Chapter 517: Red Sleeves Move Mountains
The torrent of steel shook heaven and earth, like a primordial giant serpent plunging headfirst into the Thousand Peaks Forest.
Rumble… rumble… rumble…
One mountain after another collapsed beneath the iron torrent.
Each collapse produced a thunderous crash, yet before the shattered rocks and billowing smoke could even spread, the following waves of iron crushed them flat.
From afar, the Nascent Soul cultivators observing the battlefield were all stunned by the scene.
“‘Iron Flow Across the Plains’—this military art truly lives up to its name,” Mountain Peak Master exclaimed sincerely.
Standing beside him was his Dao partner, Floating Cloud Master.
Floating Cloud Master nodded slightly and sighed. “Du Tiechuan truly deserves his reputation as one of our country’s foremost Grand Generals.”
These two Nascent Soul cultivators were famous rogue cultivators of Liangzhu Kingdom, both possessing formidable combat power. Even before Liangzhu Kingdom sent out its army, the military had secretly recruited them with a heavy payment. Not long ago, when the Three Generals Camp, the Golden Halberd Army, the Red Flower Camp, and the Barbarian-Demon Camp advanced into the Thousand Peaks Forest, the two had followed along, providing protection.
On another mountain peak, a graceful female cultivator also watched the torrent of steel rapidly depart into the distance.
She wore plain white brocade robes. Around her waist hung a silver chain with a delicate jade bottle attached, and on her feet were green embroidered shoes.
Her appearance was elegant, her hair as black as ink. She was Shen Qinghe.
“Hopefully Du Tiechuan will achieve a decisive victory and scatter the Thousand Peaks Forest coalition. If that happens, I will be able to penetrate deep into the forest and wipe out every poison cultivator.”
On a mountain peak to the southeast of the iron torrent, Zhu Xuanji and Lin Bufan stood side by side.
Zhu Xuanji remained silent, his expression solemn.
Lin Bufan looked somewhat helpless and cautiously said, “Detective Zhu, both our identities are quite sensitive. We really shouldn’t show ourselves casually.”
Without even turning his head, Zhu Xuanji replied calmly, “Setting aside my identity, I’m only at the Golden Core level. If a neighboring country launches a war and I come to watch the excitement, there’s nothing wrong with that.”
Lin Bufan widened his eyes slightly. “But I am at the Nascent Soul level.”
At the Nascent Soul level, even the slightest action carried far-reaching consequences. After all, individuals of this level possessed tremendous strength—if they wished, they could easily overturn a regime.
Thus, if Lin Bufan were to appear rashly and interfere in the battle, it would be a grave violation of the rules. He would face condemnation from all the righteous factions of Liangzhu Kingdom, and even the state itself.
Although the Myriad Medicines Sect held considerable influence, it was still far too weak to confront Liangzhu Kingdom or the many righteous sects within it.
Therefore, Lin Bufan was extremely cautious.
“Perhaps I shouldn’t have delivered any goods to that boy Ning Zhuo at all.”
Regret had already begun to creep into Lin Bufan’s heart.
Originally, he had wanted to leave quickly. But before he even crossed the border, Zhu Xuanji had intercepted him.
Zhu Xuanji then invited him to watch the battle together.
What choice did Lin Bufan have?
Because of the Radiant Reflection Wall, he and the Myriad Medicines Sect had already become deeply tied to the Ning Family and the Zhu Family. They were now a firm alliance of shared interests.
Thus, Lin Bufan could only suppress the bitterness in his heart and agree.
But deep down, he felt extremely uneasy.
With his intelligence, it was easy for him to guess that Zhu Xuanji secretly infiltrating another country could not possibly be merely to watch the battle.
“I just hope Zhu Xuanji doesn’t make any big moves. I must not get dragged into this along with the Myriad Medicines Sect.”
As a member of the righteous path, Lin Bufan had many concerns.
Compared to him, the demonic cultivators present had far fewer scruples.
News of the battle in the Thousand Peaks Forest had already spread widely. Among the spectators were quite a few evil and demonic cultivators, and many of them were also at the Nascent Soul level.
Woodwheel Town.
Xu Dali shouted, “Keep up! Keep up with the main army!”
His Barbarian-Demon Camp had suffered heavy losses in the ambush battle, and then suffered heavy losses again during the advance into the Thousand Peaks Forest. Although they had recruited new soldiers, their numbers were now less than half of their former peak strength, and their training was severely insufficient.
Originally, demon cultivators and barbarian cultivators generally possessed stronger physiques than human cultivators.
However, the five rounds of trials at the parade platform had grown increasingly abnormal in difficulty. The leap in difficulty was enormous, which caused the Barbarian-Demon Camp to be mercilessly eliminated by the third round.
After that, Du Tiechuan’s deputy general had offered the Iron Skin Flesh Armor Art, along with heavy armor and large quantities of pills, talismans, and other cultivation resources.
Xu Dali’s pockets were empty. He could only watch longingly.
In the end, he and his Barbarian-Demon Camp could only serve as the rear army, following behind the main force as they rushed toward the battlefield.
Military Art—Speed is the Soul of War.
Xu Dali waved his command flag and activated the military art three times in succession, pushing himself to the limit.
The marching speed of the Barbarian-Demon Camp reached the fastest level in its history.
At first, the speed of the heavy-armored main force did not appear remarkable.
But it grew faster and faster—so fast it became absurd.
Xu Dali and the Barbarian-Demon Camp could only watch helplessly.
He had already done everything he could, yet he could only watch as the heavy-armored main force disappeared farther and farther away, soon vanishing completely from sight.
Xu Dali was not the only one.
Seven or eight other armies shared the same fate.
According to Du Tiechuan’s orders, these forces would also attack in coordination, following the path carved open by the main army as they launched their charge.
One could easily imagine how bloody that road of assault would be.
Ning Zhuo was currently within the heavy-armored main force.
He was being enhanced—or more precisely, he was bearing—the military art Iron Flow Across the Plains.
The entire main army resembled a massive flood released from a dam, rushing downhill under the pull of gravity. Their speed grew faster and faster, completely unstoppable.
Ning Zhuo felt like a single wave within the raging flood, carried forward by an incomparably terrifying force.
The vastness of that power filled him with shock.
Never in his life had he experienced anything like it.
He had once been empowered by national power and military force before, but compared to this moment, those previous feelings of strength were like the glow of a firefly compared to the blazing sun.
Because this was the power of the Soul Formation level.
Ning Zhuo felt as if he were running wildly, yet also as if he were drifting along with the current.
He could hardly feel his own body. Many of his senses had dropped to the lowest level and became extremely blurred.
In contrast, he could clearly and intimately sense the people around him—at least three hundred soldiers nearby.
It was like a droplet in a roaring river sensing countless other droplets beside it.
Besides that, he could also see the mountains ahead.
Yet in his vision, those mountains were also vague, like towering black pillars standing between heaven and earth.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Those pillars collapsed one after another beneath the heavy, black tide of steel, instantly crushed into powder.
Each time they crashed into a mountain, Ning Zhuo felt as though he had slammed into an invisible wall.
Then in the next moment, accompanied by the pain of the collision, he smashed through that invisible barrier. Instantly the pressure vanished, and he could surge forward again.
“Even such enormous mountains cannot stop our advance.”
“What a magnificent sight.”
“To be able to participate in such an offensive… as the boss would say—thrilling and exciting! Joining the Liangzhu Kingdom army was absolutely worth it.”
Ning Zhuo’s impression of the military path improved dramatically.
“Among the hundred cultivation arts, the military path excels most at gathering the power of the masses.”
“No wonder throughout history, whenever military strategists rose, they directly reshaped the world’s structure.”
“Magnificent—truly magnificent!”
Thousand Peaks Forest Coalition Army.
Du Tiechuan had played his move openly, so the Thousand Peaks Forest coalition easily learned of it and promptly dispatched troops to the front lines.
Grandfather Long looked grave, while Lu Hongtu’s brows were tightly furrowed. His previous calm demeanor had completely vanished.
Watching mountain after mountain collapse and the unstoppable advance of the iron torrent, the coalition army’s morale steadily declined, while the army of Liangzhu Kingdom surged with ever-growing momentum.
“This can’t continue, Cave Lord Lu,” Grandfather Long transmitted through divine sense. “The Liangzhu army is a newly formed army and excels at fighting with momentum. If Du Tiechuan successfully establishes an advantage, it will be extremely unfavorable for us.”
Lu Hongtu immediately replied through spiritual sense, “Understood.”
He waved the military flag in his hand and issued an order.
At the front lines, the four Mountain Gods instantly received the command to act.
Pine Mountain God was an elderly man with a face full of wrinkles. He wore a long robe, and his beard resembled green pine needles.
His face was pale and tense, his heart filled with regret.
If he had known that the military art Iron Flow Across the Plains possessed such terrifying power, he would never have responded to the alliance’s call and accepted this military duty.
“Sigh… there’s no choice but to bite the bullet now.”
“Fairy Hongxiu, I leave it to you.”
Standing beside him was a female cultivator dressed in red robes with long flowing sleeves.
Her figure was enormous and powerful, standing nine feet tall. Just standing there, she resembled a city gate, casting a huge shadow across the ground.
Fairy Hongxiu spoke in a gentle voice. “Alright. Pine Mountain God, have a safe journey.”
Pine Mountain God’s eyelids twitched. “That blessing is unnecessary.”
Fairy Hongxiu rolled up her long sleeves, revealing arms as thick as an ordinary person’s thighs.
Ptoo, ptoo.
She spat into her palms twice, rubbed her hands together until they turned red, and then flew into the air.
Her body grew to three zhang tall, turning into a small giant as she hugged a mountainside.
“Haa—yaa!”
With a delicate yet fierce shout—
Divine Ability—Move Mountain!
In the next instant, Green Pine Giant Tree Mountain vanished from its original location.
When it appeared again, it was directly blocking the iron torrent.
Pine Mountain God stood at the summit, looking down at the vast black tide ahead, his heart trembling.
He suddenly spread his arms wide and opened his embrace with all his strength.
Pine Dao-Field!
As the Pine Mountain God, standing within his own territory, he could deploy his Dao-field extremely quickly.
Moreover, before entering battle he had already received numerous enhancements from the coalition army, causing the Dao-field to expand enormously, almost covering the entire Green Pine Giant Tree Mountain.
In an instant, the entire mountain turned emerald green.
Countless pine trees grew wildly, their crowns stacking together into a vast green ocean.
Billions of pine needles shot out in the next moment, transforming into a deep green rain of arrows that poured down upon the heavy-armored main army.
Under normal circumstances, such a ferocious attack would have inflicted heavy casualties.
But not now.
The main army wore heavy armor, and they were reinforced by multiple military arts. Most importantly, Iron Flow Across the Plains was powered by the dragon vein of Liangzhu Kingdom.
The sharp arrow rain struck the dense black mass, producing only endless clanging sounds.
Not a single casualty occurred.
Rumble…
The iron torrent smashed into Green Pine Giant Tree Mountain.
For the first time, Ning Zhuo felt an unprecedented collision force. His body staggered and nearly fell backward.
But in the next moment, he felt the push of comrades behind him, immediately stabilizing his body.
In the outside world, when the iron torrent struck the mountain, it was briefly obstructed, creating a backward surge.
Yet the wave had not even reached the front before it was corrected. An even greater force pushed it forward again.
The iron torrent split along both sides of the mountain and continued advancing.
Meanwhile, the central torrent repeatedly smashed into the mountain.
Layer upon layer of pine trees shattered like paper beneath the steel flood.
The towering mountain trembled violently under the Dao-field’s reinforcement.
Then cracks spread across the mountain body—
And it collapsed with a thunderous roar, shattering into pieces.
Pine Mountain God suffered backlash, spitting out a mouthful of divine blood and nearly collapsing.
With a long sigh, he crushed a teleportation talisman and retreated swiftly.
The mountain beneath his feet shattered completely, becoming the main army’s first battle achievement.
“So old friend Pine couldn’t even hold for ten breaths,” White Stone Mountain God said with an ugly expression not far away.
He was a handsome young man wearing a white jade crown and a pale robe.
Yet at this moment, his face was even paler than his crown and robes.
“Are you ready?” Fairy Hongxiu had already teleported beside him.
White Stone Mountain God looked at her. “Fairy… please be gentle.”
Fairy Hongxiu grinned and repeated the same trick.
In a sweet voice she shouted, “Here we go!”
Divine Ability—Move Mountain.
The next moment, White Stone Giant Tree Mountain appeared before the iron torrent.
White Stone Mountain God let out a low shout and expanded his Dao-field across the mountain.
“Watch my Rolling Stone Shaking Mountain Technique!”
With full force, countless massive boulders rolled down White Stone Mountain like a collapsing sea of rocks, smashing toward the iron torrent.
Each boulder carried the force of a thousand jun.
They struck the iron torrent with deafening crashes.
And then—
Each boulder shattered in the next instant.
The boulders came endlessly, yet they could not stop the iron torrent, at most creating ripples.
Rumble…
The iron torrent smashed White Stone Giant Tree Mountain apart.
The mountain collapsed and slammed into the ground, causing the land within a hundred li to quake.
Yet its enormous body quickly disappeared beneath the iron torrent.
Forward!
The iron torrent continued advancing.
“Here we go!” Fairy Hongxiu moved another mountain.
This time it was Iron Deer Giant Tree Mountain.
But unlike the previous two mountains, at the request of Iron Deer Mountain God, the mountain appeared beside the iron torrent instead of blocking it head-on.
“The Iron Flow Across the Plains is unstoppable. I’d be a fool to repeat their mistake.”
Iron Deer Mountain God unleashed his Dao-field across the mountain.
His entire body merged into the mountain itself.
The mountain trembled and rose from the ground, transforming into a colossal Iron Deer divine statue.
Lowering its head, the Iron Deer used its branching antlers—like a forest—to carve a path and slammed sideways into the iron torrent.
The Iron Deer statue charged deep into the center of the torrent.
But its legs could not withstand the pressure.
It collapsed to its knees.
The black iron torrent smashed violently against its side, forcing a shrill cry of agony.
The surging steel tide tore it full of holes, grinding it smaller and smaller until it was reduced to fragments and crushed into powder.
Not long ago, Iron Deer Mountain had carried a world-destroying aura.
Now, beneath the iron torrent, it vanished without a trace.