In truth, among the surrounding foreign races, many practiced battle qi cultivation techniques. The differences between battle qi and other cultivation arts were stark. One was wild and violent, the other gentle and restrained. In terms of combat effectiveness, each had its strengths. Victory depended entirely on the individual cultivator. In this world, there was no such thing as the strongest technique—only the strongest cultivator. Even when practicing the same method, no two people would yield the same results in battle.
Still, at a certain point, battle prowess remained formidable.
Battle qi was easy to start with and accessible to many. With the right technique, one could open their Divine Sea and condense battle qi. However, battle qi did not circulate through the eight extraordinary meridians or the twelve principal channels. Instead, it directly formed a vortex within the Divine Sea. At each stage of the Divine Sea Realm, an additional vortex would form.
Those gathered here now were all elites—battle qi experts who had stepped onto the path of cultivation.
Among them stood a towering figure, covered in bristly hair, clad in beast hide, and wearing a belt made of snakeskin. He held a vicious-looking scythe in hand—its material unknown, as if it were a naturally formed divine weapon, radiating a bloody luster like blood jade. In his grasp, it exuded an invisible aura of intimidation.
His frame was two to three times larger than that of an ordinary kobold.
Just standing on the ground, he emanated an oppressive presence. All the surrounding kobolds looked at him with reverence and fervent awe.
This was the Kobold Tribe's chieftain, who called himself Gou Buli (Dog Never Leaves).
"Hmph, the other tribes are lying in wait, watching from the shadows. Clearly, they want to use us kobolds as cannon fodder—to test the strength of the human race. But this time, I'll show you cowards that the kobold tribe is not weak! A mere twenty thousand humans before my army of hundreds of thousands? Like a ripple in a pond. We'll crush and annihilate them! We'll take their lives—and their treasures."
Gou Buli sneered, glancing around coldly.
Of course he knew how many eyes were watching from the shadows. Normally, the wisest course would have been to withdraw and wait for others to strike first before swooping in to reap the rewards. But he had immense confidence in the strength of his people. With hundreds of thousands of warriors under his command, not only was he unafraid, he was eager to slaughter the humans and slap the other alien races in the face.
He stepped forward onto the edge of a mountain valley, standing atop a hill.
His gaze fell upon the human army calmly seated in the valley. His eyes grew cold. Without hesitation, he raised his scythe and shouted:
"Kobold warriors, advance! Kill all the humans!"
His voice echoed through the valley, reverberating between heaven and earth.
"Kill!!"
"Charge! Slaughter every last human! Let all the races of the heavens see the might of the kobolds!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!!"
With a single order, the countless kobolds perched on the valley rim erupted in frenzy. Their eyes gleamed with madness and savagery as they howled and dove toward the valley below. It was as if a tidal wave of bodies was about to drown the entire valley and turn it into a mass grave for humans.
"It's begun!!"
"I have a feeling the humans won't just sit and wait to die. They're definitely hiding something."
"Let the kobolds probe first."
Eyes in the shadows locked onto the battlefield. No one wanted to miss such a grand clash. Watching would also help them gauge both sides' strength—information critical for the wars to come.
"Form ranks!!"
"Divine Machine Battalion, form up!!"
Wang Dahu and Yang Yanping stood and issued their commands in unison.
Boom!!
At that moment, the seated human soldiers sprang up as one. Their synchronized movements and unified response were so perfectly timed that they produced a deafening crack in the air. The sheer momentum countered the kobold charge like a giant suddenly rising, making the overwhelming kobold advance seem far less unstoppable.
The army swiftly formed up into battle formations.
Blades unsheathed, bows drawn, crossbows cocked!
Their auras merged into one, forming a cohesive war machine—an unshakable force.
Swordsmen, spearmen, shield-bearers, archers—each unit took its place with precision. Their combined presence evoked the aura of a supreme war god gazing down upon the world.
"Such a strong formation... what precise alignment. It's said human armies obsess over formations and discipline. If nothing else, that aura is impressive."
"But impressive looks don't win wars. We'll see if it holds up under pressure."
"Interesting. I hope the humans bring us a different kind of war."
From the shadows, various alien races reacted—some with disdain, others with curiosity.
But all eyes inevitably returned to the valley. No one wanted to miss even a second.
RUMBLE—!!
The kobold charge was like a crashing wave—ferocious and fast. In a mere blink, they had stormed into the valley.
But soon after entering, some kobolds felt the ground vanish beneath their feet, like stepping into a swamp. One instinctively looked down—and his soul nearly left his body.
"Swamp! It's a swamp! I've fallen in! Help, pull me out!"
Beneath the lush grass, hidden from sight, were expansive swamps. Kobolds knew all too well the dangers of swamps—silent, deadly traps. Once caught, without help, one would be swallowed whole within moments and vanish forever.
Panicked, the trapped kobolds thrashed wildly—only worsening their situation. In no time, the mire reached their necks. Dozens, even hundreds, were caught in an instant.
"Here too—swamp! I'm stuck!"
The kobold assault came from all directions, but they hadn't expected such a terrain. As they stormed in, thousands fell prey to the hidden bogs. Swallowed by the earth.
Screams rang out again and again.
"So it is a swamp! The humans chose to camp in this valley with no defenses—because they already knew about the terrain. They feared no surprise attacks."
"Brilliant—this swamp wasn't natural. It must've been man-made. I remember—this area used to be teeming with wild beasts. Now, they're all gone."
"Thousands of kobolds lost to a single swamp trap. During a full-speed charge, hidden beneath tall grass... from the surface, you'd never notice it. One misstep—and you're dead."
"Humans and their damned schemes. Always relying on trickery."
Those watching from the shadows gasped in horror. Had another race been charging instead, such a swamp could have wiped out half their force.
"Keep charging!!"
Despite witnessing the devastating losses, Gou Buli didn't waver in the slightest.
His scythe slashed forward, and the kobold army surged on. No one stopped to help the fallen. It was impossible. In such a charge, to hesitate meant death. To pause in a swamp was to die.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
As the kobolds passed the swamp zone, the ground beneath them suddenly erupted. Ice and fire exploded, merging to create a force of annihilation. Kobolds were shredded instantly—flesh and bone flying in every direction.
And it didn't stop—explosions followed one after another.
In the blasts of flame and frost, some kobolds became torches, others frozen statues—but all perished, blown apart by devastating power. Blood rained from the skies, body parts littering the air like grotesque confetti.
It was a scene of pure horror.
"Rune bombs—those are Xuanhuang City's rune bombs! It was an ambush! The humans prepared this entire valley in advance!"
"So many bombs! Look! The vanguard is gone—torn to pieces. In a single instant, tens of thousands died. This isn't just deadly—it's a death zone."
Countless aliens watching from afar felt a chill grip their hearts. The sight was too terrifying.
"Before the battle even begins, I'll make the kobolds lose a third of their forces."
Said Jia Xu calmly.
The swamps and rune bombs had all been deployed last night, precisely for this moment—to devastate the enemy in one strike. It worked. The kobold morale was visibly shaken.
"Even if we lose more, we'll carve a path through! These traps won't stop us!"
Gou Buli's eyes were ice cold. He gave a chilling order:
"Second wave—advance!"