On a day with gale-force winds, and at night to boot, moving the red cannons was inconvenient. The best strategy was to rest where they were.
Chen Shi walked through the wind, which roared like a bull, deafeningly loud. The darkness within the wind was absolute, making it hard to distinguish direction. From ti to ti, massive stones would fly by, driven by the wind's force, striking with a weight far exceeding ten thousand catties.
He leaned on his Huagai as he advanced. Occasionally, a strand of light would burst from the Huagai, shattering the incoming boulders.
The small temple floated behind his head, illuminating his surroundings. His own vital energy and blood condensed above his head into a Wind-Stabilizing Talisman. Wherever he passed, the hurricane would cease, creating a space of about ten square feet where one could take shelter.
The sky was a sheet of darkness, the moon invisible, making it impossible to determine direction. Yet, sunlight shone from behind his head, allowing him to determine his bearing based on the sun and moon of the Divine Continent. After all, when he turned, the sun and moon of the Divine Continent would not rotate with him.
There were also so powerful evil spirits in the wind, eyeing Chen Shi covetously. Each ti they tried to get close to devour a human, their vision would suddenly blur, and they would find themselves inside a small temple, sitting upright on a miniature shrine.
Once seventy to eighty percent of the malignant energy on the evil spirit was refined away, it would be tossed back into the wind, waiting for the next evil spirit to co knocking.
The light emitted by the small temple behind Chen Shi's head could only illuminate a distance of three or four steps. Any further, and it was just a vast expanse of blackness.
The wind was too fierce, as if the air had grown black fur, making even one's vision feel unsteady.
Chen Shi walked for a long ti, relying on mory to reach the location of the Ancient Temple. The Ancient Temple had originally been blasted apart by cannon fire. Now, in this hurricane, even the bricks and stones had been swept away, leaving only the foundation.
He determined his direction based on the foundation and walked into the thick darkness.
The wind grew stronger and stronger.
Chen Shi's Wind-Stabilizing Talisman was repeatedly torn apart by the great wind, making progress difficult, but he still pressed forward against the gale.
He didn't know if the ones who had bombarded him were people from the Divine chanism Battalion, nor did he know what grudge or grievance existed.
He only knew that he still had over forty provincial graduates heading to the capital for the imperial exams by his side. These pillars of the state had been bombarded with cannon fire halfway through their journey!
No matter who the other party was, no matter what power or influence they had, they must pay the price!
When he walked into the latter half of the night, the wind was still roaring, deafeningly loud. Chen Shi shook the sand and dust from his body and applied a Dust-Clearing Talisman to himself.
At that mont, a light appeared about ten steps ahead. Chen Shi's heart stirred slightly. He put away the small temple and hid the Dust-Clearing Talisman and Wind-Stabilizing Talisman behind his back to avoid emitting light that might alert the people ahead.
He slowly moved his feet, quietly drawing closer.
The light was emitted by Nascent Souls.
The light emitted by a Nascent Soul is called divine light, which has relatively strong penetrating power.
Two Nascent Souls floated in the air, constantly rotating.
The vision of a Nascent Soul surpasses that of the physical body, even allowing one to see things like ghost gods. If an enemy approached, they would be discovered from far away.
However, today was a day of great winds, and even Nascent Souls couldn't see far.
Chen Shi stood in the wind, using the Nascent Souls' light to survey the area.
He saw two n dressed in black, tight-fitting robes sitting beside a red cannon. Next to them was planted a banner, taller than a man. The banner surface was made of golden cloth, embroidered with a Wind-Stabilizing Talisman. It should be a talisman-weapon used to calm the vicious wind in this area.
Along the way, the Wind-Stabilizing Talisman ford by Chen Shi's vital energy and blood had been torn apart over ten tis by the wind. Yet, the power of this Wind-Stabilizing Banner remained, clearly having undergone long-term refinent.
The two black-clad n sat under the banner. They had lit a charcoal fire and were roasting flatbreads. They split the flatbreads in half, skewered them on branches, and roasted them over the fire until both sides were golden brown, crispy, and exuding the sweet fragrance of wheat.
One of them was skinning a four-legged Stone Bird. This bird was large, but most of it was stone and inedible. The only edible part was a lump of at near the heart, but its flavor was superb.
The other man was a European with red hair and blue eyes. They were probably responsible for keeping watch, which is why they weren't sleeping.
Beside them was another vehicle without a cannon. Five burly n were sleeping on it.
They were likely all responsible for this red cannon. The vehicle beside it served as a spare; if one vehicle broke down, there was another.
Maintaining a single red cannon required seven n. One was responsible for cleaning the cannon barrel, one for loading the cannonballs, one for calibration, one was a dic responsible for treating injuries and preparing gunpowder, one was a talisman master, one was a cart driver, and one was an observer, judging wind direction and enemy positions.
At the sa ti, all seven had to be skilled in both close-quarters and ranged combat, capable of using spells and weapons to fight if enemies closed in.
Cannons were often separated, with a distance of a hundred zhang between two cannons, rarely gathered together to avoid being wiped out in one fell swoop.
The cannon that had bombarded Chen Shi and the others had encountered the sudden gale and couldn't gather to set up camp. They had no choice but to settle down separately in the wind to spend the night.
"You two beasts, do you really have to eat in the middle of the night?"
One of the n lying on the vehicle sat up, sowhat displeased. "You're roasting the flatbreads so fragrantly, how can I sleep?"
The European laughed. "In the middle of the night, how can you keep watch if you're not full? If you're hungry, co down and have so too."
The man climbed down from the vehicle, smiling. "Alright then, I'll have a bit."
Just then, a black, fine-haired dog lying by the vehicle suddenly pricked up its ears, lifted its head to look outside, and started barking.
The three n were startled. Each activated their miniature shrine, summoned their Nascent Souls, and prepared their spells.
The European even grabbed two cannonballs, ready to hurl them at any mont.
The four n on the vehicle also woke up, sitting up alertly.
They looked into the wind and saw a faint, slender, and tall figure appearing within it.
The European breathed a sigh of relief, smiling. "An evil spirit. Scared . In the middle of the night like this, I thought soone could actually walk out of the wind to attack us. Don't worry, evil spirits can't get in."
Everyone was awake now. One of them shouted, "Dog, shut up! Barking blindly, making it impossible to sleep!"
The fine-haired dog whimpered, lying down under the vehicle, not daring to bark again.
"Since you're all awake, co down and have sothing to eat!" the European suggested.
Three n grumbled as they got off the vehicle. Another was simply too tired and continued snoring loudly on the cart board.
"Shi Mao, are you eating?" one man asked the person on the vehicle.
The man on the vehicle mumbled sothing and went back to sleep.
"This ti, we're making such a big show, even changing our clothes. What exactly is the background of the person we're supposed to deal with?" the European asked.
"Old Tang, don't ask blindly."
A middle-aged man took a bite of roasted flatbread, smiling. "What we're doing is a business that gets your head chopped off. Ambushing provincial graduates, heh heh, we even killed over a dozen by mistake earlier because we misidentified them. If this gets out, it's extermination of the entire family!"
Old Tang laughed. "I heard it's to kill a provincial graduate nad Chen. To kill just one person, why mobilize so many of us? Even Lord Cao has been dispatched. Lord Cao is a great master of the Refining Void realm, preparing to take over Jin Hongying's position..."
"Tang Mu, stop talking!"
The middle-aged man's expression darkened. He put down the flatbread and said, "In a business that gets your head chopped off, the less you know, the safer you are! We just handle the task, we don't ask for reasons! Whoever our superiors tell us to kill, we kill!"
The European assented, picking up a piece of roasted at and putting it in his mouth, praising, "Truly delicious! Fresh!"
He was about to take another piece when he suddenly noticed the slender figure in the wind was still there. He said, puzzled, "Why hasn't this evil spirit left yet..."
Before he could finish, the slender figure suddenly moved, appearing before them. A sword light rotated within a radius of two zhang, like a pool of water flying at high speed, then abruptly stopped.
A drop of blood flew off that slender sword, splattering onto the European's face.
The European stared blankly, looking at the slender figure. He saw that the person wasn't skinny or tall, but a youth who was even shorter than them. However, he was leaning on a Huagai parasol that was much taller than him, making him appear skinny and tall, like an evil spirit in the wind.
He recognized this face. It was that provincial graduate surnad Chen, the one their superiors wanted them to eliminate!
"How dare he co looking for us here on a windy night like this?"
As soon as this thought crossed his mind, figures by the charcoal fire began to fall, one after another.
The European looked at them and saw his companions' hearts pierced by a sharp sword, their hearts shattered, already dead.
He hurriedly looked toward the vehicle. Shi Mao, who had been sleeping on the cart, was also clearly pierced through by a sharp sword!
He suddenly felt a sharp pain in his own chest. Looking down, he saw a sword wound in his own heart.
"I'll fight you to the death!"
He activated his Nascent Soul, pouncing toward the youth. At the sa ti, he grabbed two cannonballs the size of human heads with both hands, about to smash them together violently.
Before his Nascent Soul could get close to the youth, it was shattered to pieces by a bolt of lightning shot from the parasol.
The European's life ended. With a ferocious expression, he shouted, "Provincial Graduate Chen, co with on the road to the afterlife!"
The two cannonballs were about to collide when they were suddenly snatched away by the youth.
The European let out an angry cry and fell stiffly to the ground.
Chen Shi picked up the other cannonballs scattered on the ground and placed them in his small temple, instructing, "Stone Ji Your Ladyship, keep an eye on Tianji. Don't let him blow up these cannonballs."
Stone Ji Your Ladyship acknowledged and looked toward another miniature shrine.
On that shrine, Talisman God Tianji was acting crazy, mumbling to himself with his back to her.
"That big-headed evil spirit is so strong, I can't beat her... Hit her while she's sleeping, choke her neck, twist her head off... I can't do it!"
Stone Ji Your Ladyship was vigilant. This madman had been acting foolish and silly ever since entering the small temple, but he had improved a lot in recent days, staying lucid for about an hour each day.
So ti ago, he was only lucid for the ti it takes an incense stick to burn. After saying a few sentences, he would beco crazy again.
Chen Shi sent all the cannonballs into the small temple. He bent down, glanced at the black, fine-haired dog hiding under the vehicle, and revealed a smile.
The black dog let out a low whine, curling its tail and shrinking further under the vehicle.
"For the sake of your relatives, I'll spare your dog life."
Chen Shi smiled faintly and walked into the great wind, following the light toward another camp within the wind.
He had to take advantage of the night and the great wind to eliminate the other camps one by one, leaving no hidden dangers!
"Lord Cao? Refining Void realm?"
He murmured softly, "Lord Sun Yisheng suffered heavy injuries from dealing with just one cannonball. I wonder how many cannonballs this Lord Cao can handle?"
Cao Chuting was the Left Sentry Commander of the Divine chanism Battalion, with three to four hundred n under his command.
He was a very diligent man, born into a minor great clan in Yinzhou. Reaching the Refining Void realm in his cultivation was already quite remarkable, but in Western Capital, such people were everywhere.
If placed within the Thirteen Great Clans, a Refining Void realm cultivator could easily go to a local area and beco a high official guarding a region. But in Western Capital, he could only be a minor commander in the Divine chanism Battalion.
The Divine chanism Battalion was a major camp that obeyed the True King, wielding the world's most powerful firearms, capable of felling gods and punishing all who were disloyal!
However, since the end of the True King's Era, over six thousand years had passed without a True King. Imperial authority had long declined, with the Cabinet holding power and governing the world on its behalf.
The Divine chanism Battalion had also declined, holding little power and unable to throw its weight around.
But he just couldn't climb up!
He couldn't even get a military officer position!
This ti, however, he heard rumors. Jin Hongying, the military officer of the Divine chanism Battalion, had repeatedly allowed Xiao Wangsun to escape due to incompetence. The higher-ups planned to investigate and punish her, which would leave a military officer position vacant.
The person who asked him to take action was from a major great clan. They told him that as long as this matter was handled beautifully, when Jin Hongying stepped down, it would be his ti to climb to the military officer position!
However, eliminating Chen Shi presented another difficulty: there was still that great master, Sun Yisheng, protecting Chen Shi.
Although he was quite wary of Sun Yisheng, he also knew this was a rare opportunity that must be seized!
Sun Yisheng, like him, was a man of unrecognized talent, serving as the Grand Emissary of the Guanghui Treasury, a re ninth-rank sesa official, yet his cultivation was frighteningly high, also at the Refining Void realm.
In a direct confrontation, one-on-one, he might not necessarily be Sun Yisheng's match.
But when the Divine chanism Battalion killed, they never confronted head-on. They just bombarded with cannons.
If they didn't die from the bombardnt, they increased the dosage.
"Lord Sun has suffered heavy injuries. After daybreak, we can harvest their lives. It's a pity about those dozens of provincial graduates heading for the exams."
Cao Chuting sighed, stood up, and walked outside the tent.
After all, he was a commander with so authority, so he was assigned personal guards and had a tent set up.
Wind-Stabilizing Talismans, Fire-Avoidance Talismans, Water-Avoidance Talismans, Thunder-Avoidance Talismans, and other talismans were hung outside the tent.
Six vehicles were also parked outside, with three General Cannons. Talismans were also pasted on the cannons.
He had over forty people with him. Outside the tent, there were warriors on night patrol and sentry duty, not many in number—three teams of two each. If soone wanted to sneak attack him, it would be difficult.
In front of the main tent, there were also Yellow Turban Warriors transford from Yellow Turban Warrior Talismans, one on the left and one on the right, providing strict protection.
Cao Chuting was very satisfied. He looked outside and saw the wind was still fierce. Probably nothing would happen tonight. Everything would have to wait until the wind stopped.
"Wake when the wind stops!"
He gave the order and returned to his tent to rest.
After an unknown amount of ti, a personal guard suddenly woke him. "My Lord, the wind has stopped!"
Cao Chuting woke up, dressed neatly, and walked out of the main tent. He saw it was still night outside, the sky had cleared, and the moon hung in the sky, slightly north of the zenith.
The wind had stopped. The sky was clear to an unbelievable degree, as if all dust had been swept away. If one's eyesight was good enough, one could even vaguely see the skin texture near the vertical eye of the Celestial True God outside the heavens!
"Wake the other warriors! Set out to search for the whereabouts of the enemy!"
Cao Chuting issued the order. Imdiately, soone ran outward.
Just then, that warrior inadvertently tripped over sothing underfoot. He exclaid in surprise, "Where did these cannonballs co from... so many cannonballs! My Lord! My Lord!"
He cried out in alarm, shouting, "All around our camp, there are cannonballs everywhere!"
Cao Chuting's heart jolted. "Everywhere?"
At that mont, the sky lit up. A cannonball the size of a human head, trailing a streak of fire, ca blasting toward them!
"Not good!" Cao Chuting's eyes widened. He summoned his Primordial Spirit, activated his Dao Field, and protected himself!
"Boom!"
The cannonball blasted down, not into his Dao Field, but onto the other cannonballs outside the camp!
"Bastard!"
Cao Chuting was horrified. He couldn't care about his physical body; his Primordial Spirit shot skyward!
Abandoning the physical body and preserving the Primordial Spirit, he still had two chances to survive: one, possession; two, reincarnation!
As long as his Primordial Spirit could escape alive!
Countless cannonballs exploded in a series of deafening blasts. Lightning poured down, thunder and fire raged and roared, expanding in all directions, swallowing his Primordial Spirit!
In the distance, Chen Shi stood beside a red cannon, watching this scene from afar. He shook his head, sowhat disappointed. "So it turns out, you're not up to it either."
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