High Martial: I Can Copy All Root Bones!

Warfare in the age of Martial Arts was a lengthy process.

The Jiangnan North Army was currently locked in a stalemate with the Baili Tribe of Daliang.

Even in a stalemate, both sides constantly dispatched troops for probing attacks and attritional warfare.

This process of probing was long and brutal. Ironically, these attritional skirmishes claimed the most lives among soldiers and Martial Artists.

Once blades met, a cruel battle was inevitable.

Lu Changfeng marched with the Thirteenth Crossbow Corps, crossbow in hand.

He stood at the head of the formation, a hundred Blood Forging Realm crossbowmen behind him.

Ahead of him were Tian Feng, Yuann Ming, and a group of Bone Refining Realm experts.

Though they were still far from the front line, soldiers had already set up a Cloud Ladder.

A Bone Refining Realm standard-bearer leaped up the ladder to observe the battlefield situation several miles away.

One thousand meters.

At this distance, Lu Changfeng and the other crossbowmen could clearly see the two opposing forces clashing in the distance, thanks to the superior vision of Martial Artists.

The crossbowmen of the Jiangnan North Army’s Twentieth Corps were split into several organized squads, retreating while firing their crossbow arrows.

In contrast, the soldiers of the Daliang Country’s Baili Tribe were fierce as wolves, determined to close in for melee combat.

Some Daliang soldiers had already broken through, and close-quarters fighting had begun.

Instantly, the crossbowmen of the Twentieth Corps began to suffer heavy casualties.

In terms of individual combat prowess, the Jiangnan Prefecture’s army was still severely lacking.

The overall strength of Daliang Country’s Martial Arts Army was a whole level above Jiangnan Prefecture’s.

The soldiers of Daliang’s Baili Tribe had just managed to engage in close combat and were about to unleash a slaughter when they spotted another crossbow unit of the Jiangnan North Army appearing in the distance.

’Are they trying to scheme against me?’ The commander of this Baili Tribe unit, Baili Mo, narrowed his eyes.

The Song People loved to scheme, and those from Jiangnan Prefecture were the worst of them.

"Hmph, keep killing!"

After giving the order, Baili Mo turned to a Communication Soldier. "Release a Swift Eagle. Notify all nearby allied forces."

"Let’s score a big one, dammit!"

These past few days of attritional battles, which always ended in a retreat halfway through, had left Baili Mo feeling extremely frustrated.

If any other commander of the Baili Tribe had encountered two crossbow corps from the Jiangnan North Army today, they most likely would have chosen to retreat.

After all, Jiangnan Prefecture’s crossbow corps were no pushovers. Although Daliang’s Martial Arts Army excelled at slaughter, they often found themselves at a disadvantage against ranged forces.

But Baili Mo was different. He was a man who loved war.

After more than a month of these skirmishes and with no orders to launch a full-scale attack from headquarters, Baili Mo was itching for a real battle.

In the distance, seeing that Baili Mo’s unit did not retreat, the corners of Yuann Ming’s mouth couldn’t help but curve upward.

’Everything is going according to plan.’

The intelligence from their spy within Daliang was correct. Baili Mo had indeed taken the bait.

The Thirteenth Crossbow Corps advanced at full speed, quickly reaching the four-hundred-meter range of the Blood Forging Realm crossbowmen.

The standard-bearer on the Cloud Platform instantly gave the signal.

Lu Changfeng drew the crossbows held by both himself and his Clone.

This type of crossbow could not be drawn by anyone below the Tendon Transformation Realm. Without the aid of Inner Strength, the string, made from the tendon of some unknown Demon Beast, wouldn’t budge an inch.

However, in the hands of a Bone Refining Realm expert like Lu Changfeng, drawing the crossbow naturally seemed much easier.

The special crossbow arrows for these weapons, usable only by Tendon Transformation Realm Martial Artists, were mixed in with ordinary reinforced arrows. They were perfect for surprise shots and could produce unexpected results.

WHOOSH!

The Thirteenth Crossbow Corps unleashed a volley of over a thousand crossbow arrows, a veritable storm of steel!

As the arrows rained down, Baili Mo’s soldiers suffered considerable casualties in an instant.

But after that first volley, Baili Mo’s troops had completely intermingled with the Twentieth Corps.

"Close the distance! Half of you, aimed shots! The other half, defend against the charging Daliang Army!" Tian Feng ordered.

The Crossbow Army advanced to two hundred meters. Half the soldiers began taking aimed shots at the Daliang troops within the Battle Array, while the other half defended against those charging their position.

’This is my first real experience in a Battle Array,’ Lu Changfeng thought, his mind already calculating how to build the future armies of the Holy Sect.

Seeing the intensity of the battle, Tian Feng waved his hand, and the few Bone Refining Realm experts surrounding him charged into the fray.

On the Daliang side, Baili Mo was now personally leading the charge, plunging into the ranks of the Twentieth Crossbow Corps.

"KILL!"

Baili Mo was a Rebirth Realm expert. Charging into the Twentieth Crossbow Corps was like a tiger entering a sheep pen. With every move, he inflicted heavy casualties on the crossbowmen, who were merely in the Blood Forging Realm.

"Baili Mo, your opponent is me!"

Someone charged out from the ranks of the Twentieth Crossbow Corps. It was their hidden Rebirth Realm expert—surprisingly, an old acquaintance of Lu Changfeng, the Lan Family Ancestor!

"My luck is pretty good today. I think I’ll try killing a Rebirth expert," Baili Mo sneered.

Not every crossbow corps had a Rebirth Realm expert.

Baili Mo directly activated his Demon Fiend Bloodline. As a War General of the Baili Family, the Demon Fiend Bloodline within him was the same as that of Baili Xiong, whom Lu Changfeng had once killed: the Ancient Thunderbird Man!

However, as a Rebirth Realm expert, his Ancient Thunderbird Man bloodline had been refined by his Spirit Body, making its concentration far beyond what an ordinary Martial Artist could ever compare to.

The moment he activated his Demon Fiend Bloodline, a pair of wings made of lightning erupted from his back!

His hands, moreover, conjured a Thunder Battlehammer!

VMMMM!

Baili Mo swung his warhammer at the Lan Family Ancestor.

He sent the Lan Family Ancestor flying back dozens of meters, kicking up a cloud of dust.

Forced to retaliate, the Lan Family Ancestor also activated his Demon Fiend Bloodline, gripping a long spear and engaging Baili Mo in fierce combat.

His Spiritual Power began to deplete rapidly in the process.

Midway through the fight, the Lan Family Ancestor began to falter. On Lu Changfeng’s side, Yuann Ming drew a staff, revealing his own Rebirth Realm status, and charged toward Baili Mo.

Catching sight of another Rebirth Realm expert coming at him from the corner of his eye, Baili Mo’s eyelid couldn’t help but twitch.

’This is bad, it really is a trap! Why haven’t the reinforcements arrived?’

Thirty crossbow corps would be matched with three or four Rebirth Realm experts at most.

Now he had run into two at once. No matter how he looked at it, this was a setup specifically to kill him.

Baili Mo wanted to flee, but Yuann Ming, fresh to the battle and with abundant Spiritual Power, immediately activated his own Demon Fiend Bloodline. He transformed into a staff-wielding Demon Ape, ignoring the lightning that wreathed Baili Mo’s body and striking with his staff without holding anything back!

He gave Baili Mo no chance to escape!

The aimed shots from the Thirteenth Corps were also taking effect. The Daliang soldiers who had charged into the Twentieth Corps not only had to deal with close-quarters combat but also faced surprise arrow attacks from two hundred meters away.

Their casualty rate skyrocketed.

Baili Mo’s unit consisted of only a thousand or so men. Fighting against two crossbow corps was too much of a stretch. Baili Mo had been arrogant.

"Baili Mo, are you still waiting for reinforcements?"

"Haha, no reinforcements are coming to save you!"

"Our other corps have already surrounded this area. No reinforcements can reach you. Today is the day you die!" Yuann Ming slammed his staff down, blasting Baili Mo into the ground, all while not forgetting to deliver a psychological blow.

"Impossible! How could you know my position in advance?"

As soon as Baili Mo said this, his heart turned cold.

’That’s right, how could they know so clearly... unless there’s a traitor by my side!’

"Haha, there are plenty of people who want you dead, Baili Mo!"

Seeing Baili Mo’s focus waver, Yuann Ming executed a Staff Technique that descended from the sky, smashing Baili Mo into the ground once more.

The Lan Family Ancestor also rushed forward, thrusting with his spear.

"THUNDEROUS FORCE!"

A powerful surge of the Power of Thunder and Lightning suddenly erupted from deep within the ground.

The expressions of Yuann Ming and the Lan Family Ancestor changed drastically as they rapidly retreated.

BZZZZT!

The thunderbolts churned and instantly expanded to a hundred-meter radius!

In an instant, a terrifying, hundred-meter-diameter hell of thunderbolts formed on the battlefield!

Aside from Yuann Ming and the Lan Family Ancestor, who were protected by their Demon Fiend Bloodlines and Spirit Bodies and had already reached the edge of the blast, they only suffered minor injuries.

But all other Daliang and Jiangnan soldiers within the hundred-meter radius were struck by the thunderbolts and utterly annihilated, not even leaving bone fragments behind.

"He actually killed himself," the Lan Family Ancestor said with a solemn expression.

What he feared most about Daliang Country was this willingness to fight to the death, an attitude that the Martial Artists of Jiangnan Prefecture lacked.

Upon realizing he could not escape the trap, Baili Mo resolutely chose to self-destruct while he still had the strength to fight.

Under this single attack, the Twentieth Crossbow Corps was almost completely wiped out.

Not only the men, but their crossbows were destroyed as well.

All that remained was a hundred-meter-wide scorched crater.

"How terrifying!" a few Deputy Captains beside Lu Changfeng murmured to themselves, thankful that Baili Mo had self-destructed over there and not on their side.

Otherwise, they had absolutely no confidence they could have survived that kind of powerful hell of thunderbolts.

For a moment, the crossbowmen of the Thirteenth Corps all offered prayers for their comrades in the Twentieth Corps who had been turned to dust, wishing them a better afterlife.

On the Daliang side, seeing their commander Baili Mo utterly destroyed, the remaining Daliang soldiers finally stopped fighting and began using various Light Body Techniques to flee.

’Are you kidding me? The commander is dead! What’s the point of fighting?!’

"Kill them! Pursue! Leave no one alive!" Tian Feng commanded.

The entire Thirteenth Corps mobilized, with Lu Changfeng and his Clone hidden among them.

The feeling of kicking an enemy when they were down was quite satisfying.

Wielding his Tendon Transformation Crossbow, Lu Changfeng could kill a fleeing Daliang soldier with almost every arrow.

A perceptive soldier from the logistics unit brought warhorses for Lu Changfeng and his Clone.

His main body and the Clone joined the other Deputy Captains, crossbows in hand. Each of them racked up a dozen or so kills.

Under the frenzied pursuit of the Thirteenth Crossbow Corps, more than half of Baili Mo’s soldiers were eventually eliminated.

The few small fry that remained couldn’t cause any more trouble.

In this engagement, the Jiangnan North Army lost one crossbow corps.

The Baili Tribe of the Daliang Army, however, lost not only a corps but also a Rebirth Realm Martial Artist.

It was clear at a glance who had won and who had lost.

Of course, it was a pyrrhic victory.

Yuann Ming had his subordinates fire signal flares in all directions and then announced their return.

The battle was declared over. The Thirteenth Corps, which Lu Changfeng belonged to, had performed with great merit. It was time for them to rotate back and rest.

As for what actions the Baili Tribe of the Daliang Army would take in response to Baili Mo’s death, that was unknown.

There were frontline scouts and deep-cover agents to investigate the enemy’s situation.

Just as Jiangnan Prefecture had its own spies in Daliang, Daliang also had traitors within Jiangnan Prefecture.

That was why this time, Yuann Ming had only joined the Thirteenth Corps right before they departed, launching a surprise operation.

There was also the tacit coordination with the other crossbow corps.

To have flawlessly executed the plan to kill Baili Mo was already extremely fortunate.