Endless Winter: My Camp Upgrades Infinitely Chapter 1438 - 458: 9 Circuits Blood Corridor, Mysterious Ice Dao Monster, Feudal Town Military Might_4

The black stream of air, after being repelled, did not scatter but instead coalesced into a vortex, from which a gruff voice boomed.

"Xuan Bing, cease this pointless endeavor! The trials for those two families are imminent; they've predictably fallen for the lady's stratagem this year, dispatching over two thousand hopefuls. These individuals represent the future of the two feudal towns. The lady has commanded you to attend to them with absolute diligence."

Upon hearing this, Xuan Bing, the hunched figure, experienced a sudden shift in his snow-white irises, tinged with blood-red hues. He emitted several low, chilling chuckles, stating, "Reassure the lady, this old Daoist shall indeed attend to them thoroughly, heh heh heh..."

The dark aerial current dissipated instantly, having received Xuan Bing’s confirmation.

Xuan Bing cast one final glance southward, let out a sigh, turned, and ascended towards Danxue Peak in the north.

Approximately six to seven kilometers south of Beining Village.

Two figures, gripped by terror, were making a desperate flight southward.

"Big brother, are they all annihilated?"

"Undoubtedly. I took a closer look just moments ago; every soul at the village entrance had been encased in ice sculptures. Silence reigned within, and even the three formidable warriors suspended in mid-air were instantly petrified..."

Hearing his elder brother Duan Mang's grim report, Duan Huang's complexion turned ashen.

His thoughts turning to his parents and kin within the village, his heart constricted violently. He halted his frantic retreat, imploring his brother, "Big brother, no, we cannot simply abandon them like this. We must return to the village and ascertain the situation. There's a chance some might still be alive."

"Are you insane? I witnessed it with my own eyes; how could I possibly deceive you? Those who could fly in the heavens were Xianyang-level powerhouses – even they perished. With our cultivation at the eighth or ninth Zong level, returning would be suicidal; what good would it achieve?"

Duan Mang, without further deliberation, propelled his brother forward, continuing their flight. His face was contorted with panic as he urged, "We must seek out the Nine Towns Alliance Army in the Beishuo Dongchuan district. They previously announced that we could seek their aid in times of crisis. Surely, they will have formidable warriors capable of assisting us. If even a single soul from the village survives, we won't be too late even if it takes a day or two."

Absorbing his brother's desperate counsel, Duan Huang clenched his jaw, finally abandoning the idea of returning. He resigned himself to following his brother southward, heading towards the Dongchuan district.

.........

"In Brother Hong's esteemed opinion, does my Cai Qiu Army's might not radiate glory?"

November 1st, Year 297 of the Caiqiu Calendar, under the cloak of night.

At Zhenyuan Camp, standing at the threshold of the main hall atop the central edifice, Xia Hong gazed down upon the tens of thousands of Cai Qiu soldiers arrayed below. Responding to Cai Yunlan's query posed from beside him, he eschewed his previous contemptuous demeanor from the county mansion entrance. Instead, he drew a measured breath and declared in a resonant voice, "The Cai Qiu Army's might shakes the very heavens and moves the very earth!"

Upon uttering these eight profound words, Cai Yunlan, along with the dozen or so Xianyang-level warriors from Lin Chu County flanking him, all broke into wide, knowing smiles.

Beneath the veneer of these smiles lay a powerful current of unadulterated pride.

Encircling the central building, hundreds of imposing barracks dotted the mist-shrouded, snow-laden plains, sprawling across an expanse of no less than twenty square kilometers.

The structures themselves were unremarkable; the true spectacle lay in the inhabitants – the soldiers, to be precise.

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

......

As midnight tolled, every soldier clad in armor engaged in rigorous training outside their respective tents.

A casual estimation revealed a force exceeding two hundred thousand combatants.

The contingent closest to the central building numbered over fifty thousand. These soldiers, attired in resplendent silver Hundred Forged Scale Armor, possessed strength levels no inferior to the 20 Zong mark, clearly identifying them as the elite Silver Scale Army under the command of Landgrave Cai Qiu.

The remaining soldiers occupying the outer perimeter were also equipped with silver-hued war armor. However, Xia Hong, with his keen observation, had discerned that their iron armor was merely surfaced with a thin layer of silver paste. These armaments, he recognized, were crafted from Ten Thousand Forged Iron alloyed with silver. This segment of the army demonstrated strength levels exceeding 10 Zong.

Fifty thousand soldiers, each boasting a strength above 20 Zong, adorned in Hundred Forged Silver Armor; and one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers, possessing strength exceeding 10 Zong, clad in Ten Thousand Forged Mixed Silver Iron Armor...

At this profound moment, Xia Hong exerted considerable effort to quell the involuntary tremor coursing through his heart.

The declaration, "Cai Qiu Army's might shakes the heavens and moves the earth," was not merely an utterance to appease Cai Yunlan and grant him face. It was, in essence, a genuine reflection of his conviction, forged by the awe-inspiring spectacle of Cai Qiu's formidable army.

"The crucial point here is that this cannot possibly represent Cai Qiu's full military might; Cai Qiu governs four counties and seven cities, strategically positioned between three Great Feudal Towns. Its border defense requirements are substantial, making the casual deployment of 200,000 elite troops an impossibility. The actual military strength of Cai Qiu must undoubtedly exceed 300,000."

Upon his initial encounter with Zhenyuan Camp, the answers he had previously received from the soldiers stationed at the Bone-Eroding Path’s exit were swiftly dismissed from Xia Hong's mind.

The Silver Scale and Town Guard armies, totaling 200,000 soldiers, were plainly visible before his eyes, not even taking into account the multitude of lower-ranking County Guard Army units. Merely by estimation, Cai Qiu’s comprehensive military force likely surpasses a million.

This figure represents only the standing army; if the entire Cold Resistance Level were included, the numbers would probably soar beyond two or three million...

"This is the genuine power of a feudal town! With 20 million, it appears I have underestimated Cai Qiu’s overall population. Indeed, apart from the core high-ranking officials, such as the four Prefectural Governors, who else would possess such detailed figures for these feudal towns!"

Xia Hong lowered his gaze, observing the army spread out below, and let out a soft sigh. A potent sense of urgency immediately surged within his heart.

This disparity is truly immense.

To speak nothing of the Nine Towns alliance, even if Great Xia were to directly absorb the Eight Towns at this very moment, it would still fall considerably short of Cai Qiu.

Within the entirety of the Moao River region, there are four other entities comparable to Cai Qiu.

They are Chen Cang, Hezang, Wei Bo, and the most distant one – Lulong...

"Great Xia’s development has been too sluggish; upon my return, I must devise a method to accelerate it. Otherwise, when the two vassal towns commence operations in the Blood Miasma Plain, Great Xia will inevitably face annexation."

It was at this precise moment that Xia Hong finally grasped the true reason why the high-level figures from the Two Great Feudal Towns, despite their awareness of the Nine Towns Territory, had never displayed any concern or personally visited for inspection.

Throughout this entire period, they had simply never taken the current Nine Towns into their consideration!