The ceaseless battles had subtly pushed their strength to the verge of breaking through the Heaven-tier, yet whether due to the Heavenly Dao’s rules or some other reason, the breakthrough remained elusive…

At this critical juncture, the Scorpion Fiends launched their assault. Observing the demon army surging forward like a tide, Luo Ruofeng glanced at Chi Yixiu and the other two resting on the ground, then turned his gaze toward a handsome man in fine brocade standing nearby, flanked by twelve golden-armored soldiers who resembled celestial marshals. With a slight wave of his hand, the preparations were set in motion.

Soldiers had already positioned over a dozen massive city ballistae, aiming them at the swarming Scorpion Fiends. These bolts were as thick as a thigh, longer than standard spears, entirely obsidian, and immensely heavy. With a few resonant wumms, dozens of meteors tore through the sky, arriving before the demons in an instant.

These Scorpion Fiends proved remarkably tough. Facing the hurtling bolts, they actually brandished their enormous pincers to smash against the projectiles.

With a crisp Kacha sound, the immense force pulverized the demons’ most resilient pincers. The bolt then slammed into the chest of a leading Scorpion Fiend; its seemingly solid carapace shattered instantly, the bolt piercing straight through. The sheer power sent the creature flying backward, bowling over countless comrades before it was finally pinned to the ground.

Immobilized, that was the extent of it; the other Scorpion Fiends paid the fallen one no mind and continued their relentless charge forward.

“Launch the Origin Spirit Cannons!” Luo Ruofeng commanded with another gentle wave. The twelve True Immortals already positioned atop the city gate—yes, controlling the Origin Spirit Cannons now were twelve True Immortals, all prodigious talents who had endured arduous cultivation within the Mountains and Rivers Map—responded instantly.

Hearing Luo Ruofeng’s order, they poured their soul power into the mechanisms without reservation. Immediately, the twelve massive metal cannons mounted on the battlements pulsed with beams of multicolored light. To the astonishment of all onlookers, twelve shafts of energy shot forth.

Almost instantaneously, these beams struck deep into the Scorpion Fiend army. Against such formidable energy, the demons, regardless of their defensive efforts, had their bodies instantly torn to shreds. Only those Scorpion Fiends whose strength had reached the Heaven-tier managed to instantly condense protective energy shields before themselves, barely repelling the Origin Spirit Cannon blasts.

The twelve Origin Spirit Cannons inflicted nearly a hundred casualties upon the demons. However, these demons had clearly learned a lesson. Instead of rushing in a tight horde as before, they spread out significantly, maintaining great distance between each other. It was due to this dispersal that fewer than a hundred fell.

Seeing that his most powerful war weapon, the Origin Spirit Cannon, had only claimed a hundred Scorpion Fiends in a single devastating volley, Luo Ruofeng shook his head slightly. Against a battle of this magnitude, even the continent's strongest implements of war could not exert overwhelming influence. He ordered a continuous barrage of Origin Spirit Cannons while simultaneously instructing the use of the heavy crossbows. Regardless, every single kill mattered, and every moment of delay was precious.

The Scorpion Fiends moved with terrifying speed. In mere heartbeats, they covered the distance of several miles and reached the base of the city walls, having only endured three volleys from the Origin Spirit Cannons.

The city wall, soaring fifty zhang high, presented little obstacle to these powerful Scorpion Fiends. Often, a single leap from their powerful legs could carry them tens of zhang into the air; some could even clear the wall entirely. Seeing the demons arriving below, Luo Ruofeng turned and spoke softly to the man clad in fine brocade, “Your Highness Tianyuan, I must rely on you!”

This man was none other than Xuanyuan Jing. Facing the full-scale invasion of the demon army, Xuanyuan Jing, as a member of the human race, had set aside all national grievances and hatreds to join the forces of the Southern Cloud Empire.

Luo Ruofeng had conferred upon him the title of Prince Tianyuan, granting him a status as revered as Ye Jingyu’s, though at Xuanyuan Jing’s level, such titles held little true significance.

Hearing Luo Ruofeng’s request, Xuanyuan Jing nodded subtly, then gestured to the twelve golden-armored warriors behind him. Simultaneously, twelve long, gleaming golden spears appeared in their hands. With a synchronized, cold snort, their bodies transformed into twelve streaks of light that shot downward.

While still airborne, their spears moved in rapid succession, generating wave after wave of golden spear shadows that pierced the void, striking the fastest-charging Scorpion Fiends. The demons that had managed to reach this point were all beings of high strength, their carapaces incredibly tough. Yet, against the golden spear shadows, they seemed as fragile as paper, pierced through effortlessly.

Witnessing these twelve golden-armored warriors, Luo Ruofeng and the others were struck by horror. These were at least Heaven-tier cultivators. Where had Xuanyuan Jing found so many experts of this rank?

After all, even with powerful artifacts like the Mountains and Rivers Map and a continuous supply of spirit elixirs from Gongsun Xiangyi, Luo Ruofeng himself possessed only a handful of Heaven-tier masters. For Xuanyuan Jing to disappear for a time and return with such a contingent of powerhouses left him stunned.

The twelve golden-armored warriors plunged into the Scorpion Fiend horde like celestial troops. Their power was immense, and the golden armor they wore was incredibly resilient. A full-force strike from a Scorpion Fiend would only cause the golden light emanating from the warriors to dim slightly; it could not inflict harm.

They cut through the demons like wolves amidst sheep, slaughtering the fiends that could drive ordinary Martial Saints to despair.

The Scorpion Fiends naturally registered the presence of these twelve figures. Twenty squad leaders, each possessing Heaven-tier strength, quickly moved to intercept the twelve golden-armored warriors; they could not allow these individuals to annihilate their kin.

Seeing the presence of twenty Heaven-tier foes rapidly closing in on the twelve warriors, Luo Ruofeng exchanged a look with Chi Yixiu. Chi Yixiu said nothing, simply grabbing a battle-axe from nearby and leaping directly from the fifty-zhang-high wall. He crushed a demon that had just reached the base underfoot, then swung his axe toward the approaching Heaven-tier experts. Nangong Shang and Lin Xiaoyi also flew into action simultaneously; only they could effectively counter these Heaven-tier masters.

Yingkong Shi and Yan Senxu exchanged a glance, ignored their own fatigue, grabbed their weapons, and joined the fray. With their addition, the twelve golden-armored warriors could now fully engage the twenty Heaven-tier demons, even beginning to subtly suppress them due to their inherent superior strength.

From a distance, the Legion Commander "Xie" noted the surprising number of Heaven-tier experts the humans had deployed. "Cunning, insidious, treacherous. You four, the human realm is stable enough now. Do not worry about the Heavenly Dao's rules. Engage fully and fight!” As Xie finished speaking, the four Great Captains beneath him, who had reached the Desolate-tier, bolted forward.