After finishing his conversation with his eldest disciple, Ye Yu, Wu Tao summoned other high-ranking officials such as Ye Qingyi, Nangong Nan, Nangong Xing, and You Meng.
...
The current cultivation world of Zi Zhou was brewing a terrifying storm, and Wu Tao had to seize the initiative and strike first.
After all, although some aristocratic families had secretly pledged allegiance to Wu Tao through various infiltrations over the years, it had been done in secret and for a short time. The power Wu Tao could control was not strong.
Of course, Wu Tao's side had its advantages, which was to hide in the dark like a poisonous snake, waiting for an opportunity to strike. As long as there was a chance, they could defeat the strong with the weak and swallow an elephant with a snake.
Three days later!
Wu Tao stood on a high platform.
The densely packed cultivators of the Ascension Gate below all saluted Wu Tao.
After years of rapid development, Ye Yu, Ye Qingyi, Nangong Nan, Nangong Xing, and You Meng had each formed their own elite cultivator legions.
As these were organized cultivator legions, they all wore their respective unified battle armor and wielded the same magical artifacts and treasures. They were clearly distinguishable, divided into five legions!
Each cultivator legion consisted of over ten thousand people.
Five elite cultivator legions amounted to over fifty thousand people.
These over fifty thousand people gathered together, their battle intent and killing aura emanating outwards, making the surrounding air feel heavy.
They stood as straight as pine trees, exuding a solemn and iron-blooded aura. Divided into five groups, they were like five sharp weapons!
This army of over fifty thousand cultivators was nurtured by Wu Tao using the accumulated resources of the Celestial race over many years and the countless treasures of the Giant race, creating an outstanding elite cultivator army!
Without the foundation of the Celestial race and the countless treasures of the Giant race, even if Wu Tao had another three thousand years, he could not have cultivated such an elite cultivator army.
One must know that to raise an army, money must be spent, especially in the cultivation world where cultivating an army of cultivators is even more difficult.
Various resources are absolutely paramount.
If Wu Tao relied on his own savings, let alone three thousand years, even thirty thousand years might not be enough to accumulate so many resources!
...
Organized human cultivator armies were definitely not to be trifled with!
Although human cultivator armies, unlike foreign races such as the Celestial, Giant, and Golden Crow races, did not possess divine abilities and supernatural powers...
They also had no obvious weaknesses, making them well-rounded legions that would not suffer disadvantages in any situation or against any enemy.
Behold, five battle banners of different colors fluttered in the strong wind!
The battle banners bore the patterns of five ferocious beasts, which were the symbols representing the five legions!
Flying Wolf, Cloud Eagle, Striped Tiger, Golden Lion, and Overlord Turtle!!!!!
The five battle banners corresponded to the five legions, and above their respective legions, a strange power seemed to condense, vaguely forming five phantoms.
"Review... The Army!!!"
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
...
Behind the Flying Wolf battle banner, ten thousand elite human cultivators rode on Flying Sky Demonic Wolves. Upon hearing the command, led by You Meng, they stepped forward three paces!
Although it was only three steps, there was not the slightest extraneous sound.
When ten thousand people moved, they moved as if they were one person. Their steps, whether lifted or landed, fell upon the exact same spot.
These three steps were terrifyingly uniform.
If it were just ten thousand individuals, achieving this might be considered acceptable, as it was not unheard of.
However, these ten thousand cultivators were controlling the Flying Sky Demonic Wolves below to achieve this.
Ten thousand cultivators and ten thousand Flying Sky Demonic Wolves stepped on the ground in unison, and the earth immediately began to tremble.
It was as if thousands of troops and horses were charging forward, galloping with whips, like an overwhelming tide!
"Flying Sky Demonic Wolf Army Commander, You Meng, with ten thousand armored soldiers, requests the Sect Master's review!!"
Today, You Meng was clad in purple battle armor, radiating an imposing aura. Her exquisite eyes held a trace of firmness, and her gaze was filled with seriousness as she spoke respectfully.
The Flying Sky Demonic Wolf Army wore unified battle armor, adorned with a depiction of a flying wolf hunting a dragon. At first glance, it exuded a fierce aura of a wolf roaring across the heavens!
The Flying Sky Demonic Wolf Army was capable of both aerial combat and ground warfare, making them highly versatile.
This was the first legion that Wu Tao had spent considerable effort in building, modeled after the elite family cultivator legions of other aristocratic families.
...
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Following the Flying Sky Demonic Wolf Army was Ye Qingyi's Cloud Eagle Legion.
Today, Ye Qingyi wore white battle armor, abandoning her usual gentle demeanor. Today, she was both soft and strong, no longer appearing like a child at all.
"Cloud Eagle Legion Commander Ye Qingyi, with ten thousand armored soldiers, requests the Sect Master's review."
Under her command, the ten thousand human cultivators, controlling the Cloud Eagles with their feathered wings retracted and resting on the ground, stepped forward three paces.
Their unified steps were like vast expanses of clouds on the move.
Eagles were the overlords of the sky, and the fully staffed Cloud Eagle Legion of ten thousand people, descending from high above, was capable of tearing apart any enemy.
The Cloud Eagle Legion was a specialized aerial combat legion, its greatest advantage being its agility.
This legion had little to do with Wu Tao; he merely gave a few instructions, and Ye Qingyi, using some of the Celestial race's resources, personally built it.
...
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
After the Cloud Eagle Legion came the Striped Tiger Legion.
"Striped Tiger Legion Commander Ye Yu, with ten thousand armored soldiers, requests the Sect Master's review!!!"
Ye Yu, clad in tiger-striped battle armor, waved his hand, and the ten thousand cultivators behind him in the Striped Tiger Legion instantly strode forward three paces.
Their imposing aura was so powerful, as if a tiger were devouring the world. They were truly worthy of being called the king of beasts, appearing even stronger than the Flying Sky Demonic Wolf Army and the Cloud Eagle Legion.
Unlike the Flying Sky Demonic Wolf Army and the Cloud Eagle Legion, the Striped Tiger Legion, which Ye Yu had painstakingly built, was a pure ground combat legion.
Of course, this also cost a considerable amount of resources. One-third of the resources obtained by exchanging Qi and blood replenishment pills were used to build this legion.
...
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Behind the Striped Tiger Legion was Nangong Nan's Golden Lion Legion.
Today, Nangong Nan wore golden battle armor, which accentuated her near-perfect figure, making her appear voluptuous and radiating the passion of a mature woman.
As she moved, the ten thousand members of the Golden Lion Legion behind her also began to move, taking three steps before immediately halting in place.
They moved like fire and stood like pines, with no hint of sloppiness, demonstrating Nangong Nan's strong control over her legion.
"Golden Lion Legion Commander Nangong Nan, with ten thousand armored soldiers, requests the Sect Master's review."
Similar to Ye Yu's Striped Tiger Legion, Nangong Nan's Golden Lion Legion was also an elite cultivator army for ground assault and攻坚 (gōngjiān - attacking a tough point).
This legion was built by Nangong Nan by seizing all the resources from the inheritance treasury of the Golden Crow race when they were on the verge of destruction.
...
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Following the Golden Lion Legion was the Overlord Turtle Legion, which primarily focused on defense.
Nangong Xing, clad in blue battle armor, merely gave a signal with her eyes, and the ten thousand cultivators riding Overlord Turtles simultaneously stepped forward three paces.
"Overlord Turtle Legion Commander Nangong Xing, with ten thousand armored soldiers, requests the Sect Master's review."
The imposing aura of the Overlord Turtle Legion was not as fierce or aggressive as the previous four legions, but it was equally extraordinary.
As the ten thousand cultivators riding Overlord Turtles advanced, they exuded an aura as heavy as a mountain.
When the legion moved, it was like a vast mountain range formed by countless peaks, giving an impression of unbreakability.
Compared to the other four offensive legions, the Overlord Turtle Legion's primary role was that of a defensive unit.
Of course, their greatest power was unleashed on water.
This legion was also built using some of the Celestial race's foundational resources.
The five major legions were named after the demonic beast companions they rode, with each legion fully staffed by ten thousand soldiers. The five legions combined amounted to over fifty thousand people.
Moreover, the minimum standard for entry into each legion was a Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, meaning their cultivation must have reached the Foundation Establishment realm.
And even with this requirement, selection was still necessary, meaning that each of these over fifty thousand cultivators was an elite.
To be honest, since the Giant race could not use the resources of the Celestial race and the Golden Crow race, many of these resources were acquired by Wu Tao through Qi and blood replenishment pills.
The Celestial race and the Golden Crow race, with their accumulated wealth over many years, all ended up benefiting Wu Tao.
In addition to these five major legions, Wu Tao also had over two hundred thousand cultivators who had been lured into his service by high rewards.
Apart from auxiliary departments such as the Alchemy Department and the Artifact Refining Department, the rest were miscellaneous cultivators!
After years of development, Wu Tao had gained several more Nascent Soul stage cultivators.
Excluding Ye Yu, Ye Qingyi, Nangong Nan, Nangong Xing, and You Meng, there were an additional twenty-six Nascent Soul stage cultivators, bringing the total number of Nascent Soul stage cultivators under Wu Tao to thirty-two!
While this could not compare to the Liu Dynasty Imperial family or the four great Throne families, it was still quite impressive.
Furthermore, with the help of Ouyang Shuo, a new grand master artifact refiner, a large group of artifact refiners used the corpses of Golden Crows and various precious materials to modify the Celestial race's cloud chariots. Coupled with the existing dozen or so flying battleships, they created over a hundred new types of battleships.
"Good... Good... Good..."
Wu Tao nodded with satisfaction, repeatedly murmuring "good" before sternly declaring, "All legions, heed my order! We descend to Yun Zhou and return to Da Jin. We have endured for so many years, it is time to act!"