Although the Heavenly King Hall had deployed most of its martial artists, the forces that remained still possessed considerable combat power.

"Kill these monsters!" Di Que roared.

In an instant, all the Heavenly King Hall martial artists sprang into action, battling the monstrous creatures. The puppets weren’t particularly strong, and the Heavenly King Hall’s fighters were steadily gaining the upper hand. They hadn’t anticipated the Dark Army would strike so swiftly.

Di Que exclaimed boldly, "Damn it! To think they’d dare trespass into the Heavenly King Hall with such pathetic strength. They really have a death wish! Hahaha, kill them! Kill these filthy things!"

Spurred on by Di Que’s roars, the martial artists of the Heavenly King Hall fought with even more gusto.

But from the rear, Tian Can called out, "Di Que, something isn’t right! Activate the Defensive Array, quickly!"

The Heavenly King Hall could never have grown so powerful without a solid foundation. The Defensive Array had been personally laid out by Ye Fan, and its offensive and defensive capabilities were both formidable.

"You go activate it! I haven’t had my fill of fighting yet!" Di Que laughed carefreely. Influenced by Nangong’s personality, he too had become a war maniac.

Coupled with the fact the puppets were weak, he stood out from the crowd. After several transformations, he had evolved to the Emperor Level, his strength second only to Black Fog’s. But with Black Fog away on a mission, no one in the Heavenly King Hall could match his power at this moment. He had become the Heavenly King Hall’s mightiest Guardian.

Just then, a powerful surge of deathly energy slammed toward them.

This wave of deathly energy was extremely destructive, leaving a trail of ruins in its wake as it surged forward like an earth-dragon. In that instant, the surrounding Heavenly King Hall martial artists were torn to shreds.

"AHHH!"

Horrified screams echoed through the air.

"Get out of the way!" Tian Can shouted from a distance, warning Di Que.

Di Que spun around just in time to see the tremendous force hurtling straight for him. He scrambled to dodge, but a cry of despair escaped him. He was simply not fast enough. He was struck. His legs instantly shattered, and he screamed in agony where he lay.

"Di Que!"

Tian Can recklessly rushed forward. Although he and Di Que always bickered and could barely stand each other, in this moment of despair, he broke down. Di Que was his best friend, his brother, while Ye Fan was the big brother he respected most. Only when seeing his brother fall did he truly understand the pain of such a loss. At this moment, Tian Can was overcome with immense sorrow, and even in the face of such a terrifying force, he was utterly fearless.

Disregarding his own life, Tian Can reached Di Que’s side.

"Are you all right?! Don’t scare me! I’ll take you to get healed!" Tian Can desperately tried to lift him.

But Di Que spoke weakly, "Bro, stop... My heart and lungs... they’re irreparably damaged. Run for your life. Don’t throw yours away for me!"

"Don’t talk like that! You have to live, dammit!" Tian Can shouted back.

Di Que’s expression turned bleak. "Having you as my best brother... has been enough for this life."

With a sudden movement, he forcefully shoved Tian Can away, sending him flying. Tian Can screamed himself hoarse as the tremendous energy descended, instantly tearing Di Que to shreds.

He crashed to the ground, roaring, "I’ll kill you all!"

At that very moment, Black Fog returned. He appeared suddenly in the night sky, knocked Tian Can unconscious with a single palm strike, and barked, "Retreat, brothers of the Heavenly King Hall!"

The Defensive Array was activated.

Upon its activation, the Puppet Martial Artists immediately shattered into pieces. But that force emerged again, coming to a stop before the vast Defensive Array.

It was impossible for Black Fog not to feel a sense of panic. He had never anticipated the Heavenly King Hall would suffer such a devastating blow. The martial artist radiating waves of energy was the most terrifying of all. This power swept through his entire being, instilling an unfathomable sense of despair.

Black Fog shouted, "You have some nerve attacking the Heavenly King Hall! Aren’t you afraid of losing your heads?"

"Hahaha, so this is the mightiest force in this world, the Heavenly King Hall?" the shadowy figure behind the attack mocked. "I see it’s nothing special! A slave is still a slave. No matter what they achieve, they are nothing more than insects!"

The martial artists of the Heavenly King Hall were furious, but Black Fog held them back. He knew that this person was too powerful; only their leader, the King of Heaven, could defeat him. Any rash action now would lead to a horrific death.

The figure spoke again, his voice laced with mockery. "Do you really think this pathetic barrier can stop me? You vastly underestimate my power!"

He was Kuang Ling, one of the two Spirit Clan Commanders sent by the West Spirit King. The other, Blood Spirit, had already perished at the hands of Ye Fan. Kuang Ling, however, had concealed his presence and followed Ye Fan to the Secular World. As a member of the Spirit Clan who cultivated the Power of Death, he was the most unique among all the Spirit Clan Commanders, and also the most terrifyingly powerful. Like the Death God himself, his arrival in the human Secular World was fated to bring death and destruction.

Kuang Ling had been tracking Ye Fan for a long time, engaging him in a strategic gamble. This time, even Ye Fan had miscalculated.

Black Fog thundered, "Your doom will come when the King of Heaven returns!"

"Is that so? When he returns, I can take care of him as well," Kuang Ling replied, raising his weapon.

It was a Death Scythe, the perfect instrument for reaping lives—terrifying and despair-inducing. The moment the Death Scythe was drawn, even with the protection of the Defensive Array, the martial artists and Black Fog felt a tremendous threat. They never expected this man to be so incredibly powerful. It was truly frightening.

Black Fog was the most panicked. He didn’t know if the Defensive Array could withstand the Death Scythe. If it couldn’t, they wouldn’t be able to hold out for much longer. After all, Ye Fan had fallen for a diversionary tactic. In the brief exchange moments ago, the Heavenly King Hall had already lost hundreds of men, including the high-ranking Di Que. Black Fog cursed his own weakness. Even with his Supreme-level power, he knew he was as insignificant as an ant before this man. He had already sent someone to contact Ye Fan.

At this point, Kuang Ling moved. He raised the Death Scythe and swung it down.

The Defensive Array trembled as if in an earthquake, stunning everyone. Their mightiest Defensive Array, claimed to be invincible, was shaking.

And that wasn’t all.

Kuang Ling raised the Death Scythe again and chopped down.

BOOM!

With this strike, many of the Heavenly King Hall’s martial artists exploded on the spot, unable to resist the power that seeped through the Defensive Array.

Black Fog shot forward, blocking the infiltrating power; otherwise, many more martial artists would have perished. But as he did so, blood began to flow from his arm. He was wounded.

Kuang Ling looked down at him with disdain.

He struck once more.

Instantly, cracks appeared in the Defensive Array. Black Fog had a terrible feeling; the array wouldn’t hold out much longer. It seemed inevitable that the Heavenly King Hall’s headquarters would fall today, and they would all perish at the hands of this formidable enemy.