Outside Hongtian City, ranks of cavalry stretched back an astonishing three li, numbering in the tens of formations, each man embracing the certainty of death. A desperate army is fearsome enough, but when that desperate army is inherently powerful, numerous, and equipped with superior armor and warhorses—furthermore, led by two Void Realm masters—that is a truly terrifying force.

At this moment, the fighting spirit of the 78,362 cavalrymen seemed to condense into one entity, roaring internally, demanding the slaughter of the invading enemy! Kill one to break even, kill two and profit, kill ten, and to die smiling!

"Fight!" "Fight!" "Fight!"

The 78,362 synchronized shouts shook the very soul.

Inside the main camp of the Heavenly God Palace, Xue Lian Cult Master, Teng Qingshan, Li Jun, and others were present.

"Not good," Xue Lian Cult Master frowned, her delicate brows knitting together. "The morale of our Heavenly God Palace army is being affected."

The reckless fear no one.

How could the Heavenly God Palace army's morale not drop?

"Look," Teng Qingshan gazed toward the front. "That Great Monk Celestial Deity has arrived before the formation."

...

As the two armies faced off, a Great Monk in a saffron robe stood smiling at the front of his lines. When he opened his mouth, his voice resonated like the booming thunder shaking heaven and earth: "Surviving children of Hongtian City, in these short few months, the Heavenly God Palace has attacked Hongtian City from the north and south, destroying everything in its path, until now, only this last city remains. Enough people have died in Hongtian City these past months. Look at the brothers and friends beside you—do you really wish for them to die too? Are there not enough dead already? Lay down your weapons and live peaceful, tranquil lives. Your wives and sons await you; lay down your weapons."

The Celestial Deity's voice carried a strange magic, drilling into men's minds.

Even among the Hongtian City soldiers who had been prepared to die, quite a few were affected, their minds drifting to sons and grandsons.

"Get lost!"

A bald man in blood-red armor, gripping dual axes, let out a sudden, deafening roar that struck the heart like a physical blow. His eyes bulged open, looking like a God of War himself. "Su Mengke, the armies of your Celestial God Mountain have killed countless disciples of my Hongtian City in mere months. And now you come acting the benevolent one. Get lost, you bald donkey!!!"

Beside him, another bald, stout man wielding a battle saber also glared and bellowed: "The men of my Hongtian City are the most upright men between heaven and earth. We belong to Hongtian City in life. We shall be ghosts of Hongtian City in death!"

"My Hongtian City is ready today."

"Seventy-eight thousand, three hundred and sixty-two brothers, and I, Zou Tianchang," the bald man with the battle saber roared, "as well as my elder brother, You Shijin. My brother and I, along with our seventy-eight thousand, three hundred and sixty-two brothers, are prepared to be buried with Hongtian City. If we do not spill enough enemy blood today, how shall we face our Ancestor Master?"

"The Ancestor Master taught us—if born a man, kill men; never let a man's body house a woman's heart."

"Kill!"

"Kill!"

"Kill!" Nearly eighty thousand cavalrymen muttered low chants, their eyes burning like those of frenzied lone wolves.

Suddenly—

"Rumble~~~" The ground before the formation vibrated violently, and then the earth violently exploded upward. Simultaneously, a monstrous entity erupted from beneath the ground. The creature was covered entirely in sharp quills, resembling a hedgehog at first glance. Its head was entirely pointed, and most noticeable were its six small, occasionally twitching ears.

This monster towered three zhang high, its pair of beady, dark eyes scanning the surroundings from its pointed head.

"Roar~~" A soul-shaking bellow issued from the monster's throat.

"Hahahaha..."

"Hahahaha..."

The two Void Realm masters of Hongtian City burst into loud laughter, stepping up beside the monster. This hedgehog-like creature stood centered between the two Void Realm masters, its cold gaze sweeping over the ranks of the Heavenly God Palace. The expressions of Pei San, Li Chao, and others in the Heavenly God Palace army shifted drastically.

"It's the Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat!"

"It actually came too."

Pei San and the others changed color, while a group of Void Realm experts watching from a distance clicked their tongues in admiration.

"It is indeed the Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat." Teng Qingshan, standing in the central main camp, was also greatly shocked. "This creature is one of the Four Divine Beasts of the Nine Provinces. It seems Hongtian City spared no expense to invite the Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat this time."

Across the Nine Provinces, Void Realm demonic beasts mostly concealed themselves everywhere, rarely emerging.

However—

There were exceptions among the Void Realm demonic beasts. These exceptional ones were unwilling to remain hidden in deep mountains and ancient forests, nor were they content to lurk in some corner. They followed their whims, doing whatever they pleased. For example—eating people! Or slaughter!

Across the Nine Provinces, there were four Divine Beasts whose fame was immense, known even to ordinary Houtian realm experts.

Calling them 'Divine Beasts' was due to the fear ordinary people held for their power. In reality, these Four Divine Beasts were merely Void Realm demonic beasts... In terms of strength, they weren't necessarily superior to other Void Realm beasts.

There are countless species of demonic beasts, but only a select few are universally recognized as 'Divine Beasts.' Only those whose power is truly overwhelming are termed Divine Beasts.

These famous Four Divine Beasts of the Nine Provinces were all free, not controlled by humans. Yet, they possessed their own desires... and their intelligence was in no way inferior to that of humans. Thus, humans could appeal to these beasts by catering to their desires to persuade them to emerge from seclusion.

If one were to invite a Void Realm demonic beast to emerge, the easiest among the Four Divine Beasts to persuade was the 'Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat.'

The lair of this Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat was in Rong Province, southwest of the Nine Provinces. However, this particular rat had an enormous appetite... Its favorite food was a fruit called the 'Dragonflame Fruit,' but this fruit was extremely precious and rare, and very difficult to harvest. Although the Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat was powerful, it was only one creature and found it hard to locate the Dragonflame Fruit on its own.

Therefore—

Generally, providing sufficient quantities of Dragonflame Fruit was enough to persuade the Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat to undertake a task.

While Void Realm demonic beasts were greedy and cruel, one point was certain—they honored their word! They were intensely proud; what a Void Realm beast promised, it would deliver. Facing the threat of annihilation, Hongtian City specifically sought out the Yu Emperor Gate, spending vast amounts of Heaven and Earth Spirit Treasures to hire their assistance in exchange for a considerable quantity of Dragonflame Fruit.

Subsequently, using the Dragonflame Fruit, and with the aid of someone within the Yu Emperor Gate who understood beast language, they managed to communicate with and invite the Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat!

The Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat was not powerful in every aspect, but its greatest skill was one thing—

Earth-drilling!

It was renowned as the fastest earth-drilling creature in the Nine Provinces.

"Hahaha, with the Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat, it will be difficult for Pei San to eliminate Hongtian City now," the chubby young monk from Manin Temple laughed like a child, showing none of the demeanor expected of a high monk.

"The Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat is unparalleled in subterranean travel. With the assistance of the Rat, the two Hongtian brothers can easily appear anywhere on the battlefield. This puts the Heavenly God Palace at a disadvantage," the three powerhouses of the Ying Clan watched with keen interest.

They were delighted to see the Heavenly God Palace suffer a setback.

"Let us watch slowly and see how the Heavenly God Palace responds," Yu Tonghai grinned, exchanging a knowing look with another Void Realm expert beside him. It was, after all, the Yu Emperor Gate that had helped Hongtian City secure the Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat. They knew exactly what that entailed.

**

Before the armies, the two great forces faced each other from afar.

Pei San’s face darkened as he stared coldly at the two proudly standing Hongtian brothers in the distance.

"They actually managed to invite the Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat," Pei San, despite his good temper, felt a surge of anger.

"Master, what should we do?" Li Chao, now clad in armor, transmitted his voice. This divine armor was the one he acquired after the death of the old Palace Master of the Carefree Palace.

"Hahahaha, Heavenly God Palace! You wish to destroy my Hongtian City?" The bald man in blood-red armor holding an iron mace laughed loudly. "If you want to destroy Hongtian City, then be prepared to take a vicious bite back from us. My brother and I, along with this Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat, are right here. If you want to fight, come!"

"Hahahaha, let us fight," the other man named Zou Tianchang also roared with laughter.

"Roar~~"

The Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat also tilted its head and roared.

Immediately, the Hongtian City army erupted in a sky-shattering chorus of "War!" Their morale clearly soaring to its peak.

"Zou Tianchang, You Shijin," Pei San looked into the distance, his cold voice echoing across the entire battlefield. "Your Hongtian City is destined for ruin today. Even at this stage, you still dream of striking back? Truly preposterous."

Pei San, his face grim, waved his hand and commanded: "Attack!"

Instantly—

"Dong!" "Dong!" "Dong!"...

Several massive drums began to beat from all directions around Hongtian City. The drumbeats shook the heavens. All soldiers of the Heavenly God Palace gripped their weapons tightly, fixing their eyes ahead. Facing such a massive charge, they knew... if they did not wish to die, they had only one option: charge forward relentlessly!

"Charge!"

"Charge!"

The Heavenly God Palace armies, under the orders of their respective officers, surged toward Hongtian City like a breached floodgate.

"Brothers!" The man in blood-red armor suddenly threw his head back, the veins bulging on his face, and shrieked, "I, You Shijin, will fight and kill the enemy today alongside seventy-eight thousand, three hundred and sixty-two brothers. Kill one to break even. Kill two and profit. Kill ten, hahaha, and we have won!"

"Kill!" The other Void Realm expert also roared fiercely.

"Kill!" "Kill!" "Kill!"...

Beneath Hongtian City’s four walls, nearly eighty thousand cavalrymen waved their weapons, spurring their warhorses into a frenzied charge forward. They surged like a three-colored torrent of steel, charging madly toward the enemy.

"Roar~~" The Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat also roared, and the two Void Realm masters simultaneously leaped onto its back.

Chiii! Chiii!

The Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat swiftly carried the two Void Realm masters and plunged instantly into the earth. In the blink of an eye, three li away, deep within the Heavenly God Palace army lines, the ground ruptured with a "Rumble~~", and the Six-Eared Earth-Drilling Rat erupted, bearing the two Void Realm masters.

"Kill them!" Pei San, robed in white, Li Chao in his divine armor, and the Great Monk in saffron robes carrying a golden-yellow iron pestle and wearing battle boots—these three powerhouses leaped onto the back of the Six-Legged Saber Chi.

Whoosh~~

The Six-Legged Saber Chi flapped its wings once and was already flying across the distance.

The bloody slaughter commenced!