Chapter 1008: Don't Gamble

Yin Chong was like a god of war, the very core of the military formation's formidable aura. The saying "deploying troops like a god" was no longer just a mere compliment in the Way of Warfare; it had become a tangible reality. At this moment, Yin Chong embodied this perfectly, seemingly imbued with the power of a million soldiers. His body was enveloped in a dense, rust-colored martial aura from the military formation.

As the vanguard general, Yin Chong led the charge, encountering no demons, monsters, or ghosts that could withstand even a single blow.

"Die—"

Whoosh... Whoosh... Whoosh...

Yin Chong raised his long weapon, spinning it into a whirlwind. Terrifying light and shadows swept forward with his furious charge, tearing apart all demons, monsters, ghosts, and even those ghastly, grotesque "humans."

As Yin Chong surged forward, a muscular, grim-faced soldier, carrying a towering banner, galloped alongside him within the military formation. The banner pole soared ten feet high, with the flag itself equally tall, bearing the inscription: "Dazhen Elite Warriors."

One man charged directly through the enemy lines, cutting down countless demons. Behind him, the Dazhen Elite Warriors advanced with their weapons, fighting valiantly, refusing to retreat even when wounded or facing casualties.

"Kill—" "Kill—" "Kill—"

From a distance, looking up from below the great city of Qiliang, the Dazhen soldiers, shrouded in a bright, rust-colored martial aura, appeared like a sharp, triangular spear, piercing deep into the demon stronghold and continuously tearing apart their flesh and blood.

Some demons, lacking sufficient power in their Five Elements techniques, struggled to shake the military formation; they scattered upon contact with the surging aura. When elements like water and fire were unleashed, the Dazhen soldiers bravely held their ground. Led by their generals, they swiftly charged their targets to contain the elemental attacks. Furthermore, Dazhen immortal masters and cultivators from the city cast spells to counter the demons, constantly battling for control over lightning or clashing with wind magic, significantly restricting the demons' spellcasting abilities against the Dazhen Elite Warriors.

Such battles, where mortal armies fought demons, were rare in Qiliang. Although the people of the kingdom had heard of military strategy over the years, Qiliang was a small nation with few standing armies and no notable generals. Few had diligently studied military tactics, let alone mastered the complete Way of Warfare.

Thus, at this moment, not only the soldiers and warriors on the city walls, but even the immortal cultivators and divine spirits stared dumbfounded at the scene below, unable to compose themselves.

"Dazhen Elite Warriors... Dazhen Elite Warriors!"

The local city god murmured, finding the sight hard to believe had he not witnessed it firsthand.

"My Lord City God, this military strategy... it possesses such power!"

It was no wonder the people of Qiliang were so astonished; even the military commanders and accompanying immortal masters on the Dazhen navy's mechanical warships showed expressions of surprise.

As those on the large ships observed the battlefield below, Yin Chong and several other generals and captains seemed to defy gravity, ascending into the air by stepping on the surging aura. Not only could they shoot down aerial demons with bows and arrows, but they could also wield their weapons in the sky.

"How formidable!"

"How old is General Yin? To be so capable!"

An immortal master nearby couldn't help but exclaim in astonishment.

Though Yin Chong was no longer young, his demeanor remained majestic and his appearance handsome, making people overlook his age. Besides, for immortal cultivators, forty or fifty was not considered old.

Meanwhile, the commander-in-chief of the three armies stroked his beard, smiling as he watched the Dazhen Elite Warriors below.

"General Yin is a grand master of military doctrine, a military general of exceptional talent and ambition. He can gather the might of a thousand armies, capable of leading his troops forward even against ancient demons and fiends who have cultivated for a thousand years!"

"A strong general makes strong soldiers, and strong soldiers make the general even stronger!"

A military officer, weapon in hand, recited military proverbs, his heart pounding with excitement. Seeing Yin Chong and the myriad soldiers charging below, he wished he could join them.

"Marshal and generals, let's not be too optimistic. The demons here behave strangely; they can even restrain and devour those around them. It's likely there's a more powerful demon lord controlling them, one capable of driving all these demons and monsters into a frenzy!"

All Dazhen military commanders looked grim, observing the battle below. Some generals picked up their bows and arrows, ready to support Yin Chong, their archery from the large ships equally potent.

Amidst this excitement and vigilance, the battle below raged fiercely. The cannons on the Dazhen mechanical warships fired relentlessly; large demons were targeted with solid shot, while hordes of smaller demons were hit with explosive rounds. Fortunately, thanks to immortal artifacts resembling "Cosmic Bags," the consumption of cannonballs was temporarily sustainable.

Cannons were naturally effective against smaller demons and monsters, but they were less impactful against powerful ones, at most causing minor damage or fright. It wasn't that the damage was insignificant—if a shot truly landed, the terrifying impact would be considerable—but the problem lay in their poor accuracy. Unlike archery, cannons lacked precision, and shrapnel was hardly lethal to targets with tough hides and thick flesh.

The mechanical warships' cannons preferred numerous targets that could be hit indiscriminately. Against truly formidable demons and ghosts, relying on cannons to slay them was highly improbable; it still came down to the military commanders fighting them hand-to-hand.

Consequently, later on, the cannon fire from the mechanical warships largely ceased to conserve ammunition, with soldiers providing support through archery instead.

Yin Chong, wielding a steel spear, led the Dazhen Elite Warriors in a charge through the demon formation. His hands moved like a phantom, the spear like lightning, the martial aura extending the reach of his weapon. With each sweeping strike, he cut down far more demons than just those in his immediate vicinity.

The Dazhen Elite Warriors were indeed formidable, but fighting demons was anything but easy, and casualties mounted continuously. However, unless severely wounded, those with minor injuries refused to retreat.

Contrary to the concerns of some who had private suspicions, no more powerful entities appeared, even after Yin Chong led the Dazhen Elite Warriors in a relentless slaughter outside the great city, decimating the demons, ghosts, and monsters until their bodies littered the ground and they scattered in chaotic retreat.

The most formidable among them were a few great demons. However, these great demons were unlucky: two were entangled by the city god and divine spirits within the city, one unfortunate creature was hit in the head by a solid cannonball, momentarily stunned, then struck by a bolt from a demon-slaying ballista, giving Yin Chong the chance to decapitate it. Another great demon, seeing the unfavorable situation, retreated.

Yin Chong stood atop a colossal demon corpse, regulating his breath. He could sense the general condition of all his comrades in the military formation, and without waiting for casualty reports, he could roughly gauge the losses from this battle.

Not all hundred thousand Dazhen Elite Warriors were deployed this time, as more troops aren't always better; effective deployment space also needs to be considered. Approximately forty-six thousand warriors participated in this charge, with over a thousand soldiers killed in action and even more wounded.

This made Yin Chong's heart ache. These were hand-picked, brave, and strong soldiers, comrades who had lived and trained together in the camp for years. Slaying countless demons could not compensate for the lives of his brothers-in-arms.

At the same time, Yin Chong was immensely proud. Though they faced terrifying demons, not a single one of his men retreated. While some might have initially felt fear, it later transformed into murderous intent, a phenomenon he, as the commanding general, felt especially keenly. Ultimately, the entire army achieved a victory that would shock the world.

While this victory might not be remarkable to some high-level immortal cultivators, it was a military achievement of a mortal dynasty. To many cultivators, it meant slaying demons with mortal bodies and directly confronting a multitude of them. Regardless of the number of powerful demons, the feat itself was undeniable.

Only at this moment did all the Dazhen soldiers finally breathe a sigh of relief. They had won this battle, and the additional or more terrifying opponents that the accompanying immortal masters had envisioned also failed to appear.

The people in the great city of Qiliang also realized what had happened. Soon, scattered cheers began to erupt from within the city to the battlefield outside, quickly swelling into a surging tide of jubilation.

Victory was achieved, but after learning the latest intelligence, the Dazhen generals realized that the current situation seemed far from optimistic.

Qiliang's current situation was dire, and even the surrounding nations to its northwest were experiencing extremely serious conditions, with more and more demons appearing. Severe situations like that in this great city were likely not isolated incidents. Communication among various factions had long been severed, leading to complete chaos.

Naturally, the Dazhen army would not ignore this situation. The military formations, with their direct, forceful enemy elimination and coordinated group charges, were particularly well-suited for clearing out demons in such scenarios.

Of course, this was not only an opportunity to train troops and spread Dazhen's prestige but also made Yin Chong and others aware of the inherent dangers. The immortal masters and the city god within the city both suspected that a formidable demon was behind the unrest. Even if their suspicions were wrong, the origin of this demon invasion was highly intriguing and certainly not a good omen, especially with the appearance of shapeshifting demons and great demons, which posed a significant threat.

However, unbeknownst to everyone, in the far distance, shrouded in shadow, a figure stood amidst dark clouds, observing the distant military formation and the great city.

"Dazhen Elite Warriors? Flying warships?"

The Fiend Demon now felt much better than ever before, but upon witnessing the power of this "military strategy" today, which, while posing no threat to him personally, had left demon corpses strewn across the area outside the city after the recent battle, he was surprised.

"How many years has it been? It's one thing for a Civil Star and a Military Star to appear among humanity, but now there's truly a flourishing of a hundred schools of thought. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, it would have been utterly unbelievable."

Later in the evening, the Fiend Demon silently flew towards the city. The Dazhen warships had landed, and the soldiers were either tending to their wounds or resting.

However, despite patrolling divine spirits and immortal cultivators setting up formations, the Fiend Demon entered the city effortlessly, as if walking into an empty realm. He flew straight to a large inn that had been cordoned off, as if knowing the way.

In the inn's backyard, a mechanical warship was currently docked. Most soldiers were resting on board, while the severely wounded had all been moved into the inn. Yin Chong, meanwhile, was reading by lamplight in a room within a private courtyard.

The day's battle seemed to have left no trace of fatigue on Yin Chong. He used an iron pick to adjust the lampwick, making the light brighter, then tightened his cloak and turned a page in his book. He was oblivious to the unwelcome guest who had just entered his room.

The Fiend Demon narrowed his eyes, observing Yin Chong. Even though the troops had withdrawn, the general was still faintly encircled by the martial aura of the military formation. His martial arts aura was also extremely potent. Compared to mortals, this was obvious, but even among ordinary cultivators, he was considered a formidable individual.

'Interesting. But if he cannot command a thousand armies, he is ultimately just a martial artist... Cultivators control water and fire, while the Way of Warfare lies in controlling soldiers. Whoever conceived this path is truly a genius!'

The Fiend Demon moved closer to Yin Chong, observing the mortal general with an eerie smile. Just as malevolent thoughts stirred in the Fiend Demon's mind, he suddenly noticed the book in Yin Chong's hands. It contained cryptic symbols and celestial seal characters. Various changes were occurring on the pages, and faint waves of light began to spread, subtly forming some kind of formation...

The Fiend Demon had been completely unaware of this book moments ago. There should be no formation in the world capable of achieving such concealment.

'A formation?'

Startled, the Fiend Demon instantly retreated from the room. But the faint light continued to spread, preventing him from lingering. He immediately flew high into the sky.

'Who is it? Could it be Ji Yuan? Did he foresee my presence here?'

The Fiend Demon scanned every corner of the city and its surroundings, looking at where the warships had landed, and sweeping his gaze towards the distant horizon and the clouds above. Within a breath, he made his decision and silently departed. This was Yunzhou, and stirring up trouble here carried significant risk; it was best not to gamble.