Chapter 341. A Hundred Opponents, A Single Victor (2)

Above ground.

The Dark Heavens Army, originally three thousand five hundred strong, had lost more than half its number in an instant. Only a thousand remained.

Those who had been either too far ahead or lagging behind the mechanism were lucky enough to avoid falling into the pit.

But their relief was short-lived. The Guizhou Army had already surrounded them, halting any chance of retreat.

“D-damn it..."

“Get back!”

Destructive Soldier wasn’t the only commander in the Dark Heavens Army, but none of the others could match his strategic prowess.

With their best commanding officer gone, morale plummeted.

“This is the time!” Gao Hun shouted, raising his hand.

“Golden Will Sword Sect!”

“Shoot!”

Twang!

A shadow fell over the remaining Dark Heavens soldiers. Not a metaphorical one—an actual shadow. Their eyes reflected the gleam of hundreds of incoming arrows.

Squelch, squelch, squelch, squelch, squelch!!!

"Agh!!!"

"Ugh!"

Screams echoed across the battlefield.

Although the experts could block the arrows, the lower-level warriors couldn't. Arrows pierced them from every direction, their bodies riddled with holes.

The sight reminded them of a war between countries, not a battle between martial artists.

"You said you were the Gold Will Sword Sect?!"

"Why are you shooting arrows as swordsmen?!"

Furious, the Dark Heavens soldiers cursed through the pain.

“Is there a law that says you can only use swords if you’re a swordsman?”

Gao Hun showed the shameless appearance of a merchant, just like Li Yicai.

In the past, the Gold Will Sword Sect had even used a weapon Zhuge Shengji had created called the Multiple Fire Lance Launcher during the Seven Swords War.

There was no need for them to talk about saving face or whatever after everything they had already done.

In fact, it was actually a shame that the Multiple Fire Lance Launcher had been taken away by the imperial government's Ministry of War's weapons department, meaning that they could no longer use it in the

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.

"Don't let even a single one of those bastards go!"

Zhou Meng cut down the Nine Forest Gang bandits who were trying to escape to the side.

"There's no need to waste your energy by pushing yourselves!"

Meng Chuhe’s sword pierced the heart of a Seven Stars Division soldier.

“Righteous Faction, create a solid defensive wall and become the Evil Faction’s shield!”

"Evil Faction, take turns protecting the Righteous Faction and lure the Dark Heavens Army soldiers trying to escape into the traps or cut them down!"

The Righteous and Evil Faction’s breathing became one.

***

Underground, Lake and Earth Formation.

AGH!!!!

No one knew how many screams they had heard. They were so used to it now that they didn't even look to see where it came from.

The twenty tunnels had long since become a passageway to hell.

Hiss.

They must have touched another trigger again, as poisonous smoke filled the air.

Woosh!

Destructive Soldier spun his spear like a windmill and shot poisonous smoke to the other side. While a breeze blew from the end of the passageway, as it was only a gentle one, there wasn’t much resistance.

There were even times when fire would gush out from all sides, turning their surroundings into a fiery hell. But even that could be blown away by Destructive Soldier if he spun his spear like a windmill.

Wearing the Black Iron Armor, he was unharmed even in the flames. Though the temperature inside rose somewhat, it was still bearable.

Those trailing behind him sighed in relief.

They were alive only because they’d followed him. Had they been alone, they would have died already.

“The breeze is getting closer! The exit is close!” Destructive Soldier shouted.

The tunnels were all connected, so his voice could even reach the tunnels next to him.

The Dark Heavens Army, sick of all the traps, moved forward with renewed hope when they heard that it would soon end.

If we get out of here, I'm going to kill Zhuge Shengji.

They said that Zhuge Xiuluan was Zhuge Shengji's sister, right?

Zhuge Family...

Their anger and hatred toward the designer of the Lake and Earth Formation grew stronger.

The Dark Heavens Association's Slaughter List was now engraved with the names of the entire Zhuge Family.

If we just pass here...

We can live!

The breeze is getting closer!

While the way the Dark Heavens Army passed the Lake and Earth Formation was extremely crude, there was no other way.

Even if they were to try to destroy the mechanism, they didn't know anything about how it was erected or where to begin, and there were many cases where they had rashly messed with something, only to be unable to avoid punishment.

So they climbed over corpses to move forward.

The end of the seemingly endlessly long tunnel was in sight. The moment they finally stepped foot across the threshold, the breeze and light greeted them.

***

Shandong, the Gold Will Merchants.

Bang! Clang!!

The workshop was noisy. Sparks flew and the sound of metal hitting continued endlessly.

"Whew!"

Zhuge Shengji came out of the workshop for the first time after a full week.

His handsome face was covered in sweat.

"You've worked hard, Young Master." Zhenhua said gently, wiping his forehead with her sleeve.

After Wu Zhenhua was taught about the art of mechanisms, including mathematics and other related academic studies, by Zhuge Shengji, she became his assistant.

No matter how you look at it, they seem like a couple...

Oh dear, how can he be so handsome even when he's all sweaty?!

That miss is so pretty... I have no chance.

In the corner of the workshop, a group of maids from the Gold Will Merchants preparing the clothes for the two to change into looked at the handsome man and beautiful woman and thought to themselves.

Zhuge Shengji attracted quite a bit of attention in the Central Plains, partly because he rarely appeared in public and was a bit strange.

There was no one around him who would leave him alone.

Firstly, he was a direct descendant of one of the Five Great Ancient Families.

Secondly, he was the younger brother of the Martial Alliance's Strategist.

Thirdly, he was the Sword God's only sworn brother.

Lastly... he was handsome.

Background? He had it.

Connections? He had it.

Appearance? He had it.

It wasn't easy to find someone more amazing than this.

Although he was a person who was always locked up in a workshop or researching, such things were minor issues.

While there was a slight concern that he wasn't interested in women, they all assumed that everything could be resolved as long as they seduced him.

In fact, more than thirty percent of the maids of the Gold Will Merchants were women who were after Zhuge Shengji.

There were even some whose parents paid a certain amount of money to Li Yicai and asked him to let their children stay as guests.

But all hopes were dashed when they saw Wu Zhenhua.

No matter what they tried, Wu Zhenhua was not an ordinary woman they could just overcome.

Yes, she had a pure and delicate beauty, but the problem was that she was the daughter of a master of the

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whom even the Sword God and the Merchant King were wary of.

It was already burdensome enough that she was the cherished daughter of the Sword Demon, who had emerged during the Great War of Good and Demonic and became one of the One Hundred Experts Under Heaven in an instant, but what was even more amazing was that she also learned everything Zhuge Shengji knew about the art of mechanisms and often helped him out.

They were just jealous.

"Oh my. Young Master, what

is

that?"

Wu Zhenhua’s gaze was fixed on one spot.

She was looking at what seemed to be a miniature version of a pulley and a windmill, made up of a complex device such as wheels and strings.

“Oh, this?”

Zhuge Shengji’s eyes sparkled and his nose turned up. Zhuge Shengji gained confidence whenever he was asked about mechanisms.

“I’ll show you something good.”

Zhuge Shengji giggled and pressed the iron plate connected to the windmill and the pulley with his fingers.

Then came a squeaking sound as the pulley shifted, activated by the connected weights. Slowly, the windmill’s blades began to spin.

“Oh my,” Wu Zhenhua murmured, covering her mouth with her sleeve in surprise.

The blades turned, stirring a gentle breeze into the room.

“I made this because the workshop was too hot. It’s a device that creates artificial wind.”

“Wow, isn’t this a great invention?” Wu Zhenhua asked, genuinely impressed. There wasn’t even a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

They said that when one loved someone, the object of one's love would look lovely and great no matter what they did. However, this was a sincere reaction.

“No, it’s a failure.” Zhuge Shengji replied, shaking his head.

“As you can see, the blades need a certain amount of weight and force to rotate. Moreover, to create enough wind to cool you down, a considerable amount of force is needed. Considering it's a device that requires a lot of manpower, this can't even be considered a mechanism or anything.”

Since ancient times, a mechanism was a device that could operate without much force to achieve maximum efficiency.

From that perspective, this thing was a failure. For Zhuge Shengji, who had immense pride as a craftsman, it was something he was embarrassed to even announce to the public.

Oh, come to think of it, he installed a similar device in the Lake and Earth Formation, right?

***

The Lake and Earth Formation.

“Ahhhh...”

The moment they saw the light, a sigh escaped them.

The Dark Heavens Army couldn’t help but tremble.

“What the hell... is this?”

Destructive Soldier couldn’t continue his words properly either. His heavy voice cut off abruptly.

“The wind..."

They had thought that the wind was coming from the outside.

They were sure that there would be an entrance if they passed through the tunnels.

However, that certainty and hope instantly turned into despair.

After finally escaping the tedious passage, what greeted them was another large cave connected to the tunnel.

Unlike the place where they had first fallen, the lighting was bright.

The walls were densely lined with torches, and an expensive Luminous Night Pearl was hanging near the center of the ceiling, making it as bright as day.

Even more shocking was the windmill at the end of the large cave, with its pulleys intricately intertwined.

While it wasn't very powerful, its six blades were still spinning, creating a faint wind.

The moment they saw that, the Dark Heavens Army realized that the wind was also a trap. After all, martial artists had sharper senses than ordinary people.

It would be difficult for ordinary people to sense things like the wind, but martial artists, with superior senses and physical abilities, were different.

They had felt the breeze blowing through the air and had assumed that it was coming from an exit that led to above ground.

However, that assumption had been the beginning of their misfortune.

Their sharp senses had actually worked as a poison.

The passageway hadn’t been the real trap. It was the place where the ground had collapsed—where they had fallen, led by hope—that turned out to be the real trap.

If they had brought the seriously injured instead of leaving them behind, some of the mechanisms might not have worked due to the increase in weight.

Or, if they hadn't tried to force themselves to climb up to the ground in the first place, the pillars wouldn't have shot out.

Everything in its entirety had been a trap from the beginning.

"Zhu Ge Sheng Ji!" Destructive Soldier growled his name, spitting out each syllable like a curse.

A voice full of anger echoed loudly, filling the newly revealed cavity.

He wanted to destroy the windmill on the spot, but hesitated—who knew what kind of chain reaction it might trigger?

BAM!

Again, the sound of despair spread.

The nightmare wasn't over.

Click, click, click!

“W-what is it now?!”

Whir!!

The pulley system activated again. Gears spun, locking into place.

Destructive Soldier turned quickly. He tried to warn the others to run, but it was too late.

Iron bars slammed down in the narrow tunnels behind them, blocking every path.

In their dazed panic, the soldiers hadn’t moved fast enough.

All twenty tunnels were sealed.

“No! No! This can’t be happening!”

The Wind Mountain Gang Boss Wang Jijian grabbed at the iron bars, going crazy.

The screams coming from behind them were truly terrifying.

They never had the chance to use their cultivations that they had worked so hard for. They had just kept moving forward, and suddenly, everything was over.

"AGH!!!!"

"SAVE ME!!!"

Once again, chaos unfolded. Those who had fallen into the hell known as the Lake and Earth Formation died in its trap.

Hope was shattered, and instead, only despair and pain filled the air. The one thousand five hundred strong army was lost again in the hidden tunnels.

"I-I can't endure it any longer!"

"I need to run!"

The command system under Destructive Soldier also collapsed.

The group of Dark Heavens Army soldiers who had escaped from the tunnel by a stroke of luck began to run without looking back.

A scene unfolded where dozens of people were running in panic.

Though they had no idea what lay ahead, this wasn’t the kind of situation that allowed for hesitation. Their steps quickened instinctively, driven by the need to flee this suffocating space.

Maybe it was because of the Luminous Night Pearls in the ceiling giving them such natural light, but the soldiers' steps felt increasingly smooth and natural as their bodies told them to follow their natural instincts.

But just as they entered the empty tunnel ahead, a groan echoed from within. A moment later came the dull thud of a body collapsing.

“Ugh!!"

That was when even their final escape route was cut off.

Those who had run blindly ahead were swallowed by the darkness, dying one by one with groans of pain.

A few of the latecomers sensed something was off and tried to turn back, but hands reached out from the shadows and dragged them in before they could resist.

"ZHOU... XU... CHUAN!"

In the whirlwind of screams, hatred and anger boiled like lava between Destructive Soldier’s dry lips.

“Don’t you have any pride as a warrior?”

A windmill with blades that were at least a foot long slowly turned.

“How does someone who is a part of the Six Empyrean Overlords...?!"

As if reminiscent of the base of the Kongtong Sect, one or two people emerged from the entangled, empty caves like ants from an anthill.

No, it wasn’t just one or two. Their number quickly grew, easily surpassing dozens and reaching nearly a hundred. Starting from the very bottom of the pit, they appeared one after another from the caves stacked like layers—the very embodiment of fear.

They were wrapped in strips of black cloth, their eyes blindfolded, their lean bodies also bound with narrow, soaked wrappings that clung tightly to their skin. It was difficult to tell whether they were clothed or simply wearing soaked rags.

What was most unsettling, though, was that despite their sudden and overwhelming presence, Destructive Soldier hadn’t sensed a thing. They had completely bypassed his perception.

What appeared before Destructive Soldier’s eyes were ninety-nine ghosts and Zhou Xuchuan, who stood alone wearing robes.

“Destructive Soldier. I have fought one hundred against one and won.”

He had fought among the people during the Era of War and Chaos.

“Of course, I was the hundred.”