Endless Winter: My Camp Infinite Upgrades

Chapter 366 The Fire-Melting Pill and the Shurangama Mantra: The Great Battle Begins

October 17th, 131st year of the Moo calendar

Jinbi Village, north bank of the Xinghe River
Because of the constant intrusion of cold air from the riverbank, the temperature here is undoubtedly lower than in other areas, making it even less suitable for human camps to survive.

The fact that tens of thousands of people can settle down in Jinbi Village is largely due to its name.

Three kilometers north of the village is the southern cliff of Shuanglong Mountain. In the middle of that cliff, there is an area about 900 meters high and 300 meters wide that is pure gold. It is not noticeable at night, but during the day, when it is illuminated by the cold light, it immediately becomes radiant with golden light, which is a truly amazing sight.

That's where the name "Jinbi" comes from.

Jinbi Village is Jiangxia territory. Such a mysterious and divine golden mountain wall naturally attracted the attention of the Jiangxia leadership very early on, who all thought it was some kind of great treasure.

However, after several years and more than a dozen groups of people came to investigate, they all came up empty-handed. So they could only attribute this spectacle to the wonders of the Ice Abyss and put it aside.

At this moment, the sky was just beginning to lighten, and the earth was still completely dark. However, the cold light that was slowly descending from the sky had already reached the top of Shuanglong Mountain. As the range of the cold light gradually moved downward, the mountain wall three kilometers to the north also began to emit golden light, becoming dazzling and radiant.

On the west side of Jinbi Village, twenty huge black animal skin tents have quietly stood in the snow forest. The tents are arched and supported by dozens of iron poles. They are all hundreds of meters in diameter and about ten meters high at the highest point in the middle. Their volume ratio is obviously astonishingly large.

These black tents are extremely well-sealed and light-blocking. You can clearly hear many people talking inside, and thick smoke is constantly billowing out of the exhaust vents at the top, making it obvious that there is a campfire inside. However, people standing outside cannot see anything through the tent fabric at all.

Outside the largest tent on the far east side, a bald monk holding a red staff and wearing a moon-white robe was looking up at the golden mountain wall to the north. His face was calm and his expression was peaceful, as if he was thinking about something.

Behind him stood twenty white-robed, bald monks dressed similarly to him, all in moon-white robes, but instead of staffs, they carried various weapons.

Suddenly, a strong gust of wind blew from the east, interrupting the bald monk in front of him. He quickly shifted his gaze from the mountain wall and turned to look at the newcomer.

The newcomer was a gray-robed, long-haired monk. A hint of joy appeared on his face. From a distance of several meters, he clasped his hands together, bowed respectfully to the monk holding the staff, and then spoke:

"Reporting to Chief Yanxin, the lumbering realm and ordinary people in Jinbi Village have indeed all left. Now, only the earth-digging realm and the cold-resistant realm remain in the village, with a total number of over 30,000, of which 80% are earth-digging realm."

"Haha, Senior Brother, you are truly brilliant! I admire you!"

As soon as the man finished speaking, the twenty white-robed monks, for some reason, all showed smiles on their faces. One of them couldn't help but praise the head monk Yan Xin in the front row, looking at him with admiration.

With over 24,000 Digging Realm cultivators and 600 Cold Resistance Realm cultivators, the garrison left in Jinbi Village by Jiangxia Town was clearly far stronger than the expeditionary force from Dajue Temple. Logically, the monks shouldn't be reacting this way at this moment.

In reality, not only were they all smiling, but their eyes were also full of confidence as they looked at Jinbi Village, which was less than a kilometer away to the east, and they all seemed determined to win.

The head monk Yanxin, standing at the front, turned his gaze away from Jinbi Village and looked at the twenty white-robed monks behind him. A cold glint appeared in his eyes as he ordered in a deep voice, "Notify the temple stewards to distribute the Fire-Melting Pills. All of you fellow disciples will lead the group in reciting the Shurangama Mantra three times. After the recitation, march on Jinbi Village!"

"Yes!"

Upon hearing this, the twenty white-robed monks all clasped their hands together, nodded in agreement, and then quickly took out cloth bags from their bodies and dispersed towards the twenty large tents.

…………

"Dajue Temple has never fought any battles, has it? How can they start marching in the middle of the night and arrive at the enemy's camp before dawn?"

In the main tent of Hexia Village, Bai Shanqiu walked in from outside the tent, sat down next to Xiang Liang, turned his head and looked around to make sure no one was there, then spoke in a low voice with a puzzled look on his face.

Upon hearing this, Xiang Liang frowned slightly, his face full of confusion.

Not only the march, but the battle at Dajue Temple, from the moment the troops assembled in Qinghe Village two days ago, on the 15th, had been suspicious in every way.

Speed ​​is of the essence in warfare; on the battlefield, speed is everything.

The 15th group from the three villages and eighteen households had already assembled in Qinghe Village, but Dajue Temple would not set off until two days later, which is today.

Setting off today is fine, but given the distance between Qinghepu and Jinbi Village, you have to hurry. Set off as soon as night falls so you can arrive at Jinbi Village in the first half of the night and quickly get into battle in the second half.

Dajue Temple didn't set off with its army until the middle of the night, and as a result, they didn't set up camp on the west side of Jinbi Village until almost dawn.

No wonder Bai Shanqiu exclaimed that Dajue Temple had never fought a war!
After pondering for a moment, Xiang Liang immediately shook his head: "It shouldn't be."

He took out a bottle from his body, poured out a few flesh-colored pills, and continued in a low voice: "More than 20,000 Digging Realm cultivators have been equipped with Hundred-Forged Armored Soldiers, and each soldier has also been given fifty Green Food Pills. The 20,000 Digging Realm cultivators have been divided into forty regiments, each assigned to a Zen temple steward. All the Cold-Resistant Realm cultivators from the three villages and eighteen households must obey their command. And look at these twenty black military tents. It is clear that Dajue Temple has made extremely thorough preparations for this great battle."

Xiang Liang looked at the Qing Shi Wan in his hand with curiosity in his eyes. The Qing Shi Wan was given to them by the Zen temple steward before the army set off last night. He said that one pill could be used as a day's food. Before leaving Qinghe Village last night, he took one with the others and he still felt full.

Unfortunately, I am not an alchemist and cannot identify the ingredients of the Green Food Pill. I can only wait until I send the item back to the Great Xia Dynasty so that the craftsmen can study it.

Of course, it wasn't just Qing Shi Wan, but also this huge black military tent.

Xiang Liang looked up and surveyed the military tent, his eyes filled with strange expressions.

This military tent was not only sturdy, but also extremely well-sealed and light-proof, so that even firelight could not get through. People outside could not see the situation inside at all. In addition, it was dark, so it was difficult to be discovered at night if it was in a slightly concealed place.

The key point is that it's not heavy; a dozen or so soldiers at the Digging Realm can easily lift it without affecting the marching speed at all.

The main material of this military tent is indeed animal hide. He had already figured it out when he was helping to set up the tent. It was made of many animal hides sewn together.

The problem is that these animal hides are not actually black; they are dyed black using a jet-black, oil-like substance, which is probably why they are opaque.

"The Green Food Pill and the Black Army Tent are so incredibly effective and easy to carry that they are truly indispensable tools for military campaigns. If the Great Xia could also develop them, the boost to the army's combat power would be immeasurable!"

Xiang Liang looked somewhat excited, after all, he and Bai Shanqiu were the ones who discovered these two items, and once the news was sent back to Da Xia, their contribution would certainly be significant.

But now is not the time to think about this.

Xiang Liang shook his head slightly, temporarily setting aside his random thoughts.

As he just said, by bringing out the two magical items, the Green Food Pill and the Black Army Tent, and by taking the time to divide the 20,000 Earth-Digging Realm cultivators into 40 regiments and assigning them to 40 Zen Temple stewards, Dajue Temple has clearly made ample preparations for this great battle.

So why is this illogical time for marching?

After Xiang Liang finished speaking, he, like Bai Shanqiu, was also confused.

But their confusion was soon resolved.

"All those in the Earth-Digging Realm, gather here!"

Two young monks, around fifteen or sixteen years old and dressed in grey robes, suddenly lifted the tent flap and strode in. Each of them carried a cloth bag and called for all the dug-out monks to assemble.

The Digging Realm warriors who went on this expedition all came from three villages and eighteen families. Dajue Temple did not scatter the people, but tried to keep the Digging Realm warriors from each family in the same group as much as possible. This is understandable, since familiar people together have a higher degree of cooperation and tacit understanding, and their combat power is naturally stronger.

Other large, large camps can be grouped together if there are fewer people, but the three village-level camps have too many Digging Realm cultivators this time, so that won't work.

The village of Hexia mobilized a total of more than 2500 Digging Realm cultivators, who were roughly divided into five regiments according to their cultivation level. The battalion where Xiang Liang and Bai Shanqiu, who were at the Cold Protection level, were located was naturally the strongest.

It is worth mentioning that the head of the Zen temple in charge of the camp where Xiang Liang and the other man were stationed was Wang Yuxiu's second younger brother, Wang Yu'an, who was the gray-robed, long-haired monk who had just walked in from outside the military tent.

Wang Yu'an and his companion opened the cloth bags in their hands and took out small, bright red pills, each about the size of a fingernail, which they then distributed to all the Earth Digging Realm cultivators present.

Xiang Liang, Bai Shanqiu, and more than a dozen other Cold Resistance level cultivators watched quietly from the side until the pills ran out. Realizing they had none left, a look of curiosity immediately appeared on their faces.

"This is the Flame-Melting Pill bestowed by Master Yanlong. It possesses unparalleled divine power. Everyone, now hold it under your tongue and do not swallow it!"

Upon hearing this, the thousand diggers from Hexia Village did not hesitate at all, immediately throwing the Fire Melting Pill into their mouths and holding it under their tongues.

"Everyone, sit cross-legged and wait a moment!"

After Wang Yu'an and the two temple stewards finished speaking, they took the lead in sitting cross-legged. The others followed suit, all sitting cross-legged on the ground, then putting their hands together, closing their eyes, and showing a devout expression.

The same applies to more than ten cold-weather-resistant models.

Xiang Liang and Bai Shanqiu also sat down cross-legged. Although they also put their hands together in prayer, they secretly opened their eyes. Seeing how obedient the more than 1,000 people in the tent were to the two Zen temple stewards, their expressions became slightly solemn, and they became increasingly curious.

What is this going to do?
"Namo Satipatthaya Arhat Samyak Sambuddha..."

Suddenly, the sound of chanting came from outside the tent.

Upon hearing this, Wang Yu'an and his two deacons immediately opened their eyes and addressed the people inside the tent: "Everyone, quickly follow the abbot and chant the sutra! Namo Sarva Tathagata Arahadeva Samyak Sambuddha..."

"Namo Sarva Sugata Arahad Samyak Sambuddha..."

After the two finished speaking, they took the lead in reciting the text, and everyone in the tent followed suit without asking any questions.

Strangely enough, these scriptures, though clearly complex, became exceptionally clear when they reached my ears from outside the tent, and I could recite them all by following along.

This was the first time Xiang Liang and Bai Shanqiu had experienced such a scene, and their expressions became extremely strange. However, when they heard Yu Han-level beside them chanting along, they could only follow suit.

The scripture was very long, and it took the crowd seven or eight minutes to finish reciting it, following the voices outside the tent.

Buzz…………

The moment the first recitation of the scripture was finished, it was as if something had awakened in the air above the tent, emitting a mysterious buzzing sound.

Apart from the two stewards and more than ten people at the Cold Resistance level, all the remaining people at the Earth Digging Realm level began to flush, and their body temperature rose rapidly, making the entire tent much warmer immediately.

"Namo Sarva Sugata Arahad Samyak Sambuddha..."

After the second recitation, not only their faces but also their skin began to turn red, and wisps of heat emanated from everyone, making the campfire inside the tent burn even brighter.

"Namo Sarva Sugata Arahad Samyak Sambuddha..."

boom…………

After the third recitation, flames began to rise from the bodies of all the Earth-Digging Realm cultivators inside the tent. However, they kept their eyes closed and just kept panting heavily, seemingly unaware that their bodies were burning.

"No, no, this isn't real flame. They would have been burned to death by real fire long ago. What is this? Is it the effect of that Fire Melting Pill, or the effect of reciting the scripture three times...?"

Having secretly opened his eyes and witnessed the entire change in the people inside the tent, Xiang Liang was now filled with shock and disbelief. He had a vague idea of ​​why Dajue Temple had made everyone set off at midnight and arrive at Jinbi Village at dawn.

"Wang Chuan, take your men and evacuate the tent!"

Wang Yu'an addressed his father by his given name, and the villagers of Hexia Village, upon hearing this, did not seem to find anything amiss.

"Yes!"

Even Wang Chuan himself didn't show any strange expression. He opened his eyes and led the group of Cold-Resistant level warriors to begin removing the black tents. Boom!
The moment the black tent was opened, a fierce heat wave burst forth, directly offsetting the chill that rushed in from the outside. Even the cold light in the sky seemed to be driven back by the flames emanating from everyone's bodies.

The black tents that were opened were not limited to the one in Hexia Village; the other nineteen black tents were opened one after another. By now, it was already dawn, and the entire military camp of more than 20,000 Digging Realm soldiers was instantly exposed to the cold light.

"I...I don't feel cold anymore!"

"The cold light shining on your skin is fine."

"This is the supreme divine power of Master Yanlong, hahahahaha..."

"I can finally appear in the cold light."

"I'm only at the Earth Digging Realm!"

"Thank you, Master Yanlong! Thank you, Master Yanlong! Hahaha..."

…………

Everyone opened their eyes and found themselves completely exposed to the cold light. At first, they were a little panicked, but they quickly realized that their bodies had not changed and that the cold air from the outside was no longer a threat to them.

Cheers erupted one after another. In the Ice Abyss World, appearing under the cold light was a privilege reserved for those at the Cold Resistance level. Yet, these 20,000-plus Earth Digging Realm cultivators were able to do it too. One can only imagine their excitement.

"what…………"

"what!"

"what……"

However, soon screams rang out from the crowd, the cheers stopped abruptly, and everyone quickly turned to look at the screaming people around them.

Xiang Liang was no exception. He discovered that at least a hundred people screamed throughout the area. In his own tent, five people also screamed. He glanced at them and immediately saw that there were no flames coming from their bodies. After screaming, they were frozen to death by the cold light in no time.

"Don't panic, these are all spies from the Nine Towns who have infiltrated our Qinghepu!"

The head monk Yanxin shouted, and the previously agitated crowd immediately quieted down. As they saw the faces of those who had frozen to death, screams of alarm erupted from the ranks.

"It's them. They only came to my Heshang Village last year."

"The same goes for this place; the seven people who froze to death were all from Qinghe Village this year."

"Same here."

"These three too!"

………………

Almost all of those who froze to death had only come to Qinghepu in the last two years, which almost directly confirms what Bhikkhu Yanxin had just said.

These people who froze to death were indeed spies from Jiuzhen.

"Luckily... luckily I broke through before I came. If I hadn't, I would be among those screaming people right now!"

Xiang Liang stared wide-eyed at the people who had frozen to death. His back was completely soaked with sweat. Bai Shanqiu, who was next to him, turned to look at him, his eyes clearly showing a hint of relief.

"My Dajue Temple has no enmity with Jiuzhen, but in recent years, Jiuzhen has either sent spies to infiltrate the homes of Qinghepu, or kidnapped innocent villagers for no reason, or spied on the secrets of my Dajue Temple... They have committed numerous evil deeds. My abbot has been tolerant of the hardships faced by the people of Bingyuan, but they have not only refused to stop, but have also gone further and further, pushing us to the limit. On the 28th of last month, they even set fire to Qinghe Village, injuring countless people."

This is going too far! How can my Great Awakening Temple tolerate the Nine Towns continuing their reckless behavior?

The group from Qinghepu were already extremely fanatical about Dajue Temple. Upon hearing the words of Abbot Yanxin, their emotions were immediately stirred up. Some of the more extreme individuals had murderous intent in their eyes and were viciously repeating the words "Nine Towns" over and over again.

"Master Yanlong has unleashed his divine power, bestowing upon you divine fire to ward off the cold. The chief culprit of the Nine Towns is Jiangxia. Today, let Jiangxia pay for his blood debt!"

When Chief Abbot Yanxin uttered the last four words, his expression was extremely somber, and a burst of divine fire suddenly erupted from his body. He then raised his staff high, pointed it at Jinbi Village to the east, and uttered a soft "Kill!"

"Kill them..."

"Make Jiangxia Town pay for its blood debt!"

"Brothers, follow me and charge..."

...............

The emotions of the 20,000 Earth-Digging Realm cultivators had already reached their peak. Upon hearing the command from Chief Flameheart, they immediately roared, drew their weapons, and, carrying powerful bows, charged madly eastward like a tsunami.

This sentiment even infected the more than three hundred people at the Cold Resistance level. Most of them had flushed faces, drew their weapons, and rushed across the snow towards Jinbi Village.

In the crowd, Xiang Liang and Bai Shanqiu roared forward, but their pupils remained clear. They looked at each other while speeding along and saw a trace of fear and retreat in each other's pupils.

Dajue Temple has the means to uncover spies from the Digging Realm, so what about the Cold-Resistant Level?

Who knows if the next big battle will involve checking for cold-weather gear?

Continuing to lurk here has become very dangerous!

But at this moment, the two had no time to think about these issues and could only follow the army to kill their way to Jinbi Village.

Of course, they all slowed down slightly and fell behind.

…………

"Everyone, draw your bows and prepare the anti-evil arrows. Don't panic. This must be the work of the monsters from Dajue Temple. With the anti-evil arrows, they can't break in!"

The Dajue Temple military camp was only a kilometer away. How could Jinbi Village not notice the commotion there? Xiahou Qin was already standing at the village entrance, leading more than 500 Cold-Resistant Realm experts from Jiangxia Town, ready for battle. Looking at the 20,000 Earth-Digging Realm experts rushing in from the west, he told others not to panic, but his own pupils clearly showed some fear.

The Earth-Digging Realm can be exposed to the cold light without any external aids!
This scene, which completely defies common sense, would probably frighten anyone who saw it.

He clenched his fists, looked back at the main building of Jinbi Village behind him, his eyes filled with not only fear but also deep regret.

Now that things have come to this, how could he not realize that the march by Dajue Temple in the second half of the night was clearly intentional, deliberately designed to make him lower his guard.

He had already vaguely sensed something was wrong, but considering that the people from Dajue Temple wouldn't arrive at Jinbi Village until dawn, they knew they couldn't fight during the day. Besides, the enemy wasn't many in number. Jinbi Village currently had over 30,000 Digging Realm cultivators and over 500 Cold Resistance Realm cultivators. If they attacked rashly, perhaps...

Who would have thought that Daijue Temple could expose the Digging Realm to the cold light?

How is this played?
How could he possibly hold them off with just the five hundred cold-resistant warriors around him?
Clang...

Xiahou Qin was lost in thought, but the army at Qinghepu wouldn't care about him, nor would the monks at Dajue Temple.

Before he could react, a crimson monk's staff had already struck him directly in the face.

It was none other than the fastest monk at Dajue Temple, Yanxin.

Xiahou Qin reacted quickly, drawing his broadsword from his waist and parrying upwards.

"Over fifty hairs, that's strong!"

The moment the broadsword clashed with the monk's staff, Xiahou Qin's expression suddenly changed, and he jumped to the side. Then, as if he had thought of something, he gritted his teeth, pulled out a handful of tiny silver needles from behind him, and with a flick of his wrist, shot them directly at Yan Xin.

There were at least several hundred silver needles. Abbot Yanxin, holding his staff, struck down most of them, but more than ten still pierced into other parts of his body. However, with the strength of his skin membrane, these silver needles could only pierce through, and were clearly far from penetrating.

"No response, it's over!"

Xiahou Qin saw the silver needles stuck in Yan Xin's body without any reaction. His pupils suddenly contracted. He looked up and saw the rain of arrows from the Qinghepu army heading towards the main building in the village. A look of dejection flashed across his face.

"retreat!"

At this moment, quite a few of the Cold-resistant level warriors have already clashed with the monks of Dajue Temple. The reason why the arrow rain from Qinghepu's 20,000-strong army is aimed at the main building in the village is because they are already entangled there.

To everyone's surprise, Xiahou Qin actually told them to retreat.

Even so, everyone immediately broke away and followed him, running towards the main building.

"The anti-monster arrows are useless; they are all real people, not monsters!"

"Lord Xiahou, it's no use. Jinbi Village cannot be defended."

"We can't fight. With just over 500 men, we can't hold the line."

………………

Many of the cold-resistant level cultivators in Jiangxia Town had already realized what was happening. While running towards the main building, they kept speaking to Xiahou Qin, their meaning quite clear.

Xiahou Qin looked at the wooden houses near the main building, and thinking of the more than 30,000 Digging Realm cultivators inside, his eyes were filled with reluctance.

"We can't retreat. If we retreat, they're all doomed. Fight! Fight these people from Dajue Temple! We have more of the Cold-resistant level, maybe we can hold them off. Have the brothers inside shoot arrows to support us. We have to fight, no matter what. Don't retreat anymore. Stay with me and hold the front of the main building."

Xiahou Qin did not choose to flee, but instead roared and signaled all the Cold-resistant level warriors to guard the front of the main building.

More than 500 cold-resistant monks looked back at the horde of monks from Dajue Temple rushing towards them, as well as the Qinghepu army behind them. Although their pupils showed some fear, they gritted their teeth and stood beside Xiahou Qin.

"Stand with Lord Xiahou and hold the line. The entire Digging Realm of Jinbilonghe Village is here. If we retreat, they're all doomed."

"Our Jiangxia village is located on the north bank of the Hengjiang River. We only have these two villages; we cannot retreat!"

"Don't retreat!"

"I'm from Jinbi Village, why should I back down?"

"I'm from Longhe. Jinbi is gone, and it'll be our village's turn soon. I'm not backing down!"

………………

With Xiahou Qin leading the way, the morale of the more than 500 cold-resistant level warriors in Jiangxia instantly soared.

(End of this chapter)