Chapter 1007: Military Valor

The warships of the Great Zhen Navy were far more formidable than ordinary cultivators realized. While some cultivators viewed them merely as artifacts crafted from small components assembled through treasure-refining techniques, the application of ingenious mechanisms truly transformed the mundane into the miraculous, a fact outsiders could not grasp.

However, what others didn't know, General Li, a high-ranking court official, and the accompanying immortal masters who had been fully involved in their construction, deeply understood that these Great Zhen naval warships were no mere mortal toys in the eyes of some practitioners. The Great Zhen court and public had dispatched half of their navy in one go, including fifty thousand naval officers and soldiers, and transporting one hundred thousand elite Great Zhen iron-blooded warriors on hundreds of warships, with the clear intention of making a stunning debut.

While the mechanical warships of the navy couldn't match the speed of immortal cultivators' escape techniques, their velocity was still remarkably exaggerated. Decades ago, a mortal army would have taken at least a year of arduous marching over mountains and across rivers to reach their destination by land. Yet, the Great Zhen Navy's mechanical ships covered the same distance by sea in less than ten days, arriving at the coastal border of a small nation called Bilian.

That small nation, with a total area less than a single province of Great Zhen and a total military force of fewer than fifty thousand soldiers, was suddenly terrified when it discovered the Great Zhen Navy sailing through its major river. They mistakenly believed that Great Zhen intended to invade Bilian's territory.

Fortunately, the Great Zhen Navy sent word that they merely sought passage to Qiliang.

On the coastline of Bilian, General Li stood up and looked at the soldiers beside him.

"Order all ships to activate their formations and ascend."

"Understood!"

Beside him, a few soldiers, two of whom each raised a blue flag, constantly waving them in flag signals, while the others simultaneously raised their horns.

"Woooooosh—"

As the horn sounded, the naval forces, who were already keenly watching each ship, all turned their gaze towards the flagship. All the sailors immediately became excited, and a messenger soldier bellowed, drawing energy from his Dantian.

"Lower the Sky Sails—"

"Lower the Sky Sails!" "Hoist the sails—"

On the deck, sturdy Great Zhen soldiers pulled deck gear levers, and immediately, one of the warship's sails descended. All Great Zhen warships performed the same action; in an instant, hundreds of blue sails lowered simultaneously.

"Clatter, clatter, clatter..."

As the blue sails lowered, a sound of gears turning echoed within all the warships. Then, within a dozen breaths, all the warships slowly began to lift off the sea surface.

This was an extremely spectacular sight. The hearts of all the soldiers in the Great Zhen fleet swelled with excitement, and even some of the accompanying immortal masters on the larger ships felt a tremor of thrill.

Flying ships were not uncommon in the cultivation world; realm ferries, in particular, were supreme immortal treasures, containing extraordinary cosmic wonders. While the Great Zhen Navy's warships were mysterious, they could hardly be considered conventional magical artifacts.

However, the sight of hundreds of large ships ascending simultaneously was truly magnificent, a spectacle rarely seen even in the cultivation world.

While the Great Zhen soldiers and accompanying immortal masters were stirred, the people of Bilian who witnessed this scene were utterly stunned. Some pointed at the sky and shrieked in alarm, while others simply stared, wide-eyed and speechless.

Nevertheless, the Great Zhen Navy's mechanical warships were not true immortal treasure ships. After slowly hovering, they began to move gradually, their speed increasing little by little as they flew westward, maintaining a pace equivalent to their speed at sea.

This military campaign was of paramount importance to all of Great Zhen, and the strengths and weaknesses of the mechanical warships were highly guarded state secrets, to be revealed only at critical moments.

After crossing Bilian and traversing more than half of a sprawling range of hills, the territory of Qiliang came into view for the Great Zhen Navy.

After half a day of travel, the lead warship was the first to emerge from the mountainous region. On its front deck, a general held a special stick-shaped brass instrument, gazing into the distance. This too was a creation of master craftsmen, known as a 'thousand-mile mirror'.

As if these mountains marked some kind of boundary, dark clouds immediately pressed down upon the sky upon reaching them. Though there was no lightning or thunder, the world grew dim.

In the distance, flashes of magical light were already visible, indicating cultivators were casting spells. The ship's compass vibrated continuously, pointing towards the distance. The soldier holding the thousand-mile mirror frowned deeply, a sense of alarm rising within him. Large numbers of demons and monsters were attacking a major city, and above the city, divine lights pulsed, suggesting that local deities had intervened.

Among these demons, however, besides those clearly not human, there were also some who appeared like ordinary citizens or even soldiers. Although viewed through the thousand-mile mirror, they were still somewhat blurry due to the great distance.

Compared to the lead warships, at the central flagship's position, an accompanying immortal master had already projected the distant city's scene into a basin of water using a spell. This was a form of scrying art, allowing a cultivator to display images in water as long as the target was within their range of perception and observation.

Several Great Zhen generals all frowned, gazing at the large basin of water. The scene inside indeed showed some human-like figures mixed with demons and monsters, rushing towards the city. Some of them even wielded weapons, but their faces bore savage, death-defying expressions as they attacked the city alongside the monstrous creatures.

A large number of Qiliang soldiers were concentrated on the city walls, along with several cultivators casting talismans. In the sky, the City God and other deities continuously unleashed divine light, striking down threatening demons, especially those capable of flight. The city walls vibrated constantly, with earth and stones rolling up from below to repair damaged sections, clearly indicating that the Earth God was also assisting.

"What a formidable city! But what's with these people mixed in with the demons and monsters?"

Yin Chong, commander of the elite warriors, looked at the water basin with a grave expression.

"These are probably no longer human."

"Indeed. They can climb walls using both hands and feet. I don't believe they are all martial artists."

The accompanying immortal master shook his head.

"No, these are indeed humans, or at least they once were. They have merely been afflicted by powerful demonic arts, turning them monstrous and bloodthirsty. Judging by their aura, they must have shed a lot of blood recently and have completely succumbed to demonic corruption. They are beyond salvation."

"Hmph! Then they are no longer human! This commander doesn't want our soldiers to be held back. The immortal master also said they are beyond salvation. I only want to know, if our soldiers go over there, will there be a risk of them succumbing to demonic corruption?"

The accompanying immortal master, accustomed to dealing with these iron-blooded soldiers, spoke plainly.

"Generals, have no worries. All Great Zhen soldiers are fierce and courageous, their formation exudes an unmatched aura of killing intent, and each cultivates martial arts and carries protective talismans. Nothing will happen to them."

The Grand Marshal surnamed Li raised his head and gravely issued an order.

"Good! Deliver the order: Beat the drums to engage the enemy!"

"Yes, sir!"

"All generals, prepare yourselves!"

"Understood!"

As Yin Chong was about to turn, he was called back.

"General Yin, though this endeavor is perilous, I hope the elite warriors can display the might of Great Zhen, letting the world know that our mortal warriors can also contend with demons!"

Yin Chong's expression was solemn as he saluted the Grand Marshal Li, who stood near the command flag.

"Your humble subordinate will not fail in his mission!"

With that, Yin Chong turned, took a short running start, and then suddenly leapt, clearing three of the massive flying ships before landing on his own warship.

The Great Zhen Navy operated the warships, providing support from the mechanical aerial ships, while the one hundred thousand elite warriors were meant to disembark and directly engage the enemy. Yin Chong was the vanguard general.

Dozens, scores, hundreds of ships…

One by one, the Great Zhen warships sailed out of the mountainous range. Onboard, bare-chested soldiers, wielding dual sticks, furiously beat leather drums.

"Boom-boom-boom-boom-boom..."

And rows of soldiers blew their horns.

"Woooooosh—"

Stirred by the drums and horns, the Great Zhen soldiers were filled with fervor, and the sounds also startled the distant formidable city.

Some turned their heads to the east, where massive flying ships, filling their vision, were sailing through the sky.

"The Great Zhen Navy? Immortal treasure ships? No, that's impossible, so many of them…"

"Lord City God, this…"

"Don't bother with such questions. Those approaching are our reinforcements… Fellow cultivators, soldiers, the Great Zhen reinforcements have arrived—"

The City God's latter half of the sentence was transmitted via a roaring spiritual message, instantly boosting the morale of the cultivators and civilians present. These reinforcements, arriving now, offered them a beacon of hope.

In reality, the entire Qiliang nation and its surrounding northwestern regions had descended into chaos, with increasing numbers of demons and monsters appearing. Righteous cultivators were constantly intervening, making it seem almost like an omen of the Rebellion of Tianyu Continent from years past.

The intelligence Great Zhen had received a month prior differed greatly from the current reality, and this particular location was one of the most severely affected areas.

However, even if the Great Zhen Navy's command didn't fully grasp the true situation, or even if they did, this battle was absolutely going to be fought.

Although the sky was somewhat dim, the mechanical warships now emitted a soft glow due to certain formations inscribed upon them.

As these hundreds of aerial mechanical warships approached, combined with the formidable blood-soaked aura of over one hundred thousand Great Zhen soldiers, the resulting momentum was astonishing. Even the demons and monsters frantically attacking the city momentarily slowed their assault.

Only upon closer inspection could the immortal cultivators on the Great Zhen warships observe more clearly. There were indeed many cultivators in that large city, at least a hundred, aided by deities and ghosts, along with garrison soldiers and martial artists defending it.

However, the number of demons and monsters was even more terrifying. The plains and hills outside the city were teeming with them, covering every inch of the land. Most numerous among them were the "humans" who had fallen to the dark path.

'Could demons really suppress their urge to devour humans? Did they truly regard these corrupted beings as allies?'

The accompanying immortal master looked down in surprise. Before he could speak, the mechanical warships had already unleashed their power.

In the current era, with various schools of thought flourishing and different innovations developing rapidly, the firecrackers once widely used for festive rituals had their charges improved. True cannons emerged, further amplified by simple formations, becoming powerful weapons for warships.

The foremost mechanical warships began to position themselves horizontally, and dark cannons on their decks erupted with flashes of fire.

"Boom…" "Boom…" "Boom…" "Boom…" "Boom…"

"CRASH…" "CRASH…" "CRASH…" "CRASH…"

The flashes of fire in the sky and the explosions on the ground made everyone believe that heavenly thunder was falling, terrifying both attackers and defenders. The cannon fire and explosions continued relentlessly, growing denser as more warships positioned themselves horizontally.

The City God of the great city stared blankly at the dense flashes of fire in the nearby sky, then looked at the explosions erupting on the land and hills outside the city.

"What kind of spell is this? There's only the smell of sulfur and gunpowder, but no spiritual energy?"

The bombardment lasted for a full quarter of an hour, truly like rolling thunder and ground fire, scarring the earth and causing countless casualties among the demons and monsters. Even some with considerable cultivation were badly shaken.

Meanwhile, more and more of the flying ships had quietly descended, and vast numbers of Great Zhen elite warriors charged out. Following the principle of "picking the softest persimmon first," they targeted the demons and monsters wounded by the cannon fire, whose blood sacrifices strengthened the military formation and transformed some of the warriors' fear into exhilaration.

"Kill!"

Yin Chong roared, and all the soldiers responded in unison.

"Kill—"

Their shouts echoed across the sky, scattering the dark clouds overhead.

A blood-red cloud, like a burning sky, condensed above the Great Zhen elite warriors' formation. The formation surged forward, the soldiers fiercely wielding their long weapons against the monstrous demons.

"Thud…" "Thud…" "Thud…" "Clang…"

"Roar—" "Die!" "Ah…"

The elite warriors grew fiercer with each drop of blood spilled. Their formidable martial arts, combined with the coordinated military formation and the aura of killing intent enveloping them, generated a unique blood-fiend qi. Even some truly fearsome demons were sliced apart like meat before they could react.

Meanwhile, the warships in the sky continued to advance, some firing cannons, while others had soldiers on board drawing bows and firing arrows.