The Immortal Ruins' Riches Rewarded the Armies; the Divine City Was Reforged to Withstand the Calamity

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

Deep, stirring war drums echoed over Qingzhou's wilderness, shattering the winter clouds overhead.

Thirty li outside Heavenly Abyss City, a black torrent of steel a hundred zhang wide advanced in perfectly synchronized steps. Like a black dragon stretching across heaven and earth, it surged toward the absolute heart of Great Zhou's southwest.

This was the [Qingzhou Suppression Army], returning victorious after flattening the Ten-Thousand-Demon Marsh, laden with the boundless riches of the ancient Immortal Ruins!

Only a few months had passed, yet the bearing of this million-strong army had undergone an earth-shaking transformation.

The restlessness and pampered airs of aristocratic sons had vanished from every soldier's eyes, replaced by the cold, iron-blooded resolve of men who had clawed through mountains of corpses and seas of blood, walking over the bones of countless great demons. Their united killing intent soared skyward; birds and beasts along the road sensed it from afar and collapsed, their courage shattered, whimpering against the ground.

Even more astonishing was their equipment.

Working day and night in an almost frenzied rush, the Heavenly Abyss Merchant Alliance's accompanying artifact refiners had melted down scraps from the enormous puppets around the Primordial Void Immortal Ruins, along with the shattered walls of ancient palaces, and incorporated them into the Northern Garrison Army's weapons and armor.

Now, faint traces of obscure, ancient violet-gold formation runes flowed across the million soldiers' black iron heavy armor, reflecting a peerless, heart-chilling ferocity beneath the sunlight.

"Army, halt—!"

At the thunderous command, the million-strong army stopped thirty li outside Heavenly Abyss City as though it were a single man. There was no clamor, only the grim clash of weapons and armor.

Atop Heavenly Abyss City's walls, Chu Bai stood with his hands behind his back, clad in a Violet-Gold Royal Robe.

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