Chapter 72: War Artifacts

Li Liang was clad in a brand-new set of armor, but no one knew that this armor was a magical treasure!

This was the big chest that Li Xian had gifted to Li Liang! Thanks to Xuan Iron, the Brilliant Star Commerce Group was now able to forge actual magical treasures. However, to avoid causing trouble, Li Xian didn’t dare to make them public.

Only a few sets of magical armor had been created so far, with a stainless steel coating on the surface to hide their true nature. Within the group, only the top executives had one set each, and they were strictly instructed—unless absolutely necessary, the armor must not be revealed.

Externally, only Li Liang received a set. Li Xian didn’t even dare to give one to his father—what if the secret was exposed along the way?

Li Liang gently stroked the armor. Two days had passed, yet the excitement in his heart had not subsided. A magical treasure! A full set of armor crafted entirely from spiritual materials! Even if he broke off just one corner, it would sell for thousands of taels of gold! If this armor were to be auctioned in the imperial capital, it would easily fetch hundreds of thousands of taels of gold!

Even though it was a low-grade magical treasure, this set of armor could double Li Liang’s combat strength! In terms of defense, it increased his protection by more than tenfold.

As he looked at the slowly approaching Cai Kingdom army in the distance, a cold smile appeared on Li Liang’s lips. He had just become a Golden Core stage expert, just received his matching magical treasure, and now someone was here to serve as his training target!

Glancing at the ten “snipers” lined up in the distance, Li Liang grew even more pleased. This time, Cai Kingdom was going to suffer a crushing defeat.

“Zou Hui, what do you think? If we win, is it feasible to pursue and strike while the iron is hot?”

Zou Hui considered for a moment before replying, “We can pursue and kill the fleeing enemies. But we must not cross the Cai Kingdom border. Our objective is to take Kaiping County.

What we need is a victory—an absolute victory, flawless in every way. Only then can our lord rise further in rank and be promoted to governor of Kaiping County.”

“Understood!” Li Liang’s eyes sharpened as he gazed at the endless Cai Kingdom army slowly advancing under the dusky sky. Along the Great Wall’s border defenses, over 5,000 crossbows equipped with bearings and springs creaked ominously. Heavy crossbow bolts, cast entirely from raw iron, glinted with a cold, murderous light in the twilight.

“Kill! Kill! Kill!”

In the distance, over 40,000 Cai Kingdom soldiers advanced like demons emerging from hell, surging forward under the dim light. Their shining blades and dark armor stood in stark contrast to Li Liang’s forces.

The bright stainless steel weapons and armor on Li Liang’s side added a sense of divinity, while the common steel swords and black iron armor of the enemy gave them a more menacing appearance.

The immense pressure caused the sun to set quickly.

Suddenly, more than fifty enormous white jade platforms, each about three to five zhang (10 to 15 meters) in size, flew up from the rear of Cai Kingdom’s army.

Seeing these gigantic platforms, Li Liang’s expression changed. “War artifacts! They’ve actually acquired so many war artifacts!”

Even Zou Hui’s expression turned grim, “This is bad! They’re not faking an attack; they’re launching a two-pronged assault!”

War artifacts, as the name implies, are magical instruments designed for warfare. These artifacts began appearing after the Xianyu (Immortal Domain) entered the imperial era. The requirements for these war artifacts are minimal: they only need to fly; more specifically, they need to carry crossbows and transport soldiers.

The crafting requirements for war artifacts are quite low, as they can be carved from regular jade stones. In Xianyu, finding massive jade deposits is incredibly easy.

However, there is a significant issue with war artifacts—they are too heavy. Simply relying on a spirit-gathering array is far from sufficient to support the weight of these war machines. Therefore, war artifacts require—spirit stones! 

A single low-grade spirit stone can only provide about one hour of flight time for a war artifact. In this era, where everything is in short supply except for people, powering more than fifty war artifacts comes at an extraordinary cost. The Cai Kingdom likely opened up the national treasury established at the founding of the country.

This clearly demonstrates the Cai Kingdom’s determination for this attack!

After his initial shock, Li Liang quickly made a decision. “Someone, go to Huangshi Valley immediately and inform Li Xian of the situation here. Also, send another person to report to the imperial capital. Tell them the enemy is so numerous that they stretch beyond the horizon, with an estimated force of at least fifty thousand. Furthermore, over sixty war artifacts have already been spotted.”

A lieutenant beside him immediately took the order and left.

Up ahead, over fifty war artifacts approached. When counted, there were exactly 52, all equipped with powerful crossbows.

These war artifacts flew at a relatively low altitude, about ten zhang (about 33 meters); this height was just about the same as the height of the Great Wall on the border! This effectively neutralized the advantage of the defensive wall.

Each war artifact was equipped with three to five powerful crossbows. These crossbows were made from the tendons and bones of demonic beasts, and the operators were all skilled cultivators in the Foundation Establishment stage. The Cai Kingdom was truly sparing no expense!

The war artifacts slowly advanced, and the army below also gradually approached. The soldiers on Li Liang’s side were already sweating nervously.

“All crossbowmen, prepare! If you can aim at the war artifacts, target them; if not, aim at the Cai Kingdom’s army. Once they enter range, fire at will!”

Creak…

All the powerful crossbows were drawn, their vicious bolts capable of piercing through the defenses of even a skilled Foundation Establishment cultivator—if they hit.

As for the iron-forged bolts, they were enough to inflict severe damage on these low-level war artifacts.

Finally, as the two sides came within a hundred zhang (about 330 meters) of each other, with a roar from both commanders, the battle erupted in full force!

Buzz… The powerful bolts from the war artifacts were even capable of penetrating the three-foot-thick battlements inscribed with defensive formations. Right from the start, there were massive casualties among the soldiers.

However, the soldiers of the Great Xia Kingdom were well-prepared, each fighting bravely, with their enhanced crossbows unleashing a ferocious assault.

Puchi… puchi…

Several iron-forged bolts forcefully pierced into the war artifacts, and in an instant, four war artifacts were destroyed, crashing down like stones, killing dozens of soldiers from the Cai Kingdom.

“How are the Great Xia’s crossbows more than twice as powerful as reported?! They can even shoot down war artifacts?!” Cai Kingdom’s grand general, Yan Zhengqing, was furious, his eyes blazing with anger. The battle had just begun, and four—no, seven war artifacts had already been destroyed. In the next moment, another three were shot down.

The battle quickly devolved into a bloody slaughter. Even a Golden Core stage expert was little more than a powerful stone amidst the tens of thousands of fighters in this chaotic battle.

Zhang Hongtao and his group of ten musketeers scattered, moving freely, specifically “calling out” targets. Whenever they saw a particularly fierce enemy charging ahead, they made sure to “pay attention” to them.

The vanguard of the Cai Kingdom’s charge soon realized something was wrong—soldiers kept mysteriously falling! A squad leader watched as one of his men suddenly stopped in his tracks, half of his neck exploding into the air out of nowhere. The next moment, the squad leader felt a sharp blow to his abdomen, as though someone had punched him. Looking down, he saw that his armor had been pierced and blood was pouring out; only then did the intense pain hit him.

“Captain, Captain… Quick, get the captain out of here!” The soldiers nearby immediately dragged the squad leader back in a panic—it was too strange; they needed to retreat quickly.

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