In this chaotic world of vying for power, I can become stronger by marrying a wife.

Smoke filled the snow-covered ground, a mixture of burnt and bloody odors.

In less than a quarter of an hour, more than a thousand Northern Barbarian soldiers were riddled with bullets by the Divine Machine Battalion.

The remaining dozens of survivors were dragged to Su Ming's front by Wei Lang and his men, and made to kneel in the snow like dead dogs.

"My lord, these beasts are incredibly stubborn." Wei Lang wiped the blood from his face, his eyes filled with malice.

Su Ming dismounted and casually handed the sniper rifle in his hand to the guard behind him.

He walked up to the Northern Barbarian leader, pressed the tip of his Asura Blade against the man's chin, and gently flicked it.

"I ask, you answer, wait a second, then cut a piece." Su Ming's voice was completely flat, as if he were explaining a trivial matter.

"You scum of the Great Zhou, the sect leader will turn your heads into wine cups!"

puff.

With a flash of light, a bloody ear fell to the snow.

"Ah!!" The Northern Barbarian leader screamed in agony.

"There are also two ears, a nose, and ten fingers. You can try them slowly." Su Ming's expression was indifferent, and his eyes didn't even linger on the other person.

Under Su Ming's friendly interaction at a physical level, the Northern Barbarian leader collapsed, trembling as he pulled out a roll of yellowed parchment from his pocket.

"This is the blood sacrifice diagram that the sect leader gave to the envoys of the Great Qian Dynasty. They intend to open the Blood Pool of Ten Thousand Demons in the Demon Abyss and sacrifice all 100,000 battle souls of the Great Zhou's northern border in order to transcend the first-rank barrier..."

Chen Xiu stepped forward, took the blood sacrifice diagram, glanced at it, and his expression changed drastically: "Boy, this has the royal secret pattern of the Great Qian Dynasty on it. It seems that what the Crown Prince said in his secret letter was true. Those guys in Great Qian who call themselves celestial beings also want a share of the pie."

Su Ming took the blueprints, and the system scan started instantly.

[Ding! High-level formation diagram detected: Blood Pool of Ten Thousand Demons! Core nodes: Zhenbei City, Black Wind Pass, Demon Abyss Headquarters!]

[Current mission progress update: Zhenbei City has been occupied by the combined forces of Daqian and Beiman, and the city's 50,000 inhabitants are about to be used as the first batch of sacrifices!]

Su Ming's eyes suddenly darkened.

Zhenbei City is the last gateway to the northern border of the Great Zhou Dynasty. Once it falls, the Demonic Sect can take the capital city directly through the dragon vein.

"Wei Lang, pass down the order: the main army will not enter Zhenbei Pass, but will take the back road and march 50 li at a rapid pace, with the target being Zhenbei City."

"My lord, the soldiers have just completed a long journey. Should we rest them?" Chen Xiu asked, frowning.

Su Ming mounted his horse, his black python robe fluttering in the wind and snow.

"Rest? The lives of 50,000 civilians are waiting for us. Tell the Divine Machine Battalion that if we win this battle, I'll treat them to the strongest liquor; if we lose, just bury them in the snow of the Northern Frontier, so they won't have to go back and embarrass themselves!"

The army set off, their movements concealed by wind and snow.

As night fell, the system radar suddenly issued a severe alarm.

[Warning! Black Feather Guards of the Great Qian Dynasty spotted 3,000 meters ahead. Strength assessment: all members above Rank 7, leader at peak Rank 5!]

Su Ming reined in his horse and took out the specially made sniper rifle from beside the saddle.

"Old Chen, can the Heavenly Warriors of the Great Qian Dynasty stop bullets?"

Chen Xiu was taken aback: "Bullets? You mean your hidden weapon? A fifth-grade martial artist's true qi protects him, making him difficult to harm by ordinary arrows, but your thing... I can't see through it either."

Su Ming sneered, set up his sniper rifle, and locked onto a dark figure three thousand meters away using the high-magnification scope enhanced by the system.

There, a general clad in heavy black armor stood proudly atop the hill, holding a long spear that gleamed with a cold light.

"Then let's see if his internal energy is stronger, or if my armor-piercing bullet is stronger."

Su Ming held his breath and pulled the trigger.

boom!

The gunshots echoed far and wide in the silent, snowy night.

Three kilometers away on a hilltop, Mo Feng, the commander of the Great Qian Black Feather Guard, coldly looked down at the valley below.

He was a famous genius in the Great Qian Dynasty. He reached the peak of the fifth rank at the age of thirty, and his black feather true qi was enough to withstand a powerful crossbow bolt.

"Commander, will the Marquis of Champion of Great Zhou really take this path?" the lieutenant asked in a low voice.

"That good-for-nothing Zhou Qian said Su Ming is cunning and will definitely launch a surprise attack. We'll set up an ambush here. As long as he gets within a thousand paces, my Black Feather Arrow will surely..."

Before Mo Feng could finish speaking, an indescribable sense of impending death enveloped his entire body.

He instinctively tried to turn to the side, while his true energy surged wildly, condensing into a pitch-black feather shield in front of him.

boom!

A streak of light pierced the darkness, instantly shattering the feather shield that was strong enough to withstand a full-force attack from a sixth-rank expert.

With a soft "plop," Mo Feng's right shoulder, along with half of his chest, exploded into a cloud of blood mist, as if bitten by a giant beast.

"Commander!!" the lieutenant cried out in terror.

Mo Feng collapsed heavily onto the snow, his eyes filled with disbelief.

He didn't even see the enemy's face, nor did he sense any fluctuations in true energy. His defenses were as fragile as a piece of paper in the face of that terrifying power.

"System, the recoil of this armor-piercing round is a bit too strong; it almost dislocated my shoulder. Could you provide a shock absorber?"

[System: Host, please complete the mission first. If you have enough Luck Points, you can exchange them for a mecha exoskeleton.]

Su Ming put down his gun, looked at the commotion on the distant hill, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"Shenji Battalion, full speed ahead! Mine crews first, blockade the high ground on both sides. I'll make sure none of these Daqian's black crows can fly out!"

The three thousand members of the Divine Machine Battalion charged forward like wolves and tigers.

This is not a war; it is a one-sided massacre.

The combined attack formation that the Great Qian Black Feather Guards were so proud of collapsed instantly amidst the deafening roar of thunder.

Those martial arts masters who were usually high and mighty were no different from ordinary soldiers in the face of a dense barrage of musket fire.

Chen Xiu weaved through the crowd with his longsword, each strike taking the life of a Black Feather Guard.

The more he fought, the more alarmed he became. The weapons Su Ming brought were completely overturning the rules of this world.

"Kid, if word gets out about these things you've got, all the martial artists in the world will be doomed," Chen Xiu said, landing beside Su Ming.

Su Ming cleaved a Black Feather Guard who was trying to launch a sneak attack in two with a single stroke, and said calmly, "Times have changed, Elder Chen. Martial arts pursue personal immortality, while I pursue equality for all beings."

The battle ended half an hour later.

The entire army of 500 Black Feather Guards of the Great Qian Dynasty was wiped out.

Su Ming walked up to the dying Mo Feng.

The genius commander was filled with fear as he stared intently at the sniper rifle in Su Ming's hand.

"What...what kind of sorcery is this?"

"That's called science." Su Ming crouched down and pulled a golden token engraved with the character "Qian" from Mo Feng's pocket. "The Great Qian Dynasty didn't send you here just to ambush me, did it?"

Mo Feng gave a bitter laugh: "Zhenbei City has already been breached, and the 30,000 Iron Cavalry of the Great Qian have entered the pass. Su Ming, you cannot save the Great Zhou..."

Su Ming suddenly stood up, his eyes flashing with murderous intent.

The Ironclad Cavalry were the heavily armored cavalry of the Great Qian Dynasty that swept across the various kingdoms. All of them were equipped with spirit iron armor, making them difficult to harm with ordinary swords and blades.

"Wei Lang, bring out all the remaining gunpowder and work through the night to manufacture armor-piercing bombs!" Su Ming ordered coldly.