: Golden Scale Sawtooth Snake

A valley.

"All troops, hear the command! Form the Iron Bucket Formation!" Xu Dali stood beneath the commander's banner, activating military tactics.

Military Tactic—Speed is Paramount!

With this tactic in effect, the entire Barbarian Demon Camp's speed immediately more than doubled.

However, the time to form the battle array didn't decrease much. Many, unaccustomed to the sudden acceleration, even ran to the wrong positions, causing coordination errors among themselves.

"Just as the intelligence said, the Barbarian Demon Camp has the poorest training. Hahaha!"

"Brothers, hit them hard!"

"If we don't wipe out this isolated army today, once they regroup, we'll be the ones under the knife."

Cultivators, mainly barbarian cultivators with demon cultivators as support, frequently appeared in the mountain forests, casting various spells and concentrating fire on the Barbarian Demon Camp.

Boulder after boulder, each the size of a cartwheel, rolled down the mountain slope, smashing the Barbarian Demon Camp soldiers until they were bleeding and bruised.

Poison needles, fine as ox hair, were hard to guard against. From time to time, soldiers from the Barbarian Demon Camp would fall to the ground, foaming at the mouth and convulsing to death.

Vines suddenly shot out from the ground, strangling unprepared soldiers on the spot.

The Barbarian Demon Camp lost hundreds of lives before finally forming the Iron Bucket Formation.

The moment the battle array succeeded, the entire army's defense surged dramatically, turning the perilous situation around.

A carriage, invisible and untraceable, sped through the high sky.

The coachman, seeing the battle below between the Barbarian Demon Camp and the native cultivators of the Thousand Peaks Forest, immediately sent a mental message to the person inside: "Sir, our troops below are at a disadvantage. Should we intervene?"

With the strength of the several cultivators on the carriage, their intervention would surely overturn the entire battle.

But Zhao Xi, the central figure, snorted coldly: "Xu Dali is a fool. It's bad enough that the Barbarian Demon Camp is poorly trained. The key is, he actually formed the Iron Bucket Formation directly, making himself a sitting duck."

"Simply ridiculous!"

"If he had formed an offensive battle array, how could the enemy, just a bunch of scattered fighters with no real army, possibly resist?"

"Xu Dali brought this upon himself. What's there for us to save?"

"The most important thing now is for me to get to the front-line camp and take charge."

"Marshal Du is severely injured and in seclusion. As the supervisor appointed by the monarch himself, I must go quickly to manage the overall situation."

"There's a reason these troops are being weeded out."

"Once I reach the camp, I can make the main forces take it seriously and send troops to support. That's the decision a commander should make. Let's go!"

The coachman felt disdain inwardly but showed respect on his face: "As you command, sir!"

Front-line Camp of the Two Notes Kingdom.

Ning Zhuo returned to his residence, got into his mechanical dragon, and busied himself with various materials around three mechanical platforms.

On the Xuanyuan Nine Crafts Platform, pieces of Blue Current Flowing Silver were quickly processed into flexible metal silver threads, each occasionally shimmering with electric sparks.

Ning Zhuo collected the electric silver threads and took out Dragon Scale Gold.

Pressing his hand against the Xuanyuan Nine Crafts Platform, he worked continuously. Piece by piece of Dragon Scale Gold was carved into extremely sharp hooks, each cut requiring just the right curvature and sharpness.

After making hundreds, Ning Zhuo inspected them, nodded in satisfaction, and thought, "If I were to process them one by one, it would take at least three days and nights, and many would be defective. How could they compare to these perfect ones?"

Ning Zhuo then took out a large pile of Half-Dead Half-Alive Pearls.

"Chen Cha..."

Ning Zhuo's gaze wavered slightly, recalling the kind-hearted man from his memory.

The Half-Dead Half-Alive Pearls were Chen Cha's original creation. Based on White Scale Scholar's Array Collection, combined with his own experience and a flash of inspiration, he designed these mechanical components.

They were mainly used in joints.

Each pearl was divided into two sides: one black, one white. The black side had the character for "death," and the white side had the character for "life."

When the pearl showed the white "life" side, the joint would move freely. When it showed the black "death" side, the joint would lock in place.

The pearls also had hidden connections. If a cultivator carved array patterns on the main mechanical part, they could form one or more living arrays.

Back in Fire Persimmon Immortal City, the wooden pearls Chen Cha provided to Ning Zhuo were of too low a grade. The pearls Ning Zhuo was using now were specially made by him, reaching the Golden Core level.

Ning Zhuo buried himself in work, using these Half-Dead Half-Alive Pearls as a base, wrapping and pulling them with electric silver threads to build a snake body woven from a metal mesh. Then, he covered the metal mesh with the scales made from Dragon Scale Gold.

Thus, the prototype of a mechanical creation was formed.

Next, Ning Zhuo used his spiritual sense, magic power, and mechanical tools to process it further, such as adding talismans and constructing arrays.

After a little over an hour, a golden snake-like mechanical creation lay quietly on the surface of the mechanical platform.

Mechanical Beast—Golden Scale Sawtooth Snake!

This mechanical snake shone with a golden glow, exquisitely crafted. Its body was covered in sharp, saw-toothed scales. When its mouth opened, a pair of hook-like fangs extended.

Ning Zhuo tested it, and the Golden Scale Sawtooth Snake wriggled flexibly and naturally across the platform.

Ning Zhuo then took out an ironwood stump.

The Golden Scale Sawtooth Snake darted forward swiftly, leaving a golden streak in Ning Zhuo's vision.

It extended its body, coiling around the ironwood stump.

Mechanical Art—Golden Scale Sawtooth Kill!

Activating this self-created mechanical art, the scales of the Golden Scale Sawtooth Snake stood upright, piercing into the ironwood stump.

Each scale spun rapidly, cutting into the ironwood as if it were tofu.

As the snake coiled tighter, the ironwood stump, as thick as a washbasin, was easily cut in two, offering no resistance.

"Excellent, very good."

Ning Zhuo's eyes lit up: "Next is actual combat to gain experience and create the staff head."

"Only after completing the staff head will this Golden Scale Sawtooth Snake be truly finished."

Ning Zhuo didn't stop there.

Next, he needed to design two more mechanical creations.

Relying solely on the Golden Scale Sawtooth Snake obviously wouldn't be enough to face Ginseng Dragon Whiskers or achieve effective results in real combat.

Ning Zhuo worked through the night. By the next morning, three new mechanical creations were displayed before him.

Besides the first Golden Scale Sawtooth Snake, there was also a set of seven Rolling Electric Ball Cages and a Rooting Drill Hammer.

When Liu Er and Guan Hong found Ning Zhuo, he showed them his results and gave a brief introduction.

Guan Hong didn't understand mechanics well, but he knew Ning Zhuo was no ordinary person and expressed his anticipation.

Liu Er praised sincerely: "Before meeting the Strategist, I truly found it hard to imagine such a talented young man existed in the world."

"To think you primarily cultivate mechanical arts, with elemental spells as a secondary focus."

"Ah, if this secret were revealed, countless people would be amazed."

Liu Er looked seriously at Ning Zhuo: "Strategist, your future is truly limitless. Given time, you might even make it onto the Young Masters Ranking!"

Ning Zhuo immediately waved his hand modestly, saying Liu Er flattered him too much: "The Young Masters Ranking covers the entire cultivation world. How could someone like me possibly be selected?"

Guan Hong added: "In my experience, Strategist, you are the most likely to make it onto the Young Masters Ranking."

Deep underground, there was a Dragon King Temple.

The entrance to the temple was a stone gate, covered in the marks of time, heavy and ancient.

Pushing open the stone gate led to the main hall.

Over twenty giant pillars supported the dome. The pillars were made of ancient wood millennia old, each inlaid with golden dragon scale patterns, with dragon heads raised and tails winding, lifelike.

The light inside the temple was dim, with faint yellow glows emanating from the stone walls.

The air was filled with a damp scent, mixed with moisture and the mysterious fragrance of medicinal herbs.

In the center of the hall was the main altar, about three zhang high, surrounded by thick dragon aura.

On the altar was a special Dragon King statue.

It had no claws or scales, with a raised dragon head and flowing whiskers, exactly resembling the Ginseng Whisker Dragon King.

At this moment, the Ginseng Whisker Dragon King statue's eyes were dim, its aura weak, indicating its true body was in terrible condition.

Below the altar was a large incense table burning three large incense sticks. Each stick was as thick as a washbasin and one zhang tall, the smoke curling up around the Dragon King statue, slowly absorbed by it.

Besides the large incense, there were numerous offerings.

Long Ye, one of the temple attendants, along with four others, was organizing the sacrificial activities.

As the ceremony progressed, the offerings were quickly consumed, transforming into streams of nutrients and power, channeled to the Ginseng Whisker Dragon's true body hidden who knows where.

During a break in the ceremony, the temple attendants sat on the floor tiles, each trying to recover as much as possible.

Heavy panting gradually subsided, and pale faces slowly regained a hint of color.

Conducting the sacrifice was no easy task.

Even Long Ye found it arduous, more exhausting than the fierce battle in the ambush.

Then, a flying message arrived with the latest military news.

The temple attendants quickly scanned it with their spiritual sense. After reading, one old attendant looked at Long Ye: "A Long, you should return to manage the battle situation."

"With you gone, the people at the front-line camp are about to scatter."

"We old folks can handle things here."

Long Ye showed a troubled expression, looking at the Dragon King statue with deep concern: "Those outsiders aren't worth worrying about; my heart is only with the deity."

The old attendant immediately responded: "Precisely because of that, you should go back to take charge. You need to lead the allied forces to block and annihilate the Two Notes Kingdom's army. The more you kill, the better!"

"That way, we can buy more time for our master to rest and recover!"

Long Ye gritted his teeth, hesitated for a moment, then finally nodded slowly: "Understood. I'll return to take command."

He knelt and kowtowed, looking back every few steps, reluctantly leaving the Dragon King Temple.

Using earth escape, his speed was much faster.

"That Lu Hongtu is a slippery one. He's been currying favor, not stopping anyone from leaving, causing many of our high-level cultivators to be killed by military equipment while looting."

"Those Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts are also up to no good, egging our high-level cultivators to test the enemy's firepower for them."

"The most critical is the Old Monster in the Stone!"

"He still hasn't shown up. What patience..."

Like Lu Hongtu, Long Ye knew the Old Monster in the Stone was the key point. As long as he didn't appear, neither the Ginseng Whisker Dragon King nor Du Tiechuan would commit fully to the fight.

Long Ye secretly returned to the camp but didn't show up at the main command tent immediately. Instead, he found Lord Shengxu.

"Your previous offer, we accept," Long Ye said with a serious expression.

But Lord Shengxu shook his head: "Times have changed, Long Ye."

"Now, my price has doubled."

"What?!" Long Ye glared, fury rising in his heart, "You're taking advantage of the situation."

Lord Shengxu smiled slightly: "I'm on the Young Masters Ranking. Now that both your side and the Two Notes Kingdom's Transformation Spirit cultivators are severely injured, my intervention could change the outcome of this war. So, I'm definitely worth the price!"

Long Ye shook his head: "That makes sense. But even if I wanted to pay, I don't have the capability. You want payment upfront, after all. The Thousand Peaks Forest Alliance is just that—an alliance. Even if my Dragon King Temple faction emptied our coffers, we couldn't afford your reward. There are too many expenses elsewhere."

Lord Shengxu had expected this: "Don't worry, ahem, I accept payment in treasures."

Long Ye's eyes flashed with a sharp light: "What do you want?"

Lord Shengxu straightened his back slightly and slowly uttered four words: "Life Sea Dragon Spring."

Long Ye was so angry he almost attacked, flatly refusing: "Absolutely impossible!"

Front-line Camp of the Two Notes Kingdom.

A carriage descended from the sky, landing quietly before the spell was dispelled, gradually becoming visible.

The generals had been waiting. Seeing Supervisor Zhao Xi step out of the carriage, they all saluted.

Zhao Xi, holding the scepter representing his authority, chest out and head high, scanned the area and gave a slight nod, his demeanor aloof.

"I've reported the previous battle. The monarch is very concerned. How is Marshal Du now?"

A general immediately reported that Du Tiechuan was in deep seclusion, and specific military affairs were being handled collectively by others.

Zhao Xi felt a surge of joy inwardly: "Very well, serving the state is a minister's duty. I'll take on this heavy responsibility."

The generals exchanged glances but, constrained by his status, had to comply.

Zhao Xi hurried to the commander's residence, inquiring about the camp's situation along the way.

The generals reported: Almost the entire army had removed the Iron Skin Meat Armor, were actively resting, recovering quickly, and in three or four days, troops could be mobilized for missions.

During this period, Golden Core and Nascent Soul level generals were mainly patrolling the battlefield, conducting cleanup operations.

They also reported: Many petty figures from the Thousand Peaks Forest side were trying to loot, but were dealt with by heavy military equipment, resulting in casualties and not a few achievements.

Zhao Xi's heart raced with excitement, and he immediately pressed for details about the loot.

Someone presented a jade slip to Zhao Xi: "Sir, this is the complete record of the spoils captured so far."

Zhao Xi scanned it with his spiritual sense and found a merit ranking list.

Topping the list was Liu Er.

He frowned in displeasure: "A mere half-blood occupying the top spot? What's wrong with the others?"

A general explained: "Supervisor, Liu Er only climbed to the top last night. He might drop down by noon when the rankings are updated."

Other generals chimed in, calling it an accident and noting that Liu Er had been outside the top five before.

Zhao Xi nodded slowly but grew anxious inside: "This Liu Er is an outsider with no power or influence, yet he's number one. That means he's really grabbed a lot."

"These spoils all count as military merits."

"I rushed here through all that trouble. If I don't gain any merits, how can I justify taking such risks?"

(End of )