Amidst the clouds, Lei Dong, observing the battle from a distance, couldn't help but feel a surge of emotion. "Regent King, your Winged God race members are not only individually formidable, but when it comes to war, you truly commit. And those humans from the Bright Domain are also impressive; even after being ambushed, their morale remains incredibly high." Lei Dong had to concede that strategies based on faith and indoctrination were, at times, quite effective.

"Lei Dong, must this conflict continue?" The Regent King's expression seemed deeply troubled. Indeed, the Winged God armies under King Liuyue were fiercely retaliating against the tidal wave of attacks from the alien races, their spirits soaring. But every loss caused the Regent King a pang of sorrow—those were the vital essence of the Winged God race.

"Your Excellency, there can be no establishment without destruction," Lei Dong stated coolly. "You are well aware of the numerous problems within the Winged God clan. Due to excessive deification, countless Winged Gods believe themselves to be the favored children of heaven and earth, the most superior race in the universe. Unless their arrogance is severely checked, forcing the Winged God race to return to solid ground, major issues will inevitably arise sooner or later. Of course, the most crucial factor is that King Liuyue is under control and not aligned with us. Defeating and severely wounding King Liuyue’s contingent army will create the necessary strategic space for our future maneuvers. Do not let minor details distract from the grand scheme."

Minor details? The Regent King felt a sudden, fierce urge to draw the Sword of Judgment and cleave him in two. King Liuyue had brought nearly every single elite warrior she could muster in this contingent: over ten thousand Winged God elites and seventy to eighty thousand human elites. Although the Winged God race numbered in the millions, those truly deserving the title of 'elite' amounted to only about three hundred thousand. And this colossal strength, this vital force, was dismissed by this man as a minor issue. Hmph, if it’s such a minor issue, why isn't he committing his own beloved elites to the fray? Why are only the cannon fodder from the Abyss Domain native alliance being sent to charge?

However, before the Regent King could voice her dissatisfaction, the Hidden Dragon Army, stationed at the rear to oversee the battle, made its move. A thousand-strong contingent composed purely of Nascent Soul stage cultivators sliced into the battlefield like a sharp sword, led by the Heavenly Demon, who radiated an aura of fierce power.

The Heavenly Demon had experienced countless battles, large and small, surviving numerous brushes with death throughout her life, making her skills truly exceptional. With her leading the way, this elite Hidden Dragon Army moved as if through open territory, their sharpness peerless, like a celestial sword drawn for battle, sweeping aside everything in their path.

The corroded, shattered Bright Domain flying ships exploded one after another with booming crashes. Their arrow-like advance pointed directly toward a Sky City stationed at the very forefront, which was currently unleashing its might upon the invading Abyss Domain aliens.

That Sky City clearly perceived the immense threat posed by the Hidden Dragon Army. Hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Light Cannons unleashed torrents of explosive light spheres toward the Hidden Dragon ranks. The density of the bombardment was staggering.

The power of these Light Cannons was considerable. A direct hit from one could injure a typical Golden Core stage expert, or tear a weaker one to shreds. Even Nascent Soul stage experts, utilizing full defense, could barely withstand more than a dozen impacts.

Yet, the reason Lei Dong dared to send his most cherished Hidden Dragon Army into battle was twofold: firstly, to let them gain combat experience through real life-or-death situations and receive further tempering. But practically speaking, the Hidden Dragon Army had undergone rigorous, specialized training targeting various battlefield tactics and enemies.

When facing fortresses like the Sky City, which possessed formidable firepower, the rigorously trained and disciplined Hidden Dragon Army naturally had a countermeasure. The army, initially arrayed in an arrowhead formation, instantly transformed into a flying-geese formation. Each soldier was enveloped in swirling Nether Ghostly Qi, using offense as defense, as countless 'Netherworld Finger' strikes shot out—swoosh, swoosh, swoosh.

The finger strikes, colored like thick ink, were so dense they resembled a torrential black rain. Before the Light Cannon shells could even reach the Hidden Dragon ranks, they were detonated prematurely by the storm of Netherworld Finger strikes, exploding mid-air in a brilliant, firework-like display.

Taking advantage of the Light Cannons’ cooling period, the Hidden Dragon Army rapidly advanced several li, halting only after about a li distance. The thousand-plus cultivators of the Netherworld Scripture spread their Nether Ghostly Qi, which easily extended dozens, even hundreds of li, forming a pitch-black curtain that covered nearly half the battlefield.

Merely by sight, it was impossible to ascertain the Hidden Dragon Army's location. And when scanning with divine sense, the dense Ghostly Qi obstructed the path, making the sense feel as if it were mired in thick mud, encountering heavy resistance everywhere.

Hiss, hiss…

Every soldier in the Hidden Dragon Army practiced the Netherworld Scripture. Although they were not as profoundly skilled as Lei Dong, the combined force of a thousand Nascent Soul cultivators unleashed a power a hundredfold greater than Lei Dong’s individual might. This was the power of the collective; against a truly massive and strong army, the impact of individual power was greatly diminished.

Aooo, aooo, aooo…

A series of dragon roars, like exploding thunder, erupted as a thousand winding black dragons slammed fiercely against the Sky City’s defensive shield. No matter how powerful the Sky City’s defense, it could not withstand the simultaneous ultimate move executed by a thousand Nascent Soul experts.

The resulting impact and shock instantly shattered the Sky City's defenses. The violent explosion actually forced the terrifyingly heavy Sky City backward several tens of meters. The sturdy structures and cannon emplacements atop it cracked and crumbled.

"Great Heavenly Demon Fist!" The Heavenly Demon, while shocked by the Hidden Dragon Army's might, was unwilling to be outdone and unleashed one of her signature moves. Countless condensed demonic energies transformed into a colossal, ten-zhang-tall black iron fist that smashed violently into the Sky City.

Had the Sky City’s defense remained intact, it might have withstood the Heavenly Demon’s punch without collapsing. But in its current state, the Sky City was like a young maiden stripped bare, left vulnerable to the Heavenly Demon’s assault. That single punch from the Heavenly Demon obliterated one corner of the Sky City, sending fragments flying everywhere.

No longer able to sustain itself, the Sky City could no longer float and began to plummet diagonally downwards, its structure rapidly collapsing. The Winged Gods and humans garrisoned within fled in panic, soaring out in a manner resembling countless bees swarming from a ruined hive.

In just a single exchange, the Hidden Dragon Army had eliminated one formidable Sky City. The morale of the native alliance of the Abyss races soared immediately. Creatures of various appearances and strange shapes shouted excitedly, charging toward the scattered and demoralized Winged race members driven from the Sky City. These Abyss creatures had suffered greatly under the Sky City's bombardment earlier; whether it was for revenge or simply the pleasure of kicking a dog when it was down, these fellows were ecstatic.

After destroying one Sky City, the Hidden Dragon Army did not pause but, led by the Heavenly Demon, began its assault on the second one.

In the mid-air, the Regent King’s face paled slightly. Powerful. They were overwhelmingly powerful. As an established King of the Winged God race, the Regent King knew the offensive and defensive capabilities of a Sky City very well. Even she, the Regent King, would require at least the time it takes for one stick of incense to burn down to personally lead the capture of a Sky City, and even then, her subordinates would sustain heavy losses.

Although she had already overestimated the combat strength of Lei Dong’s forces, she never imagined they would be this terrifyingly strong. The Regent King felt a lingering fear; had she chosen to align with Lei Dong but secretly harbored murderous intent against him, the future awaiting the Winged God race would likely have been utter annihilation.

In the following brief half-hour, Lei Dong’s elite Hidden Dragon Army successively charged and broke through three Sky Cities, weaving through a thousand li of the battlefield as if entering unoccupied territory.

What Lei Dong had expected to be a battle without much suspense suddenly took a sharp turn. Within Liuyue’s main city, an army bearing the insignia of brilliant moonlight embroidered on their breastplates, exuding an air of proud—ShuShu Net

The two sides immediately engaged in a fierce battle. That army was unexpectedly formidable. Not only were their individual strengths exceptional—with the weakest being late-stage Golden Core experts, and many War Generals reaching the Nascent Soul stage—but their morale and willpower were also exceptionally high and unwavering.

"It's King Liuyue's Moon Guards," the Regent King stated, frowning slightly. "It seems that after being controlled, Liuyue still benefited from some resources under King Shengyao. At the very least, this personal guard unit, the Moon Guards, has expanded its strength by more than double compared to a century ago. Lei Dong, your Hidden Dragon Army is in trouble. Withdraw them quickly."

"Hmph, an army that only knows how to fight when winning and retreats when facing slightly stronger enemies will never be the strongest army," Lei Dong sneered back, sending a divine sense order for the remaining several thousand Hidden Dragon Army members to charge forward together.

Those reserve Hidden Dragon Army members, having witnessed their comrades dominating the battlefield, were already itching for a fight. Seeing their brothers and sisters engaged and held back by a powerful enemy made them barely containable. Upon receiving Lei Dong's divine command, they immediately surged forward like a pack of tigers unleashed from their cage.

These powerful soldiers, emanating cold, dark energy, clad in black armor and helmets, had long been the nightmare of ordinary Winged Gods and humans. Seeing a massive group of several thousand charging en masse, the Moon Guards hurriedly made way, lest they be easily crushed and pulverized.

None present were weaklings. Bursting forth at full speed, they covered dozens of li on the battlefield within mere tens of breaths, rushing into the ranks of the Moon Guards who were besieging their comrades. Their aura was laced with savage intent.

Indeed, the Moon Guards were powerful. Among the four to five thousand Moon Guards, at least all were late-stage Golden Core experts, with a ten-to-one ratio of Nascent Soul stage veterans.

But Lei Dong’s Hidden Dragon Army was even more terrifying. Among nearly five thousand troops, almost two thousand were already at the Nascent Soul stage. The rest were uniformly at the Golden Core stage, or at its peak.

The two equally formidable armies, black clashing against white, met head-on, and a brutal slaughter commenced.