With the presence of the overwhelming strength in the form of Liu Tianfeng, the Dreillings defending the Core Area gradually crumbled.

Vespera desperately matched the old Patriarch but each time they would clash, she would be at a disadvantage.

In particular, he made use of Spatial Manipulation, the ability that every Void Refinement Stage cultivator would acquire upon successfully breaking through to it.

No matter how advanced her ability as a Mind-Weaver with her noble bloodline, her original strength was still only equivalent to a cultivator at the peak of Spirit Severing Stage. And even with the advantage brought about by the Anchor's atmosphere which was dominated by their Highland Energy, she could only be comparable to a half-a-step to early Void Refinement Stage cultivator.

Liu Tianfeng remained at a superior level. Hence, it was only a matter of how quickly he could defeat her and get to the Anchor Core behind her.

As for the rest, only Zyrith and Xylos could actually defend themselves. They may not be at the same level as Vespera, they could still match any of the Spirit Severing Ancestors present.

Meanwhile, the other Dreillings that reinforced them lacked the experience and decisiveness of the three.

They either got teamed up by four to five Nascent Soul Stage experts or pinned down by a Spirit Severing Stage Ancestor who had been buffed by store products, as well as the three different auras permeating through every Anchor and Tower connected to the store.

Regardless of what Lin Mo thought, this was his 'Dao of Convenience' taking form.

And consequently, it also taught his patrons efficiency, and efficiency meant eliminating threats as quickly as possible.

Ancestor Yu Qingmei plucked a vibrating string on her ethereal instrument. The sound formed a concentrated blade of cut across the thick strings of psychic threads and bypassed the Highland Energy shields of two lesser Flesh-Shapers, vibrating their spliced internal organs until they liquefied.

They collapsed, coughing up blood. Even if they were unwilling, they eventually turned into motes of light when the flying sword of Cerulean Cloud Sword Sect Master Li Changqing pierced through their skulls.

On the other side, Liu Zhongzhu led the other Sect Masters and Nascent Soul Stage experts to surround a group of Dreillings.

His fists charged with purple lightning, shattered the guard of a desperate Mind-Weaver who tried to erect a psychic wall. Sect Master Yan Tianfeng rode the wind with his [Azure Gale Steps] circling them. Sect Master Lin Yuanzhi conjured white flames in the form of flowers that burned through the psychic threads that tried to encroach on them. And the rest also used their signature techniques and spells, tearing through the defenses of the long-eared foreign entities.

"Charge! Don't let them aid that Flesh-Shaper my daughter is fighting. That space around her is our sanctuary.

It was a farcical sight for the supposedly supreme beings of the Highland Realm. They were being corralled, herded like sheep by a group of natives who moved with the synchronized, ruthless precision of a veteran mercenary band, constantly checking their spacing relative to a young girl in golden armor.

Naturally, the Dreillings weren't completely hopeless. They could stand their ground and even injure most cultivators that faced them. However, whenever they bleed or whenever they would feel like their minds were about to collapse from the pressure, they would pop a sweet tablet or syrup to heal physically and mentally.

It was an absurd sight how those instantly took effect. Totally different from the intelligence they received regarding the healing pills cultivators consumed.

Meanwhile, Zyrith had started bleeding from his eyes and ears from the constant severing of his psychic tethers. He was a noble, a manipulator of minds, not a frontline brawler.

He waved his hands, and the remaining pods around the area flung open as he summoned the puppets he was trying to enhance there. None of them had been modified by a Flesh-Shaper yet but their chests were all embedded with the Volatile Highland Energy Core.

With his remaining energy, he used it to defend against the assault of Ancestor Swordpoint, Lightning Amethyst Ancestor and Azure Gale Ancestor.

When he found an opening, he raised his hands and desperately tried to weave a cloak of invisibility. His aim was to retreat toward the Vespera and the Convergence Engine. Even if he's already at a disadvantage, his mind was still focused on ensuring the Convergence Engine would be complete.

With Vespera being suppressed by Liu Tianfeng, the possibility of it failing was high.

He just gritted his teeth, bowing to unleash the terror on the natives once the Anchor successfully stabilized.

However…

"Running away?"

The voice came from behind him. Zyrith had no time to react.

In front of his eyes, he was met with the flat, unyielding broadside of Sect Master Hong Ying's halberd. The Crimson Vale Sect Master treated her weapon like a club. The impact shattered Zyrith's ribs and sent him skipping across the cavern floor like a skipped stone.

He rolled to a halt at the feet of Mountain-Breaker General, who had his dragon glaive raised high. His spiritual energy swirled and transformed into a golden dragon that surged along with his downward swing.

At this point, even if Zyrith could be comparable to the Ancestors, his physical defense was like paper.

With his ribs already caved in, he could only harness the Highland Energy in his surroundings to block the blow from the general. And when it was enough, he threw a Volatile Highland Energy Core and detonated it.

It blasted him away again, but at least, it saved his life.

Or so he thought. As he turned his body, he found that he was stopped by a foot.

As he raised his gaze, he came face-to-face with Ancestor Swordpoint.

The old swordsman looked down at him with eyes devoid of pity. He didn't even draw his main blade. He simply pointed his index finger, projecting a three-foot needle of pure, condensed sword intent.

"Your whispers are an insult to the silence of the blade," Ancestor Swordpoint murmured, before driving the intent down through Zyrith's skull, pinning him to the stone.

"No! It can't end like this!"

The Mind-Weaver's body convulsed once before dissolving into a shower of silver sparks and a dense cluster of Highland Energy that was immediately absorbed by the surrounding cultivators.

Across the cavern, Xylos was faring no better. The Flesh-Shaper had mutated his body three times, sacrificing sanity for raw mass and acidic protrusions. He now looked like an asymmetrical nightmare of bone blades and weeping sores.

Yet, he could not touch Liu Xiaoyu, who was powered by the layer of different enhancements and the assistance of two Spirit Severing Ancestors.

"Is that all? Just getting bigger?" Xiaoyu taunted.

She sidestepped a sweeping, house-sized claw that melted the stone floor where it struck. "Boss said your craftsmanship was lacking. I'm starting to think you just lack imagination! Path of the Apex? What a joke!"

"I will devour your core and wear your skin!" Xylos bellowed, a spray of corrosive saliva flying from his misshapen maw. He lunged, attempting to crush her under his sheer weight.

"Sparky! Trip him!"

The lightning wolf cub, bounding merrily around the periphery of the fight, barked. It didn't attack Xylos directly. Instead, it discharged a concentrated burst of static electricity into the damp cavern floor right where Xylos was about to step.

The sudden jolt of electricity caused the Flesh-Shaper's newly mutated, unstable leg muscles to spasm violently.

Then, the Lightning Amethyst Ancestor appeared before him, his hand covered by the layer of amethyst and lightning hit his chest squarely.

As he was blasted back, the Crimson Vale Ancestor flashed behind him, swinging his halberd with the intention of beheading him.

The Flesh-Shaper, who still believed in his superiority, kicked the ground before rolling away.

But Liu Xiaoyu used that opportunity. She leapt high into the air.

The Aether Shard in her chest glowed like a miniature sun as it fueled the power suit with Aether Energy. She descended with a flying kick, dropping her full, armor-enhanced weight.

"[Nine Heavens Storm: Meteor Smash]!"

Xylos looked up and threw punches at Xiaoyu. But her descending heel pierced through them, only making a slight indentation in her armor before connecting with his face.

The Aetheric resonance of her armor, combined with her monstrous physical strength, bypassed whatever biological defenses he had hastily erected. The crunch of his skull shattering was sickeningly loud, followed immediately by the dissipation of his form into light and loot.

"A Noble Flesh-Shaper? It's nothing much!" Xiaoyu grinned, scooping up a glowing purple gem that Xylos dropped. 𝐟𝐫𝕖𝗲𝘄𝚎𝗯𝕟𝐨𝕧𝐞𝚕.𝕔𝕠𝐦

With Zyrith and Xylos perishing one after the other, the lesser Dreillings' morale dropped even further as they gradually crumbled against the assault of the strike team.

Like Lin Mo said, time is of the essence. With the elites sent inside, they couldn't afford to waste more time.

"Argh! Lady Vespera! We can't… hold on anymore!"

The desperate scream of the last surviving lesser Dreilling noble was cut short abruptly as Liu Zhongzhu's arm pierced through his chest.

Vespera could only feel desperation as she glanced at the countdown timer.

[10:02]

The hopes for a strong reinforcement were still too far from her reach.

"Curses. The High Ancestor will not take this lightly!" She screamed at the top of her lungs. All she could rely on now was to prematurely awaken the entity within the Convergence Engine.