However, when Su Dingqian personally intervened, the situation only slightly improved. The iron-armored warriors had already reached the city walls, and Lian Gang City’s wooden defenses were pitifully weak against their heavy weaponry. Just a few blows could tear open gaping holes.
In the blink of an eye, breaches appeared all over the walls, and the iron-armored warriors surged in like a black tide.
On the rooftop of Lian Gang City’s lord’s mansion, Su Dingqian stood by the railing, gazing at the distant battlefield with a grim expression. Only Liu Daoming and Su Yueyuan remained by his side; everyone else had been sent to the frontlines. Su Yueyuan and Liu Daoming were the city’s last reserves, and they could not be deployed lightly. They would need to step in if any formidable enemies appeared.
Liu Daoming was fine, but Su Yueyuan, with his Level 13 combat strength, seemed a bit underwhelming. Including him in the plan was rather embarrassing. But Su Dingqian had no other options—all his cards were on the table. He had to take care of his most talented son, at least to some extent.
As the city walls crumbled, all three wore grim expressions. Liu Daoming managed to keep his composure, but Su Yueyuan could not hold back. “Father, should you strike again? We can’t hold out like this!”
“Patience!” Su Dingqian rebuked.
Liu Daoming gave Su Yueyuan a look, silencing him. Su Dingqian had already pushed his limits by slaying a war beast. The divine generals on both sides operated with unspoken understandings. The enemy also had divine generals, and in greater numbers. If Su Dingqian continued to expend his origin power, the opposing divine generals would not hesitate to counter-attack.
By keeping his combat strength intact, Su Dingqian provided the greatest deterrent, restraining at least one divine general and several high-ranking fighters, perhaps even two divine generals.
But if the battle below the level of divine generals collapsed, there would be nothing he could do.
In the distant night sky, a magnificently designed airship hovered. Even in the Evernight, it would be considered luxurious, with many of its decorations purely for show and its origin arrays used to maintain the ship’s pristine surface.
This opulent airship was well-known throughout the Eastern Sea, for it was the flagship of the Spider Emperor.
At the moment, the Spider Emperor was not aboard. Seated in the main chair was a mysterious figure in a white robe, wearing a pale gold devil mask. Several spider demons were also present, each exuding a powerful and deep aura, clearly extraordinary beings. They were all the Spider Emperor’s top commanders, yet they dared not show any displeasure at the intruder occupying the main seat.
The masked figure was as renowned as the Spider Emperor, the master of the Moonlight White Devil. No one knew his name or appearance, only that he was called Mask. From the behavior of the Moonlight White Devil, one could imagine the character of its master. The best approach for such a formidable and unpredictable fighter was to leave him alone.
The airship hovered beyond the battlefield, not approaching. Occasionally, strong fighters would fly aboard, bringing the latest reports. Most of the time, Mask merely listened, expressionless. His sole command so far was to recall two war beasts.
The group of powerful beings in the command cabin was growing restless. The battle was proceeding as expected, and Su Dingqian had indeed been forced to act. According to the pre-battle plan, if Su Dingqian struck again, Mask would lead them to ambush and kill him.
At that moment, a spider on the ceiling of the command cabin began to glow. “Mask, how is the battle going?”
This spider was palm-sized, almost entirely transparent, and its voice was ancient and disrespectful toward the leader of the Moonlight White Devils.
Mask raised his head and said coldly, “Old Spider, you finally have time to appear?”
The transparent spider laughed. “I’ve been busy with my female spiders. How could I manage everything? I only have five clones, and I left one here, which is quite generous of me.”
Upon hearing the transparent spider speak, the spider demons in the cabin bowed in respect. This peculiar, palm-sized spider was one of the Spider Emperor’s clones, capable of concealment and long-distance communication. It was like an extra pair of eyes for the Spider Emperor, and wherever it was, the Spider Emperor was there.
Mask, knowing the Spider Emperor’s usual behavior, huffed, “Su Dingqian has already made his move.”
The Spider Emperor’s voice grew serious. “He attacked? What were the losses?”
“A Beagle Giant Beast.”
“Oh, that’s good, not too bad. Trading a Beagle for Lian Gang City isn’t a loss.” The Spider Emperor still seemed pained.
Mask huffed. “If you were here, he wouldn’t dare to attack.”
The Spider Emperor replied, “Even if I were here, he would still make his move. We can’t stop him from escaping unless the mad wolf is also here. Unlike you, my roots are in the Eastern Sea, and I don’t want to face a madman with nothing to lose.”
Mask fell silent, clearly troubled. After a moment, he said, “True, having roots means having weaknesses. Let’s proceed as planned.”
The Spider Emperor said, “I don’t think Su Dingqian will fight to the death. He’s probably hoping we’ll explore the Earth Dragon, leading to a significant loss. Then he’ll strike when we’re weakened.”
Mask said coolly, “Without that, his strategy is sound, and we have no good way to counter it.”
The Spider Emperor laughed. “Relax, Mask. I know your contribution is the greatest. Trust me, you’ll get your share of the Earth Dragon’s blood, not a drop less.”
At the mention of the Earth Dragon’s blood, Mask’s aura changed, revealing his unease. He said slowly, “Let’s focus on taking Lian Gang City first.”
The Spider Emperor said, “As long as we press hard and inflict heavy losses, Su Dingqian will retreat. Since I’m not needed here, I’ll leave and come back later. A little beauty has just woken up, and I need to give her a lesson!”
The transparent spider waved its forelimb in farewell, then lay motionless, indicating the Spider Emperor’s consciousness had departed.
Mask shook his head, resting his chin on his hand, deep in thought.
On the Lian Gang City defenses, flames raged everywhere. Despite losing fewer than fifty of their thousand iron-armored warriors, they had already breached the city and engaged the defenders. In close combat, the city guards’ casualties skyrocketed. The armor of these iron monsters was too thick and heavy for low-level fighters to penetrate. Their four elephant-like legs seemed to be their only weakness, but they could trample anyone who got too close.
Qian Ye did not rush to act, instead observing the iron-armored warriors’ vulnerabilities. On this chaotic battlefield, he was virtually invisible once he concealed his aura. The iron-armored warriors’ senses were poor, and sometimes they brushed past Qian Ye without noticing him.
After a while, Qian Ye had a clear idea. As one of the iron-armored warriors rumbled past, he leaped onto its back, nearly pressing his gun against its armor, and fired!
At this moment, the benefits of the old man’s modified gun became apparent. The shot nearly penetrated the upper body of the iron-armored warrior. Though it kept moving, its body could no longer support it, and its upper half snapped off. Even in this state, it still struggled, refusing to die.
Qian Ye examined its wound and frowned. Its internal structure was bizarre, with organs arranged chaotically. Many of them seemed to serve no purpose, as if someone had thrown them together haphazardly.
However, its skeletal support structure was not special. How could it bear such heavy armor?
Qian Ye studied the armor structure and suddenly understood. The heavy armor itself acted as a support structure, so the pressure points were the four elephant-like legs. The rest of the body was not sturdy, relying on the armor for protection.
With this realization, Qian Ye formed a plan. He charged into a group of iron-armored warriors, unleashing the power of the Vortex of the Sea. Everything within ten meters came under pressure. Qian Ye now controlled his domain precisely, keeping it within twenty meters.
Around him, the elephant legs of seven or eight iron-armored warriors cracked, unable to support their massive bodies, and they crashed to the ground. They felt no pain and were extremely ferocious, still intent on killing. But the sudden increase in weight had crushed their leg bones, and they thrashed in vain, unable to rise.
Qian Ye withdrew his domain, concealing his aura, and retreated into the city. His domain flashed briefly and was confined to a small area, so no one noticed anything unusual.
The iron-armored warriors had begun to assault the inner city, making the battle increasingly complex. This was the situation Qian Ye preferred, and he quickly faded into the shadows.
An iron-armored warrior moved through a narrow street, seeking potential enemies and attacking any living being in sight, whether soldier or civilian. It had just passed a house when the wall shattered, and Qian Ye emerged, dashing beneath the warrior and firing at its belly!
The belly of the iron-armored warrior was a weak point, as the abdominal armor was not strong enough. Otherwise, movement would be impossible. The thin armor and soft belly could not withstand the force of a Level 7 gun. Qian Ye’s shot ripped through its entire abdomen, spilling blood and organs.
The iron-armored warrior roared and struggled, but its mountainous body fell, blocking the road. Another iron-armored warrior rushed over, saw its companion’s corpse, and, instead of showing sympathy, became more enraged. With a heavy axe, it lifted the body, intending to fling it aside.
At that moment, Qian Ye reappeared, swiftly passing beneath its lower abdomen. Amid the roar of gunfire, this iron-armored warrior met the same fate as its companion.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage