After a talk with his eldest disciple Ye Yu, Wu Tao summoned other high-level members like Ye Qingyi, Nangong Nan, Nangong Xing, and You Meng.
...
The current cultivation world of Zi Prefecture was brewing a terrible storm, and Wu Tao had to seize the initiative and act in advance.
After all, despite various secret infiltrations over the years, some noble families had secretly pledged allegiance to Wu Tao. However, their operations were clandestine, and the time was short. The power Wu Tao could control was not strong.
Of course, Wu Tao's side had its own advantage: lurking in the shadows like a venomous snake, waiting for an opportunity. As long as there was a chance, they could overcome the strong with the weak and swallow an elephant like a snake.
Three days later!
Wu Tao stood on a high platform.
The densely packed cultivators of the Ascension Gate below saluted Wu Tao.
After years of rapid development, Ye Yu, Ye Qingyi, Nangong Nan, Nangong Xing, and You Meng each had their own elite cultivator legions.
As organized cultivator legions, they all wore their respective unified armor and wielded similar magic artifacts and treasures. Their ranks were distinct and easily distinguishable, divided into five divisions.
Each cultivator legion had more than 10,000 people.
Five elite cultivator legions totaled over 50,000 people.
These over 50,000 people gathered together, releasing their battle intent and killing aura, making the surrounding air feel heavy.
They stood as straight as pines, exuding a solemn and iron-blooded aura. Divided into five batches, they were like five sharp weapons!
This army of over 50,000 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, making them exceptional elite cultivators!
Without the heritage of the Celestial race and the countless treasures of the Giant race, even with another three thousand years, Wu Tao could not have cultivated so many elite cultivator armies.
One must understand that raising an army requires money, especially in the cultivation world, where cultivating an army of cultivators is even more difficult.
Various resources are absolutely paramount.
If Wu Tao relied solely on his own accumulation, let alone three thousand years, even thirty thousand years might not have been enough to gather so many resources!
...
Organized human cultivator armies are definitely not to be underestimated!
Although the human cultivator armies, unlike alien races such as the Celestial, Giant, and Golden Crow races, did not possess divine abilities or special powers...
They also had no obvious weaknesses, making them well-rounded legions that would not suffer disadvantages in any situation against any enemy.
Behold, five battle banners of different colors fluttered in the strong wind!
The battle banners bore the patterns of five mythical beasts, representing the emblems of the five legions!
Flying Wolf, Cloud Eagle, Striped Tiger, Golden Mane Lion, Overlord Turtle!!!!!
The five battle banners corresponded to the five legions. Above their respective legions, a strange power seemed to condense, faintly forming five phantoms.
"Review. Troops!!!"
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
...
Behind the Flying Wolf banner, the elite human cultivator army of ten thousand, mounted on Flying Demon Wolves, responded to the call and took three steps forward under You Meng's leadership!
Though only three steps, there was not a single extraneous sound accompanying them!
When ten thousand people moved, they were like one being, their steps rising and falling on the exact same spot.
These three steps were terrifyingly synchronized.
If it were just ten thousand individuals, achieving this might be understandable, as it wasn't unheard of.
However, these ten thousand cultivators were controlling the Flying Demon Wolves beneath them to achieve this.
Ten thousand cultivators and ten thousand Flying Demon Wolves stomped on the ground in unison, causing the earth to tremble.
It was as if an army of thousands, urging their mounts, was charging forward like an overwhelming tide!
"Flying Demon Wolf Army. Legion Commander You Meng, with ten thousand armored soldiers, requests the Sect Master's inspection!!"
You Meng, dressed in purple battle armor today, radiated an imposing aura. Her peerlessly beautiful eyes held a touch of sternness, and her gaze was filled with seriousness as she spoke respectfully.
The Flying Demon Wolf Army wore unified battle armor, emblazoned with the image of a flying wolf hunting a Flood Dragon, giving an immediate impression of ferocity and dominance.
The Flying Demon Wolf Army could engage in aerial combat as well as ground warfare, making them incredibly versatile.
This was the first legion Wu Tao had painstakingly built, modeled after the elite family cultivator legions of other noble families.
...
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Following the Flying Demon Wolf Army was Ye Qingyi's Cloud Eagle Legion.
Ye Qingyi, clad in white battle armor today, had shed her usual gentle demeanor. Today, she exuded both strength and resilience, no longer appearing like a child.
"Cloud Eagle Legion Commander Ye Qingyi, with ten thousand armored soldiers, requests the Sect Master's inspection."
Under her command, ten thousand human cultivators controlling their Cloud Eagles, their wings retracted and resting on the ground, took three steps forward.
Their synchronized steps resembled a vast expanse of clouds in motion.
Eagles are the rulers of the sky, and a full ten thousand-strong Cloud Eagle Legion, diving from high above, could tear apart any enemy.
The Cloud Eagle Legion was a specialized aerial combat unit whose greatest advantage was its agility.
This legion had little to do with Wu Tao directly; he merely gave a few instructions, and Ye Qingyi, using some of the Celestial race's resources, personally forged 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 inspection!!!"
Ye Yu, clad in tiger-striped battle armor, made a grand gesture, and the ten thousand cultivators of the Striped Tiger Legion behind him instantly strode forward three steps.
Their momentum was so powerful, as if tigers were devouring the world, truly living up to their reputation as kings of beasts, appearing even stronger than the Flying Demon Wolf and Cloud Eagle Legions.
Unlike the Flying Demon Wolf and Cloud Eagle Legions, the Striped Tiger Legion, which Ye Yu had invested heavily in building, was a purely ground combat legion.
Of course, this also consumed considerable resources; one-third of the resources acquired through the Blood Replenishing Pills were used to build this legion.
...
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Behind the Striped Tiger Legion was Nangong Nan's Golden Mane Lion Legion.
Nangong Nan wore golden battle armor today, accentuating her near-perfect figure with its curves and radiating the fiery passion of a mature woman.
As she moved, the ten thousand soldiers of the Golden Mane Lion Legion behind her began to move as well. After three steps, they immediately halted in place.
Moving like fire, standing like pines, without any wasted motion, demonstrating the extent of Nangong Nan's control over her legion.
"Golden Mane Lion Legion Commander Nangong Nan, with ten thousand armored soldiers, requests the Sect Master's inspection."
Similar to Ye Yu's Striped Tiger Legion, Nangong Nan's Golden Mane Lion Legion was also an elite cultivator army for ground assault and siege warfare!
This legion was forged by Nangong Nan after she seized all the resources from the inheritance treasury of the Golden Crow race just before their downfall.
...
"Boom!" "Boom!" "Boom!"
Following the Golden Mane Lion Legion was the Overlord Turtle Legion, primarily focused on defense.
Nangong Xing, wearing blue battle armor, merely gave a look, and ten thousand cultivators mounted on Overlord Turtles stepped forward in unison.
"Overlord Turtle Legion. Legion Commander Nangong Xing, with ten thousand armored soldiers, requests the Sect Master's inspection."
The Overlord Turtle Legion's aura was not as aggressive or imposing as the previous four legions, but it was no less extraordinary.
As the ten thousand cultivators mounted on Overlord Turtles advanced, they exuded an aura as heavy as mountains.
When the legion moved, it was like a vast mountain range formed by numerous peaks, giving an impression of invincibility.
Compared to the other four offensive legions, the Overlord Turtle Legion's primary role was as a defensive unit.
Of course, their full power could also be unleashed on water.
This legion was also built using a portion of the Celestial race's heritage.
The five great legions, named after their respective mythical beast companions, each had a full strength of ten thousand. Together, the five legions comprised over fifty thousand people.
Furthermore, the minimum requirement for entry into each legion was the Foundation Establishment stage cultivator, meaning their cultivation must reach that realm.
Even so, selection was still required, meaning each of these over fifty thousand cultivators was an elite.
To be honest, since the Giant race could not utilize the resources of the Celestial and Golden Crow races, a great many resources were acquired by Wu Tao through the Blood Replenishing Pills.
The accumulated wealth of the Celestial and Golden Crow races over the years ultimately benefited Wu Tao.
In addition to these five great legions, Wu Tao also had over two hundred thousand cultivators who had been "tricked" into joining by Wu Tao due to high rewards.
Apart from auxiliary departments like the Alchemy Department and 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 twenty-six other Nascent Soul stage cultivators, bringing the total number of Nascent Soul stage cultivators under Wu Tao to thirty-two.
While not comparable to the Liu Imperial Family or the Four Throne Families, it was still quite impressive.
Moreover, with the help of a newly joined Grandmaster Artifact Refiner, Ouyang Shuo, a large group of artifact refiners used the corpses of Golden Crows and various precious materials to modify the Celestial race's cloud chariots. Combined with the existing dozen or so flying warships, they created over a hundred new warships.
"Good... good... good."
Wu Tao nodded with satisfaction, repeatedly praising the achievement. He then said sternly, "All legions, heed my command. We will descend to Yun Prefecture and return to Great Jin. We have endured in obscurity for so many years; it is time to act!"