chsdbacks Chapter 71: The Power of the Warrior Alliance
Chapter 71: The Power of the Warrior Alliance
As night fell,
The fire was still burning, emitting an orange glow.
A scream suddenly ripped through the tranquil night sky.
"ah--!"
Zhang Ping opened his eyes and, like most others, got up to look.
The man in black robes was being dragged by one leg by the captain of the Bone Forging Realm of the Demon Extermination Division, his face scraping against the gravel ground, leaving it covered in blood.
"Anyone who deserts in the face of battle will be executed without mercy! Their entire family will also be wiped out!"
The chilling voice mingled with the cold night wind, sending shivers down the spines of many people.
Zhang Ping stared intently at the man in black robes. Judging from the unusual aura of his blood and qi, he was at the late stage of the Flesh Refining realm. Half of his left leg was missing, indicating that he had been seriously injured in the battle during the day and had been assigned to guard the supplies.
goo-dong-
Amidst the sounds of swallowing, some people were terrified, their knuckles turning white from clenching their fists.
This Demon Extermination Bureau simply doesn't treat them, the common martial artists, like human beings.
The captain of the Demon Extermination Division swept his hawk-like gaze across the suppressed anger in the crowd, smiled disdainfully, casually threw the black-robed man to the ground like a rag doll, and turned to leave.
"well,"
Someone sighed softly, and the gaze that had been directed in this direction gradually faded away.
Zhang Ping sat back down, suppressed his distracting thoughts, and continued to circulate his qi and blood.
Afterwards, Wang Dashan came to ask for advice, implying that Zhang Ping should take care of him.
Zhang Ping shook his head, only saying that tomorrow would be dangerous and that he should be careful.
After Wang Dashan left, Zhang Ping gazed in the direction he had disappeared.
Thinking back to when Wang Dashan first entered the martial arts school, he was confident, full of energy, and meticulous despite his rough exterior. Now, however, he has lost that edge and is timid and hesitant.
On the other hand, he himself was once forced by the An family to the point that he dared not step out of the martial arts school. Now that he has enough strength, although he can not do everything as he pleases, he can handle most things with ease.
However, in this world, Wang Dashan is the norm. Not everyone can experience a meteoric rise in strength; for ordinary martial artists, caution and prudence are essential for survival.
When you close your eyes, it's dark; when you open them, it's light.
As dawn broke, warriors dragged back the strange beasts they had hunted nearby.
After a quick sharing of the food, Zhang Ping looked at Gui Tianhe.
A huge turtle shell protruded from the water's surface. As the night passed, the number of demons in the river increased, and when the fog briefly dissipated, a large number of land-dwelling demons could be seen gathered on the opposite bank.
"Troublesome." Zhang Ping frowned; the number of demons was outrageously high.
After a night of rest, everyone regained some of their energy and regrouped.
At the mountain peak behind, Lie Yunshan's robes fluttered, and the powerful aura of a martial artist in the Marrow Marrow Realm enveloped an area of ten miles.
News of the impending arrival of reinforcements spread, and everyone held their breath in anticipation.
Under the Guitian River.
The Turtle Prime Minister opened his enormous eyes, revealing a scar from yesterday's battle on his dark blue head.
"Has the Demon Lord issued any orders?"
In the water in front of it, a black stone that slowly rotates and emits a blue light floats.
After a moment, a broken, hoarse sound came from the stone:
"Humans have begun their breakout... The Demon Lord has dispatched General Thunder to pursue them... Prime Minister, you must defend the Ghost River..."
The turtle prime minister's turtle face turned bitter.
"They've mobilized cultivators at the Marrow Transformation Realm, and they even have reinforcements! If it weren't for the Mirror Stone, I, Old Turtle, would have been roasted and eaten long ago!"
Shi Fang remained silent for a moment, then his voice returned:
"If necessary... we can use the backup plan left by Lord Yamazawa."
......
As the sun rose higher, a rumbling sound came from the earth behind them. A torrent of qi and blood surged forth.
The crowd stirred, and many jumped up to the top of the hill to look around.
Zhang Ping mingled in the crowd, looking at the massive reinforcements.
The group consisted of fierce men and powerful horses, numbering over a thousand. His gaze was fixed on the five figures at the very front.
"A martial artist at the Essence Blood Realm?" Sensing the five pure and condensed streams of blood energy, Zhang Ping raised an eyebrow slightly.
This is a large-scale operation; the elite troops must have been transferred from other prefectures.
"The Demon Extermination Division of the Angry Dragon Prefecture pays respects to Lord Lieyun Mountain!"
The five broke away from the group and landed on the mountaintop in an instant. Their powerful aura made it difficult for the surrounding martial artists to breathe, and the eyes of several who were staring intently throbbed with pain, tears of blood streaming down their faces.
Lie Yunshan glanced at them.
"Order to rest for half an hour."
A large number of warriors from the Angry Dragon Palace poured onto the hillside. The hillside was not large to begin with, and it had previously barely been able to accommodate the warriors from Lanjiang City and their demon materials. Now that the new army had arrived and the materials were piled up, it became extremely crowded in an instant.
"These are the martial artists from Lanjiang? They don't look very impressive."
Two men and one woman, three martial artists from the Wrathful Dragon Mansion at the late stage of the Body Refinement realm, sat down by the fire where Zhang Ping was.
Apart from Zhang Ping, all four men by the fire were injured, including the bearded man with the missing arm.
Hearing this, the four men frowned and remained silent. Zhang Ping glanced at them; the woman was reasonably attractive, but the rest were unremarkable.
After a brief period of commotion, the hillside fell silent. The warriors hurriedly recovered their strength, preparing for the great battle. Underwater, the massive body of the Turtle Prime Minister silently sank into the depths.
Half an hour passed in the blink of an eye.
Lie Yunshan's robe sleeves fluttered lightly:
"Let's start the war."
The oppressive silence exploded in an instant!
"kill!"
"Earth Creation Palm!" "Ten Thousand Swords Return to One!"
"Shadowless Kick!" "Tiger-Hunting Demon-Slaying Fist!"
"..."
The rushing blood dyed the azure sky crimson.
Five martial artists at the Essence Blood Realm stirred their blood and qi, like five red-hot daggers, fiercely piercing into the Ghost Heavenly River! Demons and monsters along the way crumbled at the mere touch, utterly destroyed!
The dozen or so Bone Forging Warriors who followed closely behind specifically targeted and killed the filthy demons.
Finally, a torrent of hundreds of filthy, thousands of flesh-refining martial artists surged forth.
This force is enough to sweep across an entire prefecture!
Zhang Ping, lagging behind at the back of the line, gazed at the surging tide of energy that shook the heavens, and felt a slight tremor in his heart.
"This is... the power of the Martial Arts Alliance?"
The Turtle Prime Minister and the Firebird had long since vanished. Zhang Ping glanced at the one-sided battlefield, then with a swift movement, he plunged into the icy river like a fish.
In the heat of battle, a figure went against the current and dived downwards.
Following the faint scent remaining in the water, Zhang Ping moved with incredible speed.
"You haven't gone far... Prime Minister Turtle, I'll take your shell..."
......
"I'm so unlucky!"
Blood-red clouds drifted across the gray sky, and ferocious birds occasionally flew by.
This place is already the lower reaches of the Ghost River. The water flows down from the high mountains, passing waterfalls and treacherous shoals, before becoming calm here.
Both banks were shallow pools enclosed by tall pebbles, filled with silt and fluttering willow catkins. In the pools, river fish futilely circled around.
A strong fishy smell filled the air as a large turtle head cautiously peeked out of the water, looking around before revealing a human-like relaxed expression.
"Aiki, come out, it's safe now."
A pink turtle emerged from under its shell.
"Prime Minister, will the Demon Lord punish us for deserting in the face of battle?" The little pink turtle's scales gleamed with a pale pink luster, looking worried.
Turtle Prime Minister shook his head repeatedly: "My dear concubine, don't talk nonsense! We clearly fought a bloody battle, and only retreated after being defeated by five humans at the Essence Blood Realm. How can you say we escaped?"
"Prime Minister, you're so smart." The little pink turtle rubbed its head against the turtle prime minister's rough neck.
Aiji's praise made the Turtle Prime Minister grin and chuckle, his interest piqued. He smacked his lips with his sharp, large mouth.
"Ai-ki, quickly get to the shore and lie down."
"Hmm~"
The little pink turtle obediently climbed onto the pile of pebbles, its pink tail holding a small pink hammer, swaying gently.
"Hehe, Ai-ki, I'm here!"
With a splash, the turtle prime minister stood up from the water, excitedly rubbing his two front paws together, ready to climb to the base.
suddenly--
A jet-black blade of light sliced through the water, its killing intent fierce!
"Old tortoise, prepare to die!"