The true main part of the Azshara Mountain Fortress lies behind this Rune Gate.

Only here can the Heavy Combat Puppets pass through to enter the battlefield.

As for the cave behind, it is just a small auxiliary exit, allowing for simple personnel passage.

A large amount of resource movement must go through other entrances.

"How do we open this gate? Is there another entrance nearby?"

(The slightly damaged Rune Gate has a Durability Value of up to 100,000 points and an Armor Value of 50 points. You can slowly hack at it with your subordinates. It will probably take two rounds of scrapped weapons and a week to break down the gate.

The Rune Key for the gate was destroyed in battle, and the nearest entrance collapsed during the conflict. Only this entrance and passage remain intact.)

Zong Shen furrowed his brows. Without the key, he could only think of a way to break the gate.

He then looked at the rocky wall next to the gate.

If the gate is hard to breach, then why not open up the mountain?

(You really are a clever one.)

Sensing Zong Shen's idea, the golden subtitles surfaced again.

Could it actually work?

Zong Shen's eyes lit up.

He took out the Iron Pickaxe prepared in the Storage Grid.

Rubbing his hands together, he gripped the pickaxe with both hands and began to chisel the rocky wall beside the Rune Gate.

After a burst of numbness in his hands, only a gap the size of half a fist appeared on the rocky wall.

"This rock is quite hard!"

Zong Shen's Strength Value is as high as 38 points, and the force of this strike was not small.

Moreover, the durability of the Iron Pickaxe decreased by about one-twentieth with this hit.

"Damn, the stupid strategy cursed me!"

(This rocky wall has been permanently reinforced with blessed magic and is a semi-permanent fortification of the Alliance Army. Even the powerful Blood-Burning Demon's potent spell could only cause partial collapse of the passages; the difficulty of digging through the mountain is no less than breaking through the Rune Gate.)

"Are there any other ways besides these two options?"

(This is a fortress fortification, a proper fort, with no loopholes to exploit.)

Zong Shen cursed and put the Iron Pickaxe away.

He could only temporarily mark the location of this Mountain Fortress.

Waiting for an opportunity, he planned to bring a team and hack the gate.

He left the cave with Tiezhu and the Wolf Cavalry, passed through the narrow passage, and returned to the mountaintop.

He instructed the Wolf Cavalry to move some large stones to cover up this entrance.

Only then did they follow the forest down the mountain.

When they returned to their territory on the mountainside, the battle had already ended.

One of Sangui Yingshu's five Assassins was killed, and the remaining four were in a critical state.

The two Dragon-kin Rangers were also captured.

They had been tied up like dumplings by the Wolf Cavalry and thrown outside the Lord's Courtyard.

As for the soldiers dispatched by Sangui Yingshu to attack the lord, they were slightly better off and weren't tied up.

All soldiers were in a neutral state with no ownership.

Zong Shen returned to the outside of the courtyard.

This territory was extremely simple and the development progress was not very high.

All of them were Ordinary buildings.

Zong Shen arrived at the courtyard entrance and chose to occupy it.

Then easily walked into the courtyard.

He opened the Storage Box and took the [Guan Hai'an 1991710 Lord's Relics].

In addition, he got some resources.

[Wood ×137]

[Stone ×65]

[Iron ×18]

[Ma ×46]

[Copper ×2]

[Basic Wood Rune ×1]

[Basic Elemental Crystal ×3]

[Damaged Forest Wolf Skin ×1]

[Slightly Stale Roasted Wolf Meat ×6]

[Crude Roasted Chicken Meat ×1]

He collected these resources.

Zong Shen opened his relic.

Inside were only two Iron Pickaxes, two Iron Axes, and some near-exhausted Whiteboard Equipment.

Impoverished beyond measure.

The territory still had the initial three farmers.

There were only three soldiers.

One Avalon Light Infantry and two Wolf Cavalry.

The Roasted Wolf Meat in the Storage Box was starting to become stale.

It seems they hadn't gone hunting for the past two days.

This was a lord with slow development progress, no wonder he became a target for Sangui Yingshu.

Zong Shen walked up to the three farmers and soldiers and said with a just demeanor.

"Your lord is dead, and I was the one who took out the perpetrator!"

"Now you have only one choice, and that is to submit to me and join my territory."

"Only by following me will you gain glory and dignity, rather than hiding in the forest every day."

The three farmers and soldiers looked at each other.

Faced with such circumstances, they had no choice.

If they do not pledge allegiance to a lord, they will become neutral refugees and bandits.

Bound by certain rule constraints, joining a lord's force is a better choice for them.

It's not that they lack integrity; as recruited warriors from the Other Dimension.

Their fate has long been determined.

"We are willing to follow you, Sir."

Zong Shen nodded, now he had twenty-three farmers under his command.

The Wolf Cavalry numbered twenty-three as well.

Just need one more to form two squads of twelve Wolf Cavalry each.

As for the Avalon Light Infantry, they will temporarily be part of the Gun Shield Squad.

Next up were the soldiers of Sangui Yingshu.

The Assassins quickly surrendered without spine.

Except for one Blade Armor Assassin.

There were two Blade Armor Assassins, one had already died.

These assassins in black armor, with blades on their joints, seemed like armed ninjas from anime and appeared to be Sangui Yingshu's loyalists.

Loyalty reached eighty to ninety points.

Zong Shen recalled the situation that Caitlyn and Adir had described previously.

It was clear that these Blade Armor Assassins were soldiers with privileges in Sangui Yingshu's territory.

As for the others, including the Dragon-kin Rangers, loyalty was around sixty points.

Sangui Yingshu died due to a Heavy Combat Puppet, unrelated to Zong Shen himself — this did not affect his ability to rescue and recruit.

Although beating these guys half to death was done by Zong Shen's own soldiers...

He managed to recruit three assassins and two Dragon-kin Rangers.

As for the stubborn Blade Armor Assassin, he was tied up like a dumpling and taken back to the territory for gentle education.

If that fails, he'll be tied outside the burrow to attract beasts.

Zong Shen gave each of the dying soldiers a small sip of the old Moonlight Spring, allowing them to follow the team on the march.

The old spring water, now consumed, was down to just over half a liter.

This time, Zong Shen was an exemplary opportunist, successfully gaining quite a few soldiers and discovering the Azshara Mountain Fortress ruins.

Although it can't be solved now, it can be worked on slowly in the future!

After everyone descended the mountain, it was already past three in the afternoon.

Zong Shen assigned three Wolf Cavalry to lead the newly enlisted soldiers back to the territory.

The remaining six Wolf Cavalry, Tiezhu, four Water Technique users, and four Gun and Shield Warriors hurried towards Sangui Yingshu's territory with Zong Shen without stopping.

His territory was currently unclaimed; it needed to be occupied ASAP.

After all, having licked so many boxes, the Storage Box and relics of that territory must be wealthy!

Zong Shen rode the Old Traveling Horse, leading the group at the forefront!

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