Chapter 361: Chapter 365: End of the Cold River_1
"Increase speed!"
On the surface of the river, the commander of the Purple Begonia Army ordered in a low voice. He had to disrupt the formation of the Kylin Sacred Army as quickly as possible; otherwise, their base would remain under fire.
After the order was issued, the fleet increased its speed, piercing the Kylin Sacred Army’s formation like a sharp arrow.
A thousand zhang away, the Death Blossom Army also sped up, locking onto another position.
The Purple Begonia Army and the Death Blossom Army were known as the Bloody Twin Flowers. They were the elite forces of the Qionghua Sacred Land, possessing powerful combat capabilities, and countless legions had fallen to them.
"Bombard the enemy’s warships!" Lin WuFeng calmly ordered.
The cannons protruding from the warships began to lower, targeting the rapidly approaching fleets and unleashing a barrage.
"Purple Begonia Army Formation, condense!"
"Death Blossom Army Formation, condense!"
Two differently colored flower petals bloomed above the warships. One was purple, with thorny petals exuding a noble aura; the other was black, seemingly capable of swallowing the surrounding light.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
The sound of artillery thundered across the sky, dazzling firelight engulfing the blooming flowers, and furious energy ravaging everything.
Yet, the seemingly delicate petals possessed unparalleled defensive strength, withstanding all attacks, causing Lin WuFeng mild surprise.
The Qionghua Sacred Land had a weak foundation and lacked high-level Array Masters, so their warships were not equipped with Formations and had to resist purely with their army souls.
"Grand Elder, the enemy troops are rapidly approaching!" an elder from Battle Qilin Peak reported in a somewhat panicked tone.
Their warships were enhanced by Formations and thus weren’t very agile unless they dismantled the Formations. However, if they did that, they would be vulnerable to the attacks of the magic crystal cannons on the shore.
A truly difficult choice!
"Send the order for the Second and Third Armies to play with the enemy for a bit!" Lin WuFeng sneered. The elder from Battle Qilin Peak’s eyes lit up, and he hurriedly went to make the arrangements.
A few minutes later, two fleets broke away from their main force. Condensing their army souls, they charged towards the Purple Begonia Army and the Death Blossom Army, and a major battle erupted on the river.
"Kill!"
"Charge!"
Soldiers of the Purple Begonia Army swarmed onto the Kylin Sacred Land’s warships, engaging in fierce close-quarters combat.
The Second and Third Armies of the Kylin Sacred Land calmly met the enemy. They positioned shield-bearers along the ships’ rails, with spearmen behind them. Enemies leaping from opposing warships were stabbed and sent into the Cold River.
During the forced boarding, a soldier from the Death Blossom Army was pierced through the body with a long spear. He spewed a mouthful of blood, his face a mask of terror as he plunged into the icy water.
His injury was not severe; on land, he might have survived. But falling into the icy water meant certain death.
PLOP! The soldier who fell into the Cold River vanished. His armor, weapon, even his bones—everything corroded away, leaving only a pool of bloody water.
Soldiers continued to fall into the water, their screams echoing across the sky.
Curiously, soldiers who fell into the water unharmed did not stain it with blood, while the blood of injured soldiers remained visible in the water.
"Continue to bombard the opposite bank! Destroy all the ancient deadwood!" Lin WuFeng continued to command.
Thousands of cannons fired at once, again targeting the opposite bank, further devastating the already ravaged land. Giant pits, dozens of zhang deep, littered the landscape, filled with acrid smoke and the stench of charred flesh.
"Retreat!" Zheng Guiqiong gritted her teeth, her chest heaving violently, forming a striking arc, as she reluctantly gave the order to retreat. The riverbank was under heavy artillery fire; they could not stay any longer!
"The Holy Master has given the order! Retreat!"
"The Holy Master’s decree! Retreat..."
The generals of the Qionghua Sacred Land all sighed in relief, hastily relaying the command.
The soldiers, who had been lying prone, scrambled to their feet and fled desperately to the rear, terrified that a moment’s delay would see them blasted to smithereens.
「An hour later.」
Lin WuFeng ordered a ceasefire. By then, there was no sign of anyone on the eastern bank. All warships and the ancient deadwood had been completely destroyed.
"Haha! Transmit this Elder’s command: annihilate the enemy on the river, then retreat!" Lin WuFeng declared, laughing with obvious delight.
Soon, five more legions broke away from the main force and surrounded the Purple Begonia Army and the Death Blossom Army.
Facing an enemy several times their number, even the Purple Begonia Army and the Death Blossom Army, Qionghua Sacred Land’s strongest legions, were no match. They were forced back step by step, resisting from within their warships.
Another hour passed, and the two great armies, over six million strong, were completely annihilated. The thick stench of blood, carried by the river wind, reached several hundred miles away, making a soughing sound, as though wailing spirits were mourning.
"Sink the ships and return to camp!" the victorious general of the Kylin Sacred Land shouted at the top of his lungs.
Their warships moved away, stopping about three hundred zhang distant. All magic crystal cannons aimed at the enemy warships. With a deafening roar, the enemy vessels were smashed to pieces and sank into the river.
Over six million bodies sank into the Cold River, leaving behind crimson blood, like a blood-red gemstone embedded in the center of the water.
Strange! At this point, Lin WuFeng also noticed the oddity of the bloody water, but he didn’t dwell on it. The world was full of strange occurrences, and there were too many unsolved mysteries.
「On a mountain far from the eastern shore.」
Zheng Guiqiong inhaled the wind carrying the stench of blood, watching the warships sink. She clenched her fists, her face icy cold.
The loss of the Purple Begonia Army and the Death Blossom Army would significantly weaken the Qionghua Sacred Land’s strength and dampen the morale of the remaining armies. Moreover, with the warships and ancient deadwood completely destroyed, crossing the river would now be incredibly difficult.
She had to find a way to build new warships while avoiding attacks from the Kylin Sacred Land.
As night fell, the Kylin Sacred Land’s camp filled with song and dance, enveloped in an atmosphere of joy. In contrast, the Qionghua Sacred Land’s camp was deathly silent, a growing desolation settling over it.
War was heart-wrenching. Transitioning from a warm home to the brutal battlefield, watching comrades fall beside you... In ordinary times, one might endure it. But after a defeat, the negative emotions lurking deep within would inevitably be magnified, crippling the army’s morale.
Under the moonlight, the Cold River’s surface rippled. The blood began to sink, flowing downstream.
「Thousands of miles away.」
There stood an incredibly hard mountain, capable of withstanding an Imperial Martial Artist’s attack. It was said to be magical, rumored to be the gate to Hell. For countless years, many Martial Artists had come to study it, but none had ever discovered its secrets.
When the blood flowing from upstream touched the mountain, it was entirely absorbed by the smooth rock face, coalescing into two faint, blood-red characters: Yellow Spring.
As more blood was absorbed, the characters ’Yellow Spring’ grew more vivid, and a mysterious power began to radiate outwards.
On the barren riverbanks, time itself seemed to accelerate. Plants sprouted, their leaves lush and green. Yet, as their flowers began to bloom, all the leaves withered and fell.
In the night wind, enchanting red flowers swayed.
Flowers bloomed without leaves; leaves grew without flowers.
In the hazy dimness, a phantom stone bridge could be seen connecting the two banks...
「But when a new day came.」
Everything vanished without a trace. Only the words ’Yellow Spring’ remained, faint and elusive.