The eight groups of warships moved at an astonishing speed, reaching the locations of the Death Clan’s camps in mere moments.
The eight camps constructed by the Death Clan were meticulously designed, serving as the eight gateways to the core region of Xianji Mountain. They were strategically integrated with the terrain, making them extremely difficult to breach.
Previously, Zhang Ruochen had managed to infiltrate the depths of Xianji Mountain undetected, thanks to his profound mastery of the Path of Space and the Death Clan’s relatively lax vigilance at the time. Now, with their heightened alertness, such an infiltration was no longer feasible.
“Commander, what should we do? Attack directly?” Tu Tian asked.
As the leader of their team, Zhang Ruochen was the one to make the decisions.
Standing at the bow of the ship, Zhang Ruochen gazed at the Death Clan’s war fortress. The massive structure loomed like a primordial divine beast, exuding an overwhelming sense of oppression.
After a moment’s contemplation, he said, “Activate the warships and launch a full-scale attack. Let me see just how sturdy this war fortress is.”
Without hesitation, Tu Tian relayed the order.
The warships assigned to them by the Northern Region Camp were not merely for transport; they possessed formidable offensive capabilities, capable of annihilating Saint King-level experts.
On the Merit Battlefield, such warships were immensely valuable, veritable weapons of mass destruction, capable of wiping out hordes of Hell Realm cultivators with a single strike.
However, crafting such warships came at a steep cost, making them a luxury not everyone could afford.
Zhang Ruochen actually possessed superior warships—spoils from the Battle of Sword Tomb, known as Saint-Slaying Warships. In the hands of a Great Saint, they could pose a threat to other Great Saints.
Unfortunately, the fierce battle had left one of the four Saint-Slaying Warships nearly destroyed, two heavily damaged, and only one with relatively minor damage.
The warships’ inscriptions involved Great Saint-level patterns, and even experts from the Divine Sword Holy Land would need considerable time to repair them, with no guarantee of restoring them to their original state.
“Boom.”
Simultaneously, the four warships unleashed a terrifying holy aura, firing dazzling, incandescent beams of holy light.
The surface of the war fortress immediately lit up with countless arcane patterns, forming a resilient protective shield that blocked all the warships’ attacks.
“Continue,” Zhang Ruochen ordered.
The four warships launched another barrage, delivering fifteen consecutive strikes without regard for the consumption of holy stones.
Each warship had a limited supply of holy stones, restricting the number of attacks they could sustain.
The warships’ attacks were powerful, but their holy stone consumption was immense. Deploying dozens of them simultaneously forced even Zhen Yuan and Xuanyuan Liekong to consider the costs.
Starting from the eleventh strike, the holy stones were provided by Zhang Ruochen himself. With his vast wealth, he was unconcerned about the expenditure.
After several more strikes, the Death Clan finally reacted. The war fortress opened a gate, and a squad of Death Clan soldiers emerged unhurriedly.
Seeing this, Zhang Ruochen immediately ordered a halt to the attacks.
Relentless bombardment was a deliberate provocation to lure the Death Clan out. Otherwise, how could the battle proceed?
Clearly, his goal had been achieved, exactly as he had anticipated.
“You dare enter Xianji Mountain? You’re courting death. None of you will leave alive,” a towering Death Clan warrior in armour said coldly.
Tu Tian flew out from the warship, looking down at the Death Clan warrior with an icy gaze. “Bold words. We’re here today to raze Xianji Mountain. All you Death Clan will be reduced to ashes.”
“What are you? Die.”
The towering Death Clan warrior’s eyes gleamed with killing intent. With a grip of his hand, deathly evil qi condensed into a short spear, which he hurled at Tu Tian.
A formidable aura emanated from the warrior, faintly revealing tens of millions of rules swirling around him, with the rules of heaven and earth revolving around him as the centre.
As the spear hurtled through the air, Tu Tian’s expression hardened. He swiftly channelled his holy qi, forming dozens of protective shields around himself at top speed.
“Thud.”
The spear’s power was staggering, piercing through the dozens of shields in an instant.
Ultimately, it struck Tu Tian’s body, only to be blocked by the armour he wore.
The spear shattered, but the tremendous force sent Tu Tian flying backwards.
“A Near-Path Realm expert.”
Tu Tian stared intently at the towering Death Clan warrior.
Before the warrior attacked, Tu Tian hadn’t discerned his cultivation level, assuming he was at most a Heaven-Connecting Realm expert whom he could easily overpower. He hadn’t expected to meet such a formidable opponent.
“Who are you?” Tu Tian asked coldly.
The towering Death Clan warrior declared proudly, “I am Commander He Yun, one of the three commanders under Lord Yuanmo Godson. By His Highness’s order, I guard Xianji Mountain. Any Heavenly Court cultivator who dares set foot here will be slain without mercy.”
At these words, Tu Tian’s expression shifted, a trace of wariness rising within him.
A Death Clan commander held an exalted position, capable of leading a million Death Clan troops on the Merit Battlefield.
Those who became commanders were all at the Near-Path Realm, typically answering directly to Death Clan Great Saints. Even Godson-level figures struggled to command them.
Even in the Kunlun Realm, Death Clan commanders wielded significant authority, not easily swayed by any Godson’s orders.
Weaker Godsons often had only Death Generals and Death Commanders under their command, unable to control a Death Clan commander.
The fact that Lord Yuanmo Godson had three Death Clan commanders underscored his immense power.
Zhang Ruochen’s gaze swept over Commander He Yun, then to the Death Clan warriors behind him.
Those warriors were noticeably different, clad in standard armour and wielding standard weapons, their power essence similar.
“Death God Knights.”
In an instant, Zhang Ruochen identified them.
Death God Knights were all at least at the Path Domain Realm, meticulously trained by the Death God Temple with the potential to become Great Saints.
The knights before him had cultivations ranging from the peak of the Path Domain Realm, with two at the Heaven-Connecting Realm, their strength not to be underestimated.
Behind them was another squad of Death Clan warriors, exuding equally fearsome auras, all above the Path Domain Realm.
In other words, the fifty-eight Death Clan members emerging from the war fortress were all top-tier experts at or above the Path Domain Realm.
For a single camp to house so many powerhouses, what would the combined might of all eight camps be?
“It seems the intelligence was correct. The Death Clan is indeed using the Death Altar to cultivate experts, and the results are remarkable,” Zhang Ruochen thought to himself.
At this moment, the cultivators aboard the four warships looked grim.
In terms of top-tier combat power, their side was clearly at a disadvantage, and the situation was far from ideal.
Such a scenario was likely unforeseen even by Zhen Yuan and Xuanyuan Liekong.
Looking at the group of Death Clan warriors outside the war fortress, Xiang Chunan’s eyes gleamed. “Big Brother, that’s a lot of merit points!”
Hearing this, Tu Di and Tu Ren were stunned, feeling that Xiang Chunan’s nerves were a bit too bold. The Death Clan warriors could indeed yield a fortune in merit points, but only if they could wipe them all out.
Given the stark disparity in strength, the two of them couldn’t muster any optimism. A head-on clash would likely result in heavy casualties on their side.
To their surprise, Zhang Ruochen also smiled. “Indeed, a lot of merit points. Wiping them out would net at least 180 million merit points. So, what are we waiting for?”
“Haha, Death Clan brats, your Grandpa Xiang is here!” Xiang Chunan laughed heartily, charging out of the warship.
A Path Domain Realm Death General flew forward, radiating overwhelming deathly evil qi, and threw a disdainful punch.
With his Path Domain Realm cultivation, he could indeed look down on Xiang Chunan, who had yet to form a Path Domain.
Xiang Chunan showed no intention of dodging. Instead, he charged forward.
“Take a punch from your Grandpa Xiang!”
Xiang Chunan roared, his body’s acupoints opening, releasing pillars of demonic qi that made him resemble an unparalleled Demon King.
“Bang.”
Their fists collided, demonic qi clashing with deathly evil qi.
Xiang Chunan stood firm in mid-air like a divine mountain, while the Death General was sent flying, crashing into the war fortress like a cannonball.
With just one punch, the Death General was gravely injured, his arm shattered, barely able to move.
Xiang Chunan didn’t stop, immediately preparing another punch to finish him off.
“You dare!”
A Death Grand General bellowed, swinging his battle-axe at Xiang Chunan.
Xiang Chunan roared, “Get lost!”
The Metal Demon Crown glowed with countless demonic patterns, unleashing waves of Supreme Power that collided with the Death Grand General.
Simultaneously, Xiang Chunan threw a punch in mid-air, demonic qi condensing into a demonic mountain that crashed into the injured Death General.
The “Ten Thousand Demonic Mountain Fist,” his most proficient fist technique, was a Mysterious-Grade Mid-Tier Saint Art, its power comparable to some weaker high-tier Saint Arts.
“Boom.”
The Death General’s body shattered, his sacred soul crushed by the demonic mountain.
Killing a Death General with two punches was an astonishing feat.
On the other side, the Death Grand General was repelled by the Metal Demon Crown, unable to approach Xiang Chunan.
Seeing their comrade killed, a Heaven-Connecting Realm Death God Knight charged forward, swinging his Death God Scythe to reap Xiang Chunan’s life.
Death God Knights existed for slaughter, embodying death itself.
Compared to the Death Grand General, this Death God Knight was far stronger.
As he attacked, a massive Shadow of the Death God appeared behind him, also wielding a scythe, releasing a deathly aura that locked onto Xiang Chunan.
“Dragon-Elephant Ascending Heaven.”
A dragon and an elephant soared out, rising into the sky, illuminating the heavens and earth, creating a terrifying phenomenon.
“Hm?”
The Death God Knight’s expression shifted. He abandoned his attack on Xiang Chunan, focusing entirely on blocking the dragon and elephant’s assault.
“Bang.”
Unable to withstand the blow, the Death God Knight was sent flying, the Shadow of the Death God behind him collapsing.
“Trying to touch my brother? Have you asked me?”
Zhang Ruochen stood beside Xiang Chunan, speaking coldly.
