BTTH: Demon Emperor Xiao Yan

As Princess Yao Ye had predicted, the Snake-People Tribe launched another assault shortly after a brief pause. This attack was far more ferocious than the last, but thanks to Yao Ye's vigilance and her reinforcement of the defenses in advance, the enemy was denied any opportunity to breach the city. Just then, she saw a squad of soldiers escorting several large crates up to the top of the city walls.

Upon seeing the contents, Yao Ye finally let out a sigh of relief. If those components could be assembled in time, they would be able to repel the attackers below. These items were parts of a special weapon she had brought from the imperial capital—a renowned siege weapon in military circles known as the "Tri-Burst Qi-Breaking Ballista."

Once a cultivator reached the Da Dou Shi level, ordinary arrows and crossbows became nearly useless against them. However, in the Empire's wars, skilled Dou Qi warriors often entered the battlefield, and once they broke into the ranks, it was like a wolf among sheep. To counter such high-tier threats, several empires developed specialized weapons forged from rare metals—powerful enough to strike down even elite fighters.

The "Tri-Burst Qi-Breaking Ballista" was one of them. A single bolt could easily pierce through the Dou Qi armor of a Da Dou Shi, and even Dou Ling-level warriors would find it difficult to defend against. That was just one. In major fortresses, hundreds of these ballistae could be deployed at once, and a synchronized volley could even force a Dou Wang-level powerhouse to retreat.

Due to its high cost and the scarcity of its materials, however, such ballistae were normally only reserved for key military strongholds. A small city like Desertrock City wouldn't qualify for deployment. The only reason one was present now was because Yao Ye had used her status as a princess to bring it from the imperial capital.

Once the Tri-Burst Ballista was fully assembled, it was immediately aimed at a Snake-Person who was charging ahead with a serpent spear, ready to launch it toward the wall. But just before he could attack, a steel bolt whistled down from above, piercing straight through his chest and pinning him to the ground.

The Snake-Person had seen the arrow coming and hadn't taken it seriously—after all, his Dou Qi armor could withstand ordinary projectiles. What he didn't expect was that this bolt carried several times the destructive force. The instant pain gave him no chance to react; his heart was pierced, and he was killed on the spot.

This single shot brought a stunned silence to the attacking Snake-People. They had taken pride in their defenses, thinking humans lacked the power to break them. But this one bolt shattered that illusion.

"Fall back!" one of them shouted in panic. The formation began to crumble. But Yao Ye wasn't going to let them escape so easily. She commanded two more bolts to be fired, killing two more Snake-People as they retreated. The greatest strength of the Tri-Burst Ballista was its ability to launch three successive bolts, which was exactly why she had brought it to Desertrock City.

Once reloaded, Yao Ye ordered the ballista to target the one who seemed to be the enemy leader. If they could kill him, the rest would be leaderless, and victory would be all but assured. To ensure a clean kill, she instructed the crew to fire all three bolts at once.

"Fire!" she shouted.

The three bolts soared through the air, aimed squarely at the Snake-Person commander. But just before they struck, a powerful surge of Dou Qi suddenly shot in from afar, shattering all three bolts mid-air. Yao Ye's pupils contracted. To destroy those bolts so easily—only a Dou Wang-level expert could pull that off!

And sure enough, her suspicions were confirmed. A dark figure appeared in the distant sky, growing rapidly larger. It was a muscular Snake-Person with Dou Qi wings flaring out behind him. He was flying at high speed toward the battlefield—the commander of this Snake-Person force, one of the eight tribal leaders of the Snake-People: Mobasi!

Even someone as composed as Yao Ye couldn't help but feel a wave of despair. If it were just a Dou Ling-level opponent, they might still manage to kill him with the ballista. But a Dou Wang... that was an entirely different level. Even with ten ballistae, killing him would be nearly impossible.

Dou Wangs were rare even among the Snake-People. For one of them to lead an attack on a remote city like Desertrock was completely unexpected. Not even the Dou Huang-level experts in the imperial capital could have predicted this. For someone like Mobasi, breaking through the city's defenses would be all too easy.

Mobasi raised his fist from midair and slammed it downward. A tremendous surge of power coalesced into a massive energy serpent that flew toward the city wall, its jaws aimed directly at Yao Ye. He didn't know her identity, but it was clear she was the commander, and he intended to eliminate her first.

The energy serpent struck fast—too fast for someone at Yao Ye's level to dodge. Her eyes widened in despair. But just as the serpent was about to hit her, a figure wreathed in purple-black flames streaked in from the horizon. In the blink of an eye, he arrived and blocked the serpent's path. With a casual flick of his hand, the giant energy snake shattered into fragments.

"You are..." Yao Ye gazed at the mysterious figure cloaked in purple-black fire and let out a breath of relief. Judging by the wings behind his back, he was also a Dou Wang. With a Dou Wang on their side, they might just be able to hold the line.

Still, she was puzzled. Since when did the Jia Ma Empire have a Dou Wang who could wield such strange flames? Why hadn't she heard of him?

"Who I am doesn't matter," the flame-shrouded youth said calmly. "What matters is that you need to keep leading your troops."

Yao Ye nodded. "Understood. As long as that enemy Dou Wang doesn't intervene again, we should be able to wipe out the remaining Snake-People."

The young man—Xiao Yan—glanced sideways at the noble imperial princess. Then his gaze locked onto Mobasi in the distance.

"Good. That guy… leave him to me."

(End of Chapter)

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