This martial saint's health bar is too thick

Chapter 604 Horses drink from the sea, inscription on Yanran Mountain

10 month 6 day.

The rising sun illuminates the grassland once again.

Outside Green Ark City, rows of large-caliber howitzers stood in a line.

These howitzers, transported from the southern battlefield, were delivered here via a large flying artifact.

A total of 134 howitzers were aimed at Green Boat City ahead.

Not far away, Li Fei and Zuo Jun stood side by side.

Behind the two were 11,000 White Flame Army soldiers.

After the Fengshan ceremony, the two waited in the capital city of Ming for nearly ten days until the people sent by the Eastern Border Army took over the royal city.

Unlike the previous six major cities, none of the important resources in Mingdu City were taken away.

Moreover, as the royal city of the grasslands, Mingdu City possesses nearly 30% of the cultivation resources, including exotic beasts, weapons, and elixirs, which constitute a significant portion of the entire grasslands!

The foundation of the White Pagoda Fulfilling Wishes Vase Blessing Array, which served as the city's protective array, was also not destroyed, making Mingdu City extremely valuable strategically.

After the Eastern Border Army took over Mingdu City, Li Fei and Zuo Jun led their men to Green Boat City, preparing to capture the only two remaining large cities on the grassland.

Within Green Ark City, including several powerful armies, there are a total of seven top-tier combat forces.

These top-tier combatants, combined with Green Ark City's defensive formation, are enough to withstand attacks from even the most powerful experts for a period of time.

To minimize losses, the 134 new howitzers were transferred over.

Of course, as the saying goes, conquering a city is inferior to conquering a mind.

Before the war began, several nobility from the grasslands of Mingdu City were sent to Green Boat City.

Having these nomadic nobles who witnessed the Battle of Mingdu persuade the Ming to surrender would undoubtedly be the most effective approach.

"You have only one hour. If the defensive array of Green Ark City is not deactivated after one hour, I will begin the attack."

Li Fei said this to the several grassland nobles who came into the city to persuade him to surrender.

The sunlight was so bright it was almost blinding, and a gentle breeze, carrying the fresh scent of early summer grass and trees, lazily swept across the fields.

It should have been a peaceful morning, but the chilling atmosphere outside Green Ark City seemed to freeze the air.

Time flowed coldly, and the deadline Li Fei set was like a guillotine on the executioner's block—

Time is up!

The ever-flowing, rainbow-colored protective array of Green Ark City, originating from the Buddhist Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli, still steadily enveloped the city, showing no signs of weakening.

"fire."

Without a moment's hesitation, Li Fei casually remarked.

"The General has given the order: Fire!"

The messenger's roar ripped through the brief silence, the sound waves rapidly echoing through the artillery array, which stood ready for battle.

"Everyone load up——!"

"Adjust firing parameters—"

"Gun position one, in position!"

"Number Two in position!"

"Number three, in position!"

"..."

The urgent commands, the clanging of metal against metal, the muffled thud of heavy shells sliding into the breech, the soldiers' heavy breathing... all combined to create a suffocating prelude to the battle.

One hundred and thirty-four large-caliber howitzers, their cold steel barrels like the fangs of a giant beast, stood raised in unison, pointing towards the distant city enveloped in dazzling lights.

boom! ! !
The first cannon shot was not an isolated cry, but was instantly drowned out by the destructive collective roar that followed.

Boom, boom, boom! ! !
One hundred and thirty-four heavy cannons roared simultaneously!

The earth trembled violently, as if a dragon were turning over. The blazing flames spewing from the cannons merged into a single, blinding wall of death stretching for miles.

The violent shockwave swept outwards with overwhelming force, stirring up dust and sand, uprooting and tearing the sparse vegetation in the vicinity to pieces!
The deafening roar was no longer just a sound, but a tangible shockwave that instantly emptied, compressed, and ignited the air!
Hundreds of heavy shells, trailing long, burning contrails, tore through the air like a swarm of burning bees unleashed from hell, tracing dense and deadly parabolas across the azure sky before crashing down on Green Ark City ahead.

Almost the instant the artillery barrage arrived, Green Ark City's defensive array erupted with an unprecedentedly brilliant light—

"Om Mani Padme Hum"

The grand and solemn chanting seemed to descend from the heavens, resounding through the clouds.

The Manjushri religion originated from Buddhism, so most of its magical techniques also originated from Buddhism.

The six-syllable mantra of Buddhism resounded over the grassland.

The seven-colored light shield above the city suddenly expanded and solidified, and countless huge, semi-transparent Bodhisattva images instantly appeared on it, with solemn and dignified appearances!

Vajra Bodhisattva's eyes widened in fury, wielding a vajra, conjuring countless vajra shadows, precisely meeting the first dozens of cannonballs to arrive. Violent explosions erupted on the surface of the light shield, the deafening sound of metal clashing against metal, the vajra shadows and cannonball fragments flying together, the light shield trembling violently, but the Bodhisattva's image remained steadfast.

The compassionate face of the Thousand-Armed and Thousand-Eyed Guanyin appeared, and her thousand arms instantly danced behind her, each palm radiating a soft, pure, crystal-like light, weaving into a vast net of light. The cannonballs crashed into the net of light, as if sinking into a viscous quagmire, their kinetic energy rapidly dissipated. The flames and shockwaves of the explosion were enveloped by layers upon layers of the net of light, like pebbles thrown into a lake, creating huge ripples of energy, yet failing to break through the net.

Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva sat cross-legged on a lotus throne, from which countless golden lotus petals emerged, forming a rotating shield that absorbed the falling cannonballs. The lotus petals opened and closed, each opening and closing accompanied by a muffled roar and a blinding flash, absorbing and dispersing the power of the explosion layer by layer. The lotus throne remained as stable as a rock, protecting the city below.
The deafening explosions continued incessantly, and various colored Buddhist lights intertwined, collided, and annihilated with the orange-red flames and thick black smoke from the exploding shells.

The Lotus Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli easily blocked the first wave of barrage.

Neither Li Fei nor Zuo Jun were moved by this.

Rather than letting the White Flame Army deplete their magical weapons and forcefully attack the city, it would be better to use up the cannonballs captured from the battlefield.

This allows us to achieve the greatest results with the least cost!

"Load-!"

"Quick! Quick!"

"Second round, ready—fire!"

"."

The artillery position was like a highly efficient killing machine; the gun barrels turned red-hot under rapid firing, sending up waves of heat that distorted the air.

The loader, his muscular upper body bare and drenched in sweat, roared as he crammed one heavy shell after another into the breech.

Commands, the clanging of metal, the resounding clatter of gun breech closing... all blended into a chilling rhythm.

Boom boom boom——!!!
The second salvo followed immediately, then the third, the fourth...

From dawn to dusk, the Lotus Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli endured nearly a hundred rounds of bombardment!
Although sufficient cooling time was given, the continuous shelling still caused problems for more than a dozen howitzers.

However, the Bodhisattva image above Green Ark City also began to dim.

"Rest for the night."

Li Fei issued the order.

Even if the machine can withstand it, the gunners who operate the howitzers are ordinary people who cannot fight at high intensity for a long time.

The artillery fire ceased, but a roar even louder than the simultaneous firing of over a hundred large-caliber howitzers echoed through the night—

Li Fei flew alone to the sky above Green Boat City and unleashed a powerful attack, "Ignorant of the Sky's Height," upon the "Lotus Pure Land of Glazed Glass"!
The substitutes are tired, now it's time to bring in the starters!
Brilliant celestial light fell like meteors, continuously bombarding the various Dharma images.

Thunder roared, the heavens and earth trembled, and dazzling light shone!

It lasted all night
Almost none of the gunners slept; everyone looked at the returning golden robe with the eyes of someone who had seen a god.

They fired cannons all day long, and almost everyone was exhausted.

Li Fei alone launched an attack that was more powerful than the entire artillery regiment, and it lasted all night!

Zuo Jun was also shocked to witness Li Fei attacking the city alone for the first time.

He understood the 'value' of this much better than those artillerymen who knew nothing about cultivation.

Even a true top-tier expert would find it difficult to maintain such a high level of offensive intensity as Li Fei.

He turned and glanced behind him, seeing the intense admiration in the eyes of the White Flame Army soldiers. This filled him with mixed emotions.

He spent over thirty years leading the White Flame Army to countless victories, earning the reputation of the 'White Devil' on the grasslands, yet he still couldn't make his soldiers look at him with such eyes.
At dawn, the intense sound of cannon fire continued.

The cannon fire continued into the night, then was replaced by the thunderous sound of Li Fei throwing punches.

The evening of July 10.

When Li Fei made his move this time, Bai Yanjun also made his move!
After all this time, it's time to make a final decision—

【Daytime Heart Flame】pierced through the weak point of the Thousand-Armed Guanyin's light net and ignited its main body.

Click!

As Li Fei's fist slammed down, a crisp sound, like a glass lamp being crushed by immense force, exploded in the night sky—

The majestic form of Vajra Bodhisattva shattered with a crash, transforming into countless golden specks of light that had lost their spirituality and were flying everywhere!

Immediately afterwards, the light net of the Thousand-Hand Guanyin began to collapse on a large scale, with countless light threads breaking off inch by inch and turning into nothingness.

The lotus throne of Ksitigarbha Bodhisattva let out a mournful cry, suddenly dimmed, stopped spinning, and the lotus petals withered one by one.
The core defensive node of the Lotus Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli was destroyed, and the dazzling seven-colored light shield collapsed inward like a giant soap bubble that had been punctured.

boom! ! !
Like the deafening sound of millions of pieces of glass shattering simultaneously.

The Lotus Pure Land of Lapis Lazuli finally collapsed completely, and countless fragments of light scattered like falling stars, dissipating in a dim light.

A massive shockwave, carrying scorching sand and the scent of death, crashed against the towering yet bare walls of Green Ark City for the first time without any resistance.

Green Ark City, fallen!
10 month 21 day.

Outside Jade City.

With the fall of Mingdu and Lvzhou, Jade City became the last major city of the Grassland Royal Court that had not yet been taken over by the Great Blue Dynasty.

Just like when they attacked Green Boat City, hundreds of new-style howitzers were lined up outside the city.

Li Fei first sent men into the city to persuade them to surrender.

Moments later, flames shot into the sky from within Jade City.

Internal strife has broken out!
After a while, someone took the initiative to activate the city's protective formation.

"Respectfully inviting Marquis Jing'an of the Great Blue Dynasty—"

Such shouts echoed from within the city, accompanied by the sounds of fierce fighting.

Clearly, the internal strife has not yet subsided.

Zuo Jun turned to look at Li Fei and gestured for him to go first.

So Li Fei stepped into the Jade City.
November 21th, the first year of Yuanxing.

All nine major cities of the Grassland Royal Court have fallen into the hands of the Great Blue Dynasty!
Although the grasslands still have a million soldiers, most of the population does not live in the cities.

However, the whereabouts of the Great Man Qilian Guanshi are unknown, all ten of the strongest cavalry armies were wiped out, and the top experts either died, surrendered, or fled.
Under such circumstances, even if the grasslands still had a million-strong army, it would be difficult to stir up any more trouble.

10 month 26 day.

Li Fei, Zuo Jun, and 11,000 White Flame Army soldiers left Jade City.

The group traveled westward for about seventy miles before a mighty river appeared ahead.

"This is Manhai."

Zuo Jun pointed to the river in front of them and introduced it to Li Fei.

Legend has it that after the god Man descended upon the grasslands, he found the grasslands lacking water. So, Man casually drew a line on the grasslands, which formed a great river that stretched for thousands of miles and nurtured countless children of the grasslands.

This is the largest river on the grassland, known as Manhai.

Next, Zuo Jun will lead the White Flame Army to continue sweeping along this great river, defeating the major tribes on the grassland one by one!

They conquered the Ming capital, the royal city of the grasslands, and performed the Fengshan ceremony.

They then successively captured the two major cities of Green Boat and Jade Stone.

Zuo Jun was not far from accomplishing the feat of destroying a country.

If he can lead the White Flame Army to personally kill Qilian Guanshi, then this merit will be completely confirmed, and his military cultivation will increase significantly by borrowing the scattered fortune of the top experts and the national fortune of the grassland that has been defeated!

Once he reaches that point, Zuo Jun will be quite confident in attempting to break through to sainthood!

Unfortunately, Qilian Guanshi's whereabouts are still unknown, and it is possible that he has been killed by the 'Demon Spear'.

Therefore, Zuo Jun must continue to lead the White Flame Army to sweep across the grasslands.

On the one hand, it is to further strike at the grassland royal court and expand the gains made in the war.

On the other hand, it is also a way to improve one's military skills.

During this process, he will also try to find Qilian Guanshi.

Even if he fails to find the other party in the end, as long as Zuo Jun leads the army to complete the final step in defeating the grassland royal court, he will still have a chance to break through the realm!
"Wishing Marshal Zuo a triumphant return."

Li Fei said to Zuo Jun with a smile.

He will not continue to fight alongside the White Flame Army.

Firstly, he did not intend to compete with the other party for military merit.

Secondly, he doesn't cultivate military strategy, and continuing to participate would only hinder Zuo Jun's improvement in military strategy cultivation.

Thirdly, Qin Ziheng had already issued an imperial edict summoning him back to the capital.

With Qilian Guanshi already severely injured, Baiyan Army would be fine even if they faced him alone.

Li Fei no longer needs to be stationed in the eastern border.

"I take advantage of Marquis Jing'an's auspicious words."

Zuo Jun also smiled and clasped his hands in a gesture of respect.

After the battle of Mingdu City, this once cold and aloof 'white devil' now looks somewhat 'handsome'.

Li Fei nodded, not in a hurry to set off, but watched as some of the Imperial Guards of the White Flame Army, who had mounts, led their mounts to the shore of Manhai to drink water.

Not far across the river, there is a steep mountain peak.

Li Fei's heart stirred, and he pointed to the mountain peak:

"Does Commander Zuo know the name of that mountain?"

Zuo Jun was taken aback, then shook his head:
"It probably doesn't have a name."

Li Fei laughed: "Then I'll give it a name."

As he spoke, he took a step forward and used his [Distance-Free] supernatural power to quickly move in that direction.

Soon, he arrived at the top of this nameless mountain.

Zuo Jun arrived on the wind, looking at Li Fei with some curiosity, wondering what he wanted to do.

"This mountain is called—Yanran Mountain!"

Li Fei laughed.

Zuo Jun: "Yanran Mountain? Is there anything special about it?"

He wasn't a scholar-general like Ye Jingfu; he had read a lot of military books, but not a single classical text. So when he heard Li Fei say that, he assumed it was some kind of allusion and immediately felt a little guilty.

It's one thing to be no match for Li Fei in martial arts, but what about his cultural background?
In fact, even if Ye Jingfu were here, he wouldn't understand the significance of Yanran Mountain.

This is a kind of 'romance' that only Li Fei understands.

He raised his hand, forming a sword shape with his fingers, and used sword energy to carve three lines of large characters on a stone wall of the mountain peak:

In the first year of Yuanxing, Li Fei, the Marquis of Jing'an of the Great Blue Dynasty, together with Zuo Jun, led the White Flame Army and utterly defeated the grasslands!
This is a record of Yanran Mountain; those who see this stone wall should know—

Those who dare to invade our Central Plains, no matter how far away, shall be punished!

(End of this chapter)