Castle of Black Iron

Zhang Tie didn’t leave that mountain range until 10 days later.

During this period, Zhang Tie joined more than 10 battles and chopped off dozens of heads in the mountain range. After ambushing a team of fighters of Sacred Alliance Empire, Zhang Tie who disguised himself as Fred suddenly found that he could light all the other surging points except those on his spine. After that, Zhang Tie exited that mountain range and prepared to go back to the camp at the order of the Sword of Brilliance.

The battles in the 10 days could be ignored as they were far from risks. Given his realm as a sage-level knight, even being weak, he still didn’t have any sense of fulfillment by disguising as a LV 9 fighter and fighting demon lackeys at LV 9 or below LV 9. It was far from being satisfying.

There was only a relatively ”risky” battle: Zhang Tie discovered a LV 11 battle master of Sacred Alliance Emperor in the mountain. After thinking twice, Zhang Tie felt it was too eye-catching if he killed him with the gap of two levels, therefore, Zhang Tie chose to ”dodge” the battle master’s chase through jumping off the ”cliff” with an ”unyielding” will...

2 days later after that ”survival”, Zhang Tie found that he had gained some breakthrough——he could finally light the surging points except those on his spine. Therefore, he finished the 10 days’ ”outing in the spring” in the mountain range and came to the next step.

Feinan was about 160 miles away from Coldwater City. Protecting a flank of Coldwater City, it was completely under the control of allied human forces compared to the deserted Coldwater City. Feinan was like a human camp. If the forces of Sacred Alliance Emperor wanted to occupy Feinan, they could only have two ways: pass the lofty mountains in the north of Feinan and come to the city gate of Feinan City or completely occupy Coldwater City and march eastward from Coldwater City so as to threaten Feinan.

As for the Sacred Alliance Emperor, each of the two ways was difficult. They had to pay a great loss whenever they marched one step forward.

Coldwater City had already become ruins; however, humans and demon lackeys were still scrambling for it. Additionally, the demon army couldn’t move forward in the mountain range in the north of Feinan City as none of the heavy weapons could enter it. Therefore, that mountain range became another battlefield. Those who could fight in that region were all elites. They were mainly fighters above LV 6. Outside the mountain range, allied human forces were waiting for enemies in a series of defense line composed of battle fortresses. Even though the elites of Allied Sacred Emperor passed that mountain range, they would also be badly battered by the bloody forces in the steel battle fortresses.

...

”Stop...”

A gray-colored steel battle fortress was standing tall at a passageway in the south of that mountain range, controlling the main road leading to the mountain range. On the early morning of July 29, soon after the sun came out, Zhang Tie had caught the attention of the garrisons in the battle fortress. Some powerful steam crossbow cannons had already targeted at Zhang Tie silently. When Zhang Tie pulled off the hood of his field cape, revealing his bearded and experienced face, he caused the garrisons to be slightly relaxed. However, they were still gazing at Zhang Tie who was walking towards the battle fortress.

When Zhang Tie was about 70 m away from the battle fortress, he saw a red line on the ground. At this time, Zhang Tie heard a voice from the battle fortress, ”Report the designation of your troop and your passcode!” from an officer in crimson military uniform hiding behind the arrow buttress.

”No. 76 squad, the 3rd brigade, designated corps in Hicks Peninsula, Sword of Brilliance Army Group, Sacred Light Empire. Passcode, Light in Mist...” Zhang Tie answered in a muffled voice.

After that, the officer went to check the passcode of No. 76 Squad. Within half a minute, the officer had finally responded in the battle fortress, ”Correct designation and passcode. Permitted!”

After confirming Zhang Tie’s identity, the crossbow cannon was moved upward, then changed to another direction. All the garrisons in the battle fortress were watching Zhang Tie with complex looks which was a sign of respect.

3 weeks ago, No. 76 squad entering this mountain range contained 6 people. 3 weeks later, only one of them survived back. Needless to say, the other 5 had died. Now that Fred could come back, he must be fortunate and competent.

In others’ eyes, Zhang Tie was a survivor on the battlefield as he was wounded; besides, they could almost hear battle calls given Zhang Tie’s look.

When Zhang Tie walked towards the battle fortress, no matter how poor he looked, he still stayed calm inside. As he walked, he squinted at those weapons in the battle fortress. Meanwhile, he sighed with emotions inside.

War was indeed the catalyzer of new technologies and achievements. Take this color-changing field cape being processed with mutated cuttlefish’s body fluid as an instance. When he left this world, this equipment didn’t exist among human troops, even troops in Taixia Country. Unexpectedly, more than 3 decades later, fighters of elite army groups in the frontier of the Western Continent had been equipped with it.

The weapons in the battle fortress were also much more powerful than that when he left. With the combination of new alloy materials and rune technologies, the pressure storage ability of the storage tanks of the steam weapons was one level higher than before, which meant a great improvement in destructive capability. With the invention of fiery oil, this battle fortress got a reserved dynamic system and some awe-stricken fiery-oil inflammable weapons.

If not take the air supremacy in advance, it would take demons or demon lackeys two times more lives than that needed over 3 decades ago to eliminate this battle fortress. However, if they took the air supremacy, they only needed a 1-ton heavy inflammable bomb to turn this battle fortress into a graveyard and the battalion of soldiers in the battle fortress into ashes.

Air cavalries gradually became more and more important in wars.

Zhang Tie looked up at the sky.

As was imagined, a formation of ”battle eagles” was hovering in the sky. Besides protecting the battle fortress, they were also monitoring the situation facing the air territory above the mountain range...