Chapter 494: Skirmish

The Golden Core Barbarian General, leading his forces, clashed with Ning Zhuo's Mechanical Army for a brief period,realizing the latter's formidable strength, and decisively retreated.

Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong, controlling the Mechanical Puppets, seized the opportunity to pursue and slaughter,inflicting heavy casualties on the Barbarian cultivators before watching the enemyflee down the mountainside.

Sun Lingtong transmitted a divine sense message: "Should we continue the pursuit?"

Ning Zhuo glanced at the battle unfolding at the foot of the mountain. The forces of the Three Generals' Camp werefar outnumbered by the enemy and were on the verge of being surrounded.

His thoughts raced, and he gritted his teeth: "No! First, we must destroy this enemy encampment."

Previously, the Golden Core Barbarian General with the spear, overconfident,had led his troops out proactively and was routed by Ning Zhuo.The enemy camp remained intact, with a small number of Barbarian soldierscontinuously firing arrows towards Ning Zhuo's position.

Ning Zhuo led the Mechanical Puppets to the front gate of the enemy camp,then suddenly halted the advance.The advantage of the Mechanical Puppets' obedience and discipline wasfully displayed at this moment.

Had it been a regular army, lacking sufficient training and military discipline,some soldiers would undoubtedly have been overcome with excitement,ignoring the sudden order to halt and charging forward nonetheless.

"Xiao Zhuo?" Sun Lingtong felt perplexed.

Ning Zhuo withdrew his gaze from the Mechanical Ring. Just now, his Mechanical Ringhad subtly twitched. Although the movement was very slight, it had still given Ning Zhuo a warning.

Ning Zhuo simultaneously directed his thoughts and divine sense,detaching fifty Mechanical Puppets from the main army and sending themcharging into the enemy camp.

Within the enemy camp were a small number of Barbarian soldiers,all old, weak, or injured.In their final moments, they displayed great courage, shouting andcharging forward, only to be ruthlessly cut down by the Mechanical Puppets.

However, as the Barbarian soldiers fell, a magic array within the camp revealed itselfand activated rapidly.Neither Sun nor Ning could identify the origin of this magic array,seeing that its formation patterns and talismans were all in the style of ancient, primordial languages.

The magic array, fueled by blood sacrifice, unleashed streams ofpurplish-black smoke. The smoke enveloped the fifty or so Mechanical Puppets.

Ning Zhuo attempted to control them but found the difficulty had surged dramatically.

At the same time, the purplish-black smoke, without any wind,swiftly drifted towards Ning Zhuo!

Ning Zhuo dared not be careless. He decisively withdrew his divine senseand no longer used his My Buddha Demonic Heart Seal to sense the Mechanical Puppets within the camp.The purplish-black smoke immediately lost its target, spreading midway.

Ning Zhuo, as a precaution, quickly ordered the remaining three hundredor more Mechanical Puppets to retreat.

The purplish-black smoke enveloped the entire military camp and thenonce again drifted towards Ning Zhuo's direction.No matter how Ning Zhuo shifted his army, the purplish-black smokewould quickly adjust, constantly drifting towards Ning Zhuo.

Sun Lingtong activated her Innate Spiritual Eye, observing for a moment,and half-guessed: "It might be a connection between military forces, Xiao Zhuo!"

The more than four hundred Mechanical Puppets under Ning Zhuo's commandwere all registered soldiers of the Two Zhus Kingdom.They belonged to the Scarlet Flower Camp.At present, the main force of the Scarlet Flower Camp was on another route,and here were only Ning Zhuo's Mechanical Army. Therefore, the purplish-black smokehad locked onto Ning Zhuo, constantly approaching.

"If that's the case, it's easy to handle!"

Ning Zhuo took a deep breath, clapped his hands together in front of his chest,emitting a crisp sound.His entire body's magic power surged, and he simultaneously mobilized his military power,intending to unleash his most proficient Wood Style spell, the Advent of the Tree World.

But upon reflection, he immediately switched to a Fire Style spell.Fire Style — Nine Heavens Fire Dragon Technique!Nine Heavens Descend, Divine Fire Rages, Fire Dragons Burn Evil!

Ning Zhuo chanted in a low voice, speaking rapidly.In the next moment, his magic power and military power were depleted by more than half,transforming into three fire dragons, charging towards the enemy camp envelopedin purplish-black smoke.

Dragon roars sounded, flames burned fiercely, rapidly spreadingthroughout the enemy camp!The Nine Heavens Fire Dragon Technique is one of the most classic Fire Style spells,renowned in the cultivation world. The spell simulates Nine Heavens Divine Fire,condensing into the form of fire dragons, which are controlled to burn enemies.The number of fire dragons increases with the cultivator's cultivation level.A Qi Condensation stage cultivator has only one fire dragon, a Foundation Establishmentstage cultivator has two, and although Ning Zhuo is currently at the Foundation Establishment stage,he possesses Golden Core battle prowess, thus he condensed three.One reason why the Nine Heavens Fire Dragon Technique is a Fire Style classicis that it is universally applicable to a cultivator's early, middle, and late paths.Once successfully cultivated, it can often be used for a lifetime!The might of the fire dragons will also change in strength accordinglywith the cultivator's power.

The purplish-black smoke was incinerated by the flames. The flames shot up into the sky,forming a sea of fire.Tents, weapons, chariots, and other items in the enemy camp quicklyturned to ash in the sea of fire. Even the ground was burned intoreddish-colored glass-like solid.The entire enemy camp had become a giant furnace. Raging flamesshot up into the sky, illuminating the night sky in a fiery red.Heat waves rolled forth continuously. The air was distorted,and distant mountains, rocks, and forests appeared blurred,as if they would melt at any moment.

The enemy camp suddenly experienced a violent explosion.The retreating Golden Core Barbarian General with the spearwore a somber expression. The double traps he had carefullylaid out in the military camp had both failed.

"Damn it! Of all things, I had to run into a Mechanical Army." The spear-wieldingGolden Core Barbarian General was filled with bitter resentment.The Golden Core cultivator's gaze was locked tightly on Ning Zhuo,intending to engrave the image of this enemy deep within his heart.

At this moment, Ning Zhuo contained the sea of fire, allowing itto burn only the enemy camp, not to spread through the mountain forest,bringing disaster to the entire Celestial Pillar Great Wood Mountain.He, in white robe and black hair, stood on the mountainside,overlooking the foot of the mountain.Illuminated by the sea of fire, his figure was stretched long,projected onto the distant mountain wall, like a dark, giant spirit.

The spear-wielding Golden Core Barbarian General, seeing Ning Zhuo's imposing demeanor,was also stirred within his heart.His mouth was filled with bitterness, and he thought: "The opponent is merely a Foundation Establishment cultivator,while I am a noble Golden Core.""Our defeat in this battle lies in the strength of the Two Zhus Kingdom's military system.We have already preemptively mobilized local Barbarian tribes from variousmountain peaks and subjected them to rigorous training.""But the coordination between tribes is poor, and there are too many internal contradictions.How can their performance on the battlefield match that of the Two Zhus Kingdom?""However, the idea of this Mechanical Army is truly excellent. The practical effect is also superb.Thousand Peaks Forest should also build a few."

After taking down the enemy camp on the mountainside, Ning Zhuo quicklyinspected his Mechanical Army.Originally, there were more than four hundred Mechanical Puppets. After the recent battle,nearly a hundred were lost, leaving over three hundred.

"At least two hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones were lost." Ning Zhuo assessed his losses.Such losses, for an ordinary Golden Core cultivator, would be comparableto nearly half a year's income."I expended over two hundred thousand mid-grade spirit stones to exchange for the Golden Core battle prowess I possess now.""This is actually quite a bargain!"

At this moment, Ning Zhuo suddenly gained a new realization.The essence of the so-called hundred arts of cultivation is actuallyto seek cost-effectiveness — using more ingenious methods to utilize resourcesand achieve more results.The hundred arts of cultivation are like a lever. The more skilled and profound the technique,the fewer and cheaper resources can be used to leverage more and stronger power.

Ning Zhuo surveyed the battlefield.Sun Lingtong's scouting and the Thousand Li Wandering Dragon's scouting bothtold him that there were no other ambushes nearby.Ning Zhuo's face was expressionless. He led the Mechanical Army down the mountain.The Mechanical Army was like a long river, cascading down.

The spear-wielding Golden Core cultivator led a portion of the remaining forcesto launch a ranged attack on Ning Zhuo.Ning Zhuo's Mechanical Army, under the enhancement of the Light Body Swift Wind Array,moved nimbly and quickly, dodging many attacks and reaching the side of the Three Generals' Camp.

The Golden Core General with the double axes, who was besieging the Three Generals' Camp,cursed angrily.The spear-wielding Golden Core cultivator's poor performance failed to intercept Ning Zhuo,allowing him to reach his rear. This created a situation where Ning Zhuo's Mechanical Armyand the Three Generals' Camp attacked him from both inside and outside.

"Come quickly to reinforce!" The double-axed Golden Core General roared at the spear-wieldingGolden Core General.

The reason why the spear-wielding Golden Core General retreated was to protect his kinsmen.His tribe had few members, and those around him now were the sparks of his tribe's future continuity.They could not be lost.Therefore, he had issued the order to retreat.

But the current battle situation, where Ning Zhuo and the Three Generals' Camp attacked frominside and outside to achieve victory, was also something the spear-wielding Golden Core Generaldid not want to see.The spear-wielding Golden Core General gritted his teeth and led his forcesto reinforce urgently.

The double-axed Barbarian Golden Core General loudly encouraged morale:"Little ones, hold on! Hold on to this breath!!"The double-axed Golden Core General also cheered himself up in his heart:"It's alright, we can hold on. We have the Barren Plain Encirclement Array!"

The Barbarian tribes were not without battle formations.It was just that these battle formations had a long history and were passed down to the present day.The Barren Plain Encirclement Array was one such typical example.This formation was gradually created by Barbarian cultivators on the barren plainsduring their daily hunts, through close cooperation and reaching a certain level.As the name suggests, it is biased towards hunting and offense, not defense.

Ning Zhuo did not hesitate or stop. He led the Mechanical Army andcharged directly into the enemy formation.After resisting for dozens of breaths, the Barbarian battle formation could no longerwithstand the force and was brutally pushed and crushed by the Mechanical Army,inflicting heavy casualties on the Barbarians and breaking through the formation line,charging in!Ning Zhuo's frequent spellcasting was one of the main reasons for breaking through.He didn't care about the survival of the Mechanical Puppets. Oh, the Mechanical Puppetsdidn't have life or death to worry about, but the Barbarian cultivators were different,they were flesh and blood.They died under Ning Zhuo's rounds of Five Elements spells, meeting a tragic end.

This was the first time Ning Zhuo had fully experienced military combat.For him, it was the first time, and the feeling was very novel, unique, and stirred his heart.Just now, when he collided with the spear-wielding cultivator's army, the pressure he felt was like a thin gruel.When fighting against the double-axed Golden Core's forces, the pressureincreased greatly, but it was still just like that. It was like going from thin gruel to rice.Although the opponent formed a battle formation, it was still loose and ordinary.

"They lack training, and the origins of the soldiers are complex, with their own long-standing grudges,making it difficult to unite. This leads to a large number of people, but insufficient military strength.""On the other hand, our side, the training level of the Three Generals' Camp far exceeds theirs,not to mention my Mechanical Army which has reached the level of strict obedience to orders.""More importantly, it is the disparity in national power."

Ning Zhuo's Mechanical Army and Liu, Guan, and Zhang's Three Generals' Camp allhad the blessing of national power.The Thousand Peaks Forest, on the other hand, had not established a nation, so its armyonly had military strength and no assistance from national power.This was not because the Dragon King of Whispering Reeds was unwilling to establish a nation,but because establishing a nation was extremely difficult. Even Mahayana level cultivatorsdared not easily attempt it.To establish a nation, one must meet at least three standards: national destiny, national artifact, and national sovereign.Under normal circumstances, the national sovereign must possess the Mandate of Heaven.This single point has prevented too many ambitious individuals.

The Barbarian army, attacked from both inside and outside, fell into a perilous situation.Even though the spear-wielding Golden Core General led his army to reinforce, it was too late.The double-axed Golden Core General was furious, abandoned the Three Generals' Camp,and turned back to attack Ning Zhuo.Seeing this, the Three Generals' Camp immediately seized the opportunity andurgently changed formation!The results of their past days and nights of arduous training were fully displayed at this moment.They swiftly transitioned from the triangular arrow formation to the iron bucket formation.That's right, during the time they rested and regrouped in the蒼林 Immortal City,the Three Generals' Camp trained fiercely, allowing the soldiersto master another battle formation.Furthermore, this battle formation was a classic defensive formation.

Generals Liu, Guan, and Zhang were thus liberated. Originally, the triangular arrow formationrequired all three of them to frequently occupy the formation's core and center.Now, the iron bucket formation only required one person to maintain the main formationfor a long time.Zhang Hei and Guan Hong were freed from their restraints, like a black tiger unleashedand a red dragon with its chain broken, charging out to kill.Within the Barbarian army, there were naturally more than just two Golden Cores,there were other Golden Core cultivators as well. Seeing Generals Guan and Zhang charge out,they immediately took action to intercept them halfway.Zhang Hei unleashed his Black Waves Heaven Surging Technique, with his Innate Crazy Python Sinews withinand his Black Snake Spear outside. The more he fought, the more power he gained,and his offensive became fiercer.Guan Hong activated his Scarlet Faced Blood Tribulation Scripture, wielding his Blood Dragon Saber,and suddenly unleashed a military tactic — Direct Stab with a Single Saber!Blood light surged, transforming into saber radiance, directly piercing through the Barbarian army.

A Barbarian Golden Core roared and pounced on Guan Hong.Guan Hong did not dodge or evade. His long beard moved without wind.His beard, eight feet long, suddenly reflected blood light.Innate Ability — Thousand Beards Reflecting Blood!The blood light had both offensive and defensive capabilities. Under its illumination,it resembled a bloody long river, surging out and sweeping a Barbarian Golden Core into it.The Barbarian Golden Core screamed in terror, but after a few breaths,was transformed into a pool of blood.The vast essence within the blood pool was immediately absorbed by Guan Hong's blood light.This was the characteristic of demonic arts — using other cultivators as cultivation resources!

Guan Hong quickly killed a Barbarian Golden Core, and Ning Zhuo's Five Elements spellalso wounded one.During this time, the spear-wielding Golden Core wanted to launch a surprise attack,but was forced back by Ning Zhuo's Metal Style spell.The spear-wielding Golden Core retreated all the way, his eyelids twitching.This was because of the ferocious strength displayed by Ning Zhuo, which wastruly terrifying.Various spells were indiscriminately unleashed, even wounding many of his ownMechanical Puppets.Even Liu Er, a friendly force, seeing Ning Zhuo's fighting style, couldn't help but sigh:"As expected of a disciple from a great clan. How many Mechanical Puppets must be lost,and how much money is being wasted!"Liu Er held his Mysterious Yellow Sword and presided over the iron bucket formation,not actively attacking.

"Die for me!" The intense fight continued. Zhang Hei suddenly roared,causing his Golden Core opponent to fall into a brief daze.Immediately, his Black Snake Spear pierced through the enemy's heart. Zhang Heieven reached out and grabbed the Golden Core cultivator's head in his palm,then squeezed hard, crushing it like a watermelon exploding.The second Barbarian Golden Core cultivator had fallen!The Barbarian battle formation had already collapsed and suffered backlash.Seeing Zhang Hei and Guan Hong so fierce and brave,their fighting spirit plummeted.

Sensing their military power significantly decreasing, several Barbarian Golden Coresconsulted among themselves and could only admit defeat, choosing to retreat up the mountain.Ning, Guan, and Zhang seized the opportunity to pursue and slaughter, killing countless.

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