Dozens of humans sat atop these colossal elephants, maneuvering them. Seeing how incredibly fierce those Treants were, they immediately swung the elephants' heads toward the living wood creatures. The Treants, showing no weakness, streamed out of the forest and charged toward the giant beasts.

Both sides were massive; the elephants towered tens of meters high, while the Treants stood over ten meters tall. At first glance, the Treants seemed outmatched, but they possessed more than three times the numbers, and the density of their woody bodies was certainly far superior to human construction. Thus, after a brief, furious charge, the colossal creatures slammed into one another.

For a moment, the entire ground seemed to shake as if an earthquake had struck. The first wave of over a dozen Treants was violently swept away, but more than thirty Treants joined forces to hold several elephants back. They practically tipped the massive creatures over entirely. It seemed that creatures possessing limbs were always more agile than those without, at least in close-quarters group combat.

The elephants crashed to the ground in another tumultuous upheaval. Zheng Zha was already too weary to watch the monstrous battle nearby. In the end, whether it was a Treant or an elephant crushing him, the result was the same: death. It struck him as pathetic; other individuals who had unlocked the Fourth Stage of the Gene Lock were terrifying powerhouses roaming through horror movie worlds. Only he was unlucky enough to be sprawled on the ground, looking for all the world as if he were about to breathe his last.

"Heh. Is that Zheng Zha? You look truly unfortunate... perhaps you always were, weren't you?" A voice suddenly sounded, accompanied by the footsteps of several people.

Zheng Zha snapped open his remaining eye. Sure enough, several members of the South-Flame Continent team stood before him, with Neos gazing at him with a half-smile.

The sight caused his heart to lurch.

(Right, the ring on my hand... Although my clothes were destroyed in the flames, this ring remains intact on my hand... The South-Flame Continent team. At this moment, if they could silently eliminate me, no one would ever know it was them, and the Central Continent team would lose a vital member...) Zheng Zha silently watched Neos, who suddenly pulled a piece of chocolate from his pocket. Eating it, he remarked, "Richard, pick him up. Let's head into the city... We have already secured victory in this battle. We might get caught up in the crossfire here on the battlefield. We’ll go into the city first... What I owe you, I’m returning."

With that, he turned and started walking toward Minas Tirith.

(Damn it, if you’re going to save me, just save me! Why act like you’re about to silence me? You really scared me...) Regardless of his apprehension, shortly after everyone ascended the city walls, a wave of deep green rushed toward them from the harbor—the Orc legions who were still fiercely resisting, along with those incredibly powerful giant elephants.

In the face of this dense, verdant army, the resisting Orcs and even the formidable elephants seemed as fragile as paper slips. This dark green army was the Undead legion; their speed was phenomenal, and except for blades, their forms were ethereal, utterly disregarding gravity as they advanced. In an instant, the entire battlefield seemed to dissolve into a green ocean. This war... Humanity had won! The victory in this war, however, did not guarantee success in another one brewing... Far away from the capital of Gondor.

This area was deep within the domain of the Black Gate of Mordor. Explosions erupted in rapid succession atop a series of peaks, each blast sending massive amounts of rock tumbling to the ground. Several of the most violent detonations even triggered chain reactions of landslides. This activity gradually drew the attention of the Orc armies within the Black Gate and Sauron himself.

"Song Tian! How many forms does your Blade Style have? Hmm? Wind Blade, Earth Blade, Fire Blade, Water Blade, and the strongest, Gold Blade? Let me see it!" Zhao Zhuikong shouted excitedly. Then, his entire body blurred, turning into a streak of light that coiled toward Song Tian. Every rock he passed instantly disintegrated, leaving a furrowed track on the ground as if it had been plowed.

Song Tian appeared more disheveled than Zhao Zhuikong, but his movements were entirely without hesitation. He drove his ancient, simple long saber deep into the earth before him. Before the streak of light could reach him, he swiftly pulled the saber out of the ground.

"Tornado Earth Flow Wind!" As the ancient saber was yanked free, it flung up vast quantities of soil, sand, and rock. The saber then whipped madly through the air, forming a small tornado beneath it. This vortex immediately sucked the earth and stone into its core, accompanied by a series of sharp crackling sounds.

When the streak of light collided with this tornado, a violent explosion erupted. Shockwaves continuously propagated outward, and just like before, the mountainsides in this area began to slip and collapse.

When the shockwave and dust subsided, Song Tian and Zhao Zhuikong both turned to look at a small hill not far away. Hundreds of figures were slowly approaching them. As they drew closer, the two realized these hundreds of beings were not human at all, but monstrous creatures several meters tall, alongside the members of the Central Continent team, including Chu Xuan.

Zhao Zhuikong suddenly smiled and looked at Chu Xuan. "Our transaction is settled. Do you need something from me here? Oh, I forgot to tell you earlier, didn't I? The price for interrupting my fight... is quite steep."

Chu Xuan adjusted his glasses. "Oh, that's fine. You continue your battle; I'll just go kill Adam." With that, he looked up toward Adam, who stood on another small rise behind Song Tian. Beside Adam was a Caucasian woman, and the two appeared to be speaking.

Song Tian, who had been silently watching Zhao Zhuikong, snapped his head up the moment Chu Xuan spoke those words, fixing Chu Xuan with a gaze filled with killing intent.

Simultaneously, Hao Tian instantly stepped in front of Chu Xuan, shrugging innocently toward Song Tian. "My apologies, I really don't want to be your enemy... Since we once knew each other, how about you don't attack me? Whoa..." As Hao Tian spoke, Song Tian had already launched an invisible slash from a distance. The intangible blade energy split the rock on the ground, creating a fissure, but just several meters in front of Hao Tian, a dull, heavy thud echoed. Circles of visible, strange ripples materialized before Hao Tian, and it was precisely these ripples that blocked Song Tian's blade energy.

Zhao Zhuikong seized the opportunity, flashing to Song Tian’s side. No one knew what he did, but when he flashed back to his original spot, a deep, bone-level gash appeared on his chest, yet in his hand, he held an arm. Song Tian’s arm had been severed, fortunately not the one holding his weapon.

"What a spoilsport. I was hoping to have a good fight with you, but it seems there’s no chance right now. You actually dared to divert your attention while fighting me... Next time, Song Tian. If the God of Heaven Squad isn't wiped out, we'll fight next time," Zhao Zhuikong declared.

Zhao Zhuikong tossed the severed arm far behind him, then launched himself off the cliff edge with a push of his feet. His voice only drifted back as he left.

Indeed, the Trackers behind Chu Xuan had already drawn their bows. These bows were crafted from sturdy wood; since the bows previously used by the Berserkers were too small, a three-meter-long bow was necessary for the Tracker Berserkers, who stood several meters tall, to unleash their true power. As these Berserker Trackers drew their massive bows, over a hundred of them nocked two arrows each—a clear sign that they were preparing the Blast Arrows.

Zhao Zhuikong was quick to evade. Although no one could stop him from leaving, given his speed and combat power, Song Tian's earlier blade energy hadn't been held back; it was truly an attack capable of cleaving mountains, yet it was blocked by Hao Tian's invisible power. By comparison, outside of his assassination skills, Zhao Zhuikong’s close-combat offensive power wasn't necessarily much greater than Song Tian’s. At least he couldn't guarantee he could break that invisible energy wall within three seconds, and within three seconds, a hundred Blast Arrows could certainly kill him.

"So, let the God of Heaven Squad be annihilated," Chu Xuan stated without reserve. He paid no mind to Zhao Zhuikong's vanishing form, simply waving his hand. The Trackers behind him had fully drawn their longbows. Song Tian, now less than a hundred meters away, was utterly exposed to the power of the Blast Arrows.

Song Tian let out a cold snort and was just about to raise his saber to attack when Adam, standing far away, stood up and shouted, "Stop, Chu Xuan. I admit you won this round... That’s enough. We will stay quiet here until the entire Middle-earth world concludes, how about that?" Chu Xuan looked at Adam and the Caucasian woman behind him. "Impossible. Based on the data I’ve collected, your threat level exceeds that of the Demon Reincarnation Squad. The others in the God of Heaven Squad can live, but you must die. That is undeniable. And to prevent your team members from reviving you, it is best if your entire God of Heaven Squad is annihilated. This is not up for discussion."

Adam looked toward Hao Tian, who immediately shrugged helplessly. "Adam, I'm helpless too. Don't look at me like that. Don't worry; I probably won't be around much longer... I understand Chu Xuan’s nature better than you do. No matter what, I’m doomed anyway; I’m just living longer than you for now, hahaha..." He truly seemed to be an optimist, showing no concern for his impending doom. Adam suddenly declared, "Very well, then let's die together. The Continental Shelf Oscillator has been set. The switch is in my heart. Chu Xuan, come and kill me..." He leaped toward them.