44: The military parade begins! Jingu martial arts performance!

Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, two months had quietly passed.

Infinite City, no longer in its initial raw and hurried state, now presented a thriving and prosperous scene.

Within the city, newly planned residential areas were arranged like fish scales, with streets and alleys crisscrossing; wide main roads were bustling with traffic and people, various shops lined the streets, hawkers called out, children played, and residents chatted, all interwoven into a vibrant and noisy urban symphony.

And today, the air was filled with an unusual restlessness and anticipation.

Because Infinite City's first military parade was about to begin!

In the early morning, when the first ray of sunlight pierced through the mist and fell upon the Lords Manor in the city center, the parade avenue, which had already been cleaned and renovated, was already packed with people.

The residents of Infinite City eagerly rushed to both sides of the street, just to secure an excellent viewing spot. They looked forward with excitement in their eyes.

“Look! It’s the Lord!” Someone shouted, and the crowd instantly erupted.

Su Jin, dressed in military attire, stood tall on the reviewing stand. His specially made dark black military uniform made him appear even more valiant.

Li Yi, Mu Yang, and other military and political personnel stood solemnly behind Su Jin.

After two months of cultivation, their strength had steadily increased, reaching the seventh rank, while Bai Xiao, standing beside Su Jin, had even stepped into the threshold of the ninth rank with the aid of Sublimation and his powerful innate talent, subtly exuding a powerful aura that made people dare not look directly at him.

“Mu Yang, is everything arranged?” Su Jin looked into the distance, where the military formations were ready to depart.

Mu Yang stepped forward, his voice clear and resonant: “Lord, the final preparations have been completed, the formations are ready, and we can accept the review at any time!”

Su Jin smiled upon hearing this. Over these two months, everyone had put in tremendous effort for this military parade. From troop drills to formation exercises, every aspect was meticulously perfected.

The purpose was to showcase the true strength of Infinite City to all new residents and to unite hearts and deter evildoers during this military parade.

“Excellent!” Su Jin looked around, filled with confidence and pride.

“Then…” He cast his gaze into the distance, his voice echoing across the square: “Infinite City’s first military parade—”

“Begin!”

“Woo…!!!”

A desolate and majestic horn sounded.

On both sides of the avenue, crowds surged, and countless eyes eagerly watched ahead.

“They’re coming! They’re coming!” someone whispered in the crowd.

Uniform footsteps approached from afar, like a drumbeat pounding in everyone’s heart. The ground seemed to tremble slightly.

The first to appear before everyone’s eyes was a perfectly aligned infantry phalanx, composed of one thousand Elite Heavy Shield Guards.

They wore heavy armor, holding tower shields as tall as themselves in their left hands and tightly gripping battle blades in their right hands.

Their steps were steady and powerful, each landing with a dull thud. A thousand tower shields connected to form a continuous wall, like a moving steel barrier, the mere sight of which created a suffocating sense of oppression.

Following closely was the Elite Halberd Warrior phalanx, also a thousand strong.

The long halberds in their hands gleamed coldly, their blades broad and thick, with sharp tips pointing skyward.

Unlike the steady, mountain-like presence of the Heavy Shield Guards, the Halberd Warriors moved with agile steps, their eyes sharp, exuding an unstoppable killing intent.

Their uniformly held halberds subtly rose and fell with their steps, like a steel forest about to sweep everything away.

Next to pass was the Elite Strong Bow Soldier phalanx.

A thousand archers, clad in light, standardized leather armor, carried quivers on their backs and longbows in their hands.

Their steps were swift and precise, almost silent as they moved, with only the subtle rustling of leather armor, exuding a calm yet deadly aura.

Rumble…!

A dazzling silver light appeared at the edge of the horizon and rapidly expanded!

It was the Elite Azure Lightning Cavalry Guards!

One thousand cavalrymen, mounted on iron-armored warhorses, with knights in bright silver armor, holding long spears adorned with lightning patterns.

They charged forward like a torrent of steel, their hoofbeats deafening, like muffled thunder exploding in the sky. The sheer visual and auditory impact alone was enough to make the timid tremble with fear.

Watching disciplined and well-equipped troops march past, feeling the powerful strength and high morale, the surrounding residents, especially those who had recently joined Infinite City, had their last doubts and anxieties completely crushed by this overwhelming momentum, replaced by an unprecedented sense of security and pride.

This was their new home, this was the power that protected them!

For a moment, cheers and shouts rose and fell, echoing through the sky.

However, just as everyone’s emotions were reaching a climax, and their eyes were focused on the marching military formations, a sudden change occurred!

In the city center, the Grand Void Azurewood Palace suddenly burst forth with dazzling light.

On the ancient, gnarled tree trunk, countless Sky Blue Leaves glowed with emerald green light, like lit lamps. A vast and mysterious power, centered on the Grand Void Azurewood Palace, spread out in all directions.

“Om—”

In the air, a long, ancient hum seemed to resonate.

Immediately after, to everyone’s astonishment, countless distorted dark figures appeared out of thin air on the plaza in front of the parade avenue.

Those dark figures quickly solidified, and in the blink of an eye, they transformed into hideous monsters!

Goblins, Gnolls, Forest Wolves, and even gigantic Rampaging Wild Boars… various monsters surged forth like a tide, so numerous that they almost covered the entire plaza.

“Monsters! It’s monsters!”

A terrified scream immediately erupted from the crowd.

Many new residents turned pale, their legs weak, instinctively wanting to flee. The terrifying memories of being dominated by Goblins instantly flooded their minds.

However, just as chaos was about to spread, a steady and powerful voice, like a stabilizing anchor, instantly quelled all the noise.

“Silence!”

Su Jin’s voice was not loud, but it clearly spread throughout the entire venue, carrying a reassuring power.

On the reviewing stand, Su Jin surveyed the scene below, his gaze calm.

“No need to panic, these are phantoms evolved from the Qingmu Divine Palace, not entity (physical entities),” Su Jin’s voice echoed throughout the venue. “Today, I shall let you witness firsthand what it means to be—the vanguard of Infinite City!”

At the same time, the military formations moved.

Without any command, the archers in the rear had already drawn their bows and nocked arrows. A thousand longbows were drawn taut almost simultaneously, the sound of their tightened strings converging into a low hum.

“Whoosh—! Whoosh—! Whoosh—!”

A dense whooshing sound suddenly erupted, and a thousand arrows flew from their strings, carrying sharp whistling sounds, cutting through the sky, leaving dense afterimages in the air, covering the hideous monster phantoms on the plaza.

Cloud Piercing Arrow, Rapid Fire, Hurricane Arrow!

The archers immediately unleashed their most practiced and efficient skill combination. The arrows, carrying compressed air vortexes, moved like lightning, hitting their targets in the blink of an eye.

“Boom—!”

A deafening series of explosions erupted, as the air vortexes carried by the Hurricane Arrows instantly burst, forming small whirlpools. The powerful suction pulled the surrounding monsters in, tearing them into pieces.

With just one volley, a large section of the monster horde at the front was cleared. Countless monsters wailed and screamed in the arrow rain, dissipating into points of light.

The residents of Infinite City, their expressions of terror not yet fully faded, instantly froze, then were replaced by an indescribable shock.

They gaped, watching the scene before them in disbelief.

That arrow rain, like a natural disaster! That destructive efficiency of slaughter completely overturned all their previous perceptions of archers, and even of armies!

So, arrows could be used like this?

So, armies could be this powerful?

In the front row of the crowd, a burly mercenary with a giant shield instinctively turned his head to look at his companion, who also carried a longbow, in his own team.

He opened his mouth, seemingly wanting to say something, but in the end, he just raised his hand and patted his companion’s shoulder hard, his face a mix of envy, jealousy, and a hint of… sympathy that he couldn’t quite describe?

His companion was also in a daze, looking at the miraculous arrow formation in front, then at the ordinary longbow in his hand, his mouth twitched, and he silently lowered his head.

However, the monster offensive conjured by the Grand Void Azurewood Palace did not stop there.

As soon as the front-row phantoms dissipated, more dark figures from behind roared and shrieked, trampling over the scattered light points of their companions, continuing to surge forward madly….