The earth-shattering roar! The thick Black Tortoise Barrier shuddered violently, almost shattered midway, causing the faces of Long Tian and his group inside to change drastically!
"It's the Phoenix Knights." Everyone saw the blazing orb, as dazzling as the sun.
"Damn it." Long Tian commanded, "Magic Cannons, lock onto the Phoenix Knights. Open fire freely the moment the barrier is breached."
"Yes, sir."
Long Tian and the other Gold Warriors watched with grim expressions, their eyes fixed on the figure outside the barrier, which struck like lightning, slamming into the barrier repeatedly before bouncing back at terrifying speed. They knew very well that despite the astonishing strength of the Black Tortoise Barrier, it could not withstand the repeated assaults of the Phoenix Knights!
Boom! Crash!
The muffled roar persisted. Every impact from Iron Hawk felt like a colossal hammer blow landing squarely on the spirits of Long Tian's group.
Finally, the rear of the Black Tortoise Barrier was brutally torn open—a hole, small but just large enough for Iron Hawk and his mount to charge through!
Boom! Crash! Almost the instant Iron Hawk breached the barrier, countless massive beams of light shot out like lightning!
Though the (Wolong World) had no gunpowder, the high integration of magic and alchemy had created Magic Cannons—weapons of mass destruction every bit as potent as modern artillery! Even a Phoenix Knight, once struck, would be utterly atomized!
Hmph! But Iron Hawk was prepared. He gave them no chance. The moment he charged through, his magnificent Sky War Divine Beast suddenly flapped its enormous wings!
Swish! Swish!
Its agile form vanished like a phantom, leaving no trace!
Boom! Crash! The missed Magic Cannon blasts slammed fiercely against the inner wall of the Black Tortoise Barrier, causing another violent tremor!
But they didn't get a second chance to attack!
Whoosh! Whoosh! The vanished Iron Hawk reappeared as if by magic directly in front of the cannon emplacements! The speed of the Sky War Divine Beast was utterly incomprehensible! The four-hundred-meter distance was conquered in the blink of an eye!
The Ascended Warriors operating the Magic Cannons hadn't even reacted!
Splat! Splat!
Silver light flashed! The agile form of the Sky War Divine Beast zipped through several cannon emplacements like bullets! What followed was a chain reaction of explosive roars—all the cannons had been smashed into debris by the Divine Beast in an instant!
"Such speed..." Long Tian's face was ashen. Though this wasn't his first time witnessing the speed of a Phoenix Knight, facing these terrifying Gods of Slaughter still sent chills down his spine, filling him with dread!
The second defense zone could not hold!
"Everyone, retreat underground to the first defense zone." Long Tian didn't hesitate for a second, turning rapidly and plunging into the tunnel leading to the primary defense line.
On the surface, in the open sky, no unit could contend with a Phoenix Knight!
That was why the Nile Department's base was constructed deep underground, with the surface layer leading to the depths protected by twenty-seven layers of reinforced steel plating. This was the ultimate defensive line of the first zone; even the Fire Dragon Legion or the Phoenix Knights could not force their way in from the outside!
And guarding every layer of defensive plating were the elite Phoenix Battle Teams! Should the Fire Dragon Legion or the Phoenix Knights force entry, they would meet the most tenacious resistance—a deadly countermeasure specifically designed by the Nile Department against the powerful striking capabilities of the Phoenix Knights and the Fire Dragon Legion!
Deep underground, the controllable Sky War Divine Beasts had little room to maneuver and fly freely. Therefore, if they engaged in subterranean combat, the Phoenix Knights would have to abandon their mounts! Without them, their combat effectiveness would be severely diminished. Under such conditions, the Gold Warriors of the Phoenix Battle Teams possessed sufficient power to contest the Phoenix Knights!
This was the fundamental reason Iron Hawk had never succeeded in breaching the Nile Department before!
However, at this moment, Iron Hawk was utterly resolved to break through the Nile Department at any cost to reclaim the armor stolen by Ni Ke!
So, after Long Tian and the others retreated underground, he didn't pause, leaping from his mount's back and swiftly entering the passage!
As expected! Two Gold Warriors, standing ready and fully alert, were already guarding the passage—they were two of Long Tian's original four subordinates!
"Interesting. So they swapped personnel; no wonder they were so easy to defeat." Iron Hawk chuckled lightly. "Where are those two from the Nile Department?" Previously, the guards here were always Ni Ya and Lan Qi! Although their equipment was only Reinforced Phoenix Ink Armor and Reinforced Star King, they were masters of coordinated combat tactics, meaning even Iron Hawk couldn't gain an advantage fighting them in the tunnels! Ni Ya and Lan Qi were, in essence, the Nile Department's final steel defense line! The fact that it wasn't them guarding the passage now surprised Iron Hawk slightly.
"Your opponents are us," the two Gold Warriors stated grimly.
"You aren't worthy," Iron Hawk said calmly, seemingly in no hurry. Yet, his tall figure slowly advanced, unhurriedly.
His sword energy was like frost, cold and deadly, yet tinged with a scorching murderous intent! It was utterly bizarre—this was the Phoenix Knight, the strongest combat unit in the Wolong World!
"Hmph, worthy or not, we'll know after a fight," the two Gold Warriors took positions on either side, forming a pincer formation!
Long Tian Legion's Four Great Gold Generals! Long Xun, Long Hao, Long Meng, Long Biao! Known as the Four Vajras of the Long Tian Legion. Even within the regular forces of the Shadow Moon Department, their names commanded respect, their strength fully comparable to the Twelve Gold Warriors stationed at the Twelve Palaces of the Soaring Heaven Department. Yet, in Iron Hawk's eyes, their renown was less than that of Lan Qi and Ni Ya, who came from lower ranks! This was an insult! Thus, the two were finally enraged!
"The facts are before you," Iron Hawk responded noncommittally. "If you want to die, come then?"
"The one who dies will be you," Long Xun and Long Hao said, their expressions extremely grim!
"Are all regular troops as talkative as you?" Iron Hawk smiled, radiating confidence and ease. "So much wasted breath."
"......" Long Hao and Long Xun's rage spiked, but meeting Iron Hawk's mocking gaze, they stiffened. "Hmph, trying to provoke us. We almost fell for your trick."
"......" Iron Hawk finally dropped his playful smile! He spoke no more; perhaps, in his view, all the posturing was unnecessary! He didn't need petty tricks to deal with them.
His black Heaven-Cleaving Greatsword hung slightly, casually pointed toward the ground!
However, his entire aura instantly became heavier, more explosive, like scorching lava suddenly erupting in the bitter cold of deep winter. His presence had finally peaked!
What a powerful aura! Long Hao and Long Xun seemed overwhelmed by it, unconsciously taking two steps back simultaneously!
But the moment they retreated, they knew it was disastrous! In a battle between masters, aura was paramount; a weakened stance meant half the battle lost! Especially against top masters like Iron Hawk, any mistake or opening would be fatal!
Roar!
A thunderous roar! A shadow like lightning!
The tip of the Heaven-Cleaving Sword, which had been pointing at the ground, shot forward in an instant! Its astonishing speed actually tore the very air, emitting a strange, sharp wailing sound! And the aura, concentrated to its apex, surged forth like a broken dam in that instant, surging and churning!
It was a simple move—Sweep Through the Thousand Armies—but wielded by Iron Hawk, it carried an incomparably savage dominance, instilling a sense of inevitable dread and fear that felt utterly unbeatable and impossible to evade!
However, as Gold Warriors, Long Hao and Long Xun were certainly not weak!
They roared in unison! Mustering their divine strength! They swept their swords out simultaneously!
The two Heaven-Cleaving Swords became like two rampant sea dragons! They clashed and intertwined, smashing toward the single sword strike Iron Hawk had launched!
But the sudden change occurred at that very moment! Iron Hawk's impressively powerful sword strike vanished instantly! And Iron Hawk, who had been charging forward with electrifying steps, suddenly rebounded backward with unbelievable speed, even faster and swifter than when he first rushed in!