487: One finger plucks a flower

Don't be fooled by the Eel Clan's slender appearance; their bodies are actually quite substantial. After the first wave of vanguard troops was slaughtered, the tunnel was already flowing with blood and littered with corpses, with no room left even to stand.

The Ming Army could only dig frantically, trying their best to expand the underground space so that the blood could drain away quickly and clear up space for battle.

When the news reached Mansong's ears, he was instantly shocked. He had assumed the Ming defenders would neglect underground defenses, but to his surprise, they had already set up a defensive network. It was simply unbelievable!

In truth, the Sea Clans had not fought the Human Race for centuries. Previous battles had all been internal competitions among the Sea Clans, so they did not know much about the Human Race's methods, and whatever they did know had only been obtained recently. Moreover, because the Sea Clans had spread their battle lines too thin, many of the major high-ranking races were busy attacking the Snow Eagle Country, the Flying Lion Country, and the War Bear Country across the ocean. The experience they had gained had not yet reached the Sea Clans on this side, which is why Mansong and Nian Kuo were completely baffled.

They had conquered the Fusang Country with ease, which led them to underestimate the Ming, thinking the Ming was nothing special. Only now did they realize that the Ming was not at all comparable to the Fusang Country. It would be basically impossible to conquer the Ming without paying a certain price.

Mansong's expression was very grim. He immediately relayed this information to Nian Kuo, while simultaneously ordering the vanguard to pause their attack and wait for the main force to arrive.

The Ming Army generals responsible for the 30-kilometer ambush site were Chu Cangming, Fang Qice, and Ye Haonan, who had arrived not long ago. Chu Cangming was in charge of the east side, which was the main frontal battlefield, while Fang Qice was on the north side and Ye Haonan was on the south side.

By this time, all three underground battlefields had already slaughtered quite a few Eel Clan vanguards. The news quickly reached Great Master Zhishen and the commander-in-chief, Xu Yanran. Great Master Zhishen softly chanted "Amitabha" and ordered the three of them via the underground communicator in a deep voice: "Fight while retreating; do not get bogged down in the battle!"

"What?!" The three of them were all stunned, not knowing the Great Master's intention.

Great Master Zhishen said, "The tunnel space at the 30-kilometer mark is too narrow, and having been built recently, it is not sturdy and not conducive to sustained combat. Focus on eliminating the enemy's effective strength. If you see that you cannot win, lure them to the 20-kilometer tunnel. We will set up an ambush circle there. Then, retreat along the way to the 10-kilometer mark in the rear, and we will set up another ambush circle there!"

Upon hearing this, the three of them felt a surge of energy and replied in unison, "Understood!"

With Great Master Zhishen devising the strategies, the three of them felt their confidence soar and immediately began making arrangements for their subordinate generals...

Sure enough, not long after, the Eel Clan's second wave of attacks began. Their vanguard troops twisted frantically underground, shaking the underground space until it became loose. Patches of sand and soil tumbled down and filled the air, and the space even shook slightly, as if an earthquake had occurred.

Then, they shook their heads and tails, slapping balls of sand and soil covered in slime and smashing them fiercely onto the Ming Army's tunnel. "Boom," "Boom," "Boom." The tunnel could not withstand the pressure and shattered one after another. The hiding Ming Army soldiers could not dodge in time; some were hit directly, some were crushed by the tunnel, and others collided with the Eel Clan heads below, getting pierced by their sharp horns, instantly bleeding profusely!

"Retreat quickly!" the defending general shouted. The remaining people dared not linger and immediately retreated according to the pre-designated routes. These retreat route tunnels were relatively much narrower, making it difficult for the Eel Clan's body size to pass through. They had to exert force to smash open the tunnels to pursue, which gave the defending soldiers time to escape.

The Eel Clan vanguard and the supporting main force in the rear immediately gave chase. Like sharks smelling blood, they had terrifying, fierce glares in their eyes. Their bodies pressed through the tunnels like giant pythons, continuously tracking the Human Race's scent...

The Ming Army followed the plan and quickly retreated to the 20-kilometer ambush circle. Without stopping, they retreated directly to the 10-kilometer mark further back to participate in the ambush preparations. The Eel Army followed the scent all the way in pursuit. Seeing this, a trace of a smile finally appeared on Mansong's face. It seemed the Ming Army was nothing special; did they really think that small tunnel could block his great army?

Just as he was feeling smug, a series of loud "rumbling" sounds were heard, and the ground beneath the Eel Army's main force continuously collapsed, revealing a bottomless underground ravine...

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh, whoosh... Countless arrows were shot from all directions across the ravine, targeting the Eel Clan soldiers who had fallen into the underground space together!

"What?! Oh no!!!" Mansong exclaimed, immediately waving his hand to stop the rear troops. At the same time, he flew out and revealed his true form: a large eel as thick as a water barrel, over twenty meters long, covered in a layer of thick scales. He moved back and forth in the underground ravine at an extremely fast speed, blocking most of the arrows, while continuously approaching the enemy fortress, intending to destroy it in one fell swoop!

"Amitabha!" A red figure appeared above the ravine; it was Great Master Zhishen, wearing a red kasaya.

He gently extended his right hand, his fingers lightly pinching as if holding a mysterious flower, and pointed a finger at Mansong! "Picking a Flower with a Finger"!

A beam of white spiritual light "whooshed" and struck Mansong right in his vital spot!

"Ah—" Mansong screamed, his body twisting into a ball in the air, trembling continuously...

"Great Master is mighty!" "Great Master is mighty!" "Great Master is mighty!" Seeing this, the Ming Army was instantly invigorated and shouted one after another...

At the same time, arrows were shot at the Eel Clan soldiers as if they were free...

The Eel Clan behind the ravine saw this and were all dumbfounded. They had not expected that their Clan Chief would be severely injured by the opponent in a single encounter. Was this really the Human Race?!

However, Mansong was not finished yet. His scales helped him dissipate most of the lethality, but even a little damage to his vital spot was unbearable, let alone an attack from Great Master Zhishen. He took a long while to gradually recover, a look of resentment appearing in his eyes as he said viciously, "What kind of skill is a sneak attack?! Who exactly are you?"

"Amitabha! This old monk is Zhishen! Benefactor, please return; our two races should have lived in peace and should not have resorted to the sword!"

"What a joke! Live in peace? The Human Race treats us like seafood, hunting and killing us at will. Hundreds of years ago, you even slaughtered my ancestors. This hatred is irreconcilable; there is absolutely no possibility of reconciliation!" Mansong said viciously.

"Benefactor, the Sea Clans also hunt our Human Race at sea. As for what happened hundreds of years ago, I fear the cause was that the Sea Clans attacked the Human Race first, intending to occupy the Human Race's territory... When will this cycle of vengeance end? Why not each take a step back?" Great Master Zhishen advised earnestly.

"Impossible! You bald donkey, stop being arrogant. Don't think that because you succeeded in a sneak attack, you can defeat me. I will not stop until I attack Shanhai Pass today! Lads, attack for me!" After ordering loudly, Mansong lunged at Great Master Zhishen...