The first wave of the Wolf Legion collided violently with the enemy's vanguard fodder.
Brother Gut-Bro was highly conspicuous in the middle of the pack; larger than the other wolves, he was clad in bone armor bristling with spikes. Combined with his sharp, interlocking fangs, he was a literal engine of war. He possessed two pairs of wings: one of bone and one of feathers.
"Awoooo!"
With a flap of his bone wings, a thin layer of bone armor grew over the bodies of all nearby wolves. The Elite Wolves, who already had armor, saw theirs thicken and sprout spikes. With a flap of his feathered wings, a violent gale erupted across the plains, kicking up sand and stones. This not only obscured the vision of the enemy's rear army but also doubled the movement speed of the Wolf Legion.
However, the opposition clearly had experts of their own. Five Green Dragons rose from behind the battle lines, circling the sky. Clouds formed instantly, blotting out the sun as heavy raindrops fell, washing away the dust storm and revealing the battlefield once more.
In that single encounter, the Wolf Legion had slaughtered half of the fodder army. Mere Grade 4 beasts stood no chance against an army of Grade 5 wolves—many of whom had reached Grade 6. With Gut-Bro's buffs, it was a massacre; as the mist cleared, the ground was littered with corpses and flowing blood.
But before the wolves could pursue their advantage, the raindrops hit them. Each drop of "Weak Water" was as heavy as a thousand pounds. Striking a wolf was like a hit from a heavy machine gun, instantly cracking their armor.
'Drip, drop.'
The relentless rain soon shattered the bone armor provided by Gut-Bro's skill. Then, it began breaking the actual skeletons of the undead, sending them back to the Great Tomb in droves.
'Crack!'
'Rumble!'
At that moment, a bolt of purple lightning tore through the thick clouds, striking a Grade 5 beast in the rear. The beast shrieked, losing half its life. Before it could flee, another bolt followed. This was, of course, the work of the newly promoted Legendary Hero, the Shura Horse. The Grade 5 beast tried to block with its own technique, but the lightning carried a paralyzing effect. It jerked to a halt, only to be struck again.
'Crack!'
The beast twitched violently on the spot. It realized it couldn't escape and looked around, seeing that the lightning wasn't just targeting it. The clever "Demon" was using the clouds summoned by the Green Dragons to facilitate its own lightning strikes.
While many undead were being crushed by the Weak Water, many beasts were being incinerated by lightning. For a moment, it was a stalemate of mutual destruction.
The beasts roared: "Kill! Don't stop! They are just fodder! Kill the enemies!!"
Wei Huan remained silent. The fallen wolves were already being redeployed through the teleportation gates. Then, Mu Zhong and Dou Lin acted simultaneously.
"Ding!"
"Boom, boom, boom!"
Drums thundered in the sky. Ancient ancestors appeared as blurry silhouettes on the horizon, dancing around totems and campfires to pray for blessings. Simultaneously, starlight fell as a child's naive voice echoed:
"I determine... Victory!"
The Wolf Legion returned to the fray as if they had consumed a divine tonic, pouncing back into the rain with savage ferocity. The Weak Water drops that once killed them now struggled to penetrate their defenses even without Gut-Bro's aid. They charged through the downpour, tearing apart the remaining vanguard.
Meanwhile, flashes of white light flickered across the field. In an instant, Grade 5 beasts struggling in the rain collapsed, bleeding and wailing. They died without ever knowing what had hit them.
The Gambler squad had made their move. They targeted only high-level leaders, striking with lethal precision. Already masters of ambush, Brother Hammer's "Passerby" talent made them virtually invisible.
While everyone was focused on the ground, few noticed several white flashes appearing on the backs of the Green Dragons. Slaying dragons was a matter of "first time strange, second time familiar." Having analyzed the previous dragon carcass, they knew exactly where to strike. These Green Dragons were only at the peak of Grade 5—no match for Grade 6 Gamblers.
Dragon cries of sorrow echoed as the Gamblers systematically executed them. As the dragons fell, the dark clouds dispersed. But before the sun could shine through, a phoenix-like cry rang out. A massive, black, three-headed, six-winged bird soared across the sky, its wingspan large enough to shroud the entire battlefield.
As it flew, a greyish snow fell. The undead felt a surge of energy, while any beast touched by the snow began to rot and dissolve. Even Grade 5 beasts suffered significant flesh loss.
"Awoooo!"
A swarm of flying beasts surged from the rear, covering the sky like a blanket. They reached Sister Crow in an instant, pecking and clawing until they formed a ball around her. Suddenly, black flames erupted from her body; any bird too close was incinerated by Nether energy, falling like rain.
Simultaneously, the Two-Headed Hidden Demons rushed up to sweep away the outer circle of birds. Two unremarkable-looking avian beasts maneuvered close to Sister Crow, spitting bolts of golden lightning. This lightning clearly countered Nether energy; wherever it struck, the black mist surrounding Sister Crow dissipated.
Then, a golden eagle—only a hundred meters in size—slew four Hidden Demons and dove toward Sister Crow's back. Its metallic talons hooked into her, causing one of her wings to go limp.
"Caw! Caw!!"
The elegant and domineering Sister Crow let out a harsh, grating cry. Just then, a current of electricity surged through the remaining clouds, slamming into the golden eagle.
'Don't hold an umbrella during a thunderstorm.'
The lightning was drawn to the eagle like a lightning rod, releasing its full force. The eagle shrieked, paralyzed, and plummeted to the ground. The other two lightning-spitting birds were surrounded by a superior number of Hidden Demons and forced out of the fray. Sister Crow, now free of challengers, resumed raining down her Nether Snow.
On the ground, the Violent Bear army led the charge, the Wolf Legion flanked the sides, and the Shura Horse army pressed in from behind. The scale was immeasurable. The beast fodder was dead, replaced by the "regular army" of winged horses, winged wolves, and tiger demons. The two sides locked in a brutal melee.
Wei Huan's vehicle advanced slowly behind the lines, signifying that the front was being pushed forward. The Magic Eye Lords were deployed, giving Wei Huan vision of every corner of the battlefield.
The battle was going smoothly. Despite the beasts' counterattacks—the attempt on Sister Crow, rainbows appearing to purify the Nether Snow, and ambushes by stealthy high-level beasts—they simply could not match the raw power of the undead army. Wei Huan's troops were stacked with too many buffs and nourished by rare resources. Furthermore, the undead felt no pain or fear. Even if they died, Wei Huan could simply summon them back as long as he had Nether energy.
In contrast, the beasts were flesh and blood. They grew tired and felt pain. Many beasts fought desperately to kill a few undead, only to look up and see an endless tide still coming, while their own companions were gone. Despair began to set in; some fought more crazily, while others looked for a way to retreat.
With the Nether Domain and his specialized equipment, Wei Huan's energy consumption was only a third of what it should be. After an hour of fighting, he was barely warmed up.
However...
"It's about time," Wei Huan said.
Mu Zhong, standing beside him, asked, "Time for what?"
"The strong opponents. They're coming."
"What grade do you think?"
"In a Grade 7 world, it'll be Grade 7 beasts."
"The Beast King?"
"The bird ghost was likely above Grade 7 when it was alive. The Beast King should be as well."
"Grade 8? That's above the world rank."
"This isn't the Challenge World; there's no such thing as a hard 'world rank' here. But with limited resources, a world can likely only sustain one Grade 8. That bird ghost was killed by someone even stronger."
"Makes sense." Mu Zhong nodded. "What about that dharma plate?" He wondered if the plate that imprisoned the bird ghost could be used. Before they could discuss it further, the earth shook.
'Boom! Boom! Boom!'
A beast appeared on the horizon. As it approached, it grew larger until it was a thousand-meter-tall, long-haired bull—it looked like a massive yak. Its eyes glowed with wisdom and power; it was a Grade 7 Great Demon. On its thick-furred head, another figure flickered momentarily.
Then, a pair of purple eyes appeared in the sky. They were enchanting and eerie, making it impossible for anyone to look away. On the battlefield, the Gamblers suddenly revealed themselves, their hands dropping limply, their blades pointing to the ground as if they were in a trance. They began to discard their gear. Even a four-winged Magic Eye Lord was affected, its green light clouded by purple flames.
Mu Zhong saw this via the flying cameras and reacted instantly, grabbing Wei Huan: "Wei Huan!"
Wei Huan was swaying, his eyes flickering with purple light. Only his right eye seemed to be struggling, the pupil twitching rapidly.
"Wei Huan!!" Mu Zhong gripped his shoulders and shook him violently. Finally, he threw a punch, slamming his fist into Wei Huan's face.
Wei Huan grunted from the pain and snapped out of it. He wasn't angry; instead, he praised Mu Zhong's decisiveness. "Good!"
He closed his eyes, extinguished the green flames, and stopped looking directly at the front. Instead, he accelerated the summoning from the gates. Dot Mom, who had been held in reserve, finally released her Burrow Legion.
Mu Zhong warned, "It's an illusion. Big Foot and the others are caught. We need to save them."
Wei Huan wasn't panicked. "The first law of the undead army: in solo combat, prioritize protecting humans. The undead are immune to this illusion. As long as I don't look, they can fight on their own."
"Use the camera feeds," Mu Zhong said. "The illusion can't affect us through the screens."
"Perfect." Wei Huan waved a hand, generating a projection.
The Grade 7 entry had immediately turned the tide. The illusion had slowed the undead's coordination by affecting Wei Huan. In that brief window, the giant bull demon leaped into the fray, slaughtering undead and saving trapped beasts.
Furthermore, Wei Huan noticed something else: as the bull rampaged, dragon-like shadows moved beneath the earth, flickering in and out of sight. Undead were being dragged underground, disappearing and then reappearing in Wei Huan's Great Tomb. This was likely another Grade 6 or 7 beast.
With three new high-level entries, the situation was becoming precarious. Additionally, the golden eagle that had been shot down earlier returned to the sky, forming a coordinated air-land-sea-subsurface attack.
However, Wei Huan was now clear-headed. The Burrow Legion flooded the field like ants. Facehuggers began dropping into the beast swarms, exploding in bursts of green Nether fire. These explosions left deep craters; even Grade 5 beasts were left near death if they took a direct hit. The Earth-Burrowers cast green webs, pinning beasts to the ground for slaughter.
The purple eyes in the sky, seeing their power failing, let out a shriek. Purple flames erupted in the air, manifesting into nine tails. The tails slammed down, flattening undead.
'Eeee!'
Gouzi and his siblings cried out. Two thousand-meter-tall Burrow Beasts, shaped like giant jellyfish, appeared on the field to block the bull's path. A red, agate-like Facehugger led a swarm to dig deep, determined to root out the hidden subterranean beast. Only the "Great-Grandchildren" generation, who could only grow to 300 meters, stayed back to protect and retrieve the entranced crew members.
"Is that a Nine-Tailed Fox?" Mu Zhong asked. "Kill it and let your undead eat it. Then we'll have the power of illusions."
Wei Huan nodded. To counter the poison, he would become the poison. He decided the Magic Eye Lords would be the ones to consume the fox.
With a focused killing intent, the Facehugger bombs began targeting the bull—specifically the fox on its head. The bull, pinned by two giant jellyfish-like Earth-Burrowers, was struggling. The fox, a "glass cannon" magic type, couldn't take the explosions and leaped off the bull's back.
It was a white fox, barely five meters long, with nine fluffy tails and purple fox-fire. But the undead were immune to its illusions. As it tried to flee, the purple fire faded.
The moment the fire vanished, an axe light and a blade light flashed in succession. The fox slammed into a massive axe-head like it had hit a wall and was swatted back. While in mid-air, its neck was subjected to a flurry of blades; in five seconds, it was hit by hundreds of precise cuts.
Blood sprayed. When the fox hit the ground, the neck wounds and the impact left it near death. It hadn't even seen its attackers. Re-igniting its fire, it manifested a thousand-meter-tall purple fox phantom—its Dharma-Apparition.
The Shura Horse immediately grew to the same size to meet it, while Sister Crow dove from the sky with black flames. The injured fox was no match for a Pseudo-God Nether Crow and a Legendary Shura Horse; it was beaten into a whimpering mess instantly.
On the other side, the bull was being worn down by the two giant Burrow Beasts. Despite its brute strength, it lacked magic and was being neutralized. Even the underground beast was being forced out by the Facehugger explosions.
The beast race had played its cards, yet they were still being suppressed.
Finally, a gargantuan dharma phantom appeared on the horizon. Even from a distance, Wei Huan could tell its height was likely ten thousand meters.
Wei Huan and Mu Zhong gasped in unison: "A human!?"
But they quickly realized it wasn't human. It had a human-like torso and arms, but its head looked like an ET—its eyes taking up a third of its face, with no whites, only black pupils. Six long tentacles swayed on its head. And its lower body was fused with a massive, spiral shell.
It was... a snail!
The strongest being in this world was a snail? A mollusk ruled this world?
Wei Huan found it hard to process. Dragons, foxes, and winged horses—creatures of human legend—were ruled by a snail.
The snail-monster raised its hands, its tentacles waving. An invisible force spread across the field. The fleeing beasts suddenly turned back, charging at the undead with suicidal bravery.
Simultaneously, a group of snakes ambushed Wei Huan's vehicle from behind. Some had wings, some had multiple heads, and one large red snake with twin horns possessed an aura stronger than the Green Dragons.
This horned snake led forty others, bursting from the ground to strike the vehicle. Their timing was excellent; most of Wei Huan's army was deployed at the front. Aside from the Ghost Crows, he only had his 100 Hidden Demon guards, 78 Dark Beast Royals, and the Pseudo-God Dot Mom.
It was still a terrifying force, but it was the fewest number of protectors Wei Huan had ever had by his side. The forty snakes lunged straight for the vehicle.