Soon, rows of missiles and artillery shells tore through the sky, raining down upon the Gobi wasteland behind them.

They formed a saturation fire zone several kilometers wide and tens of kilometers long.

It completely engulfed the Gui Xu Martial Artists who were unable to retreat in time.

The sounds of explosions and screams rose and fell in waves.

The earth-shattering din was like the roar of the very planet and the howl of the heavens, a sound that seemed to bleach the color from the landscape and wither all life.

Zhao Rui couldn’t help but look back. The bombardment zone was precisely the former border.

This meant the Court was getting serious, proactively plowing a quarantine zone with raw firepower.

’The Court really is formidable! No ordinary Martial Artist could escape that. Even if they survived, they’d be half-dead.’

Zhao Rui sighed in admiration. Glancing back, he saw the dozens of Gui Xu people who had been chasing him staring at the sky in terror, frozen to the spot.

They probably never expected the Court to be so audacious, to go all-in with a saturation bombardment.

"Heh, looks like you’re the fish in a barrel now!"

Zhao Rui turned, his gaze cold. With a flicker of his body, he was already charging toward them.

Their minds were already reeling, so by the time they realized Zhao Rui was attacking, he was already upon them, forcing them to parry in a panic.

The two sides exchanged blows, opening up a small, secondary battlefield amidst the thunder of artillery.

This time, Zhao Rui held nothing back. Pushing the Heavenly Demon Illusionary Sound Technique to its limit, he instantly sent the Low-tier Martial Artists—already shaken by the artillery barrage—into a daze.

Zhao Rui showed them no mercy, ready to finish them off while they were vulnerable.

He immediately began a merciless reaping.

One after another, like a row of dominoes, the Low-tier Martial Artists were struck down by Zhao Rui.

They didn’t even have a chance to struggle.

Such was the power of Divine Soul Techniques. When one’s Inner Strength vastly surpassed an opponent’s, a single Spirit Shock was enough to strip a Low-tier Martial Artist of their ability to resist.

They were left completely at his mercy.

The four opposing Grandmasters were both frantic and furious.

But Zhao Rui’s Power was far deeper than theirs. One-on-one, they stood no chance. His Body Technique was so incredibly swift that not only could they fail to surround him, but he would also find openings to pick off their companions one by one.

Normally, their companions would never have been so vulnerable.

In the blink of an eye, Zhao Rui had finished off more than twenty Low-tier Martial Artists.

"Run!"

The four Grandmasters roared, desperately trying to block Zhao Rui to allow the remaining Gui Xu Martial Artists to escape.

As if Zhao Rui would let them have their way. He activated the Heavenly Demon Illusionary Sound Technique, chanting, "Immeasurable Heavenly... Venerate!"

Instantly, Sound Waves like a piercing Demon Sound flooded into the ears of the Gui Xu people.

The four Grandmasters shuddered and hastily circulated their True Qi to protect their ears and Divine Souls. Simultaneously, they slammed their hands together, unleashing a massive sonic boom of colliding True Qi in an attempt to block Zhao Rui’s Sound Skill.

But against Zhao Rui’s lightning-fast movements, all their resistance was futile.

Soon, the remaining Low-tier Martial Artists had all fallen under Zhao Rui’s palm strikes.

"We’ll fight him to the death!"

True Qi swirled around the four Gui Xu Grandmasters as they gathered their ceaseless power. Their figures flickered, their feet tracing a mysterious pattern. Suddenly, they aligned themselves in a single straight line, and a searing blast of Flame Palm Force shot out toward Zhao Rui.

Zhao Rui’s figure flickered as he used Dipper Step several times in succession, easily evading the ferocious Palm Force.

The four were astonished. They hastily shifted their formation and unleashed another palm strike.

But once again, Zhao Rui’s figure flickered away, dodging the attack.

This time, he didn’t just dodge. He retaliated with a Piercing Palm Force strike aimed right back at the four of them.

The four scrambled to retreat.

Zhao Rui pressed his advantage, instantly shattering their Combined Attack Skill.

At the same time, he unleashed the Charming Maiden Formless Celestial Demon Great Method. His form split into four figures, each one moving to engage an enemy. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

The eight figures were instantly locked in a chaotic melee.

’Blazing Rock Palm replication progress: 90%...

Five Poison Divine Palm replication: 89%...

Great Asura Magic Attack replication: 83%...’

Zhao Rui was overjoyed as he watched the progress bars in his mind tick upward.

His joy wasn’t because he was about to receive Advancement Points.

It was because his split figures could also contribute to the replication progress.

This was an unexpected windfall.

’But on second thought, it makes sense,’ he mused.

’After all, even though the Charming Maiden Formless Celestial Demon Great Method creates multiple bodies, they’re just afterimages. It’s still my true self engaging the enemies with bizarrely fast movements.’

’Ultimately, it’s my real body earning the progress.’

’The only drawback is that this Cultivation Technique consumes an enormous amount of True Qi. An ordinary person wouldn’t be able to sustain it for long.’

’Unfortunately for them, I’m no ordinary person. With my Acupoints open, my True Qi regeneration rate is several times faster than that of a typical Divine Void Realm Martial Artist.’

’So naturally, I’m not afraid of the cost.’

’This system panel might seem unremarkable, even a little cumbersome, but when put to good use, it’s actually pretty amazing!’

As the eight figures clashed fiercely, the missile barrage finally drew to a close. The entire border was shrouded in a pall of smoke and dust.

From a distance, it looked like a gray wall marking the border.

"Director Zhao, we’re here! Just hold on!"

Just as Zhao Rui was toying with the four men and silently farming Advancement Points, the shout of soldiers echoed from the distance, accompanied by the RUMBLE of armored vehicles.

’Fuck, why now of all times!’

Half-touched and half-exasperated, Zhao Rui could only continue to tie down the four men while drawing the fight further into the distance.

The four men also heard the distant sounds, and their hearts leaped with joy. They fought desperately to move toward the approaching soldiers.

They couldn’t defeat Zhao Rui, but if they could just get close to the army, their strength would be unstoppable. They could take some of the soldiers hostage.