What did eight thousand people mean? To be honest, having experienced the grandeur of the Zuma Temple before, I considered myself a veteran of large-scale confrontations. Yet, facing these eight thousand fully mobilized disciples, their morale soaring like the rainbow, still managed to shake me profoundly.

This sight bolstered the confidence of those of us who had been filled with unease, giving us a renewed hope of escaping this netherworld. Perhaps, this time, we wouldn't have to perish in the Yellow Springs Realm. After a brief respite, both we and the Phoenix Nest Gang and the Celestial Spider Gang were assigned to our respective professional factions. Dragon Battle, Big Baldy, Fang Rou, Bai Ling, and I were all assigned to the War Hall, with the only difference being that Bai Ling became the captain of our specific unit. The warriors she commanded were mostly drawn from the Phoenix Nest Gang and the Celestial Spider Gang.

The contingent continued its advance. In truth, the method the Vermilion Bird Alliance used to pinpoint the location of the Yellow Springs Cult Master was strikingly simple. It relied entirely on Elder Xia Yun of the Xia family, utilizing his extraordinarily acute sensory abilities to perceive the surrounding magical fluctuations, then directing the search towards the area with the strongest magical signature. This was, admittedly, a measure of last resort.

However, no one anticipated that although Xia Yun could sense the direction of the most intense magical presence, the group would frequently find their path blocked by sudden ravines as they moved towards it. Forced to turn back and find detours, they somehow ended up circling right back to the very place where we had first breached the barrier.

This circling, however, did serve to eliminate several alternative routes. It was now reasonably certain that heading south or west led to a dead end, leaving only the major directions of East and North as possibilities.

The formation adopted was a circular shield array. Warriors on the perimeter held large shields outwards, prepared for any surprise attack from the reinforced Skeleton Legion. Meanwhile, the Taoists carefully probed the surroundings using their spiritual perception. The mages, too, remained poised, ready to unleash their most potent spells at any moment. It was undeniable that sheer numbers made things easier; the mages alone constituted four thousand of the entire force. It was difficult to imagine the spectacle of four thousand mages casting simultaneously, especially when their strength averaged at least the Mid-High Stage, with at least five hundred elites reaching the Scarlet Moon level, plus three monstrous, super-tier mages. The combined might of such a force—I imagined it could rival the explosion of a small nuclear weapon. It was no wonder the Vermilion Bird Alliance was utterly determined to succeed in this operation.

Yet, having personally witnessed the terrifying might of the Zuma Cult Master, I harbored little confidence in this endeavor. If victory could be achieved merely through quantity, then the Yellow Springs Cult Master would hardly deserve his fearsome reputation. I myself had seen over two hundred elite mages, Scarlet Moon level and above, unleash a combined assault on the Zuma Cult Master, and he hadn't even bothered to react. And the legendary Yellow Springs Cult Master was said to be even more formidable than his Zuma counterpart. Without some extraordinary secret weapon, I feared this operation might end in the same failure as our trip to Zuma.

Of course, these thoughts remained strictly internal; I dared not voice them. This was, after all, our last hope. Life or death would only be determined once we stood before the Yellow Springs Cult Master.

Along the way, we encountered numerous attacks from the Skeleton Legion, but against such a massive host, these skeletal forces could gain no significant advantage.

“The magical fluctuations ahead are growing stronger!” Xia Yun stated gravely.

In truth, Xia Yun didn't need to say it; everyone could clearly feel a palpable difference—a vibration and a menacing hum, as if countless unknown entities were hiding in some corner, chanting in low tones, yet searching closely revealed no trace of them. This was what we warriors, like myself and Dragon Battle, could sense. But the surrounding mages were all turning pale.

“Such intense necromantic energy,” Feng Yuanshan, a mage among the Phoenix family elders, said with a heavy expression. Ahead lay an open area roughly the size of a football field, shrouded in a faint blue mist. This was clearly not the unique magical signature of a phantom illusion. Upon the open ground was a gigantic hexagonal pattern, formed by purple streaks of light as thick as a person's arm. In the center of the hexagon was an object resembling a massive cauldron, enshrined upon a high pedestal, with blue flames burning fiercely within it. Wisps of blue smoke drifted from the flames, permeating the surroundings. Before the cauldron stood over two hundred perfectly arrayed, towering skeletal figures, each at least three meters tall, gripping weapons like blades, spears, hammers, or bows. What was even more astonishing was that these skeletons were all purple, enveloped in a hazy, pale-blue miasma.

“Pale Blue Skeletons!” I exclaimed in shock. These were certainly no ordinary foes.

“High-Level Undead,” Xia Yun murmured solemnly.

What, High-Level Undead! I was greatly startled. Could these pale blue skeletons be the High-Level Undead that had caused us so much trouble before?

“I never imagined High-Level Undead would look like this,” Bai Ling remarked. “I had assumed there wouldn’t be too many of them, yet here we see over two hundred at once.”

“It seems they don’t plan to flee; they intend to confront us head-on,” Big Baldy observed.

“Now we can properly deal with them,” Fang Rou stated firmly.

“Don’t celebrate too soon. I have a strange feeling about these blue skeletons!” Based on our previous encounters, I had gained a preliminary understanding of the intelligence possessed by the High-Level Undead. Undeniably, they weren't fools. Why would they be stupid enough to line up and fight us directly? Furthermore, that blue flame and the surrounding blue smoke looked decidedly ominous. In the Mafa World, many things lay beyond my comprehension. I was certain that if the High-Level Undead dared to array themselves openly against us, they must have some strong foundation for such confidence—but what kind of foundation could make them so assured against this massive force?

“Halt,” Feng Qingtian raised his massive Frost Condenser. He too sensed something was amiss. “Taoists, immediately cast supporting enchantments.”

“Yes!” The one commanding the Taoist Hall was Xia Ya. “Divine Armor and Ghost Shield, deploy them across the entire formation!”

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh! Golden and blue lights descended from above, enveloping everyone. All felt a potent energy slowly accumulating within their bodies—the miraculous support effects of the Ghost Shield and Divine Armor.

The warriors raised their shields levelly before them, bracing for defense.

“Something is wrong,” Xia Chao said with a grave expression. “These skeletons are bizarre.”

“Never mind what’s bizarre about them,” Feng Qingtian said darkly. “Mages, full attack power!”

“Yes!” The commander of the Mage Hall was Han Yunxiao, young master of the Han family from Sky Sound City. “Full power!”

Boom boom boom! Countless Ice Howls, Blasting Flames, Lightning Bolts, and storms of wind descended like rain upon the pale blue skeletons.

Clang! Clang! Clang! But what followed next left everyone stunned.

Every spell, upon contact with the pale blue mist, was repelled, as if a rubber ball hitting an invisible wall had bounced back, unable to inflict any damage on the purple skeletons shrouded in the fog.

“Ah!”

“What is happening?”

“Magic attacks are ineffective!”

Everyone was utterly shocked. On the Mafa Continent, such a phenomenon was unheard of. What power could render the combined magical assault of four thousand people completely useless?

“Blast! Keep pounding them!” Feng Qingtian’s expression changed drastically; this result clearly exceeded his expectations.

Rumble!

The fierce magical bombardment lasted a full five minutes, yet every spell seemed to strike an invisible, thick wall and was repelled, causing no damage whatsoever to the skeletons inside the hexagram array.

The skeletons within the formation remained silently in place, their empty eye sockets glowing with a ghastly pale green light, like a pair of mocking eyes looking down upon us with disdain. Everyone felt a chilling dread and panic.

“Gods, these things are just like you!” Dragon Battle whispered beside me.

“What’s like me?” I snapped back. “Come on, now is not the time for that!”

“They aren't afraid of magic attacks,” many mages in the Hall could barely believe what they were witnessing.

“Stop!” Feng Qingtian roared loudly. He clearly realized that continuing the bombardment was futile. The scene settled back into a bizarre stalemate, the skeletons within the array still motionless.

“It’s the Necromantic Aegis,” Xia Yun suddenly recalled, horrified. “That’s right! That hexagram array, the blue flame burning at its center, and the surrounding blue mist—they combine to form the Necromantic Aegis, the Demon-Devouring Necromantic Array!”

“Necromantic Aegis, Demon-Devouring Necromantic Array?” Feng Yuanshan exclaimed in shock. “Is this—is this the Demon-Devouring Necromantic Array?”

“Demon-Devouring Necromantic Array,” many others looked utterly bewildered.

“The Demon-Devouring Necromantic Array,” Xia Chao explained solemnly, “is a specialized formation created from immense necromantic power specifically to resist magical attacks. Eight thousand years ago, the Undead Legions within the Orcish army relied on this formation to withstand the powerful Mage Legions of that era. Who would have thought that after eight millennia, we would see such a legendary formation again?”

“Specially resists magic attacks?” I was astonished. “Is there no magic that can counter this Demon-Devouring Necromantic Array?”

“Of course not,” Xia Chao countered. “The Demon-Devouring Necromantic Array doesn't truly devour magic; it’s simply a magical defense barrier sustained by overwhelming necromantic power. Its principle is the same as the Magic Shield. If there is enough Holy Light magic, it can still breach the array’s defense.”

“Holy Light Magic!” Bai Ling cheered. “Then the mages can use Holy Word to break their defensive barrier, right?”

“It won’t work,” the Holy Word possessed by the mages, while belonging to the category of Holy Light magic, was too impure. It could not compare to the Holy Light magic specialized in by the priests of the Church. It simply cannot shatter their Demon-Devouring Necromantic Array.

“Is there no other way?” Big Baldy asked.

“Although the Demon-Devouring Necromantic Array resists magical attacks, it cannot defend against physical attacks,” Xia Chao stated firmly.

“War Hall rear ranks, switch to bows!” Feng Qingtian had clearly grasped this point as well.

“Switch to bows!” Xia Chao’s expression sharpened. “Loudly!”

“Yes!” Except for the front ranks holding large shields, the warriors in the rear rows unhooked their shields to their sides and retrieved bows from their spatial satchels. As Rangers, spatial satchels were standard issue equipment; every Ranger possessed one, differing only in size, usually around ten cubic meters. Of course, this excluded novices just starting out, like Dragon Xin and myself back then; only the leader, Dragon Xin, carried a spatial satchel in the entire Dragon Soaring Gang. But things were different now. I still carried the extra-large spatial satchel Dong Guan had given me, packed with all the necessities a Ranger required. The Ranger’s standard equipment, the Iron-Tension Longbow, was naturally included.

The so-called Ranger Standard Iron-Tension Longbow refers to bows and arrows of completely uniform strength and specification adopted during large-scale group combat to ensure more effective control over the area of fire coverage. It is one of the standard pieces of equipment mandatory for all Rangers participating in mass combat.

Drawing the bow! Nocking the arrow! A single, fluid motion. Although I hadn't spent an excessive amount of time practicing archery, my warrior strength made drawing the Iron-Tension Bow, with its pull weight of about 120 to 130 Jin (roughly 60-65kg), no challenge at all.

If such a tough bow were used in modern times, only someone with monstrous strength could draw it. To my knowledge, Olympic competition composite recurve bows have a pull weight of only about 20 Jin (10kg), utterly insignificant compared to the Mafa World’s Iron-Tension Bows.

Everyone drew their hard bows to full tension simultaneously.

“Fire!” At Xia Chao’s resounding shout, a sky-darkening volley of arrows whistled forth.

However, the High-Level Undead within the array reacted with equal speed, simultaneously raising large shields and blocking every arrow we loosed, not moving an inch. After a sustained volley, the warriors’ arms were growing numb, yet they hadn't managed to fell a single one of the High-Level Undead in the formation.

“It seems we have no choice but to force a breach into the formation,” Xia Chao admitted, slightly disheartened.

“Halt,” Feng Qingtian’s reaction was precisely what Xia Chao had analyzed. “Vanguard Hall, enter the formation! War Hall Fourth Column, follow up!” At this critical juncture, Feng Qingtian finally unleashed his trump card: the Vanguard Hall. Although the War Hall still had nearly three thousand warriors, everyone knew that ordinary warriors could not contend with those terrifying behemoths. To rashly send in War Hall warriors might be tantamount to sending them to their deaths.

In my estimation, even the Vanguard Hall might not secure an easy victory. I had personally experienced the sheer power of the reinforced Skeleton Axe-Wielders, and the strength of these High-Level Undead was surely even more terrifying.

Even though the current Vanguard Hall comprised six hundred elite disciples from the three major families, each possessing cultivation up to the High Scarlet Moon stage, with one hundred reaching the Peak Scarlet Moon level, and the Vanguard being led by Feng family elder Feng Yuanxiao—a warrior of monstrous caliber—their combined strength certainly warranted the description 'formidable.' But facing these legendary High-Level Undead, just how terrifying their true power was remained unknown.

“This plays right into their calculations,” Xia Chao worried. “These High-Level Undead are top-tier melee experts. Even if we defeat them, the losses will inevitably be catastrophic.”

“But this is the only way,” Bai Ling insisted.

Everyone watched nervously as the Vanguard Hall advanced into the formation!

Hoo! Wuu! At that moment, the High-Level Undead in the front line, who had been standing still, suddenly dissolved into blurs of shadow and charged toward the Vanguard Hall with astonishing speed.

“Roar! Kill!” Feng Yuanxiao charged forward, a lone spearhead, and the six hundred elite warriors followed close behind.

Swoosh! Swoosh! Abruptly, the rapidly charging High-Level Undead dipped low, simultaneously falling prone. Almost at the exact same moment, a rain of arrows descended—it was the rear guard of High-Level Undead, using their comrades’ bodies as cover to silently draw and loose their bows. This focused volley caught everyone entirely off guard. We hadn't expected such seamless and practiced coordination between the High-Level Undead.

“Watch out!” Feng Yuanxiao, leading the charge, swung his massive Frost Condenser frantically, deflecting every arrow aimed at him, while a dazzling golden light erupted from his body—the protective battle aura commonly used by warriors. He surged forward like a blinding ball of light, his speed undiminished.

However, many of the elite warriors behind him couldn't react in time and were pierced clean through by the sharp arrows. In the blink of an eye, over thirty fell.

“Roar! Damn it, die for me!” Feng Yuanxiao erupted in fury. His figure shot forward like lightning, instantly crashing into the dense cluster of High-Level Undead. His gigantic Frost Condenser moved like a massive dragon overturning rivers and seas, stirring up waves of dazzling golden light.

“Ah, that’s the Blazing Fire Sword Aura!” I cried out in surprise. Others might not have seen clearly, but I instantly recognized that within that brief moment, Feng Yuanxiao had unleashed at least ten Blazing Fire Sword Auras in succession.

Thwack! Thwack! Thwack! With every flash of golden light, fragmented bones flew upwards. I had never witnessed such savage, relentless attack before. For a moment, I stood rooted, dumbfounded: “Incredible! He unleashed sixteen Blazing Fire Sword Auras consecutively, and every strike hit the throat area of a High-Level Undead! Three of those strikes pierced through the throats of three High-Level Undead simultaneously.”

It must be remembered that in the Ranger World, the Blazing Fire Sword Technique was always considered the most destructive sword art, but it consumed an astonishing amount of battle qi energy. With my current battle qi cultivation, unleashing three Blazing Fire Sword Auras would leave me facing qi depletion. Thus, although I had long mastered the technique, I had never dared to use it lightly in past battles. The only time I was forced to use Blazing Fire qi was during that massive group battle in the Zuma Temple. Cornered by Zuma Guards, I had no choice but to risk everything and unleash the sword aura. I clearly recall that after releasing the Blazing Fire Sword Aura that time, I could barely move, and if Li Xie hadn't tossed me back to the rear ranks, I likely would have lost my life there. At that time, my battle qi cultivation was close to the Mid-Red Moon stage.

After nearly two months of training, I had long since surpassed the Mid-Red Moon stage and should reach High Scarlet Moon cultivation soon. Yet, even at Peak Scarlet Moon, unleashing seven Blazing Fire Sword Auras consecutively would be my absolute limit.

It was only today that I truly grasped how terrifying the so-called 'monstrous' level truly was.

On the field, Feng Yuanxiao moved like a tiger among sheep. Each Blazing Fire Slash he unleashed sent flying bone fragments scattering. In an instant, a large clearing opened around him. The Vanguard warriors, whose formation had been disrupted by the arrow rain, quickly reformed and caught up.

“Sword Aura attacks!” Almost as they closed the melee range, all the warriors simultaneously unleashed their strongest battle qi attacks—white semicircular slashes and crimson-gold Blazing Fire Sword Auras. The terrifying sword auras rushed forward like a giant tidal wave crashing against a reef, aimed at the dense ranks of High-Level Undead ten meters ahead.

Slash! Slash! Slash!

In a flash, the High-Level Undead at the front were blasted into heaps of scattered skeletons.

What powerful battle qi control! And the timing of the six hundred warriors’ attacks was astonishingly synchronized. This reminded me of Dragon Xin’s Five Ring Grand Array. I thought their coordination was already exceptional, but the collective battle qi attack of these six hundred elite warriors showed me what truly seamless coordination looked like. It turned out Feng Yuanxiao had exerted himself so fiercely earlier solely to give the warriors behind him enough time to regroup.

And the elite warriors of the Vanguard Hall demonstrated their overwhelming power.

Waves of dense battle qi attacks, like the surging Yangtze River, relentlessly hammered the High-Level Undead ten meters in front of them. The meticulous me also noticed the clever mechanism at play. The six hundred elite warriors were divided into six rows, each containing over a hundred men. After the front rank unleashed their strongest battle qi attack, they swiftly moved aside, clearing the angle for their comrades behind them. Simultaneously, they used healing potions and Sun Water and other recovery items to restore their battle qi energy as quickly as possible. The rear rank warriors then unleashed their strongest attacks, and in turn, stepped aside to clear the angle for the third rank. This cycle repeated until the sixth rank had also loosed their ultimate sword auras. By that time, the front-rank warriors had already recovered sufficient stamina and battle qi and were launching the next round of attacks. It took each warrior about five seconds to fully expend their battle qi, and six rounds took precisely thirty seconds—a gap perfectly timed for each row to use their potions to regain enough energy for the next assault.

The warrior phalanx advanced like a colossal war machine that ceaselessly discharged battle qi attacks, forging ahead with unwavering resolve.

The high-level undead blocking their path were utterly shattered and forced into a continuous retreat by the seamless torrent of Dou Qi attacks.

"How about that? The Vanguard Hall of our Vermilion Bird Alliance possesses the strongest offensive combination on the Mafa Continent," Bai Ling declared with satisfaction. "What they are using now is the Canghai Nutao (Raging Ocean Wave), a sword energy assault."

"Canghai Nutao, sword energy assault," Long Zhan stared fixedly at the wildly surging Dou Qi fluctuations in the arena, his blood boiling with excitement. Watching the scene, he felt an intense urge to rush in himself and become part of it. "Canghai Nutao, as furious as raging waves crashing ashore, as continuous as the vast ocean, the sword energy surging endlessly without rest, and where the blade points, nothing can withstand it. I had only read accounts of Canghai Nutao in the Ranger's Manual before, and I honestly thought they were exaggerations. I never expected the real Canghai Nutao to be this devastating."

"Of course. When it comes to melee combat, no formation or technique across the four continents can stand against the Canghai Nutao," Bai Ling stated solemnly. "Though the warriors of the Vanguard Hall are elite disciples drawn from three different major families, they participate in numerous joint missions and training exercises every year. That is how they forge such astonishing tacit understanding and coordination. Every person masters the control of their Dou Qi and the precise timing of their sword strokes perfectly—something other continent rangers simply cannot achieve."

"Unity is strength," I remarked with emotion. "Even facing many times their number of similarly leveled warriors, they must be helpless against this kind of wave-like sword energy assault."

As they spoke, over a hundred high-level undead had already fallen on the field. Clearly, these undead had not anticipated that the Vanguard Hall warriors would be so formidable.

No one doubted that the Vanguard Hall's victory was merely a matter of time. However, at that very moment—

CRACK!

A colossal explosion ripped through the air, seeming as if the entire world was about to tear apart. In my two lifetimes, this was only the second time I had been injured by a so-called sonic attack. The first time was in the Zhumu Hall, when the roar of the Tiger Roaring Mountain God attack made me spit up blood. The other time was now. This sudden, deafening roar was like a massive charge of TNT detonating right beside me. My head felt like it was struck by a single, massive gong, and immediately, I could hear nothing at all. Then, my body was involuntarily hurled backward.