183: Chapter 183: Engineer Battalion Assembles at Forbidden Ground

The morning mist had not yet dispersed, and the back mountain of the Qingyun Sect was already incredibly bustling.

Rows of neat spirit energy transport vehicles were parked in the open space, and the low roar of their engines echoed through the valley. The soldiers of the Engineering Battalion, wearing specially made radiation-proof spirit energy armor, were methodically loading equipment onto the vehicles.

This armor was the latest improvement by Jiang Ning; not only was its defensive capability strong, but it could also automatically filter the violent spirit energy in the air.

Jiang Ning stood on a high platform, looking at this team below that completely did not belong to this era.

"Consultant Jiang, First Company has finished assembling!"

"Second Company has finished assembling!"

"Technical Support Group is ready!"

Listening to the powerful reports, Jiang Ning felt much more at ease. She turned her head and looked at the Sect Leader, her senior brother, beside her.

The Sect Leader looked completely different now; the gloomy and miserable appearance he originally had was gone, and wearing a crisp Qingyun Sect uniform, he actually looked quite the part.

"Junior Sister, are you really not taking the sect's disciples with you?" the Sect Leader asked, still somewhat uneasy.

"Senior Brother, this mission isn't to go fight; it's to do engineering work," Jiang Ning patiently explained. "The sect's disciples aren't used to this kind of coordinated combat yet, and they would only cause chaos if they went. Let them stay at home and guard the spirit energy power grid; that is our backup."

The Sect Leader nodded. He also knew his disciples; having them fly on swords was fine, but asking them to operate those complex, precision instruments was truly difficult for them.

"Then you must be careful," the Sect Leader urged. "I heard that the people from the Nirvana Sect have already set up camp outside the Forbidden Land, and those guys are all cold-blooded demons."

"Don't worry, Senior Brother. Even demons fear cannons." Jiang Ning smiled, then put away her smile and shouted to the people below: "Move out!"

The convoy slowly started, like a long iron dragon, driving towards the direction of the Forbidden Land.

Along the way, many passing cultivators stopped to watch. Looking at these iron monsters that had no spiritual energy fluctuations yet moved incredibly fast, their faces were filled with curiosity and dread.

"Are these those treasures of the Qingyun Sect?"

"I heard they are going to repair the Pillar of the World; isn't that just courting death?"

"Who knows? Wanbao Pavilion has invested so much money; we can just follow along and watch the show."

Jiang Ning sat in the passenger seat of the lead vehicle, holding a tablet computer, reviewing the latest reconnaissance report.

"Consultant Jiang, unidentified cultivators have been detected intercepting us fifty kilometers ahead," Company Commander Zhang's voice came through the walkie-talkie.

"What is their identity?" Jiang Ning asked.

"Judging by their attire, they don't look like they are from any sect. They should be rogue cultivators, and there are a few wearing black robes; they are likely scouts from the Nirvana Sect."

Jiang Ning sneered: "Ignore them. If they dare to block the road, use the spirit energy shockwave to clear the way directly. We don't have time to waste with them."

"Understood!"

Sure enough, not long after, a group of people stood in the middle of the road ahead. Leading them was a burly man with a face full of flesh, carrying a huge ghost-headed blade in his hand, and his body exuded the aura of the Foundation Establishment Late Stage.

"This road was opened by me, this tree was planted by me..." The burly man hadn't finished his cliché yet.

The transport vehicle didn't slow down at all; the spirit energy emitter on the roof fired a pale blue ripple directly.

"Boom!"

A gentle but irresistible force pushed that group of people directly into the ditches on both sides of the road. The burly man rolled several times in the mud; by the time he climbed up, only the taillights of the convoy were left.

"Damn it, what kind of sorcery is this?" The burly man spat out a mouthful of mud, scared out of his wits.

The black-robed person behind him looked at him coldly: "That is the crafty trickery of mortals. Go notify the Sect Leader; they have already entered the field."

The convoy continued to move forward, and the surrounding scenery became increasingly desolate. The trees became twisted, the ground was covered in scorched marks, and the spirit energy in the air became increasingly harsh.

Jiang Ning knew they were almost there.

Arriving at the edge of the Forbidden Land, the people from Wanbao Pavilion had already set up a simple camp there. When Manager Qian saw Jiang Ning, he trotted over all the way.

"Consultant Jiang, you've finally arrived." Manager Qian looked anxious. "Those lunatics from the Nirvana Sect ambushed our patrol team last night and injured several people. They are right on that hill, shouting slogans at us every day."

Jiang Ning looked in the direction he pointed, and on the distant mountain ridge, there were indeed several black flags fluttering, with a broken circle drawn on them.

"What slogans are they shouting?" Jiang Ning asked casually.

"They say things like 'All things return to void, Nirvana is eternal,' and also say that our repairing the pillar is blaspheming the gods and that we will suffer divine retribution." Manager Qian looked helpless.

Jiang Ning jumped out of the vehicle and put on her helmet: "Divine retribution hasn't arrived yet, but their death date is coming soon. Company Commander Zhang, deploy the base vehicle and establish a Level 1 defensive perimeter. Bring all automatic turrets online. As long as any black-robed person approaches within five hundred meters, don't bother with warnings; open fire directly."

"Yes!"

Following Jiang Ning's order, the originally ordinary-looking transport vehicles began to transform. The cargo compartments opened, revealing the complex support structures and weapon systems inside.

Under the stunned gaze of the Wanbao Pavilion cultivators, in just half an hour, a fully enclosed modern military base appeared on this wasteland.

The towering radar tower rotated continuously, capturing every move in the surroundings. Rows of spirit energy machine gun turrets automatically locked onto the black flags in the distance.

"This... this is simply a miracle." Manager Qian muttered to himself.

Jiang Ning ignored his exclamation; she took the technical team directly into the Command Center. On the big screen, the 3D model of the Pillar of the World had already been established.

"Everyone, this is what we need to repair." Jiang Ning pointed at the huge columnar object covered in cracks. "It goes thirty thousand meters deep into the Earth's core. What we need to do is first drive three hundred spirit-suppressing stakes around it to suppress the chaotic spirit energy. Then we will go down and use the composite materials we have prepared to patch those cracks piece by piece."

"Consultant Jiang, how will we solve the high temperature and high pressure of the Earth's core?" an expert asked.

"We have the latest high-temperature resistant coating, as well as spirit energy shields." Jiang Ning looked at the screen. "The most critical thing is not the environment, but the interference. The Nirvana Sect will absolutely not watch us repair the pillar. They will definitely sabotage us."

As soon as she finished speaking, the radar alarm suddenly sounded.

"Consultant Jiang, a large number of targets are approaching rapidly! It's the Nirvana Sect's all-out attack!" Company Commander Zhang's voice carried a hint of excitement.

Jiang Ning watched the surveillance screen; on the mountain ridge, countless black shadows were rushing down like a tide. In their hands, they held various bizarre magical treasures, and they were emitting shrill screams from their mouths.

"They've come at the right time." Jiang Ning said coldly, "It's a perfect chance to test our newly upgraded automatic defense system. Company Commander Zhang, I leave it to you."

"Don't worry, Consultant Jiang. I guarantee they won't return if they come!"

Jiang Ning sat in her chair and picked up a cup of water. She watched those black shadows on the screen, feeling not a ripple of emotion in her heart. In the face of absolute firepower, human wave tactics were nothing more than throwing one's life away.

Everything she was thinking about right now was that huge wound deep in the Earth's core. That was the real challenge.