Chapter 427: Convenience Victory

For a moment, nothing happened. The noodle packets just lay there on the ground, smoking slightly.

The Vindicator leader tilted his head again, a gesture of silent, metallic confusion.

Then, the first packet exploded. A cataclysmic, weaponized burst of Demon King-grade seasoning and a dozen other hyper-volatile spices.

FWOOM!

A cloud of eye-watering, throat-searing and lung-burning red dust erupted from the center of the phalanx. The dust brought about not just its spiciness but also a potent burn into their system.

The chili, the ingredient blessed by a divine being, was designed to challenge the palates of cultivators. Weaponized and aerosolized, it became a biological and spiritual agent of pure misery.

The effect on the Vindicators was immediate and devastating.

Their linked energy field, designed to block spiritual attacks, offered no defense against physical, airborne particles.

By the time the leader ordered them to deflect the noodle packets, the fine red dust had already seeped through the tiny gaps in their heavy armor, through their helmets’ visors and breathing vents.

The disciplined, silent army of steel suddenly broke.

Armored knights began coughing violently, dropping their glaives to claw at their helmets as they scrambled to remove them. Their metallic, synthesized voices, which had issued ultimatums moments before, were now a chorus of choked gasps and pained shrieks.

Following that, their perfect shield wall wavered, then collapsed into a writhing, chaotic mob of flailing silver armor.

The Vindicator leader, caught in the epicenter of the chili-calypse, stumbled back, his own helmet filling with the suffocating, fiery dust. He tried to roar a command, but it came out as a strangled, pathetic wheeze.

The raid force stared, their mouths agape. They had just witnessed a heavily-armored, elite alien phalanx, a formation that could have held off a siege for days, be completely and utterly neutralized by a hundred packets of spicy instant noodles.

Back in the store, Liu Xiaoyu was on the floor, clutching her stomach, tears of laughter streaming down her face. “Boss! That’s hilarious! Pfft. Did you specifically request the production of that variant to be used as a bomb?”

Wu Meiyu stared at the projection, her regal composure completely gone, replaced by a look of profound, earth-shattering disbelief. She had learned how to utilize anything for a strategy, especially in war, but she had never, ever factored in the strategic application of a mundane product of the store to be used like that. Aren’t they for consumption?

Lin Mo simply took a calm sip of his iced coffee. All the production was at the whims of the Divine Pantheon. He could only give a suggestion. But then again, with how quickly they were to apply most of the feedback sent to them, it might not be wrong to say that he could influence the store’s direction.

Through the command channel, his voice cut through the stunned silence on the battlefield, ringing across every Flash Raid member’s Viewing Jade.

“Their formation is broken. Their senses are compromised. Their morale is… inconveniently low. Celestial Duelists, it’s your turn again. Overwhelm them. Master Liu, secure the Anchor entrance and capture their leader. We need to learn more about their world. Patriarch Liu and the Ancestors are on the way to reinforce you.”

He then opened a private channel to Liu Zhongzu. “And Master Liu… after you secure the entrance, do me a favor. Ask their leader if he’d like a can of [Heavenly Dew Soda]. It’s very effective at quenching spice.”

Liu Zhongzu, who was still trying to process the sheer absurdity of what he had just witnessed, let out a booming laugh that echoed through the command link. “Shopkeeper, your methods are… inspired! Consider it done!”

Liu Xiaoyu, hearing her father laughing like that, couldn’t help but tilt her head. After all, she had known him since her childhood but this was the first time she was seeing her father act like that.

On the battlefield, the stunned silence of the raid force gave way to a roar of unified, almost hysterical laughter, which then morphed into a ferocious battle cry.

The fear and awe inspired by the Vindicators’ discipline had been completely replaced by the confidence of seeing them brought low by a common snack.

“Now!” Liu Zhongzu commanded, his voice filled with renewed vigor. “Celestial Duelists, second wave! Do not let them recover! Cultivator teams, circle the flanks! Sect disciples, push the center! Go! Take control of the Anchor’s entrance and prevent more of them from spilling into our realm!”

The army of convenience surged forward, a tidal wave of cultivators and spiritual projections crashing into the now-disorganized and choking ranks of the Argent Covenant.

The battle, which should have been a bloody, grinding siege, had turned into a rout.

The Vindicators were warriors, not cultivators. Their strength was in their linked technology, their perfect formations, and their unyielding discipline. Stripped of those, they were just heavily armored soldiers, blinded, suffocating, and fighting an enemy that could summon monsters from thin air.

Of course, their strength remained considerable. If even Decrint Tribe and the Outer Realm where the Crystalweb Tyrant came from could send out creatures with strength similar to peak Core Formation or even Nascent Soul Stage, these armored foreigners were also no weaker than average Spirit Condensation Stage.

A hulking [Ironscale Basilisk] stomped through the red haze, its petrifying gaze turned a flailing knight into a brittle statue of silver, which was then shattered by a charging [Celestial Eagle].

Yan Wei, still seeking glory, led the Azure Gale disciples like a whirlwind using their [Azure Gale Steps], their wind blades creating a vortex that not only cut through armor but also helpfully spread the spicy dust even further into the enemy ranks.

“Taste the storm of convenience, you metal-clad fools!” He roared, clearly enjoying the chaos.

Zhou Rui, meanwhile, executed his protective strategy with ruthless efficiency. His Crimson Vale team split into two. One formed a solid wall, defending the more vulnerable support-type cultivators and the other went wild with their bloodthirsty nature, hacking down Vindicators left and right.

A Vindicator, maddened by the spice, broke through the lines and charged at a [Sapphire Melody] and the Celestial Duelist that summoned. But before it could reach them, Zhou Rui intercepted, his wind-attribute saber coated by his crimson qi found the gap between the helmet and the chest plate.

The Crown Prince, Wu Tianlong, fought with the calm precision of royalty. He wasn’t focused on racking up kills, but he’s like a small commander dismantling the enemy’s command structure. With the Dragon General following his every order, they became like a spear penetrating deep into the enemy lines.

High above, the Guardian Construct Drones began their second phase of support. Instead of dropping more noodle packets, they began dropping Aura Beacons, called by the group leaders. An [Aura of Restoration] totem landed near a group of injured mercenaries, bathing them in a gentle, healing green light. An [Aura of Efficiency] totem was dropped among the Celestial Duelists, reducing the spiritual energy cost of their summons and allowing them to bring out even more powerful units.

The Vindicator leader, having finally managed to tear off his helmet, gasped for air, his face contorted in a mask of pain and fury. His eyes burned red from the chili dust, taking in the sight of his perfect army being systematically dismantled.

He raised his glaive, a wave of metallic energy pulsing from his body, attempting to expel the effect of the chili dust and rally his troops.

But his call was drowned out by the roar of a hundred summoned units and the triumphant cries of a thousand cultivators.

Just as he prepared for a desperate last stand, a figure appeared before him with the speed of a thunderclap. It was Liu Zhongzu.

The patriarch of the Liu Clan didn’t even bother with a technique. He simply brought his fist, crackling with a storm of lightning, down upon the Vindicator leader’s head.

The knight raised his glaive to block but the raw power of a peak Nascent Soul expert was too much.

The weapon was deflected and the armor caved in, causing the Vindicator leader to slam into the ground, creating a small crater.

Liu Zhongzu stood over his defeated opponent with a calm expression. He reached into his spatial ring, pulled out a frosty can of [Heavenly Dew Soda], and tossed it onto the Vindicator’s chest with a soft clink.

“The Shopkeeper,” Liu Zhongzu said, his voice laced with a profound, almost pitying amusement, “sends his regards. And a refreshment.”

The battle was over. The surviving Vindicators, seeing their leader captured that easily, had their will to fight extinguished. Not only that, the absurdity of their defeat was almost crushing. They immediately dropped their weapons and surrendered.

Back in the store, Lin Mo watched the final moments in contemplative silence.

While they successfully prevented the invasion from the breached Anchor, diving inside it and resetting its core would be such a difficult task if guarded by far more intelligent enemies.

“Boss, what are you planning to do with that Anchor?” Liu Xiaoyu asked.

“What else? Integrate it with the store through the [Anchor Interference Protocol]. Xiaoyu, we’re just starting. The Eastern Abyssal Domain will have to quickly raise its strength through climbing Towers and exploring Anchors.”

The Violethaven Temple won’t be happy with this result. They will surely plan something again. Not to mention, the threat of undiscovered Anchors. Like Taihao said, the store will be the rallying beacon for the First Heaven.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep