The Steam Dual General Stars have fallen.

The Holy Shield cycle itself had no issues, but alas, with the Baibao Guards flanking them, their Holy Shield was first broken by the rain of arrows, then hit by the True Demon’s Black Shadow Flame. Possessing only about ten thousand health points, they succumbed after two hits. However, they were originally meant as cannon fodder to fend off the True Demon, and Yan Qing admired himself for managing to last this long. He truly is a high-level player; even with a casually assembled team, the strength was nearly invincible.

Now that they’re dead, Yan Qing can turn his attention to dealing with the Baibao Guards!

"Third-Turn Dragon Race: Thorn Dragon"

"Attack Power: 14,000"

"Health: 17,000"

"Trait: Thorny Thicket: In battle, this puppet gains 100/300 attributes each time it is attacked."

/

"Third Transformation Mechanism: Steam Cannon"

"Attack Power: 0 (Constant at 0)"

"Health: 17,200"

"Trait: Hold the Position: Whenever other puppets are attacked, the cannon deals 500 area damage to the attacker."

When the towering three-yard Thorn Dragon blocked the path in front of Yan Qing and his allies, it immediately drew the concentrated fire of the Baibao Guards. The roar of the Steam Cannon was ceaseless, bombarding the Baibao Guards’ positions with endless thunderous booms!

Though the Thorn Dragon’s trait of bolstering its defense from attacks couldn’t fully compensate for the damage inflicted by the Baibao Guards, it did allow the Thorn Dragon to survive a bit longer.

The true weapon is the Steam Cannon. While the 500 area damage is trivial to the Baibao Guards, it can destroy their stronghold! They had just occupied the rooftops to gain a vantage point for shooting, using slopes for shooting angles. Once grounded, the Baibao Guards themselves become shooting obstructions for each other, drastically reducing their firepower!

Just as the Thorn Dragon fell with a thunderous crash, Yan Qing quickly summoned another tanky puppet to the front. He had prepared thoroughly before the battle, with enough puppet cards to stall the Baibao Guards!

"Sweet, souls!"

The True Demon launches a triple shadow suppress attack again, with two of the shadows hitting the Baibao Guards this time! Having learned from the previous lesson, they now stood more spaced apart, reducing the impacts of the shadows to only 11 individuals, still unable to crack the damage sharing among the three hundred Baibao Guards!

However, this episode completely changed the Baibao Guards’ commander’s strategy. They no longer paid heed to Yan Qing and his allies, without exception pointing their bows skyward, raining down arrows like waterfalls!

Shooting upwards is naturally weaker than shooting straight, merely equivalent to gravity’s potential energy falling, but the Baibao Guards’ commander had realized Yan Qing and his allies were just enticing bait, a trap to split their firepower. Since their target was the True Demon, they aimed to eliminate his strongest puppets, forcing him to either retreat or risk a showdown with the Baibao Guards!

Without the Dual General Stars at the front and attacked by the Baibao Guards, Qiongqi, Cloned Qiongqi, and Ascended Six-Ear saw their health rapidly decline, yet their output remained incredibly high!

The three monsters, totaling nearly 1.8 million attack power, even if the True Demon could withstand hundreds of players focusing fire, this immense value swiftly depleted the True Demon’s health. At this juncture, Yan Qing had no tricks up his sleeve; it was time to test the limits of endurance and see if his meticulously cultivated monster lineup could crush the spirits of the Demon Gathering Land!

As the True Demon’s figure became increasingly emaciated, the fire within burned ever fiercer. Once a certain threshold was crossed, its entire form ignited, a voice of ancient majesty overflowing with boundless malice: "Need, more, souls!"

It unexpectedly sprouted two enormous black wings, overshadowing the skies, blanketing the earth!

With great gusto, it flapped its wings, the ground cracking with web-like fissures as boiling magma erupted and scattered; the Demon Gathering Land shook and trembled, even the dragon race in the sky retracted its flame as if retreating in cautious deference.

A sudden darkness engulfed the world, with only the fire of the Transformed Self-Reliance Celestial Demon dancing.

It was truly dancing.

Before witnessing this firsthand, Yan Qing would never believe such a terrifyingly large creature could sway its hips, its sinister hands now seemingly becoming persuasive and artistic, casually plucking at the heartbeats of everyone involved like a Witch Priestess from primordial times, dancing to please the deathly Celestial God. The molten red fragments of iron danced and spiraled into the sky with its movements, the dance both enchanting and threatening, eerie yet majestic.

Everyone widened their eyes, captivated by the dance of this magnificent creation, helplessly watching it thrust the world into purgatory. It wasn’t that they were unwilling to move — their bodies were ensnared by the mournful, serene melody, like children embracing departing parents, like wives reluctant to see their husbands off to war, like death striving to hold on to disappearing lives!

A dirge that rends the heart!

Divine technique-level control, divine technique-level chanting, and certainly what follows will be a divine technique-level grand performance!

If they could observe elsewhere, they would notice the demon ranks fleeing at that moment. It was not out of fear; demons don’t comprehend fear, but because remaining nearby would be unfair to the players daring to challenge the True Demon.

"Souls, come to me!"

The True Demon gleefully spread its arms wide as if to embrace the world, with its wings expanding to the extreme; each shadow cast by its wings exclaimed its arrogance. Thousands of souls escaped from its body, howling miserably, screaming, chanting, burning, voicing the grievances of souls captured by the True Demon, embodying the dirge, sweeping through storm and flame, tearing apart all living beings!