As Zhang Ting observed others, Li Hao would occasionally watch her. The young man quickly turned his gaze to the plaza.
The Revolution King had made it back. Hu Dingfang launched himself with a loud howl, crossing one hundred meters and arriving in the plaza. Behind him, Hong Yitang also threw himself into the safe zone, his face full of dust while he coughed up blood.
The Solars had reconvened!
Wielding a broadsword, the Silver Armor in the distance didnât follow its black-armored brethren in rushing to the plaza. It emitted an incomprehensible shriek that grated on the ear. Whether it was Black or Bronze Armors, all of the soldiers inside the city withdrew and gathered toward it.
The expedition team shook with shock! Did a consciousness still exist inside the Silver Armor? Or did it have a different set of commands compared to the rest? It could direct the other soldiers! While the explorers knew beforehand that they faced an army, the Black and Bronze Armors were silent even when attacking. It was a completely different situation from what faced them at current.
Black Armors surged toward the Silver Armor. Eight Bronze Armors stood at the head of their respective troops. Split into eight companies, they stood in a peculiar battle formation. The Silver Armor gazed ahead, brandishing his broadsword.
The Solars were still in the plaza and looked solemnly back at it. Letâs see what else this army has up their sleeves!
The Silver Armor waved its sword!
The companies of one hundred beneath it immediately split up and pulled out large shields from their armor. Shield warriors!
Thereâd been no sight of their shields to be glimpsed prior to this. Massive shields now blocked the soldiers from view. They seemed interconnected and transformed into a wall of iron and steel. Not only that, but another company of one hundred behind them suddenly shifted their swords into spears. A spear formation!
RUMBLE!!
Footsteps!
Uniform footsteps propelled the formidable army forward. Being a flat stretch of land, the plaza was perfect for their movement. Or rather, it could be better said that this terrain was created to gather the army in the first place.
Eight hundred armored soldiers in formation marched like they were one, advancing on the Solars. Violet Moon was the first to respond among the supernaturals, she hated these things! A bolt of lightning struck from the sky!
If before, it would send the soldiers flying. She would even break some of them apart if she put more force behind the attack. But this time, the one hundred shields instantly dispersed the lightning. Under everyoneâs watchful eyes, the remaining power sank into the ground.
Violet Moon jerked with shock!
The army was upon them. The shields spontaneously vanished, replaced by one hundred spears!
Whoosh!
The air broke before them. Blood-red qi trailed behind the weaponsâit seemed to be killing intent. This was an army well experienced in the battlefield and certainly not what the world fielded in modern days. Even Hu Dingfang regarded the sight with a rapidly shifting expression. Would the one-hundred-thousand-strong Tiger Wings be able to withstand this thousand-strong army?
The Tiger Wings were mostly comprised of mundanes and very few supernaturals. If guns and other weapons could not damage these soldiers, then it would be a one-sided slaughter!
âAttack!â The other Solars sprang into motion as well. They wanted to probe the depths of this army and flung attacks through the air. Supernatural ripples violently shook the void!
Large shields appeared again in response to the counterattack, but combined Solar might smashed through the individual shields with loud cracks. No matter how durable these shields were, they could not hold up against the collective strength of the Solars.
It was at this moment that someone sensed impending danger. A Solar from the Celestial organization felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up!
Everyoneâs attention was on the Silver Armor; the group had forgotten the eight Bronze Armors. Those eight suddenly appeared behind the shields. Eight longswords materialized behind a broken shield, moving as one and sealing off all possible avenues of evasion. Eight swords struck at once!
BOOM!
The Celestial supernatural erupted with mysterious power, but was still pierced through. Bloody marks appeared on his chest and head. He swiftly backed away and was fortunate that there were more Solars beside him. Although there were those who wished him dead, everyone knew that losing a Solar at this time would be too grave a blow to morale.
The Revolution King and Hu Dingfang pivoted at the same time, rendering aid. A massive boom rebuffed the eight swords.
âBe careful!â Hao Lianchuan suddenly shouted. Everyoneâs attention was on the Silver Armor. Shields raised upward as it suddenly landed among the army and was hidden from view.
Hearts pounded with apprehension. These armored soldiers did not come with a notable presence. That guy could be behind any of the shields now. Who would it attack?
The shields vanished as thoughts ran wild. Jaws dropped with shock as people scanned the soldiers. The conspicuous silver armor had disappeared! It was gone! Where? Where had it gone?
Yamaâs Yao Cheng suddenly looked in front of him with horror. A Black Armor was bringing its sword down on himâan action he ignored as Black Armors were too weak. However, a rising terror told him that there was much more to this stroke than met the eye!
âNot... good...â
BOOM!
A massive collision rang through heaven and earth as the Black Armor brought more strength to bear than Yao Cheng. It was a peak Solar!
BAM!
Yao Chengâs blade of wind shattered and he rapidly threw himself backward, but one of his arms was still struck. It was severed with a soft schick. Face pale, he ignored the happening and flew out of the city.
All of the Solars promptly retreated without a word! The plaza was a no-manâs land and fighting impossible! How could the Silver Armor change the color of its equipment?! It could change to black and imitate the Black Armors. How was battle possible under such circumstances?
Black Armors did not come with a presence and they all seemed cut from the same mold. One could not bring full strength to bear against every single one of them. Mysterious power would be exhausted in short order if that was the plan of attack. But as soon as oneâs guard relaxed, that was when a fake Black Armor swooped in for the kill!
âHao Lianchuan!â The Revolution King glared viciously at the Night Watcher. Yao Cheng, on the other hand, looked at his amputated arm with unspeakable bitterness. Heâd been ambushed and the Silver Armor had set its sights on him from the beginning. Did the soldier think that he was the weakest?
Heâd almost died to a single sword stroke! Thank goodness there were other powerhouses beside him and he was able to make a quick getaway. It wouldnât have been possible to pull survival out of the jaws of death otherwise.
Theyâd just wanted to test these soldiers, but that simple probe had caused a Solar to lose his arm.
Hao Lianchuanâs brow was furrowed tight and he answered irritably, âWhat are you yelling at me for? I didnât know about this! The Night Watchers have never run into this before. I wouldâve told everyone if Iâd known he could hide among the soldiers and change color. What good does it do for me if all of you die now?!â
His head ached, he was telling the truth! He really didnât know that the Silver Armor could hide amongst Black Armors and turn itself into one of them. It was impossible to determineâsome clues were gleaned only in the second it attacked as its style was very similar to a martial masterâs.
They were in trouble!
The assembly was out of ideas. Meanwhile, the army quickly withdrew. The Silver Armor flew into the air after a short moment and looked outside the city. It then headed back to the inner city. Its departure was a signal for the remaining Black Armors to disperse. They would not act so long as the enemy did not enter the city.
The Darkmoons and Sunflares standing at the back sagged with relief when all of the Black Armors were gone. Thatâd been horrifying!
On the Yama side, the Revolution King took quick assessment of the situation. His face darkened as he looked around. Yama had been the first to arrive, so quite a few of its members had entered the city. That spontaneous eruption of Black Armors resulted in random slaughter, so it was mostly Yama supernaturals whoâd died!
There werenât that many of them to begin withâjust three dozen. There was only half of that number clustered around him now!
Half of his delegation was dead!
Other than the independents, it was Yama who suffered the worst losses. The organization was also missing a few Sunflaresâlikely dead in the outer city as well.
The Sword Sect had also lost a fair bit of people. Itâd come with a sizable delegation, but eight of its members died in the outer city. Hong Yitang was likewise glowering. So many of his people had died with such a simple exploration of the outskirts!
The other organizations didnât suffer to the same degree. When it came to Yama, their greatest loss was Yao Chengâs arm. Supernaturals were less affected by a loss of their limb compared to martial masters. The latter would see an enormous reduction of battle strength if they lost an arm. All the same, some of Yao Chengâs battle strength would be affected. The key point was the blow to his confidence. If even Solars were in danger of losing their lives, then it was a grievous blow to the entire expedition!
The Revolution King swept a glance at the Night Watchers, suddenly sharpening his gaze at Liu Long and the others. âWhere were the three of you before?â
Liu Long frowned faintly, then responded calmly, âExploring the other city!â
âExploring the outer city?â coldly questioned the supernatural. âWhen? Yama and the Sword Sect were the first ones here and sealed off the area. We didnât see you enter the outer city! The Night Watchers know more about the ruins than us and you three are martial masters. You suddenly disappear, then abruptly reappear, and such a massive disturbance takes place as soon as you return. Youâre involved with this!â
â......â Li Hao, Liu Long, and Liu Yan cursed inwardly. Youâre right, but this guy is obviously just looking to pick a bone!
Li Hao didnât think that the Revolution King truly believed what he spoke of. It was just that Yama had suffered such heavy losses that he must have ulterior motives with this questioning. The three stayed silent.
âRevolution, what do you mean by this?â Hao Lianchuan brooded. âYou know full well what happened. Violet Moon acted too slowly and her mysterious power raised attention from those guys. What does it have to do with my people? I sent them into the outer city to investigate certain things. Youâre just looking to make trouble!â
âSo this means that you have another way into the city?â Revolution demanded frostily. âThis plaza seems to be the only way in as all other areas are shrouded under a defensive membrane. How did they enter? Tell me!â
He was indeed just looking to pick a bone, but he also wanted to gain more information. The Night Watchers were certainly concealing important intelligence.
As Hao Lianchuan frowned, the others joined the censuring. âHao Lianchuan, do you Night Watchers want to take advantage of this opportunity to eliminate us all?â
âIs there only one such passageway into the outer city? The Black Armors keep this place under heavy guard. We easily raise their attention when we enter this way!â
âWhat are the Night Watchers plotting?!â