Chapter 170: The Youth

On the march.

Tanks and tracked trucks were constantly converging from all directions, and each student entered their marching combat position according to their designated unit.

Heavy machine gunners played a vital role for the tanks.

The cultivators of the Profound Martial Heaven Palace were adept at concealment and hiding spells, always managing to bypass radar wave searches; when they broke through to within a five-kilometer radius, that was the moment for the heavy machine gunners to demonstrate their value.

"When we landed, why didn't I see any Dao soldiers?"

Jiang Ding's speed was much faster than the main force; he was already over ten kilometers away from them now, and he asked casually.

The formation spirits, which had initially developed artificial intelligence, could provide reliable communication, at least within several hundred kilometers without any issues.

"According to the standard combat plan, they land first to deplete the enemy's effective strength and disrupt the enemy's deployment; they are not with us."

Zhou Xiuling answered without a second thought.

"Oh."

Jiang Ding concealed his figure, his toes lightly tapping on the rocks that appeared from time to time on the desert, running at the maximum speed of a peak Primordial fledgling, approaching the direction of the 110th Division.

Occasionally encountering spirit beasts with strong concealment abilities, he no longer handled them himself, but instead reported the coordinates, letting the rear units annihilate them after an interval of at least ten minutes.

Hum!

After pushing forward more than seventy kilometers, the Taiqing flying sword on his sleeve vibrated in warning.

Jiang Ding stopped his steps, looking with his peripheral vision at the sandy ground beneath a huge mountain rock in the distance, deep under more than ten meters of earth.

"A good spot."

"Not only can it block the shelling from the sky, but one can also run away at any time."

Even the Immortal Sect's armor-piercing cannons could not break through such thick mountain rock in a short time.

"It should be Foundation Establishment, and at least mid-stage."

Jiang Ding guessed.

Otherwise, the Taiqing flying sword would not have reacted so strongly; for a Qi Condensation cultivator, a mere vibration would be giving them face.

Against a cultivator of this realm, even if they were only a common Foundation Establishment cultivator practicing a 'Jue'-grade technique, he was no match; the realm suppression was too excessive.

"High-value target detected."

"Foundation Establishment mid-stage or higher cultivator, coordinates... buried at least ten meters deep underground, and possibly with a concealment defense formation set up, requesting shelling."

"Received! Please wait for our unit to enter the thirty-kilometer interference zone!"

Zhou Lingling's excited voice came back immediately.

Jiang Ding calmed his mind, emptied his brain, adjusted his breathing bit by bit, lowered his blood flow rate, and combined with the high-grade special magic treasure camouflage, minimized his life signs to the greatest extent.

Only his perception of sword intent became increasingly sharp.

"In position!"

"Fire!"

Swish! Swish! Swish!

In the sky, white trails appeared, their flight paths parallel, looking like they were just passing by.

Among them, thirty-six armor-piercing shells were exceptionally agile; the aura of the attached 'Earth-Splitting' spell was stronger than other shells, and they were linked as a whole, with faint formation patterns.

Simultaneously influencing thirty-six tanks, this was precisely the capability possessed by a Tier 1 War Strategist controlling a Tier 2 Infantry Spirit Radar!

Although they were only attached with Tier 1 spells, when combined with the powerful penetration and law-breaking capabilities inherent to the Law-Breaking Steel shells, multiple hits could easily eliminate a Foundation Establishment cultivator!

"It's impossible for them to have discovered me."

Deep beneath the sand, a short old man's heartbeat skipped a beat, he affirmed, not losing his composure.

Having practiced the Tier 2 concealment spell "Earth-Hiding Technique" and set up a Tier 2 concealment and breath-hiding formation, no matter how profound the war magic treasures of the Eastern Pole Dongji Dongji Mo Men were, they could not discover him!

Unless he was unlucky enough to encounter someone beyond reason, like a Daoist child or a candidate Daoist child of the Profound Martial Heaven Palace.

But this was impossible; the movement center of the Eastern Pole Dongji Dongji Mo Men's army was not here.

This place was merely the edge of the army's position.

The group of over a hundred armor-piercing shells that seemed to be passing by slightly lowered their warheads, and their speed suddenly increased by a notch.

"Not good!"

The short old man's expression changed, and he jumped up with a 'thump', flying toward the distance while hugging the ground.

A Foundation Establishment-level Earth-Escaping Technique could only dive into the ground for thirty steps at most; any deeper and one would be crushed to death by the deep gravity, and the movement speed was slow, making him a living target in front of armor-piercing shells attached with the Earth-Splitting spell!

Boom! Rumble!

Over a hundred armor-piercing shells whistled in, forming a net that submerged the short old man.

Dust and smoke rose everywhere, and countless pieces of flesh and corpses appeared in the surroundings, along with scattered fragments of Daoist robes.

"Target alive, requesting continued strikes!"

Jiang Ding's eyes were cold.

Many of those corpse pieces were still steaming, blood was still flowing, and the aura was also similar to Foundation Establishment; they must have been alive when they were just taken out.

Swish swish swish!

In the sky, there were another three hundred plus armor-piercing shells, no longer concealing anything.

"The Eastern Pole Dongji Dongji Mo Men's spells, since when..."

The short old man revealed his figure again, fleeing toward the distance with a panicked expression, and without hesitation, he used his essence blood, his speed increasing by more than a fold, wanting to leave this eerie place.

The armor-piercing shells forming a net arrived again; most were dodged, but the remaining seven armor-piercing shells, to which the Tier 1 War Strategist Zhou Lingling had applied law-breaking spells, successfully hit their mark.

Amidst teeth-grinding creaking sounds, multiple high-speed armor-piercing shells smashed open the short old man's earthy-yellow shield, broke through his protective shield that even heavy machine gun bullets couldn't penetrate, and grazed past his shoulder, causing a blood mist to explode.

"Ah!"

The short old man, who had only half his body left, screamed, yet he refused to give up, earthy-yellow spell light surging as he drilled toward the ground, merging into it.

"This old man is willing to surrender to the Immortal Sect!"

"Friend, stop! Come out and talk!"

The air was shaken, and a hoarse roar spread in all directions.

Responding to him was another round of three hundred plus armor-piercing shells applied with the Earth-Splitting spell, which roared into the ground; spell light flickered, and the soil and rocks along the way were cut open like butter, revealing the figure of the short old man.

"No!"

Boom!

An earth-shattering explosion occurred at the deep pit where the Foundation Establishment cultivator was located, and countless fragments of Law-Breaking Steel mixed with sand, flesh, and magic treasure fragments splashed in all directions.

It quieted down temporarily.

"Target dead."

Jiang Ding closed his eyes and perceived it with his sword intent, reporting.

He did not waste time dealing with the battlefield to collect spoils of war; he accelerated his speed and rushed toward the 110th Division, no longer maintaining a state of full true Qi.

Tier 2 concealment formation.

Tier 2 concealment spell.

Tier 2 disguised corpse.

All these things made him marvel at the concealment ability of the Profound Martial Heaven Palace's Foundation Establishment cultivators, and he felt uneasy.

If he weren't here, although a Tier 1 War Strategist could control a Tier 2 Infantry Radar Armored Command Vehicle, the probability of discovering such layered concealment was not high.

Hurriedly pushing forward for dozens of kilometers, half an hour later, he was about to enter the combat zone.

"... 110th Division..."

In the communication channel, Zhou Lingling's low voice came through.

"The entire unit has been wiped out."

"Six Tier 1 War Strategists, six tank regiments, nine infantry regiments, over ten thousand people, all martyred for the country."

Jiang Ding did not answer her words, silently looking ahead.

Gunsmoke filled the air, shell craters were everywhere, and the ground was piled with zombie limbs, mixed with a burnt smell, the stench pungent to the nose.

In the very center of these ghost corpses, tanks were either cut in half, overturned, or their barrels split in the middle, the breaks smooth and neat.

Around the tanks, young corpses wearing school uniforms and camouflage were piled up everywhere, incomplete, mixed with broken firearms, and thick blood stained the ground red.

This scene spread for several kilometers around, and one couldn't see the end at a glance.

(End of chapter) ===== CHAPTER 171 =====