270: Close combat

As Da Chong's army drew closer, the atmosphere of war grew increasingly heavy.

A thick, murderous aura permeated the air, giving a suffocating sense of an impending storm.

All nearby natives fled to distant places; those who couldn't leave dug deep underground tunnels and hid beneath the earth.

Soon, Da Chong's army encamped in a city a hundred million li away from the Yin Court fortress. This distance was just right for both armies to use as a buffer.

Soon, Da Chong dispatched a massive number of spies to gather intelligence on each other.

Large-scale army combat isn't just about strength; it also involves various intelligence and even strategic engagements.

Just as Da Chong was mobilizing troops, deploying generals, and setting up various trump cards, the Yin Court's demeanor was remarkably calm, showing no movement whatsoever. With no personnel entering or exiting, it was extremely difficult for Da Chong's scouts to infiltrate the city.

“The Yin Court is clearly inviting us to attack their city!” Ghost Lord Chongquan's expression was grim.

Ghost Lord Chongquan had anticipated this, saying, “It’s exactly as expected! Then let’s fight! In home territory, we’ll see who can outlast whom!”

“Then let’s fight!” Ghoul Revered Lord Chonghan sneered, “I will be the vanguard. I want to see what the Yin Court is truly capable of!”

Ghost Lord Chongquan frowned. He felt that Ghoul Revered Lord Chonghan was somewhat arrogant and overconfident, but before he could speak, the other had already risen and left, preparing to muster his troops.

This made Ghost Lord Chongquan's expression very grim, but he was helpless. The four of them were all of the same rank, and no one could command another.

“Brother Chongquan, you needn’t worry. We will stand by to support Brother Chonghan from behind!”

Ghoul Revered Lord Chongyuan quickly said.

“That’s all we can do!”

Ghost Lord Chongquan nodded.

“Yin Court brats, you are too arrogant, daring to invade my Da Chong’s border. This Lord will personally send you to your graves!”

Above the Yin Court's war fortress, an invisible pressure, like a tidal wave, swept over.

In an instant, the Void Realm spanning a million li darkened, and a colossal figure descended from the Void Realm.

This was a Ghoul Clan expert, ten thousand zhang tall with a green face and fangs, whose cultivation was at the Perfection of the Quasi-Emperor. He held a giant black axe in his hand and strode towards the Yin Court fortress.

“Die!”

With a furious roar, the giant axe in his hand cleaved down towards the fortress with the force of splitting the heavens. Wherever it passed, the Void Realm was torn into a black hole.

“How dare you!”

“Efeng First Legion, form the Ten Thousand Ghosts Exterminating Gods Battle Array.”

The one responsible for the front-line defense was precisely the First Legion of the Efeng Reserve Corps. At this moment, Legion Commander Yin Mang's eyes revealed a flash of Battle Intent.

He knew that the Corps Commander and Legion Commander above him were eager for Merit (meritorious service). If he could kill this Quasi-Emperor Perfection expert before him, the rewards would definitely be substantial.

Therefore, to ensure a swift kill, he directly ordered his soldiers to form the array.

“Hoo!!!”

Hundreds of millions of soldiers roared in unison, the army moved, and the battle array, practiced for years, was completed in an instant.

“Boom!!!”

A terrifying power converged on Yin Mang. Yin Mang, already at Quasi-Emperor Perfection, instantly gained the combat power comparable to an ordinary Eternal Giant. At the same time, his figure also rapidly expanded.

“Die!”

With a furious roar, Yin Mang thrust his long spear towards the giant axe.

Boom!!!

The spear and axe collided squarely, and terrifying ripples echoed in the Void Realm, causing it to distort.

“Crack!”

A crisp sound rang out, and the battle axe instantly shattered. The long spear, however, continued its momentum, heading straight for the Ghoul Clan expert.

“No!!!”

The long spear gradually magnified in the Ghoul Clan expert's pupils. He had no time to escape before the spear instantly pierced through him, his massive head exploding like a watermelon, while his sacred soul had its consciousness erased and was collected by Yin Mang!

This sacred soul was a good thing; it could not only help him improve his cultivation but also be exchanged for military merits.

“Bang!!!”

The enormous corpse crashed onto the ground, kicking up a sky full of dust!

“Legion Commander is mighty!!!”

The soldiers of the First Legion cheered in unison!

Yin Mang's face showed a look of triumph.

“You brat, well done. I’ll record your Merit (meritorious service)!”

A bold voice came, and two figures appeared on the city wall.

“Your subordinate greets you, Sir!”

The newcomers were Yin Mang's superiors, the First Army Corps Commander Yin Tong and Deputy Corps Commander Yin Ku!

“Rise!”

Yin Tong waved his hand, then looked into the distance. He knew that a great battle was imminent, and his blood couldn't help but boil.

He didn't dare to hope for the Merit (meritorious service) of the Great Emperor; after all, he had six Corps Commanders and Deputy Corps Commanders above him, and as a subordinate, he needed to have good judgment.

At that time, if this Merit (meritorious service) had been achieved by his corps, then after the Corps Commander became a Great Emperor, it would also bring him many benefits.

Therefore, before the war, he argued strongly and secured the task of frontal defense.

“Useless!”

In the distance, Ghoul Revered Lord Chonghan's face darkened upon seeing this.

“Kill!”

In his fury, he no longer hesitated, and a vast killing intent echoed through the Void Realm.

“Woo woo woo!”

The earth-shattering horn blast resounded throughout the entire Void Realm.

“Thump, thump, thump!”

Ghoul Clan armies, clad in black xuan armor, marched in formation from a distance, treading through the Void Realm.

They were dense, a vast, dark expanse as far as the eye could see, like a black torrent surging towards the fortress.

“Beat the drums!”

Yin Tong ordered.

“Boom boom boom!”

The war drums sounded, and the entire war fortress was instantly activated. Countless ghastly cannon muzzles and ballistas were drawn to their fullest, awaiting the enemy's entry into attack range.

And on the city wall, Yin Court soldiers, clad in xuan armor, stood densely packed, each one poised and ready!

“Lads, this is our Ghoul Clan territory! If the Yin Court wants to seize it, then let them come and never return!”

“Charge! Kill all the Yin Court soldiers and show them the might of our Ghoul Clan lads!”

“Kill! Break through the Yin Court fortress and invade the Five Turbid Ghost Realm!”

Ghoul Clan generals roared to the sky, their eyes flashing with fierce light.

“Kill!!!”

The eyes of the Ghoul Clan soldiers glowed green, their Battle Intent and morale stimulated to the extreme.

“Big! Big! Big!!!”

Some Ghoul Clan experts no longer suppressed their bodies, instantly transforming into bodies thousands of zhang, ten thousands of zhang, or even larger, charging towards the fortress.

Wherever they passed, towering ghoul mountains were shattered by their impact. Some even uprooted ghoul mountains with sheer force and hurled them towards the fortress!

“Defend!”

Yin Mang roared.

Boom boom boom!

Countless ghoul cannons ascended into the sky, like meteors, piercing through layers of the Void Realm and landing in the Void Realm a hundred thousand li away.

“Boom boom boom!”

Terrifying explosions rang out. All those ghoul mountains were intercepted a hundred thousand li away, and some Ghoul Clan members who charged too close were directly torn to shreds by the aftermath of the explosions.

But this did not stop the momentum of the Ghoul Clan army. Using the sky-filling dust as cover, the Ghoul Clan army broke through the hundred thousand li mark and charged directly towards the fortress.

“Attack!”

Yin Mang watched the approaching Ghoul Clan army and made a decisive command!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Ghoul arrows rained down densely, imbued with a strange power that could wipe out Souls, falling towards the Ghoul Clan army.

Puff, puff, puff!

The Ghoul Clan army was too numerous, so numerous that there was no need to aim; simply shooting forward would inevitably land precisely in the enemy's formation.

However, those who could be brought to the battlefield were by no means weak. They constantly brandished the weapons in their hands, sweeping away the arrows from in front of them. Some even charged forward, enduring the rain of arrows, especially those Saint Monarch-level experts who completely ignored the arrows.

“Boom boom boom!”

At the same time, countless ghoul crystal cannons once again ascended into the sky, covering a large area of the Ghoul Clan army's formation like a torrential downpour.

Arrows could be blocked, but ghoul crystal cannons could not. Many Ghoul Clan soldiers were covered by the ghoul crystal cannons before they could even react, directly annihilated into dust.

“Form the array!”

At this moment, the advantage of the battle array became apparent. The soldiers in the rear, under the command of their generals, activated the battle array to resist the ghoul crystal cannons. Although they couldn't block all of them, casualties were minimized.

And as the Ghoul Clan army approached, both sides began close-quarters combat.

“Kill!”

This time, the order was not given by Yin Mang, but by Yin Tong!

Behind him, three hundred million soldiers surged forth, each activating their battle array and charging out of the fortress.

Defending a city was never the Yin Court's style. Since conquering the Five Turbid Ghost Realm, the Yin Court army had always engaged in close combat, rarely resorting to city defense.

This was also because they had the confidence. The Ten Thousand Ghosts Exterminating Gods Battle Array was one of their mainstays. Those who could enter the reserve corps had a minimum cultivation of the Saint King Realm, far stronger than the soldiers of the Ghoul Clan army.

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

Dong! Dong! Dong... In the center of the fortress, three Quasi-Emperors beat three giant drums. The war drums roared, shaking all directions. The immense sound of the war drums was like a raging tide, intimidating the Ghoul Clan army. Some with weaker cultivation even had their courage shattered on the spot.

Conversely, the Yin Court army, bolstered by the drumbeats, had soaring morale and charged towards the Ghoul Clan army.