Had I truly reached the end of my days? A wave of despair washed over me, immediately followed by an endless surge of the fighting spirit characteristic of a trapped beast.

Gritting my teeth, I nocked an arrow to my bowstring and loosed it toward the ball of dark energy flying my way.

The arrow tore through the air with a whish, lunging at the black mass like a hunting falcon.

But the black mass remained utterly still, charging straight into the incoming arrow.

Soon, the arrow pierced right through the heart of the black cloud, yet it resulted in nothing, as if shooting through a swarm of gnats.

I had anticipated this outcome and wasn't surprised. I concentrated my intent, trying to force the arrow to curve back.

Evidently, I was still too naive; my ability hadn't reached that level of control.

The arrow merely made a slight deviation in its rapid flight path before shooting down toward the ground.

I sighed inwardly, but still used my will to guide the arrow so it shot through the skull of a massive rat.

The rat let out a sharp squeak and died instantly where it stood.

Without pausing, I drew another arrow, no longer aiming for the black mass, but for the giant rat leading the charge.

As the arrow left the bow, I manipulated its trajectory with my mind. The arrow dove like an eagle, plummeting rapidly, then, just before hitting the ground, it suddenly skimmed parallel to the earth.

The arrow, trailing a sharp gust of wind, pierced through the head of the lead giant rat, traveled through its entire body, and struck the second one behind it.

It entered the second rat’s right chest, exited its left hip, and finally lodged itself in the eye socket of the third before stopping.

This single arrow killed three giant rats outright—even I hadn't expected such efficiency.

Looking at the increasingly heavy green mist clinging to my arm, I realized my surging fighting will and desperate desire to survive were strengthening my Nian.

Unfortunately, the rats seemed entirely unfazed by my formidable presence; more of them rushed forward in relentless succession.

I kept moving, firing three arrows that felled ten rats. Just as I was dripping with sweat from the exertion, the black cloud reached me.

Seeing its fierce approach, I hastily lowered my bow and reached out my hands to block it.

The black cloud's target was clearly me; it made no attempt to swerve, encroaching upon me.

Just as it was about to touch my face, I suddenly felt the skin of my face come alive, writhing, and then a white, tongue-like appendage extended from my mouth.

I knew it wasn't my tongue; it was the Atlantean entity attached to me. Now that it had manifested in a rounded shape, it signified I had reverted to Nie Chuan’s appearance.

The Atlantean entity coiled around my neck like a serpent, hissing a warning sound at the black mist hovering in the air.

The black cloud seemed sentient; it recoiled with a whoosh.

At that moment, I felt my facial skin writhe again, and the Atlantean returned inside my body.

After the Atlantean retreated, the black cloud refused to dissipate, merely circling around me.

Seeing that it dared not approach, yet unable to destroy it myself, I felt a sense of utter powerlessness.

Looking down, I saw many rats had already scaled the walls. Ignoring the black cloud, I returned to drawing and nocking arrows, resuming the slaughter of the rats.

My shooting wasn't effectively reducing their numbers, but the rats that tumbled down dragged those beneath them back to the ground. This back-and-forth motion surprisingly prevented the rats on all four walls from scaling up immediately.

But I kept retrieving arrows from behind me and firing incessantly. Finally, when my hand reached back, there was only one arrow left.

I pulled out the final arrow and gripped it in my hand, wiping the sweat from my brow. Looking down, I saw the rats had piled up into a small mound.

The remaining rats used this mound as a foothold, climbing up much more easily, and they quickly organized their next assault.

Witnessing their practiced climbing skills, I scanned my surroundings. Finding no other suitable weapons, I drew the broadsword strapped to my back, preparing for the final melee.

Lifting the heavy blade, I was panting like a broken bellows, and the hand that wielded the bow was nearly numb, spasming uncontrollably.

It had been a long time since I felt such physical exhaustion; surprisingly, it was mixed with a sense of exhilaration.

No longer watching the rats scrambling up, I sat down on the ground to steal a few more seconds of rest before the great battle, mumbling, "Come on, you damned beasts. One shows up, one dies."

Closing my eyes, awaiting the final showdown, a method for escape flashed across my mind from a moment earlier.

I picked up the last remaining arrow in my hand and exclaimed with relief, "Good thing I didn't throw this one away!"

With a slight smile, I swiftly dug a rope out of my pack.

Then I stood up and gauged the distance between myself and the blockhouse opposite.

The truth was, I had previously considered using the rope to swing across, but my rope was only ten meters long, and the tower opposite was at least thirty meters away, so I had dismissed the idea.

Furthermore, even if the rope were long enough, if the rats managed to climb up halfway and sever the line, certain death would follow.

But now, in those few seconds of rest, I had finally conceived a way to cover the thirty-meter gap with just a ten-meter rope.

The method was quite simple, yet often overlooked in such critical situations.

With that thought, I quickly tied one end of the rope to the tail of the arrow.

After ensuring the knot was secure, I tied the other end of the rope around my waist.

Next, I drew the bow and aimed the arrow at the ceiling opening.

Calculating the distance, I shot the arrow out.

The arrow whistled and embedded itself firmly into the stone wall of the ceiling opening.

At that moment, countless rats flooded the area around the sentry post, their eyes red like long-starved wolves, lunging toward me.

I knew there was no time to hesitate. I took two quick steps forward and charged out.

Mid-stride, a rat lunged at me with its jaws wide open.

I swiftly drew my longsword and cleaved its head in two down the middle, then stepped onto its corpse and leaped out from the blockhouse.

The sound of rushing wind filled my ears as my body swung in a wide arc, carrying me over to the top of the opposite blockhouse.

At the apex of the swing, I used my longsword to cut the rope, allowing me to land steadily atop the other structure.

Upon landing, I immediately rolled on the ground to absorb the momentum of the fall.

Then, I quickly looked back. The blockhouse I had just left was already occupied by rats.

A few rats attempted to jump across but fell short, plummeting to their deaths.

More rats squeaked angrily toward me, then scrambled down from their perch, preparing to scale my side.

I knew this couldn't last; even relocating the battlefield wouldn't save me forever.

So, I quickly searched the immediate area, looking for any lamp oil or similar substance that could hold them off a little longer.

I found no lamp oil, but I did find two barrels of arrows among the equipment left by the spirit emissaries.

However, this blockhouse held something far better than lamp oil: a launching harpoon gun!

This device resembled a cannon mounted on the tower. It fired a four-sided long spear, as thick as a man's arm, with barbs on every facet. Crucially, a rope was attached to the rear of the spear, allowing whatever it hooked to be dragged back.

These harpoon guns were usually seen on fishing vessels, typically used for catching large marine life like whales.

But this was the first time I had seen one on land. I wondered if it was meant for capturing large spectral entities?

There was no time for contemplation, as the rats were already swarming toward my current position.

I wiped the surface of the cannon-like device and found it perfectly preserved. Checking the firing mechanism in the rear, I confirmed it was functional.

A surge of joy hit me. I strained myself to aim the cannon's muzzle toward the approaching rats.

Because they were crossing from one blockhouse to the other, they couldn't form the tight siege they had before, instead advancing as one massive, surging column.

With no hesitation, I pointed the muzzle directly at the center of their mass.

Once sighted, I pulled hard. With a bang, the spear shot out, trailing a spiral of air.

This weapon was incredibly heavy; controlling it with Nian would be taxing, so I had to pre-calculate its curve.

My efforts were not in vain. With all my strength, I guided the spear through an elegant arc that drove it into the heart of the rat formation, skimming the ground.

I heard a terrible shushing sound, followed by a chaotic storm of gore. Some rats were reduced to chunks of meat before they could even squeak.

This single shot plowed unimpeded through the entire column of rats, carving a bloody path straight through the center of the army.

This earth-shattering power clearly stunned the giant rats. This time, they halted, emitting mournful wails.

Rats are naturally timid; they only dared attack me because of their sheer numbers.

Now, having witnessed the terrible price paid by their comrades, these rats clearly hadn't expected a single person to possess such terrifying strength.

I felt a wave of fear spreading through the rat collective, and the formation quickly began to break apart.

The rats split into several groups and bolted back into the darkness.

The remaining rats hesitated, chirping nervously, before abandoning their encirclement of me and beginning their own retreat.

Seeing this turn of events, I finally let out a breath and collapsed onto the ground.

However, just then, I saw the ball of black energy slowly drifting back toward me.