Chapter 378: Chapter 11 Archaeology Makes People Happy
The Witch Clan’s mode of warfare greatly differs from that of cultivators.
In simple terms, if cultivators are more like elite squads engaging in skirmishes, then the Witch Clan is more accustomed to large-scale legion battles—similar to the warfare of the Demon Race in the Eastern Emperor Realm.
Upon reflection, the warfare in the Eastern Emperor Realm was likely inherited from the ancient ways of the Witch Clan.
As for the current Daoist sects, although they seem to have adopted more temperate forms of strife and confrontation, the casualty rate has actually not decreased much.
It’s just that the pattern of squad-on-squad interception greatly reduces the likelihood of elite disciples being mistakenly killed on the battlefield, which is why the Three Pure Ones and Six Paths have come to accept it.
Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian, as cultivators under Zhu Rong, quickly received their corresponding battlefield mission:
To intercept the Aquatic Clan under Gonggong’s command.
Gonggong’s forces were advancing upstream in the river bend area, but the vanguard had already arrived at Kunlun ahead of time. They were now pushing the frontline forward near the river’s source, clashing with Zhu Rong’s cultivators on both sides.
Since the numbers on both sides were not large, it actually reverted to the type of elite interception warfare with which the two of them were familiar.
At the river source, both banks were covered in frost, with only the vicinity of the river revealing numerous, jagged grey rocks.
A large number of the Aquatic Clan were lurking beneath the river’s surface, intermittently popping up to shoot a few water arrows before swiftly diving back in.
The cultivators on Zhu Rong’s side stood on both banks of the river, continuously shooting Daoist magic and Flying Swords at those who surfaced,
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But unfortunately, most Daoist magic and Flying Swords were of the Fire System, which weakened by a third upon contact with water.
Occasionally, some hot-tempered members of the Witch Clan or Demon Race, unable to tolerate the enemy’s reliance on the topographical advantage to hide and seek, would charge into the river and engage them in hand-to-hand combat.
But once they entered the water, they were not only restricted in their movements, but also outnumbered. Very quickly, their bodies would float up to the surface, spreading ripples tinged with bright red.
Qiu Changtian and Xu Yinglian watched speechlessly. Which cultivator nowadays doesn’t carry several different Five Elements Attribute magical treasures and Flying Swords? They do it precisely to avoid being countered like this.
However, it seems that Zhu Rong’s followers treated the Fire System Daoist magic and Magic Artifacts as a kind of faith, and now they were facing their bane—no wonder Zhu Rong was unwilling to confront Gonggong’s army by the river.
“Brother Qiu?” Xu Yinglian asked in a low voice.
She sure had a way with that casual address… Lost in thought for a moment, Qiu Changtian then said,
“What’s up?”
“Check the Storage Bag,” Xu Yinglian reminded him.
Qiu Changtian reached to his waist and took out a Flying Sword and a scripture from Xu Qiu’s Storage Bag.
The Flying Sword was of the Tenth Rank and Wood System, its surface marked with green wood grain patterns, devoid of a Sword Spirit, with no Daoist Magic sealed within, relying purely on the sword’s own power to kill. It was, in a sense, quite cheap.
To his surprise, the scripture was on Thunder Method, and it was about three of the most widely spread thunders among the top ten: Jade Pivot Thunder, Shenxiao Thunder, and Great Hollow Thunder.
Jade Pivot Thunder was particularly effective against Nether Ghosts, Shenxiao Thunder was for the Demon Race, and Great Hollow Thunder targeted the Heavenly Demon. In the ancient times when humans had not yet dominated, these were the three kinds of thunder that Thunder Cultivators were most keen on practicing.
But in modern times, the transmission of the Thunder Cultivator lineage had almost ceased.
Despite searching everywhere, Qiu Changtian had only obtained Jade Pivot Thunder and Shenxiao Thunder from the top three, while Great Hollow Thunder remained traceless—fortunately, now it was finally complete.
With this, the first six thunders of the top ten were all collected.
Of course, since Xu Qiu’s Storage Bag contained Thunder Method, it at least indicated that he used to attempt practicing it.
Qiu Changtian would have no concerns when he used Thunder Method on the battlefield later.
As his mind whirled with thoughts and settled on a plan, he saw Xu Yinglian too taking out a red Flying Sword from her Storage Bag.
Feather Jia Sword?
Qiu Changtian couldn’t help but burst into silent laughter:
“Junior Sister, I never expected that the Flying Sword you use now actually comes from the Phoenix Clan… Perhaps it was originally part of the dowry when marrying into the Xu Family.”
“Indeed,” Xu Yinglian replied contentedly.
She then took out a scroll of scripture and, using her Divine Sense, carefully read it for a moment before sighing and saying:
“When the Feng Tong ancestor married into the Xu Family, she did not only bring the Feather Jia Sword but also many fire system Daoist Magic of the Phoenix Clan… However, the Xu Family of Southern Heaven has also gone through many catastrophes that led to breaks in lineage, and the main family intertwined with distant branches, resulting in the loss of over eighty percent of the Daoist Magic.”
“So now it has returned to its rightful owner?” Qiu Changtian asked with a smile.
“Of course.” Xu Yinglian seemed to want to play coy a bit longer, but soon she couldn’t suppress her joy and broke out into delighted laughter.
Without rushing to join the battle, the two found a secluded valley nearby while the Zhu Rong cultivators up ahead had yet to discover them, and they began to study and grasp the Daoist Magic from the scripture.
Only after that did they hurry to the riverbank and joined the battlefield.
Qiu Changtian first condensed Shenxiao Thunder and hurled it straight into the surging river.
The Water sprites in the river were mostly members of the Demon Race, and being struck by the Shenxiao Thunder, which especially counters the Demon Race, they immediately became floating corpses on the surface, their life force extinguished.
At first, the various factions on the battlefield did not notice, as people were being killed and falling every moment, but soon the Water sprites in the river sensed something was amiss.
Their comrades were dying too fast!
“There’s a Thunder Cultivator on the riverbank!” Panic-stricken warnings spread underwater and with them came an even more fierce counterattack from the Water sprites, aimed at Qiu Changtian on the riverbank.
Facing so many sorcery and Divine Skills attacks, Qiu Changtian did not dare to withstand them straightforwardly but instead kept wildly dodging and shifting about, drawing the attention of the Water sprites in the river.
Xu Yinglian took the opportunity to find a secluded corner on the opposite side of the river and began to form a spell with her hands.
Suddenly, a glint of gold flashed in her eyes—not the cold gold of the Dragon Clan, but a bright, seemingly burning, resplendent gold, and then she exhaled fire from her mouth and nose.
The Great Bright Fire this time did not erupt in a carpet bomb as before but concentrated into a thin line, shooting straight into the turbulent river.
In just a few breaths, the surrounding river water began to boil violently!
The superheated steam created by the violent vaporization became countless fiercely colliding bubbles, pushed along by the current towards the downstream, quickly scalding the bodies of the Water sprites.
Most of these Water sprites belonged to the Scaled Clan and the Kun Race; the moment the bubbles grazed their bodies, their scales melted into fluid, and their shells rapidly dried and cracked.
Then, the unbearable high temperature invaded their insides, and even the physically strong members of the Demon Race could not withstand such intense “Fire Damage,” floating up as corpses from beneath the water soon after.
The onslaught from both sides of the river continued, but soon the cultivators under Zhu Rong realized something was off on the battlefield.
The Water sprites were dying too quickly, their offensive rapidly weakening, soon fading into silence.
A curious member of the Witch Clan, eyeing the roiling, surging bubbles in the river, couldn’t help but reach his hand into the water out of curiosity.
“So hot!” The moment he touched the bubble, he instinctively withdrew his hand and cried out in shock.
If one of Zhu Rong’s Witch Clan members found it “too hot,” just how fearsome could the fire system Daoist Magic that caused it be?
Everyone looked apprehensively at the countless bubbles in the river for a moment, then couldn’t help but look around, wondering which cultivator had unleashed such a powerful spell.
However, Qiu Changtian had already met up with Xu Yinglian upstream, and the two of them left the scene with grace.
Illusion Domain NPCs that couldn’t be used to grind Synchronization Value held no desire for Qiu Changtian to show off!