The Times Have Changed

The Times Have Changed

"Move! Move!"

"The general has ordered that these checkpoints be heavily defended. No one is allowed through!"

Within the royal capital, apart from the imperial palace, the highest-ranking, largest, and most luxurious establishment was the Grand General's Manor in the west of the city.

Yan Wuxu lived there year-round. His power was immense, and he had heard that someone was coming to kill him—and that this person was an expert listed in the Divine Weapon Manual.

Thus, a military order was sent directly to the Imperial Guard camp responsible for defending the royal capital.

At this moment, three thousand armored Imperial Guards had been mobilized. Barricades had been erected at several nearby intersections, where heavily armed soldiers stood watch.

On the nearby towers and pavilions, archers lay in ambush with feathered arrows already nocked. Their arrowheads were black, clearly coated in poison.

The once-bustling streets were now bleak and murderous. Every household along the road had shut its doors and windows tight, not daring to step outside. Otherwise, they would be seized as spies on the spot.

Within the Grand General's Manor, a soft-featured middle-aged scholar fanned himself as he listened to a captain's report, then gave a faint snort through his nose.

"The bandit coming to assassinate the general this time is no ordinary foe. He absolutely cannot be treated like some common martial artist. Tell your men to keep their eyes wide open and guard the place properly!"

"If anything at all happens to the general's manor, it will be a capital crime punishable by the extermination of three clans!"

"Captain Zhao, do you understand?"

Captain Zhao, built as powerfully as a young bull, stared fixedly at the ground. His entire body trembled slightly, making the plates of his armor clatter.

He swallowed with difficulty, but when he thought of the inescapable net he had arranged, confidence welled up within him again. He clasped his fists and said:

"This subordinate understands the stakes. Please rest assured, sir. The Grand General's Manor is impregnable. The enemy will come, but they will never leave!"

After Captain Zhao finished speaking, the middle-aged scholar leisurely lifted his teacup and took a sip. Looking up, he saw that Captain Zhao was still standing there hesitantly, and his brow furrowed.

"Um, sir, did you receive the item I had sent to your residence a few days ago? Was it to your liking?"

Captain Zhao gritted his teeth and finally asked in a low voice.

The middle-aged scholar paused, clicked his tongue, and looked at the pitiful fellow before him. "So that Blood Coral was from you. It carries a trace of spiritual energy, which makes it rather pleasing to me."

"Hehe, as long as you like it, sir. As long as you like it."

Captain Zhao forced out a smile. Though he did not know what spiritual energy meant, it seemed he had sent the right thing.

"For the sake of that Blood Coral, I'll give you an opportunity."

"Sir, are you willing to put in a good word for me before the prince and help me earn a promotion?"

"What you gave me is not enough."

The middle-aged scholar curled his lips slightly and shook his head amid Captain Zhao's disappointed gaze, seemingly speaking casually.

"The opportunity I mean is that you may now have someone else replace you in guarding the Grand General's Manor, sparing you considerable risk. What do you think?"

Captain Zhao's heart trembled. He assumed the scholar simply did not wish to help him and had casually invented an excuse to use up the favor.

Though failure in defense would bring severe punishment, if he performed well, perhaps he might catch Yan Wuxu's eye.

Thinking of the wealth and glory awaiting him, he gritted his teeth and said:

"Thank you for your kind intentions, sir, but this subordinate has confidence in his brothers. The three thousand armored soldiers are all elite troops, armed with powerful bows and heavy crossbows. Even if several Innate Realm experts came together, they would never gain an advantage!"

With that, Captain Zhao clasped his fists in salute and strode away.

He did not know that the middle-aged scholar shook his head behind him, drank his tea, and cursed, "Stupid ox."

Who would have thought that someone would scramble to take on the miserable task of using mortal lives to exhaust a cultivator's magical power? That was the charm of authority.

After leaving the Grand General's Manor, Captain Zhao felt as if a huge weight had been lifted from his heart. He turned back to look at the imposing, solemn gates and took a deep breath.

He was just about to leave and inspect the defensive arrangements nearby.

Suddenly, a thunderous boom rang out from afar. The earth shook, black smoke rose in the distance, and faint screams echoed through the streets.

Captain Zhao staggered and nearly fell. Fortunately, he was also a first-rate expert with a steady stance, and he quickly recovered.

Seeing the panic on the surrounding soldiers' faces, he too felt a trace of unease, but he still sternly rebuked them.

"Don't panic! Hold your ground!"

"Perhaps the enemy used some kind of trick. There's nothing to fear!"

Captain Zhao, who had long wielded considerable authority, did have some ability. As he hurried toward the explosion, he recalled hearing that certain martial sects were skilled in using secret medicines to create thunderous blasts.

However, such secret medicines were not only difficult to make and store, but their destructive power was also scattered. A slight mishap could even injure the user.

They were no match for an army and could only frighten ignorant village women.

"Captain, your warhorse and weapon!"

An attendant led over a fine horse and stopped Captain Zhao. A Flower-Patterned Great Axe hung from the horse's side.

"Perfect timing!"

Captain Zhao's eyes lit up. He mounted the horse in full armor, muscles bulging along his right arm as he hefted the great axe and charged down the broad street. The pounding hooves carried tremendous force.

He was a military commander. Only with a warhorse and weapon could he display his greatest strength. Even Innate Realm experts had to avoid his edge when he charged!

Captain Zhao's horse was swift, and he quickly reached the scene. At an intersection that had once been heavily guarded, smoke now filled the air, while a massive charred crater more than three feet deep lay in the ground.

More than ten armored Imperial Guards, covered in blood as if struck by giant hammers, had collapsed by the roadside like rag dolls. It was impossible to tell whether they were dead or alive.

The remaining guards had gathered into a cluster, gripping their spears as they stared fearfully ahead like startled birds.

"Where is the enemy?"

Captain Zhao swung his axe and roared with his eyes wide open, yet he found no trace of the enemy nearby.

At that moment, he heard a rumbling noise from the far end of the street, like an angry beast growling as it drew near.

His warhorse snorted uneasily and pawed at the ground. Had Captain Zhao not yanked its reins tight, it might have fled at once.

"What... what the hell is that?!"

Suddenly, Captain Zhao's eyes filled with confusion and terror. At the end of the royal capital's broad, classical street appeared a monster clad entirely in iron armor.

The monster was pitch-black and enormous. The moment it appeared, it nearly filled the entire street. Several pairs of wheels lined its sides, wrapped in iron armor resembling tracks.

It was practically a moving fortress.

There was no war beast pulling it, yet it moved with tremendous force. In an instant, it was like a giant elephant stomping across the earth, sending dust flying and crushing even the bricks beneath its path.

"Perhaps there's some incredibly strong martial artist hiding inside that iron fortress? Does he think he's invincible just because he's hiding in there? Playing tricks like this—he's courting death!"

Captain Zhao's hands and feet had gone cold, but he quickly came up with a possibility. He forced his horse into a charge, the Flower-Patterned Great Axe in his hand whistling through the air.

Yet when he reached the iron monster, Captain Zhao had no idea where to strike. He hacked at it wildly, leaving only a shallow mark on its front armor and spraying a trail of sparks.

Just as Captain Zhao froze in disbelief, the iron monster showed no mercy and rammed straight into him. Its tracks first caught the horse's hooves, then dragged the rider down as well.

"No, no, no!"

Captain Zhao's foot was caught in the stirrup, and he instantly realized disaster had struck.

He tried to jam the Flower-Patterned Great Axe into the wheels, only to see the weapon of refined iron rapidly deform under the immense pressure, twisting into a lump of scrap metal.

Then, before it could even hold for a single breath, he was crushed beneath the tracks of the iron monster barreling forward at full speed.

Captain Zhao let out a brief scream before falling silent, leaving only a smear of blood on the road.

If someone from Blue Star had been here, they would have recognized this iron monster running rampant through the streets—something the people of the Yan Kingdom had never even heard of—as a modern tank, one that had undergone quite a few special modifications.

Thicker armor, greater power, and a larger cannon barrel!

Inside the tank, Xiao Liang flipped through a tank operation manual while directing Qin Long and Pandora to operate the massive machine, barely paying attention to the commotion outside.

"Xiao Liang, is this the Mechanical Puppet you brought back after going out before? Its construction is truly strange. It doesn't consume magical power at all, nor does it require Spirit Stones for power."

Qin Long looked intrigued. She took the driver's seat on her own initiative and operated the various mechanisms according to Xiao Liang's instructions. Cultivators had quick reflexes, so she soon handled it with some proficiency.

However, she quickly felt the tank jolt slightly and asked in confusion, "But how does this Mechanical Puppet observe what's outside? I think I hit something just now. Were we attacked?"