Chapter 493: Mechanical Army, Attack!
Woodwheel Town.
Liu Er, Guan Hong, Zhang Hei, and Ning Zhuo received the military order and were all shocked.
Du Tiechuan was a Soul Formation–level being and the commander-in-chief of Liangzhu Kingdom’s campaign against Thousand Peaks Forest. Yet he had been ambushed and severely wounded.
More importantly, Young Lord Shengxu was only at the Nascent Soul level, yet he had managed to counterattack and injure Du Tiechuan. If this fact were revealed, many people would likely think it was false information.
The further a cultivator advanced along the path of cultivation, the harder it became to fight across realms. Though the difference might appear to be only a single realm, the actual gap could be as vast as heaven and earth.
When Ning Zhuo fought a Golden Core while only at Foundation Establishment, and when Young Lord Shengxu fought a Soul Formation cultivator while at the Nascent Soul stage—the latter was countless times more difficult and infinitely rarer.
Zhang Hei was puzzled. “A dignified commander-in-chief, a Soul Formation cultivator—what was he doing? How could he be so careless?!”
Liu Er sighed. “Although Young Lord Shengxu is called ‘void,’ he ranks on the Prince Ranking and is famous throughout the world for assassination. Accomplishing such a feat isn’t strange.”
The Prince Ranking!
This was an extremely famous list that recorded the most outstanding young male cultivators acknowledged across the world.
The ranking almost encompassed the entire cultivation world, including nearly all cultivation kingdoms.
Young Lord Shengxu was listed among them. The title of “Prince” carried immense prestige!
Guan Hong nodded in agreement. “Indeed. Young Lord Shengxu fighting a Soul Formation cultivator isn’t the first time.”
“Besides, although Du Tiechuan is at the Soul Formation level, one must consider whether it was his main body or a split soul.”
When cultivators reached the Soul Formation stage, their Nascent Soul matured into a primordial spirit. As the primordial spirit continued to grow stronger, part of it could be separated to form a second primordial spirit—or even a third.
Guan Hong speculated that the Du Tiechuan currently commanding the central army and suffering injuries might either be the main body or a split soul.
That night, alarm bells rang continuously, and the entire army remained sleepless.
They maintained full vigilance until dawn. Only when countless scattered scouts returned with reports—stating there was no sign of a large enemy force—did the soldiers finally relax.
The order to keep the entire army on alert had been correct. It was meant to guard against Young Lord Shengxu assassinating the commander and then the Thousand Peaks Forest army launching a sudden assault.
But judging from the current situation, the forces of Thousand Peaks Forest seemed incapable of silently approaching Woodwheel Town.
Or perhaps they had only hired Young Lord Shengxu to attempt an assassination, never truly expecting success from the start.
In any case, Young Lord Shengxu and the Prince Ranking became the most discussed topics throughout the army that day.
By afternoon, another piece of bad news arrived.
The vanguard army of Liangzhu Kingdom had advanced the furthest forward, pressing close to the Sky-Pillar Giant Tree Mountain of Thousand Peaks Forest.
On the same night that Young Lord Shengxu attempted the assassination, Thousand Peaks Forest suddenly mobilized powerful cultivators to perform a ritual, creating vast quantities of poisonous miasma that surrounded the vanguard army.
Now, pitch-black toxic miasma completely sealed off the area, encircling the vanguard camp without leaving a single gap.
“The vanguard army has become isolated. They may already be under attack!”
“We must send troops immediately to rescue them.”
“But the commander-in-chief is severely injured. At a time like this, shouldn’t we remain still and recover instead?”
The soldiers argued endlessly. Opinions divided mainly into two camps, and the disputes began to shake the army’s morale.
At noon, Du Tiechuan issued a military order—
Three Generals Camp, Barbarian-Demon Camp, Red Flower Camp, and the Golden Halberd Army would each advance along four separate routes and attack Thousand Peaks Forest.
All other forces would remain stationed in Woodwheel Town and hold position.
After Liu Er accepted the order, he discussed the matter with Zhang Hei, Guan Hong, and Ning Zhuo.
Zhang Hei was excited for the coming battle.
Guan Hong’s fighting spirit surged, but worry lingered on his face. “Under normal circumstances, the two sides would first fight a large battle, and only afterward split their forces for multi-front attacks.”
Ning Zhuo, however, pointed out the key issue immediately.
“Du Tiechuan is avoiding entering the battlefield himself while injured. Both Liangzhu Kingdom and Thousand Peaks Forest possess Soul Formation–level beings.”
“On Thousand Peaks Forest’s side, it’s the Dragon Ginseng King.”
“On our side, it’s Commander Du Tiechuan.”
“If the Soul Formation cultivators clash and one side suffers an easy defeat, the entire army’s momentum would collapse.”
“Therefore, Commander Du must act cautiously.”
“The key issue right now is that the vanguard army is trapped within poisonous miasma, and the true situation cannot be investigated.”
“Thousand Peaks Forest suddenly created this situation. They might want to annihilate the vanguard army—but it’s even more likely that they are setting a trap to lure Liangzhu Kingdom’s entire army into attacking.”
As Ning Zhuo analyzed this, he stroked his chin.
“In that case, Young Lord Shengxu’s assassination attempt and the encirclement of the vanguard army were coordinated strategies.”
“This is likely only a small part of the overall strategy. The greater danger lies both inside and outside the poisonous miasma.”
“Du Tiechuan doesn’t want to recklessly mobilize the entire army because it might fall straight into the enemy’s trap.”
“But he also wants to determine the truth.”
“He must have already dispatched capable scouts to investigate the real situation inside the miasma.”
“At the same time, he ordered our four armies to attack as a way to probe Thousand Peaks Forest’s military deployment.”
Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei fell silent.
They all agreed with Ning Zhuo’s analysis.
Three Generals Camp had only recently been formed. Even with constant day-and-night training, its overall combat power ranked near the bottom.
In essence, Du Tiechuan sending them meant using them as cannon fodder.
Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei had long been mentally prepared for this. As rogue cultivators who had pledged allegiance and formed their own army, being used in such a way was completely normal.
What Zhang Hei couldn’t understand was this:
“Why were Red Flower Camp and the Golden Halberd Army also arranged to participate in this operation?”
The situation of Barbarian-Demon Camp was similar to Three Generals Camp, which everyone understood.
Ning Zhuo pondered before answering.
“Although Red Flower Camp originates from Grand General Mu’s Mansion and their earlier problem has been resolved, many political forces in the kingdom still haven’t given up targeting them.”
“As for the Golden Halberd Army, they were purely implicated by Sun Gan.”
Sun Gan, as commander of the imperial guards, had previously tried to seize the benefits of Grand General Mu’s Mansion ahead of others.
He commanded the imperial guards yet tried to shift elsewhere, which also displeased the king.
Thus, this time he was pushed aside and reduced to a pawn used to probe the enemy’s military strength.
After thinking further, Ning Zhuo added:
“Among our four armies, there will naturally be differences.”
“According to my guess, among the four marching routes, our situation won’t be good. Some routes will definitely contain tough obstacles.”
Ning Zhuo’s speculation was later confirmed.
The four routes indeed differed in difficulty. Sun Gan’s Golden Halberd Army had the hardest route, Three Generals Camp came second, Red Flower Camp third, and Barbarian-Demon Camp actually received the best route.
From this, Ning Zhuo deduced the political situation within Liangzhu Kingdom’s court.
“Traitors are the most hateful. Sun Gan’s disloyalty angered the king.”
“Our Three Generals Camp gained great prestige after the previous ambush victory, so many in court want to suppress us.”
“Red Flower Camp being third shows that many people still haven’t given up on Grand General Mu’s Mansion.”
“And Barbarian-Demon Camp, the usual cannon-fodder unit, actually received the best treatment. It’s quite ironic. The king of Liangzhu Kingdom has a rather limited vision.”
The three generals said nothing, but their expressions showed complete agreement.
The order had been issued at noon.
The four armies hurriedly finished lunch and then broke camp to march.
Mu Lan specifically summoned Ning Zhuo and handed him a military command token.
“In a critical moment, crush this token. I can use the army’s power to pull you over to my side.”
Mu Lan had begun to pay more and more attention to Ning Zhuo.
It was not because she had developed feelings—she remained the same iron-blooded general.
The key point was that Ning Zhuo’s life and death were closely tied to the fate of Grand General Mu’s Mansion.
Ning Zhuo accepted the token and expressed his thanks.
Before he left, Mu Lan still said what she had been thinking.
“Perhaps you could march together with me?”
Ning Zhuo immediately rejected the proposal.
He explained that he was the Military Advisor and Sacrificial Wine of Three Generals Camp and had always gotten along well with the three generals. If he transferred to another army before battle even began, it would certainly cause trouble for Three Generals Camp.
“Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei have treated me generously. How could I, Ning Zhuo, be someone who abandons loyalty for personal gain?” he said firmly.
Mu Lan had expected this answer and could only nod, telling him to be careful.
After Ning Zhuo returned to Three Generals Camp, Liu Er secretly breathed a sigh of relief.
He had indeed worried that Ning Zhuo might join Red Flower Camp instead of staying with them.
Now it seemed that his worries had been unnecessary.
Zhang Hei and Guan Hong had never worried about this—they had always been confident Ning Zhuo would choose Three Generals Camp.
Three Generals Camp formed the Triangular Arrowhead Formation and marched toward Thousand Peaks Forest.
They advanced normally without deliberately slowing down.
By the evening of the third day, they arrived at the foot of a Sky-Pillar Giant Tree Mountain.
After setting up camp, the night passed peacefully.
The next morning they broke camp and climbed the first Sky-Pillar Giant Tree Mountain.
They encountered no enemies.
The soldiers discovered many traces of barbarian tribes and demon beasts living there, but those intelligent beings had already moved away.
Though other creatures remained on the mountain, it had been abandoned.
Three Generals Camp advanced unhindered, encountering no resistance.
“General, we discovered a large amount of food!” a scout reported excitedly.
Liu Er and Ning Zhuo personally inspected the location and found a large group of spirit mushrooms.
Ning Zhuo advised, “The barbarian tribes are skilled with poison. Since they deliberately left these spirit foods behind, there may be a trap. In my opinion, we should not touch them.”
Liu Er had originally planned to harvest some as reserve rations, but after hearing this he immediately nodded.
“The Military Advisor speaks wisely.”
He ordered the entire army not to take even a single mushroom and to continue marching.
The second Sky-Pillar Giant Tree Mountain and the third were also abandoned. Three Generals Camp still encountered no enemies.
Liu Er, Guan Hong, Zhang Hei, and Ning Zhuo appeared calm, but their hearts grew heavier.
A small amount of resistance would actually have benefited them—allowing them to train troops, raise morale, and even justify halting if they suffered setbacks.
Instead, the enemy had withdrawn and concentrated their forces elsewhere, which was far more threatening.
Finally, upon reaching the fourth giant tree mountain, they saw two enemy camps.
One camp was stationed at the foot of the mountain, while another stood halfway up the mountain. The two camps supported each other strategically.
Three Generals Camp was only one force and could not split its troops.
“Damn it! The enemy has more soldiers. Our Triangular Arrowhead Formation requires the three of us Golden Core cultivators to maintain it. We simply can’t split our forces!” Zhang Hei complained.
But Liu Er suddenly smiled.
Guan Hong stroked his beard silently.
Zhang Hei immediately brightened. “Big Brother, since you’re smiling, you must have thought of a good idea. Hurry and tell us!”
Liu Er turned to Ning Zhuo instead. “It’s not my idea. The Military Advisor has one.”
Ning Zhuo immediately understood Liu Er’s intention and said,
“General Zhang has been focused on training the army, so he may not have noticed. Recently, I also established a force composed entirely of Mechanical Puppets.”
“Because there was insufficient space in Three Generals Camp’s base, I often borrowed the open training grounds of Red Flower Camp.”
Zhang Hei was thrilled. “You did such a thing? With the Military Advisor’s ability, this Mechanical Army must be extremely powerful!”
Ning Zhuo smiled bitterly.
“You overpraise me, General Zhang. The Mechanical Army was only recently formed and lacks sufficient training. But if I lead it, perhaps I can buy some time for the three generals.”
Liu Er said, “In that case, Military Advisor, please deal with the enemy camp halfway up the mountain. My two brothers and I will strike the camp at the foot of the mountain and try to eliminate it quickly.”
Ning Zhuo thought for a moment before agreeing.
Zhang Hei hesitated. “The enemy camp halfway up the mountain looks much larger—three times the size of the one below. Its banners are dense, clearly indicating stronger forces.”
“The Military Advisor is only a Foundation Establishment cultivator. Can he really defeat them alone with the Mechanical Army?”
Ning Zhuo smiled.
“Thank you for your concern, General Zhang. The Mechanical Army has no morale to lose. Even if they collapse in defeat, as long as they buy you some time to destroy the enemy camp below, the mission will be successful.”
“And even if the losses are severe—don’t forget that according to the contract, thirty percent of the spoils belong to me.”
“I can simply purchase more Mechanical Puppets and rebuild the army.”
Zhang Hei nodded in realization. “Mechanical Puppets aren’t living people. Rebuilding an army really is convenient.”
The strategy decided, Ning Zhuo separated from the main force and released almost all of his Mechanical Puppets.
Under the astonished gazes of the soldiers, a Mechanical Army quickly took shape.
Standing among the Mechanical Army, Ning Zhuo released his spiritual sense.
After being transmitted and received through the Divided Mind Mirror, his spiritual sense quickly took control of sixty percent of the Mechanical Puppets. The remainder were secretly controlled by Sun Lingtong.
Working together, they activated a battle formation.
Swift Wind Light Step Formation!
The effects of prior training immediately appeared. The Mechanical Puppets’ weight became lighter, and light wind swirled around their limbs, making them faster and more agile.
Ning Zhuo clasped his hands toward Liu Er in salute before concealing his figure and disappearing.
The Mechanical Army moved lightly and swiftly as it charged up the mountain.
Meanwhile, Three Generals Camp activated the Triangular Arrowhead Formation and rushed toward the enemy camp at the foot of the mountain.
Ning Zhuo’s advance went smoothly, which made him secretly suspicious.
Although the enemy camp launched long-range attacks, the arrows were sparse and posed little pressure.
“Could it be that the main force is actually at the camp below?”
Just as Ning Zhuo was speculating, large numbers of troops suddenly rushed out from the enemy camp at the mountain’s base.
Barbarians, demon cultivators, and demonic cultivators poured out chaotically, barely forming a battle formation. Their numbers were immense, like a mountain flood bursting forth.
“Hahaha! Surprised, aren’t you? You’ve fallen into our trap!” The leading Golden Core barbarian, holding a giant axe in each hand, laughed arrogantly.
The barbarians had judged that their training was poor but their numbers were large, so they decided to split their forces.
They set up two camps—one strong and one weak, one real and one fake—and used methods to conceal the truth.
Three Generals Camp had weak reconnaissance and fewer troops, so they fell into the trap.
Caught off guard, Three Generals Camp was overwhelmed by the enemy’s massive numbers, and their advance halted.
“This is bad. I must support them quickly.” Ning Zhuo immediately tried to move the Mechanical Army downhill.
But at that moment, troops suddenly charged out from the enemy camp halfway up the mountain.
The leading Golden Core barbarian held a long spear and shouted wildly. “Dream on if you think you can reinforce them!”
This enemy unit was extremely fierce and crashed directly into the Mechanical Army.
The two sides clashed fiercely.
“We must end this quickly.” Ning Zhuo sighed, revealing himself and unleashing Five Elemental Spells.
Blazing flames crashed down with explosive roars.
The barbarians were stunned.
Because Ning Zhuo attacked without hesitation, destroying many Mechanical Puppets along with them.
The Golden Core barbarian commander’s eyes turned red with rage. The puppets dying meant nothing—but his own tribesmen were real flesh and blood!
“Despicable brat—die!”
The Golden Core enemy general rushed straight toward Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo sneered and pointed a finger.
A Metal Element spell shot out like a beam of light and a spear, forcing the Golden Core enemy general to retreat in embarrassment.
Shock appeared on the enemy’s face.
Because Ning Zhuo, empowered by the army’s strength, had suddenly reached the level of a Golden Core cultivator.
Military Art—The Warrior Returns Art!
All the Mechanical Puppets were already part of the army roster. The more that died unjustly, the stronger the reinforcement Ning Zhuo received.
With a sweep of his sleeve, another massive wave of Five Elemental Spells rained down.
Mechanical Puppets died—but even more barbarians perished.
Ning Zhuo grew stronger again.
The Golden Core barbarian finally realized this and lost all will to fight.
“Retreat! Retreat immediately!!”