Chapter 827: with translation of chapter title

Luohuang Zhou border, dawn.

Three thousand wolf demon cavalry stood in formation, they no longer brandished bone blades and sharp claws to charge as before, but uniformly raised pitch-black ice-cold spirit power rifles. On the barrels, the demon race's "Blazing Sun Runes" glowed faintly, the energy in the Spiritual Stone magazines built up within the chambers, ready to fire.

Silver-backed leader grinned, fangs gleaming: "Fire!"

In an instant, thousands of spirit power light beams tore through the morning mist, pouring down like a violent rain on the human cultivators' defense line. The body-protection spirit light just raised by the Heaven Punishment Palace disciples was as thin as paper under the concentrated fire, and dozens of Foundation Establishment cultivators were instantly riddled with holes, blood spattering on the scorched earth.

"What… what evil device is this?!" a Golden Core Elder exclaimed in horror, watching his own flying sword struck by dozens of spirit energy light beams, the sword body shattering!

Wolf demons coldly swapped magazines, their movements so uniform they were chilling. They were no longer the beasts that relied on brute force to slaughter, but a true army!

An army equipped with killing machines capable of threatening high-level cultivators!

"The demons actually have such weapons?!" Chixiaozi smashed the jade table with a palm, rage blazing in his eyes. The battle report clearly read: "All three border cultivator outposts destroyed, Nascent Soul and below cultivators hardly any survived, the demons use spirit rifles and spirit cannons, far surpassing the West Sand River Basin's products, range a thousand zhang, breaking defenses like snapping twigs."

Although he self-detonated his sword pellet on today's battlefield, for a top-tier sword cultivator like him, with his unique cultivation method, it wasn't just one sword pellet, but his strength was greatly diminished, which was unavoidable.

His face turned ashen, he suddenly lifted his head and looked at the Elder in charge of intelligence: "Investigate! Where did these weapons come from?!"

The Elder's face turned ashen: "According to the disciples who fled back... the barrels are engraved with the mark 'West Sand Armory'."

"West Sand River Basin?!" Chixiaozi's pupils contracted: "They dare secretly assist the demons?!"

No.

Xuanji Xianzi's fingertips calculated, the eight-trigram compass spun wildly, finally it "cracked" open a gap. She suddenly opened her eyes, voice trembling: "Ominous sign of great misfortune… the demons have mastered the complete manufacturing method of spirit power armaments, this battle… humanity is in peril!"

Beside him, Chixiaozi said: "Xuanji Xianzi, how should we respond?"

Xuanji Xianzi took a deep breath: "Issue the order to everyone, immediately activate the 'Thousand Light Division Shadow Formation'; all disciples below Golden Core are forbidden to directly engage the demon's armament units!"

Nightfall.

Chixiaozi found Xuanji Xianzi, smelling the gunpowder permeating the air, his expression grim: "Xuanji Xianzi, someone really is helping the demons further develop those spirit rifles and spirit cannons!"

Chixiaozi wasn't foolish either; he had earlier paid attention to the spirit rifles and spirit cannons produced by the West Sand River Basin, but because they had too many flaws and didn't suit the methods of these ascetic cultivators, he hadn't studied them in detail.

But now the demons have such large-scale equipment, plus masses of low-level demons attacking with the furthest and densest bullet barrage, it's clearly broken the original war pattern!

For Chixiaozi, they must find out who is assisting the demons in completing this technological innovation!

Xuanji Xianzi hesitated, then said: "The Xuanmen of Nan Ting Mountain Region, Fellow Daoist Chixiaozi, have you heard of it?"

"The orthodox Xuanmen of the Myriad Dao Mountain Range? What relation do they have?" Chixiaozi frowned.

"On the battlefield today, I saw a person. If I'm not mistaken, that person came from the Xuanmen, named Mo Heng. But he should have died many years ago, I don't know....."

"Are you saying this Mo Heng betrayed humanity and assisted the demons in completing the technological innovation?" Chixiaozi frowned.

"That's right; back then he went to the West Sand River Basin, supposedly to develop those spirit rifles and spirit cannons, but when I got the news, I only heard of his death, not knowing what he had experienced." Xuanji Xianzi said.

This also puzzled Xuanji Xianzi: if Mo Heng had suffered a great calamity, it would be impossible for spirit rifles and spirit cannons to appear in the West Sand River Basin, and moreover, in the daytime he let her go—what on earth is going on?

Meanwhile, at the residence of the loose cultivators.

"Have you heard? The demons now each have a spirit rifle; even low-level foundation-establishment demons can kill Golden Core cultivators!"

"How is that possible?! Spirit rifles aren't a specialty of the West Sand River Basin; how could they fall into the demons' hands?"

"Heh, you didn't know? During the previous peaceful period, the demons, under the pretense of 'mining prospecting', purchased tens of thousands of spirit rifles from many human forces doing business in Luohuang Zhou; now... they can manufacture them themselves!"

The loose cultivators' faces turned deathly pale; they originally thought they could still rely on their personal cultivation to pick up scraps on the battlefield, but now... facing the sky-covering spirit energy barrage, no matter how swift their movement techniques, they cannot evade!

Three days later, at the border of the Otherworldly Race Continent, the final defensive line "Xuan Iron Pass"!

On the pass, the cultivators stood ready. But when they saw the demon army formation clearly, everyone's hearts sank to the bottom of the valley!

Five thousand wolf demon riflemen formed a three-stage firing line; behind them were three hundred "Earth-Splitting" heavy spirit cannons; even more terrifying... in the sky hovered over a thousand eagle demon snipers, each talon gripping an improved spirit power rifle!

"Fire!"

"Boom—boom—boom!"

The spirit cannons roared in unison; the pass's protective grand formation collapsed with a thunderous crash after the third barrage! Cultivators on the walls were flung into the air by the explosion, severed limbs flying everywhere.

"Hold firm! Counter with arts!" the Golden Core cultivator guarding the pass roared, unleashing his flying sword, but the next second....

"Bang!"

A precise spirit power bullet pierced his brow, blood and brain matter spurting out! On a distant cliff, a falcon demon sniper coldly pulled the bolt, the spirit stone magazine automatically reloading.

"Unable to withstand a single blow." it sneered.

Seven days later, the battle report spread throughout the cultivation world!

"Xuan Iron Pass fell! Three thousand cultivators died in battle, the demons' spirit cannons blasted the mountain-protection formation to pieces, none could stop them!"

"Tiannan Valley encountered the demons' 'Rain of Pear Blossoms' machine-gun barrage; a hundred Golden Core cultivators were buried under the hail of bullets, leaving no remains!"

"Xiling City fell; the City Lord's Nascent Soul self-detonation destroyed only three spirit cannons, while the demons' production line continues to deliver new weapons nonstop!"

Human cultivators finally realized, the era has changed!

In past wars, they competed in cultivation, accumulation devices, formations, and divine abilities. But now... the demons, with their cold spirit power weapons, tell them: in large-scale war, it is no longer the era where high-level cultivators alone can tip the balance!

Individual strength... is meaningless!

Moreover, after lying dormant for so many years, the demons have actually sent several Great Vehicle Stage cultivators to Luohuang Zhou to oppose the human Great Vehicle Stage!

On the other side.

Xiongfeiyu lightly swirled his wine cup, the distant battlefire reflected within. He curled his lips: "Looks like the royal court, after lying dormant so long, has finally seized the chance to counterattack humanity!"

Behind him, Wuxuzi chuckled: "City Lord, Lady Qingxuan has ordered us to assist Mo Heng!"

Xiongfeiyu narrowed his eyes: "Of course."

But would letting humanity retreat like this actually benefit him?

No benefit at all!