Chapter 506: Arrow Settled Moon-Hook Mountain
The Cangyue Ancient God could not figure it out no matter what—why would the dignified Dice-Bone Demon God actually defect?!
Gods grew strong through incense offerings, and incense offerings became their foundation. And the source of incense offerings was the broadest mass of believers.
Thus, most of the time, gods relied on faith, and in every move they made, they had to consider what their followers thought.
Now, the Liangzhu Kingdom had campaigned against Thousand Peaks Forest, and the two sides had become sworn enemies. The Liangzhu Kingdom wanted to sweep away demonic miasma for the nation, while Thousand Peaks Forest wanted to defend its homeland and protect its freedom.
The believers of Thousand Peaks Forest naturally loathed the Liangzhu Kingdom to the bone.
The gods of Thousand Peaks Forest, as the greatest opposing force to the Liangzhu Kingdom, should have been the firmest defensive power.
Yet the Dice-Bone Demon God had actually betrayed them and surrendered!
The Cangyue Ancient God urgently questioned in secret, “Dice-Bone Demon God, what spell did you get hit with? Say it, and I’ll think of a way for you.”
The Dice-Bone Demon God snorted coldly but did not answer. Instead, he continued exerting strength, making the Dice-Bone domain expand even more.
The two domains pressed against each other, locked in a stalemate as they seeped into one another. The two worlds that had originally been as distinct as the Jing and Wei waters fused into a brand-new domain.
Within this domain, streaks of black light and white light stood like fences, alternating in orderly rows.
The crescent moon still hung high in the sky like a hook.
But above everyone’s heads, a bone-white die floated.
The Cangyue Ancient God raged to the extreme. After letting out a low hiss, he mobilized divine power and urged forth a vast flood of moonlight.
The moonlight interwove into an arrow rain that nearly blotted out the sky, covering the entire Red Flower Camp.
But midway through the attack, the die above the Cangyue Ancient God’s head spun, then stopped on the number six.
In the Dice-Bone Demon God’s own eyes, his die rolled a four.
The die in his other eye socket was already damaged and could no longer be thrown.
He had been left lingering from injuries in the previous battle and had not recovered.
And above Ning Zhuo’s head, the die rolled a five.
When Red Flower Camp was counted as one whole, it rolled a two.
Two plus five plus four equaled eleven—exceeding six.
Thus, the moonlight arrow rain’s offensive power weakened. The portion that had “lost the bet” was added onto Red Flower Camp, Ning Zhuo, and the Dice-Bone Demon God, transforming into defensive might.
Seeing this, Mu Lan’s eyes shot out brilliant light. She immediately sent a spiritual sense message to Ning Zhuo: “Young Master Ning, the top priority is still to form the Red Flower Formation!”
“Understood.” Ning Zhuo took a deep breath, patted the storage belt at his waist, and once again released a large number of mechanical puppets.
He led the mechanical puppets in a charge toward Di Slaughter.
Ning Zhuo: “I’ll hold him back for now.”
Mu Lan seized the chance to retreat. “Be extremely careful!”
She slipped into Red Flower Camp and immediately urged her methods.
Military Art—Speed is the Soul of War!
Red Flower Camp tried to form the formation again, and this time, with Mu Lan presiding, the formation speed was nearly ten times faster than before.
The barbarian cultivator Di Slaughter gripped a crescent-moon-like great blade and rushed toward Red Flower Camp.
Ning Zhuo and Sun Lingtong coordinated in secret, controlling the mechanical puppets to intercept halfway.
Di Slaughter, as a Nascent Soul–level cultivator, was immensely powerful. As the crescent great blade flipped and turned, it burst with razor-sharp edge light, slicing one mechanical puppet after another into two.
He charged forward in a straight line, unstoppable.
Along the way, no matter how Sun Ning and the other controlled them, the mechanical puppets could not block his steps.
Di Slaughter swiftly carved through the mechanical army, using his own strength to cause massive casualties.
Because of the heavy battle losses among the mechanical puppets, Ning Zhuo’s aura surged again!
His eyes turned blood-red, veins bulging at his head and neck, and blood began to seep from the corner of his mouth.
“Little Zhuo, your fleshly foundation isn’t much. Under the reinforcement of The Warrior Returns Art, your body was already close to collapsing!” Sun Lingtong immediately sensed something was wrong through his spirit eyes.
Ning Zhuo nodded. “No choice. He could only try this first.”
He unleashed Five Elemental Spells.
Flames became a fierce tiger. After it roared once, it was cut in two by the curved blade.
Green vines intertwined, trying to bind Di Slaughter, but Di Slaughter merely swayed lightly and slipped past.
Golden light burst forth—hundreds of needles stabbed toward Di Slaughter. The treasure on his body, however, shone with radiance and blocked every golden needle.
Ning Zhuo used water serpents again to entangle Di Slaughter’s feet. Di Slaughter immediately adjusted his steps and stomped each water serpent into collapse.
Earth Element—Sand Shackles, Stone Lock!
Mana surged, turning into a mass of yellow sand that covered Di Slaughter.
In the next instant, the yellow sand clung all over Di Slaughter’s body, wrapped him tightly, and rapidly hardened, condensing into stone locks.
The stone locks restrained Di Slaughter—actually locking him down.
Di Slaughter felt startled.
Ning Zhuo’s first four elements all carried Golden Core peak power. Though fierce, they were still within Di Slaughter’s expectations.
But the final earth-element spell’s might abruptly skyrocketed, nearly surpassing the Golden Core tier and reaching the Nascent Soul level!
What was going on?
Clearly Ning Zhuo had not mobilized any additional troop power.
Ning Zhuo’s military roster slot belonged to Red Flower Camp. Red Flower Camp was forming a formation right now—rashly consuming a great surge of troop power would cause enormous interference.
Moreover, Ning Zhuo’s own reinforcement had already reached his body’s limit, so even if he wanted to draw on more troop power, it would have been quite limited.
The real reason was the Earth-Element Spleen Temple!
The Five-Viscera Divine Temple Art that Ning Zhuo had improved naturally did more than simply speed up cultivation. It also reinforced the user, making the corresponding attribute’s spells surge explosively in power.
It was just that before, he had not needed to use that might.
At this moment, facing a Nascent Soul–level opponent like Di Slaughter alone, he had no choice but to go all out.
Crack, crack.
Cracks appeared in the stone locks around Di Slaughter.
Ning Zhuo took a deep breath and cast Sand Shackles, Stone Lock again, patching the cracks.
But even with his full effort, the cracks only multiplied, growing larger and larger.
Bang.
After a dozen or so breaths, Di Slaughter shattered the stone locks and regained his freedom.
“To have stalled me for this long—you had every right to be proud.”
He tore away the black cloth covering his eyes, revealing a pair of completely white eyes whose gaze was terrifying.
That cloth had been a layer of his seal.
Once he ripped it off, his entire body entered a berserk combat posture.
At this very moment, Di Slaughter’s battle power soared to its absolute limit.
This state could not last, and the backlash was extremely severe.
Martial Art—Dead-Eyed Blind Charge!
Di Slaughter’s aura exploded upward. Furious in the dark, he did not go after Ning Zhuo, but instead veered and rushed for Red Flower Camp.
With Mu Lan presiding over the military formation, the Red Flower Avatar condensed again, already more than halfway complete.
Di Slaughter had not been blinded by anger. He understood very clearly that one of the key points of this battle was the Red Flower Avatar.
Mu Lan and Ning Zhuo understood this as well.
Seeing Di Slaughter charging in, Mu Lan sighed inwardly. “Ning Zhuo had already done exceptionally well. Di Slaughter was, after all, a Nascent Soul–level powerhouse. It seemed she had to block him herself!”
Just as Mu Lan was about to leave the formation to fight again, Ning Zhuo chased up.
“Daoist Friend Di Slaughter, please stop!”
As he spoke, Ning Zhuo released a Golden Core–level mechanism.
Heavy Armor Blood Ape, Dasheng!
Yuan Dasheng dropped from the sky, landed before Di Slaughter, and swung both palms to intercept.
Di Slaughter exchanged three moves with him. With a flick of the curved blade, he cut Yuan Dasheng into three pieces.
“Decent martial skill.” Di Slaughter gave that single appraisal and stepped over Yuan Dasheng’s shattered remains.
But the next moment, a shadow swayed and emerged behind Di Slaughter.
Shadowblade — Night Tiger!
Ghostslay Claws snapped out, stabbing viciously toward Di Slaughter’s back.
Di Slaughter took a step forward without turning his head, twisted his waist, extended his arm, and unleashed a vast blade qi.
The blade qi cleaved straight down, splitting Meng Yahu into left and right halves!
Di Slaughter pressed the momentum and charged toward Red Flower Camp.
At the critical moment, the Red Flower Avatar completed first.
Mu Lan let out a light whistle. Under her command, the entire Red Flower Camp became perfectly unified and struck out with a single blow.
The red flower burst forth a blood-colored beam, hitting Di Slaughter in an instant.
With a thunderous boom, Di Slaughter was blasted backward.
He crossed both arms before his chest, using the curved blade to block the erupting blood beam. His feet plowed the ground for four to five zhang before he finally stabilized.
Di Slaughter, with his pair of fully white dead eyes, stared at Red Flower Camp, his expression full of unwillingness.
In the end, the Red Flower Formation had still been formed!
Once that step was achieved, Red Flower Camp was truly out of danger; everyone’s strength could be gathered into one whole.
From this moment on, they were no longer burdens to Mu Lan and Ning Zhuo. Instead, they became a weighty force capable of influencing the entire battle situation!
The Dice-Bone Demon God revealed his form and fell from high in the air.
Cracks covered his entire body like crazed porcelain, making him look as if he would shatter at any moment.
The Dice-Bone Demon God knelt on the ground and bowed to Ning Zhuo. “Please let Master punish me. This old servant had lost.”
When Ning Zhuo had been holding back Di Slaughter, the Cangyue Ancient God had also been attacking the Dice-Bone Demon God with full force.
In divine power, the Cangyue Ancient God was the Dice-Bone Demon God’s senior, with deeper foundations. In condition, the Cangyue Ancient God was intact, while the Dice-Bone Demon God fought while injured.
Therefore, after the two domains interwove, the Cangyue Ancient God’s all-out assault left the Dice-Bone Demon God no room to evade. He could only take it head-on, and was finally knocked down, forced to retract his domain.
In that instant, everything returned to the deep night. A crescent moon hung high, strikingly conspicuous.
“Come back first, Old Dice.” Ning Zhuo did not blame him and extended his wrist.
The Dice-Bone Demon God returned, transforming back into a bracelet.
Of the six bone-white dice on the bracelet, three had already collapsed, and the remaining three were heavily damaged, nearly at the brink of breaking apart.
“In the short term, Old Dice had no strength left to fight again.”
Ning Zhuo realized this, his mood heavy.
“No matter.” Mu Lan gave a light shout and flew up into the sky.
She went straight into the Red Flower Avatar, a red flower reflecting at her brow.
Mu Lan’s posture was ramrod straight like a spear as she held a great bow.
This bow was huge, nearly as tall as most of Mu Lan’s body.
The bow body curved like a crescent moon, entirely reddish-brown, and from time to time, flame-like radiance flowed across it.
The bow limbs emanated an ancient aura—warm, and stirring to the heart.
From the center toward both ends, bright golden feathers extended across the reddish-brown limbs. Each golden plume was exquisitely delicate and lifelike; with each sway of the bow, the feather tips quivered faintly in the air.
The golden plumes interwove—sparser in the middle, denser toward the ends.
Together with the sharp, upward-tilting shape of both ends, those gorgeous golden wings looked like the instant a phoenix spread its wings—sharp, magnificent, flamboyant, and fervent.
It was the Vermilion Phoenix Bow!
Mu Lan drew the bow and nocked an arrow, boldly unveiling her greatest trump card.
Divine Art—Crimson-Heart Swan Arrow!
Three layers of reinforcement—troop power, battle formation, and national strength.
With one shot, a phoenix cry rang out.
A torrent of fire, blazing and dazzling, flew straight toward the crescent moon in the night sky.
Boom!!
Flames surged, producing searing light and heat.
It was as if a sun had suddenly appeared. The night curtain was torn to shreds, and the Cangyue Ancient God howled in agony, fleeing in panic and vanishing in a blink.
The crescent moon shattered like broken mirror glass, collapsing into pieces!
“My god!” Di Slaughter roared, his face filled with panic.
His fighting intent plummeted, and he withdrew to retreat.
“Trying to leave?!” Mu Lan’s face was deathly pale and her body swayed violently, yet she clenched her teeth and forced herself to endure.
She bit through the pill she had hidden in her mouth, and her spirit jolted awake!
She fired a second arrow.
This arrow aimed at Di Slaughter.
Di Slaughter used escape arts, fleeing with all his strength.
The fire arrow was incomparably thin, and its might was vastly inferior to the first arrow. Even so, it still pierced through Di Slaughter’s body and burned his Nascent Soul to nothing!
Di Slaughter slammed down with a thud, face-first into the ground.
Driven by the momentum of his flight, his corpse scraped across the mountain terrain, smashing several rocks and snapping a trail of tree trunks before finally coming to a stop.
Nascent Soul–level cultivator Di Slaughter—killed in battle!
In the next instant, the Red Flower Avatar dissipated as well.
Mu Lan fell from the sky.
Zhang Chongyi immediately flew up to catch her, then suddenly paused. While sending a spiritual sense message to warn Ning Zhuo, he also activated a spell that let Mu Lan drift down as lightly as a feather.
Ning Zhuo rushed back through the air, caught Mu Lan, and descended to the ground with her in his arms.
“General Mu Lan’s divine might!” Ning Zhuo looked at Mu Lan in his embrace, admiration in his eyes as he praised her.
Mu Lan tugged at the corner of her mouth, mustering a faint smile for him, then fainted.
Red Flower Camp was well-trained. Golden Core–level deputy generals immediately took over, and there was not much chaos.
“Please, Young Master Ning and Doctor Zhang, take good care of our general.” The Golden Core deputy generals already knew of Ning Zhuo and Mu Lan’s relationship, and they trusted Zhang Chongyi as well.
Zhang Chongyi looked at Ning Zhuo. “Young Master Ning, we had to work together again to treat General Mu Lan.”
Ning Zhuo swept his gaze across the battlefield and nodded. “No time to waste. Let’s talk after we enter the tent.”
Meanwhile, the Nascent Soul cultivator who had been hidden in the dark also felt awkward.
“General Mu Lan’s Crimson-Heart Swan Arrow was actually this sharp—one arrow drove off an ancient god, one arrow killed a Nascent Soul powerhouse across realms!”
“I was still hesitating about when to act, and this battle had already ended.”
The myna on his shoulder said, “Then we won’t show ourselves, Master.”
The Nascent Soul cultivator slowly nodded. “I had no face to appear. You go in my stead—deliver the latest military order to Red Flower Camp and have them retreat.”
Myna: “Yes, Master.”
The myna delayed for a short while before revealing itself.
“A Golden Core–level demon cultivator!” Seeing the myna, Red Flower Camp faced it like a great enemy.
The myna quickly proved its identity and delivered the latest military order.
Zhang Chongyi: “Excellent—we can withdraw.”
Ning Zhuo told him more details.
Zhang Chongyi’s favorable impression of the myna immediately collapsed, and his attitude reversed completely. “Bah! So it was filthy trash that watched people die without lifting a finger.”
He looked at Mu Lan, unconscious, and sighed again. “The Liangzhu Kingdom’s court was still continuing its suppression of Grand General Mu’s Mansion.”
Ning Zhuo: “Mu Lan’s injuries were already stabilized. Military affairs were like fire—withdraw first, and continue treatment on the road.”
Zhang Chongyi and the Golden Core deputy generals all readily agreed.
Red Flower Camp’s withdrawal went quite smoothly.
When they were close to Woodwheel Town, Ning Zhuo spotted the military flags of Three Generals Camp and the Barbarian-Demon Army.
“Why wasn’t the Golden Halberd Army here?” This left Ning Zhuo puzzled.
Thousand Peaks Forest.
Dragon King Mountain.
The current Elephant King slammed open the great hall’s doors and barged in.
His huge, burly body made it somewhat difficult for him to enter.
At his waist hung the head of a Nascent Soul–level cultivator, and in his right hand he held another Nascent Soul–level cultivator captive.
That captive was none other than Sun Gan!
The current Elephant King threw the captive Sun Gan straight onto the floor tiles. His eyes, filled with killing intent, swept around, and his voice rolled through the hall: “The Golden Halberd Army had already been annihilated.”
“Where was the Elephant Vein Fertility Pill I wanted?”