Let us rewind time, to ten breaths prior.

To the moment when Zhao Lang faced off against the being known as Dog Bone Face.

Zhao Lang’s Dao methods emerged in endless layers, shifting and transforming, weaving together defenses and traps without cease. Yet, Dog Bone Face pressed his advantage with brute force, surging forth like a rampant beast. He met stone walls and shattered them, encountered vine-snakes and ripped them to shreds. He relied solely on his cultivation base, suppressing Zhao Lang with sheer momentum, denying him even a sliver of opportunity.

This kind of battle-hardened response, honed through years of teetering on the precipice of life and death, was evident. Furthermore, he simultaneously controlled the malevolent dog souls, outflanking Zhao Lang and cutting off his escape routes. This was the tactical awareness possessed only by those who had weathered countless trials in the crucible of combat.

Facing such a seasoned adversary, Zhao Lang maintained his composure. Fury was futile, fear even more so. Only through calmness could he seek that increasingly faint glimmer of hope. The oppressive might of his foe forced him to utilize every ounce of his accumulated knowledge. Never before had he unleashed Dao techniques with such speed, never before had they been so precise and perfect.

He had no other choice. A single breath’s delay, one misstep, and death was a certainty. And that, in turn, would trigger the immediate collapse of the entire city guard army’s battle line. In the face of such an absolute disparity in cultivation base, he possessed no margin for error.

For a cultivator, being stalled before the Heaven and Earth Gate was agonizing. Witnessing the gate’s distant shimmering light for years, only to be barred entry, drove many to madness. Yet, Zhao Lang, with his formidable psychological fortitude, had endured this trial. Unable to elevate his realm, he had focused on refining his techniques. With every drop of sweat, he had forged another form of strength.

Within the entire domain of Zhuang Country, from Dao institutes to the military, he had almost mastered every initial-level Dao technique. It was with these seemingly commonplace techniques, often overlooked by others, that he had withstood a peak Tenglong Realm expert until this very moment.

He knew he had reached his limit. His complex and ever-changing system of Dao techniques was his signature. Switching between combinations in the heat of battle, he understood his situation even more clearly than Dog Bone Face. Once the intricate web of his Dao techniques was deciphered and countered, the outcome of the battle was all but decided. Judging by Dog Bone Face’s increasingly composed advance, that moment was rapidly approaching.

But Zhao Lang’s countenance remained unwavering. He held only calm. Facing the ferocious tearing and biting of the approaching evil dog souls, and the imminent arrival of Dog Bone Face himself, Zhao Lang clasped his left hand with his right, extending only the little finger of his left hand. He then half-squatted, touching the ground with that single finger.

*Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!*

Amidst the rumbling sound of the spreading earth, stone walls rose vertically and horizontally, completely separating Dog Bone Face and the evil dog souls. This was a Dao technique of his own creation – the Stone Walls Labyrinth. Having meticulously placed pre-set points during the earlier skirmish, the sudden activation of this technique instantly fractured the battlefield, dispelling a once-certain death crisis.

“A decent Dao technique,” Dog Bone Face rasped, “If you were allowed to grow, you might have become a threat in the future. But… you are too weak now!”

As his words fell, his Dao formula was complete. He suddenly opened his mouth. “Roar!”

From behind him leaped a soul dog with eyes as black as ink, as if tearing through the boundary between Yin and Yang to arrive. Though its body was small, its power was terrifying. With a single charge, it completely shattered all the stone walls in front of it.

Limited by his cultivation base, the inherent lack of solidity in the stone walls was the greatest flaw of this Dao technique. In battles against opponents of equal strength, Zhao Lang could rely on swift reinforcements to adapt to the shifting battlefield. But facing a powerhouse of Dog Bone Face’s caliber, he simply didn’t have the time to supplement his defenses.

However, he had never expected this single Dao technique to trap a Tenglong Realm expert.

As the stone walls crumbled, Dog Bone Face’s gaze narrowed, summoning the Nether Dog. The reason was simple: he couldn’t find Zhao Lang at his original location.

Zhao Lang had vanished! Where could he be?

Dog Bone Face rose from the ground and lunged directly towards the expanding earth fissure in front of him. He was certain that Zhao Lang could not have escaped from under his watchful eyes. Therefore, the only possible hiding place was this fissure.

From Dog Bone Face’s position, reaching the fissure would take less than a breath. But to guard against a sneak attack, he slowed his speed and raised his vigilance, taking two full breaths. He would absolutely not give this boy any opportunity.

Within the gradually widening fissure, above the swirling lava, he indeed spotted the elusive boy. Several vine-snakes were biting head-to-tail, spanning the chasm. Zhao Lang, the Vice General of the City Guard Army, stood upon the vine-snakes, his hands already completing a Dao formula.

And his target, unexpectedly, was the battlefield of Fang Big Beard and Rat Bone Face!

Countless vine-snakes rose from Fang Big Beard’s feet, swiftly intertwining to form a solid barrier. It blocked Rat Bone Face’s ferocious strike! Such command over the battlefield was truly astonishing, provoking both awe and, more importantly, rage in his opponent.

“Seeking death!” Dog Bone Face roared in sudden fury. This insignificant boy, this mere ant, dared to be distracted while fighting him! This was a blatant insult. Rat Bone would surely berate him again.

Dog Bone Face’s anger erupted, his Dao Yuan surging. The overwhelming power pushed the approaching evil dog souls back a considerable distance. And then, he plunged down through the air.

The lava beneath Zhao Lang’s feet was suddenly agitated, surging upward in a frenzy. This was undoubtedly a suicidal tactic. Looking at Zhao Lang’s calm eyes, a sudden chill ran through Dog Bone Face’s heart. He, of course, was unwilling to perish with Zhao Lang. He immediately stopped his descent, backflipping out of the fissure.

And before the lava could erupt, Zhao Lang followed closely behind, landing on the other side of the chasm.

“Roar!”

Dog Bone Face was not without his own preparations. That Nether Dog had been accumulating power on the other side of the fissure for a long time. At this opportune moment, it collided with Zhao Lang, and with a single bite, it ripped off half of Zhao Lang’s thigh!

The spurting lava, deprived of Dao technique support, quickly receded. Dog Bone Face instantly crossed the fissure, closing the distance to Zhao Lang’s front. In a half-squatting posture, he raised his palm like a blade, plunging it straight in.

But just as he pierced his opponent, extinguishing his life force, he felt a faint ripple of Dao Yuan. This dying boy… he was still using a Dao technique! And the target… was not himself.

Dog Bone Face’s head snapped around!

He saw a perfectly executed Stone Walls technique, momentarily trapping the unsuspecting Snake Bone Face. He saw Wei Yan’s decisive forward thrust.

That initial Stone Walls Labyrinth was not only for averting crisis and segmenting the battlefield. More importantly, it was to obscure the lines of sight on the other two battlefields, those of Rat Bone Face and Snake Bone Face! He had jumped into the fissure not to escape, but to seize an opportunity, to intervene in the other two skirmishes.

From the very beginning, from the absolute start, he knew he had no possibility of defeating his opponent. But he could, perhaps, by perfectly seizing opportunities, create winning chances for the other two! To kill a mere Tongtian Realm cultivator, Dog Bone Face desired a flawless victory without injury. This was Zhao Lang’s only maneuvering space. And he had grasped it with such completeness and perfection.

When Dog Bone Face rushed to Snake Bone Face’s location to die in her stead, he didn’t consciously think of anything. In that life-or-death situation, there was simply no time for thought. His instinctive reaction was pure subconscious choice. He hadn’t even begun to think, and his body had already moved. He himself didn’t understand what kind of emotion had overridden his survival instinct.

But the Snake girl lived. The Snake girl lived. His chest and abdomen vital points were all pierced, yet he felt no pain. His last glance was directed towards her, infinitely soft.

Dog Bone Face’s self-sacrifice saved Snake Bone Face from certain death. Life and death were familiar to her, but she had never been so enraged, so heartbroken. A surge of Dao Yuan shattered the fragments of the stone walls. She lunged towards Wei Yan without reservation, this time intending to fight to the death.

But Wei Yan, who had been surging with momentum and killing intent like a sharpened blade, retreated without hesitation. What was he planning? Another trap? Was he going to counterattack? Snake Bone Face, who had just narrowly escaped death, felt a jolt in her heart and involuntarily slowed her steps.

One might say that Zhao Lang’s sudden appearance of the vine-snake wall was perfectly timed to block the fatal blow for Fang Big Beard. But calling it “fatal” wasn’t entirely accurate. With Fang Big Beard’s current injuries, he should have already perished. He had multiple fatal wounds on his body, yet he was still alive. He was still fighting. To the extent that Rat Bone Face couldn’t understand what sustained him.

A vine-snake wall was insignificant. What concerned Rat Bone Face was the meaning behind it. He cast a dissatisfied glance towards Dog Bone Face’s position. Facing a mere Tongtian Realm cultivator, he had somehow allowed his opponent to interfere with another battlefield. Eleven was truly regressing with age.

He thought coldly, casually punching through the vine-snake wall. Just as he was about to advance again, he suddenly felt his body tighten. Fang Big Beard, in an extremely intimate embrace, had wrapped his arms around him!

A dying struggle! Rat Bone Face dismissed it with a thought, a layer of black mist overflowing from within his body, clinging to him to form a thin barrier. This was his soul armor. In such close quarters, he naturally prioritized his own safety, preventing any self-destructive measures from his opponent.

But Fang Big Beard’s sturdy arms only trembled once, and all his remaining Dao Yuan poured into those two limbs. He had completely abandoned his defense, choosing instead to shatter Rat Bone Face’s soul armor!

Why? What was the meaning of this?

Rat Bone Face had barely formulated the question when he heard a sharp whistling sound. That was the sound of the Fast Snow Blade, entwined with the snake-tongue sword, colliding rapidly. Wei Yan’s previous maneuver was not a casual one; it was deliberate, a calculated insertion into this battlefield! And his comrade of many years, Fang Big Beard, using Zhao Lang’s vine-snake wall to his advantage, embraced Rat Bone Face, then shattered his defense, dragging him into the path of Wei Yan’s Fast Snow Blade!

That was the sound of a long blade cutting into flesh. Rat Bone Face, vomiting blood, also felt Fang Big Beard’s blood spray upon him. “In such a favorable situation, how could I be injured? This is too absurd…”

He stirred his Dao Yuan, just about to shake off Fang Big Beard. And at this moment, a figure arriving with sudden speed had already landed behind him.

Wei Yan gripped the handle of the Fast Snow Blade, his Dao Yuan surging wildly.

*Swish! Swish! Swish! Swish!*

As if endless fragmented snow had exploded. The sky was filled with the light of snow, which was the light of the blade. Infinite, endless blade light erupted within Rat Bone Face’s body, cleaving him and Fang Big Beard together into countless fragments of flesh.

Fragments of flesh rained down, fresh blood splattered. It was impossible to distinguish which piece of meat belonged to Fang Big Beard, and which to Rat Bone Face.

All of this happened with astonishing speed. The snake-tongue sword shot out, caught in the hand of the rapidly pursuing Snake Bone Face.

But Rat Bone Face was already dead in battle.

Wei Yan gripped his blade and turned, directly facing this individual. Blood and flesh fragments clung to his body, making him appear like a malevolent spirit. But he was completely unaware.

Only the last opponent remained.

This was the final decisive battle of the city guard army camp.

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