The crystal core cannon unleashed its power, annihilating a large number of zombies with the first volley, which boosted everyone's morale.
"Aim, fire!"
Gong Que, standing atop the city wall, was invigorated. Following his command, the second wave of cannonballs was launched.
A blinding flash of light streaked towards the zombie horde, but it vanished as quickly as it appeared.
The expected effect did not materialize. The zombies on the ground were still running, not a single one missing.
Furthermore, they were already very close to the moat, having moved out of the crystal core cannon's range.
At this point, firing again would not only be ineffective but could also damage Hope City.
"Gong Que, cease long-range attacks. Prepare for close-quarters firing.
Eliminate the enemies while buying time for Bu Zhi and the others."
"Understood!"
Gong Que was hesitating whether to fire again when Wen Qingtian's voice came through the intercom.
Gong Que immediately stopped the long-range bombardment and arranged for close-range firing.
The crystal core cannons on the city wall were quickly retracted, and five thousand city defense team members swiftly took their positions at the battlements.
Armed with firearms, they stared ahead, ready to fire.
These firearms and ammunition were what Ming Yue had previously seized from Qing Ying at the logistics base.
They were now all deployed and equipped to the defense team.
However, upon closer inspection, the guns glowed with a luminescence, unlike ordinary firearms.
This was because Shi Henian had modified all the guns.
Both the firearms and ammunition had been infused with crystal cores of different attributes, increasing their power by several hundred times, making them more suitable for use in the apocalypse.
"All personnel, open fire! Turn these things into sieves!"
Seeing that some zombies were about to reach the moat, Gong Que was the first to pull the trigger.
The whistling bullets flew from the muzzles like fiery serpents.
From atop the towering city wall, they rained down like a storm upon the approaching zombies.
Just then, a azure light flared, and the bullets, much like the crystal core cannonballs earlier, vanished.
Gong Que was shocked and looked towards the opposite side, searching intently.
He saw a black figure standing amidst the zombie horde, holding something resembling a large bowl.
The azure light flashed and disappeared into the bowl.
The person was Yuan Que, and what he held was not a bowl, but a钵盂 (bōyú - alms bowl).
It was no ordinary alms bowl, but Cang Lan, one of the Seven Treasures of the Wu Clan, containing the power of the ocean.
The ocean, vast and all-encompassing, possessed boundless power. The power of the ocean was a fusion of water and space elements.
Therefore, Cang Lan not only possessed immense offensive capabilities but could also absorb and neutralize all attacks.
He had just used Cang Lan to absorb the crystal core cannonballs, and now he was absorbing all the bullets.
With the bullets rendered ineffective, the zombies seized the opportunity and reached the moat.
They leaped into the crimson river with a splash, like dumplings being tossed into water, and swam towards the opposite bank.
Suddenly, the river water churned, and a colossal water dragon formed. It thrashed its body, flinging them out of the moat.
Then, the water dragon reared its massive form in the river, its head alone easily blocking the city gate.
It opened its gaping maw, unleashing a torrent of water arrows towards the riverbank.
This was Bu Zhi, leading all the water-attribute ability users within the city, standing atop the city wall and collectively manifesting the water-attribute abilities.
This water dragon had been condensed by thousands of water-attribute ability users over several hours.
Its sheer presence was enough to awe the zombies, instinctively making them retreat.
But let's not forget that Yuan Que's Cang Lan contained the power of the ocean.
Upon seeing the water dragon, Yuan Que remained unhurried. The azure light from Cang Lan appeared once more.
With a flash of light, not only did the water arrows in the air disappear, but the colossal water dragon also dissipated with a resounding boom.
The water dragon contained the full power of Bu Zhi and the water-attribute ability users. Its sudden disintegration caused a backlash.
Bu Zhi, on the city wall, felt as if a thousand-pound weight had struck his chest, and blood trickled from the corner of his mouth.
Even he, a level ten water-attribute ability user, was injured by the backlash. The other water-attribute ability users could only imagine their fate.
On the city wall, lower-level water-attribute ability users died on the spot, while the rest collapsed, severely wounded and incapacitated.
Tian Shang quickly led her team of wood-attribute ability users to tend to the wounded and clear the bodies.
Yuan Que, by the moat, did not stop. He tossed Cang Lan into the sky and cast a spell.
Cang Lan, which was originally the size of a bowl, instantly grew to the size of a millstone, its opening tilted.
The crimson water in the moat was then sucked dry by Cang Lan as if it were a water-absorbing vortex.
The entire moat instantly dried up, its bed cracking like a turtle's shell. Even the moisture in the soil was absorbed.
"He's the mysterious person who destroyed other bases. No, he's going to attack the city wall with that bowl!"
Ren Jian on the city wall recognized Gong Que as the mysterious person and, seeing the familiar action, immediately shouted.
However, all their current means of attack were ineffective, and they were unable to intercept Yuan Que's attack on the city wall.
With a deafening roar, the city wall seemed to undulate like waves, and everyone on it felt as if they were on a stormy sea.
It was Cang Lan, crashing fiercely into the city wall. The wall, reinforced by earth-attribute power, was supposed to be impregnable.
But the ocean's power was continuous and relentless, each wave stronger than the last, like water dripping through stone.
The water-attribute power contained within it was the bane of the earth-attribute, and fine cracks began to appear on the sturdy city wall.
Earth-attribute ability users, including Gong Que, quickly activated their powers to repair the cracks before the wall collapsed.
However, Cang Lan in the air did not give them much time and immediately launched a second impact.
Everyone's hearts leaped into their throats. With the current state of the city wall, it could not withstand a second impact.
"The City Lord is here! Wonderful, the City Lord is here!"
Just as Cang Lan was about to strike the city wall, Ming Yue appeared in their sight, standing atop Qing Luan.
She had been observing the situation from above Hope City.
The reason she hadn't intervened was to assess Hope City's defensive capabilities.
When Yuan Que summoned Cang Lan, her eyes gleamed, and she immediately recognized it, her heart stirred once more.
Of the Wu Clan's Seven Treasures, besides Wang Shu on her person, she had already seen Cui Wei, Fu Yao, and Fu Guang.
Now she saw Cang Lan. With Jing Sha and Xian Yun yet to appear, it couldn't be a coincidence.
Why were the Wu Clan's artifacts appearing together? Was it a deliberate arrangement by someone, or was there a conspiracy?
While her mind was racing, she saw Cang Lan about to breach the city wall. She controlled Qing Luan to descend from a high altitude.
She waved her right hand, and a giant palm condensed from earth-attribute power reappeared. Before Cang Lan could touch the city wall,
She slapped it away. While the ocean's power could counter the earth-attribute power on the city wall,
This was because the earth-attribute power was uncontrolled. Ming Yue's direct attack naturally possessed different power.
Power, in essence, is about mutual generation and restraint; there's no inherent superiority. It depends on the user's cultivation and comprehension. In this regard, Yuan Que was naturally inferior to Ming Yue.
After swatting Cang Lan away, Ming Yue steered Qing Luan and pursued it closely.
She intended to retrieve Cang Lan; Wu Clan artifacts should not be left scattered.
But at this moment, a familiar power struck her, forcing her to abandon the pursuit.