Commendable courage

The mournful sound of the bugle echoed across the mountains and fields, awakening this slumbering, majestic city.

As the headquarters of the Witch God Cult, Jingshan City has a population of nearly 500,000, and the city is full of cultivators who follow the Sorcerer System.

The garrison numbered only 25,000, which was rather weak for a city with a population of 500,000.

This is not because the Witch God Cult lacks military strength, but because it doesn't need it.

This is the headquarters of the Witch God Cult, with a statue of the Witch God, a first-rank Grand Witch, numerous experts following the Sorcerer System, and a large number of martial artists.

It is no exaggeration to say that the defensive forces and overall strength of Jingshan City are no less than those of the Great Feng.

The 20,000 garrison troops stationed in the city barracks swarmed out, including 6,000 cavalry and 14,000 infantry. From generals to soldiers, everyone was somewhat bewildered.

Who dares to be so audacious as to attack Jingshan City?

Throughout history, since the High Antiquity witchcraft religion was born and spread in the Northeast, Jingshan City has never experienced war.

The 20,000 troops followed the newly opened road, bypassed the peaks of Jingshan Mountain, and arrived at the seaside amidst the rising dust.

Streaks of dark light shot up from the city like a dense meteor shower, streaking across the peaks of Jingshan Mountain and landing on the coast.

Led by the city lord Nalan Yan, the wizards gazed intently into the distance and saw twenty enormous warships cutting through the waves on the far sea.

Nalan Yan was eight feet tall, with a thick beard covering half his face, and naturally curly brown hair. He was skilled in both witchcraft and martial arts.

This city lord is a peak fourth-rank wizard and a peak fourth-rank martial artist. He is only half a step away from crossing the threshold of "immortal and immortal" and becoming a third-rank master with a long lifespan.

Nalan Yan also has another identity: the Witch God Sect has three Spiritual Witches (rank three) and one Grand Witch (rank one). The three Spiritual Witches are the national teachers of the Jingkang, Yan, and other kingdoms, and they are not usually at the main altar.

The great wizard, however, was obsessed with shepherding and lived a carefree life.

The city lord of Jingshan City was originally a second-rank rain master, but during the Battle of Shanhai Pass, that second-rank rain master was lured deep into enemy territory by Wei Yuan, who then joined forces with Buddhist School Arhats to kill him.

Nalan Yan was the son of that second-rank rain master.

As the sun rose, golden light rippled across the sea. Nalan Yan narrowed his eyes, gazing intently at the figure in blue robes at the bow of the ship, and suddenly a cold smile appeared on his face.

Besides the wizards and the guards, there was also a group of people with varying levels of cultivation, but certainly no shortage of experts. A short while later, they arrived at the coast, but did not approach, instead observing from a distance.

These martial artists were Rogue Person from Jingshan City; in Great Feng's parlance, they were Jianghu people.

"Those are the warships of the Great Feng."

"Is that Wei Yuan at the bow? That blue robe matches the legend of Wei Yuan."

"He truly deserves to be called a military genius. I heard that the Great Feng army he led encountered fierce resistance in the Yan Kingdom's borders. At the time, I thought Wei Yuan was nothing special, but who would have thought he would break through directly from the sea."

"But that's still courting death, isn't it?"

"Hey, Wei Yuan's move was brilliant, but my Witch God Sect has no weaknesses. Even if he's a war god, we can only try to outmaneuver him. What a pity about those twenty warships."

The wandering Rogue Person talked with relaxed expressions, even with smiles on their faces, and their ease was justified.

The main altar of the Witch God Cult is located in Jingshan City, adjacent to the vast ocean and surrounded by the three kingdoms of Yan, Jing, and Kang. For thousands of years, it has been the most powerful force in the Central Plains, the North, and now the Buddhist School, the number one power in the Nine Provinces.

Did they ever manage to storm the headquarters of the Witch God Cult?

Not even once.

Why? Don't other people know how to build boats to cross the sea?

Because of two words: Rain Master!

On the cliff of Jingshan, the high priest Salun Agu, draped in a hemp-colored robe and holding a lamb in his arms, looked down at the warships sailing in.

His hemp-colored robe billowed around him, and streams of glassy energy surged around him, extending into the surrounding environment.

Gradually, he seemed to merge with heaven and earth, and Salun Agu gently exhaled a breath.

This anger, like a snowball rolling downhill, grew bigger and bigger until it transformed into a terrifying storm.

Suddenly, a fierce wind swept across the calm sea, the azure sky became overcast, lightning flashed and thunder roared, and torrential rain poured down.

The waves surged and rolled higher and higher, and in the blink of an eye, the once calm nearshore waters were shrouded in a storm.

The twenty warships were enormous, but in the face of the forces of nature, they appeared fragile and insignificant, like flat boats, rising and falling with the waves. Sometimes, the entire ship was even tossed up and then crashed down, splashing up huge waves.

On the deck, cannons and ballistae overturned, some flying out and crashing heavily into the vast ocean.

The crew and sailors clung tightly to whatever they could hold onto in order to avoid falling into the ocean or being crushed to death by masts, cannons, or other hard objects.

The soldiers inside the ship's hold fared even worse, sometimes tumbling to the left, sometimes to the right, and sometimes being tossed high into the air and then slammed down.

Because of the dense crowd, hundreds of soldiers died in the ensuing chaos.

All of this is utterly insignificant compared to the fate that awaits them.

Their fate was to be swallowed up by the raging waves at any moment.

Second-rank shamans, known as rain masters, High Antiquity times when the climate was unpredictable. During droughts, human tribes in the northeast would offer sacrifices to the shamanistic religion, praying for their help.

The shamans accepted the offerings, then set up a ritual and prayed to the heavens for rain.

The shaman who presides over the ceremony is usually of the second rank, or rather, only shamans of the second rank are qualified to preside over the ceremony, hence the title of rain master.

In fact, praying for rain is just one of the means by which a second-rank wizard manifests his power.

The true core ability of the second rank in the Sorcerer System is to connect with the heavens and earth and borrow a portion of their power.

Therefore, with a wizard of the second rank or above presiding over the main altar, any enemy attempting to cross the sea is courting death.

The wizards and guards watched this scene with considerable ease, seeing the Great Feng warship drifting precariously in the rain.

Meanwhile, those martial arts Rogue Person and rogues mocked without restraint.

"Are we here to fight? No, we're here to die."

"Is Wei Yuan really nothing special? Everyone says he's so powerful, but after seeing him today, is that all he is?"

"Hey, daring to cross the sea and attack the main altar, that's not bad at all."

"The warships are full of military equipment: ballistae, cannons, well-made armor and swords. After the Great Feng fleet is destroyed, we'll go to sea and salvage them, making a fortune."

At this moment, a massive, sky-covering tide surged up from the raging sea, its waters, like jade city and snow-capped mountains, crashing against the Great Feng fleet with a thunderous roar.

After a long period of preparation, they finally unleashed their killing move.

No fleet in the world can survive a tsunami as large as the Great Wall, even if the warships are inscribed with formations.

How could a mere formation possibly contend with the mighty forces of nature?

"Roar!"

A high-pitched roar echoed throughout the heavens and earth, rising and falling in waves.

In everyone's sight, the tide that should have been devastating seemed to freeze, paused for a few seconds, and then disintegrated, collapsing with a rumble, as if it had lost the power to support itself.

Although the tsunami, which was taller and longer than the city walls, did not crash down, the force of its collapse still nearly capsized twenty warships.

On the shore, the experts, soldiers, and wizards of the Witch God Cult looked in the direction of the sound with slightly changed expressions. They saw thick, scaly bodies occasionally protruding from the foamy sea.

The Northern Demon Race, the Jiao Tribe!

Descendants of Gods and Devils, dragons.

When a dragon comes ashore, it is called "walking dragon"; when it enters the water, it is called "mermaid".

They are natural rulers of the water, able to manipulate water, both stirring up waves and calming storms.

Looking out, one could see hundreds of dragons riding the wind and waves, their high-pitched roars echoing everywhere; the entire dragon clan had almost come out of their nests.

The turbulent sea suddenly became much calmer, but it was not completely calm.

The torrential rain turned into a regular drizzle.

Two forces manipulating water spirits battled, achieving a delicate balance.

"The dragon is Demon Race from the north."

"No wonder Wei Yuan dared to cross the sea; it turns out he was relying on the help of a dragon."

Nalan Yan's expression darkened slightly, and he said calmly, "Not surprising. He wouldn't have come if he wasn't confident. Have the army retreat, and intercept them as soon as the Fengtian Army lands."

The order had barely been given when a muffled thud was heard from the sea. A few seconds later, a deep crater was blasted into the beach not far from the group, and shrapnel and shockwaves swept around.

More and more shells rained down, attacking the defenders and wizards on the shore.

"Retreat! Retreat immediately!"

A general roared, waved his flag, and ordered his soldiers to retreat.

He had just finished shouting when a shell landed right next to him. With a loud "boom," flames erupted, and the general was blasted away.

He wasn't dead yet, but his indestructible body was instantly broken, and he was seriously injured.

This is why Nalan Yan ordered the army to withdraw. The Great Feng warships were equipped with cannons and ballistae, which were powerful, had a long range, and were numerous. Those who guarded the coast would simply be bombarded to death.

It was originally thought that the Grand Wizard's Law Technique could annihilate the entire fleet, but the participation of the Flood Dragon Clan caused the Witch God Cult to lose this advantage.

The best course of action at present is to withdraw the troops and then take advantage of the mountain roads and forests that usually guard Jingshan City.

This task can only be completed with the lives of the garrison. The battlefield is the wizard's home ground, but unfortunately, this is not a battlefield, but the wizard's stronghold.

The most terrifying zombie troop tactic was completely eliminated.

The key point is that even if a large number of undead soldiers can be recruited as the war intensifies, these undead soldiers will likely all be from Jingshan City.

This is a poor choice.

As for the best strategy, Nalan Yan thought it was actually quite simple: as long as the Grand Wizard made a move and killed the man in blue on the spot, the Great Feng army would be leaderless and its fighting strength would be reduced by half.

Wei Yuan was an ordinary mortal whose cultivation had been completely destroyed.

Boom boom boom!

Cannonballs pounded the shore, and crossbow bolts pierced the ground, causing massive casualties among the witch god's army and plunging the scene into chaos.

The Great Feng warships advanced with unstoppable momentum, approaching the coast.

At the bow of the ship, the figure in blue stood proudly, but his gaze was not on the people on the shore, but on the figure in a hemp-colored robe atop Jing Mountain.

A person stands atop a cliff, bathed in bright sunlight and gentle breeze.

A lone figure stands in the vast ocean, amidst dark clouds and surging waves.

The world seemed to be divided into two distinct halves.

Two gentle gazes met across the distance.

Just then, a streak of dark light appeared from the southwest, stopped above the group of Witch God Cult members, and with a wave of its sleeve, sent dozens of cannonballs flying.

"Elder Irbu."

The wizards breathed a sigh of relief. Their curses, corpse control spells, and other techniques could not be used against the Great Feng army from a distance, and the wizards, who were not good at defense, could not even withstand the artillery fire.

A fifth-rank priest and a fourth-rank dream shaman can summon the spirits of warriors, transforming themselves into unparalleled warriors. But this is meaningless, because there will inevitably be a greater number of high-ranking warriors on the Great Feng warship.

That person is the real warrior.

It's not that wizards aren't strong enough; on the contrary, wizards are unpredictable and invincible on the battlefield. But the current situation makes it seem as if wizards have instantly lost most of their special abilities.

During the Battle of Shanhai Pass, many battles were lost inexplicably, and many people still don't understand why they lost.

But now, the appearance of a third-rank wizard is enough to make up for all the shortcomings. There is an insurmountable gap between the third and fourth ranks.

Irbu stood frozen in mid-air, gazing at the large blue-clad figure on the flagship. He frowned, took out three copper coins, and cast a divination for himself. The divination result read: Auspicious!

He immediately felt relieved and loudly ordered, "Retreat! Scatter and guard the official roads and forests. Form teams of one hundred men each, with one shaman assigned to each team."

After giving the order, Irbu put away the copper coins, and with his hands moving at lightning speed, he formed a set of hand seals, summoning an unreal phantom in the void that solidified above his head.

Irbu's Blood Qi surged, his muscles burst through his robes, and he transformed into a giant several meters tall.

The giant, riding on dark light, shot towards the flagship and towards Wei Yuan.

On deck, the soldiers turned their cannons and ballistae around, trying to stop Irbu.

Cannons and crossbow bolts shattered upon impact with him, yet they could not harm a third-rank "martial artist" in the slightest.

At this moment, the anticipation and joy of the Witch God Cult stood in stark contrast to the worry and anger of the Great Feng Army.

The aura of a third-rank "martial artist" was like a tidal wave, like a storm, making the green robe flutter wildly, and all the pressure seemed to converge on Wei Yuan alone.

The man, with graying temples and eyes filled with the vicissitudes of life, finally gently raised his hand.

It grabbed the giant by the neck.

With a sudden burst of force from his five fingers, the unreal phantom above the giant Ilb's head exploded with a loud "bang."

"Commendable courage!"

Wei Yuan smiled gently.

P. S.: Although I complain that I'm not good at writing fight scenes, I'm comparing myself to those veteran writers who have been specializing in fight scenes for over a decade. Everyone has their own area of expertise.