Longzang

Chapter 1064 Conspiracy
A giant, five zhang tall, strode down the hillside, his movements earth-shaking, like a rolling boulder, as he charged toward the ant-like humans before him.

But suddenly he felt a sharp pain in his calf, as if he had been bitten hard by some insect. He looked down and saw a wound the size of a washbasin on his calf, with a large, jawless flying sword deeply embedded inside.

A captain at the Foundation Establishment stage in the distance lowered his seven-foot-long sniper rifle, his face filled with astonishment. This was a shot powerful enough to injure a Dharma Avatar, and it had indeed wounded the opponent, but compared to that enormous size, this minor injury was nothing more than a scratch.

The giant was furious and continued charging forward. He covered ten zhang in one stride, and the thousand zhang distance was covered in the blink of an eye.

However, the sound of artillery fire rang out, and shells exploded one after another on his body, each one taking away a small piece of flesh.

Although each cannon shot caused only minor damage, the continuous bombardment from more than a dozen infantry cannons caused the damage to accumulate. When the giant was less than a hundred feet away from the human, he was finally stopped by the cannon fire. He then waved his hand to block, retreated continuously, and even knocked down the giant behind him.

A cannonball exploded squarely in his face, instantly turning his nose into a bloody crater, and his two small eyes were also blown into a bloody mess. The giant roared in agony, hurled his stone hammer forward, and then collapsed with a thud.

The giant stone hammer whistled and spun as it came crashing down. Several captains at the Foundation Establishment stage stepped forward to intercept it, but they were all sent flying upon contact. The stone hammer then landed, smashing away a group of Dao soldiers, and more than ten Dao soldiers were smashed beyond recognition.

This stone hammer weighed tens of thousands of kilograms and was imbued with the unique supernatural powers of the mountain people. When it was thrown over in its dying moments, it was incredibly fierce. If all the Taoist soldiers present had not been connected as one through the Taoist Soldier Hall, greatly enhancing their offense and defense, this single blow would likely have killed hundreds of people, instead of the current situation where more than ten were killed and dozens were injured.

The leading mountain giant had already reached the perfect Dharma Aspect stage and was significantly larger than his companions, making him a formidable force clearing the way. However, he fell amidst the fierce firepower of countless Taoist soldiers and artillery.

As the mountain giant continued forward, a cannonball exploded beside him, causing him to stumble and fall several steps forward, scraping his leg.

The Azure Netherworld soldiers began to retreat in unison, while the artillery behind them opened fire with all their might to slow down the mountain giants. At the same time, the soldiers also kept firing as they retreated.

Ordinary soldiers couldn't harm the Mountain Titan, but captains at the peak of their Dao Foundation could. Although each shot dealt limited damage, the sheer volume of firepower was overwhelming. With a hundred captains firing continuously, a second and third Titan quickly fell.

The Taoist soldiers retreated along the road, drawing the mountain people to follow, gradually forming a long column in the narrow valley. Many small mountain people ran wildly along the mountainsides on both sides, shooting arrows at the Taoist soldiers as they ran. The Taoist soldiers, in turn, raised their guns to return fire.

In long-range firefights, the flying sword spear has a clear advantage over the bow and arrow. The mountain people's bows and arrows are also no match for the Taoist soldiers' exquisitely crafted armor infused with Nether Iron.

After retreating several miles, dozens of powerful missiles suddenly came hurtling in and landed in the middle of the mountain people's group, turning the valley into a sea of ​​fire and cutting off the mountain people's group.

Then, the front rank of thousands of soldiers suddenly launched a counter-charge, while the rear rank provided fire support. With the heavy artillery fire, they wiped out the vanguard of the mountain people in just a short time, killing more than a dozen giants and thousands of mountain people warriors.

The sudden attack made the mountain people dare not pursue them for a moment. They could only watch helplessly as the Taoist soldiers drove away and retreated into the well-prepared pass to begin their defenses.

Large groups of mountain people kept appearing, spreading across the mountains and fields.

The walls Wei Yuan set up were not high but wide, and they were covered with cannons. The mountain peaks on both sides of the pass were also densely packed with firing positions, and the number of troops stationed there even exceeded that of the pass itself.

Mountain dwellers are naturally adept at traversing mountains and valleys, even more agile than monkeys. Therefore, steep mountains are no obstacle at all, and ordinary passes and city walls are practically useless. Thus, Wei Yuan adopted a firepower defense concept. With the continuous support of the Dao Soldier Hall, each of these Dao soldiers possesses offensive and defensive capabilities comparable to a Dao Foundation Establishment cultivator. They can all use flying swords and spears, relying on concentrated firepower for defense.

However, the mountain people were virtually inexhaustible, and the heavens and earth were altered as well. The power of the earth and metal elements surged dramatically, suppressing the wood and water elements. This signified the arrival of a truly powerful being among the mountain people, capable of changing the very fabric of the world wherever they went!
On the wall, Wang Hu, dressed in the uniform of an ordinary Taoist soldier, looked solemnly at a special mountain giant surrounded by many giants. This mountain giant was seven zhang tall, with long arms and short legs, and dark hair all over his body, with a bright silver tip on his hair.

He had six eyes, two of which were on the sides of his head, and he was currently sizing up the pass. Several short mountain people stood on his shoulders, continuously showing him footage of the previous battle.

This unusual mountain giant did not attack immediately. Instead, he pointed to the left and right, and a large group of mountain warriors bypassed the fortress from both sides, flanking it from behind. He himself carefully watched the battle footage, reviewing it every now and then, and was in no hurry to attack.

After Wang Hu and his 50,000 Daoist soldiers were surrounded by the mountain people, the fortified city became an isolated stronghold. However, Wei Yuan had already stockpiled enough ammunition, food, and water within the city to hold out for several months. In the center of the fortified city, a temporary Daoist soldiers' temple had been built, inside which stood only a statue of Wei Yuan leaning on his sword. At this moment, the statue was faintly glowing, with water-like waves of light rippling, reaching up to his waist.

Tens of thousands of threads in the void are connected to the statue, merging together into one.

At this moment, Wei Yuan flew down from high above. Looking down at the densely packed mountain people below, he knew their number with a single glance.

From what Wei Yuan could see at that moment, there were over 500,000 ordinary mountain warriors and more than 200 giants, including two Imperial-level giants. Judging from the strange changes in the world, it was very likely that some of the mountain people had already become Immortal Lords.

Wei Yuan flew into the city gate and scanned it with his divine sense, taking in the entire city's defenses. Seeing that there were no flaws, Wei Yuan felt relieved and flashed to Wang Hu's side, handing him a token.

Wang Hu forced a drop of blood from his fingertip and smeared it on the token. In an instant, a thread split off from the statue and connected to Wang Hu's body. Wang Hu's aura suddenly intensified, then became deep and obscure. His size did not increase; instead, he shrank, becoming only two heads taller than Wei Yuan.

The giant ape that moved mountains appeared on his head, but his fur had turned snow-white, and his eyes were clear and bright red, like a pair of rubies.

This token represents the highest authority of the Dao Soldier Hall below Wei Yuan. The holder of this token can receive a portion of the power of all the Dao Soldiers in the vicinity, greatly increasing their strength. Wang Hu was already at the peak of the Dharma Aspect stage, and with this additional blessing, he was now able to contend with Yu Jing.

Wang Hu stretched his body to adjust to his newfound power and said, "I can handle this place, but the mountain people are definitely more than just this few. I can sense that there are already immortals overseeing things from behind."

Wei Yuan said, "I'll figure out a way to deal with the immortals, but are you confident in dealing with these two Imperial Giants?"

“I can defend myself against two opponents, and I might have a slight advantage against one opponent. But given their vitality, I'm afraid I can't kill them.”

Wei Yuan said, "Just hold them off. Our main objective in this battle is to eliminate the ordinary mountain people, and we'll kill the weakest of the giants as well."

"Why is that?" Wang Hu asked, puzzled, as this did not conform to the usual military tactics of the human race.

"Perhaps we've always had some misunderstandings about the mountain people. In short, we should prioritize killing ordinary mountain people, even at a cost. We'll only know the specific reasons after this battle," Wei Yuan said.

Wang Hu nodded and redeployed the defenses.

Wei Yuan did not stay behind, but flew back to the front lines. During his flight, his divine sense appeared in the Pure Land, entered the small temple, and silently watched the seventh incense stick in the incense burner. On either side of the seventh incense stick, two illusory images of incense sticks had already appeared.

Wei Yuan looked at the empty lotus seat, his body already vaguely sensing the sensation of sitting on it. The little monk Honglian and the fake monk Liandeng stood on either side, one standing steadily, the other not daring to look at Wei Yuan at all.

After standing quietly for a moment, Wei Yuan sighed and turned to leave the Pure Land, only after he had flown back to the front line.

When Wei Yuan used the Crimson Lotus Karmic Fire to kill most of the gray-clad Dao soldiers, the seventh incense stick had already appeared.

As a bonus, Wei Yuan naturally learned a secret: the ordinary, small mountain people, whom the human race had always overlooked, were the key to the mountain people's identity. The mountain people had been plotting something big, and if successful, they could very well surpass other races and become the main threat to the human race.

The remaining two sticks of incense were the price Wei Yuan paid for knowing the mountain people's secret.

This is a conspiracy.

(End of this chapter)