Daqin Zhentiansi

"Young Master Xuanlan!" Zhang Yuan finally looked in the direction of the Celestial Elite.

"Fire General!" Young Master Xuanlan stepped forward solemnly.

"You will personally escort the rare high-level spoils seized this time, including Demon Lord-level cores, King Beast Demon Cores, and Cursed Crystals," a cold glint flashed in Zhang Yuan's eyes. "Go to the Mission Hall in the Central District of the Boundary Barrier! Exchange them for all the core materials that can be used in large-scale defensive arrays—'Void Crystal Diamonds,' 'Earth Vein Essence,' and 'Star Essence Gold'!"

"Exchange as many as you have!"

"At the same time, try our best to exchange for high-level healing elixirs and group purification talismans! Within the rules of the Heavenly Palace, we must not be shortchanged on what is due to us!"

“Xuan Lan understands!” A glint flashed in Young Master Xuan Lan’s eyes as he clasped his hands in acceptance of the order.

He knew that this was to use the blood and bones of the Heavenly Demons to build a barrier to bury even more Heavenly Demons!

Deep within the chaotic demonic clouds.

The filthy, viscous demonic clouds churned like a sea of ​​boiling blood.

Several enormous, twisted wills, exuding a terrifying and decaying aura, converged in the void.

“Zhang Yuan…300,000 blood offerings…” A thought, like the friction of millions of bones, resonated, containing greed and tyranny.

"He has received reinforcements and thinks he has something to rely on..." Another will flowing with lava and poison shrieked, "He will not be content to be confined to this small place! Judging from his past actions, he will definitely lead his army to attack, attempting to expand his gains, and even... covet the deeper 'Demon Burial Abyss' node!"

"Hehehe... Just as expected!" A sinister laugh came from a vortex of will, invisible and intangible yet capable of stirring up storms in the soul. "With three thousand men, he was as slippery as an eel; now, with three hundred thousand bloated bodies, he's the perfect prey for our hunt! Pass down the order..."

The demonic clouds surged violently, coalescing into clear commands.

"The Skeleton Tyranny Legion, advance to the 'Shattered Star Wasteland' and set up an ambush!"

"The Corpse Venom Lizard Demon Horde is lurking in the 'Weeping Blood Swamp.' We'll cut off their retreat once their main force penetrates deeper!"

"Shadow Blade Soul Devouring Cluster, disperse into the shadow rifts on the outer edge of the 'Demon Burial Abyss,' ready to deliver a fatal blow at any moment!"

"Although Lord Rift Abyss Demon Lord has temporarily retreated, His will is watching... We only need to lay a net and wait for that distant... to walk right into it! Three hundred thousand blood souls are enough to sacrifice and reopen a deep abyss passage! At that time, this land that has just been ignited will be completely transformed into demonic land!"

……

The border is Guanzhong District.

Inside the cold and solemn mission hall, Young Master Xuanlan expressionlessly pushed a pile of rare spoils, including Demon Lord Cores, King Beast Demon Cores, and Cursed Crystals, all radiating terrifying energy fluctuations, onto the counter.

The Heavenly Palace steward in charge of the inventory was trembling, and the gasps and greedy gazes around him were almost tangible.

Zhaowu Venerable watched from afar, his tiger eyes narrowed slightly. He looked at the mountain of "merits" and then at the astonishing number of strategic materials such as "Void Crystals," "Earth Vein Essence," and "Star Essence Gold" on the exchange list. His lips twitched slightly.

Venerable Li Xing's face turned ashen, his eyes fixed on Young Master Xuan Lan with a sinister gaze.

"Hmph, exchange it." The voice of Venerable Zichen behind the beaded curtain remained unreadable, yet carried an unyielding will. "According to the Heavenly Palace's laws, if the merits are sufficient, all necessary supplies will be allocated. Not a penny less."

He emphasized the last four words.

“I’d like to see,” Venerable Li Xing said to his deputy, his voice low and full of sarcasm, “how Zhang Yuan will deal with the meat grinder that has been carefully prepared for him after taking these ‘bricks and stones’! Three hundred thousand troops? They’re nothing more than a convoy transporting blood and goat’s food to the Demon Abyss! Let’s see how many days he can last!”

After the handover of supplies was completed, Young Master Xuanlan, carrying a massive amount of core materials for array formations and logistical supplies, turned and left the main hall under the watchful eyes of countless people.

In the direction of Chentieling, the light of the beacon towers stubbornly burned on the edge of the demonic clouds.

A grand struggle over the fate of 300,000 troops, the gradual encroachment and counter-encroachment, the iron wall and the meat grinder, has fully begun.

One side is preparing for war, building an impregnable fortress, waiting for the opportunity to ignite more battles.

One side has already laid a net, waiting for the "prey" to step into the trap.

At the eye of the storm, Zhang Yuan's gaze was fixed on the dim, ancient node markers on the map.

----------------

Three hundred miles west of Chentieling lies a desolate land eroded by chaotic storms for countless millennia.

Zhang Yuan's figure quietly appeared at the edge of a cliff.

In the dim light, the dark-colored light armor almost blended into the background.

Only the chaotic divine light flowing in his eyes and the Xuanhuang will were clearly visible.

Behind him stood two figures as imposing as mountains and abysses, radiating the immense pressure of a half-step Venerable Realm expert. They were Yue Zhenshan and Pan Yue.

Further behind were eight hundred carefully selected elite human warriors, their auras as solid as iron.

Like ghosts merging into the shadows, they moved silently, eventually arriving at a vast ruin, utterly erased by time and war.

This place was once marked as an ancient altar node on the map.

Now, only ruins remain, the massive foundation stones shattered and collapsed, buried deep beneath thick layers of ash and twisted, demonic vegetation.

The air was filled with a deathly stillness and a lingering, faint smell of decay and demonic energy, as if even the wind itself had frozen.

"Fire General, this is it. 'Sinking Star Platform'... In ancient records, it was once an important outpost to resist the demonic tide, but now..." Yue Zhenshan's deep voice carried a hint of desolation as his gaze swept over this forgotten wasteland.

Zhang Yuan nodded slightly, his divine sense sweeping across the ruins like an invisible tide.

Just as he was trying to explore the core remains of the altar, a sudden change occurred!
"Woo-hoo!"

From the depths of the ruins, amidst the shattered piles of boulders and the shadows of collapsed pillars, dozens of figures suddenly leaped out!

Their clothes were tattered, barely covering their bodies, and their skin had a grayish hue from long-term lack of sunlight and the corrosive effects of demonic energy, while their muscles were unusually bulging.

The weapons they carried were a motley collection, including broken bone spears, rusted metal fragments, and even polished hard stones.

Their eyes were cloudy and unfocused, filled with a wild, wary vigilance, a ferocity, and a deep-seated weariness and confusion, as if they had long forgotten who they were and why they were there.

However, when Zhang Yuan and his group stepped into the central area of ​​the ruins, these survivors instantly burst into a shrill scream, as if their most sensitive nerves had been touched!
"Roar! Invaders! Die!"

"Guard...guard...don't let them in!"

"Kill! Kill them all!"

Their language is fragmented and has strange syllables, carrying heavy remnants of ancient, primitive speech, yet it expresses their determination to protect this place with exceptional clarity.

There was no tactical coordination whatsoever, only the most primitive and frenzied charge!
They burned with the last of their life force, unleashing power far exceeding their frail bodies, like moths drawn to a flame, fearlessly crashing into the elite troops led by Zhang Yuan!

"Form ranks! Defend!"

Pan Yue let out a low roar, and eight hundred elite soldiers instantly formed a tight defensive formation. The rune tower shields crashed to the ground, and the demon-slaying cones pointed diagonally forward. They did not immediately go for the kill. Facing these obviously delirious but instinctively protecting something remnant race, a complex look flashed in the eyes of the veterans of the Pan Yue Camp.

"Fire General?" Yue Zhenshan looked at Zhang Yuan, awaiting instructions.

The power of these remnants posed little threat to the elite, but their resolute will to protect them was truly moving.

Zhang Yuan frowned slightly, about to speak, when an aura a hundred times more violent and ferocious than that of the remnant race surged from the other side of the ruins like an icy tide!

"Hehehe—! Fresh...blood food! And...sacrificial offerings!"

The viscous, demonic cloud churned.

Dozens of ferocious Bone-Eating Demons, along with a few Poisonous Lizard Demons spewing venom, led by several Shadow Blade Soul-Eating Demons, pounced out like hyenas that had smelled blood!
Their sharp claws tore through the air, their target aimed directly at the ancient remnants of the primordial race who were confronting Zhang Yuan's forces!

Clearly, this monster squad had been lurking on the periphery, waiting for the remnants and outsiders to weaken each other, or to seize the opportunity to reap the lives of these "guardians"!

"No good!" Among the remnants, an old man who looked the oldest, with his hair and beard matted like withered grass, let out a desperate roar.

Faced with the sudden attack of the monsters, the already chaotic formation of the remnant race collapsed instantly.

They tried to resist, but their rudimentary weapons were no match for the demon general's bone armor. Under the corrosive effects of the poisonous smoke, people screamed and fell, their bodies quickly withering and decaying.

"I...can't hold on any longer..." Tears mingled with blood streamed down the old man's face. He pounded his withered chest, letting out a wild, mournful howl, "Together...we...belong..."

The remaining survivors seemed to have received a final command, and their eyes blazed with a frenzied crimson light.

They ignored the demons and instead turned around, charging towards Zhang Yuan's defenses with a fierce, all-or-nothing aura!

They intend to use their own flesh and blood and remnants of souls to detonate the remaining chaotic magical energy in this place, and perish together with all the "invaders"!
"You're courting death!" Pan Yue's eyes blazed with fury, and he no longer hesitated.

Faced with the dual threats of the remnants' frenzied "suicidal" attacks and the monsters taking advantage of the chaos, he made a ruthless move!
"Rock Solid - Formation Breaker!"

The enormous demon-slaying cone in his hand erupted with a blinding, dark yellow light, accompanied by a shrill whistling sound that tore through space. It transformed into a destructive torrent, not smashing towards the remnants of the race, but rather—arriving first after being struck later—slamming fiercely into the horde of attacking demons!
"Boom—crash!"

The terrifying force erupted, and the three-headed Bone-Eating Demon General, which was the first to be hit, was instantly shattered like fragile pottery!

The violent shockwave sent the surrounding monsters flying and the poisonous smoke was forcefully dispersed!

Almost simultaneously, Yue Zhenshan also made a move!

"Xuangui Zhenyue! Royal!"

He took a step forward and pressed his hands lightly against the ground!

The vast, earth-yellow true essence resonated with the will of the Prison-Suppressing Divine Elephant faintly emanating from the direction of Chen Tieling, instantly raising a thick, dark yellow energy barrier between the remaining remnants of the race and the demons!
The rampaging horde was firmly stopped by the barrier, and the subsequent attacks from the monsters were also blocked!

"Soul-piercing arrow! Fire!" Zhang Yuan's icy voice rang out, like a battlefield command.

"Whoosh whoosh whoosh—!"

The elite archer squad, which had been ready to fire their bows, instantly unleashed dozens of arrows wreathed in dark blue lightning and faint green light!

These arrows were incredibly accurate, ignoring physical obstacles, and directly locked onto the Shadow Blade Soul Eaters hiding in the shadows, attempting to unleash their curses!
"Pfft! Pfft!"

A mournful howl rang out, and several Shadow Blade Demons were instantly pinned to the shadows, their forms disintegrating!
Led by two half-step Venerables, the eight hundred elite troops were instantly activated like a sophisticated war machine.

The shield array advanced like a mountain, separating the remaining monsters from the remnants of the race.

The Demon-Slaying Cone transformed into the sharp teeth of a meat grinder, precisely piercing into the demon's body. Thunderous energy erupted, and filthy blood and broken bones flew everywhere.

The archers fired in short bursts, suppressing any high-level monsters that attempted to cast spells or launch a sneak attack.

Completely crushing everything in its path!

This elite force of eight hundred, personally led by Zhang Yuan and composed of the core veterans of the Rock Camp and top reinforcements, displayed terrifying combat power far exceeding the ability to deal with ordinary monsters.

In just a dozen breaths, the attacking demon squad was completely wiped out, leaving only a pile of filthy remains that were quickly purified by the golden light of the Heavenly Dao.

The entire center of the ruins fell silent once again.

The remaining dozens of ancient tribesmen, protected behind the walls of Yuezhen Mountain, stared blankly at everything that was happening before their eyes.

The crimson madness in their eyes had not yet completely faded before it was replaced by unparalleled shock and bewilderment.

Those terrifying monsters that they considered invincible, like natural disasters... were actually... crushed so easily?

Their clouded gazes slowly shifted from the piles of demonic remains to the towering figure in black ink, which stood like a mountain, and then to the human warriors with their fierce auras, fine armor, and skillful combat techniques.

What I've guarded my whole life, or rather, what I've lived in a daze my whole life, seems to have been easily taken back by these "foreign invaders"?
No, it's more like... cleaning?
Zhang Yuan didn't look at the remaining clansmen. He took a step forward and walked onto the core ruins of the altar, which was buried the deepest and still retained the faintest ancient fluctuations.

He slowly closed his eyes, and his aura became incredibly profound.

The next moment, he raised his hands as if supporting an invisible weight.

"Om-!"

An indescribable, vast will erupted from him!
It was not his own power, but rather his awakening of the ancient will belonging to the primordial barrier that remained deep within this silent land—the will of the beacon node and the resonator of the dual heavenly laws—as he was the controller of the beacon node and the resonator of the dual heavenly laws!
Chaotic divine light flowed in his left eye, evolving into the primordial beginning of the world.

The will of the universe rises and falls in the right eye, bearing the weight of mountains, rivers, and the nation.

The golden light of the primordial barrier and the dark black power of the Great Qin Heavenly Dao intertwined and resonated around him, transforming into an invisible torrent that flowed into the scorched earth beneath his feet, soaked with the blood of his ancestors!
"In my name I call upon your spirit... The will of the fortress, its flame never extinguished!"

A deep and resounding voice, like an ancient eulogy, echoed through the ruins.

"Boom—!"

A muffled response came from the depths of the earth! The fragments of the altar's foundation stones, buried deep underground and long since faded and broken, suddenly glowed with a faint golden light!

Countless tiny golden specks of light, like sleeping fireflies awakened, rose from every corner and every crack of the ruins!

The pure, warm, and boundless sorrowful yet indomitable spirit of the primordial Heavenly Dao, like a long-awaited rain after a drought, instantly enveloped the entire ruins!

The pervasive, decaying demonic energy seemed to have met its nemesis, hissing and dissipating rapidly.

The golden light gently caressed the wounded and filthy bodies of every ancient remnant.

"Uh……"

The oldest man's body suddenly trembled violently!

His cloudy eyes, illuminated by the golden light, seemed to have been plunged into molten lava, or perhaps cleansed by a clear spring. (End of Chapter)