Chapter 336: The Enemy Advances Thirty Li
As Banguo Tso was about to lead Luan Di Khan and the other masters in pursuit of Qin Mu, they saw more than two hundred towering warships with fluttering banners, their massive hulls blotting out the sun like two hundred dark clouds covering half the sky as they moved forward.
Below the warships, the first to charge out from the city walls were the beast army. Colossal beasts, like small hills, led the way, with archers standing on their backs. Behind them came chariots and cavalry, chariots in front, cavalry behind, and further back were infantry formations, divided into different military branches according to their spiritual body attributes, vast and mighty.
This formation was awe-inspiring, yet it left Luan Di Khan somewhat puzzled.
In the past, the Yan Kang Kingdom always deployed the beast army in front, chariots and cavalry interspersed, with infantry charging under the beasts' bellies, while the warships were positioned in the center.
Although warships could float in the air, their range was short, making them easy to shoot down, so they needed protection from the central army.
But now, the warships were in front.
Against warships, one only needed to launch blade pellets from thirty li away to destroy them and bring them down. If the furnace could be destroyed, the explosion would often bury the soldiers on board.
— Qin Mu had indeed improved the warships' furnaces, greatly increasing their firepower, but the explosions were now several times, even ten times, more terrifying than before. Ordinary cultivators simply couldn't survive a furnace explosion.
Of course, this couldn't be blamed on Qin Mu. He had improved the furnace to give the warships greater speed, but the warships' firepower hadn't kept up, preventing them from fully utilizing the energy of the improved furnace.
"Has the Yan Kang National Teacher gone mad?"
Just as Luan Di Khan thought this, Banguo Tso's voice suddenly rang out, shouting, "Luan Di, shoot that brat surnamed Qin immediately!"
Luan Di Khan was stark naked from the waist down, his pants pulled down to his ankles by the Cripple, his golden knife and quiver also stolen by the Cripple, and his magnificent marten fur cloak had been taken as a trophy.
But he was still a nation's ruler; his cultivation remained. He immediately pulled up his pants and tried to fasten his belt, only to find it gone.
His gold-inlaid, jewel-studded belt had also been taken by the Cripple.
"This Cripple's skill is incredible! If he had been trying to kill me instead of stealing my clothes, could I have stopped him?"
Luan Di Khan shuddered inwardly, cold sweat pouring down his back, soaking it.
But he overestimated the Cripple. Although the Cripple was nimble, his skills were all in stealing and escaping. His movement techniques were unfathomable, his hand techniques unpredictable, but unfortunately, his close combat relied entirely on his legs, and he had few offensive abilities.
The Cripple's physical cultivation was mediocre, and his techniques lacked offensive power. If he had truly attacked Luan Di Khan, the Khan could have held his own for many exchanges. The Cripple's most frightening aspect was his movement technique.
Although Luan Di Khan had no bow or arrows, his cultivation remained. Suddenly, his primal energy erupted, and a godlike, demonic figure slowly rose behind him—four-armed, with a bird's head, surrounded by blazing flames and radiating brilliant light!
This god-demon was his primordial spirit, now manifesting as solid as reality. Its four arms drew bows and arrows, and instantly, blazing flames filled the Duck Tongue region. Fire roared and gathered, forming a brilliantly bright arrow between the four great bows.
Hum.
A tremor rang out as the arrow shot forth. The sky and earth became scorching dry, with visions of flames and yellow sand appearing everywhere. Where the arrow passed, scenes of fire tornadoes howling across the yellow sand desert emerged, sand flying everywhere, and fiery tornadoes wreaking havoc!
Luan Di Khan, bare-chested, raised his right hand, index and middle fingers together, thumb pressing on his ring and little fingers, forming a sword seal at his brow.
Shua—
The blazing arrow shot with incredible speed, heading straight for the fleeing Cripple and Qin Mu. It was so fast that one couldn't even see the brilliant flame, only a black line left in their pupils as the arrow flashed by!
Banguo Tso's heart shook violently. Luan Di Khan was hailed as the grassland's greatest archer, and the power of this arrow made even him feel a pang of fear!
"If I hadn't obtained the Golden Book Scroll to advance further and become a deity, I would have to be on guard against this cheap father of mine... My Golden Book Scroll!"
Banguo Tso's heart ached as if cut by a knife. Thinking of Qin Mu stealing his Golden Book Scroll felt like someone had stabbed him in the chest and then twisted the blade.
On the way to the border, he had secretly looked at the Golden Book Scroll and memorized the energy circulation diagrams. But those diagrams were extremely complex—a slight error could lead to a huge mistake. He had to be absolutely certain to repair the Divine Bridge.
He wasn't sure he could guarantee no mistakes.
The arrow's light caught up to Qin Mu and the Cripple. The Cripple suddenly threw away the things he had stolen, scattering them everywhere, grabbed Qin Mu, and moved like a ghost, dodging the arrow's light.
Luan Di Khan raised an eyebrow, puzzled. "This old man's skill doesn't seem as high as I thought..."
His finger, pressed to his brow, didn't move. The arrow's light turned in midair and shot toward the Cripple again. The Cripple's movement technique shifted continuously, his form flashing and teleporting almost instantly, giving the impression that he was breaking through spatial barriers.
The Cripple didn't dare to take this arrow head-on, but his movement technique was truly bizarre. Even carrying Qin Mu, he was so fast that it was astonishing, and Luan Di Khan couldn't hit him.
The Cripple was getting closer to the warships. Duke Wei of the State soared into the air, gripping his state sword, and slashed at the arrow's light!
Boom—
An incredibly terrifying shockwave erupted. Duke Wei was sent flying high, landing on a warship, laughing heartily, "Luan Di, you've got some real skill!"
Luan Di Khan's strength was above his. The arrow's momentum remained undiminished. Suddenly, the Champion General patted his back, and his halberd shot into the sky, transforming into a long dragon that extended its claws and grabbed the arrow's light.
The Champion General grunted, his primal energy nearly exploding from the impact. He stumbled back several steps before finally blocking the arrow, his heart filled with dread.
If Duke Wei hadn't clashed with the arrow first, depleting most of its power, he probably couldn't have blocked it.
"The Khan of the Barbarian Di Kingdom lives up to his reputation, only slightly weaker than the National Teacher and His Majesty!"
The arrow's light dissipated. The Champion General reached out, and the long dragon flew back into his hand, becoming a blood-red halberd, its dragon claws forming the halberd's side blades, humming with vibration.
In the Duck Tongue region, the other Khans and Witch Kings quickly pulled up their pants, but none could find their belts.
Suddenly, the sound of horns blared from the Helan Pass behind them. The grassland's various tribal armies surged out like a tide. The grassland army was known for its cavalry, and leading the charge were the sheep troops.
The sheep troops didn't ride goats. The beasts these barbarian cultivators rode were two-legged wild sheep, a hybrid of grassland sheep and Great Wilderness beasts. They ate grass but were strong.
These wild sheep had only two legs and ran like flightless birds racing across the ground. They were tall, standing like small buildings. Their greatest weapon was their curved horns, which spiraled. When charging, they lowered their heads and rammed forward like plows, carving paths dozens of feet long, sending everything flying.
In the air were grassland flying cavalry, riding beast eagles and wolf hawks—carnivorous beasts shaped like giant wolves with wings. On their backs sat the grassland's strongest archers and swordsmen, archers shooting arrows and swordsmen launching blade pellets.
The grassland troops moved like the wind, which was why the Yan Kang army could never gain an advantage.
The grassland's various tribal armies charged with earth-shaking momentum, their numbers far exceeding Yan Kang's.
Luan Di Khan and the others tied their pants around their waists with a dead knot.
Luan Di Khan laughed heartily, "So what if those little thieves stole our treasures and clothes? Fighting bare-chested on the battlefield makes us true heroes and hot-blooded men! Gentlemen! We may have had grudges before, fighting over land and livestock for our tribes, but the grassland, though vast, has its limits. Yan Kang, however, is rich and prosperous, with plenty of women and land! On today's battlefield, we'll fight to our hearts' content, break through Qingmen Pass, and make Yan Kang our pasture!"
The grassland Khans were fired up, standing together bare-chested, laughing heartily, their heroic spirit soaring into the sky, sweeping away the white clouds and leaving the sky clear!
Their cultivation levels were formidable. Many were at the Heavenly Human Life-and-Death realm, and several Khans had reached the Divine Bridge realm.
Each erupted with primal energy, their primordial spirits manifesting, various god-demon illusions appearing behind them, incredibly powerful, as they awaited the charge of their tribal armies.
When the grassland army arrived, they each employed their methods—some sprinted, others flew into the air, charging toward the Yan Kang fleet.
Banguo Tso hesitated for a moment, didn't follow, and called over a Witch King, saying solemnly, "Escort me into the pass."
The Witch King acknowledged. The other Witch Kings charged straight at the Yan Kang fleet.
On the flagship of the warship fleet, the Sword Hall Master stood at the bow, his clothes fluttering in the wind. Yu Yuan Chu Yun stood beside him. The two generals watched the grassland army drawing closer.
"General, the enemy has entered 160 li range!" the flag officer, perched high on the mast and gripping the ropes, shouted.
The Sword Hall Master's expression remained unchanged. "Continue forward. Call me at 80 li."
Yu Yuan Chu Yun's face was also calm, but at the mention of 80 li, his brow twitched. The flag officer signaled the other ships to continue.
"General, the enemy is at 80 li!" the flag officer reported again.
Yu Yuan Chu Yun took out his sword pellet and gripped it, his brow furrowing. The Sword Hall Master continued, "Call me at 40 li."
Yu Yuan Chu Yun frowned slightly, glanced at the Sword Hall Master, but said nothing.
The flag officer's tense voice came again: "The enemy is at 40 li!"
Yu Yuan Chu Yun exhaled a breath of turbid air, his eyes gleaming like the sun. The Sword Hall Master said, "Order all ships to preheat the true essence cannons. Fire at 30 li."
Yu Yuan Chu Yun's palms were sweaty. He gritted his teeth and hissed, "General Sword, you have incredible patience! To wait until 30 li—that's the enemy's attack range!"
The flag officer immediately signaled the ships. The cannon platforms on each ship began drawing energy from the furnaces, ready to fire.
The Sword Hall Master watched the grassland army surging like a tidal wave, led by masters at the Heavenly Human Life-and-Death realm, and said unhurriedly, "The National Teacher's order is to flatten Helan Pass, not just defeat the enemy. At 160 li, the enemy has a chance to flee, and their main force remains. At 80 li, 60% of the enemy can escape. At 40 li, only 30% can escape, but the enemy commanders can still get away. At 30 li, at most 30% of the commanders can escape."
Yu Yuan Chu Yun sighed in admiration, "Master Sword is still Master Sword. If I hadn't studied swordsmanship under you back then, I wouldn't be where I am today."
The more than two hundred warships suddenly turned sideways, creaking and groaning, their massive hulls becoming like iron walls suspended in the air. In an instant, cannon fire erupted, and thousands of bowl-thick beams of light filled the sky!
In that single exchange, the barbarian kings, Khans, and Witch Kings charging at the front were riddled with holes and fell from the sky!
Several masters at the Life-and-Death and Divine Bridge realms were startled. Duke Wei, the Grand Commandant, and the Champion General surged forward to attack them!
On the flagship, the Sword Hall Master personally waved the flag, directing the cannons to turn toward the ground, slicing through the charging army like beams of light!
The Sword Hall Master divided the fleet into two squadrons—one floating above, the other below, separated by about a hundred zhang. Yu Yuan Chu Yun controlled the upper squadron, attacking the enemy's flying cavalry, while the Sword Hall Master controlled the lower squadron, plowing the ground. The fleet advanced horizontally, beams of light shooting out, sending men and sheep tumbling wherever they passed!
On the other side, Qin Mu and the Cripple returned to Qingmen Pass. They saw the Village Chief and the Yan Kang National Teacher leisurely sitting on the city wall, drinking tea, completely unconcerned about the battle.
"Jian San Sheng has patience. His swordsmanship achievements are extraordinary. The battlefield is like a sword, and he's already a master at it."
The Yan Kang National Teacher poured tea for the Village Chief. The Village Chief waited for him to lift the cup to his lips, then suddenly remembered this was the Yan Kang National Teacher, not the Medicine Master. So he had to use his primal energy to lift the tea himself, took a sip, and said, "His swordsmanship has traces of your sword style, but strangely, it also has traces of mine."
The Yan Kang National Teacher shook his head. "I didn't teach him."
They both turned to look at Qin Mu, who had just climbed onto the city wall. If neither of them had taught the Sword Hall Master swordsmanship, then it could only be this young Master Qin.
They both frowned deeply. Qin Mu was holding a strange golden book in one hand and a pair of underpants in the other.
"Mu'er, I threw away the things I stole. You haven't thrown yours yet. You're now the world's greatest thief!" the Cripple said, giving a thumbs-up in praise.
Qin Mu shook his head. "My skills are far inferior to Grandpa Cripple's."
"Throw it away, throw it away!"
The Cripple pinched his nose and said, "What's so good about a big shot's underpants? Throw them away quickly!"
Qin Mu tossed the underpants off the city wall and walked toward the two men drinking tea. He casually threw the Golden Book Scroll onto the tea table, sniffed the tea's fragrance, and laughed, "I have some good tea leaves here, brought from the Upper Heavens by a young master named Xu Sheng Hua. I shamelessly asked him for half a packet."
"The Upper Heavens?"
The Yan Kang National Teacher and the Village Chief's hearts skipped a beat. They withdrew their gazes from the golden book, and the Village Chief quickly asked, "You met a visitor from the Upper Heavens? He didn't attack you?"
"No."
Qin Mu was puzzled. "Xu Sheng Hua is a very amiable person. I clashed with him, and we were evenly matched. Village Chief, he's also a Overlord Body! A Overlord Body like me!"
The young man grew excited.
— A four-thousand-character chapter, a few minutes late.