Ancient Military Formation
Hu Mang stared at the other person, then suddenly laughed.
"The Shi Household's military strategy? Isn't it a bit of a waste to use it for training demons?"
"Aren't you also the son of a demon? After living as a human for so many years, have you forgotten your own identity?"
Shi Gandang said calmly.
"Heh." Hu Mang chuckled, and the next moment, the demonic light in his eyes suddenly transformed into a deep demonic intent. The dim yellow light was replaced by a dark shadow, and his entire demeanor underwent a qualitative change in an instant.
His figure flashed by amidst the surging Demonic Qi, like a ghost merging into the darkness, and in the next instant he appeared in front of Shi Gandang, throwing a punch at the opponent's face.
Shi Gandang reacted extremely quickly. His arms turned to stone in an instant, and his skin was covered with a layer of grayish-white rock texture, which crossed in front of him like a thick stone shield.
However, Shi Gandang, who was a full size larger than Hu Mang, was the one who was blasted away by the barrage of punches and arms.
His burly body was struck head-on by a battering ram; his feet left the ground, and he flew backward, leaving two long drag marks on the ground before finally coming to a stop after crashing into a pile of debris behind him.
However, just as Hu Mang was about to deliver the final blow, three armor-piercing spears simultaneously pierced from three directions—one to his throat, one to his heart, and one to his Dantian, blocking all his paths of advance from three vital points.
The timing of the spear thrusts was flawless, clearly the result of countless rehearsals.
The demonic light in Hu Mang's eyes flashed twice in succession. His figure twisted twice in the air as if defying gravity, passing through the gap between the three spears at an extremely tricky angle, avoiding all the assassinations. At the same time, he formed his five fingers into claws, and his demonic claws shot out, the fingertips gleaming with a cold, eerie light, directly grabbing at the face of one of the demons.
However, the next moment, a heavy cowhide shield blocked his way; the shield was made of multiple layers of cowhide and ironwood, with several reinforced iron plates embedded in its surface, making it look extremely sturdy.
The Hu Mang grinned maliciously, and with a burst of strength from its five fingers, its demonic claws tore through the large shield as easily as tearing paper. However, behind the shield was nothing but emptiness; there was no one there. The shield seemed to have been held in place by some kind of mechanism or Law Technique, and was merely an empty shield.
Hu Mang looked around and saw that, with the help of the formation, there were many figures and demons around him, intertwined and intersecting. The sounds of footsteps, breathing and the friction of weapons came from all directions at the same time, as if he was trapped in the encirclement of thousands of troops.
Under the cover of the formation, the figures appeared sometimes clear and sometimes blurry, making it difficult to distinguish between the real and the fake.
"Ancient military formations?" Hu Mang said in a low voice, knowing that the methods of deploying troops in ancient times were a profound subject.
Ancient times were characterized by a low level of Spiritual Qi was scarce and meager. Therefore, the ability to gather Spiritual Qi more effectively and quickly in such an environment was the key to victory or defeat on the battlefield.
The evolution of Qi and Blood and blood, qi mechanism, martial arts, organizational coordination, and the integration of mountain and river formations into battle formations, as well as the adaptation of formations to different enemies and environments, is a profound subject.
The ancient masters who were able to enter the Martial Temple were all experts in this field.
Although the formation before us seems somewhat incongruous to be executed by a demon, its core formation logic and seamless coordination are indeed based on the methods of ancient military formations.
The Hu Mang closed its eyes and once again entered a state of "Unity of Heaven and Man".
In the Azure Mysterious Realm, those at the Primordial Spirit stage can merge with the Primordial Spirit's grand formation, increasing their Law Power by tens or even hundreds of times. The ancient Heavenly Gate naturally did not have this capability, so they forged another path.
Moreover, with the explosive growth of Spiritual Qi in the New Heavenly Gate Industrial Park, various array formation hardware has also been developed. Array formations that previously required hundreds or thousands of people to set up now seem to only require the cooperation of a few dozen monsters, thanks to the improved hardware.
As the Hu Mang entered a state of "Unity of Heaven and Man," he could clearly perceive this change. His Divine Sense spread out in all directions like an invisible net, capturing every detail of the surroundings.
He "saw" those industrial array plates floating in the air, releasing guiding Spiritual Qi fluctuations at a specific frequency.
He "saw" the Spiritual Qi adjusters worn by those monsters, which were integrating their Law Power, Qi and Blood, and qi into a unified frequency.
He "saw" those figures moving rapidly under the cover of the formation. Their steps and breathing were synchronized with the rhythm of the formation, as if they were not dozens of independent individuals, but a huge monster with dozens of limbs.
The next moment, the Hu Mang's figure disappeared from its original spot and appeared near the custom-made array plate suspended in mid-air. In ancient times, there was no such condition as using all the spiritual materials to create an array plate.
A flash of light appeared on the array plate, and two figures emerged from behind—it was Brother Li and Shi Gandang, both fully armed.
Although this level of "armor" is not as good as the mechanical magic of last night, it is still quite impressive. The full set of Spirit Artifact- grade armor has reinforced rune copper plates embedded at the joints, which gleam with a dark metallic luster in the dim light.
Although Fourth Aunt Bai was widely recognized among the five families as not very bright and arrogant, she at least knew the importance of her subordinates' martial arts skills and didn't skimp on that aspect.
After exchanging blows, just as Hu Mang was about to use another technique, his expression suddenly changed, his feet tightened, and he was dragged down again.
This wasn't the kind of heaven-reversing methods used in the Azure Mysterious Realm; rather, it was the materialization of the Qi and Blood of an ancient military formation, transforming into countless invisible ropes that forcefully pulled him down.
The dragging force carried a strong stench of blood and a fighting spirit, as if hundreds of veterans were simultaneously reaching out to pull him.
In an instant, the entire military formation seemed to be filled with Qi and Blood, like a furnace.
The Demon Race may lack other advantages, but they excel at having abundant Qi and Blood, and those who set up formations make full use of this.
"What's wrong with this kid? How is he invulnerable to swords and spears? And what the hell is that weird Devil Cultivation Method?!"
Brother Li looked at the copper ring broadsword with a large gash and the tiger's mouth that had been cracked open by the opponent's punch, and his expression changed.
This kid was far more troublesome than he had anticipated.
As far as I remember, Third Sister Hu wasn't good at fighting, so how did she end up raising such a thing?
Shi Gandang remained silent, clearly indicating that the trouble his opponent was causing was somewhat beyond his expectations.
However, the next moment, something even more unexpected happened. Divine Sense from a Mid Golden Core began to sweep across the entire area, like an invisible hand pressing down from above, causing the entire formation to violently tremble.
The once smoothly functioning array plates began to flicker erratically, the spiritual energy amplifiers on the monsters emitted unstable buzzing sounds, and the unified frequency of their Qi and Blood and qi was forcibly interfered with by that external Divine Sense, resulting in obvious disorder.
As the demonic energy empowered by the Three Yin Flowers was released, the shock became even more severe.
The chilling Black Water, the ferocity of the Red Lotus, and the corrosive power of the Sha Palace —three completely different demonic energies—were simultaneously injected into that Divine Sense, transforming it into demonic energy.
Wherever the demonic thoughts passed, the runes on the array plate began to dim, the operation of the spiritual power amplifiers became sluggish, and the monsters' breathing became rapid and chaotic; the entire military formation seemed to be gripped at its core by an invisible hand, as if it would collapse completely at any moment.
However, after a brief stalemate, the demonic thought retreated on its own.
Seeing this, Brother Li was overjoyed. "That kid can't possibly be Golden Core. He must have used a secret technique to stimulate his Divine Sense. Now that the time is up, he still hasn't broken the formation. Let's go down and kill him."
Shi Gandang stared intently at the array plate, muttering to himself.
"So, there really is an upper limit to the number of civilian-grade array-setting magical Law Artifact?"
Two Yao Qi figures flashed by and reappeared opposite Hu Mang.
Contrary to expectations, Hu Mang did not appear pale or weak; instead, his complexion was rosy, and he seemed to be handling the situation with more ease than anticipated.
"I've thought about it. If I keep arguing with you, I'll be late for my engagement. Maybe we should just leave it at that."
Brother Li's expression darkened, and he took a step forward.
"As instructed by Fourth Aunt Bai, even if we can't eliminate you, we will absolutely not allow you to set foot in the Liu Household again."
"That makes sense. If we divide the Hu and Liu families and then take out that brat Huang Jiayou, half the problem will be solved."
Hu Mang nodded, giving the other party's plan a thumbs up. Sure enough, none of the Five Great Households were stupid; even someone like Fourth Aunt Bai was only relatively lacking in intelligence.
At this moment, Brother Li had a vague feeling that something was wrong. He was about to turn his head when, in an instant, the Qi and Blood and control that Hu Mang had just felt landed directly on him. The next moment, Shi Gandang, expressionless, punched him in the waist.
The Liu Household, the Liu Residence
Bright red lanterns hung high, and the red-clad imps in the mansion were busy at work, with greeters constantly coming and going, bringing one Pine Peak Security guest after another.
In the main hall, Liu Wuniang was entertaining an important guest, who was also a woman who still retained her charm, but with a hint of meanness in her eyes and brows, especially when she rolled her eyes.
"Judging by the time, Little Python and the others should be here soon," Liu Wuniang said with a smile.
"I hope so," Fourth Aunt Bai said with a slight smile, her bright red fingernails lifting her teacup. She took a sip and then said dismissively.
"Ordinary spiritual tea can't compare to the ones I drank at the Shen Household's."
"So, Mom, what should we do with this thing? Kill it?"
Hu Mang turned his head and looked at his mother.
Mama Hu was pulled away by "Old Xie" and hidden in a corner, which seemed to be the weakest point of the Spiritual Qi in the military formation.
With a complicated look, Mama Hu looked at Brother Li, whose original form had been beaten into a mottled shape. Blood kept spilling from the corner of Tanuki's mouth, and his limbs kept thrashing about. In the end, she had a soft heart.
"Forget it, let's not worry about whether it lives or dies. We're not coming back after this anyway."
Hu Mang shook his head dismissively and looked at Shi Gandang had suddenly turned against him.
Shi Gandang first looked at Hu Mang, then turned to Mama Hu, a respectful expression appearing on his angular face, and said respectfully.
"Third Sister, the Xie Clan Military Treatise you left me back then is really useful."