Chapter 438: Divine Power Breaking the Army

Though Xu Dali lacked cunning, he possessed experience from the battlefield.His heart churned with anxiety, for he knew his side was plummeting into the abyss of defeat.The Iron Barrel formation could not be fully deployed; merely the inner circle, a small formation, was insufficient to salvage the losing battle.Xu Dali sat astride his heavy-armored rhino, roaring, "Bring me my general's standard, quickly!"Four Foundation Establishment Realm body cultivators and strongmen immediately carried the ponderous general's standard.Such a heavy military artifact,凝聚ing the power of the army, becomes increasingly difficult to move once the battle formation is activated, much less placed into a storage pouch.The standard was brought to Xu Dali's side; the four Foundation Establishment Realm strongmen's eyes were red, their necks thick, their bodies drenched in sweat from the exertion, panting heavily.Xu Dali extended a rough, large hand, grasping the flagstaff, and suddenly bellowed, activating his military strategy.Military Strategy - Cohesion of the Army's Spirit!The attention of the soldiers, at this very instant, fell upon the commander's standard.The standard had not fallen!This battle was not yet over.There was still hope in everything.Countless cultivators' thoughts surged, giving rise to similar ideas.Invisible military power began to accumulate upon the standard; the banner fluttered on its own in the windless environment."Fight! Fight! Fight!" Xu Dali roared.His personal guards and elite soldiers beside him followed suit, roaring.For a time, the frustrated morale was significantly boosted.Not only the Savage Demon Battalion felt Xu Dali's will to fight, but the surrounding barbarian cultivators also changed their expressions."General Xu Dali's mind is not sharp, but his nature is tough, and his fighting spirit is tenacious. He is a hard bone to chew," the barbarian cultivators displayed a hint of admiration.They disdained weakness and revered strength."Heh heh, somewhat interesting." Seeing this, Bi Tengyi merely extended a finger.Yuan Ying level magic power erupted suddenly, vast and surging!Divine Ability - Spreading Hell!The heart of the Savage Demon Battalion was coalescing, the commander's standard fluttering valiantly, when suddenly a verdant wind emerged from nowhere, instantly sweeping through the army.An ominous aura permeated the air; the ground cracked, splitting into countless fine fissures.Dark green vines and thorns, like giant pythons and swarms of snakes, surged madly from beneath the earth!These thorns and vines grew with astonishing speed, bending and extending,缠绕ing the cultivators' bodies, assassinating one living being after another.Cultivators at the Foundation Establishment and Golden Core levels, even with all their defenses raised, were like thin paper, instantly pierced through, blood splattering.They struggled with all their might; all sorts of attacks struck the vines, yet barely caused any damage.After a few breaths, these cultivators all died tragically on the spot.Meanwhile, the thorns and vines had grown into large patches, spreading in all directions, covering the sky and earth as they extended outwards.The dense barbs of the thorns, like myriad sharp blades, harvested countless lives.The Savage Demon Battalion fell into great chaos!Unlike Gu Ya, Bi Tengyi possessed a Divine Ability, being a True Monarch.Although Tu Ming was also a Yuan Ying True Monarch, his Formless Poison was merely a spell, not a Divine Ability.The might of a Divine Ability naturally surpassed that of a spell.The peripheral Savage Demon soldiers were tragically slaughtered, over half suffering casualties.Around them, vines intertwined, forming a terrifying, dark green hell.Bi Tengyi revealed a grim smile. Under her intentional control, large swathes of vines sectioned off the battlefield into blocks, trapping the Savage Demon Battalion cultivators, forming cages.The cultivators were unable to break through; at intervals, the vines would suddenly shoot out, entangling the most unfortunate soul, raising them high.Then, before the eyes of all, this unfortunate cultivator was strangled to death. The sharp barbs of the thorns pierced through his armor, penetrated his flesh and skin, causing the cultivator to let out tragic cries of pain, despair, and terror during the strangulation process.This caused the morale of the Savage Demon Battalion to plummet like an avalanche!The army spirit that Xu Dali had condensed by using his military strategy rapidly diminished, falling to the bottom.Seeing this, the deputy general quickly spoke, "General, the tide has turned; we can retreat."Xu Dali, however, said, "Impossible!""I am the vanguard to open the path; how can there be a reason to retreat?""Only death combat, fight to the death without retreat!"Xu Dali's stubborn temper flared up; he stuck out his neck, holding his ground.The deputy general gritted his teeth, sighed inwardly, and showed a resolute expression, no longer mentioning the retreat, focusing his entire mind on fighting with all his might.The collapse of the Savage Demon Battalion was already a foregone conclusion.But in the core, the small Iron Barrel formation remained as stable as before.Xu Dali's personal guards and elite soldiers held their ground firmly, remaining unmoving even under the continuous onslaught of the wolf packs.On the mountainside.Cang Tengwang watched Bi Tengyi, inquiring with concern about the latter's state.Blood was overflowing from Bi Tengyi's mouth and nose; her aura rapidly diminished.She paid it no mind, grinning, "So this is the taste of attacking a nation's defense and bearing the backlash of a nation's might. Heh heh heh, ha ha ha."Her laughter was hoarse and unpleasant, like the screeching of crows.Although the Savage Demon Battalion's composition was complex and newly formed, Xu Dali was a general of the Liang Zhu Kingdom, carrying the general's seal. This Savage Demon Battalion was a registered army of the Liang Zhu Kingdom, thus a part of the nation's defense.Loose cultivators like Bi Tengyi, without the backing of another nation's power, would inevitably suffer the backlash of the national might if they attacked the nation's defense alone.At this moment, Bi Tengyi not only sustained minor injuries but also suffered the suppression of the national power, her combat strength dropping by thirty percent.It would take a period of rest and recuperation to gradually recover.Leaving the borders of the Liang Zhu Kingdom and entering the territory of another nation would significantly reduce the suppression of national power, and the recovery speed would also increase.For the cultivators of Thousand Peaks Forest, this was their disadvantage - Thousand Peaks Forest was a part of the Liang Zhu Kingdom's territory, and the cultivators also did not have the state body of another nation to share the backlash for them.Another mountainside."Such a large movement, has the old woman from the Ancient Vine tribe no sense of propriety?" The Great Sacrifice Tu Ming of the Poison Belly tribe was slightly surprised.He was also a True Monarch, possessing a Divine Ability, but he was very cautious when making his move.After all, suffering the suppression of national might, his combat strength would recover very slowly, and next, they would have to face the main army and vanguard of the Liang Zhu Kingdom.This battle had just begun, so they naturally had to hold back somewhat.The Great Sacrifice of the Poison Belly tribe made up his mind and sent out a secret messenger.Soon, a poisonous snake crawled out of the grass and came before Bi Tengyi, bringing Tu Ming's message.Tu Ming: "Xu Dali alone has shown the resilience of the cultivators of the Liang Zhu Kingdom; they cannot be lightly insulted. Currently, a small portion of the Savage Demon Battalion cultivators are trapped by the vines, which is detrimental to the overall situation.""I hope Bi Tengyi, you will act according to the plan and use this routed army to charge the White Jade Battalion."Bi Tengyi sneered, but was unwilling: "Cave Lord Moyuan's mind is indeed sharp, capable of managing the Six Cave Sect so prosperously, making great profits both openly and secretly. But I, this old woman, have paid such a large price, and I see this military merit within reach. Now I must act according to his arrangements; who will bear this loss?"Tu Ming was a Yuan Ying True Monarch, and Bi Tengyi was likewise.Tu Ming's words made sense, but Bi Tengyi's interests were real and tangible.This was the drawback of the alliance; they could not unite their hearts and minds, as each person was more concerned with their own gains.Tu Ming, however, had anticipated this long ago and spoke through the poisonous snake messenger: "Bi Tengyi, have you forgotten that Lord Long might be watching you from above?"Bi Tengyi's face changed slightly.She had signed a divine decree, requiring her to go all out.She was the first in this surprise attack team to do so.The divine decree was rigid; although it could assist in recording military merit, it was limited to the number of heads.Therefore, the Ginseng须 Dragon King had sent His temple steward, Lord Long, to personally supervise the battle, responsible for recording the entire battle process.Although unwilling, Bi Tengyi did not dare to disobey the will of the Ginseng须 Dragon King, let out a cold snort, and agreed: "I will actively open a passage to allow this routed army to escape from this battlefield. But how to guide them to charge the White Jade Battalion is not our responsibility."The poisonous snake messenger then transmitted Tu Ming's laughter: "Rest assured, I will personally set out and send subordinates to chase them all the way.""As for here...""Leave it to the people of the Azure Moon tribe."