novelraw Chapter 904 767: Battle Armor
Chapter 904 767: Battle Armor
Manxi had no regrets over this Xuanji Token Master lamenting for Dongguo Shou. He now lacked figures to confront other teams' experts forcefully or to hold the line. With all tokens awakened, any battle charge would have no morale, and relying on scattered troops below couldn't withstand the massacre from other teams; hence, he thought of unexpected strategies.
Simply put, he thought of Shi Chun, but in between was the Xuanji Token Master.
Anyone with a clear mind knew that Shi Chun was now under this Xuanji Token Master. Shi Chun's purpose in coming was not for the victory or defeat in the Battle of Great Pardon, but to serve this master, and those with insight knew what to do.
If it were not for this, he could have directly ordered Shi Chun, and Shi Chun wouldn't dare to disobey.
The problem was that the mode of contact with Shi Chun was in this master's hands and he couldn't bypass this master.
Therefore, he said resentfully, "With all tokens about to awaken, the four Royal Court teams have conspired long to ambush Dongguo Shou. At this point, I'm losing my bearings. I beg the master to guide me."
Mulan Jin cast a sidelong glance at him. Frankly, no matter the outcome of this battle or who controls the Demon Realm in the end, it didn't concern him at all due to his status, and he didn't care for such slight benefits. In theory, such games don't require people of his level to intervene personally; he entered purely for personal reasons.
Thus he replied nonchalantly, "Honorable Commander, you exaggerate. This matter is beyond my control."
Seeing he wasn't cooperative, Manxi straightforwardly suggested, "Master, now we lack a person to hold the line. Could Shi Chun be entrusted with this task?"
Mulan Jin's eyebrows moved slightly, understanding the intent behind performing desperate acts with a dead horse. He immediately denied: "He can't bear such a heavy responsibility. Whether Luo Que, Yan Zhili, Su Jikuan, or Feng Yin, they are not something Shi Chun can face. Sending him is no different from sending him to his death."
Manxi hurriedly said, "Master, in my humble opinion, that might not be the case. It's said that Shi Chun has repeatedly turned the tides with inferior strength, delivering unexpected victories through various contests. Before, his rescue of Li Hongjiu was truly eye-opening. Now we're short of someone to stabilize the situation, an ingenious stratagem could turn things around. Shall we give Shi Chun a try? What do you think, Master?"
Mulan Jin felt it was quite absurd; could this really be a matter of surprise victories? Once the main battlefield is set, no stratagem can avoid direct confrontation.
He could understand this person's fear of being cornered, willing to try any potential hope.
But he shouldn't have targeted him, or made him do difficult things, so he vetoed again: "If he had the Sky Splitting Sword in his hand, he might manage a surprise attack. Now, hoping for a miracle is like putting your neck out to be chopped. Commander claimed it was safest to leave the Sky Splitting Sword with Dongguo Shou and pressured Shi Chun to surrender the treasure sword. I am a protector and never eat my words, so please instruct me how to explain this to Shi Chun?"
Manxi cursed inwardly; a mere Shi Chun, at this point, a broken promise is just that; what can he do about it?
He couldn't say this, and casually promised, "I won't let him suffer loss in vain. I'll give him credit for three hundred tokens as a compensation."
Mulan Jin cast another sidelong glance, wanting to ask, if your team can't win the laurel nor achieve victory, what's the worth even if you credit him with three thousand tokens?
But he remained silent, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
Manxi bowed and stepped back without saying more, as their stance was clear. Overextending risks irritation. He felt aggrieved; before, he had always followed orders, but now, this lack of concern was shown.
Resentful, yet dared not show a hint of displeasure because he couldn't afford to offend.
The four Royal Court teams resolved Dongguo Shou prior to token awakening, and on the island, Tong Mingshan didn't let Shi Chun down. Pushing himself to the limit, he finished refining the battle armor just in time.
Upon receiving the notice, Shi Chun's group hurried to the island's mountain recess below the 'True Fire Ruyi Tower' to collect and try on the armor.
Tong Mingshan looked slightly exhausted from all the effort, but felt relieved watching everyone excitedly trying on the armor.
Though the Master said making do would be enough, he couldn't restrain his perfectionism regarding the armor's appearance; even if the lining was subpar, he didn't want the surface to look like a laughingstock's second-rate product.
The battle armor was complete, from head to toe, including the helmet, visors, neck protection, shoulder plates, arm armor, breastplate, wrist guards, abdomen protection, waist guards, front apron armor, rear falcon tail, skirt armor, and leg guards. A tuft of red tassel adorned the helmet top, baklava-like layers of texture covered the overlapping boots, with each part linked by intricate chainnets.
This armor, in its comprehensiveness, clearly outclassed the specifications of Heavenly Court Battle Armor, especially with its prominent faceplate, which was missing from the Heavenly Court Armor.
An Wuzhi questioned about the faceplate, "Why is there a face on the chest? Is it meant to scare people deliberately?"
Tong Mingshan, occasionally offering tips on how to wear the gear, quickly explained: "That's the faceplate, which can be removed. Press and cast a spell to push it up and take it down; when not in use, it can be fitted and hung on the chest front for extra protection. In use, it can slide up to cover the face as a mask, fitting firmly onto the helmet. Positioned on the breastplate, it forms a protective layer, if placed on the helmet, it becomes a face shield."
Only then did those trying on the armor understand and moved around, confirming if their movements were free.
The original intertwining gold and blue metallic textures had been blended with some material by Tong Mingshan, turning all into a subdued matte black, yet with that hint of red tassel on top, the whole armor exuded immense and majestic aura.
It wasn't that Tong Mingshan intended to craft it so imposing, but sometimes things appear as fate dictates. With deliberate craftsmanship, the armor naturally presented this demeanor, without deliberate intention.
It looked imposing even while hanging, and when worn, it appeared more formidable, exuding a profound, mysterious sense of murderous intent.
Chai Wenwu, who came to spectate, saw everyone happily trying on the impressive armor and felt envious, his lips moving slightly, eyes filled with both admiration and grievance, as he had fought alongside through life and death, yet had no share of the good things.
But seeing Han Bao, Mulan Qingqing, and Li Hongjiu not far away only watching, he felt relieved; even the master's own had no share, so he couldn't complain.
Standing at the tower entrance, Tong Mingshan didn't try the armor openly as he had already tried it first after its crafting.
Except for him, Shi Chun, Wu Jinliang, Zhu Xiangxin, An Wuzhi, Shen Moming, Xiao Sheng, and Feng Chi each had a set, a total of eight sets of battle armor were crafted.
Originally, Shi Chun didn't want to make armor for Feng Chi, but later considered Feng Chi's constant loyalty and his own needs for the Demon Path. Moreover, he had plenty of materials at hand, so he included Feng Chi, hoping for longevity.
Clang, Shi Chun suddenly drew his sword, slashing at Wu Jinliang's shoulder, causing the ground beneath Wu Jinliang's feet to sink suddenly, yet the shoulder armor showed no damage.
"How is it?" Shi Chun asked for feedback.
Wu Jinliang raised his hand to pat his shoulder, chuckling, "Pretty good, didn't feel much impact, not bad at all."
Then he cupped his hands to the crowd and said, "You guys enjoy, I'm heading back to my cave to continue closed cultivation."
Shi Chun nodded slightly, knowing that he had successfully forged an Earth Immortal body and was now eager to break through to the Earth Immortal Upper Realm. This was something Shi Chun, bustling in preparation at this critical juncture, was pleased with and looking forward to.
As Wu Jinliang departed, a rhythmic swishing sound emanated from him, devoid of any loud clatter, which Li Hongjiu noted approvingly, seeing the effort Tong Mingshan had put in.
As an expert, he also noticed a detail that with the force of the sword just now, it left no mark on Wu Jinliang's shoulder armor. Wu Jinliang wiped away the white trace with his hand, and it was gone. It's important to know that Shi Chun's cultivation had reached the Earth Immortal realm.
He couldn't help but dart into the mountain hollow, reaching out to feel Shi Chun's armor, giving it knocks and taps for a while, then turned to ask Tong Mingshan, "What material is this?"
Tong Mingshan shrugged, Shi Chun answered directly, "Not sure, picked it up back in the Divine Fire Domain."
"..." Li Hongjiu could only wonder in confusion.
Mulan Qingqing, observing the scene, had to admit that when they all donned armor, there was a sense of grandeur. She too felt the impulse to become one of them.
Seeing Li Hongjiu head over, she too flew down from the slope, directly asking, "Are you preparing for a big battle?"
Shi Chun answered with a smile, "Hopefully, being prepared can prevent problems."
His goals now were simple, he must strive for what he should, though he didn't dare to compete with the likes of Luo Que, he should try his best to protect the token in his hand. The rest was about naturally benefiting from the Heavenly Court Team's success, where Dongguo Shou overwhelms others, and with the Sky Splitting Sword, the chances of capturing the title are presumably high.
Protecting the token in hand, together with the reward of hundreds of tokens recorded at the Command Center, when the merits are counted and lands granted in the Demon Realm, although he might not have the chance to take one of the four commanders' positions, he should be able to get some City Lord positions.
Once he becomes a legitimate City Lord of the Heavenly Court, he would be an official with territorial control, having a strong backing. From then on, any forces will have to comply with rules, and no one could openly mess with him.
No more sneaking around, and coming and going from Xun Gate would be free too, previous troubles would naturally be resolved, allowing him to stand ashore watching others struggle.
Eventually, Mulan Qingqing couldn't resist asking, "Since you're preparing for a big battle, why don't I have any armor?"
Shi Chun almost burst out laughing; letting you join the battle, one must be crazy to let you join. If anything happens to you, I won't get to step on the shore. Your father would send me back to Life Prison to continue my stay. He'd rather knock you out than let you join the battle.
To someone like him, such questions were too naive, he smoothly replied, "Qingqing, not enough materials, you'll have to make do."
With him saying so, what else could Mulan Qingqing say? After hesitating, she remained silent and turned around.
After clearing out the idle people and the others dispersed, Tong Mingshan was about to put away the 'True Fire Ruyi Tower', but was stopped by Shi Chun, who gestured for him to enter the tower for a chat.
After they entered and closed the door, Shi Chun asked, "There should still be crafting materials left, right?"
Tong Mingshan: "Yes, used less than a third."
"Good, later make a set for Chu Jingtang and Lao Changtai for protection if needed," Shi Chun said while sweeping his sleeve, releasing Qilin A San. Pointing at the puzzled A San, he said, "Make a set of armor for it too."
This was the person who just told Mulan Qingqing there wasn't enough material.
"..." Qilin A San looked back at him in confusion.
"..." Tong Mingshan also stared at him for a moment, then hesitantly said, "Its size alone might consume a third of the crafting materials."
"Use it if we have it, prepare as thoroughly as possible now, if not needed later, we can melt it down," Shi Chun said, seemingly to corroborate his point, he hopped onto Qilin A San's back, drawing his sword to swing it around.
The slightly bored Qilin A San had been wanting to move, immediately carrying him for a run around inside the tower.
After Shi Chun stopped it, he parked in front of Tong Mingshan, waved his sword down from a height and said, "See, it's big, hard to touch opponents wielding this sword on its back, make me a large long-handled broadsword, easier to slash from its back. Given the hardness of the material, making weapons should be sharp too?"
"..." Tong Mingshan, dazed for a moment, gradually understood his intent and nodded, "I'll try my best."