Tank Infantry 2

On the battlefield, the paper men had all reached Qi Refining Late Stage, and their leader had even reached the peak of Ninth Level Qi Refining.

Likewise, they were extremely well-equipped with Concealment Spells and Stealth Artifacts. With such vast distances between them, Hua Bing could no longer pinpoint their exact positions and concentrate fire with a single scan of the Electromagnetic Induction Wave Technique.

She often had to scan repeatedly several times before she could determine precise coordinates and issue attack orders.

But in those few seconds of delay, the enemy had already advanced several hundred meters, rendering the original coordinates outdated.

"Probe this coordinate area with firepower!"

There was a trace of panic in Hua Bing's voice.

The Tank Artifact's main cannon switched to high-explosive shells. Sun Xiao and the other six immediately understood the order and each fired probing shots into an area.

Boom!

The shell exploded in midair nearby. Hundreds of high-speed fragments bearing the Law-Breaking Attribute blanketed an area over thirty meters wide, while the Heavy Machine Guns fired twenty rounds in rapid succession, weaving a net that formed a hundred-meter fire coverage zone.

In one patch of empty air, transparent ripples appeared, followed by blooming sprays of blood, shattered limbs, and a Magic Artifact Shield flying backward.

In several other places, among the trees and across the shallow ground, faint figures lying prone were exposed as well.

They were spread out extremely widely, with at least a hundred meters between each person.

"Fire at these coordinates!"

Hua Bing's expression turned calm. A high-explosive shell slammed into the target point, while the other six Heavy Machine Guns rattled in sustained fire, forming an impenetrable net of death that engulfed the cultivators using shallow earth escape beneath the ground. Dirt mixed with blood.

Boom!

Rat-a-tat-tat!

Shell casings flew out. The tank's main cannons bombarded their targets methodically, while the Heavy Machine Guns kept up their unceasing fire. One Qi Refining Late Stage cultivator after another, their traces already exposed, was torn apart by concentrated fire.

"That's exactly how it should be."

Zhang Dingjun nodded slightly. "Information is the life of us Immortal Sect Cultivators. We must spare no cost and use every possible method to obtain information on the enemy."

"To lose battlefield information is to lose one's life."

There was meaning behind his words.

On the battlefield, Hua Bing's face changed, revealing panic. Flustered, she formed hand seals, and a shield rose up to cover her completely.

Whoosh!

At that exact moment, a cyan flying sword suddenly appeared. Carrying a shrill howl through the air, it nimbly curved around the heavy Magic Artifact Shield and pierced the Qi Refining Level Seven Magic Shield as easily as puncturing an eggshell.

It lightly tapped her throat.

Then, at a speed impossible for those in the Inner Qi Realm to track, it circled once, visiting Sun Xiao and the others in turn.

They only felt a chill at their necks and had no choice but to stop pulling their triggers.

"We lost."

Hua Bing, Sun Xiao, and the others looked somewhat bitter.

The observing students fell silent. They had just been slaughtering their enemies—how had it suddenly ended?

Not one of them had been able to detect the lurking Sword Wielding Cultivator.

"Let's review it."

After Hua Bing's team returned, Zhang Dingjun projected a large screen before everyone, displaying the third-party battle footage from just now.

Jiang Ding watched closely.

This cultivator squad was a typical twelve-man unit. The strongest was at Ninth Level Qi Refining, while the weakest was at Qi Refining Level Seven.

From the beginning, there was a Sword Wielding Cultivator who had broken far away from the main force and circled in from another direction to flank them.

It was clear that this Sword Wielding Cultivator had attained an extremely high level in the Breath Concealment and Invisibility Spell, and was wearing a high-quality Stealth Artifact.

Twice, the first-tier Infantry Spirit Particle Radar built into Hua Bing's tank, together with the scouting waves emitted by the Electromagnetic Induction Wave Technique, had scanned over him, yet he had evaded both.

An opponent like this could only be discovered by repeatedly scanning with concentrated Radar Waves.

And so, under the cover provided by his comrades-in-arms, this Sword Wielding Cultivator infiltrated within five hundred meters of Hua Bing. A cyan flying sword carrying a Concealment Spell flew out, remaining hidden until it neared its target, where it suddenly erupted and took the enemy commander's head.

"The data's wrong, Teacher."

Wu Tianli suddenly pointed at the Sword Wielding Cultivator.

"This distance is wrong. A Ninth Level Qi Refining cultivator's divine sense reaches around ninety meters. Even if this Outer Realm Cultivator encountered some fortuitous opportunity, a little over a hundred meters should be his limit. How could he launch an attack from over five hundred meters away with no drop in power whatsoever?"

Zhang Dingjun merely smiled and said nothing.

"It's a Blood Refined Artifact."

Hua Bing said softly, "Something similar to a Lifebound Artifact, refined by adding one's essence blood. The Immortal Sect Science and Technology News recently published an article saying that Outer Realm Cultivators have begun trying to popularize these Blood Refined Artifacts among their low- and mid-level cultivators, to increase their attack range."

As for a Ninth Level Qi Refining cultivator breaking her shield with one sword strike, there was nothing surprising about that.

His cultivation was already two levels higher than hers, and he specialized in offensive spells. That was different from the Immortal Sect Cultivators' amateur defensive offensive spells.

"So that's how it is."

Zhang Dingjun sighed. "Outer Realm Cultivators have been evolving these past years as well. The fine old days when Qi Refining cultivators launched attacks in dense battle formations are gone forever."

"Especially their sword cultivators and elite spell cultivators. They were already formidable to begin with, and with Stealth Artifacts and sophisticated Concealment Spells, first-tier infantry Radar Waves can no longer easily detect them. Once they close in, it becomes a slaughter."

"Teacher, not necessarily. There's no need to scare us."

Hua Bing protested, unwilling to accept it. "In actual combat, multiple squads usually fight together. Then we'll have specialized second-tier Armored Radar Command Vehicles, along with Commander Type Cultivators who graduated from Big Dipper University or other Seven National Defense Universities and specialize in the Electromagnetic Induction Wave Technique. Those few Outer Realm Cultivators would be wiped out in an instant."

The students' pale faces finally regained some color.

Though the school and television had repeatedly mentioned such things, when faced with a truly blood-drenched battlefield, they could not help but feel afraid.

Zhang Dingjun neither agreed nor disagreed, offering no rebuttal to Hua Bing's words.

Compared with the Nine Great Immortal Sects, the Immortal Sect's foundations were far too weak!

The Immortal Sect had a cultivation history of barely ten thousand years and meager resources. When thirty-six tank detachments assembled into a tank battalion, equipped with second-tier Spirit Particle Radar armored command vehicles and professional commanders, there was only one possible situation—

They were facing Foundation Establishment Cultivators!

There was no helping it. Whether low-tier, mid-tier, or high-tier, the Immortal Sect Cultivators lagged behind in numbers across the board. Their opponents would not politely fight them at the same realm.

There was no need to tell these students, who were still enjoying their beautiful campus lives, such things.

His own teacher had done the same back then.

"All right, the post-battle review ends here."

Zhang Dingjun waved a hand. "Wu Tianli will take over the second squad, Zhou Lingjun the third. The exercise continues. The first squad will rest for one round, rotating in this manner. This is a rare opportunity—everyone must take part in the exercise at least once this class."

"Yes!"

The students answered in unison.

Men and women alike cradled Heavy Machine Guns in their arms, four or five belts of ammunition draped over their bodies, and followed their respective temporary commanders onto the battlefield.

As for Jiang Ding, who held an Anti-Materiel Sniper Rifle, he was called aside.

"Having observed that round of exercises, what do you understand about the role of reconnaissance infantry?"

Zhang Dingjun asked succinctly.

"This..."

Jiang Ding carefully considered the battle he had just witnessed.

"Counter-reconnaissance? Sniping important targets with strong Stealth Ability, moving around outside the battlefield, protecting our own commander, and killing the enemy the instant they reveal themselves by attacking?"

"Of course, it would be best to have the Innate Realm. Otherwise, one shot takes ten or even dozens of minutes to fire—utterly useless."

Jiang Ding added.