Chapter 495: Sixes All the Way
Liu Er was overjoyed and immediately directed a formation change. The three generals returned to their places within the Triangular Arrowhead Formation and continued their slaughter up the mountain.
They advanced in a triumphant surge, fighting all the way to the summit, where they saw a White Bone Temple.
The temple gates stood wide open—a sacrificial rite had just been completed.
Ancient talismans drawn in fresh blood filled the entire hall.
The remaining barbarian Golden Core cultivators twisted their heads around to face backward, staring soundlessly at Liu, Guan, Zhang, and the others.
Their eyes were already gone. Their sockets had become two blood holes, still streaming with blood.
Though they made no sound, every soldier could feel it: their venomous resentment, their fury, their hatred!
To these barbarians, the Liangzhu Kingdom’s army were invaders of their homeland—an irreconcilable feud beneath the same sky.
“Ahh!” Liu Er, the commanding general of the Three Generals Camp, suddenly let out a mournful cry and hurriedly squeezed his eyes shut.
Mystic light flashed beneath his eyelids—clear evidence that he was forcing his mana with all his might.
He retreated again and again. Zhang Hei and Guan Hong flanked him on left and right like two imposing door guardians, shielding him behind them.
Liu Er panted hard, fear lingering in his heart.
He had nearly suffered an eyeball rupture just now. Fortunately, he had reacted in time—at the moment he sensed danger, he immediately mobilized mana to protect his eyes.
But for a short time, he could not see.
So he quietly activated his innate talent.
Spiritual Sound Probing Pulse!
In the next moment, he listened with four ears, aided by spiritual sense, and his “view” became even broader than before.
It was as if he were overlooking the battlefield. He “saw” that the Three Generals Camp had completely surrounded the White Bone Temple. Ning Zhuo was leading the Mechanical Army, following behind as it surged up to join the fight.
“Not good! Extremely not good!!”
With Spiritual Sound Probing Pulse, he grasped the entire sequence of events. Liu Er quickly realized that the barbarian Golden Core cultivators had sacrificed a huge number of barbarian elites—until, in the end, they had even blood-sacrificed themselves. Their sole purpose was to invite a god!
Inviting God Art.
It was a category of spells, containing many branches.
Inviting a benevolent god often did not cost much. Inviting an evil god required a bloody price—hideously expensive.
Clearly, the “god” these barbarian cultivators had sought was no kind sort.
The blood-sacrifice formation gradually dissipated, yet no anomaly appeared.
“Perhaps their blood sacrifice failed, and the god did not respond,” Guan Hong stroked his beard and guessed.
Liu Er felt terrible. His eyes remained tightly shut, and two bloody trails slid from the corners of his eyes down his cheeks.
To be safe, he gave an order: “We’ll withdraw first. Let the strategist’s mechanical puppets dismantle this temple.”
Just as the generals and soldiers turned to leave, a voice suddenly entered their ears.
“So, it was you who harmed my believers?”
They immediately turned toward the sound and saw a skeleton standing quietly to the side.
Guan Hong’s pupils shrank sharply. “When did that appear?”
Not only him—Zhang Hei as well. Their spiritual sense had been spread outward the whole time. If the skeleton had not spoken, they would never have noticed it.
“Who are you?” Liu Er demanded.
The skeleton let out a cold laugh. “The Liangzhu Kingdom invaded the Thousand Peaks Forest. By common sense, you should have ample intelligence. Since you’ve fought your way into this region, don’t tell me you don’t know my name—Dicebone Demon God?”
“Dicebone Demon!” Zhang Hei snorted.
This Dicebone Demon was the object of worship for the barbarian tribes of this region.
It had originally been a skeleton that became a demon. Then it spread faith through fear, causing the barbarian tribes here to widely worship it and offer it incense.
As a result, it possessed not only demon arts but also divine arts—its combat power multiplied severalfold.
The Dicebone Demon God stood one zhang tall, its frame extremely gaunt, like a bleak white skeleton that could walk.
Its skull was long and narrow, its forehead high, its eye sockets deeply sunken. Its eyes were two dice, with the outward-facing side showing the single pip of “one.”
It had no lips. When it spoke, it bared a mouthful of sharp teeth—deeply unnerving.
The ends of its ribs were sharp as swords. Its spine jutted out, each vertebra engraved with ancient talismans.
Its arms and legs were grotesquely long and thin, with joints slightly thicker, like slender bamboo poles pieced together.
The aura it radiated had reached the Golden Core level.
“A mere Golden Core demon god! Take my spear!” Zhang Hei shouted and struck first.
The Black Serpent Spear thrust out, its shaft flooded with the pitch-black mana of the Black Wave Overheaven Technique. It was like a giant python lunging—heavy and overwhelming.
The Dicebone Demon God moved with lightness. With a gentle hop, it leapt a great distance away.
Zhang Hei shouted again, “Demon god, where do you think you’re running?!”
He chased after it.
A fresh surge of dread rose in Liu Er’s heart. He called out urgently, “Third Brother, don’t chase too far!”
But it was already too late.
In the next instant, two more figures abruptly appeared, sealing off Zhang Hei’s retreat.
The generals stared—and discovered two more Dicebone Demon Gods!
Only, in the sockets of these two, the dice-eyes showed “two” and “three” respectively.
By now, Ning Zhuo had arrived with his forces. Seeing this, his heart sank, and he immediately realized: “Then that means there are three more Dicebone Demon Gods?”
As that thought flashed, the Mechanical Ring on Ning Zhuo’s hand tightened viciously.
He did not even think—he jumped straight up.
Almost at the same time, two Dicebone Demon Gods appeared. Their long bony fingers clawed at empty air, and the force of the miss plowed the ground, sending dirt and stones flying.
These two bore the pips of four and five.
Ning Zhuo drew a deep breath. While still in midair, he had already cast spells, blasting toward the two Dicebone Demon Gods.
Fire spells rained down. The nearby mechanical puppets were instantly scrapped, yet the two Dicebone Demon Gods remained unmoved, proudly standing within the sea of flames, divine light shrouding them in airtight protection.
The battlefield shifted in an instant. The barbarian soldiers had blood-sacrificed themselves and successfully invited a demon god. The Three Generals Camp was struck by the demon god’s assault and fell into a passive position.
Guan Hong and Liu Er faced a choice: rush to aid Zhang Hei, or Ning Zhuo.
Zhang Hei was being besieged by three Dicebone Demon Gods, while Ning Zhuo alone was resisting two Dicebone Demon Gods.
Both needed support.
Guan Hong immediately looked to Liu Er, waiting for the command.
Liu Er loathed Ning Zhuo. At this critical moment, that negative emotion abruptly swelled.
He blurted, “The strategist only faces two enemies, but Third Brother is fighting three alone—aid Third Brother first!”
Guan Hong froze slightly, surprised Liu Er would issue such an order.
Zhang Hei himself was a Golden Core cultivator—tough-skinned and thick-boned. Even if he lost, his life would not be in immediate danger.
But Ning Zhuo’s own cultivation was only at Foundation Establishment. He was relying on battle formations and amassed military force to raise his fighting power to Golden Core level. He had no body-refinement foundation, and facing two Dicebone Demon Gods at once was even harder than Zhang Hei’s situation.
“Perhaps Big Brother wants to rescue Third Brother first. Then, with the combined strength of us three brothers, we can slaughter one or two Dicebone Demon Gods and secure victory.”
With that interpretation, Guan Hong decisively obeyed, raising his blade to rush to Zhang Hei’s aid.
Zhang Hei was also startled to see Guan Hong. While defending, he shouted, “Don’t come to me—the strategist is in greater danger!”
Liu Er ground his teeth. Seeing Zhang Hei’s reaction, his loathing for Ning Zhuo deepened again.
He gripped the Primal Yellow Sword and transmitted with spiritual sense to Guan and Zhang: “I’ll save the strategist. You two focus on the enemy!”
Liu Er redirected the Iron-Wall Formation, slowly shifting toward Ning Zhuo.
Though the Iron-Wall Formation excelled at defense, it had many drawbacks—its marching speed, in particular, was quite slow.
The two Dicebone Demon Gods possessed outstanding defense, charging left and right through the Mechanical Army.
With a casual sweep, their long five-fingered hands became blades, easily slicing mechanical puppets into several sections. With one cold breath, icy snow whirled, freezing components and causing the puppets’ speed and combat power to plummet.
In barely a dozen breaths, more than thirty mechanical puppets were destroyed.
Ning Zhuo’s aura strengthened again, but he was not skilled in close combat and only attacked from range.
White Bone Claw!
One of the Dicebone Demon Gods suddenly used martial technique. White Bone Claw imprints flew everywhere, breaking through the encirclement and charging straight for Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo moved along the outer edge of the encirclement. Seeing this, he was not alarmed—he was delighted.
He cast wood-element spells, forcing vines to surge out, binding the powerful foe and delaying its assault.
The Dicebone Demon God sensed something wrong and immediately tried to retreat, seeking to regroup with the other.
But it was too late!
At that moment, a burly figure, using the layered silhouettes of the mechanical puppets as cover, successfully infiltrated behind the Dicebone Demon God left inside the formation.
Shadowblade — Night Tiger!
This Golden Core–level mechanical puppet had been deliberately concealed by Ning Zhuo throughout the earlier clashes.
Only now did it reveal itself.
Clang, clang!
In two crisp metallic chimes, three sharp claws shot out from each backhand.
Ghostslay Claws!
The Ghostslay Claws were incomparably sharp, yet dark and mute, without a trace of gleam.
Nightwalker Backstab Diagram.
Meng Yahu used the newly learned technique, appearing behind the Dicebone Demon God. The six claws first collided with white bone, throwing sparks, and then stabbed deeply into the demon god’s body.
The Dicebone Demon God roared in pain and turned to counterattack.
Ning Zhuo had prepared for this. He immediately controlled nearby mechanical puppets to block for Meng Yahu.
Its long, thin arm swept out a gust of white wind. Wherever it passed, mechanical puppets collapsed.
In an instant, more than ten mechanical puppets died, but it successfully bought Meng Yahu a single breath of time.
Meng Yahu seized the chance, diving back into shadow and disappearing.
Only the heavily injured Dicebone Demon God remained, rampaging through ordinary mechanical puppets to vent its furious rage.
“What was that mechanical puppet?” Liu Er couldn’t help widening his eyes at the scene.
His heart trembled. “A tiger-headed, human-bodied mechanical puppet—another Golden Core battle strength!”
“Ning Zhuo… he truly lives up to being from a great clan.”
Inevitably, Liu Er bred a streak of jealousy, his mouth full of bitterness.
“Letting your mind wander on the battlefield is not a good habit.” Suddenly, a Dicebone Demon God appeared behind Liu Er.
Liu Er had already raised protection. His wrist trembled slightly as he was about to unleash the military art sealed within the Primal Yellow Sword.
Pfft.
A long bone arm pierced straight through Liu Er’s chest. If he had not shifted away at the last moment, his heart would have been shattered on the spot!
Liu Er roared, twisting his blade and smashing backward with a savage swing.
The Dicebone Demon God was forced back, but when it withdrew its thin arm, its long fingers became five curved blades, heavily injuring Liu Er’s internal organs.
Pain exploded through Liu Er. He dropped to one knee, coughing blood.
The final Dicebone Demon God to appear had the dice pips of six in its sockets—clearly the strongest.
“Big Brother!”
“Big Brother!”
Guan Hong and Zhang Hei roared at the same time.
Zhang Hei’s great tendons bulged and surged, like multiple giant pythons wrapping his body. His power raged; the Black Serpent Spear howled in a sweeping arc, wind blasting outward.
The three Dicebone Demon Gods sneered with contempt and dodged.
Such attacks were heavy but too simple and obvious. With the demon gods’ nimble bodies, evasion was not difficult.
But in the next moment, a new change erupted.
Superior innate talent — Purple Whiskers Startling Swan!
Guan Hong had been furiously driving the Red-Faced Blood Calamity Scripture all along. Not only his face—his entire skin had turned blood-red, and even his long beard radiated bloody light.
But at this moment, the blood beard darkened to purple-red.
Purple light—noble and dazzling—shone over the three Dicebone Demon Gods, freezing them in place for an instant!
Back then, even the Nascent Soul–level Ma Feitui had been caught by this move, grievously wounded, and ultimately captured alive by the three generals.
Now, these three Dicebone Demon Gods were merely Golden Core—unable to withstand it.
In that instant, they became targets!
Zhang Hei’s Black Serpent Spear swept through with brutal force. After three dull booms—bang, bang, bang—the three Dicebone Demon Gods were smashed to pieces!
Zhang Hei threw his head back and howled, exhilaration surging through him.
“Hurry and regroup with Big Brother,” Guan Hong urged.
Zhang Hei jolted awake and immediately turned, running back with Guan Hong to Liu Er’s side.
Liu Er’s eyes were shut tight. A huge hole had opened in his left chest. He knelt on one knee, one hand braced on the ground, unable to move, focusing all effort on healing.
Soldiers around him formed a tight ring, protecting him.
The Dicebone Demon God had killed dozens yet still failed to break the battle formation. With Guan and Zhang returning, it could only withdraw.
Guan Hong and Zhang Hei treated Liu Er while fighting the Dicebone Demon God.
The Dicebone Demon God soon fell into a disadvantage.
It had launched a surprise attack and seized initiative, yet it had not pinned down any of Liu, Guan, Zhang, or Ning—while three of its own avatars had been smashed apart.
As the battle dragged on, the demon god became more and more passive.
Meng Yahu struck again, paying the price of snapping one Ghostslay Claw, and chopped one Dicebone Demon God into two.
Out of the six demon-god bodies, four were now gone.
The remaining pips five and six saw the situation turning bad and retreated repeatedly, standing shoulder to shoulder.
The pip-six Dicebone Demon God reached out and clapped a hand onto the other’s shoulder, instantly absorbing pip-five.
Then it raised its head to the sky, its whole body bursting with a fierce suction force.
An invisible wave pulled in all the bone powder from the earlier smashed remains, as well as countless shattered Dicebone fragments, drawing everything back and layering it onto the pip-six body.
At last, the avatars merged into one, restoring the Dicebone Demon God’s true body.
The difference between its true body and avatars was not large—only that its bones were now wrapped in a transparent skin membrane, thin as cicada wings.
At the same time, a necklace hung at its neck. The necklace was strung from small white bone dice. As it swayed, the dice rattled and rolled, sounding like a dice cup being shaken.
“Heaven, Earth, and Man—vital essence, qi, and spirit. The Six Harmonies gathered, transforming into the boundless.”
“The greatest mistake you made was starting a battle within my dao-field!”
The Dicebone Demon God’s voice was noisy at first, like six people speaking at once. By the end, it had fused into a single voice.
In the next instant, heaven and earth changed abruptly!
The soldiers found themselves in a black-and-white world, the terrain perfectly flat.
Above every person’s head floated a white bone die. Its six faces bore black pips from one to six.
Some tried to attack the die overhead, but all efforts were useless.
“Don’t bother! The Dicebone Demon God has brought out its dao-field. These dice are the dao outside-the-dao manifested within the dao-field.”
“We must crush the demon god to break free.”
Liu Er gasped with difficulty. After emergency treatment, he had regained a breath. Supporting his grievously wounded body, he told the others what he had discovered.
“Then smash this Dicebone Demon God!” Zhang Hei roared and lunged first.
The Dicebone Demon God leapt backward.
As Zhang Hei pressed the attack, the die above his head suddenly spun, then stopped—showing four pips.
In the Dicebone Demon God’s sockets, the pair of dice also spun: one showed one pip, one showed five.
One plus five equaled six. Six was greater than four.
In the next instant, Zhang Hei’s speed dropped for no reason, while the Dicebone Demon God’s speed surged. The bizarre change allowed the demon god to shake him off with ease.
It even had余力 to circle around and attack Liu Er again.
Guan Hong intercepted.
The two sides collided in a fierce exchange.
At the instant of impact, the die above Guan Hong’s head spun and stopped—showing five pips. The demon god’s dice settled to three and five.
Three plus five equaled eight. Eight was greater than five.
Thus, Guan Hong’s offensive power plunged, while the demon god’s power surged. It easily suppressed Guan Hong and knocked him back.
Zhang Hei rushed to aid, but clearly could not make it in time.
In desperation, he roared at Ning Zhuo, “Strategist, quickly support my brother!”
Ning Zhuo shouted, “General Liu, hold on!”, and released Heavy Armor Blood Ape, Dasheng, charging toward Liu Er.
Liu Er raised his sword with both hands, guarding his face.
Military Art—Hold the Land, Secure the Root!
The weapon was highly effective. It triggered military art with exceptional speed, and with the Iron-Wall Formation’s might, Liu Er’s defense surged to an extreme.
But in the next moment, the die above Liu Er’s head spun once and landed on one pip.
The Dicebone Demon God burst into laughter. The dice in its sockets rolled to two and three.
Together, five pips—greater than one.
Liu Er’s defense, after surging, immediately plummeted. Meanwhile, the demon god’s defense surged upward.
Martial Technique—White Bone Claw.
Pfft!
Liu Er screamed in pain as he was cut in half at the waist.
“Ahhh—ahhh—ahhh!” A terrifying will to live erupted from him.
He threw away his sword and slammed both hands to the ground again and again, dragging his upper body as he retreated wildly.
His lower body remained where it was, intestines spilling from the abdominal cavity and trailing across the ground—wretched beyond measure!
“Big Brother!” Zhang Hei and Guan Hong’s eyes cracked with fury as they charged the Dicebone Demon God.
The Dicebone Demon God was still only Golden Core, yet even with Guan and Zhang combined, they could not overcome it. The demon god held firm advantage.
The key was the dice’s might! Each spin made Guan and Zhang lose far more than they won. Their combat power was cut, and even their coordination suffered severe rhythm breaks.
At last, Ning Zhuo arrived.
A spell blasted toward the Dicebone Demon God.
Above Ning Zhuo’s head, the die spun and abruptly stopped—six pips!
In the demon god’s sockets, the double dice spun wildly, settling at two and three.
Two plus three equaled five. Five was less than six.
Ning Zhuo’s spell power surged, forcing the Dicebone Demon God to retreat.
Ning Zhuo attacked again—his die settled: six pips.
The demon god’s two dice summed to four.
The Dicebone Demon God was driven back again!
Ning Zhuo continued attacking—his die settled: six pips!
“Why is it still six?!” The Dicebone Demon God was shocked and enraged.
It rolled one and three—four in total.
Ning Zhuo attacked without pause, and the demon god retreated without pause.
Guan Hong and Zhang Hei stared in disbelief. “How is the strategist rolling six every time?”
The Dicebone Demon God looked ready to spit blood. “Is this my dao-field… or yours?!”
“No—can’t keep comparing!”
The Dicebone Demon God’s fighting will collapsed as it tried to flee.
Liu Er shouted, “Stop it! By the dao-field’s rules, if it loses six in a row, it will gamble away even itself!”
Hearing this, Guan and Zhang’s spirits surged. They risked their lives to block it.
“No—don’t come over!” Seeing Ning Zhuo pounce toward it, the Dicebone Demon God lost all prior composure, panicking wildly.
Ning Zhuo—six.
Dicebone Demon God—four.
Ning Zhuo—six.
Dicebone Demon God—three.
Ning Zhuo—six!
Dicebone Demon God—two.
Ning Zhuo won six straight!
Thud.
The Dicebone Demon God dropped to its knees, clutching its head with both hands, screaming in utter frenzy, “How could I lose? How could I possibly lose?!”
In the midst of its screaming, its entire body suddenly collapsed inward, transforming into a six-die bracelet.
The bracelet flew toward Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo reached out, and the bracelet automatically fastened itself onto his wrist.
Ning Zhuo felt as if he were dreaming. In that instant, he gained an immensely powerful Golden Core battle strength.
All the other soldiers were dumbstruck.