Chapter 439: Too late?

Across the mountains and plains, the Shaman tribe was everywhere.

The Shaman army of several hundred thousand was divided into three prongs, simultaneously invading Qingming. Within the army's Qi, there were terrifying monsters as large as hills. Screeches and roars of various tones enveloped the entire battlefield.

Several Great Shamans gathered in one spot, looking at Ding'an City ahead, all sneering: "With such short city walls, even a qualified warrior could jump right over them. What is the use of building a city like this?"

Another Great Shaman, whose dozen eyes were constantly flickering with various lights, said: "The city-protecting array is very mediocre. There are twenty thousand garrison troops in the city and seventy thousand civilians."

The Great Shaman in the center spat out a cloud of white mist: "Take it directly!"

Amidst the sound of horns, a large number of Shaman troops rushed past from below, killing their way toward Ding'an City ahead.

As a cloud of white smoke rose above the walls of Ding'an City, the roaring sounds instantly merged into one, drowning out all the screeches and roars of the Shaman tribe. The front row of the Shaman tribe fell in swathes. From time to time, clusters of white smoke rose within the army formation, and even Shaman captains a zhang tall around the smoke pillars were blasted into the sky.

The smoke grew thicker and thicker, almost shrouding the entire space above Ding'an City. On the city walls, Dao Foundation cultivators held onto flying sword launchers, desperately inputting Dao power. Countless flying swords were almost linked head-to-tail into a single line, transforming into whips of Asura, mercilessly harvesting lives.

A cloud of blood suddenly appeared above Ding'an City, and as blood rain fell, the city-protecting array was instantly activated. All the mortals in the city had long since received specialized training and had already hidden underground by now; only those at combat positions remained holding their ground.

The city-protecting array instantly flickered, completely unable to withstand the strikes of the blood curse. In an instant, almost all the Dao Foundation cultivators operating the flying sword launchers died, but follow-up cultivators immediately filled their places.

Bao Yun sat in command at the City Lord's Mansion, controlling the entire battle situation of Ding'an City. She mobilized squads of warriors to reinforce the weak points of the defensive line.

The other two prongs of the Shaman army tried to bypass the edge of the earthwork cluster, but they were constantly subjected to long-range flying sword strikes. They retaliated with bows and crossbows, but the defenders were hiding in the fortresses; the Shaman tribe's heavy crossbows could pierce steel plates, but their effectiveness was limited against earth-and-wood defensive works.

The third prong of the Shaman army thrust directly westward and then attacked toward the center of the domain, but they were firmly held back by Li Zhi's troops.

Above the Qingming battlefield, blood clouds appeared one after another, and more and more soldiers were cursed to death.

Little Wei Yuan estimated the size and duration of the blood clouds, judging the Shaman tribe's consumption in launching the Great Curse. The blood curse, after the dual consumption of Qingming and the army's Qi, had its power greatly reduced when it fell, but even so, it caused Qingming's casualties to rise in a straight line. Every quarter of an hour, hundreds or thousands of warriors would be cursed to death.

Little Wei Yuan waited patiently, waiting for the moment the Shaman tribe's Yu Jing would make a move.

On the earth, Qingming was like a lonely island in the sea, being struck wave after wave by the Shaman tide. The giant waves shattered upon hitting the reef, and then a new wave would crash down again.

The Shaman vanguard suffered heavy casualties, but under the charge that disregarded losses, they killed their way into the positions.

Li Zhi's Zhenshan Army only had Dao Foundation cultivators equipped with flying sword guns; despite their immense power, their numbers were limited. They were the first to be breached by the Shaman tribe, and the two sides began a chaotic melee.

The earthwork cluster also began to suffer attacks. The Shaman army killed their way into the positions from all directions, and the ground defenders were forced to retreat underground.

Ding'an City faced the most enemies, but the city was equipped with all the short-barreled lethal cannons that had just been produced, plus the flying sword gun positions that Little Wei Yuan had carefully adjusted. The Shaman tribe had already left behind tens of thousands of corpses, yet they had not managed to rush onto the city walls.

Seeing that Li Zhi's troops had already begun engaging the Shaman tribe, Little Wei Yuan mobilized reserve troops—ten thousand offerings and ten thousand Xu family youths—pressing toward the Shaman army from the left and right respectively.

These twenty thousand infantrymen were all equipped with large shields and heavy armor, arranged in a dense formation like two giant, thorny pieces of steel, slowly pressing toward the Shaman army. Although their numbers were not large, their exceptionally orderly formation and pace caused a slight chaos in the Shaman army.

Most of the crossbow arrows shot by the Shaman army were blocked by the large shields and heavy armor. When they approached within range, the two units began to bombard continuously, one row shooting and the next following up. Just like this, they advanced and shot, soon causing huge casualties to the Shaman army, and the pressure on Li Zhi's troops was greatly reduced.

As the battle situation tightened, Little Wei Yuan continuously committed unit after unit to the battlefield, and the flames of war gradually spread.

Below, nearly a million troops were fighting for their lives, and the sky suddenly dimmed, with several towering figures appearing. The terrifying pressure instantly rendered countless human warriors powerless, and in the blink of an eye, they were slaughtered by the enemy.

Seeing the situation was not good, Little Wei Yuan immediately activated "Instant Sentient Beings," which stabilized the front line, and then used the domain's power to counter the pressure.

Qingming's nurturing began to decline at an accelerated rate. A single boundary stone, even an immortal stone, was exceptionally difficult to hold against the impact of several Yu Jing.

The Shaman tribe's Yu Jing finally appeared.

Whichever side's great power made a move first would easily be targeted. At this moment, the Shaman army had unexpectedly suffered heavy casualties, so several One You Wu had to appear ahead of schedule.

An old man in wide robes and large sleeves suddenly appeared in the sky and threw out a large seal. That seal was golden yellow in color, and after being thrown, it turned to the size of a small mountain, smashing fiercely toward several One You Wu. A One You Wu sneered, made a move to block the large seal, and then both he and the old man disappeared.

This was the senior from the Four Sages Academy whom Li Zhi had invited.

Just as they disappeared, a red shadow suddenly flashed and followed them down. But another One You Wu sneered and also disappeared. The surging of the dark clouds in the sky suddenly accelerated, and a trace of dangerous aura inexplicably appeared.

At this time, an old man, a middle-aged scholar, and a young monk were walking side by side. The two were in a leisurely state, and with every step they took, the scenery around them changed; they had already crossed thousands of mountains and rivers.

The old man was the Seventh Elder of the Bao family. At this time, he said: "When we arrive at the destination in a moment, Master Qiuyue will first exchange moves with that brat, and Mr. Chenzhou shall first observe his style."

The scholar had a hint of arrogance on his face and said slowly: "I really want to take a good look at who exactly it is that can play such an unorthodox game."

The young monk said: "I have long heard that Qingming is well-governed and its strength is growing day by day. This time, in addition to playing chess, this poor monk also wants to walk around and take a look. In this world, the common people have suffered for too long."

The Seventh Elder laughed: "I also want to see how he governs his domain. However, let's play chess first when we arrive. I can't figure out his style, but with you two here this time, we can always force out that brat's true strength. Two of the top three grand masters of the Wu Kingdom have arrived; that brat can be considered to have some face."

The young monk said: "With this step taken, we are almost there. This poor monk is becoming increasingly expectant."

The three of them looked at each other and smiled, taking a step forward in unison. Then, the mountains and rivers before their eyes shifted, and three One You Wu with massive bodies and terrifying, savage auras appeared. Without a word, they unleashed a spell capable of splitting mountains and boiling seas!

The Seventh Elder was both shocked and furious, the scholar's face was as cold as frost, and the monk also felt a surge of anger. The three great experts, unfazed by the chaos, struck simultaneously, battling the three One You Wu into the space beyond the heavens.

Little Wei Yuan looked up at the sky, stunned. He did not know why three human great experts had suddenly appeared, nor did he know whose handiwork this was.

With the few One You Wu of the Shaman tribe all being held off by others, Little Wei Yuan's spirits were instantly lifted. The Long Xiang Army finally moved out, first circling around to attack the rear of Li Zhi's Shaman army.

!.

At this moment, the Shaman army's military aura suddenly showed signs of disturbance, and several giant beasts, massive as small hills, appeared. Their skin was thick and their flesh tough; ordinary bullets hitting them caused no pain or itch, and flying swords and spears could barely break their skin.

These giant beasts moved their dozens of short, thick legs with abnormal speed, rumbling as they charged into the earth-rampart zone. The defensive works on the surface appeared exceptionally fragile before their massive bodies, shattering at the slightest touch.

Charging into the center of the earth-rampart zone, the giant beasts sprayed endless black water from their mouths, pouring it straight down the entrances of the underground tunnels! Any object that came into contact with this black water would hiss and emit white smoke; its corrosive power was extremely strong. The soldiers waiting in battle formation inside the tunnels were struck by the black water, and those below the Bone Forging Realm instantly collapsed and died, while soldiers who had achieved Great Completion in Body Forging were also left dizzy and disoriented, their life force rapidly declining.

Seeing that the black water was highly toxic, the commander in the underground tunnel immediately ordered the soldiers to retreat, but a large number of soldiers in the front ranks had already fallen.

Some soldiers, while running, suddenly felt sharp pain in their feet, only to discover that the combat boots they were wearing had stepped into the black water. By then, the entire soles of their boots had been corroded away, and it had already begun to corrode the flesh on their feet.

Those few giant beasts continued to pour out the black water without stopping, as if their bellies contained a vast ocean; the amount of black water they spat out had far exceeded their own body size.

At this time, the Shaman tribe finally charged onto the walls of Ding'an City, and both sides engaged in slaughter on the ramparts.

Seeing the critical situation, Little Wei Yuan immediately charged toward a giant beast in the earth-rampart zone. Beside another giant beast, a white shadow flashed; the Flying Mink dashed onto the giant beast's body, and wherever it ran, the beast's body split open, revealing deep furrows.

The giant beast let out a painful roar and shook its body, wanting to throw the Flying Mink off, but how could the Flying Mink be something it could shake off? In the blink of an eye, it had already run several laps on the giant beast, leaving behind huge, deep gashes. These gashes were as deep as a zhang, which was a serious injury even for the giant beast's size.

A Great Shaman born with a pair of blade-arms rushed over, wanting to intercept the Flying Mink, but the Cat descended from the sky and blocked the Great Shaman. Two other Great Shamans appeared before Little Wei Yuan, and in the blink of an eye, one was heavily injured and the other fled in a panic.

Little Wei Yuan could not spare the time for the fleeing Great Shaman; he shot water blades from his fingertips, piercing into the body of a giant beast. The giant beast let out a heaven-shaking roar, struggling and rolling desperately, being cut by the water blades; as long as it stopped even slightly, it would result in a large hole.

As the Great Shamans successively joined the battle, the Shaman army preparing in the rear also began to advance, and the great war finally reached a white-hot stage.

At this moment, a giant tree that stood between heaven and earth suddenly appeared! The giant tree took root in the earth, its root system spanning a hundred li in radius, and its trunk, over ten li thick, reached straight into the sky, while its canopy was even beyond the clouds!

Once the giant tree emerged, the power of the Azure Void Realm rose in a straight line, and the life force of all humans surged. The injuries of those soldiers in the underground tunnels who had been poisoned by the black water also rapidly improved.

Meanwhile, countless Shaman tribesmen were like people splashed with boiling oil, each one wailing in pain.

The giant tree's phantom lasted for only a few breaths before disappearing, but in that short time, the battle situation tilted significantly toward the human side. In the air, Fenhai Zhenjun Huang Yun appeared and nodded to Little Wei Yuan, then his figure vanished, going off to the space beyond the heavens to find the One You Wu for a decisive battle.

At this moment, a point of watery moonlight suddenly lit up in the distant sky, and then a beam of moonlight like a long rainbow shocked the heavens, instantly crossing thousands of lands!

The figure of Fenhai Zhenjun Xuanyue appeared above the Azure Void. His aura fluctuated, his Daoist robe was tattered, he was missing a sleeve, and the Daoist crown that bound his hair was nowhere to be found. It was clear he had just experienced a great battle and hadn't even had time to change his robe before rushing over in a state of anxious urgency.

Upon arriving at the battlefield, Fenhai Zhenjun Xuanyue was murderous, his divine eyes like lightning, instantly sweeping across the entire battlefield. He was stunned to discover that all the One You Wu were engaged in battle, and the human side actually held the upper hand in numbers.

Fenhai Zhenjun Xuanyue was stunned; had he arrived late?

(End of chapter)