Chapter 505: Dicebone Demon God, What’s Going On with You?
“I killed Wu Lan!” Ning Zhuo’s spirit was invigorated.
He was merely at the Foundation Establishment stage, yet on the battlefield he had still forcefully slain a Golden Core–level cultivator.
In terms of actual combat power, Wu Lan had not been an ordinary Golden Core. He had definitely been one of the stronger figures among Golden Core cultivators!
“Among the Cultivation Arts, each one acts like a lever, constantly amplifying the original source of power.”
“Through Puppet Arts and battle formations, I condensed military strength and reinforced myself. Killing a Golden Core–level powerhouse isn’t anything strange.”
Ning Zhuo quickly calmed down.
“How much war merit can a single Golden Core expert amount to?”
“It’s nothing remarkable.”
“What I should be thinking about is how to kill more Golden Core cultivators—or even Nascent Soul–level enemies!”
Tu Ming, who had been present earlier, had already fled.
The High Priest of the Hundred Venoms Tribe had escaped once before during the ambush battle. This time, he had once again chosen to flee.
“I wonder whether Shen Qinghe can catch up to him?”
“Shen Qinghe is a well-known Nascent Soul–level cultivator of Embroidery Flower Country. She cultivates the Qingling Detoxification Scripture and specifically counters poison cultivators.”
“But Tu Ming is the local snake here. He’s familiar with the terrain and may have set up a Teleportation Array in advance. That’s not impossible.”
After thinking briefly, Ning Zhuo withdrew his thoughts and turned his blazing battle-filled gaze toward the purple-black poisonous fog.
Inside the poisonous fog, Diao Ye felt a chill run through his entire body.
There had originally been three of them on this mission. Now the strongest, Tu Ming, had already run away, while Wu Lan—whose cultivation had matched his—had turned into a corpse.
Only he remained.
It could be said he was utterly alone.
“Run!” Diao Ye shouted loudly, wildly channeling mana as he formed more than a hundred poisonous fog clones that fled in different directions.
These clones were covered in black-purple fog. To hide himself, Diao Ye also wrapped his own body in a layer of purple-black poisonous fog.
“Where do you think you’re going!” Zhang Hei roared. He swung the Black Serpent Spear in his hand, pouring both mana and military strength into it as he unleashed the Military Art—Army Pressing the Border once again.
A vast tide of soldiers surged forward, drowning most of the poisonous fog clones.
Innate Talent—Purple-Beard Startling Swan!
Guan Hong also relied on his innate talent to freeze a portion of the poisonous fog clones. Immediately afterward, the blade radiance of the Blood Dragon Blade slashed forth.
Diao Ye had been hiding among them. The purple-black poisonous fog disguising his body was instantly shattered.
Liu Er, holding the Primal Yellow Sword, rushed forward to attack.
Diao Ye’s eyes widened with fury. His will to fight to the death was fully ignited.
“If you want my life, at least one of you will die with me!”
Poison Technique—Nether Poison Mutual Destruction!
Diao Ye’s entire body turned purple, transforming into a humanoid mass of poison. He wheeled around and charged straight at Liu Er.
Liu Er was startled and quickly retreated.
But Diao Ye was extremely fast, rapidly closing the distance. In the blink of an eye, he was about to reach Liu Er.
At the critical moment, Guan Hong arrived to assist.
“Do not harm my elder brother!”
Guan Hong extended his right arm and struck with a palm.
Martial Art—Right Guard Block.
His right arm erupted with profound light, forming something like a shield that intercepted Diao Ye’s desperate counterattack.
Boom.
The next moment, Diao Ye exploded violently.
Within the explosion, purple-black waves of energy blasted outward in all directions. From the center shot a poisonous spear only the size of a palm, yet extremely sharp. It pierced straight through the profound light and stabbed into the bone of Guan Hong’s right arm.
Even a tough man like Guan Hong could not help but let out a low roar from the intense pain.
“Second Brother!” Liu Er rushed over and cast a spell onto Guan Hong’s wound.
Within just a few breaths, the wound had already corroded the flesh and skin, leaving only bone behind.
Under Liu Er’s spell, the bone was barely preserved, preventing it from rotting into two pieces.
Guan Hong sheathed the Blood Dragon Blade, grasped his right forearm with his left hand, and staggered back into the military formation.
Seeing this made Ning Zhuo’s heart skip a beat.
“The battlefield is full of deadly danger!”
“I still need to remain cautious.”
“Even Guan Hong was injured because of this. If I ended up in the same situation, my circumstances would be far worse.”
“After all, my body cultivation foundation is far inferior to that of Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei.”
Ning Zhuo had also realized that in such large-scale battles, cultivators with a solid foundation in body cultivation had a considerable advantage.
According to the Three Sect Supreme Techniques Ning Zhuo cultivated, there were no weaknesses.
But at present, Ning Zhuo still excelled more in spell techniques.
It wasn’t because he had been lazy in cultivation, nor because his techniques were incomplete. It was simply because he had not cultivated long enough.
Ning Zhuo was only sixteen years old.
Earlier in Myriad Medicines Valley, his close-combat ability had improved significantly. But that improvement was only large compared to his former self. Compared to Golden Core elites like Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei, the gap remained substantial.
Cleaning up the battlefield was not difficult.
After all, this time the Three Generals Camp had only faced three enemies.
Wu Lan’s corpse was collected by Ning Zhuo, while Diao Ye had self-detonated so completely that even his Golden Core had been destroyed—nothing remained of him.
The Three Generals Camp’s main task in cleaning the battlefield was retrieving the bodies of their own fallen comrades.
Even this was not something ordinary cultivators could easily accomplish.
The corpses had been poisoned. Without proper and thorough methods, even approaching them risked poisoning.
The Three Generals Camp’s foundation was still shallow. Only after Ning Zhuo sacrificed more than ten Mechanical Puppets and Liu Er personally intervened were they able to temporarily handle the corpses of their comrades and gather them one by one.
In the cultivation world, many demonic methods were adept at utilizing corpses.
Therefore, bodies on the battlefield were usually recovered.
These corpses would be transported back to the country, and most would be buried in their family clan lands.
Not only did this allow the fallen to return to their roots, it also benefited their families—helping their souls quickly reunite with their ancestors in the underworld rather than wandering as lonely ghosts.
After working for more than an hour, the Three Generals Camp was finally joined by Shen Qinghe.
Her robes were stained with blood and poison, but her expression remained cold and composed.
Seeing that Shen Qinghe had returned empty-handed, Liu Er’s heart sank. He cupped his hands and began to inquire.
But Shen Qinghe’s clear eyes immediately understood his meaning before he even finished speaking.
“Tu Ming escaped,” she said directly.
Liu Er, Guan Hong, Zhang Hei, and Ning Zhuo almost simultaneously sighed inwardly.
Tu Ming was a Nascent Soul True Lord and the High Priest of the Hundred Venoms Tribe. Whether in combat power or status, he was extraordinary. If he had been captured, the Three Generals Camp’s war merit this time would have been enormous.
But Shen Qinghe had gained nothing, so the Three Generals Camp’s war merit consisted only of the lives of two Golden Core cultivators—Wu Lan and Diao Ye.
Liu Er quickly expressed concern for Shen Qinghe and his gratitude for her timely assistance.
Shen Qinghe shook her head slightly.
“This was Du Tiechuan’s arrangement.”
“He dispatched four armies and predicted Thousand Peaks Forest’s response.”
“It appears his prediction was extremely accurate.”
“Very well. After this battle, you may return to the army.”
Liu Er, Guan Hong, Zhang Hei, and Ning Zhuo were all surprised.
For a moment Liu Er even wondered if he had misheard—until Shen Qinghe took out a Jade Slip.
The Jade Slip contained Du Tiechuan’s new military order. The seal stamped upon it was quickly verified.
Du Tiechuan ordered the Three Generals Camp to withdraw. At this point, probing the true strength of Thousand Peaks Forest had already produced clear results.
He demanded that the Three Generals Camp hasten to the designated location and participate in the great battle.
He also warned that if the Three Generals Camp showed any delay or hesitation, strict reckoning would follow after the war.
Liu Er’s expression grew complicated. For the first time, he formed a new understanding of Du Tiechuan.
“Marshal Du… truly lives up to being the commander sent by Liangzhu Kingdom.”
But Ning Zhuo’s thoughts were elsewhere.
Using spiritual sense transmission, he spoke with Sun Lingtong.
“Boss, judging from this situation, Du Tiechuan probably arranged reinforcements for the other three routes as well.”
Sun Lingtong immediately agreed.
“Little Zhuo, that’s exactly what I think. You won’t have any more chances to earn merit in the Three Generals Camp. Why not go check the other routes? Maybe you can gain more war merit!”
Sun Lingtong truly was Ning Zhuo’s best brother. Before Ning Zhuo could voice his thoughts, Sun Lingtong had already spoken them.
Ning Zhuo nodded.
“In that case, I’ll go to the Red Flower Camp first.”
The other three routes were the Red Flower Camp, Barbarian-Demon Camp, and Golden Halberd Army.
Sun Qian of the Golden Halberd Army had a poor relationship with Ning Zhuo, and the Golden Halberd Army—being one of the imperial armies—was the strongest. Ning Zhuo felt that if he went there, he would likely be excluded and accused of stealing credit.
As for General Xu Dali of the Barbarian-Demon Camp, Ning Zhuo was not familiar with him. Moreover, the man was single-minded and inflexible, making cooperation troublesome.
The true best choice was the Red Flower Camp.
Mu Lan, the commander of the Red Flower Camp, had long been acquainted with Ning Zhuo—so well acquainted that the two even had a husband-and-wife relationship.
More importantly, Mu Lan had once given Ning Zhuo a talisman, instructing him to crush it in moments of danger so he could teleport to the Red Flower Camp.
Even if he were outside the teleportation range, it would still send him halfway in the correct direction.
Thinking of this, Ning Zhuo took his leave of Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei.
After hearing this, Zhang Hei immediately shouted, “Great! Strategist, if you’re going to grab merit elsewhere, take me with you. Fighting those three poison users was no fun at all!”
Guan Hong stroked his beard and seemed somewhat tempted. But the pain in his injured arm reminded him that he should rest and recover.
Liu Er, however, felt intense irritation and disgust when he heard Ning Zhuo wanted to leave and join the Red Flower Camp.
Suppressing these negative emotions, he expressed concern.
“How can that be?”
“Strategist, you’ve just experienced a fierce battle. Your Mechanical Puppets suffered heavy losses.”
“Moreover, you’re only at the Foundation Establishment stage, and we are deep in enemy territory with dangers everywhere. If you leave the army, the risk will be too great.”
Hearing this, Ning Zhuo laughed.
“General Liu, you may not know. Before leaving Woodwheel Town, General Mu Lan secretly gave me a life-saving talisman…”
He briefly explained the talisman’s ability.
Despite his pain, Guan Hong calmly said, “With such a method, the strategist’s risk will indeed be greatly reduced.”
Zhang Hei sighed regretfully.
“In that case, I can’t travel with you.”
Still unwilling to give up, he looked at Liu Er.
“Elder Brother, how about letting me act alone? The strategist can go first, and I’ll follow later to the Red Flower Camp to aid our allies!”
Liu Er’s eye twitched when he heard about the life-saving talisman. Hearing that Zhang Hei wanted to follow Ning Zhuo as well filled him with displeasure.
He glared at Zhang Hei.
“Third Brother, stop fooling around!”
He was about to continue persuading Ning Zhuo.
But Ning Zhuo was not someone who would change his mind after a few words.
He cupped his hands.
“Generals, we can reunite later when the opportunity arises. I will take my leave first and strive to return quickly.”
Ning Zhuo swiftly left the Three Generals Camp and arrived in the wilderness.
First, he deployed numerous Mechanical Puppets and deliberately destroyed them to empower himself.
After boosting himself to the Golden Core level, he took out Mu Lan’s talisman and crushed it without hesitation.
The next moment, ripples appeared in space, forming violent fluctuations that swallowed Ning Zhuo.
Moon Hook Giant Tree Mountain.
In the deep night, a third Red Flower Avatar had already appeared on the crescent moon hanging high above.
The entire Red Flower Camp had shrunk into a defensive cluster.
Their enemy was a rain of arrows descending from the sky.
Each arrow was formed from moonlight—brilliant, yet filled with lethal killing intent.
Meanwhile, Di Lu, a Nascent Soul–level barbarian cultivator skilled in close combat, was fighting Mu Lan. The two were evenly matched, and the battle grew increasingly intense.
“Damn it!”
“Without forming the Red Flower Avatar, our army is in grave danger.”
The Red Flower Camp specialized in the Red Flower Formation.
In such a disadvantageous situation, only the Red Flower battlefield formation could stabilize their position.
Mu Lan had fought countless battles and understood this clearly.
Thus she expended massive military strength for a third attempt—but the formation still failed.
Di Lu snorted coldly.
“Mu Lan, stop struggling. This place will be your burial ground!”
The fierce battle of Mu Lan and the Red Flower Camp was being observed by a Nascent Soul cultivator.
On the cultivator’s shoulder stood a myna bird.
The bird itself emitted a Nascent Soul aura and transmitted with spiritual sense.
“Master, if we don’t intervene soon, this army will truly suffer heavy losses.”
The Nascent Soul cultivator nodded slightly.
“The Red Flower Camp is indeed an elite force. Losing them would be a pity. But the order I received is precisely this—to deliberately delay, to watch the Red Flower Camp suffer heavy losses, even be annihilated if necessary.”
“As long as Mu Lan survives in the end.”
The myna bird was stunned.
“Another case of court infighting! Hmph, how boring.”
The man and bird fell silent again, quietly watching the battle.
If nothing unexpected happened, the battle would proceed exactly as they intended.
But reality was always full of surprises.
“Ning Zhuo used the life-saving talisman I gave him?” Mu Lan hesitated briefly.
Then she gritted her teeth and expended a large amount of military strength to guide Ning Zhuo.
The next moment, space trembled, and a figure suddenly appeared in the center of the battlefield.
The newcomer wore white robes. He looked like a young man with a slightly large head.
Who else could it be but Ning Zhuo?
“Who is this?”
“Only Golden Core?”
“No—he’s not even Golden Core. Just a mere Foundation Establishment cultivator!”
The Cangyue Ancient God, who presided over the Dao-Field, was first startled, then relaxed.
But Di Lu transmitted through spiritual sense, warning the god to be cautious of Ning Zhuo, who had performed brilliantly in the previous ambush battle.
“No matter how strong he is, he’s at most Golden Core level.” The Cangyue Ancient God had been a god for too long, looking down from above. He still did not place Ning Zhuo in his eyes.
Ning Zhuo quickly scanned the battlefield. Suppressing his surprise at the night scene, he said:
“So it’s another Dao-Field.”
“Hehe, we have one too.”
“Old Dice, come out!”
“Yes, Master.”
In the next moment, the Dicebone Demon God revealed his true form and appeared boldly.
The Dice Dao-Field immediately spread out, rapidly eroding a portion of space and standing in opposition to the Cangyue Dao-Field.
The Cangyue Ancient God’s expression changed drastically. He cried out in shock:
“Dicebone Demon God! What’s going on with you?!”
The Dicebone Demon God replied, “Cangyue God, if you abandon darkness and turn to the light now, it’s not too late.”
For a moment, the Cangyue Ancient God was furious and speechless.
“I… you…”