Translator: WQL  Editor: Aleem

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 ambus.h.i.+ng a team of fighters of Sacred Alliance Empire, Zhang Tie who disguised himself as Frederick 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 not even performances and 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 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.

費南距離冷水城230公里,護衛着冷水城的側翼,和現在已經成爲一片廢墟的冷水城相比,費南現在還完全掌握在人族聯軍的手上,整個費南現在就是一個兵營,神聖聯盟帝國的軍隊想要奪取費南,只有兩條路,這兩條路,一條是穿過費南北面的那一片崇山峻嶺,把大軍開到費南城下,還有一條,就是在徹底佔領冷水城後,從冷水城揮師東進,纔有威脅費南的可能.

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: pa.s.s the lofty mountains in the north of Feinan and came 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 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 pa.s.sed that mountain range, they would also be badly battered by the b.l.o.o.d.y forces in the steel battle fortresses.

"Stop…"

在那片山嶺南面的一個關隘處,一個灰色的高大的鋼鐵戰堡聳立着,卡主了進出那片山嶺的咽喉,7月29日的早上,天色大亮,太陽剛剛出來,一身露水,從樹林之中鑽出來的張鐵,在距離那片關隘處500米之外,就引起了戰堡守軍的注意,戰堡上幾臺威力巨大的蒸汽弩炮,已經悄然瞄準了張鐵的身影,在張鐵把野戰披風的帽兜拉下來,露出自己鬍子拉碴歷經風霜的臉頰和麪容之後,戰堡上的守軍稍微放鬆了一點,但仍然盯着朝着戰堡走來的張鐵.

A tall gray-colored steel battle fortress was standing at a pa.s.s in the south of that mountain range, controlling the main road accessing 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.

在張鐵距離戰堡70米左右的時候,地上有一條紅線,隨着戰堡上的那個聲音傳來,張鐵也就在那條紅線之外停下了腳步. "報上部隊番號,還有通行口令!"鋼鐵戰堡之上,一個穿着暗紅色軍裝的軍官戰在箭垛的後面,對着張鐵喊了一聲.

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 pa.s.scode!" from an officer in crimson military uniform hiding behind the arrow b.u.t.tress.

"聖光帝國光輝之劍軍團希克斯半島派遣兵團第三大隊第76小隊,通關口令,霧中之光…"張鐵沉聲回答道.

"No. 76 squad, the 3rd brigade, designated corps in Hicks Peninsula, Sword of Brilliance Army Group, Sacred Light Empire. Pa.s.scode, Light in Mist…" Zhang Tie answered in a m.u.f.fled voice.

戰堡上的軍官估計是去核對76小隊留下的通關口令,足足過了半分鐘,那個軍官的聲音才重新在戰堡上面響了起來,"番號口令無誤,准予通過…"

After that, the officer might go to check the pa.s.scode of No. 76 Squad. In half a minute, the officer finally responded in the battle fortress, "Correct designation and pa.s.scode. Permitted…"

After confirming Zhang Tie's ident.i.ty, 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 contained a bit 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 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 one 1-ton heavy inflammable bomb to turn this battle fortress into ruins 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…