Chapter 842: Reigniting the Battle

The preceding layers of curses could be said to be moves by an immortal, using others as tools, but the final transformation of karmic force was clearly a direct action by an immortal. Yet it remains unknown which immortal from the human side intervened. Otherwise, such vast karmic force falling directly upon him would have severely tainted Little Wei Yuan's manifestation, even if he escaped death.

At this moment, Little Wei Yuan had no time to rage or be shocked—he immediately ordered the forces stationed on the left and right flanks to advance and attack the Wu tribe's wings, while he himself charged straight toward the Wu tribe's central camp!

"How bold!" Liu Lan never expected Little Wei Yuan would dare attack at this very moment.

He instinctively looked down on any manifestation, but having just suffered karmic backlash, Lord Huiye was temporarily unable to interfere with the celestial monsters' gaze, leaving Liu Lan unable to unleash his full power.

His massive serpent body was entwined with distinct black-red energy, like a parasite clinging to bone, constantly trying to burrow inward. Fortunately, faint lunar radiance emanated from his scales, barely holding back the karmic erosion. Yet the lunar light was rapidly depleting—clearly, it could not last much longer.

Seeing Little Wei Yuan charging across the battlefield, four Great Wu shamans simultaneously rose into the air to intercept him.

Yet Little Wei Yuan's body suddenly sank, then thrust forward in furious rage—a spearhead bloomed with crimson-black light, then split instantly into hundreds, then thousands of streaks, spreading over a hundred zhang!

The power of this single spear strike could shatter heaven and earth, shaking the very Dao. This was the spear strike that had made Little Wei Yuan famous in his youth—Ni Fa, devastating and absolute, pure strength proving the Dao.

After many years, Little Wei Yuan's cultivation base was no longer what it once was; the power of this spear strike had reached an entirely new realm.

Four Great Wu shamans simultaneously erupted in clouds of blood mist, one after another falling from the sky, utterly unable to impede Little Wei Yuan even slightly. Liu Lan had already seen through every mystery of Ni Fa—without hesitation, he turned and fled, abandoning his entire vanguard army!

As soon as Liu Lan fled, dozens of Great Wu shamans skimming low over the ground also abandoned the camp and scattered far away.

Little Wei Yuan arrived brimming with killing intent, yet never expected this scene—he froze in place. He could not tell whether Liu Lan was merely blustering or had truly perceived the secrets of Ni Fa.

Little Wei Yuan had continuously refined Ni Fa over the years, primarily because the true meaning embedded within this spear strike was exceedingly rare—even he himself could not guarantee he could recreate its essence of defying heaven through sheer force by any other means.

After entering the Mind-Phase realm, and drawing insight from the life cycles of two heavenly realms, Little Wei Yuan gained a new understanding of heaven and earth's Dao—and only then was Ni Fa perfected. Now, Ni Fa grows stronger against stronger foes, unleashing its full power only when facing an immortal.

Moreover, Little Wei Yuan could infuse this spear strike with additional fortune or celestial spiritual energy, greatly elevating its fundamental stature. Just now, in his fury, he had infused the spear with the karmic fire recently absorbed by the Red Lotus Bodhi.

This karmic force bore direct karmic ties to Liu Lan, granting it extraordinary power—merely a test of its might had already crippled four Great Wu shamans. Yet Little Wei Yuan never anticipated Liu Lan would flee so utterly, without the slightest hesitation.

Chasing now was useless. Little Wei Yuan immediately ordered a full pursuit of the fleeing Wu troops, chasing them a hundred li and slaughtering another hundred thousand Wu soldiers before returning to camp.

Little Wei Yuan mobilized over a hundred thousand troops to advance into the frontline war zone and dig for surviving warriors still clinging to life. Fortunately, it was already morning—the dark clouds had dispersed, the sky brightened, aiding rescue efforts. Zhen Ren Master Chuhe had dispatched large numbers of sentient guinea pigs to assist.

But the land had been soaked in the Wu tribe's corruption curses—the guinea pigs refused to approach.

Only now did Zhen Ren Master Chuhe's mastery over beast taming reveal its ferocity—he directly controlled the guinea pigs to dig downward; as one died, another took its place, rapidly excavating multiple underground tunnels and rescuing many soldiers buried deep, barely alive.

In the final moments, several thousand more were rescued. In this battle, Qingming lost twenty-five thousand dead, over half of them elite soldiers; fewer than ten thousand frontline survivors remained—losses were catastrophic.

The Wu tribe, in total, had paid a price of one million soldiers; during the pursuit, their commoners and slaves also suffered heavy casualties. Qingming's troops were all blood-drunk—they no longer distinguished warriors from civilians, killing any Wu they saw moving.

The one stroke of fortune was that Xu Xu Wenwu was still alive—and of his five hundred Dao soldiers, over four hundred and sixty survived, with only thirty-odd killed. The surviving Dao soldiers all showed clear boosts in their aura—they had absorbed several fortunes, and it was not in vain.

Little Wei Yuan stood above the Wu tribe's central camp, where one hundred thousand Qingming soldiers had fully seized the camp and were now conducting thorough searches. Several senior officers approached Little Wei Yuan, awaiting his next orders.

Little Wei Yuan gazed toward the northwest, his mind turning repeatedly: What move would the Wu tribe make after this round of great curses?

After long contemplation, Little Wei Yuan's thoughts grew clear—he issued orders: "Plant explosives throughout the camp. Detonate in one hour—destroy every facility. Transport all usable supplies; burn anything you cannot carry. Conscript laborers and craftsmen—immediately construct a new defensive line!"

"Also, recall all pursuit forces. Reconnaissance riders return within a hundred li."

The officers bowed and departed to execute their orders.

Indeed, by nightfall, the returning scouts reported seeing massive military aura in the northwest—estimated at over a million troops. The Wu tribe could not possibly send two vanguard armies in succession—this must be their main force.

Little Wei Yuan sensed sharply that the Wu tribe had no intention of engaging him in positional or attrition warfare. They disregarded casualties and karmic backlash to obliterate his year-long defensive line with great curses, then advanced their main army in full force. When Qingming had no terrain to defend, defeat was certain.

Little Wei Yuan understood clearly: now was another race against time—see how many fortifications he could build before the Wu tribe launched their next offensive.

Night had deepened. Large Wu forces flooded into the destroyed vanguard camp. Liu Lan reappeared—but his aura was now greatly weakened, even the glow in his eyes dimmed.

Two Wu shamans, nearly identical in appearance, stood beside him. Each stood only a zhang tall—barely as thick as Liu Lan's serpent body—but Liu Lan had shed all arrogance, even appearing somewhat subservient.

Both shamans were humanoid, bald, with silver irises. The only thing not quite human was the pair of differently colored compound eyes growing at the corners of their eyes, adding a faint touch of beauty.

But to other Wu, these faces were far too smooth, too symmetrical—perfectly identical on both sides, not even a decorative bud or tendril to break the perfection. Utterly hideous to Wu eyes.

The left-hand Wu said: "Our troops marched nine thousand li today—and you greet us with nothing but ruins?"

Liu Lan smiled apologetically: "I never expected him to counterattack. At that moment, I was struck by karmic force and lost combat capability—I could only retreat temporarily."

The right-hand Wu said: "Recall all commoners and slaves—immediately rebuild the camp. Let the army rest one day, then attack the day after tomorrow. With barely a day and a half, how much can the humans possibly build?"

Liu Lan replied: "The kind of fortifications we saw before? The humans mobilized tens of millions and spent nearly two years building them! Even if you gave them two months now, they couldn't construct a single complete defensive line. That's already an overestimate. If we used commoners and slaves, we'd need fifty million laborers working for two or three years."

The left-hand Wu's compound eyes flickered with light: "Your commoners and slaves are too lazy—even weaker humans outwork them! This is your failure!"

Liu Lan hurriedly said: "I'll whip them into shape this time!"

(End of Chapter)