Surrounding Jianglan Army were the Rune Puppet No. 2 Spider Type, which had been improved many times by the Rune Research Institute.
The spider-shaped Rune Puppet No. 2 is better suited for navigating the complex mountainous terrain of the Wilderness, which is why it has been a key focus of the Rune Research Institute's improvements over the years.
The Rune Puppet No. 2 Spider Type possesses the ability to burrow underground and conceal its spiritual energy fluctuations; no one in the Jianglan Tribe noticed them lying in ambush here.
The suddenly appearing Talisman Puppet spiders possessed terrifying firepower, instantly killing thousands of soldiers before Jianglan Army could react.
"Cavalry squadrons two, three, and four, go deal with the puppet monsters behind them."
Upon discovering the Talisman Puppet Spider, Jiang Kunyu's face turned ashen, and he immediately dispatched three elite cavalry units to deal with Talisman Puppet.
Chen Village's Talisman Puppet are rarely deployed, so his understanding of them is limited. Although he had been wary of Chen Village's Talisman Puppet, he hadn't expected that these spiders could hide underground. Now, Jianglan Army is attacked from both sides and is at a disadvantage again.
" Chen Zihu, today it's either you or me who dies!"
Jiang Kunyu was no coward. He knew that at this point, the only possible way to win was for him to lead his elite troops to defeat Chen Zihu's main force. Therefore, he was prepared to die.
"Haha, you want to fight?"
Chen Zihu remained calm and fearless as he met Jiang Kunyu's attack.
Ding! Ding ding!
Having spent over a decade immersed in the True Spirit Realm, Jiang Kunyu's strength had reached an extraordinary level. Under his all-out effort, even though Chen Zihu's moves were exquisite, he was gradually suppressed and forced into a disadvantageous position.
Die!
Jiang Kunyu's energy and spirit reached their peak, and he unleashed his final, ultimate move.
" Five Elements Metal Art, One Pillar Holds Up the Heavens!"
Forced into a corner, Chen Zihu's back glowed with the light of runes, and he then unleashed the strongest move he had ever learned.
A massive blade of light and a phantom of a golden mace covered in fangs collided in mid-air, producing a deafening boom.
The massive shockwave sent the weaker soldiers flying into the air. After falling to the ground, they got up and continued fighting.
After the shockwave subsided, Jiang Kunyu coughed up a mouthful of blood.
"Retreat! All troops retreat!"
He gave Chen Zihu a cold look, knowing that there was no hope of breaking through Chen Village's main force, and led a group of elite soldiers to break through the encirclement.
"Kill! Don't let them escape!"
Chen Zihu's face was also a little pale, but he was not seriously injured and led the cavalry to pursue them.
Half an hour later, the battle was over. More than 4,000 ordinary soldiers in Chen Village died, but the casualties among the Spear Squad, Cannon Squad, and elite cavalry were few.
As for the Rune Puppet No. 2 Spider Puppets, only a dozen or so were damaged. The Rune Puppet No. 2 Spider Puppets have extremely high defense, and as long as they are sent back to Chen Village, they can all be repaired in a few days.
Jianglan Army suffered heavy casualties, with less than 10,000 escaping and nearly 20,000 soldiers dying there.
After Chen Zihu led the Chen Village army to clean up the battlefield, he led his troops back to their base.
The Wilderness Divine Temple, first floor of the palace, inside the surveillance room.
"This... this is just too outrageous!"
Xing Le watched the battle between Chen Village and Jianglan Tribe in the Blazing Sun Mountain Range from beginning to end and sighed.
In terms of casualty ratio, Chen Village had 10,000 men against an enemy force of 30,000. Chen Village lost nearly half of its troops, while the enemy lost two-thirds. Although Chen Village won, it could not be considered a great victory.
But the truth is, the Chen Village corps that died were just cannon fodder, while the Jianglan Tribe lost a large portion of its elite troops.
Xing Le could tell that, putting everything else aside, just those six or seven hundred Talisman Puppet spiders that had appeared behind Chen Village alone would require Jianglan Army to lose at least fifty thousand lives in a direct confrontation to possibly destroy them.
He finally understood why Chen Village had developed to its current state in just a few years. It didn't seem like a contest between civilizations of the same level; it was more like a superior civilization crushing a inferior one.
" Fairy Wanyi, don't you think Chen Village seems to be disrupting the order of the Wilderness?"
Xing Le sat down next to Su Wanyi, his face somber.
"I don't think so! According to the rules set by the gods, cultivators with strength above the Core Formation Realm cannot attack cultivators below the Core Formation Realm at will, unless the weaker one actively provokes the stronger one."
"All the fighters from Chen Village so far are below the Core Formation Realm, so they can't be considered to be disrupting the order of the Wilderness, right?"
"That's true, but that talisman master from Chen Village, his strength should be beyond the Core Formation Realm, right?"
The puppets and Rune Artifacts he created could also be considered his actions, couldn't they?
"Hmm..."
Su Wanyi hesitated for a moment before answering.
"Actually, according to our previous rules, as long as the Rune Artifacts or puppet is not more powerful than the Core Formation Realm, it is not considered a violation of the rules. This is a consensus we reached before, and you should know that as well."
Otherwise, if every tribe has people using Rune Artifacts, who has the time to care what level of Rune Artifacts made them?
"I know, but I still think we need to curb this Chen Village."
Otherwise, at this rate, in another ten or twenty years, he might actually unify the Human Clan within the Wilderness.
"Let them unify, what's it to us?"
Su Wanyi shrugged indifferently, unable to understand why Xing Le wanted to meddle in these other people's business.
The Temple messengers' primary task was to oversee the natural development of the Wilderness.
In the north of the Wilderness, where humans have left their mark, less than one-tenth of Wilderness land is covered by human footprints. The territory occupied by human tribes is less than one-thousandth of the Wilderness. Even if all of it were unified, it would not have a significant impact on the Wilderness.
If it weren't for a rule among the gods that protects humanity—that cultivators above the Core Formation Realm are not allowed to attack ordinary people at will— the Temple messengers might not even bother with the disputes between human tribes.
"Indeed, there was a personal reason behind this."
More than 800 years ago, I had a past relationship with the ancestor of the Jianglan Tribe. He asked me to take care of his descendants, so I do not wish for the Jianglan Tribe to perish.
Xing Le frankly stated the truth: as long as the Orthodox God messenger completes his duties, no one can criticize him even if he has selfish motives, as long as he doesn't break the rules.
"As far as I know, many of the servants of our Temple have a history with the eight great tribes of the Wilderness."
If they knew about this, they would definitely support me, so I think this long-standing custom can be changed.
Xing Le looked at Su Wanyi, his gaze hardening.
"Fine! I can't be bothered with you, do whatever you want."
Remember, never break the rules set by the gods, or I will show no mercy to anyone!
Su Wanyi's expression was indifferent. She did not come from Wilderness tribe, so she did not care about the situation in the Wilderness area at all.
"Then thank you, Fairy Wanyi. I'll go out now."
If anything happens at the Temple, please inform me, and I will return immediately.