On the mountain, most of the Hidden Dragon Camp’s geniuses had already arrived.
A few had tried to desert at the last moment, only to be killed with a single palm strike by General September.
In normal times, he wouldn’t have done this, but wartime was different. Desertion could severely damage morale.
He had already given these individuals a chance to report any issues beforehand.
Yet they hadn’t done so, choosing instead to flee upon reaching the battle line, raising suspicions about their true intentions.
After all, it was almost an open secret that there were spies from the Heavenly Ninja Academy within the Hidden Dragon Camp. The only question was who they were, and even General September didn’t know.
His decisive execution served as a deterrent, ensuring the Hidden Dragon Camp’s geniuses stopped panicking and steeled themselves to face the Blue-Eyed Clan.
However, standing on the mountain, the terrifying scene below was still enough to make hearts tremble.
Beyond the protective mountain, a dense mass of mechanical beasts, demonic beasts, Blue-Eyed Clan warriors, and some Ninja Clan martial artists stretched as far as the eye could see.
Ling Xiao made a rough estimate and figured there were at least thirty to forty thousand in the visible area alone.
These weren’t ordinary people—they were martial artists, mechanical beasts, and demonic beasts.
A force of thirty to forty thousand was more than enough to surround Cloud Sky City impenetrably.
“The Blue-Eyed Clan’s ambitions are clear as day. With the Dream Pill incident, they’ve been far more blatant than the Ninja Clan. This time, their large-scale invasion of White Cloud Province lays their intentions bare,” General September said angrily.
“Cloud Sky City’s garrison numbers only twenty thousand, of which about eight thousand are the Governor’s Guard. Marshal Lin can only mobilise just over ten thousand, and most of them are martial artists below the Fourth Layer of Martial Vein.”
He continued, “Fortunately, the majority of the enemy are also martial artists below the Fourth Layer, or mechanical and demonic beasts equivalent to that level. Otherwise, this war would be utterly hopeless.”
Relatively speaking, martial artists were easier to deal with. The real trouble lay with the mechanical beasts.
These beasts were made of special materials, with astonishing defences that couldn’t be breached without at least a Fourth Layer Martial Vein cultivation.
The Hidden Dragon Camp’s geniuses were here specifically to target the mechanical beasts, leaving the rest to the regular army.
“Begin! No need to wait for my orders. Fight independently and focus on the mechanical beasts!” General September said, then leapt into the fray, joining the battle line.
The other Hidden Dragon Camp disciples followed suit, diving into the fight.
There was no time for hesitation.
If Cloud Sky City fell, it would be a catastrophic massacre. They had family and friends here and didn’t want to see such a tragedy unfold.
Bang, bang, crack, crack…!
Various attacks landed on the mechanical beasts, producing the sound of metal clashing, as if striking solid steel.
Upon closer inspection, it was clear that most mechanical beasts were indeed forged from steel, so the sound wasn’t surprising.
Attacks from martial artists below the Martial Disciple level were like mere scratches, utterly ineffective.
Boom!
Ling Xiao suddenly appeared, throwing a punch that instantly reduced two ferocious bull-shaped mechanical beasts to piles of scrap metal.
“You lot, deal with the demonic beasts and Blue-Eyed Clan martial artists. Leave these mechanical beasts to us!” Ling Xiao declared, his hands surging with true essence, standing like a god of war descended from the heavens.
The martial students, who had been struggling against the mechanical beasts, saw Ling Xiao—a mere fourteen or fifteen years old—destroy two mechanical beasts equivalent to peak Fifth Layer Martial Vein martial artists with a single punch.
At first, they were shocked, but then they were overjoyed.
“It’s a genius from the Hidden Dragon Camp! We’re saved!”
“All martial artists above the Fourth Layer, focus on killing mechanical beasts. The rest, take on the Blue-Eyed Clan martial artists and demonic beasts below the Fourth Layer!” Lin Ze’s voice rang out.
He was the commander of this city defence battle.
Before Ling Xiao and the others arrived, he had personally killed a peak Ninth Layer Martial Vein Blue-Eyed Clan martial artist, but he was now injured and recovering.
Otherwise, the Giant Elephant Puppet wouldn’t have been able to rampage so freely.
“Yes, sir!”
With Lin Ze’s command, the battle became far more organised, no longer the chaotic mess it had been.
Apart from Ling Xiao, the Hidden Dragon Camp disciples had all joined the fight.
Since most of them were martial artists above the Fourth Layer, they naturally targeted the mechanical beasts.
Their involvement didn’t completely turn the tide, but it gave them some local advantages.
In particular, Dai Yuling, Ling Yixue, Shi Lei, Leng Mei, and Ling Xiao—who had all benefited greatly from Master White Cloud—had seen significant boosts in strength.
When they struck, Seventh Layer demonic beasts and mechanical beasts were no match for them.
In an instant, dozens of mechanical and demonic beasts below the Seventh Layer were destroyed or killed, greatly boosting the morale of Cloud Sky City’s defenders.
However, the enemy had stronger mechanical and demonic beasts as well. The Blue-Eyed Clan had clearly come prepared, and with the Ninja Clan’s covert support, they quickly regained the upper hand, locking the battle into a stalemate.
The fighting grew increasingly intense.
The slaughter became ever more brutal.
Death became commonplace on the battlefield.
The Hidden Dragon Camp’s geniuses began to suffer losses.
One, two, three!
They didn’t die as cowards but fought to their last breath, taking mechanical or demonic beasts down with them.
Though this pained General September and Lin Ze, there was no other way. That damned Wan Ben had refused to let the Governor’s Guard assist, and there were even disciples from the Heavenly Ninja Academy secretly aiding the Blue-Eyed Clan.
In such circumstances, the Hidden Dragon Camp’s geniuses had to fight, or their training would have been for nothing.
Boom!
Crack, crack~~
On the battlefield, a figure darted like lightning, weaving through the chaos. Each time it paused, mechanical beasts were destroyed, and demonic beasts were slain.
A single punch often shattered five or six mechanical beasts at once.
This terrifying attack power, along with astonishing movement and speed, left many martial artists of similar cultivation in awe.
Of course, awe quickly turned to joy.
After all, this was one of their own!
Lin Ze watched Ling Xiao’s performance and nodded secretly. He hadn’t misjudged this boy. Not only was he exceptionally talented, but he also had a sense of national duty, stepping up to help in the face of a crisis.
As Master White Cloud’s disciple, Ling Xiao could have avoided this war and saved his life by leaving.
But he didn’t.
Ling Yixue, Leng Mei, Shi Lei, Dai Yuling, and others were clearly influenced by Ling Xiao, playing crucial roles on the battlefield.
“Watch out!”
Suddenly, Lin Ze shot to his feet.
He had spotted an Eighth Layer mechanical beast charging toward Ling Xiao, accompanied by four or five Sixth and Seventh Layer mechanical beasts.
Clearly, Ling Xiao’s performance had caught the Blue-Eyed Clan’s attention, and they intended to kill him to make a statement.
On the battlefield, heroes like him often became targets, and Ling Xiao was no exception.
He had destroyed and killed far too many mechanical and demonic beasts.
“No need to worry, Marshal Lin!” Ling Xiao called out.
On the battlefield, he didn’t address Lin Ze as Master or Teacher.
Here, he was simply a soldier.
Though the Eighth Layer mechanical beast was powerful, it was just a puppet. It lacked intelligence or a mind, relying solely on simple programmed attacks.
He had long heard that the Blue-Eyed Clan had skilled mechanists who had deciphered ancient mechanical inscriptions.
