"What in the world are these things?"

Si Yu frowned. He had just scattered most of the misty phantoms with his Great Yin Yang Hand, only to find they had dissolved into countless wisps of gray mist.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

In the blink of an eye, the gray mist re-condensed, forming into twisted, humanoid phantoms. Their numbers were truly vast, and they filled the surrounding space.

ROAR! ROAR! ROAR!!

Countless howls erupted.

"These ghostly creatures are unkillable."

BUZZ!

At that moment, Sun Buyu of the Military School said gravely as he surveyed the area, "Because these twisted, humanoid phantoms are formed from the gray mist, they don’t possess life in the truest sense. Even if you shatter them all, they will simply regenerate as long as the mist isn’t eliminated."

"So," Sun Buyu said in a deep voice, "leave these things to me."

The moment his voice fell...

BUZZ!

With a wave of his right hand, Sun Buyu produced a square Magical Treasure. It glowed with countless lights and emanated the Power of Rules. This Top-Grade Transcendent Treasure was called the Heaven and Earth Four Directions Martial Dao Array Plate.

As Sun Buyu raised his hand, the Heaven and Earth Four Directions Martial Dao Array Plate rapidly enlarged before melting into the Void, becoming one with the surrounding space-time.

SWOOSH! SWOOSH! SWOOSH!!!

The next moment, streaks of brilliant golden light descended, each one solidifying into a human silhouette.

"This is..."

"Scattering Beans into Soldiers?"

"..."

Everyone was stunned.

"No," Sun Buyu explained. "This is a Secret Technique of our Military School called the Unparalleled Divine Power Skill of the Ministry of War. It allows me to summon Golden Armored Soldiers."

"And as long as I live and my Power hasn’t run out, these Golden Armored Soldiers can revive endlessly, making them nearly immortal. They’re perfect for dealing with these twisted, humanoid phantoms."

"Amazing!"

"It really is..."

"Truly a supreme Divine Power Technique from the Military School."

"..."

Xu Qing and the others turned their gazes to the battlefield. Sun Buyu had unleashed the Unparalleled Divine Power Skill of the Ministry of War, summoning a great number of Golden Armored Soldiers. These soldiers were powerful and numerous, and they were locked in a fierce battle with the twisted, humanoid phantoms.

As it happened, Sun Buyu was now holding back the unkillable, twisted phantoms. However, he had to focus most of his mental energy on maintaining the Unparalleled Divine Power Skill of the Ministry of War, so he could no longer fight alongside the others.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

Suddenly, Xu Qing and the others heard the beating of drums, like the war drums of a Military Array. The surrounding Array shifted again, evolving to reveal even deeper mysteries.

It was as if endless black energy was descending from the heavens. Countless vortexes swirled in the sky above, and Xu Qing and the others watched as towering black palaces slowly materialized from illusion into reality.

BUZZ! BUZZ!

Furthermore, wisps of an indescribably terrifying aura began to emanate from these towering black palaces, making Shang Ying and the others’ expressions turn incredibly grim.

"What is this?"

"Black palaces?"

"What a terrifying aura... Each one of those black palaces is emitting a presence that feels at least as powerful as us—perhaps even stronger."

"Be careful!"

"Who is our opponent? What are their origins? Does anyone recognize them?"

"..."

Shang Ying and the others murmured to one another.

"Kill!"

ROAR!

CRACK!

The next moment, a terrifying battle cry erupted from the foremost of the descending black palaces. Its gates suddenly swung open, and a streak of black light, brimming with boundless killing intent, shot toward Xu Qing and the others.

"I’ll handle this."

BANG!

Shang Ying cried out sharply. Countless magical scripts flashed in her eyes as she waved her right hand, causing tens of thousands of Magical Talismans to appear around her.

"Array of Magical Talismans! Attack!"

BOOM!

A massive explosion erupted. Shang Ying launched her attack, confronting the streak of black light. Countless Magical Talismans materialized and converged, forming a terrifying Array of Magical Talismans that trapped the black streak. The talismans then all detonated at once, unleashing an immense destructive force.

SWISH!

However, a jet-black saber gleam cleaved through the Mighty Power of the blast. Amid the endless fire and explosions, a completely jet-black figure was clearly visible. It was clad in black full-body armor, and black flames flowed over its entire form.

The weapon in its hand was a straight, jet-black longsaber. The Power of Rules coiled around its blade, appearing as countless dancing black motes.

"!!!"

Shang Ying’s pupils contracted.

SWISH!

The next moment, the black-armored warrior locked onto Shang Ying and vanished. An instant later, it was right in front of her, its straight, black longsaber already swinging down.

CLANG!

BANG!!!

Shang Ying’s expression changed in alarm as a series of decrees manifested around her. They were palm-sized, diamond-shaped, and completely jet-black. A unique Magical Talisman was engraved upon each one.

A closer look revealed a total of 129,600 decrees.

This was Shang Ying’s Top-Grade Transcendent Treasure: the One-Element Decree.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!!!

In an instant, a fierce battle erupted.

Shang Ying clashed with the black-armored warrior. The two were evenly matched, trading blow for blow, and it was clear that no victor would emerge anytime soon.