### Chapter 2: Sky Tower (2)
==============================
About five kilometers outside Black Stone City lies the encampment of the Cold Wind City army.
To strengthen the camp’s defenses, the soldiers had to scrounge up some dry branches from the tamarisk trees on the Gobi Desert and clumsily set up a makeshift fence about the height of a person.
Luckily, with great effort, they managed to dig a trench around the camp to thwart any surprise attacks from the enemy.
At least now, they had a bit of a safety net.
The army had been stationed outside the city for nearly a month; and due to the Stone Giant, progress in their siege was nonexistent. Meanwhile, their soldiers were getting thinned out like a bad haircut, leading to rather low morale.
As they sat on their rations, supplies were dwindling fast.
With no progress in the siege, the Tiger Demon was becoming increasingly worried.
But his worries didn’t stop there.
It had now been a full day since the Great King had quietly appeared and then tiptoed off to Black Stone City to scout the situation.
The Tiger Demon fidgeted restlessly, anxiously awaiting news from the front lines, dreading that something might go awry at the Great King’s end. After all, as the frontline commander, he would undoubtedly be held accountable.
Finally, a pale-faced Demon Race member returned to the camp, and the Tiger Demon let out a sigh of relief.
However, the messenger didn’t seem interested in a long chit-chat. He merely informed the Tiger Demon that the Great King was safe and waiting for news, and then took off with his three lackeys on the Great King’s personal mount, the Dark Feather Crane, reportedly heading to the Human Race’s Sky Void City.
Now, the Tiger Demon could finally breathe easy.
As long as the Great King was safe, he felt that everything still had a chance to be salvaged, even if the entire army were to fall apart.
No sooner had the messenger left than a frantic reporting voice rang out from outside the tent.
“General! According to the patrol team, a mysterious army has suddenly appeared about twenty miles away!”
“What? Are you kidding me?”
Startled, the Tiger Demon hurriedly summoned leaders of all ranks to discuss defense arrangements.
Thankfully, due to the Tiger Demon’s strict military discipline and clear rewards and punishments, the troops rallied against the news of an enemy attack, ready to fight to the bitter end.
After a chaotic flurry of activity, the defensive troops finally gathered. Armed with shields, long spears, and bows, they aimed directly at the incoming suspicious adversary.
The Tiger Demon took position atop the watchtower, observing the army that had suddenly appeared from behind the camp, eager to uncover their origins.
If they were enemy reinforcements, this would undoubtedly be the bloodiest battle since Cold Wind City began its siege on Black Stone City.
“Wait a minute? What’s that on their flags?”
The Tiger Demon’s sharp eyes soon caught sight of the numerous banners flapping in the wind.
Immediately, a keen small demon shouted, “It’s the Great King of the Split Land! The Great King of the Split Land!”
The Tiger Demon jumped in surprise, shifting his focus. Indeed, the banners did prominently display the name “Great King of the Split Land.”
“General, Thousand Bird City isn’t too far from Black Stone City; we could reach it in about fifteen days.
It’s been a whole month! What took them so long? There must be something fishy going on,” his subordinate, Seven Feathers, immediately questioned.
“They might have faced some issues on the way. With the Cold Moon Great King around, even if the Great King of the Split Land had one hundred guts, he wouldn’t dare to rebel,” interjected the Hedgehog Monster.
The Tiger Demon frowned. “Alright, enough chatter. Let’s see what their attitude is! We can’t be careless!”
“Yes, General!” everyone replied in unison.
The army of the Great King of the Split Land slowed to a stop in front of the Cold Wind City army, seemingly lacking any intent of launching a fierce attack.
Before long, the vanguard opened a path, and a hulking armored Bull-Headed Man stomped into the middle between the two armies.
“I am the Split Land, under the command of the Cold Moon Great King. May I ask who commands this friendly army?”
Upon hearing this, the Tiger Demon promptly hopped down from the watchtower, strode through the defensive line, and stopped ten meters away from the Great King of the Split Land.
“I am the Tiger Demon from the Tiger Wolf Cave. I’ve met the Great King of the Split Land before; though I was once the leader of a small cave under your command, I now serve a greater master… I am the commander of the Cold Wind City army, so it would be inappropriate for me to pay tribute to you.”
The Bull-Headed Man laughed heartily, “No need for that! My brother Tiger Demon, it’s quite impressive you’ve risen to such a high position!”
“Thank you for your understanding, Great King.”
“Now that our two armies have united, this is surely the time for us to establish our accomplishments! I entrust my ten thousand men to you.”
The Tiger Demon quickly replied, “I wouldn’t dare! It’s fantastic that our two armies can join forces, but since our military orders and command systems are different, a hurried merger could lead to chaos. My suggestion is to station both armies separately and act in unison.”
The Great King of the Split Land, seemingly unfazed, responded, “Very good, very good! Let’s go with your arrangement!”
As for why they were late to arrive, the Great King of the Split Land never brought it up, and the Tiger Demon couldn’t very well ask.
After all, this Bull-Head had once been the ruler of the entire Chaos Forest. A mere cave dweller like him was in a completely different league from the Great King of the Split Land.
Had he not sided with the Cold Moon Great King, he’d have never had the chance to sit at the same table as the Great King of the Split Land in his life. While their statuses were now roughly the same, he still had to show a bit of respect to the fellow who once supervised his supervisor.
After confirming that it was all just a false alarm, the Cold Wind City army let out a collective sigh of relief.
Though the Great King of the Split Land’s army was slightly fewer in number, he had plenty of capable Great Demons under his command, and overall strength was even beginning to overshadow that of Cold Wind City.
Moreover, the Great King himself was a powerful Great Demon. With him leading the charge, surely Black Stone City would fall soon!
Back in the tent, however, the Tiger Demon felt a twinge of anxiety.
He had already reported the Great King of the Split Land’s tardiness to the Cold Moon Great King, and now that the Great King of the Split Land had arrived, he hoped the Great King was aware. However, the Great King was currently inside Black Stone City.
Once the two armies combined, would they immediately launch an assault on the city?
Would this spoil the Great King’s plans?
After much thought, he decided to defer everything to the Great King’s instructions.
After all, it was easier for the Great King to slip away from Black Stone City than to grab a drink of water, and since he hadn’t returned yet, he must have discovered something suspicious.
“Relay the word! Tonight, the General will be hosting a feast in honor of the Great King of the Split Land!”
“Yes, General!”
To ensure everything went perfectly, he needed to find out why the Great King of the Split Land had been late.
And what better way than through a feast to get to the bottom of things?
As dusk fell, a bonfire was lit in the center of the camp. Around the crackling flames, they set up a dozen low tables to entertain high-ranking leaders of both armies.
As evening set in, the Great King of the Split Land, accompanied by a dozen Great Demons, entered the Cold Wind City military camp. The Tiger Demon quickly escorted them to the dining area and made proper arrangements.
“Great King, you and your men must be exhausted from the journey; let’s relax tonight,” said the Tiger Demon.
“You’re too polite, young brother. I can’t accept rewards without merit!”
“Oh, it’s just a meal. No need to fuss over it, Great King.”
The Great King of the Split Land chuckled, “Alright, tonight we won’t leave until we’re thoroughly drunk!”
The Tiger Demon excused himself to hurry the kitchen along, subtly signaling to Seven Feathers as he left the gathering.
Seven Feathers understood immediately, taking a few small demons to escort drinks toward the White Feather City camp.
