Da Ming: The system granted me immortality; I clock in every day.

In extremely distant times, there once existed a cultivation civilization called "Tai Xu" in this place.

They multiplied to their peak, producing many great figures.

In pursuit of a higher realm, the elders of the Taixu Sect set up an unparalleled array, attempting to drain the spiritual veins of the entire new continent and forcibly break through the void to ascend.

As a result, their forceful seizure and plunder incurred the wrath of Heaven, which unleashed a world-destroying lightning tribulation.

The Taixu civilization was destroyed in an instant, leaving only this protective array to struggle on until today, when it has completely fallen into ruin.

After reading the inscription on the jade tablet, Li Changqing's lips curled into a mocking smile.

"Greed knows no bounds. To seize all the world's spiritual energy for oneself, cutting off the path to survival for all living beings—such tyranny is intolerable even to the laws of nature. How can such a person not perish?"

He turned his head and looked towards the distant west.

That was the direction where the Ming army was stationed, and the place where ordinary craftsmen were hammering inscribed cannons.

"Cultivating immortality, cultivating immortality, in the end, only leads to becoming a tyrant and a traitor to the people. It's better to do what the Ming Dynasty did, break down the immortal techniques and distribute them to all the people. Millions of people cultivate together, and little by little, a great tower is built. This is the true foundation for an everlasting dynasty."

Li Changqing casually tossed the jade tablet back into the bronze coffin.

Although the ancient city of Taixu contains many ancient spiritual materials and treasures, he has no interest in them whatsoever.

These resources will be collected by the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty through their military achievements and hard work.

He turned and walked down from the altar, found a spot on a broken wall with a wide view, brushed away the snow, and sat down cross-legged.

Although the ancient city is dilapidated, the scenery at the bottom of the valley is quite spectacular.

Warm spring water flows among the broken walls and ruins, and ice and snow mingle in mid-air, creating a scene like a fairyland.

Li Changqing picked up his wine gourd and quietly admired the desolate scenery, feeling leisurely and content.

……

Three days later.

Outside Zhenhai Fort, the army set off again.

Following the military orders of Minister of War Wang Shouren, the Ming army used Wolong Ridge as its base and divided into three routes, advancing in a fan shape into the heart of the New World.

The team responsible for scouting the eastern route was a thousand-man scout battalion composed of veterans of the Shenji Battalion, engineers, and recruited heroes from the local populace.

The commander of the troops was named Chen Hu, a man who had fought against the Tartars in Liaodong and had a life of bloodshed.

The group of heroes under his command were a diverse bunch.

There were martial arts masters who had mastered all kinds of martial arts, and bodyguards who traveled all over the country. They all came to this new continent because they were tempted by the spirit stones and advanced cultivation techniques offered by the imperial court. They risked their lives.

The wind and snow subsided slightly, but the snow in the mountains and forests was already thigh-deep.

"Cheer up! Follow in the footsteps of those who came before, and don't get stuck in the snow pit!"

Chen Hu rode a tall Liaodong warhorse, holding a new-style musket engraved with the "Gathering Fire" spirit pattern, and occasionally turned back to shout at the troops.

Accompanying the army was Shen You, a student of the Imperial Academy.

He was wearing a thick cotton robe and holding a compass, occasionally sketching on a sheepskin map.

"Commander Chen, the compass indicates that there is an extremely strong fluctuation of spiritual energy underground thirty miles ahead. Moreover, the spiritual energy is concentrated and does not disperse, which is most likely an unknown spiritual vein gathering place."

Shen You rode up to Chen Hu's side, pointing to the wildly trembling pointer on the compass, his expression grave.

Upon hearing this, a glint flashed in Chen Hu's eyes.

"A place where spiritual veins converge? That's an incredible achievement! Brothers, give it your all! If we can find that area, everyone in our camp will get ten low-grade spirit stones when we get back!"

Under the reward, there must be a brave man.

The scout battalion's marching speed immediately increased.

As dusk fell, the thousand-strong team finally traversed the dense forest and arrived at the edge of the bottomless rift valley.

Looking down at the ancient city ruins shrouded in warm mist, their magnificent architectural outlines faintly visible, everyone gasped in astonishment.

"This...this desolate land actually has a city?!"

A local swordsman stared wide-eyed and exclaimed in surprise.

Shen You dismounted and quickly walked to the edge of the ravine. He bent down, grabbed a handful of snow, and rubbed it.

"The city walls are made of obsidian, and the architecture is ancient and grand, clearly not the work of a single day. This new continent was once home to an extremely powerful civilization!"

Shen You made a keen judgment, his voice trembling slightly with excitement.

"Commander Chen, we've done a great job! The value of this ancient city is greater than ten Wolong Ridges!"

Chen Hu took a deep breath, suppressed his elation, and calmly gave the order.

"The vanguard of one hundred men, secure your ropes and follow me down into the valley to scout! The rest of you, take up positions on the cliff edge and set up your 'tiger crouching' cannons. If anything goes wrong, sound the alarm immediately!"

Military orders are absolute.

One hundred elite soldiers and a dozen agile folk heroes tied thick hemp ropes to giant trees on the cliff edge and carefully slid down the cliff face towards the valley floor.

Shen You insisted on going with him, and Chen Hu could not persuade him otherwise, so he could only send two old soldiers to protect him.

Stepping onto the ancient city's bluestone slabs, a desolate atmosphere washes over you.

"How magnificent..."

Shen You stared at the dozens of meters tall ruins of the temple, his eyes filled with fascination.

For a student of the Imperial Academy who studies military formations, such ancient relics are an immeasurable treasure trove.

"Be careful, draw your swords and load your guns!"

Chen Hu dared not be careless in the slightest, holding the musket and vigilantly scanning his surroundings.

The group slowly made their way towards the city center along the wide main street.

The surroundings were eerily quiet, with only the "plop" sound of everyone's boots hitting the puddles.

"Commander Chen, look at those stone carvings!"

A sharp-eyed old soldier pointed ahead on the street to the well-preserved three-headed, six-armed stone guardian sculptures.

Shen You stepped forward and, by the light of the torch, saw the faint array patterns at the foot of the stone sculpture. His expression changed drastically.

"Not good! It's an ancient puppet killing formation! Retreat!"

Just as Shen You spoke up to warn them.

Perhaps because the vitality of these hundred-plus people was too strong, the remaining dozens of stone guardian statues that had been lying dormant on both sides of the street and had not been destroyed by Li Changqing suddenly lit up with ghostly blue flames in their eyes.

"Buzz!"

The entire street's bluestone slabs were instantly illuminated by a dazzling array of crimson patterns.

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Dozens of towering stone guards, each several meters tall, wielded massive stone blades and marched with heavy steps, like moving city walls, relentlessly crushing towards the Ming Dynasty scout camp.

"Form ranks! Fire!"

Chen Hu's eyes were bloodshot, and he roared furiously.

"Bang bang bang!"

A dense barrage of gunfire erupted through the streets of the ancient city.

Dozens of lead bullets engraved with spirit patterns struck the stone sculpture at the forefront with great force.

However, these ancient puppets were crafted using secret methods by the Taixu Sect, making them exceptionally sturdy.

The lead bullets from the muskets only managed to break off a few pieces of stone when they hit them, doing nothing to stop their charge.

"Clang!"

A folk swordsman roared angrily.

He drew the nine-ringed greatsword from his back, which was imbued with the "Great Strength" array pattern, leaped high into the air, and slashed fiercely down at the arm of a stone sculpture.

The blade pierced the stone three inches deep, but could not go any further.

With a backhand swing, the stone sculpture unleashed a massive stone blade that swept the swordsman away like a whirlwind.

The swordsman coughed up blood mid-air and crashed heavily into a distant broken wall, his fate unknown.

"These inanimate objects have thick hides and are impervious to swords and spears! Retreat! Retreat back to the cliff!"

Seeing that the situation was not good, Chen Hu decisively gave the order to retreat.

But those stone carvings moved at an extremely fast speed, and with the help of the array patterns, they seemed tireless.

They brandished their giant blades, instantly disrupting the scout camp's formation.

Screams and the sounds of weapons breaking mingled together.

Faced with these killing machines left behind by ancient civilizations, the flesh and blood of mortals seem so fragile.

Shen You was tightly protected by two old soldiers behind him. As he retreated, he anxiously observed the array patterns on the ground.

"Commander Chen! This formation is powered by the earth's ley lines fire; we must destroy the spiritual energy hub in their chests to stop it!"

Shen You loudly reminded him.

But in this chaotic battle, the stone sculptures were tall and powerful, and it was no easy task to accurately shatter the fist-sized pivot point on their chests.

In an attempt to cover Shen You, an old soldier was struck by the giant blade of the stone sculpture, his arm severed at the root, and he fell to the ground in a terrible state.

"Shen Jiansheng, hurry up and go!"