The moment Andrew was slain, the generals under Lei Dong began to move. First among them was Lei Dong himself, who, after countless hardships and the expenditure of vast amounts of Heavenly Spirit Stones, had finally reached the late stage of the Nascent Soul realm. In advancing from the middle to the late stage, Lei Dong's overall combat strength had seen a massive leap, but the most noticeable improvement was in the intensity of his Divine Sense.

At this point, Lei Dong's Divine Sense strength was slightly weaker than that of a seasoned early-stage Spirit Transformation cultivator. However, it was absolutely no less formidable than those beings who had only recently broken through to the Spirit Transformation stage. Capturing this fortress was strategically crucial to Lei Dong's current campaign. Apart from certain unique circumstances preventing him from deploying Spirit Transformation level combat power for now, Lei Dong made no attempt to hide his strength, unleashing the full might of the Netherworld Great Art. Instantly, incomparably pure Netherworld Ghost Qi surged forth like a rolling torrent, swallowing light and space, shrouding everything in absolute darkness.

Simultaneously, the Netherflame Ghost Banner spun out from his Nascent Soul. It appeared tiny, barely the size of a fingernail, but as it met the wind, it grew, transforming into a banner steeped in eerie ghostly aura yet retaining an ancient, grand demeanor that possessed a strange sort of beauty. On the banner's inky black surface, etched with countless intricate array patterns, the malevolent ghosts seemed to have already scented the sweet aroma of flesh and blood, becoming unbearably hungry. Their semi-corporeal, terrifying claws swelled against the fabric, and mournful, chilling shrieks emanated outward, drifting in all directions.

Lei Dong's expression was as deep and still as placid water. With a swift gesture of his hand seals, the myriad vengeful spirits poured out of the Ghost Banner without a moment's hesitation. These specters, with their green faces, prominent fangs, and cruel glint in their eyes, emitted sharp, piercing screeches filled with fierce excitement, echoing throughout the entire sky.

This bizarre, heart-shaking cacophony of ghostly wails seemed to instantly drop the temperature across several dozen miles, causing an involuntary chill to run down everyone's spine, freezing their hearts.

The type of Netherworld Ghost Soldiers Lei Dong deployed this time were his seldom-used Shield and Blade Troopers. This unit type struggled to display its maximum effectiveness against exceptionally powerful individual entities. However, these Shield and Blade Ghost Soldiers, upon which Lei Dong placed considerable expectations, should prove formidable on a large-scale frontal battlefield. Lei Dong intended this assault to validate his theories and designs.

Having been refined by the Netherflame Ghost Banner, each Shield and Blade Ghost Soldier possessed combat strength equivalent to at least a standard wild ghost guard, roughly the Foundation Establishment level. Most were at the early stage, some could reach the middle stage of Foundation Establishment, a few could attain the late stage, and a very small minority had reached the Golden Core level—the fighting capacity of a Ghost General.

Overall, the comprehensive strength of the Shield and Blade Ghost Soldiers matched that of the Iron-Blood Knights stationed in Fortress Number Fifteen. Yet, which side held the advantage would only be determined through actual combat.

Atop the fortress's imposing, thick walls stood approximately fifteen hundred members of the Knight Order. Lei Dong’s Netherworld Ghost Qi had, in an instant, encircled the entire fortress. To an observer from a great distance, Fortress Number Fifteen appeared completely enveloped within a massive cloud of black mist.

After absorbing the pure Netherworld Ghost Qi, the eyes of the Shield and Blade Ghost Soldiers suddenly emitted a terrifying glare. Their already substantial frames swelled and grew even larger. While their speed was far inferior to the Suicide Ghosts, they excelled in their steady, reliable pace, certainly surpassing the slow-moving Big Belly Cannon Ghosts.

With the distance between them so close, the clash occurred almost in the blink of an eye. The leading figure, towering nearly ten feet high, possessed a body formed of dense, heavy black mist. With green face, exposed fangs, and bulging black muscles, it held a blade and shield, resembling a ferocious demon crawled out of the abyss. It charged into the enemy ranks with brutal force, its blade slashing up and down with a tearing, sinister grin, looking like a rainbow of steel.

The Iron-Blood Knights were by no means weak, but they had been caught completely off guard by the sudden attack, with Andrew instantly killed, compounded by the pervasive black mist, causing their morale to plummet. Though they managed to respond awkwardly, none could withstand the assault of the leading Ghost General-level Shield and Blade Ghost Soldier. Often, a single swing cleaved both man and sword in two. Even when surrounded, nearby Shield and Blade Ghost Soldiers would intercept the blows. Its sole focus was to push forward, and keep pushing forward.

That formation of Shield and Blade Ghost Soldiers plunged deep into the Iron-Blood Knights like a spearhead. Under the sweeping blade of the vanguard Ghost General, no foe lasted more than a single engagement. It immediately established an aura of unparalleled martial prowess.

However, the Iron-Blood Knights possessed their own powerful figures. Among them, one warrior clad in heavy, full-body armor, wielding a massive two-handed greatsword, leaped and swung the sword downward. The motion carried an aura of sharp, intense crimson Battle Qi, powerful and overwhelmingly fierce. He roared: "Evil devils from hell, perish!"

"Clang." The Shield and Blade Ghost Soldier hastily raised its shield to defend, but the sword strike shattered the shield and sent the specter flying back over ten zhang before it could stabilize itself. Seeing this, Lei Dong couldn't help but express a slight, impressed surprise. To cultivate such Battle Qi techniques to such a high level indeed resulted in formidable offensive power. Yet, in Lei Dong's view, such Battle Qi methodologies were fundamentally flawed.

When the Shield and Blade Ghost Soldier was seen again, its form had dimmed considerably; the soul-condensed shield was utterly destroyed. But this was not fatal to the specter. With a flick of its left hand, another soul shield materialized.

Lei Dong’s Ghost Soldiers were renowned for their ferocity and brutality, their spirits filled with cruelty and a thirst for battle. The injured, powerful Shield and Blade Ghost Soldier suddenly lunged toward a mage who was channeling a fire spell. With a clang, it blocked a scorching fireball, then extended its ghostly hand, seizing the mage by the neck. Showing its fangs without hesitation, it bit savagely into the poor mage’s throat, gulping down his blood in great draughts.

In merely two or three breaths, all the blood in the mage's body was drained. The Shield and Blade Ghost Soldier seemed unsatisfied, and with an unfinished air, it opened its mouth and bit off the man's head, swallowing it with a wet gulp.

Fueled by the fresh flesh and blood, the previous injury began to mend at a visible rate. The Ghost General-level Shield and Blade Ghost Soldier, even more frenzied and brutal, brought its great blade down upon the human expert, whose face was contorted in sheer terror, engaging him in a fierce melee.

Such scenes were constantly unfolding, repeating across the field. The Shield and Blade Ghost Soldiers, devouring human flesh and even souls, seemed endowed with a form of immortality. Even if a heart were pierced by a sword, they would not die; at worst, their form would dissipate slightly, only to be replenished immediately after consuming blood and soul.

For a time, the entire battlefield resembled a gruesome, tragic depiction of the Asura Realm. To the fair-haired, blue-eyed humans, these ferocious Shield and Blade Ghost Soldiers looked like devils truly crawled up from the depths of Hell.

The initial engagement between the Shield and Blade Ghost Soldiers and the human army of the Light Domain was an undeniable victory. From the moment the battle began, the Ghost Soldiers held an overwhelming advantage. Their combined traits—utter disregard for death, inherent cruelty and combativeness, resistance to permanent demise, and the ability to instantly enhance strength and repair injuries by consuming flesh and soul—gave them a significant edge over an equivalent human force.

Of course, this did not exclude the possibility that the human army was psychologically shaken by encountering such an enemy for the first time. Lei Dong believed that once the human legions adapted to the fighting style of the Shield and Blade Ghost Soldiers, while they might not win, they certainly wouldn't be so utterly routed.

As for the remaining dozen or so Golden Core-level Winged-Men, their first reaction upon encountering the skirmish was not to fight, but to attempt to flee by beating their wings. A woman of extreme pride, such as Dongfang Fu, would naturally not concern herself with engaging such junior opponents.

However, the Yin-Yang Old Monster under Lei Dong's command held no such reservations. Having grown up in misery and suffering constant coldness and discrimination, it was only after following Lei Dong that he found his destiny, feeling the warmth and value bestowed upon him by his master.

He considered himself utterly loyal to Lei Dong, and his greatest desire was to follow his master into battle, making the name Yin-Yang resound across all Six Domains and Nine Continents. He yearned to show everyone who had once scorned or discriminated against him that he, the Yin-Yang Old Monster, was absolutely a supreme powerhouse among humans.

Now, the opportunity had finally arrived. Lei Dong's decision to attack and conquer the Holy Domain of Light filled the Yin-Yang Old Monster with both trepidation and excitement. But what he desired most was to first demonstrate his potent usefulness before Lei Dong.

"Jie jie jie, how dare you! Did the Master not grant permission for you to leave, yet you dare to flee?" The Yin-Yang Old Monster emitted a grating, piercing, grotesque laugh. He channeled the red fiendish energy swirling around his body, instantly transforming it into more than a dozen coiling, twisting ribbons—appearing both substantial and spectral—that shot out like tentacles, ensnaring the dozen young Winged-Men who dared to flee.

Those Winged-Men, who held positions of high status and reverence among the humans of the Light Domain, were utterly helpless in the grasp of the Yin-Yang Old Monster, who had already broken through to the middle stage of the Nascent Soul realm. They resembled a flock of defenseless children when caught by the red mist. After struggling fiercely, they achieved virtually nothing and were meekly dragged back. The faces of this group of Golden Core-level Winged-Men, both male and female, were etched with sheer terror.

In truth, had they been prepared to fight the Yin-Yang Old Monster to the death, he would not have succeeded so easily. But after witnessing Andrew’s instant demise and the terrifying fangs displayed by the enemy, this group of Golden Core Winged-Men, long unaccustomed to brutal combat, had lost their courage. Their only thought was to flee.

Having endured hardship throughout his formative years to achieve his current status and power, the Yin-Yang Old Monster understood the critical importance of setting an example. Without waiting for Lei Dong's command, he condensed a sphere of crimson deadly mist and enveloped one unlucky captive.

"Ah—"

The potent corrosive ability was unleashed. Even though the Golden Core Winged-Man generated sacred, brilliant white light across its body, it could not resist the erosion of the red mist. In a mere few breaths, the victim was dissolved into a pool of viscous liquid.