Thud! It slammed heavily onto the ground, sending a heart-rending surge of pain through me; I felt as if my entire body was about to fall apart, my organs on the verge of shifting out of place.

Not only me, but everyone around me was flung away by the sudden explosion, tumbling like helpless gourds.

Each face was dusted grey, utterly miserable.

“Ah! What was that!” Long Zhan, still struggling to get up beside me, stared ahead in sheer terror.

Where the Hexagram Array had been moments before, there was now a massive crater spewing thick smoke.

Through the haze, one could barely make out fragments of broken armor and flesh scattered near the edges.

Yet, the tall figure faintly visible within the smoke acted like a powerful magnet, drawing everyone’s gaze irresistibly.

.....................Every single person stared in disbelief at the smoke-wreathed pit, fixated on that colossal body rising from the haze, a vision akin to a demon god descending to the mortal realm.

“Yell—Yell—ow—Sect Master.” .....................But soon, someone reacted; the Vanguard Hall had been utterly annihilated.

“No, Seventh Brother.” “A’Jie!” “Big Brother!” “Father!” Beside Feng Qingtian, Feng Qingxuan was overcome with grief, desperate to rush into the swirling smoke, but Feng Qingtian gripped her tightly.

“Calm down! Get a hold of yourself.” Although filled with sorrow, Feng Qingtian managed to remain relatively composed.

Others attempting to rush forward were similarly restrained by their companions.

Without a doubt, this had been a trap from the very beginning, instantly pulverizing the six hundred elite masters of the Vanguard Hall in the blink of an eye.

Furthermore, Elder Feng Yuanxiao of the Feng family had been blasted into oblivion, not even bones remaining.

“Th-this, how is this possible,” Bai Ling whispered in horror.

“With just one strike, he killed them all.

What a terrifying creature.” “Damn it all,” Xia Chao gritted his teeth.

“Yellow Springs Sect Master.” “It is the Yellow Springs Sect Master.” Only then, as the smoke thinned, did I get a chance to clearly see the appearance of this Sect Master.

The colossal body stood nearly five meters tall, with a pair of small, curved horns jutting from the temples on either side of its head.

Its fist-sized eyes were golden, tinged with a trace of blood-red.

It was clad in golden armor, and a scarlet cloak fluttered lightly behind it.

Its arms were thick as tree trunks, and in its right hand, it carried a massive golden mace, resembling an iron cudgel.

The entire image was identical to the legendary Yellow Springs Sect Master, yet it possessed a far more shocking and impactful presence than any 2D depiction I had ever seen.

At that moment, those gold-and-red eyes surveyed everyone present with a chilling gloom.

I could even detect a trace of disdain and mockery.

Everyone was stunned into silence, their faces the color of ash.

“Yellow Springs Sect Master,” Elder Feng Yuanshan of the Feng family snarled through clenched teeth, yet even so, everyone could sense his voice trembling slightly, almost losing pitch, filled with sheer terror.

No one could face the Yellow Springs Sect Master without their composure crumbling.

Even I, who prided myself on nerves sturdier than steel cables, felt my heart hammering wildly.

Though my subconscious screamed at me to regain control, my entire body felt locked in an inexpressible rigidity and numbness.

Many others had collapsed onto the ground, some of the more timid having fainted outright.

Death Incarnate! The Underworld! “Roar! Roar! Roar!” Despite the distance of over seventy meters, the dull, resonant roars still conveyed the Yellow Springs Sect Master’s intense, savage aura of slaughter to everyone present.

Accompanying the Sect Master were countless blue Skeleton Axe-wielders, all radiating murderous intent.

With a swing of the Sect Master’s massive mace, those blue Skeleton Axe-wielders, who had been arrayed behind it, charged forward with bizarre shrieks.

“Mages, blast them!” Feng Qingtian quickly regained her focus.

“Warriors, hold the front line!” “Yes!” Xia Chao forced down his terror, while the front-line fighters, though terrified stiff—many of their legs shaking uncontrollably—drove their large shields deep into the ground and adopted a Horse-Riding Stance, preparing to meet the imminent, violent impact.

Those of us in the rear clutched our weapons tightly, all of us keenly aware that maintaining composure now was paramount; we absolutely could not allow panic to spread.

“Thump! Thump! Thump!” The Yellow Springs Sect Master’s colossal form slowly advanced toward us.

With every step, it felt like a huge hammer slamming into the hearts of all present.

In that instant, everyone felt death was so close they could almost touch it.

“Ice Roar, release!” The moment the six hundred-plus blue Skeleton Axe-wielders poured out of the Undead Devourer Array, countless Ice Roars rained down upon them.

Boom! Boom! Countless shards of white profound ice, like heavy bombs dropped by massive bombers, smashed into the mass of blue Skeleton Axe-wielders.

Those struck merely swayed slightly, seemingly unaffected, continuing their charge toward us at an unchanged speed.

“Ah! The magic attacks aren’t working!” Everyone was stunned.

“They have Undead Wards cast upon them,” Xia Ya shouted loudly.

“Leave it to us,” Xia Chao instantly channeled his Battle Qi to its peak.

Since magic was useless, they would have to rely on the warriors’ physical attacks to defeat these skeletons.

“Crash! Crash! Crash!” Amidst earth-shattering collisions, the shield-bearing warriors at the front finally crashed into the charging blue Skeleton Axe-wielders.

But in the blink of an eye, dozens of figures, shields and all, were batted away like baseballs by the reinforced deep-blue Skeleton Maulers.

Those of us in the rear were immediately thrown into disarray by the flying front-line fighters; many were knocked down by the impact of the soldiers hurled backward.

Long Zhan and I reacted quickly enough to dodge the few shield-bearers flying toward us.

However, we soon faced the blue Skeleton Axe-wielders who had broken through the lines.

“Magic Hall, Dao Hall, fall back,” Feng Qingtian immediately sensed trouble.

“Understood.” The mages and daoists behind us began to retreat, but as they did so, the daoists continuously cast Sacred Armor, Ghost Shield, and Group Healing spells upon us.

Our myriad wounds, large and small, began to heal at an astonishing rate.

And so, the melee erupted.

The blue Skeleton Axe-wielders swarmed like tigers among sheep.

Flashes of blue light shimmered, and in an instant, dozens of warriors were cut down.

Not a single warrior could withstand even one blow from them.

“Roar! Die!” At this critical moment, Elder Xia Chao of the Xia family finally began to unleash his power.

His Frost Condensation Greatsword moved like a frantically whipping long dragon, weaving through the dense cluster of skeletons.

Every pass left behind sprays of blue wreckage.

“Use the Raging Waves of the Vast Sea Sword Qi attack!” At this crucial juncture, I discarded all concerns about rank or seniority.

If we fought these freakishly terrifying assassins in scattered formations, total annihilation would be the final outcome.

I roared the command, and everyone looked at me in astonishment—who would have thought that this obscure nobody would speak up at such a time? “Phoenix Nest Gang, form the first line behind me! Heavenly Spider Gang, form the second line! Everyone else, organize by squad and hold your positions!” I shouted loudly.

“............” Everyone froze, momentarily stunned.

“Follow his orders!” Xia Chao roared amidst the fighting.

“Yes!” Someone reacted quickly.

“Those in front, drop low!” Taking advantage of the moment Xia Chao and the front-line warriors engaged the skeletons, I and the Phoenix Nest Gang warriors quickly retreated to an appropriate distance.

After half a month together, the Phoenix Nest Gang and I were quite familiar with each other, and my command was swiftly executed.

“Drop low?” Xia Chao was surprised but quickly grasped my intention.

He executed a swift retreat, dropping prone to the ground, while simultaneously bellowing, “Everyone drop!” The warriors at the very front quickly lay flat under Xia Chao’s thunderous command.

“First Line! Fire!” I didn’t hesitate, launching the attack almost at the same moment Xia Chao hit the ground, shouting, “Those behind, prepare!” “Yes! Heavenly Spider Gang, second line, ready!” Big Baldy and all the Heavenly Spider Gang warriors quickly formed their ranks.

It was well known that the Heavenly Spider Gang and the Phoenix Nest Gang had cooperated for a long time and shared a strong tacit understanding.

“Roar! Die!” Bai Ling, Long Zhan, and the other Phoenix Nest Gang warriors simultaneously pushed their Battle Qi to its maximum.

Countless assassination sword qi, crescent moon blades, whistled out, rushing toward the dense mass of skeletons ahead.

Although it was a hastily assembled formation for the Raging Waves of the Vast Sea, the sword qi release was somewhat chaotic, yet the collective attack of nearly a hundred people was not to be underestimated.

Swish! Swish! The white sword qi struck the blue skeletons several meters away in an instant.

Crash! Crash! Crash! The shocking sword qi impact slammed into the blue skeletons, forcing them to retreat repeatedly, but it failed to inflict fatal damage.

However, a few of the foremost blue skeletons were indeed blasted into fragments by the sword qi attack from our hundred-plus members.

But the Battle Qi of Bai Ling and the others was draining rapidly; after only about seven seconds, they were exhausted, their faces pale, nearly spent.

“First Line! Go prone, take potions!” Since we were not the closely coordinated team that Vanguard Hall was, I dared not use shifting maneuvers to clear space for the rear ranks.

However, lying prone on the ground served the same purpose of clearing an attack lane for the fighters behind.

Although the posture was rather undignified, who cared at a moment like this? “Second Line, Fire!” Big Baldy quickly launched the follow-up attack.

Countless streams of sword qi flew over our heads, slamming directly into the blue skeletons.

While it couldn't eliminate all the skeletons opposite us, facing this powerful, wide-ranging sword qi assault, the skeleton legion could not advance an inch.

Moreover, the few skeleton maulers at the very front were pulverized by the violent sword qi.

Although it couldn't match the awe-inspiring might of Vanguard Hall’s Raging Waves, the power generated by our motley crew’s combined Raging Waves was far superior to ordinary sword qi attacks.

Everyone’s confidence soared.

As the Phoenix Nest Gang and Heavenly Spider Gang launched their assault, the Suzaku Alliance members behind them quickly stabilized their formation, dividing into seven ranks by squad, with at least three hundred people per rank.

My heart settled.

During this brief respite, Bai Ling and the others swiftly pulled Sun Water potions to their lips, striving to restore their stamina and Battle Qi as quickly as possible.

I, meanwhile, silently recited the time, calculating the rate of depletion for Big Baldy and his group’s Battle Qi.

“Seven, six, five, four, three, two, one!” Seven seconds passed quickly: “Go prone, Third Line, Fire!” The moment I gave the order, Big Baldy and his group quickly dropped to the ground.

The three hundred-plus warriors of the third line simultaneously unleashed their sword qi attacks.

The whistling sword qi washed over Bai Ling, myself, and others like being caught in a typhoon.

Truly worthy of the Suzaku Alliance; their numbers and the Battle Qi cultivation of their warriors surpassed that of the Phoenix Nest Gang and Heavenly Spider Gang by more than a small margin.

In the blink of an eye, dozens of the advancing blue skeletons collapsed.

“Phoenix Nest Gang and Heavenly Spider Gang brothers, leave the rest to us, stay down!” The squad leader of the third line, likely some young disciple of the Feng family, shouted loudly.

The Suzaku Alliance, now properly arrayed, felt a surge of confidence.

Perhaps the prone positioning tactic used by the Phoenix Nest Gang and Heavenly Spider Gang had helped them solve the coordination gaps between simultaneous attacks, allowing even their less cohesive units to execute the Raging Waves maneuver easily.

Everyone appeared confident.

More importantly, the strength displayed by the Phoenix Nest Gang and Heavenly Spider Gang was too weak; their sword qi attacks could barely hold the high-level undead from closing in.

In contrast, the Suzaku Alliance downed dozens with just one round—the difference in power was evident.

“It’s up to you all now,” I responded loudly, then stared intently ahead.

“Come on, you scumbags,” the young captain of the Feng family commanded calmly and collectedly, directing the sword qi attacks of the seven ranks behind him.

We, lying prone on the ground, could only tightly cover our heads and watch the front.

The charging high-level undead seemed unprepared for this maneuver, yet they still desperately tried to press forward.

However, they could never advance a single step against the dense sword qi.

Wave after wave of violent energy impacted them, shattering any high-level undead attempting to close the distance.

No one expected the temporarily formed Raging Waves of the Vast Sea to possess such terrifying power.

This was, after all, a super sword qi attack formed by nearly three thousand warriors.

“Crash!” Two minutes later, the last high-level undead was blasted into fragments.

“Hah! That was close, we finally survived,” Bai Ling spat out a mouthful of dust, attempting to stand.

We scrambled up quickly and began to retreat, as we were now far too close to the Yellow Springs Sect Master.

“Stomp—Stomp—Stomp.” The Yellow Springs Sect Master’s massive form had advanced to within fifty meters of us, and the golden great mace was raised high above its head.

“Everyone, retreat quickly!” Feng Qingtian roared.

Simultaneously, countless Ice Roars and Lightning Bolts shot over our heads, raining down on the Yellow Springs Sect Master like a storm.

But the Sect Master showed absolutely no reaction.

No one had anticipated that the mage corps, which had been their main reliance since arriving here, would be unable to harm these terrifying monsters.

Flickering blades, dazzling arcs of electricity, bursting flames—all enveloped the Sect Master, yet it held its gigantic Yellow Springs Mace held high, before bringing it down heavily upon the ground.

Thud! A violent concussion followed as the earth instantly fractured into a huge pit, sending countless massive shards of rock whistling out toward us with piercing shrieks.

The sheer velocity made me instantly realize that running further would only get us hit, and trying to withstand it with protective Battle Qi would be tantamount to suicide.

In that instant, terror flooded my soul, and I could focus on nothing else.

“Quickly, lie down!” I lunged, tackling Bai Ling and Long Zhan to the ground, pressing them down hard.

Many warriors from the Phoenix Nest Gang and Heavenly Spider Gang, hearing my shout, also threw themselves flat, covering their heads and activating their protective Battle Qi.

We were at the very front of the formation; being struck by these boulders meant certain death.

Countless stones whizzed past, surrounded by the crashing sounds and screams of impact.

It was the Suzaku Alliance warriors who were smashed into pulp along with the rocks, their state beyond description.

That single moment of hesitation cost them their lives.

And the warriors of the Suzaku Alliance further back, beyond the immediate danger zone, hadn't heard my warning; adhering to habit, they raised their large shields, only to be sent flying far away by the impact of these colossal stones, their fates unknown.

“Damn it, those idiots!” Long Zhan cursed, enraged.

“Lie down!” Even though Bai Ling and the Heavenly Spider Gang and Phoenix Nest Gang warriors screamed themselves hoarse, amidst the chaotic flying stones and the enraged roars of the Yellow Springs Sect Master, no one could hear them.

The Warrior Hall disciples were mown down in swathes in the blink of an eye.

More stones flew toward the retreating mage formation further back.

However, because Feng Qingtian had issued a retreat order early, many had pulled back over four hundred meters.

Even so, several smaller boulders managed to penetrate the mage ranks.

Crash! Where they struck, enormous deep pits instantly formed.

Several mages who couldn't dodge in time were smashed into paste on the spot, a horrific sight, while the resulting fragments injured many more mages nearby.

“Damn it, Long Xin and the others are still in formation!” Long Zhan anxiously wanted to charge back, but Bai Ling and I held him down firmly.

“What good would it do if you went now? You’d get smashed too if you moved randomly.” We were at the vanguard, but because of this, the flying stones mostly shot upward at an angle, passing over our heads, making us less likely to be hit.

“Roar! Roar! Roar!” The enraged Yellow Springs Sect Master swung its colossal Yellow Springs Mace like a drumstick, frantically sweeping the large stones on the ground.

The scene resembled a skilled golfer driving balls, sending countless massive rocks soaring like projectiles from a cannon, hurtling toward Feng Qingtian and the retreating Suzaku Alliance warriors at astonishing speeds.

God, what monstrous strength.

We, lying on the ground, dared not even breathe deeply.

The shower of stones rained down, nearly burying us alive.

Yet, even so, we dared not move an inch, knowing we were directly under the Yellow Springs Sect Master’s gaze.

“Roar! Thunderous Joint Strike!” Suddenly, a golden beam shot toward the Yellow Springs Sect Master.

Boom! Crash! A blinding orb of light exploded, and the Sect Master’s imposing figure was actually forced back several steps.

“Roar!” The Yellow Springs Sect Master looked toward the origin of the golden light in clear surprise.

“Those who can still move, quickly get the wounded out; leave the rest to us.” From a distance, it was Feng Qingtian and Xia Ya, along with the elite disciples and several old powerhouses from the younger generations of the three major families.

They stood in a peculiar formation, surrounded by potent Battle Qi and magical fluctuations, which swirled around them like countless multi-colored dragons.

Even from afar, I could feel the terrifying power contained within.

“Ah! They are using their ultimate move,” Big Baldy spat out the dust in his mouth, excited.

“Ultimate move?” I asked, somewhat confused.

“Was that golden light just now it?” “That’s right,” Bai Ling suppressed her excitement.

“It’s the joint formation of the three major families of the Suzaku Alliance—the Thunderous Joint Strike.

If they weren't certain of victory, do you think the Suzaku Alliance would dare provoke the Yellow Springs Sect Master?” “That’s true.” Although I didn't know what the Thunderous Joint Strike entailed, judging by the Sect Master’s surprised reaction just now, it must be incredibly powerful.

We dared not act rashly, choosing instead to observe the situation quietly.

“Hah! Roar! Whoosh!” To our surprise, the Yellow Springs Sect Master now displayed a grave expression and adopted a defensive posture.

This was difficult for us! We were currently positioned between Feng Qingtian’s Thunderous Grand Array and the Yellow Springs Sect Master, covered by the chaotic debris and dust.

It seemed neither Feng Qingtian’s group nor the Sect Master had noticed our presence.

But we were much closer to the Sect Master; any rash move could result in being crushed by a single mace strike—after all, the entire Vanguard Hall was wiped out by one blow.

Yet, remaining still was equally dangerous; once the fighting began, the mere shockwaves from the Battle Qi explosions could kill us.

Right now, all we could do was remain motionless, praying to heaven for mercy.