As a fleet mainly composed of Third Rank warships, they possessed formidable killing power. Even a Gold Core Daoist Master, if caught in an encirclement, would be in mortal danger.
However, Mechanical Creations like warships were still external objects. Despite their attack power being comparable to that of a Gold Core Daoist Master, they lacked flexibility and their tactics were somewhat monotonous. Without an overwhelming numerical advantage, Third Rank warships were no match for Gold Core Daoist Masters.
A Primordial Spirit True Monarch could easily annihilate a group of warships if they had the opportunity.
In this battle, Dali Dynasty deployed only three Fourth Rank warships, and Xia Houfeng was reluctant to expose them to unnecessary risks.
The Fourth Rank warships stayed at the rear of the Dali Dynasty army, providing support to the entire force.
Due to the presence of the Fourth Rank warships, the cultivator army led by White Sun Valley's forces dared not easily dispatch Primordial Spirit True Monarchs for deep assaults.
Even if a Primordial Spirit True Monarch were to be targeted by the Fourth Rank warships' concentrated attacks, they would be in danger of falling.
Of course, a Primordial Spirit True Monarch also possessed the ability to destroy the Fourth Rank warships.
The Dali Dynasty had a large number of powerful mechanical creations and a well-disciplined army, which made their maneuvers efficient.
While the reinforcements from the Jiuqu League and the Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle might have some advantages in individual combat, they were still slightly inferior in large-scale frontal battles.
In the large-scale wars of the Cultivation World, top-level experts held the power to sway the outcome of battles.
Jade Sword True Monarch and Qing Gu True Monarch had been fighting for a long time, but neither side could gain the upper hand.
One excelled in a profound Cultivation Base and vast Divine Abilities, while the other was skilled in swordsmanship and possessed immense destructive power.
During the battle between World Traveler Xiao Jiansheng from the Purple Yang Holy Sect and Xia Houfeng, they had been evenly matched for quite some time, which ignited anger in Xia Houfeng's heart, given his arrogant nature.
The Purple Yang Holy Sect was one of the major Holy Land Sects on the Middle-Earth Continent, and its lord held a high position in the Cultivation World.
Being chosen as a World Traveler by the Purple Yang Holy Sect meant one had the authority to travel far and wide, executing the will of the sect and overseeing the entire Cultivation World.
Within the Purple Yang Holy Sect, Xiao Jiansheng was truly a peerless genius. In his eyes, only cultivators of the same generation from other Holy Land Sects could be mentioned in the same breath as him.
Dali Dynasty, located on the outskirts of the Middle-Earth Continent, was widely regarded as a poor and remote place.
Yet, a group of villagers from this obscure place not only provoked Xiao Jiansheng but also managed to block his path.
Thinking of the attention and fear his sect held toward the Dali Dynasty, combined with his own experiences, Xiao Jiansheng knew that Dali Dynasty could no longer be allowed to exist and must be dealt with swiftly.
As for the person in front of him, he would be the first sacrifice among his subordinates, sent to accompany the Dali Dynasty in death.
Xiao Jiansheng began to secretly prepare his killing move, intending to strike Xia Houfeng with a single fatal blow.
Xiao Jiansheng had always been elusive, and no one could track his movements.
Before this great battle, he had contacted the Sect Master of Jade Sword Sect, Jade Sword True Monarch, expressing his support for the Jade Sword Sect.
Jade Sword Sect dared to engage in a head-on clash with the Dali Dynasty despite losing the initiative and with the Jiuqu League suffering major setbacks, all because they had received support from the Purple Yang Holy Sect.
The White Sun Valley, acting as reinforcements, was also persuaded by Xiao Jiansheng to mobilize and come to their aid.
The commotion caused by the clash between Primordial Spirit True Monarchs was so significant that the battle between Xiao Jiansheng and Xia Houfeng soon caught the attention of surrounding cultivators.
Since Xia Houfeng had already exposed Xiao Jiansheng's background, he could no longer remain hidden.
Messages were sent out in all directions using transmission talismans.
Jade Sword Sect informed everyone that the Holy Land Sect, Purple Yang Holy Sect, had dispatched reinforcements and was currently engaged in fierce battles with the Dali Dynasty's army.
Although the Jiuqu League and the Middle-Earth Continent were separated by thousands of mountains and rivers, most cultivators from the Jiuqu League had never been to the Middle-Earth Continent in their lifetime.
However, the reputation of the Holy Land Sect, no matter how remote or secluded the corner of the Cultivation World, was renowned and had enough impact.
Having the Holy Land Sect as reinforcements was undoubtedly a great boon, inspiring and uplifting the morale of the troops.
Daring to oppose the Holy Land Sect was tantamount to seeking destruction for the Dali Dynasty.
Meng Zhang, who was meditating at the moment, received this news and became even more hesitant to go to the Yellow Lotus Sect's Main Altar. Instead, he chose to observe the outcome from a distance.
The mysterious annihilation of the Taiyi Sect during its heyday was likely the work of the Viewing Heaven Pavilion within the Holy Land Sect, according to Extreme Sword Spirit General's speculation.
Meng Zhang harbored an extreme fear of these Holy Land Sects, and he dared not even approach them, let alone appear before the cultivators of the Purple Yang Holy Sect.
Of course, it's possible that the Taiyi Sect's annihilation had nothing to do with the Viewing Heaven Pavilion.
After all these years, there had been no sign of the Viewing Heaven Pavilion pursuing the remnants of the Taiyi Sect, nor had any other Holy Land Sect troubled them...
However, Meng Zhang didn't dare to bet on these uncertainties. He preferred to keep his distance and not invite trouble upon himself.
An eerie scene appeared on the battlefield.
The defense lines breached by the Dali Dynasty were chaotic, with the sound of killings filling the air and bodies scattered everywhere.
Yet, in the area surrounding the Taiyi Sect, an inexplicable calmness prevailed. Whether it was due to the Dali Dynasty's oversight or some other reason, this region hadn't faced a new round of attacks.
In fact, with the appearance of reinforcements from the Grand Crossing Cultivation Circle and Purple Yang Holy Sect cultivators, the Dali Dynasty had concentrated all available forces and couldn't spare attention to these peripheral areas.
Taking advantage of this rare moment of leisure, Meng Zhang began sorting through his gains.
This time, he had slain Marshal Wang's physical body, leaving only his Primordial Spirit. Everything on his body became Meng Zhang's spoils.
He had several storage magic tools on him. Though these magic tools were not of high grade, their internal space was substantial.
Judging from their appearance, they seemed to be standard-issue magic tools of the Dali Dynasty.
Inside the storage magic tools, various items were neatly classified.
Ignoring the miscellaneous items like spirit stones and talismans, Meng Zhang mainly searched for items that would be useful to him.
There were a total of eight large bottles of Nine Heavens Refined Essence, and even if Meng Zhang spent a few months diving deep into the Nine Heavens, he might not have obtained such a haul.
In Dali Dynasty, there were many Primordial Spirit True Monarchs who regularly organized expeditions into the Nine Heavens to acquire Nine Heavens Refined Essence and various Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects.
They even ventured into the extremely dangerous extraterritorial void, which was not an uncommon occurrence.
The treatment and status of Primordial Spirit cultivators serving in the Dali Dynasty were excellent.
The Nine Heavens Refined Essence served as a daily allowance for early-stage Primordial Spirit cultivators, and it was more than enough for their needs.
For mid-stage Primordial Spirit cultivators and above, they received refined essence collected from the extraterritorial void as their allowance.
Dali Dynasty placed great importance on military achievements and had a clear system of rewards and punishments.
For instance, when organizing Primordial Spirit cultivators to explore the Nine Heavens or the extraterritorial void and obtain various Heaven and Earth Spiritual Objects, the organizers would claim the lion's share, while the participants would be rewarded according to their contributions, making it relatively fair.