Daqin Zhentiansi

Yu Wanjun appeared on the high platform at some unknown time, his face covered by black armor, his eyes colder than the unsheathed blade in his hand.

Behind him was a squad of bloodthirsty personal guards, the Blood Spider Guards.

"This is the front line of the army, not your trading company's backyard!" Yu Wanjun's voice was not loud, but it silenced the entire dock instantly.

"The rules set by the Marquis, and the regulations followed by the Nine Rivers Alliance, are 'the highest bidder wins!' The proper procedures haven't been followed; who gave you permission to compete privately?!"

His icy gaze swept over Qian and Zhou, sending a chill down their spines.

"Anyone who makes a fuss, tries to collude in secret to disrupt our military regulations, or disturbs our camp—" Yu Wanjun said each word with murderous intent: "Those who disobey orders will be executed!"

Those four words, carrying the brutal and ruthless spirit of the Eastern Territory's bloodbath against Liangyuan, struck the hearts of all the merchants like a heavy hammer.

Manager Qian and Boss Zhou turned pale, cold sweat pouring down their faces. They dared not make a sound and hurriedly retreated into the merchant area designated by the Jiuchuan Alliance. They didn't even dare to breathe and obediently waited for the auction process to begin.

On a hill not far away, Bai Qi's clone stood with his hands behind his back, watching the scene below.

The workshops operate with the efficiency of an ant colony, and the new recruits are full of high morale and cherish their damaged armor.

The merchants' clamor, filled with both envy and fear, was instantly suppressed by the iron-fisted military order, and the chaotic elemental spirit pearls, continuously surging from the depths of the mine and aiding the army, emanated a powerful aura...

A rare glint of light flashed in his eyes, which had seen countless mountains of corpses and seas of blood. He murmured to himself, his voice hoarse with an almost admiring tone: "Heh, the way of commerce turns stone into gold, military discipline enforces orders without question, the battlefield is a furnace of death, and spiritual pearls help strengthen bones and muscles..."

"What a formidable, interconnected armored torrent!"

At his feet, a discarded piece of scale reflected the faint light in the setting sun. What was its value?
Before this war machine called "Qin", it was as light as a feather.

As the Penglai cultivators watched the entire process unfold—from a bloodbath to order, from waste being transformed into a golden fortress, and from malevolent energy condensing into provisions for soldiers—they felt only deep awe and reassurance.

The leading Penglai cultivator gazed at the sails of the Nine Rivers Alliance and the intertwined light of the Ministry of Works' artisan array, and murmured, "This is... the true art of 'alchemy.' The strength of the Great Qin is not due to the advantage of one person or one army, but to the transformation of the entire nation into a dragon, which, even after swallowing the Demon Sea, nourishes itself!"

"Woo——"

Above the clouds, the horn of the Zhenhai Ship sounded.

Send a warning message!

"boom--"

Beyond Fusang Island, in the distant boundless sea, the demonic waves that had been calm for three days suddenly boiled over, like thousands of black dragons rolling and roaring.

Dark clouds, stretching for thousands of miles, rolled in with overwhelming force, blotting out the sun and swallowing up the last remaining glimmer of light.

Deep within the clouds, countless scarlet demonic eyes lit up, and a shrill shriek pierced through space, stabbing straight into eardrums, crashing into the newly born Fusang Fortress with a mad will to destroy everything!
"Demonic Tide—!!!"

The warning horn wailed mournfully, instantly shattering the brief resurgence of noise on the island.

The once bustling and lively auction hall and workshop area were instantly plunged into a quagmire of panic.

"Good heavens! The evil spirits are coming!"

The wealthy shopkeeper's face turned ashen, and the jade ruler he used for valuation fell to the ground with a clatter. He no longer cared about the sample of the magical patterned iron, which was worth a thousand gold pieces.

"Quick! Put it away quickly!"

Boss Zhou's hands and feet went weak, and he scrambled to his feet, trying to call on his staff to cover the mountain of magical treasures piled up on the stall.

The Jiuchuan Alliance workers who were unloading materials at the dock screamed and dropped the giant demonic dragon tooth they were carrying, fleeing in panic, creating chaos.

The small merchants who had just peeked out from the cabin to watch the commotion were so frightened their legs went weak, wishing they could disappear into the ground. However, in stark contrast to the merchants' panic was the Qin soldiers' swift and fierce response!

The ordinary soldiers who were carrying magical materials at the edge of the workshop or transporting ore next to the teleportation array just a moment ago still had the magical blood on their bodies that had not yet dried.

The moment the alarm sounded, there was only a fleeting moment of solemnity in their eyes, followed by a battle intent as if a furnace had been ignited!
"Clatter—clang!"

The heavy magical materials were instantly thrown to the ground. All the soldiers moved in perfect unison, their armor instantly covering their bodies!
The once dormant armor inscriptions suddenly shone with a dazzling crimson light under the impact of the master's boiling battle intent and murderous aura, like crimson scales that had come to life!

"Formation!"

"Northern Blaze - Imperial Sea!"

"Eastern Crimson Flame - Lightning Summon!"

The roars of officers and soldiers at all levels were like thunderclaps, drowning out the demonic howl!

Iron walls rise like mountains, and torrents surge and crush!

On the coastline, five million elite soldiers guarding the northern border instantly became one!
Endless frost essence gathered and condensed into a deep blue vortex of ice at the tip of the cold crossbow bolt!

The towering demonic waves crashed against the invisible wall of cold energy, and the surging seawater was frozen and shattered hundreds of feet from the shore!
The crossbow bolts, like deadly cold stars, pierced through the frozen waves and shot into the depths of the demonic clouds, pinning the clawing demons to the ground or into the ice!
Thunder roared across the central plains.

Above the heads of 300,000 Eastern Crimson Flame Cavalry, the murderous aura and the remaining purifying purple energy intertwined wildly, drawing out the remaining lightning in the sky!
Billions of electric snakes were guided down like a waterfall, not striking down, but rather, under the command of the army's will, they intertwined in mid-air to form a huge purple lightning net covering the sky above the fortress!

Those demonic birds that swooped down from the demonic clouds, spewing poisonous flames, turned to ashes the moment they touched the edge of the electric grid, amidst a tooth-grinding burning sound and acrid white smoke!

Above the military formation, solidified war beast spirits roared with their heads held high.

The Northern Sea-Suppressing Wild Bull tramples the icy sea, the crimson Thunder Tiger tears at the demonic clouds, and the ominous Xuanwu phantom firmly guards the center!
Boundless bloodlust condensed into a solid crimson protective shield, clashing fiercely with the surging filthy demonic clouds!

The demonic energy crashed against the Blood Fiend Barrier, emitting a hissing corrosive sound and stirring up dark red energy ripples, but it was still unable to tear apart this crimson iron wall formed by the will of millions!

Flying boats shuttle back and forth, while battles rage beneath the sea.

Lightweight warships, like sharp blades skimming the surface of the sea, darted along the edge of the frozen ground and the electric grid.

"Bam—"

The soldiers on the airship drew their heavy crossbows and accurately shot at the heads of the sea monsters emerging from the monstrous waves.

The ten-foot-long water demon tumbled as an arrow pierced its skull, leaving a trail of crimson blood.

Beneath the surface of the sea, turbulent currents surged. The half-demon soldiers, already accustomed to naval warfare, carried specially made "demon-hunting forks" and tough chains, diving into the murky sea of ​​blood like agile sharks.

The chains taut, the waves crashed, and soon a huge, heavily injured but not yet dead deep-sea giant centipede and centipede were dragged ashore!
From the hideous wound, dark green and purplish-black foul-smelling demonic blood gushed out like a spring, converging on the mudflats to form a blood river exuding a scorching aura!
Beneath the bastion, this impenetrable military formation, the instantaneous transformation from a bustling marketplace to a bloody fortress, brought a breathtaking shock!

The impregnable fortress gradually silenced the merchants' futile screams.

Shopkeeper Qian wiped the cold sweat from his forehead and saw a broken eagle wing that had been struck by the edge of the lightning net and was now falling not far from his stall, emitting blue smoke.

The fear in his eyes vanished quickly, replaced by an almost insane greed: "Quick! Pick them up! Those are Black Wind Eagle Wing Feathers. Although they're a bit charred, they're worth at least a hundred gold coins when ground into powder for medicine!"

"Get out of the way! I saw that first!" Boss Zhou also came to his senses and pushed aside the wooden box blocking his way, his eyes fixed on a huge demonic pincer that was pinned to the reef by a talisman arrow and was still twitching.

Those are excellent materials for forging a heavy hammer! (End of Chapter)