Gao Wu: You have science, and I have magic!

Roy himself was startled when the red-hot iron spike pierced the first guard's back.

What shocked him even more was that the monster howled and turned into ashes. The two remaining guards turned around and rushed forward, but were nailed to the wall by flaming arrows that fell from the sky.

"Nice job, kid."

A female knight wearing the light armor of the Flame Dragoon Regiment landed in front of the blacksmith shop. "Want to learn how to really kill these bastards?"

Roy later learned that this female knight named Lisa was a member of the "Spark Squad" that Ye Qingzhou sent to various towns. Stories like his of civilians who killed vampires in desperate situations were spreading at an alarming rate in taverns, markets, and underground churches.

Within seven days, the number of Northern coalition forces tripled.

There are not only professional fighters, but more civilians like Roy.

They may not understand tactics, but their hatred for vampires is enough to make up for their lack of experience.

The priests of the Holy Sun Church made holy water day and night, and the Magic Association opened up simple spell teaching - even the most basic holy flame spell, as long as it could ignite the vampires, it was a good spell.

The professionals who poured in like a tide became the main force in the North's fight against the vampires. In order to prevent their descendants from becoming blood food for the vampires, countless civilians chose to fight even at the cost of their lives.

At dusk on the seventh day, the Northern Alliance deployed its troops at the southern foot of the Frost Mountains.

Aurelian led the main army to guard the canyon pass, and the priests of the Holy Sun Church built a holy light barrier in the rear. Ye Qingzhou led the most elite frost guards and flame dragon knights to ambush on the ridges on both sides.

"Star trails show that the two moons will overlap at midnight."

Iris reported through the communication crystal. She continued to consume magic power to divine the stars, using this method to detect the opponent's movements: "The emperor's vanguard has entered the canyon, all of them are transformed blood knights."

Ye Qingzhou lay on Xiaohuo's back, overlooking the enemy troops surging like a black tide below.

Even at an altitude of a hundred meters, he could still clearly see the pale faces and bloodshot eyes of the knights.

What is even more terrifying is the scarlet royal tent in the center of the army - according to the scouts' report, sitting inside is not only the emperor, but also Dracula, who should have been eliminated.

"All units, attention."

Ye Qingzhou pressed the communication crystal, his expression solemn: "Remember, our goal is not to win, but to delay until the two moons separate. Once you see the silver flare, immediately retreat to the second line of defense."

Confirmations were heard one after another on the communication channel.

Ye Qingzhou took one last look at his equipment: "Winter's Oath" was tied next to the dragon saddle, the ice crystal rune given by his mother was pinned to his waist, and the rune on his left arm was deliberately exposed to the cold wind - it would serve as bait tonight.

As the first rays of moonlight penetrated the clouds, an inhuman howl rang out in the canyon.

The Blood Knights suddenly accelerated and rushed towards the defense line at the north entrance of the canyon at a speed beyond common sense.

Almost at the same time, countless flames lit up on the ridges on both sides - the Northern Alliance's crossbows fired in unison.

Ye Qingzhou patted Xiaohuo's neck: "It's time, old friend."

The flaming dragon let out a long, deafening roar and swooped down with him towards the scarlet royal tent.

At the moment of contact, Ye Qingzhou saw a figure walking out of the tent - it was the emperor covered in golden armor, and Dracula wrapped in a black windbreaker.

The frozen ground on the southern foot of the Frost Mountains began to tremble at dawn.

The heavy infantry of the Earthline Family drove their tower shields deep into the ground, and the stone blood surged under their gray-brown skin.

Brandon Ground stood in the front row, feeling the vibrations coming closer and closer beneath his feet—a torrent of Imperial cavalry was approaching through the morning mist.

“Hold on!”

The voice of the old Earl Holm echoed on the front line like a rolling stone: "Let those blood-sucking bastards see the power of the descendants of the Earth Mother Goddess!"

When the first rain of arrows flew out of the mist, Brandon activated his bloodline ability.

His skin instantly turned to stone, and the arrow hit it with a clanging sound.

Several recruits nearby whose bloodlines had not yet fully awakened were not so lucky. They fell to the ground screaming, their blood seeping into the frozen soil.

"Prepare the core!"

Brandon growled, hot energy beginning to build up in his chest.

The fog was suddenly torn apart by some huge force.

Brandon's pupils suddenly shrank - those charging in the front were not human cavalry, but hundreds of war trolls enslaved by the vampires, each of them was three meters tall and wielded a mace covered with spikes.

Behind the troll, he saw something even more terrifying: three rows of magic crystal cannons made of obsidian, with dangerous red light flashing from the muzzles.

"Mother Earth bless you..."

Brandon barely had time to say this before the first round of bombardment arrived.

When the magic crystal shells landed, they produced not flames but a strange purple energy vortex. Brandon saw with his own eyes that an entire infantry phalanx was sucked into it, and the flesh and blood of the soldiers melted like wax.

He bit the tip of his tongue, and the severe pain stimulated the power deep in his blood.

"Molten core eruption!"

Lava-like lines appeared on his body surface, and hot energy burst out from his fists.

Two fountains of underground fire shot up from the trolls' feet, roasting the five monsters into charcoal. But this was just a drop in the bucket in front of the surging enemy.

Suddenly, a roar like the tide came from the right wing. Brandon turned his head and saw that the mages of the Liuge family had finished casting spells. Alvin Liuge stood on the crest of the wave, with the trident in his hand guiding a ten-meter-high wall of water to pounce on the enemy's flank.

The ferocious shadows of deep-sea creatures can be vaguely seen in the water flow, which is the initial manifestation of the Yuanji bloodline.

"The Fury of the Tide!"

Alvin's roar resonated with the waves.

The moment the wall of water hit the Imperial Army's line, steam rose into the sky.

Brandon immediately understood their target - the heavy armored infantry of the Flame Scale family were advancing from that direction. Water and fire counteract each other, this was a tactic carefully designed by the Northern Alliance.

But when the steam cleared, Brandon's heart sank.

A slender figure stood on the scorched earth, surrounded by a dragon scale-like flame barrier. Livia Flamescale wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth, and her golden vertical pupils locked onto Alvin.

“Old thing!”

Her voice was hoarse, a characteristic of the Dragonborn. "Will your water put this out?"

She took a deep breath, and her chest swelled unnaturally.

When the dragon's breath was released, the air was distorted by the burning. Alvin hurriedly summoned a water shield to block it, but the three Liuge mages were still vaporized instantly.

"Yanlin family bastard!"

Brandon rushed forward in anger, unleashing the full force of the Molten Core.

With every step he took, columns of magma erupted from the ground.

Livia sneered, and dense red scales appeared on her neck. When the two were about to fight, the sky suddenly darkened.

Ye Qingzhou swooped down from the clouds, and Xiaohuo's wings rolled up a hurricane. The icy blue light of his left eye penetrated the smoke and dust of the battlefield, and he clearly saw that the magic crystal cannon was charging for the second round - they must be stopped. "Flame Dragon Knights, cone formation!"

He gave orders through the communication crystal, aiming at the enemy's rear: "Target artillery position!"

The sight of fifty fire dragons swooping down at the same time was enough to scare even the bravest warrior. But the imperial army was clearly prepared - lightning and thunder suddenly flashed in the sky, and dozens of figures rose into the air at incredible speeds to intercept.

They wore light blue and white armor, and left cyclone afterimages when they moved.

"Lan Yi Family..."

Ye Qingzhou had a cold look in his eyes. The wind-step warrior in the front holding a lightning spear was none other than Sirius Lanyi, the record holder of the academy's speed test.

Xiaohuo spewed out dragon flames, but Sirius easily dodged them. The genius of the Lanyi family instantly approached Ye Qingzhou's left side and stabbed his throat with a spear.

"Too slow, Morning Star's..."

Sirius's voice stopped abruptly.

Ye Qingzhou's right hand grabbed the tip of the spear at some point, and the Force - the silver-blue energy that was a fusion of ice and fire - spread along the spear.

Sirius was horrified to find that his lightning power was completely suppressed, and his bloodline ability was like it was frozen and could not be used.

“I don’t know what it means.”

Ye Qingzhou said softly, and the force burst out and blasted Sirius hundreds of meters away.

After breaking through the interception of the Lanyi Family, the artillery position was within reach. Ye Qingzhou saw that the person operating the cannon was not a human, but some kind of mechanical puppet - no wonder the Holy Sun Church's holy water tactics were ineffective.

“Disperse the attack!”

He gave the order without hesitation.

The Fire Dragon Knights immediately divided into five groups and dived from different angles.

At this moment, three figures rose from the center of the artillery position. Ye Qingzhou's pupils shrank slightly - there were no magic circles or flying props under the feet of the three people, and they relied purely on energy to float, which was the sign of a legendary strongman.

"The kid from the Morning Star family."

The warrior in the middle drew out his two swords, making a sound like sandpaper rubbing against each other. His eyes were fixed on Ye Qingzhou's figure, with greed and covetousness in his eyes: "I'll give you a chance. Hand over the Force cultivation method, and you can keep your body intact."

Ye Qingzhou didn't waste any time and pulled out the "Winter Oath".

The frost rune on the giant sword lit up at the same time as his left eye, and the flame fighting spirit in his right hand merged with the dragon flame ejected by the small fire. When these two forces met at the tip of the sword, the silver-blue force poured out like a waterfall.

The warrior legend sneered and stepped forward, crossing his swords into a cross.

However, the moment he came into contact with the Force, his expression froze - the "Steel-Broken" sword energy that was said to be able to cut through everything shattered like glass. Ye Qingzhou's sword force did not decrease, and he directly split his body-protecting Dou Qi.

"This is impossible!"

The Mage Legend hurriedly deployed a nine-layer protective shield, while the Ranger Legend shot out twelve magic-breaking arrows.

Ye Qingzhou formed a seal with his left hand, and the Force formed a rotating Tai Chi diagram in front of him.

The arrows were deflected and the magic shield burst like bubbles. The combined attack of the three legendary masters was like child's play in front of him.

"The Force is not a simple combination of fighting spirit and magic."

Ye Qingzhou's voice was terrifyingly calm: "It is the origin of the universe and represents the supreme Tao."

The sword flashed, and the legendary head of the wizard flew up.

There was a transparent hole on the chest of the warrior legend. The only remaining legendary ranger was retreating in fear: "You...what kind of monster are you?"

Ye Qingzhou did not answer. The Force turned into chains to tie up the Ranger Legend and threw him towards the last magic crystal cannon.

The gunners had no time to adjust their direction, and the fully charged shells directly blew their guardians into pieces.

With the artillery positions destroyed, the situation on the battlefield reversed instantly.

The Northern Alliance sounded the clarion call for a counterattack, and the warriors of the Earth Vein Family roared and launched a charge, forcing the Imperial Army, which had lost its fire support, to retreat ten miles.

In the temporary command post of Frost Iron City, Aurelian looked at the battle report on the sand table, but his brows did not relax: "It went too smoothly..."

"Your Excellency, great news from the front!"

The messenger rushed in, his face full of joy: "The water mage of the Liuge family cooperated with our army's frost guards to wipe out the three battalions of the Yanlin family!"

In the corner, Bishop Victor, wearing the white robe of the Holy Sun Church, lowered his head slightly to hide the smile on his lips.

His fingers gently stroked a memory crystal in his sleeve - it contained the coordinates of all the logistical bases of the Northern Alliance.

“Praise the Holy Sun.”

Victor said in a pious tone: "Please allow me to go to the front line to pray for the wounded."

Aurelian nodded in agreement, but narrowed his eyes when the bishop turned around. He waved to his guards and said, "Send someone to keep an eye on Victor. His every move must be reported to me."

At the same time, on the scorched earth at the edge of the battlefield, Livia Flamescale dragged her injured left leg and found her brother who was severely injured by the Force. Chaos was in a very bad condition, his scorching blood was completely out of control, and bubbles of fire bulged from time to time under his skin.

"Hold on, brother."

Livia cut her wrist and let the blood drip onto Chaos's cracked lips. The blood of the Flame Scale Family could temporarily stabilize the blood runaway. At this moment, there was only deep hatred in her bright eyes: "We will make the Morning Star Family pay with blood..."

On the distant mountain top, Grand Duke Dracula was watching all this through a crystal ball.

He swirled the red liquid in the glass gracefully and chuckled to the gloomy emperor beside him: "Don't worry, dear majesty, this is just the opening act. The real trump card has not yet been played."

The crystal ball turned to another scene - Bishop Victor was "praying" in the wounded camp, and a few blood-red crystals quietly fell from the bottom of his holy staff, blending into the ground and disappearing.

In the higher clouds, two blood moons were approaching each other at a speed visible to the naked eye. When they completely overlapped, the trajectory of fate would slide towards the real abyss.

The night sky of the Frost Mountains was lit red by the flames of war.

In the wounded soldiers' camp of the Northern Alliance, wailing and prayers were heard intertwined.

Bishop Victor held the staff in his hand and walked slowly among the wounded. Under his kind face, his eyes flashed a cold light. Every time he passed a wounded person, a drop of dark red crystal would quietly seep out from the bottom of the staff and blend into the soil silently.

Blood Moon Beacons - These crystals will activate at midnight, transforming the wounded into bloodthirsty monsters, tearing the coalition defenses apart from within.

Victor's mouth curled up slightly, and he silently recited Dracula's plan in his heart: "When chaos breaks out, the surprise attack by the Great Prince and the Flamescale siblings will completely burn the hope of the North."

However, he did not realize that in the shadows, a pair of icy blue eyes were watching his every move.

"Bishop Victor's holy light... seems a little different."

Inside the command tent of Frost Iron City, Ye Qingzhou tapped the tabletop with his fingertips, and the power of frost condensed into tiny runes in the air.

Aurelian frowned, and Iris's star compass was spinning wildly, foreshadowing an impending disaster.

"What he left behind in the Wounded Soldiers' Camp was not Holy Light."

Ye Qingzhou whispered: "It's the beacon of the vampires." (End of this chapter)