Above the vast azure sky, within the emptiness, two figures existed purely as consciousness, facing each other from a distance.
Opposite, the old general had white hair and beard, yet his face bore not a single wrinkle, his entire figure tall and straight. Holding a long halberd and clad in silver armor, his cape flapped in the wind, a picture of awe-inspiring might.
"Young Lord, congratulations on making it to this stage, and from here on, it will be I who teaches you the essence of command and control. Pay attention, look closely, and learn a lot," he said.
"I forgot to mention, in my day, I was hailed as a legendary War God."
"So, there is no shame in losing to me. The shame lies in failing to improve."
"Come, let's see how much of the art of command you possess, and how many attempts you will need to defend these three cities safely against me."
The old general spoke enthusiastically, saying a great deal.
After a moment, he glared at Mu Yuan, "Young man, don't you have any thoughts to express?"
He recalled being idolized as the 'Shield of the Sky' in his previous life, an idol in the hearts of many youngsters. Regrettably, times had changed, and now there were few young people who knew of his name.
This was no longer their era.
The old general grew melancholic again, waving his hand, "Let's convey our sentiments through the clash of our armies instead."
As he finished speaking, a vast expanse of land a dozen kilometers away from the three towns suddenly burst into countless golden lights.
Troops of various kinds emerged from the golden radiance.
Goblins, Gargoyles, Giant Scorpions, Man Niu, and Jackal Men, among others.
Catching sight of the troops under his command, the old general sighed once more, then cast aside all his melancholy and distractions, focusing with seriousness.
Under his direction, battalion after battalion pushed forward, overcoming all obstacles in their path.
"As expected, it's primarily the usual monster types," Mu Yuan contemplated.
Similar to a monster tide, the enemy before him also overwhelmed the defenders in numbers.
The enemy numbered in the tens of thousands.
And among them were many Elite Peak forces, a substantial number of Third-order Warlords, and a Four-order Peak commander in charge of the troops.
Most importantly, compared to a monster tide, the Orange Tower's attackers were more Elite and more systematic.
They were already hastening through the woods, moving with great speed while maintaining formations that hinted at concealed lethality.
Mu Yuan had a premonition.
If the challenger were to deploy strong individuals in ambush along essential routes for a surprise attack, aiming for attrition, it would likely fall into the old general's trap.
This brigade of fast-moving troops was like a series of nets, waiting for the prey to come to them.
"Interesting," he remarked.
Even though the challengers benefited from the 'Eye of Heaven' and the defensive advantage of the city walls, passing this challenge was nevertheless extremely difficult.
One reason was the difference in command level;
and the other, the disparity in sheer force.
While Mu Yuan wasn't sure if the old general's claim to being a 'War God' was a boast, he had his own considerations. A general who had lived for countless years and still stood guard over the Orange Tower was likely to have a higher level of command than himself.
Matching wits in command could likely lead him into a trap.
With this in mind, besides arranging the town's defenses, Mu Yuan did not adopt any extraordinary tactics.
He planned to be steadfast and thorough. (×)
He planned to hit them head-on. (√)
As he pondered, the various Siege Corps had already arrived outside the three towns. They began their first probing assault.
"All forces, attack!"
"The best defense is a strong offense."
Apart from a few reserves, the ready-to-strike Tianyuan main forces abandoned the advantage of the city walls, charging directly towards the enemy forces.
The old general in the azure sky flared his nostrils and glared with wide eyes.
"Who taught you to fight ! Who taught you to fight in such a manner!"
Had young Lords already become so reckless?
The Lords who had made it this far were a rare few, and this challenger was so young, surely promising. How could the old general not be furious at seeing such a promising seedling going astray?
Had he not died so utterly, he might have climbed out from under his coffin lid.
The two armies met in battle!
Outside the first town, the Undead Legion stirred a black maelstrom, slashing out terrifying Sword Lights hundreds of meters long.
Outside the second town, the Human Race troops advanced rapidly, shield-bearers like bulldozers, effortlessly breaking through everything in front of them. Bowholders turned into humanoid Gatling guns, shooting arrow after arrow in quick succession.
Outside the third town, the Treeman Forest, leading the Snow Girls, surged forward like a fearsome beast, sweeping over and engulfing one attacking monster after another.
"These troops seem Elite enough, but sadly, they've been doomed by misguided commands."
With the advantage of Army Spirit, the three troops rolled forward, unstoppable.
But the defender was the experienced old general, and how could he not know how to deal with the Army Soul Corps?
On the surface, the three corps were slaughtering mightily, but any experienced commander could tell that the three corps were already trapped.
They had fallen into a position that was difficult to advance from or retreat to.
The attackers kept their rhythm and continuously dragged on, biting firmly onto the Army Soul Corps while spreading their positions to ensure that the soldiers annihilated under large-scale skills weren't too numerous.
Indeed, when the Complete Troop Legion resonated, manifesting the Army Spirit, they were invincible. But how long could an entire troop resonate the Army Spirit? Half an hour, at most an hour.
And that is with minimal expenditure.