Returning from the abyss

Chapter 1423 Reinforcements Arrive, Clash

After Lu Ning conveyed Yuchi Long's final instructions, Zhao Yuqiao also relayed the message to the three generals of Gouchen, finally drawing away the evil spirits of the past. However, the soldiers sent out also witnessed the devastation of the Great Wilderness.

Just stepping on it makes it hard to breathe. If you open your mouth, it feels like you're chewing sand. Under the intense sunlight, skin that isn't covered by clothing will quickly turn purple and blister. Even if you're completely covered, you'll still feel like you're in an oven under the scorching sun.

This godforsaken place is completely unsuitable for human habitation. Even a well-trained army could only move Yuchi Long's corpse five miles into the Great Wilderness. However, those evil creatures from the past did indeed follow the phantom of Jianmu into the Great Wilderness, and then... they probably won't come back.

Next, Grand Tutor Qin issued an order to allocate troops from Gouchen and Lingjiang to Guanyuan to assist in its defense, relieve the siege of the demon army, and prevent the demon star from attacking Guanyuan. Their primary task was to dismantle all the array flags around Guanyuan.

The good news is that the Law of Humanity was deployed first within Guanyuan, thus creating a large-scale purifying zone, preventing the Great Wilderness from intruding into Guanyuan. For Gouchen and Lingjiang to provide support, their reinforcements must carry either the Law of Humanity or the Law of Demons to safely traverse this distance. Lu Ning discussed the matter with the other two generals and found that she was still the most suitable candidate.

The bad news is that the demon armies outside Guanyuan are all under the protection of the Demon Law, and these demon armies can also avoid the direct impact of the Great Wilderness. From an environmental perspective, the battle between the two sides is still on the same level, except for that demon star that has gone mad, which will likely suffer environmental damage as it moves along.

Speed ​​is of the essence in war. After the discussion was finalized, Lu Ning quickly transferred a group of reliable soldiers from Lingjiang to join the Frost Array. Then, she promoted the former Second Commander to First Commander, temporarily taking over the defense of the Frost Array in Lingjiang. They set off under a starry night.

Nowadays, marching at night is more advantageous than during the day. Although both are in bad weather, the weather at night is much better than during the day. However, according to Lu Ning's estimate, it won't be long before they can't keep anyone at night either.

The so-called Great Wilderness refers to the devastating environmental destruction that should have occurred after the natural environmental pillars of planets like Jianmu were forcibly removed. The True Immortals of that time used some unknown means to forcibly reverse the environment into a habitable state, but this method was clearly not a permanent planetary terraforming technique. Lu Ning didn't understand how the Law of Humanity worked to restore the ecosystem to a viable level; she could only guess that it was some kind of variant method modeled after the True Immortals' technology.

At this moment, Lu Ning felt nostalgic for research geniuses like Zhou Weiyuan or Christine. Given some time, she believed she could definitely get the answers she wanted.

In this scene, Qiu Suying is probably the only one who resembles him. However, based on several interactions, Lu Ning felt that although he was doing research, he was never purely interested in research. He was very goal-oriented and could discard anything outside of his goals, so he was not worth relying on.

A fierce wind swept across the desolate plains at night, its power comparable to the howling wind formation. Lu Ning's purple runes enveloped everyone within the ice formation, using the demonic law of destruction to repel the invasion of the Great Wilderness, but this was limited to the relatively minor fierce wind.

The harsh conditions of the outside environment were enough to make Lu Ning even more vigilant. When she traveled from Gouchen to Lingjiang, the environment hadn't become like this; only a few days had passed, and now it was completely impossible to survive normally.

"The laws governing humanity need to be implemented as soon as possible..."

Even if the Great Wei is gone, it is necessary to continue to expand in all places where humans can possibly live, so that everyone has a hope of survival.

Night marches couldn't be too fast, and before sunrise, they had to dig fortifications or rely on abandoned villages to escape the scorching sun. Even so, some people would still fall ill during the day, and although the symptoms were mild, they still slowed down the march.

For this reason, it took the army more than four days to reach the vicinity of Guanyuan.

Lu Ning could see the ritual canopy surrounding Guan Yuan from afar. In the vision of her demonic eyes, this canopy was no longer a complete shield, but its sheer size was still breathtaking. She did not rush to attack, but instead made some further preparations before reiterating the tactics of the Frost Array to everyone.

She left Ye Cong's old troops in Lingjiang instead of bringing them here because these people were too familiar with Ye Cong's tactical thinking. Lu Ning and Ye Cong's battlefield styles were quite different. What she needed were soldiers who could fully react to her commands. Ye Cong's subordinates' habits were prone to causing problems.

New recruits have the same problems, but they don't have a fixed mindset. As long as they follow orders, they can manage. Plus, with the veterans under Lu Ning's command, there usually aren't any problems.

"Our top priority is to relieve the siege of Guan Yuan, and the first thing to do is to dismantle the array flags used to set up the 'All Things' around us. These array flags are usually guarded by demon generals or demon kings, but the guards are not always there watching over them, because the array flags of the 'All Things' themselves will repel many living things, and over time they will gradually be transformed into objects—this is the intelligence that Guan Yuan gave us. At present, although the main task is to destroy the array flags, we must also remember that the demon army may appear and attack at any time."

The demons' patrols were unpredictable, not because they hadn't been given a patrol schedule, but because the demons simply had no concept of time.

They understand patrolling, but why they have to pass through a certain location at a fixed time is something demons can't comprehend. Most immortal beings have a problem with their sense of time; for them, being an hour early or late is about the same as being a second early or late for a human. Apart from a few demons who live and work in human society and have this sense of time, the rest simply don't pass through on time during patrols. This makes it very convenient for them to raid the flag formations, but it also makes it too easy for unexpected situations to occur.

It was night again, and Lu Ning's team approached the location of a battle flag in a mountain hollow. Although it was called a battle flag, it was actually a crystal sphere about the size of a head, floating in the air, refracting a very beautiful rainbow of light.

"A curse for all."

At Lu Ning's command, everyone drew their weapons, which shimmered with purple runes. They held their breath and hid behind the mountain hollow. An army of demons was passing by, led by a demon king, with countless other great demons and demon generals, totaling approximately a thousand.

This size of demon army was enough to flatten a city with a regular army. Lu Ning could see that the demon army always lacked the disciplined training of the human race, relying entirely on physical fitness and talent, but this very trait made them difficult to deal with.

After the group left, Lu Ning quickly gathered ice blades and ice layers beneath her feet, allowing her to glide swiftly towards the array flag. The others dispersed rapidly, setting up sentries and preparing traps. Only a few elite soldiers followed Lu Ning to the array flag. Upon approaching, Lu Ning drew her longsword, channeling the Nine Revolutions of Senluo into its blade. The restrained icy true energy, carrying a sharp killing intent, pierced towards the array flag. With a soft sound, Lu Ning's sword was deflected, but a network of cracks appeared where it had struck.

“Master, this thing is quite hard.” Xuan Yangzi reached out and touched the crack, then rubbed his fingers together, and some wood chips fell from between his fingers.

"The element of wood changes. These things about demons and monsters can never escape their inherent ways; they don't change at all."

"It's dangerous, don't touch it carelessly." Gu Tong suddenly spoke up, "It was made by demons, it's impossible to be completely unprepared."

"I know what I'm doing." Xuan Yangzi glanced at Gu Tong, somewhat unwilling to pay attention to him. However, at Lu Ning's command, they all stopped caring about each other and picked up their weapons to start hacking at the array flags. Their skills were not as profound as Lu Ning's, but they had the advantage of numbers. With each person taking turns hacking, the cracks on the crystals increased.

Just then, Lu Ning received a signal from the sentry that a demon army was approaching.

"Hurry up." Lu Ning stabbed several more times, creating more cracks. Everyone was carrying heavy, long-handled weapons, and after some cracks appeared, the flag quickly began to shake, emitting a musty smell of stale furniture.

"One more blow!"

With a roar from Tian Mengxing, he swung his spiked club down, finally shattering the outer shell of the array flag. A blast of dust-laden air erupted from within, and a phantom image of a long table flickered briefly in the center before vanishing. The blast left those around them covered in dust, but they were quite excited.

"Destroy it! Quickly form a formation, the demon army is coming from the southwest!" Lu Ning shouted.

The group quickly gathered together. At this distance, it was difficult for them to retreat, so they might as well fight the demon army.

At the mouth of the mountain pass, a group of demons soon emerged. The demon king at the head of the group was quite in line with the general perception of demons: a blue face with fangs, broad shoulders and a thick waist, a string of skulls hanging around his neck, and a nine-ringed broadsword in his hand. The demons behind him were also all strangely shaped. The aura of this leader was barely enough to be considered a demon king, while most of the others were demon generals.

The team's individual strength is not strong; Lu Ning can defeat them in one-on-one combat. However, now it is a battle between two armies. Lu Ning is very clear about her own strength. Although she has a record of killing a demon king, when she really fights against demons, three demon generals would be enough to make her feel troubled.

"You scoundrels! How dare you sabotage my Northern Frontier Banner! I'll chop you all up today!"

The Demon King cursed, then waved his hand, and several demons behind him unleashed a chaotic barrage of ranged attacks. Without any communication, some of them collided and exploded in mid-air, while others still fell into Lu Ning's ice array.

"All generals, heed my command! Leave no one alive!" Lu Ning raised his sword, pointing it at the Demon King. Cold mist spread from the sword's edge, and his soldiers shouted in unison, charging towards the demons as the mist dissipated. The Demon King, seeing this, revealed a bloodthirsty smile, strode forward, and swung his blade, engaging in battle with Tian Mengxing at the forefront.

In the blink of an eye, the two armies clashed. Lu Ning's Frost Formation possessed a powerful advantage in positional warfare, while the demon army was far more numerous. Lu Ning's veteran soldiers were no longer afraid of the demons' bizarre appearances, and the cursed weapons they wielded were something these demons had never seen before. At the very first clash, several weaker demons were swiftly cut down by Lu Ning's vanguard, followed by cursed weapons piercing vital points; with a twist, weapons and souls were annihilated together.

They did indeed follow Lu Ning's instructions, avoiding direct confrontation and instead creating a situation where they had more enemies than they could fight. Since their location was in a mountain valley, the demons would need to break in, and Lu Ning and the others could block the entrance and kill any demons that rushed in.

However, the Demon King quickly realized the problem. He roared, his size instantly doubling and his strength amplifying, immediately suppressing Tian Mengxing. The Demon King single-handedly held the line and advanced, while the demons began to surge into the mountain valley. Although Lu Ning's soldiers had time to cut down the demons, they didn't have much time to finish them off with cursed attacks. And if they used cursed weapons directly, those weapons, being made of ice, wouldn't be hard or resilient enough and would be smashed by the demons' weapons.

Lu Ning pierced the body of a demon that had approached her with her sword. A flash of innate purple energy shattered half of the demon's body, and then runes flashed across its frozen form, absorbing its soul. She could now kill these weaker demons with ease, but the battlefield was already in complete chaos.

Close combat was a battlefield Lu Ning had never experienced before. Even though she was arguably the strongest in the entire arena, without wide-range, high-powered killing techniques, she had to kill these demons one by one. The air was filled with the shouts of humans and demons clashing. Her soldiers, perhaps more accustomed to this kind of fighting, charged even more fiercely than Lu Ning. After killing some minor demons, Lu Ning reached the vicinity of the demon king.

With her combat prowess, she should focus on eliminating high-combat-power units of the enemy, rather than charging into battle with the rest of the team.

Lu Ning raised her hand to gather an ice wall, separating the demon king and his three subordinates who were fighting him. Then she leaped high into the air and slashed down with her sword. With the support of innate purple qi, the sword actually cut a notch in the demon king's greatsword.

"What a fine sword! What skill!" The Demon King laughed heartily, then swung his sword, creating gusts of wind, and his body grew even larger.

With brute force strong enough to reach the level of a demon king, he is no easy opponent.

Lu Ning sent three of her subordinates to support others, while she directly confronted the Demon King. Fortunately, the Demon King's massive body was indiscriminate in its sword strikes, and even other demons dared not approach. Lu Ning couldn't match the Demon King's strength, but her speed far surpassed his. Their swords clashed, one relying on her thick hide and immense strength to hack and slash wildly, while the other relied on her agility and profound internal energy to move and weave. For a time, it was difficult to determine who was superior.

"Impressive skills! I wonder how many people in the human army possess such abilities!" The Demon King exclaimed with delight. Lu Ning also noticed that this Demon King was the type who grew fiercer the longer the battle went on. The longer she fought, the more his size, strength, and defense continued to increase, making him a formidable force.