Chapter 120: My Lord, Think Thrice

A sudden burst of light flared in the trench, launching knives, flying swords, iron balls, and rings—various magic artifacts—that instantly felled dozens of Wu tribe warriors mid-leap.

The following Wu tribe reinforcements ignored these losses, surging forward like a green tide that drowned the first few trenches. Countless Wu warriors leapt into the trenches and began slaughtering the human cultivators.

But in the narrow trenches, the Wu warriors’ speed could not be unleashed; once inside, they could only clash head-on with the human cultivators, and within moments, over a hundred warriors were cut down, while only a dozen or so human cultivators were wounded.

On the high platform, the Grand Wu grunted in displeasure. The general beside him immediately let out a piercing whistle, audible for ten li. The second wave of the Wu army moved out—about a thousand warriors, each riding a giant lizard over a zhang long.

These giant lizards were highly venomous, swift in movement, and capable of swimming at high speed through water—ideal mounts for the marshlands. In past wars, poison-lizard riders had made the human race suffer greatly.

But the Wu offensive did not end there. Two Wu shamans danced a strange ritual around a bonfire; the flames gradually shifted from red to ink-green, and then a blood-red cloud appeared above the human lines, raining down crimson drops.

Yun Feifei gave a signal, and human cultivators within the blood rain’s range swiftly retreated along the trenches, escaping the contaminated zone. On open ground, with Wu warriors harassing them, evacuation would have meant heavy casualties—but retreating along the trenches was far easier. Waves of Wu warriors leapt in to block them, but were instantly cut down. Those Wu warriors who stood at the trench edges were likewise struck down or wounded by magic artifacts flying up from below.

A simple trench alone could not produce such results. Wei Yuan’s initial order had merely been to dig ditches, but since their lives were at stake, the cultivators began devising all sorts of ingenious ideas as they dug. Many were seasoned Jianghu rogues who contributed numerous traps and underhanded tactics.

Beyond ordinary trenches, the cultivators also dug numerous underground tunnels and temporary hiding caves, each entrance rigged with traps. Whenever too many Wu warriors gathered in one trench section, the cultivators would retreat into the tunnels, then kill them as they entered the caves. Even if the caves became untenable, they could escape through the tunnels to other trenches, then guard the entrances—cutting down every Wu warrior who emerged.

But the Wu army was vast and overwhelming, sweeping across the entire battlefield and pinning the hundreds of human cultivators firmly within the trenches. A small squad of poison-lizard riders, however, circled around the position and charged toward Wei Yuan and the others on the heights.

The time was right. Wei Yuan activated Qingming’s Reopened Realm.

A clear light shot skyward, from which countless shimmering specks and threads drifted down, rapidly pushing back the damp winds and toxic miasma, transforming the surrounding air into a Pure Human Realm.

All human cultivators felt their spirits lift, clearly sensing spiritual energy seeping into their bodies, doubling their recovery rate. Those previously dizzy or blinded by poison now regained clarity; their symptoms of poisoning and weakness greatly lessened, restoring their combat effectiveness.

The Wu warriors, however, grew weak and sluggish, their speed noticeably reduced. Many stared around in panic, unaware of what had happened.

Within the Pure Human Realm, human cultivators’ morale surged; they fought desperately, cutting down swathes of Wu warriors in moments.

One giant, pierced by multiple poison spears and bitten on the leg by a poison lizard, had been on the verge of death—yet suddenly found strength, roared, seized the lizard’s jaws, wrenched them open, then snapped its lower jaw with a surge of force. He laughed three times before collapsing dead.

On the high platform, the Grand Wu leapt to his feet in fury at the sudden appearance of the vast Pure Human Realm. But now, four thousand infantry and a thousand poison-lizard riders were fully entrenched in the battlefield, completely enveloped by the realm. And the Pure Human Realm was growing stronger—far beyond reason; even the realm-stones established by humans for a hundred years had never reached such power!

The sudden emergence of the Pure Human Realm caused the Wu army’s casualties to spike rapidly, and chaos began to spread.

The Grand Wu slowly raised a hand, revealing a finger like a withered branch, and pointed forward. The general immediately seized a horn and blew hard; its sound echoed across the entire battlefield.

Two thousand warriors on the front of the platform stepped forward in unison, then advanced in formation, each step shaking the earth!

They were visibly taller than ordinary Wu warriors—even taller than Wei Yuan—clad in heavy armor, wielding massive shields and short axes, advancing like rows of steel walls.

Human cultivators locked in bloody combat sensed the ground tremble; many leapt from the trenches to look—and turned pale. These armored shield-axe warriors were the Wu’s true elite, ranked alongside Wu shamans as the army’s twin cores. Their axes and shield spikes carried deadly poison; each possessed the power of perfected Golden Body cultivation, and all knew at least a few incantations.

With such strength, even one-on-one they were no match for human defenders—how much less so when outnumbered many times over?

As the shield-axe warriors advanced, thick ink-green mist seeped from gaps in their armor, quickly coalescing into rolling toxic clouds that rolled with the formation toward the human lines.

Wei Yuan immediately saw the danger. Even if these armored warriors entered the trenches, they would not be at a disadvantage—and the toxic mist clinging to them would pool within the trenches. Though the Wood of Life could weaken toxicity, these warriors were walking poison dispensers; with so many, the poison could not dissipate quickly enough.

If two thousand of these armored warriors entered the battlefield, the entire human line might collapse. Wei Yuan seized his spear, mounted his horse, called out, and a dozen riders gathered around him, preparing to charge.

Just as Wei Yuan was about to spur his horse, his reins were pulled tight. He looked down—it was Xu Wenwu! Amidst the bloodshed and toxic miasma, why was he suddenly grabbing him instead of hiding?

Xu Wenwu’s face was frantic. “Big brother! Think thrice!”

“Think thrice?”

“Yes! The enemy is too strong—let’s just run! The world is vast—where can’t we find some fortune?”

Qingming’s realm was already open; Wei Yuan knew every detail within it. In the brief delay, four or five more human cultivators had fallen in the trench line.

Wei Yuan’s face was expressionless. “Fine. I’ll think thrice before acting.”

He drew a deep breath and roared: “One, two, three—attack!”

The warhorse’s body swelled instantly, its hooves igniting in flame. Wei Yuan roared, spear thrust forward, and charged the armored formation! The horses of the dozen riders simultaneously enlarged, their speed exploding as they followed close behind Wei Yuan.

Though a hundredfold enemy lay ahead, they pressed forward without hesitation!

The warhorses accelerated further; Wei Yuan activated Ten Thousand Mountains and Rivers. Within a thousand zhang, the entire area was now Pure Human Realm. The Wu armored formation finally broke into chaos; many warriors felt searing pain on exposed eyes, nose, mouth, and skin, their vision blurring.

The dozen human riders each bulged with muscle, their bodies growing larger, their combat power boosted by twenty percent under the Ten Thousand Mountains and Rivers’ blessing!

!.

Suddenly, a jade mountain appeared in the sky, plummeting like a meteor into the center of the formation! Countless armored warriors were flung skyward; dozens were crushed into pulp or instantly shattered by the impact. Within the realm, Wei Yuan’s spells grew vastly stronger and cast far faster—he merely thought, and the jade mountain manifested.

After two consecutive strikes, the armored formation was thrown into utter chaos. Wei Yuan surged forward like lightning, his spear whirling in a sweeping arc that flung five or six warriors into the air—none could stand before him!

All riders followed close behind Wei Yuan, like a sharp arrow piercing straight through the formation.

In Wei Yuan’s eyes, the armored warriors moved as slowly as snails; his spear thrust in and withdrew, thrust in and withdrew—until suddenly, no enemies remained ahead. He had broken through the entire line—but only nine riders still followed him.

Wei Yuan wheeled his horse, leaned low, assuming a posture to charge again. Many Wu armored warriors immediately clustered together, preparing for his second assault. But Wei Yuan pointed his spear upward—the jade mountain reappeared, hurtling down to crush another wave of clustered warriors.

Wei Yuan repeated the tactic, charging into another chaotic enemy group, while flaming immortal swords continuously manifested around him. The unformed sword embryos from his saddlebags flew out, fusing with the manifested immortal sword-phantoms, greatly increasing their power. Each sword vanished only after killing two or three warriors. Though each phantom sword was weak, their sheer number made them deadly—up to a dozen appeared at once, no aim required, simply flying wildly and slashing everywhere.

In moments, Wei Yuan burst out from another flank—this time, only five riders remained behind him.

The warhorse neighed loudly; Wei Yuan turned again. The armored formation ahead was in utter disarray—two jade mountain strikes had killed over two hundred warriors; now the Wu warriors didn’t know whether to cluster or scatter, so some did, some didn’t—their formation was in complete ruin. Wei Yuan acted decisively: phantom swords circled him, and he charged through the enemy line for the third time!

But when he turned his horse again, no one followed him.

Seeing his elite decimated, the Grand Wu could no longer contain himself—he leapt to his feet and slammed his fist onto the great drum beside his throne.

Behind the platform, hundreds of figures shrouded in black robes had their heads severed; their blood pooled together, etching a strange, massive rune onto the earth.

The Grand Wu muttered incantations rapidly, his voice like a swarm of hornets buzzing in unison. He raised a hand and pointed at Wei Yuan—his fingertip exploded into a cloud of blood!

A crimson blood cloud suddenly appeared above Wei Yuan’s head; thick droplets fell onto his armor, burning small pits into its surface. The cloud followed him wherever he went, always fixed directly above his head.

(End of Chapter)