Chapter 1052: Calculated Strategy

A giant, standing a full five zhang tall, took long strides as he ran along the hillside. He shook the heavens and earth, resembling a rolling boulder as he thundered toward the ant-like human race before him.

Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain in his lower leg, as if he had been viciously bitten by some insect. He lowered his head to look and saw a wound the size of a washbasin on his calf, with a large, guardless flying sword deeply embedded within.

In the distance, a captain at the Great Perfection of Dao Foundation lowered the seven-foot-long sniper flying sword rifle in his hands, his face filled with astonishment. This was a shot capable of wounding a Dharma Form, and it had indeed wounded the opponent, but compared to that massive physique, this minor injury was nothing more than a scratch.

The giant was exceptionally enraged and continued his charge. Each of his strides covered ten zhang, and the thousand-zhang distance was crossed in the blink of an eye.

However, the sound of cannons erupted, and shell after shell exploded against his body, each one tearing away a small piece of flesh.

Although the injuries caused by each cannon shot were slight, more than a dozen infantry cannons bombarded him in turns, and the damage accumulated continuously. When the giant charged to within a hundred zhang of the human race, he was finally forced to stop by the artillery fire. He then waved his hands to block, constantly retreating, and even knocked over the giant behind him.

A shell exploded accurately on his face, and his nose area instantly turned into a bloody crater, while his two small eyes were also blasted into a bloody mess. With a painful, wild roar, the giant threw the stone hammer in his hand forward before crashing down with a boom.

The massive stone hammer whistled through the air as it smashed over. Several captains at the Great Perfection of Dao Foundation stepped forward to intercept it, only to be sent flying at the slightest touch. The stone hammer then landed, smashing a group of Dao soldiers; more than a dozen were crushed beyond recognition.

This stone hammer weighed tens of thousands of jin and was imbued with the unique supernatural ability of the mountain folk. It was incredibly fierce when thrown in his death throes. If it weren't for the fact that all the Dao soldiers present were linked as one through the Dao Soldier Hall, with both offense and defense significantly enhanced, this single blow alone would likely have killed hundreds, rather than the current dozen dead and dozens wounded.

The mountain giant in the lead already had a cultivation base at the perfection of the Dharma Form, and his physique was clearly a circle larger than his companions, belonging to the fierce generals who clear the path, yet he fell under the intense firepower of countless Dao soldiers and infantry artillery.

A subsequent mountain giant was charging forward when a shell exploded beside him, causing him to stagger. He stumbled a few steps forward, his leg skinning slightly.

The Qingming Dao soldiers began to retreat in perfect unison. The artillery in the rear fired with all their might to delay the speed of the mountain giants, while the Dao soldiers fired as they retreated.

Ordinary Dao soldiers could not wound the mountain giants, but the captains at the Great Perfection of Dao Foundation could. Although the damage from each shot was limited, they could not withstand the fierce firepower. A hundred captains fired continuously, and soon a second and third giant fell.

The Dao soldier formation retreated continuously along the road, drawing the mountain folk to follow, gradually stretching into a long line in the narrow valley. Many small mountain folk ran wildly along the hillsides on both sides, shooting arrows into the Dao soldier formation as they ran. The Dao soldiers raised their rifles to return fire.

In the long-range exchange, the flying sword rifles naturally held the absolute upper hand against the bows and arrows. The mountain folk's arrows could not penetrate the refined armor of the Dao soldiers, which was mixed with Nether Iron.

After retreating several li, dozens of high-powered missiles suddenly whistled over, landing in the center of the mountain folk's ranks, turning the valley into a sea of fire and incidentally cutting off the mountain folk's formation.

Subsequently, several thousand Dao soldiers in the front row suddenly began a counter-charge, while the rear row provided fire support. Coupled with the fierce artillery fire, they wiped out the mountain folk's vanguard in just a moment, finishing off more than a dozen giants and several thousand mountain folk warriors.

The sudden blow left the mountain folk afraid to pursue for a time. They watched helplessly as the Dao soldiers retreated into the pre-prepared pass and began to set up defenses.

Large groups of mountain folk appeared continuously, coming from all over the mountains and plains.

The defensive wall Little Wei Yuan had set up was not high but wide, and it was covered with cannons. Dense fire points were also set up on the mountain peaks on both sides of the pass, and the garrison force even exceeded that of the pass city itself.

The mountain folk were born with the ability to traverse mountains and ridges, being more agile than apes, so steep mountain terrain was no obstacle at all, and ordinary pass walls were merely for show. Therefore, Little Wei Yuan adopted the concept of firepower defense. Under the continuous blessing of the Dao Soldier Hall, these Dao soldiers each possessed offensive and defensive combat power comparable to the Dao Foundation, and all could use flying sword rifles to rely on dense firepower for defense.

However, the mountain folk were almost endless, and the heavens and earth had also changed because of them. The power of Earth and Metal rose sharply, suppressing Wood and Water. This was because the true Great Experts among the mountain folk had arrived; wherever they went, they could alter the heavens and earth!

On the defensive wall, Wang Hu, dressed in the uniform of an ordinary Dao soldier, looked solemn as he watched a special mountain giant surrounded by many giants. This mountain giant was seven zhang tall, with long arms and short legs, and his whole body was covered in dark fur, with a touch of bright silver at the tips.

He had six eyes, two of which were on the sides of his head, and he was currently sizing up the pass city. Several small mountain folk stood on his shoulders, continuously projecting the images of the previous battle for him to observe.

This special mountain giant did not attack immediately but pointed to the left and right. Large groups of mountain folk warriors bypassed the pass city from both sides to outflank the rear. He himself carefully watched the battle images, occasionally re-watching them, in no hurry to attack.

After the pass city guarded by Wang Hu and the fifty thousand Dao soldiers was outflanked by the mountain folk, it became an isolated city. But Little Wei Yuan had long since stockpiled enough ammunition and food and water in the city, enough to hold out for several months. ===== CHAPTER 1053 =====