Chapter 383

Thud!

A long wooden pole was set on the city wall; a lieutenant under Wu Tie grabbed a great axe, strode over, and swung it, hoping to chop it down.

A jaguar cavalry commandant, wearing heavy armor and a full beard, roared, stepping onto the wooden pole and charging up.

In just a few steps he reached the point level with the wall along the pole; as the lieutenant under Wu Tie's great axe came down, his meteor hammer in hand trailed a red light and struck the wall.

The great axe and the meteor hammer, as large as a water tank, collided, and the axe shattered with a boom.

The lieutenant under Wu Tie turned ashen, staring at the meteor hammer that had suddenly appeared before him, and let out a hysterical wail from the depths of his soul. His opponent was at the Embryo Treasury Realm, while he was only half a step into the Command Pool Realm.

A three‑pronged double‑edged spear thrust from the side, striking the huge meteor hammer with a heavy blow, forcibly knocking the mountain‑weight hammerhead off the wall. The jaguar cavalry commandant holding the meteor hammer gave a strange cry, was dragged down by the plummeting hammer from the wooden pole, and smashed headfirst into the ground, his armor deforming.

A reinforcing Divine Might Army commander half‑extended his body from the wall, drew his longbow, and shot an arrow.

The jaguar cavalry commandant knocked down by Wu Tie had just struggled to his feet when an arrow pierced his head, exited through his groin, and trailed a fierce bolt of blood.

Wu Tie stood before the ashen‑faced lieutenant under his command and slapped him on the chest with a backhand.

"Fall back, operate the bed crossbow to kill from afar……try to avoid close‑quarters combat with them. At this point, anyone daring to charge the wall is a skilled fighter." Wu Tie instructed his subordinates in a low voice, a flash of deep Blood Light flickering in his eyes.

Jiang Ping's words stimulated Wu Tie.

But soon Wu Tie figured it out—pretend to be whoever you are, act like them. Now he is the Divine Martial Army Commandant Huo Xiong, so he only needs to be responsible for his comrades in the Divine Martial Army.

He is no saint, certainly not a holy mother... saving all the world? Hah, he lacks that ability.

He is merely a poor little worm struggling to survive in this world of three thousand dusts.

"Looks like being the first to storm the fort really has its advantages." Wu Tie gave a smiling nod to the Divine Might Army commander beside him holding a longbow: "At least, the casualties now are all from the Jaguar Cavalry and the Spirit‑Slaughter Army."

The Divine Might Army commander with a longbow kept loosing arrows; though just one man, his destructive power surpassed that of a dozen heavy bed crossbows, a sky‑full of arrow light pouring down like a rainstorm, wiping out every enemy who had managed to reach the wall's base below.

Hearing Wu Tie's words, the commander whose archery was astonishing also nodded involuntarily.

Indeed, for the Divine Jin God Nation to be the first to break into the fort and seize it is truly a tremendous advantage.

Apart from the period of the Three Kingdoms' chaos, when the Divine Jin God Nation lost hundreds of thousands of troops, since Wu Tie seized the fort and the fighting has continued to this day, the Divine Jin God Nation has suffered only a few hundred casualties.

As for the Jaguar Cavalry and the Spirit‑Slaughter Army's casualties…

Look at that enormous blood‑red banner on the blood‑colored light pillar; thread after thread of ultrafine blood‑red filaments constantly well up from the void, quickly weaving in the blood light into a huge battle flag, and the whole blood‑red banner is visibly about to solidify completely.

Only the deaths of tens of millions of warriors can allow this blood flag to fully congeal.

The Jaguar Cavalry and the Spirit‑Slaughter Army have already lost nearly ten million elite warriors outside the city.

Exchanging a few hundred for nearly ten million casualties……the Divine Jin God Nation has reaped a huge advantage this time.

This achievement is undoubtedly Wu Tie's.

The Divine Might Army commander with the longbow exhaled, slammed his right fist into his chest, and saluted Wu Tie: "Commandant Huo Xiong, your merit deserves the rewards of the first and second passes……I am General Jiang Tianxing; Jiang Kuo is my paternal cousin……interested in joining my Divine Might Army?"

Grinning, Jiang Tianxing lowered his voice conspiratorially: "Although these words are a bit hurtful, to speak frankly, true men are all in my Divine Might Army……whether it's the Demon‑Suppressing Army or the Demon‑Dispelling Army, even the Divine Martial Army, they're just kids playing house……Only my Divine Might Army, hehe……"

Jiang Tianxing suddenly gave a dry laugh, turned away sheepishly, drew his longbow, and pierced a medium‑sized war‑ship belting black smoke and fire ten li outside, which was rushing to ram the fort; the ship exploded in midair, shattering into countless fragments.

Wu Tie turned his head; Jiang Ping was approaching with a blackened face.

Wu Tie spread his hands, looking frankly at Jiang Ping: "Chief, my loyalty to the Divine Martial Army……is utterly sincere!"

"Yeah, I know……but some old fogeys who disrespect their elders, don't pay them any mind!" Jiang Ping bared his teeth in a grin: "Unless he marries his own biological daughter to you, otherwise, ignore them."

Wu Tie's face twitched.

Jiang Tianxing turned his head, glared at Jiang Ping with annoyance: "I've got eighteen biological sons, Jiang Ping, you little brat—are you just envious and jealous or what?"

Jiang Ping said wistfully: "Can't bear to part with a daughter, can't dig into the wall……if you have no biological daughter, don't harbor designs on Huo Xiong, alright?"

Jiang Tianxing's mouth twitched, he glanced at Jiang Ping, and clearly uttered a vulgar remark that an elder should never say.

Jiang Ping shifted the sword in his hand, lightly patted Wu Tie's shoulder, signaling him to move a few steps away quickly, to get farther from Jiang Tianxing.

The city wall trembled slightly; right beside Wu Tie, a super‑heavy light cannon blasted out a beam of light. In the distance, three large war‑ships gathered together couldn't dodge in time, were hit by the shot, and all three exploded simultaneously. Nearly ten thousand Jaguar Cavalry troops on the ships couldn't escape; aside from a few Embryo Treasury realm commanders who got away, everyone else was blown to pieces by this strike.

A loud "whoosh‑la‑la" rang from high above.

Inside the blood‑colored light pillar, thread after thread of ultrafine blood‑red lightning flickered and jumped, continuously emitting a dull rumbling.

At the top of the blood‑colored light pillar, that banner spanning tens of li finally solidified completely into blood‑red. Countless filaments, thousands of times finer than a hair, made up this blood banner; the high‑altitude gale whipped the flag, the ultra‑thin fabric flapped violently in the sky, sending out a thunder‑like dull roar.

The instant the blood banner formed, thumb‑thick strands of Blood Light showered down from its surface, evenly bathing the five‑li‑by‑five‑li fort.

Many Divine Jin God Nation soldiers missing limbs trembled violently; their limbs regenerated rapidly, new arms and legs sprouting within a few breaths. Even those whose bodies had been crushed halfway, leaving only a breath, the senior commanders' flesh writhed and reformed, and they sprang up from the ground, vigorous and spirited.

What's more astonishing is that, among Wu Tie's thousands of troops and low‑rank officers, anyone whose cultivation was in the Chonglou Realm suddenly saw hundreds of them absorb that Blood Light into their bodies, breaking through several heavenly shackles in an instant, and a Command‑Pool condensation phenomenon appeared above their heads.

The rest of the soldiers and troops whose cultivation lay roughly several to over ten levels of the Chonglou Realm saw their qi shoot straight up.

In the time it takes to finish a cup of tea, thousands of Wu Tie's ordinary soldiers groaned in pain as vast magical power churned within them; their qi surged instantly, and strands of uneven double‑helix light streams appeared behind them, breaking through level after level until nearly all reached beyond the thirty‑first tier of the Chonglou Realm.

As Blood Light continued to fall from the high sky, the fewer than four thousand officers and men under Wu Tie kept seeing Command‑Pool condensation phenomena appear above their heads.

After an hour, every officer and soldier of the Divine Jin God Nation in the fort had reached at least the Command‑Pool Realm; none remained in the Chonglou Realm.

Jiang Ping murmured: "According to the veterans who lived through the last Blood Banner contest, those troops bathed in the Blood Banner's Blood Light will see their aptitude leap greatly, and their cultivation speed will exceed that of ordinary people by more than tenfold."

"As long as they survive this Blood Banner contest, the merit these fellows accumulate will be enough for them to switch to the Six‑Cycle Primordial Technique." Jiang Ping looked at Wu Tie, both envious and jealous: "Huo Xiong, they're all your subordinates……these thousands of people, each has the potential to become a third‑rank commander……"

Wu Tie gave Jiang Ping a strange look: "But Chief, you forgot one thing—I'm your subordinate, and they're your subordinates too!"

Jiang Ping stared, then burst into loud laughter, he gave Wu Tie's chest a mighty punch, and, excited, he hopped and flailed about on the wall.

"Ha, haha, hahaha, that's right—these lucky fellows are also my men! Nearly four thousand warriors training in the Six‑Cycle Primordial Technique, even the Nine‑Cycle Primordial Technique……My Divine Martial Army's forward army, right camp, third company of the C‑section will from now on be the Divine Martial Army's first camp!"

In the distance, beneath the altar, Sima Xin, Sima Hu, and the others, still in a state of "maintenance," looked over with grim faces.

Thousands who had been bathed in the Blood Banner's Blood Light, whose aptitude now far surpassed their peers, and who, thanks to their merit, would be able to receive a stronger technique inheritance……How could these people not be the subordinates of Sima Xin and Sima Hu? How did they become Jiang Ping's men?

"How come these fellows aren't dead here?" Sima Xin's eyes burned with jealousy as he gazed at a man sitting cross‑legged a hundred paces away, a lieutenant under Wu Tie who was in the process of condensing his Command Pool; he longed to charge forward and spear him to death with his halberd.

Jiang Hu's voice came from the altar: "Huo Xiong, hurry here and see what tremendous reward the second pass offers this time."

Jiang Hu shouted toward Wu Tie's direction: "Rush over, claim the reward, then hand over the city‑guard token to……"

Before his words had finished, the teleportation array inside the city lit up again.

This time, countless people simultaneously sucked in a breath of cold air.

In this teleportation array, the figure of the Divine Martial Army Vanguard Supreme Commander Sima De suddenly appeared.

Clad in golden armor, draped in a blood-red cape, radiant light flowing around him, he bore at least a dozen top-quality divine weapons on his person; with every gesture Sima De exuded might in all directions, a stern aura of authority spreading out—truly deserving of his status as one of the five greatest powers of the Divine Martial Army.

Besides him, there were four others in the teleportation array wearing the same attire and bearing similar demeanor as Sima De.

The five major leaders of the Divine Martial Army had gathered; the burly golden-armored man standing at the center of the five was the Divine Martial Army Grand Commander and the Lord of the Divine Martial Hall of the Great Jin Divine State, Sima Yan.

Apart from Sima Yan, Sima De and these five, the nearly thousand Divine Martial Army officers transmitted this time all were surrounded by multicolored vapors, spiritual light encircling their bodies, obviously protected by top-grade divine weapons. Looking at the various tokens and seals hanging from their waists, they are precisely the first- and second-rank officers of the Divine Martial Army's Left, Rear, Right, and Central Armies.

Jiang Hu on the altar instinctively lowered his voice: "The City Guard Token… naturally… should be handed over to the Commander-in-Chief's personal control."

Jiang Hu's eyes twitched violently; he and the other Divine Martial and Divine Might Army officers felt a jolt in their hearts… In past Blood Banner Contention Wars, the Divine Martial Army's commander did not necessarily take part, and even when he did, he would never appear this early.

The Divine Martial Army had controlled this fortress for less than a day when Sima Yan personally led the five-army high command onto the field—this Blood Banner Contention War…

Jiang Hu and the others' bodies began to tremble slightly.

They simultaneously realized that this Blood Banner Contention War was likely of the legendary kind.

"Grand Commander!" All the Divine Martial Army officers stationed in the fortress who had not engaged the enemy outside dropped to one knee and paid their respects to Sima Yan.

The Divine Might Army officers present did not drop to one knee, but they all bowed slightly, striking their chests heavily with their right fists as a salute to Sima Yan.

"Hmph." Sima Yan let out a deep hum, glanced at Sima Xin, Sima Hu, and the others kneeling on one knee with heads bowed, and said calmly, "Is the second-stage reward about to descend? Claim it quickly, and transfer the City Guard Token to me."

Jiang Hu hastily waved at Wu Tie.

Wu Tie drew a deep breath, flew to the altar, solemnly saluted Sima Yan, then strode onto the altar; the City Guard Token emitted a wisp of Blood Light, hovering above the altar, and the entire fortress trembled slightly.

Everyone looked up at the altar's top, either curious or greedy.

In the Blood Banner Contention War, each stage offers a great treasure as reward—be it a cultivation art, a spirit pill, a divine weapon, or some other wondrous item; without doubt, each item possesses tremendous utility.

"Huo Xiong" obtained the qualification to cultivate the forbidden art *Nine Revolutions Mysterious Technique* in the first stage; what will he receive in the second stage?

A "Crack!" sounded.

A thread of clear spring water flowed out of thin air before Wu Tie, accompanied by a faint fragrance; a fist-sized lotus seed, entirely seven-colored glazed and nearly transparent, streamed out with the water, then turned into a ray of spiritual light that entered Wu Tie's brow and landed squarely in his Life Pool.

The lotus seed's husk and the mana in Wu Tie's Life Pool melted on contact, seven-colored divine light rippling outward to instantly fill the entire Life Pool, which spans a diameter of 180,000 li.

The mana that Wu Tie had almost fully accumulated in his Life Pool was instantly devoured clean by the lotus seed.

Wu Tie's body went limp, and he plopped down onto the ground.

Not only was all his mana gone, but Wu Tie's spiritual strength was drained by about ninety percent, and his vital blood energy vanished by half in an instant.

With a "Click," the lotus seed sent forth a thumb-thick tender sprout, which trembled as it slowly grew.

In the void, several vague consciousnesses rapidly exchanged thoughts.

"Huh? This half-dead lotus seed actually sprouted?"

"It's just an ordinary lotus seed with nothing special about it, left forgotten in a storehouse corner for who knows how many years—no need to make a fuss."

"Gee, this kid's luck is terrible—he actually got randomly assigned this useless lotus seed…"

"Who knows… maybe it could grow into some supreme ultimate treasure?"

"Ha!"

"Haha!"

"Hehehe!"