Chapter 561: Capturing Two Generals Alive, Finally Obtaining the Carriage
The two armies deliberately circled around Jin Tunhe and, halfway along the route, ran into the Red Flower Camp.
“General Mu Lan!” Liu Er rejoiced, sending a message through spiritual sense.
Mu Lan nodded slightly to him, then looked at Ning Zhuo with delight. “Husband, this time let us fight side by side!”
Ning Zhuo very much wanted to remind Mu Lan not to call him husband. But the battlefield was filled with continuous fierce fighting—clearly not the right moment to correct her. He could only nod, signaling for Mu Lan to follow him.
They continued their charge!
Military Art—Speed is the Soul of War!
Seizing the moment, Liu Er expended military strength, causing the Three Generals Camp to surge forward at astonishing speed.
Wood Element—Root Vine Entanglement.
Ning Zhuo spread his spiritual sense over the left flank. As soon as he cast the spell, vines instantly coiled around dozens of enemy cultivators.
“Good opportunity, release arrows!” Mu Lan’s eyes flashed sharply as she immediately issued the command.
The Red Flower Camp unleashed a volley of arrows.
Military Art—Falling Flower Arrows!
Petals drifted from the Red Flower Avatar. The gigantic petals shattered into countless fragments that poured down like torrential rain.
“Ahhh—!”
The enemy cultivators bound in place by vines were unable to dodge. One after another they were struck by arrows, letting out screams before losing their lives.
The three armies coordinated with exquisite precision—one striking after another. With mutual trust, they continuously created impressive results.
“Little Zhuo, Lin You is over there!” Sun Lingtong hid within the Puppet Dragon, constantly correcting Ning Zhuo’s target direction.
“Charge this way!” Ning Zhuo had become the central commander. With a single order, the three armies all adjusted their direction according to his command.
This was because Ning Zhuo was the core linking all three forces together!
The three armies joined forces and carved a bloody path forward.
“So this is the advantage of overwhelming numbers.” Ning Zhuo sighed sincerely.
It was far easier than leading a charge alone with painstaking effort.
Of course, other factors also contributed. For example, at this moment the Liangzhu Kingdom side had greatly rising morale and was in an offensive posture, naturally helping them break through enemy lines. Meanwhile, high-level figures such as Grandfather Long and Lu Hongtu were locked in life-and-death combat and could not adjust formations or positions in time to respond to the combined assault of Liu, Guan, Zhang, Ning, and Mu.
The distance between Ning Zhuo and Lin You continued to shrink.
Lin You was inside the Mechanical Carriage, busy with the battle in front of him and still unaware of Ning Zhuo’s approach.
“Look over there!”
“We can’t let that enemy force run wild any longer!”
“Intercept them!”
A force from the Thousand Peaks Forest discovered the strength of Ning Zhuo’s group and immediately took action.
Spell after spell rained down, the firepower ferocious enough to halt the momentum of Ning Zhuo’s three armies.
It was the Mysterious Shaman Army!
Ning Zhuo looked into the distance, a sharp gleam in his eyes.
This army was commanded by a Nascent Soul–level leader and ranked among the top three elite forces of the Thousand Peaks Forest.
The Thousand Peaks Forest had not established a nation, so this army could only gather military strength and could not mobilize national power. Since the start of the grand battle, the Mysterious Shaman Army had remained firmly stationed in place, constantly releasing long-range spells with remarkable results. Many soldiers of the Liangzhu Kingdom had died at their hands.
In terms of positioning, the Mysterious Shaman Army resembled the Fire Cloud Army on the Liangzhu Kingdom side—both specialized in overwhelming long-range spell bombardment.
The difference was that the Fire Cloud Army specialized in fire-element spells, unleashing ferocious attacks capable of raising seas of blazing flames.
The spells of the Mysterious Shaman Army were derived from shamanic arts—often strange and unpredictable. Their momentum was not flashy, but they were extremely difficult to guard against.
“How should we handle this?” Ning Zhuo was still considering countermeasures when Mu Lan had already taken action first.
Military Art—Flower Curl, Bud Heart!
The Red Flower Avatar split into two phantoms that first descended above the Three Generals Camp and the Mechanical Army.
Then the Red Flower Avatar released a powerful suction force, absorbing the incoming spells.
Each time a certain amount of spells were absorbed, the layers of petals on the Red Flower Avatar curled inward and closed, forming a bud shape.
Layer upon layer of petals curled inward, absorbing spell after spell while firmly protecting the three armies below.
With its own strength alone, the Red Flower Camp shielded all three armies—including itself—putting on a stunning performance!
But the Red Flower Camp’s military strength also began dropping rapidly and would not last long.
Mu Lan did not need to say anything—Ning Zhuo, Liu Er, Guan Hong, and Zhang Hei all understood.
“I’ll do it!” Zhang Hei roared, his shout exploding like thunder.
Military Art—Army Pressing the Frontier!
With a push of both palms, half of the Three Generals Camp’s military strength and his own mana were instantly consumed.
One after another, black-water soldiers condensed out of thin air and surged forward like a dark river, charging toward the Mysterious Shaman Army.
“Oh?” Ning Zhuo had not spent much time with Liu, Guan, and Zhang recently. This was the first time he had seen Zhang Hei’s progress.
Previously, Zhang Hei could only use this military art with the help of the Black Serpent Spear.
But now his Black Serpent Spear had already been snapped in two, yet he could still perform it purely with his own power. His improvement was considerable!
Seeing the black-water soldiers charging toward them, the Mysterious Shaman Army had no choice but to divert firepower to destroy them.
Though their commander was of barbarian origin, his command was steady and orderly.
Under his leadership, the Mysterious Shaman Army used him as the center of a circle, firmly controlling the surrounding battlefield area.
They quickly eliminated all the black-water soldiers and were about to redirect most of their offensive power toward Ning Zhuo’s group again.
At that moment, a figure suddenly rushed into the front of the Mysterious Shaman Army.
The man was surrounded by raging storms, wind blades flying everywhere and injuring everything around him.
It was Chen Lingfeng, who had fallen into complete madness!
Chen Lingfeng himself already possessed peak Golden Core combat power. Now that he had completely gone berserk, he unleashed the full power of his innate talent, causing his combat strength to soar to the Nascent Soul level.
He attacked indiscriminately, rushing everywhere, causing immense headaches for both allies and enemies alike.
It wasn’t that no one had tried to cooperate and subdue him first. But the chaotic battlefield made cooperation extremely difficult. Moreover, Chen Lingfeng moved at incredible speed, his actions unpredictable and his position erratic. For the moment, no one could do anything about him.
The commander of the Mysterious Shaman Army sighed helplessly and could only focus all efforts on defending against Chen Lingfeng, temporarily letting Ning Zhuo’s group pass.
“Good luck!” Ning Zhuo’s eyes brightened.
If they had truly fought the Mysterious Shaman Army, the outcome would have been uncertain.
This was one of the top three armies of the Thousand Peaks Forest. Ning Zhuo’s Mechanical Army was merely expendable material for activating the Warrior Returns Art, and the Three Generals Camp had only been newly formed. Although the Red Flower Camp was a famous elite army, it had never been at full strength. Overall, their combined combat power was still inferior to the Mysterious Shaman Army.
It wasn’t impossible to fight—but they would lose more often than win.
Even if they won, it would only be a miserable victory.
“I didn’t expect Chen Lingfeng to help us like this,” Ning Zhuo remarked while looking toward the chaotic battle around the Mysterious Shaman Army.
Sun Lingtong said, “If we hadn’t driven Chen Lingfeng insane earlier, this wouldn’t have happened. From that perspective, we actually helped ourselves.”
Ning Zhuo’s group continued their charge!
Soon they widened the distance between themselves and the Mysterious Shaman Army.
Inside the Mechanical Carriage, Lin You glanced toward Ning Zhuo’s group during a brief gap in the fighting.
The distance between them had shortened enough for him to notice this approaching enemy force. However, he still remained in place, continuing his fierce battle with the opponent before him.
Bang!
Xu Dali was struck by an attack. Like a falling meteor, he was blasted across half the battlefield, crashing from the camp directly near Ning Zhuo’s group.
Earth and stones scattered as dust rose into the air.
Within the crater, Xu Dali panted heavily, his entire body soaked in blood as he struggled to stand.
But the next moment, intense dizziness made his body sway, forcing him to drop to one knee.
His injuries were severe!
Bizarre Dao—Traceless Shadow Cut!
Xu Dali’s shadow suddenly expanded, and from within it leapt out a Golden Core cultivator.
This enemy cultivator had a pale, withered face and messy black hair. His black robe was torn and ragged. He was none other than Wu Hen—Grandfather Long’s right-hand man and a figure as famous as Chen Lingfeng!
Wu Hen spat out mana and condensed it into a massive pair of scissors in his hands.
He aimed directly at Xu Dali’s shadow and viciously snipped downward.
At the moment between life and death, Xu Dali instinctively rolled forward, narrowly avoiding decapitation.
He groaned as blood sprayed across the ground.
Turning his head in pain, he saw that his right arm had been severed at the root, lying behind him along the blood-stained ground.
Xu Dali hurriedly tried to control his muscles to stop the bleeding.
As a body cultivator, he possessed extremely deep control over his own body.
Yet the methods that had always worked before were completely ineffective now.
While retreating rapidly, he tried various healing techniques, but the results were minimal.
“Bizarre Dao!” His heart sank, realizing he was in serious trouble. Wounds caused by the Bizarre Dao were extremely difficult to treat through normal means.
Under ordinary circumstances, he could have relied on his higher Nascent Soul cultivation to forcibly suppress the damage.
But now his condition was terrible. Most of his strength had already been exhausted, and the fierce battle in the camp had left more than ten additional wounds across his body.
His combat strength had already dropped to the Golden Core level.
“Hehehe.” Wu Hen pressed his advantage and continued the pursuit.
Bizarre Dao—Shadow Threads Binding the Body.
Bizarre Dao—Mystic Threads Claiming Life.
Black shadows surged forward, transforming into countless thin threads that wrapped around Xu Dali’s entire body. The threads were extremely sharp and rapidly tightened, embedding themselves deep into his flesh.
“My life ends here!” Xu Dali could not move at all and fell into despair.
At that moment, a flying scythe spun through the air with perfect precision, slicing through every single thread.
Xu Dali had his life returned to him, momentarily stunned and unable to react.
A dignified Nascent Soul–level veteran general actually standing dazed on the battlefield showed just how poor his condition had become.
When he finally came to his senses, he saw a Mechanical Puppet holding a mechanical scythe, chasing Wu Hen up and down.
Buddhist Doctor—Meng Yaoyin!
Soon after, Ning Zhuo’s group arrived in force, their numbers overwhelming.
“Wu Hen!” Ning Zhuo’s eyes shone brightly.
“Damn it!” Wu Hen had previously clashed with Ning Zhuo once before. Seeing him arrive with so many people, he had no intention of fighting and instead searched for a chance to escape.
“I want him captured alive!” Ning Zhuo shouted.
Mu Lan glanced at him, took a deep breath, and without hesitation spent a large amount of military strength to execute her move.
Military Art—Capture Alive!
A net appeared again, covering Wu Hen.
Du Tiechuan had used this very technique earlier to temporarily imprison Xiang Yue. Yet when Mu Lan used it, the results were not ideal.
Under normal circumstances, Mu Lan’s mastery of this military art was deep enough to restrain most Golden Core cultivators.
But Wu Hen was far from ordinary. He was as famous as Chen Lingfeng and cultivated the Bizarre Dao, possessing rare advantages!
“Hmph, capturing me alive? Wishful thinking!” Wu Hen sneered as his entire body transformed into a flowing shadow.
Just as he was about to slip through the net’s openings and escape—
Buddhist Doctor Meng Yaoyin suddenly changed movements.
The scythe in her hands flashed up and down, creating a brilliant storm of blade light.
The blade light struck Wu Hen’s shadow form, forcing him out of it and returning him to his physical body.
Pfft.
He spat out a mouthful of blood. Already injured by the blade strikes and now suffering backlash from his failed spell, his wounds became extremely severe, causing him to collapse unconscious.
Mu Lan immediately tightened the net, binding him into a bundle.
Wu Hen was actually captured alive!
The smoothness of it all left Ning Zhuo’s group both shocked and delighted.
“Mother…” Ning Zhuo silently called in his heart, feeling that Meng Yaoyin’s spirituality had suddenly surged for a moment.
Yet Buddhist Doctor Meng Yaoyin gave no response, as though that exquisitely precise strike had only been an illusion.
Ning Zhuo quickly stored the puppet away.
“Young Master Ning Zhuo, I will remember your life-saving grace!” Xu Dali forced himself upright and thanked Ning Zhuo.
Ning Zhuo nodded and casually tossed him some healing pills. “General Xu may follow behind my army.”
He would not allow Xu Dali to join his formation. Their coordination would fail and disrupt the structure and maintenance of the battle formation.
Likewise, neither the Three Generals Camp nor the Red Flower Camp could accommodate Xu Dali.
“Many thanks, Young Master!” Though Xu Dali had a straightforward temperament, he knew how to repay kindness and treated Ning Zhuo—his savior—with great respect.
He obediently followed behind Ning Zhuo’s group, using their military presence as cover while taking the chance to catch his breath and employ other methods to restore his combat power.
Lin You’s heart tightened.
He had realized that Ning Zhuo’s group was not far from him.
This enemy force immediately drew his attention.
“Consider yourself lucky!” Lin You snorted coldly, abandoning the opponent who was nearly unable to continue fighting. He decisively controlled the Mechanical Carriage and began relocating with his subordinates.
“Little Zhuo, be careful—he’s trying to run!” Sun Lingtong reported immediately.
Ning Zhuo nodded and carefully observed Lin You’s direction of movement, leading the three armies in an attempt to intercept him.
Lin You quickly noticed the change in Ning Zhuo’s group’s movements.
Suspicion rose in his mind.
“What’s going on? Did I just happen to walk onto their path?”
Ning Zhuo’s long-maintained strategy of concealment proved crucial at this moment. Lin You would never imagine that he was Ning Zhuo’s primary target.
Lin You quickly scanned the battlefield and fixed his gaze on Giant Bing.
He immediately changed direction again, using Giant Bing’s army as a shield to block Ning Zhuo’s group and buy himself time to widen the distance.
Lone Fang and Giant Bing were the most famous beast-taming cultivators in the Thousand Peaks Forest.
Lone Fang commanded wolf packs, while Giant Bing controlled herds of boars.
Since the start of the grand battle, Giant Bing had not charged into the main camp to participate in the core fighting.
This was contrary to his personality, but he had little choice. In previous battles, many of his boar beasts had been slaughtered by the master-disciple pair Ding Bi and Jia Wan.
The scale of Giant Bing’s boar herd had already shrunk significantly, so he had been using them sparingly.
“Hm?!” He frowned deeply as he noticed Ning Zhuo’s group rushing toward him.
“Since the battle began, only forty percent of my boar herd remains. I can’t afford more losses!”
Giant Bing immediately developed thoughts of retreat.
The declining morale of the Thousand Peaks Forest also influenced him, pushing him toward a more conservative decision.
Thus, the boar herd withdrew like a receding tide, leaving a wide open road for Ning Zhuo’s group.
Ning Zhuo blinked. “Huh?”
Lin You was stunned. “What’s going on?!”
Before he could react, Ning Zhuo’s forces had already advanced straight through, shortening the distance by a crucial margin.
“General Mu Lan, General Liu Er—whoever captures this man will earn a favor from me!” Ning Zhuo shouted.
Mu Lan initially did not care much, but upon hearing Ning Zhuo’s promise, her eyes instantly brightened.
However, Liu Er reacted even faster. Excited, he broke away from the main army and charged forward alone.
Guan Hong and Zhang Hei both revealed strange expressions—they had never seen their eldest brother so aggressive and fearless before.
Mu Lan snorted coldly. “My husband’s favor naturally belongs to me!”
She mobilized the battle formation and activated the avatar. The Red Flower itself flew out at incredible speed and landed directly atop the Mechanical Carriage, wrapping Lin You and the carriage together.
Military Art—Flower Curl, Bud Heart!
The Red Flower Avatar possessed Nascent Soul–level combat power. It had once trapped the Nascent Soul–level demon Ma Feitui. Lin You was only at the Golden Core level—how could he possibly resist?
He was immediately captured alive.
Another live capture!
“We got him!” Sun Lingtong cheered inside the Dragon Head Cabin.
Ning Zhuo exhaled a long breath of turbid air. His heart finally settled as overwhelming joy surged within him.
At last, it succeeded!
Even until the final moment, he had not revealed his true intention—
To reclaim the Mechanical Carriage.