: Gathering Scales by the Abyss

Using the push from Yuan Dasheng, Ning Zhuo successfully escaped his original position.

But the Heavy Blood Ape, Dasheng, was pierced by an ice thread and instantly frozen into a massive block of ice.

In the past, Yuan Dasheng, who could provide protection, lost his combat ability in a single encounter.

Ning Zhuo didn't even dare to retrieve him.

The ice block emitted a biting chill capable of freezing all life around it!

The opponent was simply too powerful, their combat strength undoubtedly top-tier among Nascent Soul cultivators.

This couldn't help but make Ning Zhuo think of the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts of the Soul Devouring Sect.

"The punitive campaign of Liang Zhu Kingdom against the Thousand Peaks Forest only involved the new army of Liang Zhu Kingdom, and the Thousand Peaks Forest is just a remote corner."

"Meanwhile, the River of Forgetfulness Prefect's century-long plan must mean the forces left by his side are the elite among the elite."

"If this enemy were in the mortal realm, they would definitely be on the level of the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts, famous across various kingdoms. They might even be stronger than the Twin Ghosts!"

Of course, Ning Zhuo couldn't really judge who was stronger or weaker.

After all, when he dealt with the Heaven and Earth Twin Ghosts before, there was an element of coincidence. Although he repelled them, that battle record contained significant水分 (wateriness, meaning it was exaggerated or not entirely due to his own strength).

Ning Zhuo felt the vast difference in combat power between the enemy and himself.

But his fighting spirit was firm, never wavering in the slightest!

"Mother wouldn't harm me."

"The divination arts of Old Man Grey Bone, combined with the methods of the Scholar of Mystery and Simplicity, are my hidden advantages."

"Most importantly, I am the savior, backed by the fortune of the mortal realm!"

"The enemy's apparent strength must have a weakness."

"If they were truly this powerful, why didn't they intercept us when the Qingjiao Army ascended? Why let our army set up formations so calmly?"

"Even though we are fighting, only one Nascent Soul cultivator is engaged. The other has been observing all along, which is even more strange!"

"They must have some hidden difficulty, a fatal flaw, that's just concealed."

"I must find it, and I will find it!"

Ning Zhuo gritted his teeth and fought bitterly, unaware that Cold Smoke Ascendant also had ripples in his heart.

"This young man is truly outstanding!"

"It's been a long time since I've seen such an exceptional young person."

This evaluation was extremely high.

Because Cold Smoke Ascendant was a high-ranking member of the River of Forgetfulness Netherworld. He was evaluating Ning Zhuo from the perspective of an entire kingdom.

Cold Smoke Ascendant murmured inwardly, "Qingjiao Army…"

The River of Forgetfulness Prefect had relayed the latest intelligence to his subordinates.

They didn't need to know about the events of the mortal realm battlefield or the White Paper Immortal City. But now, the Qingjiao Army had come attacking for some reason, so it was necessary to understand the situation.

Cold Smoke Ascendant hovered mid-air, overlooking the battlefield, his gaze focusing more on Ning Zhuo.

"It seems this person is the human calamity sent by the mortal realm's destiny to oppose our lord?"

"Clearly only at the Foundation Establishment level, yet he possesses such profound mastery of spells! He puts many thousand-year-old ghosts to shame."

"His three dantians all have powerful auras; he must be cultivating a supreme technique to achieve this."

"What also concerns me is his physical body and soul; each is very strong, far exceeding the standard for the Foundation Establishment stage."

"No technique in the world can achieve such balanced development. That means he has found other methods and consumed massive resources to accumulate such a solid foundation."

"To accomplish this, he must either have a profound background or incredibly strong机缘 (fateful encounters/opportunities)!"

"Such a youthful aura, not even twenty years old, is simply unimaginable."

Cold Smoke Ascendant determined that, developing like this, Ning Zhuo would inevitably become a dragon among men, a leading figure among the youth, a pillar of strength, an authority in his own right, and even a great power in cultivation.

"Such a person, endowed with fine qualities, must be a child of fortune in the mortal realm."

"What a pity, to oppose the fortune of our River of Forgetfulness Prefect's kingdom."

"To avoid future trouble, I'll kill you first!"

The more outstanding Ning Zhuo was, the more wary Cold Smoke Ascendant became, deciding to strike first and kill Ning Zhuo to eliminate future troubles.

But just as he was about to strike hard, Hundred Ghosts Old Mother suddenly sent a voice transmission: "Wait, hold your attack!"

Cold Smoke Ascendant was surprised. He could see Ning Zhuo's excellence and potential, and surely his comrade could too. He couldn't understand why Hundred Ghosts Old Mother was stopping him.

Hundred Ghosts Old Mother transmitted her thoughts, explaining briefly: "The details have already been reported to the lord. Stopping you from killing the Qingjiao Army is the lord's order. Moreover, the lord instructed secrecy, so I cannot elaborate. My apologies."

Cold Smoke Ascendant was even more puzzled. He immediately sent a spiritual sense transmission to the core altar far in the rear and indeed received a response from the Earth Fiend Filth God.

The main body of the River of Forgetfulness Prefect was slumbering in a tributary of the River of Forgetfulness. His split consciousness was both trying various methods to deal with the Cold Abyss Ice Coffin Candle and managing the overall situation.

Naturally, Cold Smoke Ascendant obeyed the River of Forgetfulness Prefect's command, sighing inwardly: "The lord actively holds back, ordering me to capture this young man alive. From another perspective, this is also due to the young man's own fortune."

Cold Smoke Ascendant reduced the intensity of his attacks, starting to wear down Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan, waiting for an opportunity to capture them alive.

Seeing Cold Smoke Ascendant's offensive visibly weaken, Qing Yan became excited, shouting loudly: "Hold on! Hold on! He's showing signs of weakness, clearly hampered by his injuries and cannot fight for long."

"Hold on, the turning point might come at any moment!"

Ning Zhuo nodded, gradually stabilizing his position.

Meanwhile, Luo Si looked up at the rolling black clouds in the sky, where streaks of bloody lightning flickered.

Using his commander's ability, he led his army in an orderly retreat.

Before leaving, he even used a method to seize the White Paper Immortal City Lord's Primordial Dispersal Ruler.

Now, carrying the order to rendezvous with the River of Forgetfulness Prefect for coordinated defense, he had rushed here with forced marches.

After sending a message, he quickly received a response from Hundred Ghosts Old Mother.

Naturally, Hundred Ghosts Old Mother had already received orders from the Earth Fiend Filth God to cooperate with Luo Si's army and form a new deployment.

For this century-long scheme, the River of Forgetfulness Prefect had used almost all his trump cards, leaving his available forces stretched thin. Luo Si bringing his army here was a timely relief.

Furthermore, this army had participated in the battle at the White Paper Immortal City. While disliked by the mortal realm's Heaven, they were considered meritorious by the Netherworld's Heaven and would be treated well.

With the two national treasures, the Nether Dragon Scissors and the River of Forgetfulness Prefect's Seal, lost, the River of Forgetfulness Prefect urgently needed this share of fortune to protect himself.

The vast black clouds transformed into a hanging ladder, descending from the sky all the way to the ground.

"Advance." With Luo Si's order, the command flag waved, and he led the army to climb the cloudy sky.

The thick walls of the massive black cloud automatically parted, forming a huge passage allowing Luo Si's army to proceed straight to the battlefield within the cloudy space.

Seeing the enemy army arrive, the Qingjiao Army fell into panic, their morale plummeting sharply.

Qing Zhi anxiously shouted repeatedly, trying to steady the troops' hearts. But she was, after all, too young. Perhaps if her father had spoken, it might have been effective. Her frantic words, in this critical moment, instead exposed her immaturity, making her even less credible, and morale fell even faster.

The Qingjiao Army faced the River of Forgetfulness Imperial Guard at the front and Luo Si's army at their back.

They were caught between two forces, attacked from both front and rear, the situation becoming extremely unfavorable.

Whether it was the River of Forgetfulness Imperial Guard or Luo Si's returning army, both were large in scale. The Qingjiao Army, at full strength, numbered less than a thousand. The disparity in strength was extreme.

Humans are the wisest of all creatures, possessing the most intelligence.

Intelligent people are good at assessing the situation.

The Qingjiao Army was, after all, a newly established cultivation army. Their hearts desired survival; where was the will to fight now?

The Army Seed flickered uncertainly within Qing Zhi's dantian. The impending disintegration of the Qingjiao Army also triggered a warning from the Army Seed.

Cold sweat dripped from Qing Zhi's forehead. She realized she had to make a choice!

"I must stabilize the Qingjiao Army!"

"Consuming military strength and utilizing the Army System can have a stabilizing effect. But how much military strength should I use?"

She looked worriedly towards the front-line battle.

Both her lover and her father were locked in a bitter fight.

Whether it was Jiao Ma (Ning Zhuo) or Qing Yan, they were constantly consuming military strength to bolster themselves. Otherwise, they simply couldn't withstand Cold Smoke Ascendant.

How much military strength needed to be allocated and consumed to stabilize the Qingjiao Army?

This was the problem Qing Zhi had to face directly!

Military strength was limited. If too much was consumed, Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan would lack military strength, potentially leading to defeat, even death!

Qing Zhi would live under the nightmare of this moment for the rest of her life.

If too little military strength was allocated, the stabilizing effect wouldn't be achieved, requiring repeated attempts, which would consume even more in total.

If Qing Zhi had experience, it might be manageable, but the key was she had only recently taken up her position.

But she knew she had to act.

"If I delay any longer, the Qingjiao Army will completely disintegrate, unable to provide even a shred of military strength. That would be a truly hopeless situation!"

Qing Zhi took a deep breath, a determined gleam of gambling everything flashing in her eyes, and resolutely mobilized the remaining limited military strength.

She channeled the military strength into the Army Seed.

The three Army Systems she had developed began to shine brightly.

Army System One: Strict Discipline.

Army System Two: A Decade's Stores for a Single Campaign.

Army System Three: Father and Son Fight Side by Side.

[Strict Discipline] took effect first, restoring order to the entire army.

[Father and Son Fight Side by Side] made the whole army think of familial bonds, realizing that their relatives were fighting beside them, greatly raising their protective instincts.

"Even if we die, we die together!" Many gritted their teeth, adopting the determination of a cornered force.

Success!

Qing Zhi's eyes shone, her spirit lifted, almost cheering and jumping for joy.

Her risky move had yielded the desired results.

The Qingjiao Army stabilized, and morale began to rebound from its bottom, rising very rapidly. With the army's heart steadied and morale rising, the military strength the entire army could provide returned to its previous state, even exceeding it by a small margin.

"Qing Zhi, well done!" Ning Zhuo sent an encouraging voice transmission promptly.

Qing Yan also praised: "That's my good daughter!"

The two of them, who had been struggling with military strength before, now had abundance again.

Ning Zhuo, however, frowned slightly, thinking to himself: "Is it my错觉 (illusion/misconception)? That was a period when we were quite weak, but the opponent didn't attack with full force, as if holding back."

Cold Smoke Ascendant was indeed holding back.

His orders were to capture these people alive if possible.

So, he wasn't anxious at all.

Not only was this capture-alive order personally issued by the Earth Fiend Filth God, but also Luo Si's army had arrived.

Although the quality of Luo Si's army was far inferior to the Imperial Guard, their task was to fill the formation nodes deep within the black clouds, allowing this formation to unleash its full power.

That was sufficient!

What could the Qingjiao Army do even if they stabilized?

Whether it was the Imperial Guard or the Returning Army, either one could crush this small new army.

The enemy's covert leniency allowed Qing Zhi's gamble to succeed.

If Cold Smoke Ascendant had truly attacked with full force, Qing Zhi, with no experience and acting rashly by consuming so much military strength, would have certainly caused the hard-fought battle situation of Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan to collapse immediately, leading to their deaths!

The command flag fluttered in the wind.

Luo Si stood in his chariot, looking from afar at the Qingjiao Army, and also watching the battle between Cold Smoke Ascendant, Qing Yan, and Ning Zhuo.

A subordinate asked: "Sir, what do we do next?"

Another officer laughed: "I thought this army had gotten lost, but they actually attacked here. Hahaha, they're all here to die, they're all military merits for us!"

Thus, more people requested orders to attack.

Luo Si snorted coldly: "Silence."

He sternly scolded: "What is our status? Is this a place where we decide things? We follow the Imperial Guard's lead in everything. We are only here for coordinated defense; we must not act on our own initiative."

Suddenly, his expression changed slightly: "Hundred Ghosts Old Mother sends word, ordering us to attack first."

"Do not kill indiscriminately; try to capture the entire enemy army alive."

"All troops, hear the order! Form battle formations, follow my commands!"

Luo Si issued the order. The command flag waved, war drums beat, and the entire army, under the command of numerous officers, formed battle formations.

Military strength was mobilized, used in a clever way to produce specific effects.

Military Tactic — Gathering Scales by the Abyss!

The entire army under Luo Si shuddered simultaneously. Wisps of aura were drawn out, converging above their heads like countless fireflies.

These auras solidified in the air, turning into countless fish scales.

Tens of thousands of fish scales gathered together, rapidly rotating, forming a military strength vortex several dozen feet in diameter.

Cold Smoke Ascendant cast a surprised glance, but Luo Si immediately transmitted his thoughts: He intended to use this method to create a huge deterrent against the Qingjiao Army!

"Very well." Cold Smoke Ascendant continued dealing with Ning Zhuo and Qing Yan.

Capturing alive was much more difficult than killing.

The fish scale vortex continued to churn, expanding visibly at a rapid pace.

Soon, its diameter reached a hundred feet!

Millions of scales, semi-transparent and幽蓝 (dark blue), layered densely upon each other.

The continuous accumulation of military strength made the Qingjiao Army restless again.

Anyone could perceive the powerful potential of this military tactic. More terrifyingly, this tactic could continue to accumulate military strength; the longer it lasted, the more horrifying its power became.

"We must destroy it!"

"If we let it accumulate and don't stop it early, once it erupts, we will be utterly annihilated."

The Qingjiao Army had no shortage of discerning individuals.

Cold sweat dripped again from Qing Zhi's forehead.

She could be considered a proud daughter of heaven, with quite outstanding cultivation talent, but in this battle, she found it difficult to display her previous brilliance.

The enemy's momentum was simply too strong!

Ning Zhuo's voice transmission was urgent: "Qing Zhi, lead the army to charge the enemy behind us! In this battle, you must be prepared to sacrifice yourself, press forward with indomitable will!"

If it were someone else, they might ask: "What about the Imperial Guard in front?"

But Qing Zhi was not like that. She decisively gave the order, leading the army to attack Luo Si's side.

Hundred Ghosts Old Mother's gaze sharpened. She transmitted to Luo Si: "Do you need help?"

Luo Si shook his head: "I'm only building up momentum on the surface, a feint, to lure the enemy into attacking, making it easier for me to capture them alive."

Hundred Ghosts Old Mother also knew of Luo Si's commanding ability and set aside her worry.

Qing Zhi charged at the forefront, with the Qingjiao Army, filled with the determination to die, following behind in a full-scale charge towards Luo Si's army.

Luo Si remained expressionless, his mind stirring.

The fish scale vortex burst forth like a breached flood, pouring out violently.

Wherever it passed, light was devoured, space distorted, creating a collapsing phenomenon.

This terrifying force penetrated space, instantly impacting the Imperial Guard formation.

Where the flood of intertwined fish scales reached, the soldiers' armor was like paper, their bodies disintegrated in the torrent, and their souls were shredded into countless fragments by the scales, vanishing into nothingness.

Both sides of the conflict: !!! ???

(End of )