Chapter 136: Boom! Boom! Boom!
Zhong Shan led the charge on a massive wolf, followed closely by Ying Lan, Lin Xiao, and Zhong Zheng, each riding a ten-meter-tall wolf. Behind them were a thousand wolf cavalry.
Qingyun lightly stepped forward, appearing beside Zhong Shan and standing on the head of the giant red wolf with him.
Seeing Qingyun come up without permission, Zhong Shan frowned slightly but said nothing. It was useless to speak now. In the future, when his cultivation improved, who would dare to stand beside him without his consent?
"The red wolf can assist you, but you must know that Lei Ting is now at his peak. When faced with certain death, the red wolf has the right to abandon you," Qingyun said.
The red wolf beneath them also howled twice, apparently agreeing with Qingyun.
"Then let's wait and see," Zhong Shan smiled slightly, saying no more, and looked towards the distant Hongyun Town.
After entering the deep tunnel, General Lei Ting suddenly found that it was very deep and branched off into many passages. Where had that pest escaped to in this short time?
"Light the fire~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
From a distance, Wei Taizhong's shout suddenly echoed.
"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
With a loud bang, the entrance to the cave General Lei Ting had entered was suddenly filled with earth. The tunnel was buried under a large amount of soil.
Seeing this, Qingyun paused slightly. What was happening? There were no fluctuations of any spell just now.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
In the distance, Hongyun Town resounded with continuous explosions, like thunderclaps. Each explosion sent earth flying into the sky.
"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom!"
Hongyun Town was in chaos, with countless houses being blasted into the air. The massive explosions made the ground tremble even from a great distance.
The ground shook as if an enormous earthquake was underway, wave after wave. The devastating explosions could be felt even from underground.
In just half an incense stick's time, the entirety of Hongyun Town was reduced to ruins. The surrounding land continued to tremble, soil erupting into the sky, trees falling, and some even strangely catching fire.
From a distance, the army was filled with worry. The horses neighed incessantly, and even the giant wolves were restless, their steps uneasy. If not for the organized presence here, the wolves would have bolted long ago.
Half an hour passed, and the distant ground was still shaking. Out of curiosity, Qingyun extended his divine sense towards the source.
Beneath the ground, flames were everywhere. Countless fires ignited the black-gray powder, which exploded violently. The powder's explosive power was ordinary, but its quantity was overwhelming. It seemed as if the entire underground was filled with it. However, due to Zhong Shan's meticulous placement, the explosions were continuous, one area after another, from top to bottom, layer by layer. Additionally, there were large amounts of iron fragments mixed in. As the explosions began, the iron fragments shot out like sharp swords in all directions.
Even though General Lei Ting was at the Nascent Soul stage, he seemed trapped by the vast amount of soil underground, bombarded continuously by explosions. He was already in a sorry state.
The explosions continued unabated, shaking the entire area for hundreds of miles. The sky in the distance was already covered with countless dust particles.
The soldiers all wore expressions of shock. What was happening over there?
"What are those?" Qingyun asked Zhong Shan curiously.
"Black gunpowder, used by mortals for fireworks. Over the past few decades, I've had people specifically research and mix the proportions," Zhong Shan replied briefly.
"Huh?" A hint of surprise flashed in Qingyun's eyes.
An entire hour passed with continuous explosions in the distance. The ground shook and trembled for a full hour before slowly calming down.
"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
To the north of the former Hongyun Town, the dormant volcano suddenly erupted with a loud bang, sending a red pillar of light soaring into the sky.
A large amount of magma shot high into the air, instantly illuminating the gray sky with a crimson glow.
The volcano had erupted, and magma spewed in all directions, setting the mountains ablaze and wreaking havoc.
At the moment of the eruption, amidst the first surge of magma, a battered figure emerged.
General Lei Ting!
His clothes were mostly tattered, his face charred, his hair disheveled, and dried blood trickled from the corner of his mouth. The more than an hour of torment had inflicted devastating psychological and physical damage on him.
General Lei Ting was seriously injured again, and this time the injuries were even more frustrating. There was no enemy, and he had no way to fight back. On the surface, he could have dodged instantly, but underground, there was nowhere to run. No, it seemed that no matter where he fled underground, explosions followed him.
It was only after reaching the extremely hot depths that he was finally ejected out of the volcano by the last explosion, along with a surge of magma, and saw the light of day again.
The hour-long torment made General Lei Ting feel like crying. He was too aggrieved to be so inexplicably injured by such trash.
"Let's go. Lei Ting is already severely injured. Now we can move in," Zhong Shan called to the red wolf beneath him.
"Owooooo~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
The red wolf let out a long howl and began to sprint rapidly towards the site of the volcanic eruption.
On the wolf's head, Qingyun sighed, "You were really lucky. If he hadn't run towards the volcano at the end and been hit by the erupting magma, he wouldn't have been so badly injured."
"Luck? Hmph, I make my own luck! Based on my gunpowder arrangement and the varying intensities of the explosions, his intelligence would lead him underground towards the volcano," Zhong Shan said coldly.
Hearing Zhong Shan's words, Qingyun felt a chill. Although Zhong Shan was only at the Xiantian (Innate) stage of cultivation, his wisdom made Qingyun feel a sense of awe.
Control? Yes, control. Controlling Lei Ting's movements with underground explosions?
This was the most terrifying aspect in military confrontations, manipulating the enemy to act according to one's own plan? How was this possible? It was too incredible.
Looking at Zhong Shan, Qingyun took a deep breath. At this moment, Qingyun finally understood the Supreme's intentions. When the Supreme chose Zhong Shan, he thought it was to pamper the young master. After all, the signed person's cultivation was too low, and his foundation was poor. Yet the Supreme chose him? Moreover, the tone of the Supreme's words indicated immense expectations. Could this be the reason?
Qingyun needed to reassess Zhong Shan. Previously, he had stayed in the Great Zhen Dynasty only because of the Supreme's orders. Now Qingyun had his own curiosity to stay and see what other wonders Zhong Shan could produce.
The ground, having been shaken previously, was now rugged and difficult for horses to traverse. Large rocks jutted out everywhere, but only creatures like wolves could navigate it as if it were flat ground.
With a few leaps, the giant wolf carried Zhong Shan and Qingyun to the foot of the volcano.
Magma poured down from above, much of it falling from the sky. However, the giant wolf was incredibly agile, dodging large amounts of magma in an instant and rushing up the mountain.
The giant wolf opened its mouth and spat out a massive fireball straight at the severely injured General Lei Ting.
General Lei Ting, already gravely wounded, saw the rapidly approaching giant wolf in the distance. His pupils contracted, and a deep sense of dread engulfed him.
That pest, standing on the giant wolf? How could this be? The last time, they were in the wolf territory. Could it be that His Majesty did not gain the wolves' recognition, but this person did?
No, there was someone else on the giant wolf's head — Qingyun Wolf General. Was it him?
Why was Qingyun with that pest? Qingyun Wolf General wouldn't target me. Although I injured the Wolf Clan's young master back then, Qingyun had already let me go to repay the life-saving debt. Otherwise, he could have killed me in the wolf territory.
However, this is not the best time. My body is seriously injured, and I need to find a place to recuperate.
Just as General Lei Ting was about to turn and leave, a massive fireball suddenly charged towards him.
Accompanying the huge fireball, Zhong Shan also raised his blade.
Heavenly Demon Refinement Technique, Second Level.
Red Luan Mist!
A massive ten-zhang long red blade aura, seemingly containing faint pink energy within, followed the fireball, shooting straight at General Lei Ting.
Seeing Zhong Shan attack, General Lei Ting's face turned cold. Even though he was severely injured, he ruthlessly reached out and grabbed the massive fireball, his palm emitting slight lightning threads, much weaker than the thunderball he had previously released.
"Boom~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~"
With a loud explosion, General Lei Ting crushed the massive fireball with one hand, but the residual shockwave made his body heat up. The already charred clothing was ignited again by the fireball.
General Lei Ting's eyes widened. This would never have happened if he were in peak condition. A tiger fallen into a flatland is bullied by dogs.
Taking a deep breath, General Lei Ting glared at the giant wolf on the distant boulder.
Seeing General Lei Ting take a deep breath, Zhong Shan coldly smiled.
"Qingyun Wolf General, why are you stopping me?" General Lei Ting immediately asked.
"I am just a spectator, not getting involved," Qingyun smiled slightly, then leaped off the red wolf's head and flew into the sky.
Understanding Qingyun's meaning, General Lei Ting suddenly gave a cold smile towards Zhong Shan.
Even severely injured, General Lei Ting believed he could still crush Zhong Shan to death.
Staring coldly at Zhong Shan, who was filled with hatred, Zhong Shan slowly took out a 'God-Restraining Bone-Piercing Nail'.