Daqin Zhentiansi

Chapter 1023 Flames Spread Across the Plains, Rock Shatters the Demon's Claws

"Boom—!"

The entire Chentieling, along with the Blood Mill City built upon it, was like a sleeping prehistoric beast, completely awakened by this alarm!

The earth is trembling, the air is burning!

Just moments before, the artisans, still reveling in the awe of unparalleled skill, froze on their faces with a deep-seated fear and hatred etched into their very blood.

The young bull demon abruptly stood up from his bellows position, his eyes bloodshot. He grabbed a heavy forging hammer beside him and roared, "Grab your weapons! Let's fight that demon brat!"

The dwarf craftsman dropped his exquisite carving knife and drew his heavy battle axe from his waist.

The Shadow Cat Clan girl put away her engraving needles, and her figure vanished like smoke.

When he reappeared, he was holding a pair of poisoned daggers that gleamed with a ghostly blue light.

The chaos lasted only a moment!

"Silence! Back to your positions! According to wartime regulations!"

Chen Tieshou's hoarse roar was like a thunderclap, instantly suppressing the agitation.

This one-armed old craftsman, with his hair and beard standing on end and a terrifyingly fierce light shooting out from his single eye, was now completely devoid of his previous craftsmanship, resembling a primordial beast that had been enraged!

"To the Refinement Department! All unfinished items must be sealed immediately! All finished products, according to their serial numbers, must be immediately sent to Armory 3, 7, and 9! Act swiftly! Those who delay will be subject to military law!"

"Yes!" The craftsmen in the weapon-refining area were jolted awake from their angry chaos as if struck by a whip, and burst forth with astonishing efficiency.

Heavy armor components, bundles of Rift Abyss Crossbows, and gleaming Demon-Slaying Cones were quickly packed and transported, flowing like a torrent towards the designated defensive nodes along the pre-designated channels.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, carrying a chilling, order born of the threat of death.

Meanwhile, in the Blood Mill City.

"Close the city gates! Activate! All non-combat personnel, immediately take cover in the underground bunkers! Quickly!"

The clear, penetrating sound resonated throughout every corner via the amplified conch shells that were placed everywhere.

Zhao Yu stood on a makeshift platform, her plain dress fluttering in the sudden gust of bloody wind, completely devoid of her previous gentleness.

Several alien figures who attempted to seize supplies during the chaos were instantly bound and dragged away by pale golden chains made of spirit crystals that suddenly appeared beside her. The movements were clean, swift, and without any hesitation.

This is the power of the Great Dao. Unless someone can break through the Great Dao here, there is absolutely no way to resist the power of these chains.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Around the edge of the entire Bloodmill City, seventy-two enormous stone pillars, inscribed with mysterious runes, rumbled up from the ground!

The rock-grade rune cores embedded at the top of the pillars lit up simultaneously, and the thick, earth-yellow light curtain instantly closed, forming a huge "Immovable Rock" defensive barrier that covered the entire market!

On the light screen, the faint phantom images of mountains flowed, exuding an indestructible and majestic aura.

"Rock Armor Clan! Follow me! Move the arrows to the west wall crenellation! Quickly!"

A rough voice stood out clearly amidst the chaos.

The old man from the Black Horned Bull Demon Clan who had previously traded with Zhao Yu was now wielding a simple bone shield, organizing dozens of strong Bull Demons and Rock Armor Clan warriors, who were carrying bundles of heavy, armor-piercing arrows that gleamed with a cold light, and were rushing towards the pre-set position at the edge of the defensive barrier like a moving mountain.

They moved swiftly, their eyes were fierce, and they showed no hesitation whatsoever.

The Blood Mill gave them the opportunity to trade and survive; now is the time for them to protect this land of hope with their lives!

"Winged Clan! Take off! Seize the high ground! Use your eyes to point out the Demon General's location!"

A sharp whistle rang out, and dozens of winged figures soared into the sky, wielding lightweight but powerful bows, their eyes scanning the rolling demonic clouds in the distance like those of hawks.

"Shadowcat Clan! Scatter into the shadows! Hunt down the infiltrated demon cubs! Leave no one alive!" From a dark corner came a command as cold as a viper's hiss.

Countless blurry shadows silently blended into the shadows of the buildings and the ground.

Within a mere dozen breaths from the sounding of the alarm to the raising of the defensive barrier, the entire Blood Mill underwent an astonishing transformation from a bustling marketplace into a war fortress!

Chaos was replaced by efficiency, and fear was overshadowed by a shared hatred of the enemy.

The people of all ethnic groups, whether they were merchants, farmers or artisans before, have now transformed into warriors. Under the rules set by Zhang Yuan and the efficient command of Zhao Yu, they have unleashed an astonishing level of organization and combat power!

Xingheng and Yunji stood on the still bustling street, now filled with a chilling atmosphere, and witnessed everything.

For the first time, undisguised astonishment appeared in their eyes.

"Such a quick reaction!"

The mournful horn of the Bone-Eating Demon Lord pierced the very marrow of every living being in Chentie Ridge like millions of ice spikes.

That was not a sound, but a roar of will from the abyss, filled with annihilation and greed, instantly freezing the fervent hope ignited in the weapon-refining area by the arrival of the two secret techniques into a chilling shudder.

"Woo-woo-woo-!"

The warning drum was met with a sudden, overwhelming demonic howl that swept across the millions of miles of blood-red wasteland outside Chentieling!

The thick, inky demonic cloud churned and boiled, with countless scarlet demonic eyes shining within it, resembling an inverted sea of ​​blood.

The earth groaned under the trampling.

The space was torn open with countless dark cracks.

The viscous, asphalt-like shadow monsters surged towards the newly built "Blood Mill" and the main fortress of Iron Ridge like a raging torrent of filth bursting its banks, carrying with them a biting wind and a nauseating stench!

At the very forefront of the demonic cloud, a battle banner made of countless pale skeletons and topped with a huge, rotting demon head fluttered in the wind, radiating a suffocating pressure from the peak of the Venerable Realm.

The Bone-Corroding Demon Lord has arrived in person!

"Roar! Warriors of Qin! Form ranks—as solid as a mountain!"

A roar like a landslide and a tsunami erupted from the million-strong Qin army.

Wang Meng, who had just been struggling to temper his muscles and bones under the immense pressure of the primordial world, now had bloodshot eyes, and the phantom of the Golden-Winged Roc around him was almost solidified, emitting a sharp shriek that tore through the sky.

He took the lead, guiding his comrades who had completed their initial adaptation and were now brimming with fierce energy, instantly forming a massive, rock-solid battle formation.

Their movements were perfectly synchronized, exuding a cold, steely resolve forged through countless trials.

"Boom!"

Heavy shields, hastily assembled from "rock-solid" armor plates and with their surface runes instantly activated, crashed to the ground!

The thick, earthy-yellow halo stretched out like a towering mountain rising from the ground, forcefully confronting the most turbulent front of the demonic tide!

Countless low-level Shadow Demons and Corrupted Lizard Demons crashed against the light barrier like waves lapping against rocks, instantly shattering and purifying with a mournful sound of dissolving. However, the demonic tide was endless, also accompanied by colossal skeletal trolls covered in bone armor, wielding enormous bone hammers that slammed into the light barrier with deafening metallic clangs, causing it to shake violently!

"Rift Abyss! Release!"

Almost the instant the rock formation was completed, a sharp command pierced through the demonic howl from the higher defensive fortifications.

The Rift Abyss crossbow positions, which had been waiting in full battle array, erupted with a deadly hum!

The armor-piercing heavy crossbow bolts, personally supervised by Lei Zhen and newly refined with the earth and fire essence of the Qilin, transformed into streaks of dark blue light that tore through the air, precisely piercing through the gaps in the demonic tide and fiercely stabbing into the joints, eye sockets, and other vulnerable parts of the skeletal giants!

"Pfft!"

"boom--!"

The crossbow bolt containing the "Undying Golden Flame" rune exploded inside the demon's body, and the bluish-white purifying flames instantly engulfed the demon's body!

Several skeletal trolls let out earth-shattering screams and collapsed with a crash, smashing a group of low-level monsters.

"kill!"

The Shadowcat assassins emerged from the shadows like phantoms.

A poisoned dagger precisely slices across the throat of a Shadow Demon attempting to climb the barrier, or a specially made "stealth powder" is thrown into a densely populated area of ​​monsters, causing a small-scale chaos and poisonous fog.

"Feather Clan report! In the northeast corner, demonic energy is abnormally concentrated! A large creature is attacking the barrier node!" A sharp warning came from the sky.

"Black Tortoise Guards! Follow me to the front!" A deep, steady roar rang out.

Suddenly, the old man, Xuan Turtle, appeared beside the barrier pillar in the northeast corner. His beard and hair were bristling, and his hands were pressed against the ground.

A colossal phantom of a Xuan Turtle, far more solid than before and flowing with Xuanhuang divine patterns, roared and clashed head-on with the barrier light screen that had been frantically torn apart by several giant demonic claws and already showed fine cracks!

"boom!"

The divine light of Xuanhuang clashed violently with the filthy demonic energy, causing the space to tremble!

The illusory image of the black tortoise remained as steady as a rock, firmly fixing the crack.

Behind him, squads of elite prehistoric humans, clad in heavy armor and wielding massive shields, roared as they charged forward, forming a second line of defense with their bodies and shields to buy time for the rune masters behind them to repair the barrier.

The battlefield instantly turned into a meat grinder.

The sounds of heavy stone shields clashing, the whistling of crossbows piercing the abyss, the roars and melting of monsters, and the shouts and screams of warriors intertwined, creating a symphony of blood and fire.

At the summit of Chentieling Main Fortress.

Zhang Yuan's figure had appeared at the highest point at some unknown time, his black battle robe remaining motionless in the raging demonic wind.

His gaze, as cold as ice, pierced through the boiling demonic clouds, locking onto the bone-corroding demonic banner deep within the demonic tide, and beneath it, seated a grotesque figure covered in writhing bone spikes, atop a skeletal throne formed from countless agonizing, wailing souls—the Bone-Corroding Demon Lord!

The Vermilion Bird, White Tiger, and other divine beasts stood solemnly in their incarnations.

"The vanguard of the Rift Abyss Bounty Order... arrived quickly." Zhang Yuan's voice was calm, yet contained a killing intent that could freeze one's soul. "It seems that old demon is eager to take my head."

"Hmph, a mere Bone-Eating being dares to be so arrogant!" The White Tiger transformed, its white hair dancing wildly, its body condensing into countless invisible swords of murderous golden energy, ready to be unleashed. "Zhang Shuai, let me tear him apart!"

"No rush." ​​Zhang Yuan slightly raised his hand, but his gaze shifted to the direction of the Blood Mill Market below, a cold smile curving his lips. "There are still 'guests' watching the show. Senior Vermilion Bird, you just said... that the Heavenly Dao has already issued a warning?"

The red-clad woman, transformed from the Vermilion Bird, nodded, flames flickering in her crimson-gold eyes: "Indeed. Ever since those two stepped into the Blood Mill territory, the Beacon Fire Golden Net has emitted subtle fluctuations of the 'Star Mountain' Dao aura. Although it tried its best to conceal them, it could not hide them from the Heavenly Dao node rooted here. At this moment, they are still in the market."

Zhang Yuan's eyes showed even more understanding: "Under the Heavenly Venerable, the Lord of the Myriad Stars Palace, Xing Heng, and the Lord of the Mountain-Suppressing Palace, Venerable Panshan Yunji... disguised as merchants to sneak into my Blood Mill, they probably didn't come to watch the show."

"With the demonic calamity looming, it's a good time to see whether this Heavenly Palace giant will remain on the sidelines or..."

Before he could finish speaking, a sudden change occurred on the battlefield!

Deep within the demonic tide, the Bone-Eating Demon Lord seemed enraged by the tenacity of the Qin army formation and the lethality of the Rift Abyss Crossbows.

He abruptly rose from the skeletal throne, a piercing shriek emanating from his rotting demon head!

"You lowly ants! Crush me!"

One of his giant claws, covered in wriggling bone spurs, suddenly shot out, ignoring spatial distance, instantly traversing the battlefield, and fiercely grabbing at Wang Meng, who was at the core of the Qin army's "Rock Formation"!

The giant claw swelled as it faced the wind, its bone spikes wreathed in a viscous, decaying demonic energy that seemed capable of corroding time. Wherever it passed, the space groaned under its unbearable weight, leaving behind five pitch-black corrosive cracks!

The furious strike from a peak Venerable Realm expert was earth-shattering!

"Commander Wang!"

An angry roar erupted from the Qin army.

Wang Meng's pupils constricted sharply, and the hairs on his body stood on end!

The death pressure brought by those demonic claws made him feel suffocated even though he had just broken through to a higher realm!

He roared and pushed the power of the Golden-Winged Roc to its limit in an attempt to dodge, but the annihilating Daoist aura contained in the demonic claw seemed to lock the space around him, leaving him with no way to avoid it!

At this critical moment!

"Demon! Do not harm the sons of my Great Qin!"

A roar as loud as thunder from the heavens exploded!

A figure as black as ink, wreathed in towering, murderous platinum flames, crashed down from the main fortress of Chentie Ridge like a meteor, precisely blocking the gap between Wang Meng and that world-destroying demonic claw!

It was Ying Wuji!

At this moment, he was a completely different person from before he refined the white tiger's blood essence.

On the black dragon armor, white gold tiger stripes roared and flowed, and a terrifying "Great Sage" pressure that surpassed ordinary Saint Realm and was infinitely close to Venerable spread out as if it were a tangible thing!

His eyes were wide open in anger, but there was no fear in them, only an overwhelming fighting spirit that could burn the eight directions and a heart that wanted to protect his soldiers!

"National Defense - Breaking Army!"

Ying Wuji neither dodged nor evaded, his right fist clenched tightly, all his strength, killing aura, and even the indomitable fighting spirit of the Great Qin Dynasty concentrated on his fist!

The punch was thrown without any flashy light, only a terrifying fist energy that was condensed to the extreme and seemed capable of shattering stars!

Before the fist's energy, a towering, imposing phantom of a giant platinum tiger, exuding a murderous aura, roared towards the sky, its resolute determination to shatter all obstacles crashing headlong into the sky-covering demonic claw!

"Boom—!!!!"

An indescribable, terrifying explosion erupted in the heart of the battlefield!

It was like two stars colliding!

The blinding platinum light and the filthy, decaying demonic energy violently annihilated and destroyed each other!

A violent energy shockwave swept out in a ring, blasting away and shattering all the low-level demons and human warriors within a radius of hundreds of feet!

The light dimmed slightly.

The bone-corroding demonic claws, powerful enough to crush mountains, were actually forced back by Ying Wuji's earth-shattering punch!

At the center of the claw, several thick bone spikes broke off, and thick demonic blood sprayed out like a waterfall!

Ying Wuji's figure was also slammed into the ground by the force of the recoil. His legs were embedded deep in the rocks, his armor was cracked in many places, blood spilled from the corner of his mouth, and his breath was violently churning, clearly indicating that he had suffered serious internal injuries.

But he remained as steadfast as a mountain, standing before the still-shaken Wang Meng and the army formation. His eyes, burning with the fire of battle, were fixed on the Bone-Eating Demon Lord deep within the demonic clouds, showing no fear! (End of Chapter)