From absorbing the essence of the sun and moon to achieving divine mastery in martial arts

"Let's rest here for another day or two until our injuries are fully healed before we leave!" Chu Zhaoxue said in a deep voice, gazing at the deepening twilight outside the cave.

"Yes, General!" Cang Lian nodded in agreement.

For the next two days, the cave was transformed into a temporary retreat center.

The two were either in seclusion, cultivating and digesting the techniques they had acquired, or sparring and practicing together.

Chu Zhaoxue shared all her years of experience in life-and-death battles without reservation.

Cang Lian cherished this hard-won opportunity. You see, Chu Zhaoxue, a person whose strength has reached the Gang Jin level, usually lives in the high hall of the temple. Who can persuade her to give him some pointers?

Moreover, Chu Zhaoxue's strength was forged in the crucible of countless battles, far surpassing that of those instructors who only knew how to talk the talk.

Even a casual chop or a change of footwork contains not only the exquisite application of strength, but also the ultimate principle of killing with a single blow in real combat.

"Turn sideways like an eel!"

"When throwing a punch, your intention must be faster than your hand!"

"Killing doesn't need to be fancy; it's about the ultimate explosion of points and lines!"

Every word of Chu Zhaoxue's guidance was like a wake-up call, allowing Cang Lian to make rapid progress in his understanding of martial arts in just two days, from which he benefited immensely.

In addition to giving guidance, Chu Zhaoxue would venture deep into the dense forest alone every day.

She sat cross-legged among the ancient trees, using an unknown treasure to absorb the essence of the plants.

A faint green glow, visible to the naked eye, swirled around her, nourishing her damaged meridians and internal organs.

Two days passed in the blink of an eye, and both of them had recovered to about 70-80% of their original condition, their pale faces regaining their rosy hue.

Late on the third night, all was quiet.

Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound pierced the sky.

In the night sky towards Misty Swamp Town, a red signal flare suddenly exploded, turning the dark clouds blood red.

Upon seeing the red light, Chu Zhaoxue and Cang Lian quickly walked out of the cave.

Chu Zhaoxue looked up at the slowly descending red light, a glint of shrewdness flashing in her usually cold eyes: "That's a signal flare for my new army. I haven't returned for several days; Yan Tang and the others must have come looking for me!"

As she spoke, she pulled a rugged M1921 signal pistol from her holster, skillfully loaded and chambered it, and then pulled the trigger.

"Bang!"

A green meteor streaked upstream, exploding into a dazzling green flower in the night sky, echoing the red light in the distance.

"We'll wait here. They'll arrive soon once they see the signal." Chu Zhaoxue holstered her sidearm and stood with her hands behind her back.

"Hmm!" Cang Lian nodded, standing beside her, his gaze thoughtful.

He hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't suppress his confusion and asked in a low voice, "By the way, General, what exactly happened when you went deep into Misty Swamp Town that day? An elite company, plus you and two Transformation Realm experts, and eighteen Dark Realm masters... how could you have ended up being completely wiped out?"

Cang Lian could see it clearly.

The unit that Chu Zhaoxue brought out that day was no ordinary company; it was the core elite of her "Chu Xiao Battalion"—the "Wolf Fang Company"!

The entire company has more than two hundred members, all wearing German-style steel helmets and crisp military uniforms, and equipped with the finest weapons.

Their tactical skills and firepower configuration represent the pinnacle of the entire new army's combat effectiveness, making them the "ace" among the "aces" held by battalion and regimental commanders.

This is no exaggeration.

The entire company consisted of over two hundred men, all wearing German M35 steel helmets and carrying a Kar98k Mauser rifle, one of the longest-range and most accurate rifles available at the time.

In addition, there are 12 Czech light machine guns to provide crossfire, 2 mortars for assault, 20 MP18 "flower machine guns" for close-range mowing, and plenty of grenades.

Aside from the fact that it wasn't equipped with the bulky Maxim machine gun due to terrain limitations, this was practically a steel monster armed to the teeth.

Let alone suppressing bandits, even on the main battlefield, such a company, relying on its tactical skills and terrifying firepower, would be enough to defeat nearly a thousand old warlord infantrymen in open field battles.

If they rely on the terrain for defensive warfare, they can even withstand the frenzied attack of a reinforced regiment of about 1500 men for up to 8 hours!

With Chu Zhaoxue, the "female killing goddess," in charge, such a lineup should have been a massacre when they stormed into Misty Swamp Town. How did they end up being the ones being slaughtered instead?

Upon hearing Cang Lian's question, Chu Zhaoxue's back visibly stiffened.

She was silent for a moment before slowly speaking, her voice low and solemn:

"When we first went in, everything went smoothly. Although those Blood God Cult members had some tricks up their sleeves, they were no match for guns and cannons. My soldiers only fired a standard volley, and the first wave of Blood God Cult members were killed or wounded. A burst of machine gun fire, and those warriors were riddled with holes and fell like wheat."

"But..." Chu Zhaoxue suddenly turned around, her eyes flashing with cold light, "The leader of the Blood God Sect used that Blood God Pearl to refine an extremely evil pill—the Blood Corpse Pill!"

"After those followers took this pill, they instantly became neither human nor ghost. Their muscles swelled and tore their skin apart, and only the whites of their eyes remained. Not only were they able to unleash strength far beyond that of ordinary people, but they also became completely fearless and reckless! Their consciousness seemed to be manipulated, and fear and pain were completely erased."

"They're like... zombies. Or killing machines!"

Chu Zhaoxue took a deep breath, seemingly still able to smell the strong stench of blood in the air that day: "My soldiers were horrified to discover that bullets pierced their chests, severed their arms, and even ripped apart their internal organs, yet they still charged! Even with their intestines spilling out, even with only one leg left, they would crawl over and bite through the throats of their soldiers!"

"They are no longer human, but tireless 'blood slaves'!"

Chu Zhaoxue turned her head to look at Cang Lian and said, word by word, "My elite company didn't lose to martial arts, nor to tactics, but was dragged into the abyss of despair by these unkillable and indestructible monsters!"

"Blood Corpse Pill... This kind of pill is too evil and domineering. Even if an ordinary person takes it, he can unleash power beyond the limit and be fearless of death."

Chu Zhaoxue gazed towards the dark direction of the distant Misty Swamp Town, her tone more solemn than ever before: "If the Blood God Sect were to mass-produce this kind of pill and build an 'army of blood slaves'... the consequences would be unimaginable."

"So that's how it is... No wonder even Chu Xiao's elite troops were defeated and killed." After hearing these words, Cang Lian finally understood what kind of hell it was that day.

If the Blood Corpse Pill were to be mass-produced, it would create an undead army, which would be a strategic threat!

But he could also imagine that refining the Blood Corpse Pill must be difficult, and he didn't know how many people would have to be killed to refine just one!

This is a truly evil thing!