The reinforcements had arrived, but they did not descend into the tunnel. They were on standby as a replacement for the soldiers who were fighting.
The Blood God Army had a force that was two divisions strong. It was not without reason that they were able to suppress the abyssal tunnels for thousands of years. Regardless of the changes they faced, they were able to react and adapt quickly. It was this quality alone that made them extraordinary.
A faint light flickered and a smile appeared on Tang Wulin's face. Amidst the iron-filled aura, he felt his own bloodline beginning to boil.
All men had always hoped to dominate the battlefield and experience the shock of steel and blood.
It was Tang Wulin's first experience on the battlefield. It was also his first to face a battle of such a large scale. There were as many as two thousand troops inside the tunnel.
Tang Wulin had asked Jiang Wuyue regarding the matter. If all thirty-six tunnels needed guarding, and two thousand men had to be stationed at each tunnel, then their numbers would not be enough! After all, the main force was only fifteen thousand strong. At most, they could only guard seven tunnels.
However, Jiang Wuyue explained to him that the calculations did not work this way. It was not easy to initiate an abyssal tide from the abyssal plane. Of the thirty-six tunnels, abyssal tides would only appear inside three tunnels at most. Hence, not all of them had to be guarded. In truth, there were also protective shields within each tunnel. Even if the abyssal tides appeared in many tunnels, the Blood God's Heart's defensive strength was still capable of withstanding them for a long while. It would provide ample time for the troops to rotate among the tunnels and kill off the abyssal creatures which would attack after the abyssal energy.
At the same time, the army had reserved forces. They also had some special soul weapons that were meant for fighting these abyssal creatures. The defenses that had lasted for thousands of years were impregnable. Naturally, they had ways to tackle all the situations.
After he heard his explanation, Tang Wulin decided not to ask anymore. He knew that it would be more expeditious to observe for himself.
The destructive energy impact lasted for almost two hours. The rumbling sounds gradually subsided. However, Tang Wulin could see that the densely-packed abyssal creatures had filled the entire cave's exit behind the blue light screen. Once the light screen was shut down, they would immediately charge forth.
These abyssal creatures looked fierce. If ordinary people saw them, they would have been scared to death already.
"Prepare for battle!" Jiang Wuyue shouted. His body flashed with light, and he donned his battle armor. A pair of wings unfurled behind him. It was an impressive-looking two-word battle armor.
His battle armor was metallic black with no extravagant ornamental patterns, but it was extremely thick and heavy. It was a trait of the Overlord Dragon.
Pure power!
The mecha warriors of the melee battalion took a step forward and raised their gigantic shields.
Each mecha held a giant shield which was fifteen meters tall. It completely shielded them.
They only had to withstand the impact from their enemies and their sole purpose would have been achieved. The ones who would dish out real damage were the long-range attackers in the rear.
If it were not a rank-3 abyssal tide, there would be no need for them to deploy such measures.
Tang Wulin could not help but found the current situation amusing. His luck had always been against the will of the heavens. If only three out of the thirty-six tunnels could possibly encounter the abyssal tide, it would only be a one-twelfth chance! With his luck, he had chanced upon the experience of coming across an abyssal tide. He was speechless.
At this very moment, the destructive energy's impact subsided completely. Just then, an electronic voice came on, "The Blood God's Heart's shield will be shut down shortly. All units prepare for battle."
Behind them, Long Yuxue leaped to her feet. Tang Wulin was not near her but beside Jiang Wuyue instead. Although she was frowning, she still displayed her professionalism as a soldier. She joined the ranks of the long-range attacking units behind them without hesitation and prepared for battle.
The bluish light gradually faded. The deafening roars of the abyssal creatures could be heard distinctly now.
"Attack!" came the yell of a commanding officer from behind. Shortly after, hundreds of light orbs shot out. They drew arcs in the air and bombarded the cave's mouth.
Over at the cave, the Blood God's Heart's protective shield had vanished at this precise moment. The abyssal creatures surged out from within.
"Argh!" came a sharp howl. All the Blood God Army's soldiers had their hearts shaken, and they lost their sanity temporarily. A shower of white light enveloped them at this very moment and blocked the sound from reaching their ears.
The Blood God Army was truly experienced in dealing with the abyssal creatures. However, the experience had been obtained by sacrificing lives.
An intense explosion sounded shortly after. Countless abyssal creatures were destroyed in the explosions. For a time, an extreme energy shockwave surged throughout the battlefield.
The long-range attacks rained down relentlessly from the rear and collided fiercely with the charging abyssal creatures.
Tang Wulin stood beside Jiang Wuyue and saw countless blasts of light. He could not make out the details of the scene.
The giant shields in the hands of the melee battalion's mecha warriors shone with a protective glow. They formed a light screen and blocked everything before them. They facilitated their comrades in the rear to fire away at their enemies.
It was a war! In war, Tang Wulin was confident of his own strength although he felt insignificant.
The explosions happened one after another. Amidst the deafening cries, the abyssal creatures seemed to have no blood. Only puffs of dense, greyish-black clouds returned to the cave along the abyssal tunnel. Those were the abyssal creatures that have died.
Tang Wulin thought, 'I wonder how much my cultivation base will improve if I use my Golden Dragon Spear to absorb those energies. If only I were in the front lines.'
However, he kept that as a thought. Putting the sheer number of abyssal creatures aside, he did not think that he would be able to withstand the aftermath of the long-range attacks' exploding shockwaves.
The battle had become intensely fierce very quickly.
Currently, of the thirty-six tunnels, other than the tunnel where the abyssal tide had appeared, the others were all sealed by the Blood God's Heart's shield to prevent new abyssal tides from appearing. The defenses were strong as iron.
Mankind's technology had been continuously improving. New weapons were endlessly being utilized on the battlefield. When the Blood God Army was first established, it had lost seventy percent of its soldiers during the first abyssal tide. Over time, the number of soldiers lost decreased for each battle.
Up until this moment, although there were still soldiers killed during the battle, the number of casualties had decreased significantly. It had become comparatively safer.
"Bam!" A sound different from an explosion was heard. One of the shield-wielding mechas on the front line retreated a few steps. Some abyssal creatures had gotten near!
Shortly after, there were more intense collisions. The abyssal creatures' impacts were extremely fierce. Amidst the loud crashing sounds, the mecha warriors channeled all their energies for defense. Meanwhile, the rear continued in their assault.
For a time, the abyssal creatures' attacks were completely confined to one side.
Jiang Wuyue observed the entire battlefield with a grim expression. Currently, the battle armor masters and black mecha masters had not even joined the fray. They were the reserved forces meant to support the weaker defenses.
Based on the strength of the enemies' attacks, it was still not time to threaten their defenses.
At the moment, the ground began shaking. Scores of shadows suddenly appeared in the skies. These shadows were bulky. They had just appeared in midair, and they immediately brought upon an immense pressure along with their presence.
Tang Wulin looked up and saw a dozen huge Ba Ans in the air. He did not know what power had sustained them up there. These Ba Ans had obviously tried to break through their defensive line and attack the long-range troops behind.
Jiang Wuyue snorted and waved his hand.
A row of strong lights shone behind him. The long-range attackers had been ready for quite a while. Beams of dazzling rays shone brightly in the air. The Ba Ans in midair let out wails. Under the attacks of the unknown soul tools, they were riddled with a thousand gaping wounds and blasted into the air flows.
Lights flashed within Tang Wulin's eyes. He could not restrain himself any longer. He tossed his Golden Dragon Spear and impaled a Ba An. The lance absorbed some blackish-grey air flow. The volume was equivalent to the body size of a Ba An.
In terms of kills, his merit points did not increase, but after the Golden Dragon Spear returned to his grasp, a powerful energy wave instantly coursed through his body. It immediately invigorated his aura.
"Don't waste your strength," Jiang Wuyue said with a frown on his face.
"Hmm." Tang Wulin nodded but his heart was filled with great joy. The Ba An was indeed a high-ranking abyssal creature. With just a single individual, after he refined the energy he obtained, his soul core and blood essence crystal had shown signs of solidifying.
He silently urged the two vortices within his body to absorb this surge of energy. At the same time, he carried out a second refinement. Only the essence was left.