The moment before, Wei Guangyao had been utterly subservient, his face a mask of servitude, calling out “Elder Brother” with fervent warmth.

The moment before, Wu Yang City lay tranquil, a picture of calm, its key points firmly within the grasp of the Qi army.

The moment before, the city-protecting grand array had been disabled, and the entire city guard force had disarmed and surrendered.

But in this very instant, heaven and earth inverted, and all was transformed!

The colossal city gates, forged of solid steel, slammed shut in an instant, sealing off the retreat.

Wei Guangyao had vanished without a trace.

The world suddenly plunged into darkness, every ray of sunlight within Wu Yang City utterly extinguished.

From the civilian houses not far off, doors were flung open one after another, and lines of armored soldiers poured forth.

This city, originally sparse in common folk, had concealed a great army within its residential quarters!

Bao Bozhao, possessing the Heaven Eye divine ability, was renowned for his ability to discern the most minute details.

By all accounts, no anomaly should have escaped his gaze.

Indeed, he had not relaxed his vigilance. Even while feigning camaraderie with Wei Guangyao, addressing him as brother, he had maintained the instincts of a seasoned general, instinctively observing his surroundings.

Yet, he had genuinely discovered no issue.

Wei Guangyao’s demeanor had been flawless, every word and action perfectly embodying the role of a surrenderer.

Everything within Wu Yang City had appeared entirely normal, just like all the other cities that had yielded. But it was precisely within this “normality” that the sudden upheaval had occurred!

Only in retrospect did Bao Bozhao realize that perhaps this “normality” was itself a deliberate manifestation orchestrated by some grand array. An exceptionally powerful array dao cultivator must have been hidden in the shadows, manipulating everything. Some expert from the military families had designed this “inviting the monarch into the urn” trap!

The city gates, slamming shut with a thunderous roar, had instantly altered the entire complexion of Wu Yang City. Life turned to death, and the gates transformed into a prison.

The Xia army soldiers who surged forth from the rapidly darkening environment also advanced along the trajectories dictated by some array pattern. The soldier arrays and the city array had achieved such astonishing harmony!

This was undoubtedly an innovation in the history of array dao, and thus had it deceived his insight!

Bao Bozhao’s reaction was lightning-fast.

Though the shock and doubt in his heart were no less than anyone else’s, the moment the city gates closed, he had already responded, activating his No Light divine ability. Wu Yang City’s heaven and earth had already undergone a dramatic shift, with clouds obscuring the sun, sealing off the Qi army’s vision. He simply severed the remaining light, intensifying the darkness.

He allowed the blackness to deepen.

Within this city, only he would possess superior vision.

He wanted to see who was better adapted to this environment: he and his subordinates, or the Xia army. His direct soldiers had undergone drills specifically designed to cooperate with the No Light divine ability, fully capable of forming the backbone of the great army in a dark environment.

The so-called No Light divine ability brought darkness and eroded brilliance. If cultivated to a profound level, it could not only extinguish external light sources like sunlight, lamps, and fire, but also extinguish gazes and even the light of divine abilities!

At Bao Bozhao’s current realm, he could already extinguish “gazes,” completely isolating the opponent’s eye consciousness. He could also dim the light of divine abilities, to some extent suppressing their effectiveness.

Under the influence of this No Light divine ability, the illumination of the fierce sun could not be seen, bright hanging lamps would not shine, and flames could burn but remained invisible.

Heaven and earth were utterly dimmed!

“All generals and soldiers, listen to my command!”

Bao Bozhao opened his mouth.

“Form arrays on the spot, link soldier evil, charge forth one by one—” The following words, however, dissipated into the air.

His initial attempt to command the Qi army that had entered the city was met with the realization that he was utterly incapable of emitting any sound. His voice had been sealed within this area.

Yet, he still heard the sound of ‘Bao Bozhao’!

“All generals and soldiers, listen to my command! Hold your positions, protect yourselves, and await my opening of the city!”

Someone was counterfeiting his voice, giving orders to his soldiers within the No Light environment he had created!

This was a scheme entirely targeted at him, Bao Bozhao!

The opponent understood his divine ability and had accurately predicted his reaction!

Realizing this point, a storm raged in Bao Bozhao’s heart, but he still maintained the utmost calm, swiftly wiping his fingers across his brow – the vertical pupil representing his Heaven Eye divine ability thus opened!

At this moment, all things were observed, all traces reflected in his mind.

He did not immediately dispel the No Light divine ability, for even if he did, Wu Yang City would still be shrouded in the darkness created by the enemy’s array. Since the opponent had chosen to wage war in a dark environment, they had undoubtedly made sufficient preparations. He could only temporarily use a deeper darkness to protect his soldiers.

Moreover, as someone from a renowned family, how could he not have considered the possibility of his commands being impersonated in a No Light environment?

His subordinates, the allied army from various East Domain countries, were indeed a disorganized mess, capable only of holding their ground. However, the five hundred Bao family soldiers who were scattered among the army to assist him in commanding the great army possessed a unique method of communication in a No Light environment.

While using his Heaven Eye to observe in all directions and search for the source of the sound suppression, Bao Bozhao rapidly formed hand seals, completing dispatch commands in the darkness using a unique soldier array secret technique. He summoned his family soldiers to gather nearby soldiers, form military arrays, and protect themselves with soldier evil.

But what he heard was a continuous chorus of miserable screams!

His superior vision allowed him to clearly see team after team of green-armored Xia army soldiers, like tigers entering a flock of sheep, wantonly slaughtering within the No Light environment, seemingly utterly unaffected by the darkness. They were cutting down the utterly disoriented Qi army who could see nothing, throwing them into complete chaos.

These Xia army soldiers were no ordinary garrison troops, nor were they the city guard forces encountered during this campaign. Though they had not reached the level of the Town Country or Divine Martial armies, they were undoubtedly rare elites.

Especially given their specialized training for warfare in this environment.

The situation was completely one-sided.

The Qi army was utterly unable to organize, being shattered again and again by the onslaught.

The insight of his Heaven Eye divine ability told him that these Xia army soldiers were not seeking enemies with their vision, but rather pursuing and killing those with different blood qi fluctuations using the same-frequency blood qi fluctuations of their comrades!

At the same time, team after team of Xia army soldiers, like sharp arrows piercing the air, sped towards him.

Bao Bozhao immediately restrained his own blood qi, and indeed, those Xia army soldiers instantly lost their target. But after only a slight pause, they quickly locked onto his direction again.

Someone was commanding them from the shadows!

Cultivators at the same level could absolutely not possess vision under his No Light divine ability. The only explanation was that the commander was the array setter.

The opponent was not using their eyes for vision, but rather gaining intelligence through their perception of the array.

His mind raced, and with a sweep of his Heaven Eye—a brilliant golden divine light instantly shot out, like a startled swan soaring over the moon, piercing this world of no light. It crossed the street, shattering the sound-suppression array hub hidden behind a high wall.

Using the powerful might of the Heaven Punishment light to break a sound-suppression array was indeed somewhat wasteful. However, at this moment, what he desired was only speed.

He needed to gain control of his own army as quickly as possible.

Only by deploying the strength of the great army would there be any possibility of breaking the situation!

After pushing into Hui Ning Mansion, he had lost the authority to supervise the battle line. He and Xie Baoshu had naturally separated, each leading their armies to attack and plunder merits in Hui Ning Mansion.

At this moment, he had a full thirty thousand Qi army soldiers following him into Wu Yang City. Among them, ten thousand were his main army soldiers. Another ten thousand were troops he had gathered during the battle in Feng Li Mansion, whose main general had unfortunately died in battle. The majority of these were Zhao Country soldiers. The authority to supervise the entire battle line had given him the convenience of gathering these soldiers, and he had, of course, made full use of it. The final ten thousand were the Xia army soldiers who had surrendered to him.

It could be said that this branch of the army could play a key role in the overall war situation in Hui Ning Mansion. For him personally, it was even more crucial for him to secure his merits and life foundation!

“I am Bao Bozhao! Listen to my command! All generals and soldiers, immediately stir your blood qi! The enemy army is seeking targets by tracking blood qi fluctuations!”

He did not bother to explain that the previous commands were enemy deceptions.

Because at such a critical juncture, explaining would only waste time and further disorient his soldiers. The chaotic Qi army needed only clear and direct commands.

“Zhang Siyao, Du Zhuilong, Zheng Wugong…”

He rattled off eight names in one breath, all of whom were low-level Qi army officers he had just observed in key positions: “All those beside you are comrades-in-arms. Do not panic. I order you to form Round Moon arrays and use shouts to unite nearby brothers. Hold your ground on the spot and await the echo of the soldier evil!”

If the Thunder Army were here, they could even launch a counterattack now.

While the allied army from the various East Domain countries were indeed elite troops from their respective nations, they had few opportunities for joint training, only one or two times each year. Even in terms of soldier arrays, there was very little room for choice; they could only select from basic soldier arrays.

However, the Great Qi Bao family was, after all, a first-class renowned family. And he, Bao Bozhao, was, after all, a figure who had once been listed as a reserve in the Qi Country’s Yellow River Meeting.

The military training he had received since childhood, which had been prominently displayed during this campaign against Xia, was now showcasing his military talent!

The advantage of the Round Moon array lay in its simplicity, stability, firmness, and strong resonance. It could serve as an island in a raging sea, a lighthouse in darkness. A certain number of Round Moon arrays, when coordinated with the Star Ray array, could resonate into a Crowd of Stars Surrounding the Moon array.

This was the only military array choice that could rapidly gather the power of the great army under the current circumstances. Once completed, they could use the soldier array to counter-charge the enemy array and immediately launch a counterattack!

Bao Bozhao’s commands caused him to be completely locked onto by the Xia army, and all sorts of military array dao techniques rained down upon him.

“Zhao Wu, Xiong San—”

He moved leisurely amidst the chaos of dao techniques, calmly and clearly commanding his soldiers to save themselves, each sentence directly pointing to the key.

But this time, he had only recited the fifth name and had not yet announced the action.

He suddenly felt a sense of maddening chaos!

He felt the repulsion of this square of heaven and earth, including space, yuan qi, and everything within the rules, all suppressing him, driving him away. It restricted his actions and repelled his spirit.

Fate decreed that even heroes are not free!

Divine ability backlash!

It was Tai Yin!

The person who had set up the sound-suppression array, the No Light array, and many other arrays, and who was now taking action, was Tai Yin!

No sooner had Bao Bozhao determined the opponent’s identity than he saw Tai Yin’s figure appear directly opposite him, his body wrapped in four-colored forces, charging towards him face to face.

By now, this person indeed had no further need to conceal himself.

He was even intentionally attracting attention.

For Bao Bozhao also noticed the fluctuation to his left front at the same time.

Wei Guangyao, who had been hidden since the beginning of the battle, was stealthily approaching using some secret method.

Bao Bozhao pretended not to notice, urging his No Light divine ability to the extreme, attempting to dim Tai Yin’s divine ability light. He stepped on the ground, rising up, and actively counter-charged Tai Yin!

In the process of charging at extreme speed, in the gaps between evading military array dao techniques, he twisted his body with extreme naturalness, his Heaven Eye aimed! A brilliant golden Heaven Punishment light swiftly shot out, aimed directly at Wei Guangyao!

A painful muffled groan rang out, and Wei Guangyao’s figure leaped out from the darkness. This “wise younger brother,” only recently acknowledged, had dodged in time, but his left arm had already been shattered, blood gushing out like a fountain!

Come on, Tai Yin!

Bao Bozhao flew quickly, his target clear. Capturing and killing Tai Yin was also the key to reversing the war situation! He decided not to hesitate at any cost for this!

But in the very next moment, the entire Wu Yang City suddenly lit up with ten thousand lamps and blazed with ten thousand fires!

Those lamps were all imbued with spells.

Those fires were even more extraordinary.

The five elements fire of dao techniques, evil swamp fire, yin charcoal fire, ghost charcoal fire…

Almost every type of fire imaginable, every type that could be collected and acted upon at the spell level, was ignited in an instant.

Bao Bozhao’s No Light divine ability covering Wu Yang City was utterly incapable of resisting so many lights carrying the power of dao techniques in a single instant!

Under the backlash of his divine ability, he suffered a severe injury, spitting out a mouthful of fresh blood.

The darkness of No Light was dispelled!

The darkness now covering Wu Yang City was controlled by the array setter, Tai Yin!

Being targeted to such an extent was not even the most terrifying thing.

Bao Bozhao immediately noticed a terrible power exploding throughout Wu Yang City.

The role of those ten thousand lamps and ten thousand fires was not only to use his No Light divine ability against him through backlash, but also to awaken the key to Wu Yang City’s city-protecting grand array!

Surging yuan force stirred, and the rules of this square of heaven and earth began to change. The city-protecting grand array, which had been shut down, was being activated again, on the verge of being started! This city-protecting grand array had been tampered with; the command seal handed over by Wei Guangyao fundamentally did not possess core control rights!

What’s more, this city-protecting grand array had been transformed by Tai Yin into a killing array to suppress those within the city, and at this moment, it was about to reveal its might!

Truly god-like array dao means.

Bao Bozhao’s face sank like water, and he finally saw the outcome!

Once this array was deployed, there was no possibility of saving his thirty thousand strong army. In this situation where the great army was scattered everywhere, no matter how much he struggled, it would be too late. No matter how desperately he fought within the city, it would be useless.

Human power has its limits!

Bao Bozhao did not utter a harsh word, decisively halting his charging momentum. He did not even spare Tai Yin a glance, immediately turning his body and rushing towards the gate!

The vertical eye in his brow continuously released three Heaven Punishment lights.

Brilliant golden divine light successively crashed upon the city gates. The immense power collided fiercely with the colossal steel gates.

Under Tai Yin’s control, although the city-protecting grand array had not completely started, part of its power had already tilted towards the city gates, allowing them to withstand three Heaven Punishment lights without collapsing.

But Bao Bozhao, at this moment, had already rushed into the city gate tunnel, reaching the front of the city gates. With a shake of his hand, he had already drawn out the Gan Shan Whip!

*Pa pa!*

The gray-white whip body howled, bringing up illusions of endless undulating mountain ranges.

With a heavy crack, the whip lashed down upon the city gates.

Divine ability! Moving Mountain!

The power of mountains was held within this whip.

The colossal steel gates boomed and exploded, fragments flying like butterflies.

Before the city-protecting grand array could fully activate, he had already shattered the city gates!

Outside the city gates was bright daylight.

Outside the city gates was a vast heaven and earth.

And this, for Bao Bozhao, was a path of retreat stained with shame.

But he had to take it!

Hui Luo Mansion was originally a feast for sharing military merits, everyone eating and drinking heartily, yet he had suffered this disastrous defeat, with his entire thirty thousand strong army falling!

But now was not the time for pain and self-blame.

Only by escaping with his life could he wash away today’s shame and avenge the hatred of Wu Yang City.

If he had the opportunity, he would seize back everything he had lost today!

“Thieving dog Bao Bozhao, where do you think you’re escaping to!”

Within Wu Yang City, Tai Yin directly gathered a military array of nearly three thousand people and roared out in pursuit. This angry shout was naturally intended to shatter the fighting spirit of the Qi army within the city, informing them that their main general had abandoned his army and fled. But his determination to kill Bao Bozhao was also very clear.

So-called injuring the Qi’s bones and muscles and paining the Qi country’s body…

Slaughtering thirty thousand Qi army soldiers was not as impactful as killing Bao Bozhao alone!

How could he be willing to let him go!

On the other side, Wei Guangyao hastily stopped the bleeding, holding his knife in one arm, turning around and beginning to command the extermination of the Qi army within Wu Yang City.

Tai Yin indeed had no need to linger here; once the city-protecting killing array he had personally transformed was activated, it would be nothing but a slaughter!

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