Chapter 57: Chapter 57: What the hell is a Mortarman?
After uncovering the truth, Li Wujie had no choice but to accept that Hong Qianye was a man.
Looking ahead, Li Wujie asked, puzzled, "Senior Sister Bai, is this really the route to the Arid Province?"
Bai Xiaoxi tilted her head, organizing her thoughts before replying, "Master said he wants to travel the world, experience its changes, and see life's hardships for himself."
Li Wujie paused, then sighed with admiration. "Master's realm truly transcends ours. That kind of carefree, unrestrained mindset is something we should all aspire to."
"Haha, yeah… you're right," Bai Xiaoxi laughed awkwardly, scratching her head.
In truth, this was just a polished version of what Ye Junlin had actually said: "Damn it, my ride looks too cool. I've gotta show it off everywhere! Ah Kun, let's go!!"
As Kunpeng roamed the skies for months, the events that unfolded during the Xue Family banquet quickly spread across the Eastern Domain's cultivation world, leaving every sect and faction in shock.
Ye Junlin wasn't just a venerable expert — he was a Virtual Immortal!
Even the Grand Sun Venerable of the Yuhua Sect, who had recently broken through his Crossing Tribulation, went out of his way to challenge Ye Junlin, only to fall into an ambush.
"This is baiting! Who would dare provoke him after this? I've been in the cultivation world for decades and have never seen anything so outrageous!"
"Poor Grand Sun Daoist. Ye Junlin's too shameless! He's hidden his cultivation level time after time."
"Damn, does this old guy ever play fair? Can't people be a little honest around here?"
Tea houses and taverns buzzed with heated discussions. Many cultivators speculated that Ye Junlin might not even be human, but some ancient monster from the bygone ages, now playing around in the world.
Some even questioned whether the cultivation level he revealed during the Crossing Tribulation was genuine at all. Perhaps, it too, was just another disguise.
In short, no one dared to view him through an ordinary lens anymore.
Meanwhile, in Cangzhou, a land rich in spiritual energy and resources, the Great Zhou Dynasty's Panshi City was facing an unprecedented crisis.
The sound of war drums thundered through the heavens. Battle cries echoed far and wide.
One hundred thousand armored soldiers, mounted atop tiger-leopard beasts, raised gleaming swords as they charged like a torrential downpour.
In an instant, a suffocating aura swept across the battlefield.
These weren't ordinary mortal troops. They were the Great Zhou Dynasty's famed Tiger Leopard Cavalry.
Each soldier possessed Golden Core-level cultivation, making them the elite of the elite.
The sound of countless blades slicing through the air resounded as the soldiers rode like lightning, unleashing overlapping blade auras with terrifying force.
A hundred thousand Tiger Leopard Cavalry, working in tandem, could send even Nascent Soul cultivators fleeing for their lives.
At this moment, however, they weren't clashing against another human army, but rather, a grotesque, nightmarish horde of undead creatures — the Ghost Clan.
"Kill! Slaughter these humans!" a swarm of twisted, multicolored ghost creatures bellowed, charging at the cavalry with unstoppable force.
A brutal battle broke out instantly.
In mere moments, half of the Tiger Leopard Cavalry had fallen.
Worse still, even when the ghost creatures were heavily injured, they would slowly regenerate under the black mist rolling in behind them.
The battlefield turned into a blood-soaked wasteland, littered with corpses.
"Defend Panshi City!" injured soldiers roared, their blades slashing at the encroaching monsters.
"Kill!!" Their bloodshot comrades followed, charging recklessly. None of them intended to retreat — their only thought was to protect the city behind them.
Within the city, panic had erupted. Women wept while holding their children, while the young clenched their teeth in silent fury.
Far above, at an altitude of ten thousand meters, Kunpeng happened to pass by.
"Master, there's a Ghost Clan army attacking the city below!" Li Wujie reported, flying over and cupping his hands.
"Eat you!"
A loud, unrestrained shout followed.
Ye Junlin, seated comfortably, reached out and grabbed his cannon chess piece, slamming it onto the opponent's command piece without hesitation.
Across from him, Hong Qianye's mouth twitched in disbelief.
Never in his life had he encountered such a shameless player!
Who opens a match by sending their cannon piece flying across the entire river, ignoring all the pieces in between, and captures the command piece straight away?
These days, aside from cultivating, Hong Qianye had been tasked with entertaining Ye Junlin's endless whims.
Like this ridiculous chess match — where, despite his own honed techniques, he was continually defeated because Ye Junlin blatantly ignored the rules.
What was the point of playing like this?!
"You're too weak, Little Hong. I haven't even used a tenth of my strength, and you've already lost the board," Ye Junlin declared, tossing his chess piece aside and sighing dramatically.
Hong Qianye clenched his teeth, barely suppressing the urge to curse. Forcing a smile, he said, "Master, cannon pieces need proper positioning. Even a three-year-old knows the rules limit its range…"
Ye Junlin widened his eyes in mock surprise. "This is a mortarman! It's fine!"
A mortarman?!
Wait — what the hell's a mortarman?
Hong Qianye was so furious he almost blacked out. He was sure this was just another term Ye Junlin made up to justify cheating.
"You seem unconvinced. Are you questioning your master's chess skills?" Ye Junlin raised an eyebrow.
"I wouldn't dare!" Hong Qianye immediately lowered his head.
Even though he had recently reached the Great Ascension stage, he knew he was still far from being this man's equal.
"Little Xi, what do you think of your master's chess skills?" Ye Junlin turned to Bai Xiaoxi, who was massaging his shoulders.
Without hesitation, the bright-eyed girl nodded. "The little mouse thinks Master is unbeatable!"
Hong Qianye cursed silently. This damn mouse really knows how to flatter.
Ye Junlin, pleased, chuckled and turned toward Li Wujie. "What did you just say?"
Trying not to laugh, Li Wujie spoke solemnly, "Master, we found a group of ghosts attacking a city nearby. The situation looks dire."
"Ghosts?"
Ye Junlin recalled what he knew about them.
The Ghost Clan was one of the major dark races from the ancient Underworld Abyss in the Eastern Domain — a notorious stronghold for dark creatures.
Legend said that in ancient times, the beings of the Underworld tried to invade the mortal world. Back then, human cultivators had united and fought a great war, eventually driving the invaders back.
For thousands of years, both sides maintained a fragile peace.
Now, with a Ghost Clan army attacking a human city, was this stalemate finally breaking?
"If that's the case, let's take a look." Ye Junlin rose, clasping his hands behind his back.
Kunpeng flapped its enormous wings, rushing toward the battlefield.
Down below, smoke choked the sky. The cries of battle seemed endless, and the earth was drenched in blood.
"Jie jie jie jie… stop struggling. Taking this city is just the beginning. Soon, the other strongholds will fall, and the entire dynasty will crumble!" The ghost commander sneered.
He rode a skeletal warhorse wreathed in eerie green flames and wielded an ancient rune-engraved spear that radiated a sinister aura.
"Shut your mouth! You won't succeed!" roared the middle-aged human commander, charging forward with a massive blade in hand.
With his Nascent Soul cultivation and the boost from the battle formation, he was incredibly powerful, his strength rivalling that of sect geniuses.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Weapons clashed, sending shockwaves across the field.
But as black mist gathered around the ghost commander, his strength increased steadily.
On the Tiger Leopard Cavalry's side, continuous casualties weakened their formation, leaving the human commander at a growing disadvantage.
Swish!
The ghost commander's spear shot out like lightning, trailing black energy as it pierced toward the commander's chest.
"Not good!" The commander hastily raised his blade to block, but the force hurled him off his mount, blood spraying from his mouth.
"Commander Wang!!" His comrades shouted, eyes red, as they tried to rush to his aid, only to be stopped by the surrounding ghost creatures.
Wang Defa, gripping his black-gold blade, struggled to rise. Watching the enemy leader approach atop his skeletal mount, he felt despair creeping in.
If this continued, not only would his brothers die, but Panshi City would fall.
And, just as the ghost commander boasted, this was only the beginning. The entire Great Zhou Dynasty would be in peril.
"Filthy human, kneel before me!" the ghost commander declared arrogantly.
Wang Defa's eyes narrowed, his voice defiant. "I am the commander of the Tiger Leopard Cavalry, appointed by His Majesty. I will never kneel before a beast like you! Kill me if you dare!"
"Very well. As you wish." The ghost commander smirked cruelly, raising his spear high.
Suddenly, a deafening rumble filled the sky.
An overwhelming pressure descended upon the battlefield, freezing every soldier and ghost in place as though turned to stone.
They instinctively looked up, eyes filled with terror.
A massive figure emerged from the clouds.
"What… what is that?!" the ghost commander stammered.
At that moment, a monstrous suction force burst from Kunpeng's mouth. The ghost creatures realized in horror that they had lost control of their bodies as they were sucked into the abyss-like maw.
"No!!"
The ghost commander tried to flee but was powerless.
Screams rang out in every direction.
In moments, the entire ghost army was devoured.
Kunpeng gave a satisfied shake and let out an earth-shaking burp.
The defenders of Panshi City stared in shock, almost doubting their own eyes.
"Is… is this a divine beast sent by the heavens to protect our Great Zhou?" Wang Defa murmured, momentarily forgetting his pain.
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