Chapter 528: Ten-Li Burning Forest
Liangzhu Kingdom, Forward Camp.
A war council was in progress.
“Everyone, this is the current situation.” A Golden Core–level commander had just finished speaking.
The others began discussing.
“Ever since our military camp was established, petty thieves have constantly sneaked into the surrounding area, scavenging spoils of war. Earlier, our military equipment displayed great power and killed quite a few of them, yet I didn’t expect that some would still refuse to give up.”
“If I were the enemy and discovered Glazed Heartblood, Root Wall Soil, and dragon-pattern talismans here, I would also be tempted and take the risk.”
“Truly shameful. The enemy discovered these three treasures before we did, while we only realized it afterward.”
“The ones who detected the three treasures were the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts. Not only do the two of them come from the Soul-Devouring Sect, but their combined divine ability is terrifyingly powerful. It isn’t strange that they were the first to discover them.”
“Hmph! The Soul-Devouring Sect’s audacity is far too great. Our country is carrying out a campaign to suppress injustice, yet they dare interfere in our affairs. Their crime deserves execution!”
The officers and soldiers were extremely dissatisfied with the Soul-Devouring Sect.
After cursing and complaining for a while, they stopped mentioning it.
Everyone knew that Liangzhu Kingdom was not a major nation, and the Soul-Devouring Sect’s headquarters lay far away. When facing such a super sect, Liangzhu Kingdom could ultimately do little more than lodge a formal accusation.
“If we can collect the Heartblood and the Wall Soil, perhaps they could serve as clues to perform Divination and locate the Dragon Ginseng King.”
“They could also be used as materials for curses.”
“Still, they’re only a small help at best. Our army currently doesn’t have such experts.”
The room fell into brief silence.
An old general spoke: “These two treasures are not the key. Even if the enemy obtains them, it will not affect the overall situation. What truly matters is the dragon-shaped talisman. It must not be destroyed. The longer it remains here on the battlefield, the more beneficial it will be to our army.”
“Agreed!”
“Agreed.”
“That’s indeed the case.”
The generals nodded one after another.
Within Thousand Peaks Forest there were countless large and small gods, granting the region powerful terrain advantages.
Once the dragon-shaped talisman merged into the Dragon Vein, it would weaken the enemy’s geographical advantage.
The generals unanimously decided to first arrange troops and experts to guard the enormous dragon-shaped talisman. Once the army had spare capacity, they could then construct various defensive facilities deep underground.
“Among all our armies at present, the Three Generals Camp has recovered the fastest and is in the best condition. Let them be responsible for guarding the dragon-shaped talisman. That would be most appropriate.”
“Exactly.”
“Agreed!”
Once again, the generals reached consensus.
However, at the next moment, Zhao Xi—who had remained silent all this time—suddenly chuckled.
He glanced around the room, his eyes filled with ridicule and disdain.
“Too late,” he said softly. “Even before this meeting began, I had already issued them the military order to depart.”
“At this point, they have likely already left the camp.”
“What?!” The generals were shocked.
The old general from earlier frowned. “Lord Zhao, guarding the dragon-shaped talisman is extremely important.”
Zhao Xi sneered again. “Then your army can handle it.”
The old general spread his hands. “But my army has not finished recuperating. We can hardly fight, Lord Zhao.”
Zhao Xi narrowed his eyes and stared at him. “So you wish to plead guilty to me? Indeed, you are guilty. Why is it that your army is still recuperating, while the Three Generals Camp recovered much earlier than yours? Have you been overly negligent?”
The old general’s expression changed. He immediately stood up and clasped his fists, solemnly explaining himself.
No one supported him, because the armies under these commanders were also still in recuperation.
Supervising Officer Zhao Xi swept his gaze across the room.
“Our army is stationed at the center of Thousand Peaks Forest, surrounded by enemies on all sides. Advancing is better than defending. The Three Generals Camp has performed excellently, so it should naturally take on the responsibility of attack. Anyone who objects may replace them with their own army.”
The room fell completely silent.
Zhao Xi laughed loudly three times, slowly stood up, cast a cold glance around, then walked out with his hands behind his back.
Although Du Tiechuan was in closed-door cultivation, his confidants were dissatisfied with Zhao Xi seizing power. Targeting the Three Generals Camp was therefore only natural.
However, Zhao Xi was also deeply experienced in officialdom and had already made preparations.
“In the end, the foundation of this main force is still a newly formed army. That’s what gave me the opportunity to intervene.”
“Otherwise, with Du Tiechuan’s ability, he would need only one or two months to forge his subordinates into a tightly unified group.”
“Three Generals Camp, Ning Zhuo… you must not disappoint me.”
Zhao Xi felt uneasy.
In a certain sense, he and the Three Generals Camp were now bound together—sharing both glory and ruin.
Battle Formation—Single-Line Long Snake Formation.
The Three Generals Camp departed the Forward Camp and advanced swiftly in this formation.
Compared to before, their speed was now more than four times faster.
The soldiers’ training had improved, but that was not the main reason.
During this march, the entire army used marching talismans, Swift Wind Talismans, and similar enhancements. Every soldier’s speed increased dramatically.
They left the camp in the morning, marched the entire day, and by evening arrived at Ten-Li Burning Forest.
This location had been the result of the previous war council.
The pills stored in Curved Root Hundred Herbs Cave were too easily damaged, making the profits unreliable.
The Cloud-Shoulder Dragon-Homage Platform had the greatest future potential, but constructing a field camp there would require enormous funding. Only Ning Zhuo could afford that—Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei lacked such financial strength.
Even with enough funds, they would still need sufficient materials and manpower to heavily remodel Flying Peak.
The reconstruction would also take a long time, while the battlefield changed in an instant.
In the end, the only remaining options were Thousand Vines Talisman Sky Corridor and Ten-Li Burning Forest.
In terms of value, Thousand Vines Talisman Sky Corridor was undoubtedly higher, containing millions upon millions of talismans. Yet precisely because of that, attacking it was dozens of times harder than attacking Ten-Li Burning Forest.
“In my opinion, this battle must consider not only profit but also safety,” Ning Zhuo had said.
“After all, we are the first army to leave the camp and campaign against a stronghold. The risks are impossible to predict.”
“Not only our own situation, but also Zhao Xi’s position requires a victory—not a defeat.”
Ning Zhuo’s words eventually convinced the Three Generals to choose Ten-Li Burning Forest.
As a newly rising force, the Three Generals Camp had attracted enormous attention. Countless people secretly envied and resented them.
Too many were waiting for their failure. Once that happened, it would give others a legitimate excuse to suppress them—and then extend that pressure onto Zhao Xi, driving the newly established Supervising Officer out.
Therefore, this first battle was crucial. It had to be a victory.
Dusk approached, and Ten-Li Burning Forest blazed with flames reaching the heavens.
Thousands of mountain ridges resembled the spine of a crimson dragon. Between jagged ravines flowed molten-gold firelight.
Mountains and valleys looked like open furnaces. Orange-yellow tongues of flame surged upward, licking the sky and scorching the clouds into rolling ribbons of caramel-colored silk.
Upon closer inspection, the constantly burning trees all had a glazed crystal form, like hundreds of millions of crystal pillars sealing blazing fire within them.
The forest floor was scorched earth. Flames coiled around cracked rock walls, performing strange and eerie dances.
Bang.
From time to time, a tree within the burning forest would reach its limit, suddenly bursting apart with a dull explosion.
At that moment, flames surged upward, forming a tongue of fire over thirty meters tall before vanishing instantly.
Waves of heat rolled forward, and the firelight reflected on the faces of every soldier in the Three Generals Camp.
The soldiers stood silently, stunned.
“So this is Ten-Li Burning Forest,” Liu Er sighed.
Guan Hong stroked his beard. “Magnificent.”
Zhang Hei said, “A fine place!”
Ning Zhuo reminded them, “To avoid unnecessary complications, we should organize the army immediately and prepare to attack.”
Liu Er readily agreed and ordered the entire army to rest.
The soldiers quickly divided their tasks. Some kept watch on the perimeter, while others ate and drank water inside the formation, sitting on the ground to ease their fatigue, wiping their weapons and restoring their energy.
This scene was observed by Luo Chen and his group.
Luo Chen was a Nascent Soul–level cultivator and the forest chief of Ten-Li Burning Forest. His brows were tightly furrowed.
“Although the Three Generals Camp is newly formed, after several battles it no longer shows the immaturity of a new army.”
One of his Golden Core deputies, Fairy Yanliu, sighed.
“Who would have thought that Liangzhu Kingdom would suddenly send an army directly here?”
“What should we do?”
“In this urgent situation, I can only gather some portable treasures and leave.”
Luo Chen turned to another Golden Core deputy.
“The Fire-Crowned Divine Cedar cannot be moved, and the Vermilion Bird Incense Furnace is the Formation Core of the grand formation. That leaves only one option—take away the Wood-Within-Fire.”
“Yan Jin, have you found it?”
The old man Yan Jin shook his head, transmitting his voice through spiritual sense.
“My lord, the seed of the Wood-Within-Fire has always wandered within Ten-Li Burning Forest. Unless we encounter it by extreme luck in a short time, we would have to activate the grand formation and search inch by inch.”
Fairy Yanliu’s expression darkened.
“My lord, have you sent out a request for reinforcements?”
Luo Chen nodded, then shook his head.
“Given the current situation, reinforcements are unlikely.”
Fairy Yanliu turned to Yan Jin.
“If the three of us simply withdraw, we will have no way to explain ourselves to the Dragon King Temple and the other factions.”
“But if we leave under the justified reason of protecting the Wood-Within-Fire and preventing the enemy from stealing the fire seed, we might still have a good future.”
“So we must find the Wood-Within-Fire!”
Yan Jin nodded solemnly.
“I will do my utmost.”
Luo Chen reassured him.
“Relax a little.”
“The many layers of defense in Ten-Li Burning Forest are enough to hold off the enemy for ten days or half a month.”
“The highest cultivation among the Three Generals Camp commanders is only Golden Core.”
“Of course, the sooner we find the Wood-Within-Fire and leave, the safer we will be.”
At this moment, Liu Er, Guan Hong, Zhang Hei, and Ning Zhuo were also discussing the Wood-Within-Fire.
“Thousand Peaks Forest consists entirely of giant tree mountains and has no fire veins. Ten-Li Burning Forest was jointly built by the Dragon King Temple and nearby forces as an artifact-refining site.”
“Because the Dragon Ginseng King led the project, it uses Human Fire—the Wood-Within-Fire. This fire is one of the Three Samadhi Fires and is extremely precious.”
“If we obtain it, then in the future, by combining it with Stone-Within-Fire and Air-Within-Fire, we can condense Samadhi True Fire!”
“The fire seed is excellent, but for us, we probably won’t have time.”
“Not necessarily. According to the structure of Ten-Li Burning Forest, the Wood-Within-Fire must roam freely within the blazing flames, following the changes of human hearts and the path of incense and divine spirits.”
“So finding such a tiny fire seed within this vast sea of flames is not easy. There is still hope.”
After their discussion, the four of them felt increasingly excited.
Although Ning Zhuo had once obtained Ten-Thousand-Year Fire Essence, fire essence and fire seeds were fundamentally different.
He was currently lacking a fire seed suitable for artifact refinement and pill refinement. For his future creation of Mechanical Constructs, it would also be extremely convenient.
Once the soldiers finished resting, the Three Generals immediately organized the army and launched a frontal assault on Ten-Li Burning Forest.
The forest’s defensive formation had already been activated. At this moment, flames soared skyward, capable of melting gold and forging iron.
In the past, the Three Generals Camp could only watch helplessly before such fire. But now things were different. They possessed ample funds and Zhao Xi’s backing, and the soldiers had brought sufficient military equipment.
They swallowed medicinal pills and affixed Frost Talismans to themselves.
The entire army of more than six hundred soldiers—many of them former scattered troops who had joined—instantly became covered in frost armor, turning into a mass of white.
“Advance!” Liu Er formed the Triangular Arrowhead Formation and led the army into the sea of flames.
Countless tongues of fire wrapped around the soldiers, but could only lick the frost armor, unable to threaten their lives in the short term.
Squeak squeak squeak…
After advancing about one li, swarms of rats surged from all directions.
Fire Fluff Mice!
Ning Zhuo was very familiar with this demonic beast, because Fire Persimmon Mountain contained large populations of them.
The Fire Fluff Mice in Fire Persimmon Mountain were usually enormous, capable of swimming through lava and preying on birds. The Fire Fluff Mice in Ten-Li Burning Forest were smaller, but far more numerous.
It was Ning Zhuo’s first time seeing such a massive swarm.
Layer upon layer of rats formed a surging tide, crashing toward the Three Generals Camp.
Every soldier was already prepared.
Out of caution, Liu Er raised the Primal Yellow Sword and activated the military art contained within it—Fortify the Land and Stabilize the Foundation—granting protective reinforcement to the entire army.
Guan Hong was better at dealing with powerful individuals, while Zhang Hei’s military art was more suitable for the current situation.
Military Art—Overwhelming Army Pressure!
In an instant, forty percent of the Three Generals Camp’s military strength was consumed, transforming into numerous Blackwater soldiers.
Silent and expressionless, the soldiers raised weapons formed from black water and charged toward the rat swarm.
Ning Zhuo’s eyes flickered.
He keenly noticed that the Blackwater soldiers’ weapons were no longer the uniform spears from before. Instead, they now wielded axes, halberds, hooks, spears, blades, swords, and other common weapons.
Ning Zhuo thought to himself: “It seems that after many battles, Zhang Hei has gained deeper insight into the path of military strategy.”
The Blackwater soldiers formed a vast dark mass as they collided directly with the crimson rat swarm.
The soldiers stood firm like reefs.
The rats suffered increasing losses.
Although the Blackwater soldiers also suffered casualties, compared to the rats they were far more resilient. Before disappearing, each Blackwater soldier killed at least a hundred Fire Fluff Mice.
Fairy Yanliu controlled the rat swarm from behind the scenes through the formation within the forest.
Seeing the Blackwater soldiers beginning to push the rats back, she decisively deployed another demonic beast.
Countless Scarlet-Refining Mayflies appeared, mixed within the flames like dazzling stars glowing with black-red light as they enveloped the Blackwater soldiers.
With the rats and Scarlet-Refining Mayflies attacking from both sides, the Blackwater soldiers immediately showed signs of fatigue, and their casualties rapidly increased.
The battle line gradually began to be pushed back.
Zhang Hei took a deep breath and once again used the military art—Overwhelming Army Pressure.
The army strength that had just recovered was rapidly consumed again, transforming into fresh power injected into the battle line.
The effect was immediate.
The line of soldiers quickly pushed forward once more.
Seeing this situation, Fairy Yanliu chose to withdraw her forces.