With the magical traps cleared, the vast armies of the Underworld began their slow, deliberate advance toward Weihai City. Though another layer of man-made traps lay ahead, these were no mindless skeletons; the main Uprising forces understood how to skirt around such obstacles.

If by some misfortune a few Underworld soldiers stumbled into a snare, the others immediately rerouted, rendering these artificial defenses nearly useless against the main host.

After systematically dismantling all barriers, the core Uprising army finally reached the second line of defense surrounding Weihai City. A full-scale confrontation was imminent.

“Crossbowmen, prepare…”

Commands echoed relentlessly through the human coalition camp stationed at the second defensive perimeter.

The Abominations of the Underworld, true to form, used their towering frames as living shields, covering the smaller, leaner Banshees as they rushed toward the human lines.

As the Uprising host closed in, three blue flares simultaneously ignited above Weihai City. At that very instant, the ballistae positioned behind the human lines unleashed their devastating power. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of colossal stones soared from the coalition ranks, slamming into the massed Uprising forces below, eliciting shrieks of agony.

Even the strength of the Abominations could not withstand the impact of these massive boulders; many were pulverized into red mist on the spot.

However, this carnage only served to inflame the savagery of the Underworld troops. Countless beings howled, accelerating their charge toward the human encampment, with the massive Abominations leveraging their size advantage to spearhead the assault.

Following two punishing volleys from the ballistae, the Underworld forces finally reached a distance of barely three hundred meters from the foremost infantry defense line.

Simultaneously, the human camp’s long-prepared archers loosed their specialized longbows. A storm of arrows streamed forth from the human formation, plunging swiftly into the heads of the Abominations leading the charge.

At the same moment, the towering Abominations raised the colossal shields they carried, aiming to deflect the incoming archery assault.

These long-arrows, specially crafted by the Church of Light, were twice the length of standard arrows. Yet, against the massive bodies of the Uprising Abominations, they still seemed pitifully inadequate.

After several waves of arrows, the leading Abominations sustained minimal losses; most shafts were blocked by the massive shields they wielded. Even those arrows that slipped through cracks failed to inflict fatal damage on their colossal frames. More often than not, an Abomination struck by an arrow would simply wrench the projectile free, roaring with even greater ferocity as it surged toward the human lines, widening the gap between itself and the lagging Banshees.

Witnessing the sheer brutality of the Abominations, many human soldiers sucked in sharp breaths, finally grasping the terrifying nature of this main Uprising army. Aside from the damage inflicted by the ballistae, the archers had achieved almost nothing against them. In the blink of an eye, the towering Abominations were upon the human fortifications.

Meeting the solid defense line established by the heavily armored human infantry, the Abominations did not charge headlong like the Ghouls before them. Instead, they howled and hurled their enormous shields.

These massive shields, weighing hundreds of pounds, gained astonishing momentum when thrown by the Abominations, each carrying the destructive force equivalent to several hundred pounds. Their impact was in no way inferior to the ballistae, whistling into the human ranks.

A series of concussive thuds followed, instantly knocking down a section of the heavily armored shield-bearers at the forefront. The dying screams of heavily armored infantry echoed through the human lines. Even the thick plate armor could not withstand the impact of these colossal shields. Most soldiers struck by a shield found their armor completely deformed; many were killed outright, causing an immediate ripple of disorder in the human defense.

At that precise moment, the Abominations, having discarded their shields, brandished their enormous cleavers and roared as they crashed into the heavy infantry opposite them.

The true, white-hot battle had commenced between the human and Uprising forces. However, the Uprising Abominations were clearly superior in both strength and size to the human coalition. Truly, only the tens of thousands of Paladin Knights of the Church of Light, or the Berserkers of the Beastmen, possessed infantry capable of meeting the Abominations head-on.

Unfortunately, the Beastmen Berserkers were already few in number; only about ten thousand had arrived on this battlefield, and they had to be divided to assist in the defense of two other auxiliary cities. Thus, Weihai City only had a few thousand Berserkers, utterly insufficient to counter the frontal assault of over a hundred thousand Abominations.

In an instant, the human ranks dissolved into chaos, countless heavy infantrymen dying brutally at the hands of the Abominations. While the occasional Abomination did fall to the coalition forces, their death toll was significantly lower than the humans’. After just a few exchanges, the heavy infantry line showed clear signs of collapse.

Meanwhile, the Crossbowmen, positioned far in the rear, mechanically drew and loosed their longbows, continuously targeting the Uprising Banshees trailing behind the main assault. But the Banshees were unnaturally swift, and aided by the ten-victory stone statues behind them, the arrow attacks caused little significant damage to them.

On the stands overlooking Weihai City, the gathered leaders grew grim-faced, turning to Murong Tian. They couldn't understand why he held back the Paladin Knights of the Church of Light. Given the Knights’ strength, they certainly would not be at a disadvantage against the Abominations. Yet, Murong Tian remained fixed on the battlefield, showing no inclination to deploy them.

Several commanders pleaded for the Paladin Knights to be sent in, and even some Knights from the Church of Light offered counsel, but Murong Tian dismissed every request.

Soon, a quarter of the two hundred thousand heavy human infantrymen had been lost, while the Abominations had suffered barely a thousand casualties. This sight enraged those watching from the stands, yet they remained powerless. Even Mo Han found his patience wearing thin. If the heavy infantry were entirely wiped out, the tens of thousands of Crossbowmen behind them would be trapped in dire straits—a loss the humans simply could not afford.

At that moment, all the Abominations finally slammed into the human defense line, locking into brutal melee combat with the heavy infantry. The Banshees and the ten-victory stone statues remained several hundred meters behind the main fray.

Just then, Murong Tian abruptly issued the order for the cavalry charge. Two yellow beams shot into the sky. The Paladin Knights, concealed on the flanks, were finally revealed. The long-restrained Paladins spurred their demonic warhorses, eyes blazing red, charging toward the Banshees and the ten-victory stone statues at the rear.

In mere heartbeats, they had burst into the ranks of the Banshees and statues. Tens of thousands of Paladin Knights, like a razor-sharp blade, sliced rapidly through the Banshee ranks. Even the formidable Banshees, powerful as they were, could not withstand a direct confrontation with the mounted Paladins. Their slender bodies offered no resistance to the sheer force of the charging horses. In that first clash, the Banshees suffered several thousand casualties, screaming in agony.

However, the Banshees were, after all, a core component of the Uprising host. They quickly adapted, letting out piercing shrieks. The Paladins engaged in melee on horseback suddenly felt a crushing weight on their minds, their speed plummeting. Many weaker Paladins lost control, tumbling from their saddles only to be torn to shreds by the maddened Banshees. Yet, the Paladins were the elite among men, and their armor and steeds had undergone special refinement, meaning the Banshees’ most potent weapon, Confusion, did not inflict devastating losses upon them.

Simultaneously, the Paladins burst clear of the Banshee formation, preparing for a second charge. At that critical juncture, a Paladin in golden armor, leading the contingent, roared, “Light, honor be with me… Let the sunset witness our glory!”

Then, the golden-armored Paladin hurled the magic scroll in his hand. Dozens of other Paladins followed suit, sending scores of scrolls soaring into the sky, tracing arcs of yellow light. A massive yellow halo immediately enveloped the area above the Banshees. It was the high-level human magic, Silence, capable of temporarily preventing spellcasting within a specific radius—a fatal blow to the Banshees.

At that moment, tens of thousands of Paladins shouted in unison, raising their longswords and launching their second assault on the Banshees. The Banshees shrieked in defiance, but this time their cries seemed ineffectual. The yellow aura above them flickered, every magical effect suppressed by the Silence spell, rendering them unable to harm the Paladins.

Freed from the threat of magic, the Paladins’ fighting spirit surged as they plunged back into the Banshee ranks. Without magical aid, the combat effectiveness of the Banshees was reduced by more than half, and they were no match for the highly skilled Paladins. After several more charges, the tens of thousands of Banshees had suffered heavy losses.

Concurrently, two large flares rose from the Uprising ranks. The Uprising Abominations, currently locked in deadly combat with the heavy infantry, seemed to receive an order; they began to turn, attempting to disengage and rush to aid the beleaguered Banshees. But they were fully entangled within the human heavy infantry line. Attempting to break free to aid the Banshees proved incredibly difficult, which severely hampered the fighting prowess of the Abominations. As a result, the heavy infantry line, which had been on the verge of breaking, slowly stabilized.

As the Banshees continued to fall, the tide of battle began to shift subtly toward the human coalition. Battered by the relentless assaults of the Paladin Knights, the tens of thousands of Banshees had scattered, fighting individually—a situation that only accelerated their doom.

By the time the Abominations finally broke free from the infantry entanglement and managed to regroup, almost no Banshees remained on the field. Only the exceptionally durable ten-victory stone statues remained largely unscathed due to their immense defensive capabilities, much to the regret of Mo Han and the others observing from Weihai City.

The remaining Uprising forces on the field—the surviving Abominations and the stone statues—began a slow retreat, merging with the reserves behind them to prepare for the next offensive. The human coalition forces also began a measured withdrawal, collecting the dead to prevent their bodies from being utilized by the Underworld.

From the city walls, Mo Han and his group finally allowed themselves a brief sigh of relief as the immediate fighting appeared to cease.

However, before they could fully relax, several figures shot out from the Uprising lines, moving with incredible speed toward the human coalition. These dark shadows breached the human ranks in mere moments, eliciting screams of terror. Wherever these shadows passed, no ordinary soldier could stop them; countless troops fell into pools of blood. Their unmistakable target was Mo Han and the command staff on the walls of Weihai City.

Seeing this, Mo Han’s brow furrowed. Judging by their aura, the strength of these newcomers was certainly no less than the Underworld Generals he had previously encountered—individuals possessing power nearly equivalent to a Continent Sword Saint. How could ordinary soldiers possibly stop them?

Just as Mo Han prepared to act, dozens of streaks of white light shot out to intercept the dark figures slaughtering within the army. These were the forces of the Church of Light, led by Elder Guang Huo. Trailing behind Guang Huo were several dozen warriors clad in golden armor, each possessing strength close to that of a Great Swordmaster. In normal circumstances, these forces from the Church of Light would be sufficient to subdue a small nation. Perhaps if only one of the attacking Uprising figures had appeared, they might have prevailed. But Mo Han counted at least six dark figures on the field—far too many for Guang Huo’s contingent to handle. Are all the remaining Underworld Generals deployed? Mo Han wondered grimly. Six Sword Saints against a few dozen Great Swordmasters—the outcome was obvious.

With that thought, Mo Han drew his Creation Divine Sword without hesitation and charged toward Guang Huo’s position. The Light Pope and Bai Ling, along with a few other powerful mages, also considered joining the fray, but the close-quarters melee was unsuitable for mages, given the dense concentration of human soldiers. The dark figures moved like ghosts, darting through the ranks with blinding speed. Even Bai Ling, if confronted by any one of them alone, might survive, but she would be utterly helpless to fight back in such constrained conditions.

At that moment, Guang Huo and several Golden Knights managed to intercept one of the fleeing dark figures. Guang Huo roared and brought his Ancestral Staff down with immense power toward the figure’s head. At Guang Huo’s strength level, that single strike should have carved a massive crater in the earth.

The dark figure merely scoffed, “With strength like yours, you dare block me? You are courting death.”

With that, the cloaked figure performed an action that seemed suicidal: he extended both hands, aiming to seize Guang Huo’s Ancestral Staff mid-swing. Guang Huo’s staff was condensed with the Light Battle Qi accumulated by several generations of Light Elders—energy that was the natural bane of Uprising warriors. Ordinary Underworld soldiers would flee upon seeing it; how could this one dare to grab it?

A flicker of surprise crossed Guang Huo’s face, but there was no time to dwell on it. As the staff struck, it emitted faint, pale-white light, bearing down on the opponent. Guang Huo was relying on the staff’s hidden power to momentarily manifest the white Battle Qi reserved for a Sword Saint—it was his absolute limit. In his estimation, combined with the staff’s inherent anti-Uprising nature, even if he couldn’t kill the opponent, he should at least injure him severely.

Yet, the dark figure acted as if the attack were invisible, reaching even faster for the Ancestral Staff. With a loud clang, the figure’s hands grasped the descending staff precisely. Guang Huo, holding the staff, was instantly flooded with an incredibly potent, chilling aura of Battle Qi surging up through the weapon. With a muffled groan, Guang Huo was thrown backward uncontrollably by the fierce force of the blow. The dark figure, completely unaffected, swiftly followed, rising to pursue Guang Huo who was still airborne.

At that critical juncture, several Golden Knights of the Church caught up, blocking the figure from pursuing Guang Huo. The weapons of a dozen or so Golden Knights unleashed streaks of deep blue Battle Qi, all directed toward the dark figure. In an instant, these blue energies merged into a single beam, dramatically increasing its power. The blue light instantly transformed into pure white radiance. These Golden Knights had achieved a rare feat: a combined strike that elevated their power level—unlike Guang Huo’s forced augmentation via the staff, this was an attack equivalent to a true Sword Saint.

Even the overconfident dark figure could only momentarily evade the combined assault of more than a dozen Great Swordmasters employing the merging technique. He swiftly sank his body, but the beam of light, as if expected, followed him without slowing, bearing down relentlessly. With no avenue of escape, the figure let out a fierce cry and summoned a strangely shaped weapon that radiated a powerful aura of death, meeting the incoming white light head-on.

A deafening boom erupted. The surrounding soldiers were violently flung far away by the shockwave of the colliding Battle Qi. Around the clash of these two energies, no one other than the Golden Knights and the dark figure could remain standing.

“The Golden Knights of the Church of Light are quite impressive, gugugugu…” the dark figure uttered a grating, unnatural laugh.

The Golden Knights’ faces were pale. They had exerted their full strength in that exchange, yet the opponent had parried it so easily. Moreover, this figure seemed to have reserves of strength left, which naturally caused alarm.

“Such an unpleasant laugh. I’ll take you on first,” the dark figure sneered, still gloating. Suddenly, an overwhelming pressure descended from above, a pressure so immense it made even his own cultivation feel weak and terrified.

The dark figure hurriedly swung his bizarre weapon, crying out wildly, tilting his head back to cleave upward toward the overhead threat. This time, the figure unleashed his full power, the surge of energy far greater than when he countered the combined strike of the Golden Knights. His entire sword was enveloped in black Battle Qi, instantly sealing the space above his head, a clear testament to his formidable skill.