The mountains and fields teeming with Shaman soldiers.
Hundreds of thousands of Shaman troops divided into three columns and stormed into the Realm of Qingming simultaneously. Within their army aura, terrifying monsters as massive as hills loomed faintly. Screeches and roars of every pitch engulfed the entire battlefield.
Several Great Shamans were gathered together and gazing at Ding’an City ahead. They were all wearing cold sneers on their faces. “Look at how low their walls are. Any competent fighter could jump right over them. What’s the point of building a city like this?”
A Great Shaman with over a dozen eyes—all of which were flickering with various lights—remarked, “Their city-wide defense array looks rather mediocre. There are twenty thousand defenders inside the city and seventy thousand civilians.”
The Great Shaman in the center exhaled a puff of white mist. “Take it by force!”
A massive force of Shamans answered the blowing of war horns and surged forward from below, charging straight toward Ding’an City.
In response, a plume of white smoke from the ramparts of Ding’an City, and a deafening roar instantly filled the air, drowning out all the Shamans’ shouts and roars. The front ranks of the Shamans fell in droves, and plumes of white smokes rose intermittently from within their ranks. Even the Shaman squad leaders standing over one zhang tall were blasted into the sky by the explosions.
The smoke of gunpowder grew thicker and thicker, nearly shrouding the entire sky above Ding’an City. On the city walls, Dao Foundation stage cultivators braced themselves against their flying sword launchers and channeled their Dao energy into the weapon with all they got. Countless flying swords formed a nearly unbroken line, transforming into whips of Asura that mercilessly reaped lives.
Suddenly, a blood-red cloud appeared above Ding’an City, and a rain of blood fell, instantly activating the city-wide defense array. The ordinary mortals residing within the city had long received specialized training and had already taken shelter underground. Only those in combat positions remained at their posts.
The defense array flickered erratically, completely unable to withstand the onslaught of the Blood Curse. In an instant, nearly all of the Dao Foundation stage cultivators operating the flying sword launchers were killed. However, they were immediately replaced by fresh reinforcements.
Bao Yun, stationed in the city lord office, was commanding the entire battle for Ding’an City. She dispatched squad after squad of soldiers to reinforce the weak points along the defensive line.
Another two columns of Shamans attempted to bypass the complex of earth forts, but they were met with constant harassment from the flying swords fired from a distance. Although they retaliated with their bows and crossbows, the defenders were sheltered within the fortifications. The Shamans’ heavy crossbows could penetrate steel plates, but their effectiveness was limited against earth-and-wood fortifications.
A third column of Shamans advanced directly westward to attack the heart of the Realm of Qingming directly. However, they were firmly held back by Lee Zhi’s forces.
Above the battlefield, blood clouds kept appearing one after another. The number of soldiers slain by the curses continued to rise.
Wei Yuan estimated the size and duration of the blood clouds to gauge how much the Shamans had spent to cast the Great Curses. By the time the blood curses struck the ground, they had lost much of their potency due to Qingming’s domain and the army aura. Even so, casualties were mounting at a rapid rate. Every ke, hundreds or even thousands of soldiers were cursed to death.
Wei Yuan waited patiently for the moment when the Shamans’ World Rulers would make their move.
Looking down from high above, the Realm of Qingming resembled a solitary island in the sea, battered by wave after wave of Shaman onslaught. Giant waves crashed against the reefs, shattering into pieces, only for a new wave to crash down once more.
The Shamans’ vanguard suffered heavy casualties, but they paid no heed to the losses and eventually broke through into the defensive positions.
In Lee Zhi’s Zhenshan Army, only the Dao Foundation stage cultivators were equipped with flying sword launchers. Though immensely powerful, there were only so many of them. Thus, his defense line was the first to break under the Shamans’ relentless pressure, sparking a chaotic melee.
The earth fort zone was beginning to come under attack as well. Countless Shamans were storming in from every direction and forcing the surface defenders to retreat underground.
Ding’an City was the defense line facing the greatest frontline pressure, but the city walls were equipped with the newly produced short-barreled cannons. Combined with the flying sword launchers whose positions Wei Yuan had meticulously adjusted, the Shamans had left over 10,000 corpses in their wake and yet had still not managed to storm the ramparts.
Seeing that Lee Zhi’s forces had already engaged the Shamans, Wei Yuan mobilized the reserve forces—10,000 human sacrifices and 10,000 Xu Clan youngsters—to pressure the Shaman army from the left and right flanks.
These 20,000 infantrymen, all clad in heavy armor and wielding large shields, formed dense formations. Like two giant blocks of barbed steel, they slowly pressed forward against the Shaman army. Although their numbers weren’t great, their exceptionally disciplined formations and synchronized marching caused a slight stir of confusion among the Shaman troops.
Most of the crossbow bolts loosed by the Shaman army were blocked by the large shields and thick armor. Once they closed within firing range, the two units immediately began a relentless barrage, one row firing after another while advancing slowly. This quickly inflicted massive casualties on the Shaman army and significantly eased the pressure on Lee Zhi’s forces.
As the battle intensified, Wei Yuan continuously deployed additional troops onto the battlefield, and the fighting gradually spread wider and wider.
While nearly a million troops were locked in a life-and-death struggle on the ground below, the sky suddenly darkened, and several towering figures appeared. A terrifying aura instantly rendered countless human soldiers powerless, allowing the enemy to slay them in the blink of an eye.
Seeing the situation turn dire, Wei Yuan immediately activated Life is a Flash. Once the front lines had stabilized, he then used the power of Qingming’s domain to fight back against the oppressive pressure.
Qingming’s accumulated pool of energy began depleting rapidly. It went without saying that a realm stone—even an Immortal-tier one—could hardly push back against the combined pressure of multiple World Rulers.
The Shaman’s World Rulers had finally shown themselves.
At this level, whoever made a move first would most likely be at a disadvantage. As the Shaman army had unexpectedly suffered heavy casualties, the Shadow Shamans had no choice but to set foot into the battlefield first.
An elderly man in loose-fitting robes with wide sleeves suddenly appeared in the air and hurled a massive seal. The seal was golden in color and grew to the size of a small mountain as soon as it was thrown, crashing down fiercely on the Shadow Shamans.
One of the Shadow Shamans let out a cold laugh, intercepted the seal, and then vanished alongside the old man.
This was the elder from the Four Sages Academies whom Lee Zhi had invited.
No sooner had they vanished than a red figure flashed by, attempting to follow the pair. However, another Shadow Shaman let out a cold laugh and vanished as well.
The dark clouds in the sky suddenly churned more rapidly, and an inexplicable sense of danger emerged.
At that moment, an elderly man, a middle-aged scholar, and a young monk were walking side by side. Not only were the trio moving with leisurely grace, every time they took a step, the surrounding scenery shifted as if they had already traversed a thousand mountains and ten thousand rivers.
The elderly man was none other than the Seventh Elder of the Bao Clan. He said, “Once we reach the destination, you may spar with the young man first, Master Qiuyue[1]. Mister Chen Zhou[2], please observe his play style.”
A hint of arrogance flickered across the scholar’s face as he replied slowly, “I can’t wait to meet the young man who gave birth to such a heretical-looking board.”
The young monk said, “I have long heard that the Realm of Qingming governs itself wisely, and that their power is growing day by day. While we’re testing his mettle, this humble monk also intends to take a good look around. The common folk of this world have suffered for far too long.”
The Seventh Elder chuckled. “I am curious to see how well he governs his realm myself—but only after we finish that game. I couldn’t figure out the boy’s play style when we played earlier, but I’m sure the two of you can force out his true strength. Oh, how lucky he is, for two of the three grandmasters of the State of Wu have come personally to test him.”
The young monk replied, “One more step, and we’ll be there. This humble monk’s expectations are growing.”
The three exchanged smiles, and took a step forward in unison. The landscape shifted, and they suddenly found themselves staring at three colossal Shadow Shamans, each one boasting a ferocious and terrifying aura. Without a word, the Shamans unleashed a barrage of spells powerful enough to split mountains and boil the seas straight at them!
The Seventh Elder was both shocked and enraged; the scholar’s face turned as cold as frost, and the monk’s expression betrayed a hint of displeasure. But despite the sudden chaos, the three True Lords remained unflappable. They unleashed their respective attacks and battled the three Shamans all the way to the Beyond.
Wei Yuan looked up at the sky, bewildered. He had no idea why three human True Lords had suddenly appeared, nor did he know whose doing this was.
But this was good news. Excellent news, in fact. Now that every Shadow Shaman was kept busy, Wei Yuan finally mobilized the Dragon Run Army. First, he had them outflank and encircle the Shaman army engaging Lee Zhi from the rear.
Suddenly, the army aura of the Shaman army shifted, and several colossal beasts, each one as massive as a small mountain, appeared. Their skin were so thick and tough that ordinary bullets barely made a dent. Even the flying sword guns could barely scratch their hide.
These colossal beasts possessed dozens of short, thick legs. Despite their size and the shortness of their legs, they moved with astonishing speed and thundered into the earth fort zone. The surface fortification might as well be glass in face of their massive bodies, shattering at the slightest touch.
Once they had charged into the center of the earthen forts, the beasts spewed an endless stream of black water from their mouths, which gushed down the entrance to the underground passageway! The black water emitted hissing white smoke upon contact with anything, exhibiting extreme corrosiveness. There were many human soldiers lying in ambush within the tunnels, and anyone below the bone-tempering stage were instantly killed upon making contact with the black water. Even those who had perfected their Body-tempering were left feeling dizzy and disoriented, their vitality rapidly depleting.
Realizing that the black water was extremely toxic, the commander in the underground passage immediately ordered the soldiers to retreat. However, a large number of frontline soldiers had already dropped dead.
As some soldiers fled, they suddenly felt excruciating pain in their feet and realized their combat boots had stepped into the black water. By then, the entire soles of their boots had been corroded away, and the black water had already begun to eat away at the flesh on their feet.
The giant beasts were still pouring out black water ceaselessly. As if their bellies contained an ocean, the volume of black water they expelled far exceeded their own size.
Meanwhile, the Shamans had finally scaled the walls of Ding’an City. A fierce battle immediately erupted between the two sides atop the ramparts.
Seeing the dire situation, Wei Yuan immediately charged toward one of the colossal beasts in the earth fort zone. A white figure—the Shadowless Flying Ferret—leaped onto the body of another colossal beast. Wherever it ran, the beast’s hide split open like a zipper, leaving a deep gash.
The colossal beast let out a pained roar and shook its body, trying to fling the ferret off. Of course, it was a futile effort. In the blink of an eye, the ferret had circled the colossal beast several times, leaving behind a series of massive gashes. Each gash was a zhang deep. Even for a creature this big, they constituted a severe injury.
A Great Shaman with a pair of blade-like arms charged forward to intercept the ferret, but a cat descended from the sky and blocked the Great Shaman’s path. Two other Great Shamans appeared before Wei Yuan, and in the blink of an eye, one of them was gravely wounded, while the other was fleeing in panic.
Wei Yuan paid no heed to the fleeing Great Shaman. Instead, he fired a stream of Water Blades from his fingertip and pierced the body of one of the colossal beasts. The beast let out a deafening roar, rolling and thrashing frantically as the Water Blades sliced through its body. The Dao spell left a gaping hole if it paused for even an instant.
As more Great Shamans joined the fray, the Shaman’s reserve army finally began to advance as well. The battle officially reached a fever pitch.
Suddenly, a colossal tree appeared, towering to the heavens! Its roots were firmly anchored in the earth, spreading over 100 li in all directions. Its trunk, more than ten li in circumference, shot straight up toward the sky, while its canopy reached far beyond the clouds!
As soon as the giant tree appeared, the power of Qingming’s domain skyrocketed, and the vitality of every human being soared. Those underground soldiers who were poisoned by the black water were rapidly improving as well.
At the same time, countless Shamans screamed in agony as if they had been suddenly with boiling oil.
The phantom of the colossal tree lasted only a few breaths before vanishing. However, that was all it took for the tide of battle to swing decisively in favor of the humans. In the sky, True Lord Huang Yun appeared, nodded to Wei Yuan, and vanished, heading to the Beyond to seek out and engage a Shadow Shaman for a decisive battle.
At that moment, a speck of water-colored moonlight suddenly glowed on the distant horizon. Then, a beam of moonlight shot across the sky like a long rainbow, instantly spanning countless vast expanses of land!
True Lord Xuan Yue appeared in the skies above the Realm of Qingming, but something was wrong. His aura was erratic, his Daoist robe was tattered and even missing a sleeve, and his hair-binding Daoist hat was nowhere to be seen. It was clear he had just emerged from a fierce battle and had rushed over in such haste that he hadn’t even had time to change his robe.
Upon arriving at the battlefield, a murderous-looking True Lord Xuan Yue instantly swept his gaze across the entire battlefield like lightning. It was then he discovered in shock that all the Shadow Shamans were already engaged in combat. In fact, it was the humans who held the numerical advantage.
True Lord Xuan Yue was taken aback. Am I late?
1. Meaning autumn moon. ☜
2. Meaning sunken ship. ☜