Lingwu Lord alone. The red copper giant was also a mid-level giant, which meant that it had reached at least the tenth level, but Lingwu Lord didn't seem to be at that level yet, so it was a completely unbelievable operation to kill it.

After Lord Lingwu finished speaking, she left, and no one dared to question what she said.

But after Lord Lingwu left, everyone was shocked.

This matter was being discussed everywhere, and all kinds of information were flying around. Lid, on the other hand, was not panicking at all. He even asked Alaya and Shiloh if they were hungry, and if so, he would make breakfast for them. Alaya shook her head, her eyes fixed on Garberd standing on the high platform. Alaya was startled when his sword energy just exploded, and when she saw the scene where his sword energy led the long wind to pierce the sky, the sword energy on Alaya's body also became surging and exciting, as if it was resonating.

Afterwards, the prime minister of Lingwu sent someone to explain the goals and plans of this northward journey. It was not known whether he did not bring enough people or for some other reason, but the civil officials responsible for explaining to Li De had just been assigned, so the prime minister of Lingwu could only come over in person to talk to Li De for a few words.

"You must be Li De, the Lord of Yuxi City. I have heard of you for a long time."

After entering the tent and leaving only Lide and his group, Lingwu's prime minister smiled generously, took off his thick cotton hat, and stretched out his hand to Lide:

"My name is Yuzuo, the Prime Minister of Reiwu."

Lid stretched out his hand and shook it with him, also smiling, and said:

"You even reported my home address, what else can I say?"

Yusa smiled and said:

"Sorry, sorry, but your name is well-known among our Lingwu high-ranking officials. There are probably not many who don't know you. After all, you are the first person who has been on the list of hidden guards and is still alive in all these years. You also poached the talented assassin who may inherit the position of the commander-in-chief from our Lingwu. The Iron Wall Defense Line is also your work. We old guys are ashamed."

It should be an honor to be praised by Prime Minister Lingwu, who is ranked first on the list of famous ministers.

However, Lid's expression did not change, and he calmly changed the topic to the right track:

"It was just luck. Let's talk about this trip north. The Golden Giant is so powerful that we shouldn't leave the national defense formation and go outside to fight it. Is there any reason?"

Misa replied:

"Because two different voices have begun to emerge within the giant tribe. The seven commanders in charge of foreign wars have different opinions. One side advocates giving up the invasion to the south and bypassing Yongtian Kingdom to attack other races, while the other side advocates continuing to attack Yongtian Kingdom. Since Lingwu has been guarding the north, the giant tribe has never gained much advantage from us, which should be the reason for the emergence of the peace faction. Lingwu has a lot of people who die in battle every year because of defending against the giant tribe, but as long as we have blood to shed, they will never set foot in Yongtian Kingdom."

At this point, Reid already had a rough idea of ​​what was going on. He had experienced something similar when he was in Yuxi City.

Originally, Brother Brown was in charge of the demons west of Yuxi City. They were considered neutral and had never launched any large-scale wars against humans, so Fileta defended the city alone. But later, the lizardman Ji was an out-and-out war advocate, which made the Yuxi City leaders feel a little tricky.

"Does the Golden Giant have to clash with humans?"

Lid asked, and Yusa nodded and said:

"Because he ranks third among the seven commanders of the giants, he has a lot of say. According to reliable information, he is already preparing for an unprecedented invasion to the south. If we wait until he is ready, it will be too late to counterattack. We need to take the initiative to march north in winter when the giants are not so active, and kill him before the giant army is assembled."

31. Things are not as simple as they seem

Lid thought for a moment and asked Yusa:

"I believe in your Lingwu's judgment. Since everyone thinks this war can be fought, there must be a reason. Otherwise, Tiance Mansion would not approve this plan. But do you have any information about the Golden Giant?"

Misa replied:

"Twelve levels. This is the only information we have so far."

Lid tilted his head, crossed his arms over his chest, and asked in confusion:

"So you think the twelfth level is no problem, and cross-realm challenges are a piece of cake? Could it be that your ancestors have Doudi blood? I'm dizzy."

Yuzuo laughed. He didn't really understand what Reed was talking about, but Reed's words were interesting, so he couldn't help but patiently explain it to him:

"There is no special bloodline. Humans cannot surpass their limits. This has long been proven in history, and you should have seen it with your own eyes in the capital. But if you know a little bit about military formations, you will know that strategists can freely control the flow of power in the army, thereby strengthening some soldiers or someone in the army. This is also the basis for us to dare to march north. You have also seen the power of Garberd. If we let the powerful army of Lingwu cooperate with him, we can exert a power of more than ten times in a short period of time."

At this point, Reed already understood what they wanted to do.

This is not a secret. Fang Shisan used this method when he attacked Yuxi City. He raised the realm of the archers in a short period of time to cause effective damage. Normal strategists can do this, it's just that the efficiency of force dispatch is different. But no one seems to have ever thought about what would happen if the protection of the military formation was used to strengthen the realm of the tenth level. The main reason is that there are only a few people in the realm of the tenth level in any era. Who would be willing to be a test subject for such a big man?

Lid remembered that in the last strategy list he saw, Fang Shisan was ranked tenth, and the second man named Zhan Gui was the general of Lingwu. This meant that the top military leaders of Lingwu must have their own unique way of studying military formations, and the conclusions they came to were still very feasible.

"How is it, any other questions?"

Seeing that Reed's frown slowly relaxed, Yusa asked with a faint smile.

From beginning to end, Yusa had the aura of a superior. The smile he gave to Reed was more like an old man looking at a child than a smile between friends. Although it was kind, it also couldn't avoid a sense of condescension, as if whatever Reed asked or did was within his expectations.

"No problem. Since you are here heading north, I will do my best to help you solve the troubles at hand."

It was difficult to get anything out of a person of this level unless he wanted to talk on his own initiative. Moreover, he had obviously made some preparations before meeting Lid, and kept a good distance between the two. Thinking of this, Lid did not ask any more questions and ended the conversation with a simple assurance.

"That's the best. With your words, our chances of winning this time have increased by a few percentage points."

Yusa stood up and said:

"I won't stay here for long. If I stay too long, people from other territories will definitely make wild guesses."

Lide bowed and escorted Yu Zuo out of the tent. This old prime minister, who was second only to the emperor in Lingwu, looked humble, but he was actually arrogant. However, this was inevitable. The situation in Lingwu was complicated. If he didn't have some aura, how could he calm down the crowd?

In contrast, Reid cares about other things.

Looking at Yusa's figure gradually walking away, Reed lowered the curtain of the tent. When he turned around, his brows were furrowed, and his eyes were squinted, wondering what he was thinking.

Alayya asked softly:

"Master, what happened?"

Lid stroked his chin and replied:

"Well, I feel like Yusa lied, but at this point I don't know what they're trying to do."

Alayya asked in confusion:

"Lying? Why do you think so, young master?"

Lid used a pen to draw a little man and two monsters on the paper on the table, then drew a cross between the two monsters. An arrow came out of the little man and pointed to one of the monsters. He explained to Alayya:

"To put it simply, since we already know that there is a conflict in the other camp, the best way is to win over one side and attack the other, rather than mobilize all forces to deal with the Golden Giant. It's good that we can kill it this time. If we lose, it will only make other giant commanders see the weakness of humans and invite a larger-scale invasion."

"After all, the Golden Giant is only ranked third among the seven commanders. With internal discord, how many troops can it mobilize to launch an invasion to the south? I don't know the exact number, but it is definitely not as terrifying as Yusaku described. At least on this point, Yusaku should be exaggerating."

"Also, Lingwu provided too little information about the Golden Giant. I don't rule out the possibility that they knew about it but didn't report it, but there is one problem that remains unsolved - I suspect that using military formations to increase strength is just a theory, and Garberd himself hasn't tried it yet."