I Only Stomp on Weaklings

Chen Ming was in no hurry to fight, since the general just now hadn’t mentioned a time limit. He stood outside his own camp, watching the battle outside the barracks.

Above one of the thousand-person teams, a phantom image of a fierce tiger appeared.

This should be the military formation led by Wang Jinhu.

The phantom above the military formation signified that this team of a thousand was united in spirit, forming a collective, a manifestation of their collective will.

A military formation that can form a phantom is almost unaffected by a Second Grade’s Sword Intent and can only be broken through pure force. But manpower has its limits, and even a First Grade’s Gang Yuan will run out eventually.

This is the army’s method in this world for contending with powerful Martial Artists; if it’s a formation of ten thousand, even a Divine Treasure Realm expert would skirt around it.

A formation of a hundred thousand is invincible, making even ghosts and gods avoid it.

However, forming a battle formation of a hundred thousand requires not only superb commanding skills, but also absolute trust and support from the Monarch.

Currently, in Great Jin, whether there are such capable generals is still a big question mark.

Even if there are, in peacetime, no Emperor would let such a person command troops long-term.

Besides Wang Jinhu, several other thousand-person armies also formed phantoms. As expected of the offspring of nobles, they have a rich family heritage.

Simultaneously, the enemy’s camp also sent out several thousand-man teams, meeting the military formations sent from this side head-on. One thousand-man team against another, they gained no advantage.

From this, it was clear that this was not a real battlefield.

How could there be face-to-face duels in a war?

As Chen Ming observed, he contemplated the warning from the disciple of the Heavenly Master Mansion just now.

This trial has actually gone awry.

However, he wasn’t too surprised. If the trial went smoothly, that would be the real oddity.

"Judging by that Liang Guangyu’s words, this Merit Tower seems to be controlled by the people from the Heavenly Master Mansion. Now that there’s an issue, it must be with the Heavenly Master Mansion."

Chen Ming thought, if only he could contact the Taoist priest.

Wait a minute—

Why not give it a try?

Thus, he silently chanted three times in his heart, "Forget Dust Taoist Priest, Forget Dust Taoist Priest, Forget Dust Taoist Priest."

In an instant, the world before his eyes started rippling, time seemed to pause for a moment.

Whoosh!

A thread of Chen Ming’s consciousness suddenly ascended into another peculiar space, it was the cave dwelling of the old Taoist.

The old Taoist slightly frowned, curiously asking, "The place you’re in is a bit strange, could it be a Secret Realm?"

Chen Ming was delighted to see him.

This old Taoist is indeed extraordinary; he could actually meet him.

"It’s not a Secret Realm, I’m inside the Merit Tower."

"So it’s the Merit Tower." The old Taoist realized.

"Does the Taoist Priest also know about this Merit Tower?"

"Merit Tower is what the Great Jin royalty calls it, it originally had another name, the Nine Nether Tower."

Chen Ming was shocked, "Could it be, this is a Demon Artifact of the Nine Nether Sect?"

The old Taoist stroked his beard and nodded, "Indeed. In the past, the Great Jin’s ancestor relied on this Demon Artifact to contend with top experts. It suppressed and killed countless experts of the Great Wei."

Damn!

Chen Ming was numb from the revelation; all this trouble, and the Great Jin’s ancestor turned out to be the Nine Nether Sect’s Demon Venerable?

"So, the relationship between the Great Jin royalty and the Nine Nether Sect is..."

"The Great Jin ancestor merely utilized this Nine Nether Tower, later inviting the Heavenly Master Mansion to suppress this Demon Artifact in the Imperial Palace, renaming it to Merit Tower to cover this past incident."

Chen Ming suddenly remembered something, "Oh no, it is said that there were some accidents on the Heavenly Master Mansion’s side, and this Merit Tower developed issues. Could it be that it is about to break through its seal?"

If that were the case, it’s indeed troublesome.

He is currently still inside the Merit Tower, and if something goes wrong, there’s no escaping.

The old Taoist pondered, "If so, then the Heavenly Master Mansion indeed might have problems. I was previously puzzled, although their actions were domineering, the Heavenly Master Mansion still belonged to the righteous path. How could they lock me up for no reason?"

"Taoist Priest, do you mean..."

"That Heavenly Master might have problems."

The Heavenly Master, a Yang Spirit True Man, equivalent to a Divine Treasure Realm expert.

If he has issues, it’s not ordinary trouble.

Chen Ming immediately inquired, "Taoist Priest, now that I’m inside the Merit Tower, how can I leave?"

The old Taoist shook his head, "We can only wait. Try to buy time, the Great Jin royalty has deep roots, and naturally, someone will handle this matter. You just need to be careful and not die inside."

Meaning, he also had no solution.

Chen Ming inwardly smiled bitterly; this visit to the old Taoist only revealed the origin of this Merit Tower and the probable issue with the Heavenly Master.

Even he had no solution; he could only rely on himself.

The old Taoist, seeing his expression, could only comfort him, "Little friend, your destiny is noble, and your fortune is strong, this time you will surely turn danger into safety."

Chen Ming was not comforted.

...

After Chen Ming’s consciousness returned, he opened his eyes to find the battle outside the city almost over. Wang Jinhu and the others were victorious.

These scions of nobility do indeed have skill.

Just then, a long horn sounded from the enemy camp, and suddenly the gates swung open, countless soldiers clad in black armor surged out, quickly forming several formations of ten thousand.

Above those formations of ten thousand, tangible shadows of the Suzaku, Xuanwu, White Tiger, and Azure Dragon were formed.

It was the Four Elephants Formation, the military’s trump card of the Great Wei Dynasty.

Someone exclaimed, "What’s happening? Why is the entire enemy force mobilizing?"

"Retreat to the barracks!"

Wang Jinhu and the others, seeing the situation, immediately led their men back to camp, sealing the camp tightly.

Fortunately, the enemy was forming up slowly, allowing them to withdraw successfully.

Wang Jinhu and the others stood atop the camp’s gate, looking at the four completed formations of ten thousand, with such a palpable murderous intent, even breathing felt difficult.

"How do we fight this?"

Everyone present looked extremely grim. They were only ten people, adding up to ten thousand. The rest of the soldiers and the general were nowhere in sight.

This meant that their ten thousand had to withstand the Four Elephants Formation.

Among their ten, not a single First Grade, even if they excel in military formations, they couldn’t form a formation of ten thousand. No matter how they looked at it, there was no way they could win.

"They’re coming!"

They watched as the four formations of ten thousand moved, slowly but resolutely pressing toward the barracks.

The disparity between them and the enemy was so vast that everyone felt a chill in their hearts, fearing that a single charge from the enemy could flatten them.

Chen Ming watched the scene, seriously suspecting it was because of his visit to the old Taoist that the Artifact Spirit of the Demon Artifact, or rather the Nine Nether Demon Venerable himself, noticed the anomaly, hence causing this.

What should he do?

He felt immense pressure and finally steeled himself, "Let’s go for it!"

He used a Secret Technique, the ninth mastery level of the "Artifact Control Technique"!

Since the Nine Nether Tower is a Demon Artifact, it should be manipulatable using the "Artifact Control Technique."

"Hmm?"

Suddenly, the world rippled again, time seemed to pause. A soft "Hmm?" echoed in his ear.

In the next moment, a man in white appeared out of thin air before him, examining him with an intrigued gaze, clicking his tongue, "You haven’t practiced the Nine Nether Great Technique yet managed to cultivate the ’Artifact Control Technique’ to this extent, truly unbelievable!"

Facing this person, Chen Ming respectfully greeted, "Greetings, Demon Venerable!"