Chapter 555: Ning Zhuo Joins the Battle
The offensive and defensive battle surrounding the frontline camp of Liangzhu Kingdom had already entered a white-hot stage.
The Thousand Peaks Forest Coalition Army and the Liangzhu Kingdom army were like two giants locked in combat. The struggle had reached the brutal moment of hand-to-hand slaughter, blades piercing flesh and drawing blood.
This was a chaotic battlefield.
In some places, the armies were interlocked like the teeth of dogs, while in other areas one side clearly held the advantage.
The defensive line constructed by the Liangzhu Kingdom army around the city wall had already collapsed by nearly half.
Although most of the wall still remained, on another side the defense had completely crumbled under the assault of Grandfather Long and Lu Hongtu. Large numbers of cultivators and troops from the Thousand Peaks Forest Coalition Army poured through the breaches in the defensive line and surged into the military camp that had been painstakingly constructed with enormous expense.
Shouts of killing shook heaven and earth, while explosions repeatedly roared into the clouds.
Countless spells intertwined, forming dazzling and brilliant multicolored radiance—magnificent yet deadly.
Vast numbers of weapons and magical instruments clashed violently. In the most intense collisions, superiority and inferiority were decided in an instant.
And that difference often meant the difference between life and death.
Whether it was Liangzhu Kingdom or the Thousand Peaks Forest Coalition Army, casualties were rapidly increasing.
Both sides had entered a stalemate, engaging in extremely brutal attrition. At every moment, large numbers of soldiers collapsed to the ground, their lives lost.
If any master of military strategy or commander of great talent witnessed this battlefield situation, they would certainly sneer in disdain.
Although the fighting was fierce, there was no proper military structure.
Grandfather Long held the position of Temple Priest of the Dragon King Temple. His personal combat power was formidable, but he was not proficient in military strategy.
The Liangzhu Kingdom commander Du Tiechuan was indeed formidable, but he was currently recovering from his injuries and had never appeared on the battlefield.
Because of this flaw, neither Liangzhu Kingdom nor the Thousand Peaks Forest Coalition Army displayed any military strategic advantage in their full confrontation. In essence, the two sides were evenly matched.
In a mountain hollow far from the battlefield, the calm space suddenly rippled.
Out of thin air appeared a white-robed youth wearing wide-sleeved robes as white as clouds. His features were handsome and refined, his eyes clear black and white. At this moment, they were filled with battle intent.
It was Ning Zhuo.
He stepped out from Wanli Dragon. With a wave of his hand, a tiny Puppet Dragon like a small insect rapidly enlarged, resembling a small snake. It wrapped itself around Ning Zhuo’s waist, circled once, and bit its own tail, forming a belt.
“By participating in Liangzhu Kingdom’s war, I’ve finally found an opportunity to make a move against the Mechanical Carriage.”
Ning Zhuo was far from calm. Excitement stirred secretly within him.
Previously, he and Sun Lingtong had taken the risk of probing the sect headquarters of the Six Caves Sect. They had been discovered and barely escaped with their lives.
Since then, they had not dared to take such risks again. After all, someone as cunning as Lu Hongtu would certainly establish targeted defenses.
To repeat the same mistake again would undoubtedly be foolish.
“Right now is my best opportunity.”
“There’s no need to risk infiltrating the Six Caves Sect’s stronghold. Almost their entire sect has mobilized, and even the Heart Demon Cave Lord is engaged in fierce battle, his attention completely tied up.”
Ning Zhuo had joined the army precisely to stand on the front line, waiting for the right moment to act.
With patience and time, he had finally waited for this moment.
There was no other way.
His cultivation and strength were relatively weak. Only by borrowing the momentum of greater forces could he possibly seize the magical-treasure-level Mechanical Carriage from the enormous power that was the Six Caves Sect.
“The threat of the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts will only grow with time.”
“Perhaps this is my first chance—and also my last.”
“Once I make a move, if I fail and expose my true intention toward the Mechanical Carriage, things will become extremely difficult in the future.”
“Someone as strategic as Lu Hongtu would definitely use the Mechanical Carriage to set traps specifically against me.”
Thinking of this, Ning Zhuo’s fighting spirit grew even more resolute. His battle intent burned like blazing fire within his heart.
He took out one mechanical puppet after another from his Storage Bags.
Soon, more than four hundred Mechanical Puppets stood neatly beside him, forming a Mechanical Army.
Ning Zhuo then took out a magical-treasure-level Mechanical Armor.
The armor had an ancient bronze color, imposing and heavy, giving off a sense of solid strength. Yet its lines were smooth and elegant, conveying a feeling of compassion and tolerance.
The helmet’s forehead tilted slightly upward, bearing a circular halo resembling the Dharma image of an Arhat. Horn-like projections extended from both sides.
The front of the chest armor was engraved with an Arhat figure containing a protective formation of the Arhat.
From the back of the armor extended six mechanical arms, all forged from ancient bronze. Golden patterns ran along the arms, forming the internal musculature, radiating dense golden Buddhist light.
It was the Hundred-Arm Arhat Armor.
This armor had originally been a gift from Mu Lan to Ning Zhuo. When he first received it, it had only been half-body heavy armor.
But now, the Hundred-Arm Arhat Armor had become full armor. Its previously missing lower half had been completed by Ning Zhuo.
“Although I temporarily patched together the lower half using three Mechanical Work Platforms, it’s obvious that the lower half was hastily assembled.”
“Not only does it fail to match the upper half, it’s mostly decorative—and even its defensive capability isn’t thirty percent of the upper half.”
Most of Ning Zhuo’s effort had gone into disguise.
He tried his best to make the lower half resemble the upper half. At least in appearance and overall presence, there was no obvious difference.
“Boss, look at me,” Ning Zhuo said excitedly.
“Huh?” Sun Lingtong, inside the Dragon Head Cabin, looked confused.
Ning Zhuo raised both arms and shouted toward the Hundred-Arm Arhat Armor:
“Hundred-Arm Arhat, battle armor—cover my body!”
In the next moment, the Hundred-Arm Arhat Armor flew before Ning Zhuo and split apart.
The upper portion floated above his head and slowly descended, enclosing him within the armor. The lower portion split with clacking sounds into two halves.
One half floated in front of Ning Zhuo while the other moved behind him. After wrapping around his lower body, the two halves joined together seamlessly, locking perfectly into place.
“W-W-Waaah!” Sun Lingtong’s mouth hung open, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
“So cool! So cool!!” Sun Lingtong shouted, completely captivated and forgetting all pre-battle tension.
He jumped inside the Dragon Head Cabin.
“You brat! You did this behind my back. I want one too! I want a set!”
He almost wished he could replace Ning Zhuo right now, stand before a mechanical battle armor, shout a command, and have it automatically suit him up.
“Hahaha!” Ning Zhuo imitated Sun Lingtong’s posture, placing his hands on his hips and laughing loudly.
“Boss, this is the advantage of cultivating Mechanism Arts,” Ning Zhuo said proudly.
Sun Lingtong laughed and scolded him. “You brat. After this battle, make me a set immediately, or I won’t spare you!”
He then sighed sincerely.
“Mechanism Arts really shouldn’t be the lowest among the Cultivation Arts.”
“Just that moment alone proves it deserves to be number one!”
“Don’t worry, Boss. I’ll design a mechanical battle armor just for you. I guarantee you’ll be satisfied,” Ning Zhuo said, patting his chest.
Sun Lingtong snorted. “If I’m not satisfied, I definitely won’t forgive you.”
“Little Zhuo, fight well.”
“In this battle, make a name for yourself.”
“With your talent and ability, if you continue cultivating properly, you might even develop Mechanism Arts to the point where it changes the world’s perception and becomes the foremost among the Cultivation Arts.”
“If that happens, you’ll be recorded in history. Future generations will think of you whenever Mechanism Arts are mentioned and raise their thumbs in admiration!”
Ning Zhuo waved his hands quickly and said modestly, “Boss, you’re praising me too much. I still have a lot to learn. There are many areas where I’m lacking.”
Sun Lingtong: “Uh…”
After putting on the mechanical armor, Ning Zhuo stood within the Mechanical Army and immediately set off toward the battlefield.
The arrival of this fresh force did not attract widespread attention.
On the chaotic battlefield, cultivators and armies were interlocked everywhere, each fighting their own battles.
Battle Formation—Swift Wind Light Step Formation!
The Mechanical Puppets formed a battle formation, and their speed suddenly increased, becoming extremely agile.
By now, Ning Zhuo had experienced battles of many scales and was completely proficient in activating this formation.
However, during the march, mechanical puppets occasionally fell.
“What is that?” Ning Zhuo asked in surprise.
The answer came as the rustling of Gu insects.
These were the Gu insects released by Li Jiuqu, already scattered throughout the battlefield.
Ning Zhuo encountered them first.
A cloud of poisonous fog drifted over, and corrosion marks appeared on the mechanical puppets. Some heavily corroded puppets collapsed immediately, losing their connection with Ning Zhuo.
A river of blood was split apart. Part of it flowed like a crimson stream through Ning Zhuo’s mechanical puppet formation, destroying more than twenty units.
From time to time, sudden drumbeats resounded, shattering over a dozen puppets at the front.
Before even entering battle, during the approach alone, countless dangers had already caused continuous losses in Ning Zhuo’s Mechanical Army.
The earlier relaxed mood between Sun Lingtong and Ning Zhuo vanished completely.
Both wore solemn expressions.
Since joining the war, they had never seen such a situation before.
Watching from afar had been one thing. But once they personally joined the battle, the overwhelming pressure hit them immediately.
Even Sun Lingtong had never experienced this before—let alone Ning Zhuo, who had spent more than ten years quietly guarding Huoshi Immortal City.
The Second Grand Decisive Battle.
This was a war led by Soul Formation-level beings, commanded by Nascent Soul generals, where even Golden Core cultivators were merely mid-tier combat power.
The war had entered its most brutal stage of attrition, waiting only to see which side would collapse first.
And clearly, even the victor would be left with devastating casualties.
“This is only a domestic suppression war,” Sun Lingtong said with heartfelt emotion.
“The Liangzhu Kingdom army is just a newly formed force, and the Thousand Peaks Forest side lacks proper military training.”
Ning Zhuo nodded.
“Yes. If this were truly a war between cultivation nations, what kind of spectacle would it be?”
Through spiritual sense communication, Ning Zhuo finally led his Mechanical Army into the battlefield and encountered their first group of enemies.
They were a cluster of Barbarian Cultivators fighting together in mutual support.
Ning Zhuo’s arrival immediately placed them in a pincer attack.
With a wave of his hand, spells of the fire element, earth element, and metal element struck in three waves, suppressing the Barbarian Cultivators.
However, it caused little immediate casualties.
“Break through!”
“The situation is unfavorable!”
“We can’t be attacked from both sides. Cut a bloody path first!”
Sensing the danger of defeat and destruction, the Barbarian Cultivators erupted with fierce battle intent.
Ning Zhuo’s Mechanical Army could not stop them. Many mechanical puppets were destroyed as the Barbarian Cultivators desperately broke through.
Ning Zhuo merely glanced at them and ignored them, continuing deeper into the battlefield.
For every puppet lost, he replaced it.
Ning Zhuo was now extremely wealthy. With the problem of production solved by the Mechanical Work Platforms, he had stockpiled a massive number of Mechanical Puppets.
Military Art—Warrior Returns Art!
Ning Zhuo still had not fully comprehended this Military Art. After all, it originated from the combination of Soldiers Sharing One Helm and Gao Sheng’s Testament—exquisite beyond ordinary military arts.
Although he had not fully understood it, he could still benefit from its reinforcement.
The more mechanical puppets he lost, the more his power increased.
By the time Ning Zhuo pushed into the middle section of the battlefield, his combat strength had already reached the Golden Core level.
More than two hundred cultivators had already died at his hands.
Sun Lingtong also assisted in controlling the mechanical puppets.
Through countless battles, the two had become far more skilled and decisive in operating the mechanical army.
They continued advancing.
From the outer edge to the middle of the battlefield, Ning Zhuo clearly felt the resistance increase drastically.
The advance of the Mechanical Army slowed significantly.
At the outer edges, there had been large gaps between battle groups, allowing easy movement.
But in the middle area, battle formations were tightly packed. Ning Zhuo had to break through obstacles ahead while also enduring attacks from all directions.
“In the battlefield core, my army will likely struggle to move at all,” Ning Zhuo thought.
Fortunately, he did not need to enter the core of the battlefield—the Liangzhu Kingdom camp itself.
Because Lin You was located in the middle section.
Ning Zhuo led the Mechanical Army straight toward Lin You.
Meanwhile, the Barbarian Cultivator Lone Fang was directing his wolf army to assault the city wall.
Within his spiritual sense detection, he noticed Ning Zhuo’s Mechanical Army.
Howl!
Lone Fang made a subtle move.
A small group separated from the wolf army and rushed toward Ning Zhuo’s mechanical forces.
The wolves attacked from the flank, swift as the wind.
Sun Lingtong warned him in advance.
Under tremendous pressure, Lone Fang fought with everything he had. The wolf army’s overwhelming ferocity was far greater than what he had shown before.
Ning Zhuo’s Mechanical Army immediately formed a defensive cluster.
The wolves surged like a tide.
The mechanical army was like a sand fortress—its formation looked proper, but it collapsed instantly under the assault.
Although Ning Zhuo had expected this, he still sighed.
“There wasn’t enough time. I haven’t even learned the Iron-Wall Formation yet.”
For every puppet lost, he replaced it.
But the wolves crowded in from all sides, leaving no room to reorganize formations.
From the sky above, Ning Zhuo’s occupied area was rapidly shrinking.
Just as they were about to be completely annihilated—
Roar!
Three fire dragons rose into the sky, circling once. Wherever they passed, bones burned and flesh turned to ash.
Blazing flames instantly transformed the battlefield.
Wearing the mechanical armor, Ning Zhuo stood motionless within the sea of fire, strikingly visible.
Around him, three fire dragons swam through the flames, roaring endlessly.
Spell—Nine Heavens Fire Dragon Art!
This was one of the most famous fire-element spells in the entire cultivation world.
Normally, the number of fire dragons depended on the cultivator’s cultivation level.
Ning Zhuo was only at the Foundation Establishment stage and should have been able to form only two fire dragons.
But through the amplification of Mechanism Arts and Military Arts, his combat power had reached the Golden Core level—allowing him to produce three fire dragons!
The wolves were burned to death by the flames and fire dragons.
Ning Zhuo continued charging forward.
Under the reinforcement of the Warrior Returns Art, his power continued to rise.