Chapter 377: Ordered to Hold Firm

The Three Kingdoms great war.

This is an experience completely different from the punitive expedition against the Fuxi Divine Kingdom.

Tens of thousands, hundreds of thousands, millions, even tens of millions of cultivators were like a precise machine, forming neat battle arrays, with everyone's power penetrating as one, launching a frenzied attack on the enemy.

In this massive battle array, even the effect that an Embryonic Treasury realm cultivator could have becomes very small, very small.

Whether Embryonic Treasury, Command Pool, or Chonglou Realm, everyone is a big or small energy hub in the battle array, with countless soldiers' power gathering together and released through these big and small hubs.

Each strike carries the might of heaven collapsing and earth splitting; each strike can cause a hundred-li land to collapse.

Wu Tie led his newly assigned subordinates, as the battle array continuously advanced forward, forward, forward...

Terrifying attacks kept falling, and Wu Tie's allied forces on the left and right wings were continuously wiped out in large swaths, crushed into powder by the enemy's terrifying attacks.

The greatest function of the battle array's commander is now fully displayed.

Wu Tie exerted the Three Refined Immortal Weapon Tiger Head Shield to its utmost, expanding it into a rosy light spanning about a li that hovered above his head; the attack of the opposing Great Wei Swift Leopard Cavalry's battle array fell like furious thunder, yet all attacks were easily blocked by that rosy light.

In the army Wu Tie belongs to, very few troops can enjoy the protection of the Three Refined Immortal Weapon.

More immortal weapons are held by high-ranking officers, who are fighting to the death against the high-ranking officers of the Great Wei Divine Kingdom in the distance.

Wu Tie's subordinates suffered barely any casualties; countless soldiers were locked together in a melee, and Wu Tie exerted all his strength to protect their safety. Sky-filling spells, countless blades and sword qi, countless arrows and bed crossbows, even concentrated light cannons rained down...

The Tiger Head Shield trembled slightly, Wu Tie's mana was rapidly depleted, and after fighting the Great Wei Divine Kingdom's large forces for a full hour, the casualties among the newly assigned troops under Wu Tie were less than ten percent.

As for the allied forces on Wu Tie's left and right wings, even just the battalion flags were changed five or six rounds.

When one battalion was wiped out, immediately another battalion's soldiers stepped up; after several rounds of combat, that battalion's soldiers were also wiped out, and immediately a new battalion stepped up.

Ordinary soldiers are most likely to die in such chaotic melee, while colonel- and commandant-level officers, if protected by high-grade spirit weapons or even immortal weapons, have survival rates hundreds of times higher than ordinary soldiers.

In just an hour, dozens of commandant and colonel officers whose troops had been wiped out, following the Divine Martial Army's regulations, proactively approached Wu Tie's battle array, loudly shouting their unit numbers, then temporarily joined Wu Tie's battle array and obeyed his command.

Among those commandant and colonel officers whose subordinates were completely wiped out, there were actually several fourth-rank commandants whose rank was higher than Wu Tie's.

The Myriad Blades Chariot was fully activated, a million flying blades swept furiously forward.

At this moment, Wu Tie could not afford to show mercy, and he also could not show mercy.

On such a battlefield, anyone could die at any moment; even Wu Tie, unless he brings out his hidden trump cards, otherwise even with his steel muscles and iron bones, he could at any time be melted into iron slag.

Only slaughter can preserve life.

Not only must he survive himself, but he must also bring those soldiers behind him to survive.

The Great Wei Swift Leopard Cavalry soldiers might be innocent, but those behind Wu Tie, those assigned to his command in the Divine Martial Army... they too have flesh and blood, they too have family and relatives; perhaps in their homes, wives and children are leaning at the gate, gazing outward...

On the battlefield... there are no innocents.

Everyone's hands are stained with blood.

Here, there are only the living, or the dead.

Wu Tie roared hoarsely, his eyeballs already turned blood-red, just like those Divine Martial Army officers beside him who went all-out in slaughter; everyone's eyeballs were a sheet of red.

The Myriad Blades Chariot whirred 'hee-lee-lee' as it spun rapidly, countless flying blades shuttled through the dense formation of the Swift Leopard Cavalry, kicking up a sky-full of blood.

Every half a cup of tea's time, Wu Tie would hand over the Myriad Blades Chariot to a nearby fourth-rank commandant of the Divine Martial Army to control, while he himself took out one after another quick-replenishing mana spirit pill, continuously swallowing them.

Wu Tie's Command Pool now spans a radius of 180,000 li; even after his mana transformed, becoming more pure and refined, his mana now merely covers the bottom of that vast Command Pool, yet his total mana amount is at least equivalent to the sum of several Embryonic Treasury realms.

But Wu Tie currently bears the identity 'Huo Xiong'; Huo Xiong previously cultivated the Three Revolutions Primal Technique, just switched to the Nine Revolutions Primal Technique, and just recently ascended to the Command Pool Realm a few years ago... 'Huo Xiong's' mana can at most drive the Myriad Blades Chariot for half a cup of tea's time.

Wu Tie must act reasonably and appropriately.

On the battlefield, he must act reasonably and appropriately... otherwise, if the marching commandant, marching secretary, or marching staff officer discovers his cultivation has an issue, and if he is thrown into the Demon Forbidden Hall for detailed investigation, that could be a huge trouble.

Wu Tie dislikes trouble, so he must be careful and cautious.

The fourth-rank commandant beside Wu Tie is of advanced age, cultivating the Six Revolutions Primal Technique, his cultivation has reached half a step into the Embryonic Treasury Realm, his mana far exceeds that of ordinary people. Each time Wu Tie entrusts the Myriad Blades Chariot to him, he likewise pours all his mana into it, causing the sky-full of flying blades to spin ever more wildly and ferociously.

Vast numbers of Swift Leopard Cavalry warriors fell before Wu Tie's battle array; several Swift Leopard Cavalry officers who had just entered the Embryonic Treasury Realm led large forces to charge, but also suffered losses before the combination of the Myriad Blades Chariot and Tiger Head Shield, retreating in disarray.

The allied forces on both wings were continuously wiped out, yet continually high-ranking officers joined Wu Tie's battle array.

Gradually, Wu Tie's small battle array of fifty or sixty thousand soldiers became extraordinarily conspicuous—two Three Refined Immortal Weapons, seven or eight ordinary immortal weapons, dozens of Nine Refined Spirit Weapons, hundreds of Six Refined Spirit Weapons, over a hundred commandants, hundreds of colonels gathered at the forefront of the battle array; wherever this small battle array passed, the Great Wei Swift Leopard Cavalry's great army went 'hualala' and collapsed instantly...

From far and near, blaring horn sounds continually came.

Many high-ranking officers of the Divine Martial Army—those commanding small battalions as third-rank generals, those commanding the Jia, Yi, Bing, Ding large battalions as second-rank generals, and Jiang Hu who commands the main battalions in front, back, left, right, and center as a first-rank general...

Even Sima De, the Divine Martial Army's vanguard commander who was entangled with the commanders of the Great Wei Swift Leopard Cavalry and the Great Wu Slaughter Spirit Army, took a moment amidst his busyness to glance over here, instantly recognized Wu Tie in the crowd, and kept him in mind.

No matter how his Three Refined Immortal Weapon Myriad Blades Chariot and Tiger Head Shield came to be, no matter whether he is lucky or otherwise, in short, now Wu Tie is the most eye-catching officer in the Divine Martial Army.

On the battlefield, there are not a few immortal weapons of each grade.

However, those who wield immortal weapons in the Great Wei and Great Wu are mostly high-ranking officers of the Embryonic Treasury Realm.

They were all entangled by Divine Martial Army officers of the same rank... for a moment, in the Great Wei Swift Leopard Cavalry's battle array, there was actually no one of equivalent standing to oppose Wu Tie.

The Swift Leopard Cavalry commandants of the same rank as Wu Tie, the highest they wield are Nine Refined Spirit Weapons.

When the Nine Refined Spirit Weapons encounter Wu Tie's Myriad Blades Chariot, they are utterly like lambs to the slaughter; in just a few strikes they are chopped into powder by the sky-full of flying blades, and their formations are also completely shattered under the onslaught of countless flying blades.

Behind Wu Tie's battle array, at some point dozens of battalion-level flagships three hundred zhang long gathered, along with thousands of large and small decked ships.

These decked ships, relying on the Tiger Head Shield's defense, formed a battle formation, allowing the Tiger Head Shield to block the attacks of the opposing Swift Leopard Cavalry's flagship vessels, while they themselves leisurely charged the bow main cannons, then continuously concentrated fire to bombard the enemy's ships.

Using this nearly roguish tactic, after more than two hours they actually destroyed all the Swift Leopard Cavalry battalion-level flagships in the vicinity, and who knows how many other ships were destroyed.

Anyway, as Wu Tie looked ahead, he could no longer see a single Swift Leopard Cavalry warship.

Immediately after Wu Tie's battle array, the Divine Martial Army's ships let loose, countless light pillars howling as they slammed into the Swift Leopard Cavalry's battle array.

The ships' main cannons are powerful; even a single shot from the smallest ship's main cannon equals the power of a half-step Embryonic Treasury cultivator's strike; whereas the main cannon of a battalion-level flagship truly reaches the level of a full-force attack by an Embryonic Treasury cultivator.

Each main cannon blast, when it lands, can blast out a large blank area in the Swift Leopard Cavalry's battle array.

The Swift Leopard Cavalry soldiers, together with their armor, weapons, talismans, etc., instantly shattered, even their souls unable to escape.

The sky was entirely crimson, the earth also a deep scarlet, blood pooled on the ground to a depth of half a chi.

Wu Tie and company, urged by the blaring horn calls, had already charged to within less than ten li of the blood-red light pillar. Wu Tie saw that beneath the blood-red light pillar lay a small fortification only about five li in length, width, and height.

The sky above the fort was completely occupied by the blood-red light pillar; blood light surged, countless terrifying blood-red torrents rippled along the fort's walls, obviously there is a dreadful prohibition here, preventing anyone from flying into the fort from this place.

Especially here, a flight ban still exists; everyone can only fly twenty zhang above the ground, while this small fortress's walls rise over a hundred zhang… Even someone like Sima De, the former army grand commander, cannot leap over the wall.

This small fortress has only one gate, on the exact south side!

The gate, twenty zhang wide and ten zhang tall, is pitch‑black all over; the fresh blood flowing from countless fallen soldiers on the ground is constantly being devoured by this black gate.

As the blood is continually swallowed by the gate, faint red light gradually flares up on its pitch‑black surface.

Blood rains down from the sky, and the amount of blood the gate devours keeps growing.

When Wu Tie led his large force charging straight to the vicinity of the fortress, the black gate had almost completely turned blood‑red.

A loud voice rang out from afar: "Those of the Divine Martial Army, once the gate opens, rush into the fortress… Give your all to defend, hold the gate before the blood flag falls… Success will be richly rewarded… The Divine Kingdom of Jin spares no noble titles and rewards."

Wu Tie's eyes twitched.

"Not stinting on noble titles and rewards"? That is to say, as long as any Divine Martial Army commander can lead his troops to seize this fortress and then hold it until the blood flag falls, the Divine Kingdom of Jin will not hesitate to ennoble him as a "noble"!

Royalty, nobility, military households, civilian households… In the Divine Kingdom of Jin, noble status stands supreme, enjoying countless privileges and endless resources.

This bounty holds endless appeal for the ordinary soldiers of the Divine Martial Army…

It exerts an equally powerful pull on Wu Tie.

Wu Tie roared, and the Nine‑Refined Spirit Weapon Thunderbolt Shuttle he had just obtained from Jiang Hu suddenly turned into a purple bolt of lightning that screamed forth.

Thirty li away, a commander holding an ordinary immortal weapon wrapped in spiritual light, who commanded tens of thousands of troops and was leading the Jaguar Cavalry commandant in a mighty charge, grunted; he only stared at Wu Tie's Ten‑Blade Chariot and the tiger‑head shield on Wu Tie's head, completely overlooking that Wu Tie also possessed a single‑target long‑range spirit weapon.

The Thunderbolt Shuttle struck the commandant's throat, a flash of lightning, and directly blew his upper body into fragments.

A divine soul shot up into the sky, the commandant cursing furiously in his dying breath, while Wu Tie's nearby fourth‑grade commandant burst out laughing; he slapped the back of his head, and a bloody palm flew from behind his skull, instantly crossing thirty li to snatch the immortal weapon from the Jaguar Cavalry commandant's hand.

It was a three‑pronged, two‑edged spear, its tip entwined with water and fire power; when wielded, two tiny water‑fire jiao dragons surge forth to kill.

Wu Tie laughed loudly, snatched this ordinary immortal weapon from the fourth‑grade commandant's hand, and shoved his own Azure Dragon Crescent Blade into the man's grip.

"Brother, I'm not good with blades; this spear is mine."

That fourth‑grade commandant also laughed heartily.

The man was killed by Wu Tie, so the spoils rightly belonged to Wu Tie; he merely reached out and took the immortal weapon, expending a little effort, and obtained a fine Nine‑Refined Spirit Weapon—a good deal.

"Brothers, charge!" Wu Tie pointed at the tiny fortress with its single gate, his eyes bloodshot as he roared: "Rush in, promotion and wealth await—right before our eyes."

Attacks rained down from the sky; even Jaguar Cavalry and Spirit‑Slaying Army commanders of the Fetal Storage realm, tens or hundreds of li away, while engaged with their own opponents, kept launching one or two divine abilities and spells at Wu Tie's side.

The tiger‑head shield shuddered violently, ribbons of light swirling around it, protecting Wu Tie and his companions as they surged fiercely toward the fortress.

On both flanks, equally elite formations of the Jaguar Cavalry and Spirit‑Slaying Army appeared; their commanders, daring generals of the Fetal Storage realm, each held three‑refined immortal weapons radiating brilliant light, and Wu Tie even saw a Jaguar Cavalry commander clad in golden armor gripping a six‑refined immortal longsword whose blade bore the illusory apparition of a fire phoenix.

The three armies simultaneously charged toward the fortress's gate, which was slowly opening.

But Wu Tie and his men had previously held a considerable advantage, being much closer to the fortress gate.

Especially, behind Wu Tie gathered over a thousand large and small warships; having received a death order from the Divine Martial Army's high command, they were recklessly pouring fire upon the Jaguar Cavalry and Spirit‑Slaying Army formations.

Even though those two elite armies each had several Fetal Storage realm masters as commanders, they found advancing through the dense barrage extraordinarily difficult.

A moment's carelessness, and Wu Tie's group found themselves the first to crash into the fortress's gate.

At this moment the fortress's great gate had turned scarlet, and the gate was slowly opening to a width of about one zhang.

Wu Tie bellowed loudly: "Charge in, hurry and charge in, brothers, charge in! Hold the city, hold the city…"

Once inside, the hundred‑zhang wall's defensive advantage would multiply our chances of survival by untold amounts.

From afar came Jiang Hu's long howl: "Units belonging to the Right Camp of the Vanguard Army—jia, yi, bing, ding, wu, ji… the commanders of these six battalions, transfer your troops to the other six battalion commanders; you, bring all second‑ and third‑grade officers, all commandants, and rush to reinforce Huo Xiong!"

Jiang Hu suddenly drew a deep breath, and his mighty shout even drowned out the roar of the main guns firing wildly across the sky.

"Report to the Grand Commander, the one who seized the city is I, Huo Xiong, fifth‑grade commandant of the Bing‑character Third Battalion, Right Camp of the Vanguard Army of the Divine Martial Army!"

Jiang Hu's face flushed red as he laughed, driving the two Jaguar Cavalry and Spirit‑Slaying Army generals before him into repeated retreats.

"Huo Xiong" is his direct subordinate; "Huo Xiong" led his men in the first charge into the fortress, and regardless of whether they can ultimately hold it, this primary merit belongs to him, Jiang Hu.

Jiang Hu did not dare hope for a promotion in rank—could another step up possibly mean he would replace Sima De?

But Jiang Hu knew that the noble title he enjoyed could likely be nudged up a notch.