Hearing the challenge from the Old Magus of Héhuān, the thin, elderly man furrowed his brows slightly, but then calmly remarked, "I have agreed to fight the three great cultivators from Tiannan. However, I must remain here to oversee the great battle and cannot join the fight. This will require a personal visit to the Master of the Fang Sect. I have long heard of the Tiansha Zhenmo功 of the Sect Master, now refined to an extremely high level—indeed, capable of borrowing the true magical essence of Tiansha Zhenmo to manifest within his body. I believe he will find no difficulty in defeating a single opponent." "Since we have already made our arrangements, I shall certainly step in," said the man in black robes, his tone cold. A flash of green light passed through his eyes, and then he slowly ascended, enveloped in black qi, moving steadily toward the opposite side. The scholar of the Zhong surname and the short man of the Bi surname immediately transformed into a streak of silver light and a sphere of red glow, following closely behind. The three elders from the Zhiyang Sect, witnessing this, simultaneously turned into streaks of wonder, ascending toward the heavens. The Six figures vanished into the mist within an instant, leaving no trace. Yet the sky around them soon began to change color—first crimson, then black—and thunderous bursts of energy erupted, with flashes of brilliant silver arcs and vibrant rainbows streaking across the heavens at intervals. The six high-level cultivators engaged in combat above, while the armies of cultivators and spellcasters on the ground also launched a full-scale battle. This was no mere duel between individual or a few cultivators, where each one would rise into the air and attack the other with their divine artifacts. Instead, at such a great distance, both sides simultaneously activated a series of protective spells and wards. One by one, massive luminous domes rose steadily from both armies, enveloping their main forces. Clearly, the cultivators had completed their defensive preparations first. This was not because their five-element cultivation techniques were inherently faster than the spellcasters' magical incantations, but because the protective array established by the southern cultivators was largely composed of specialized array instruments. Thus, their spiritual techniques surged ahead by three parts compared to the other side. Seeing this, Long Han, who was in charge of the battle, immediately issued a command and launched an attack first. Yet these nine young girls formed an odd formation, gently floating in the air. Three robed elders, each carrying a gourd half as tall as a person and with half-closed eyes, stepped to the very front of the line. The command for attack reached the first wave of defenders at once. The middle-aged man on the bronze stand instantly widened his eyes, golden light surging from his body to a span of a foot in height. With a swift motion of his iron hammer, he struck hard at the center of the bronze gong. A brilliant golden light erupted, yet strangely, though the light flashed, it remained silent. As soon as the golden glow appeared, it burst into scattered golden sparks, shooting toward the opposing forces. But after flying only a few dozen paces, soft "puff" sounds echoed, and the sparks dissolved into clusters of golden mist. The man continued to hammer furiously, sending out dense streams of golden sparks from the gong. The golden mist surged forward like waves, rushing toward the ranks of the opposing spellcasters. The triangular black banner, wildly shaken by the two monks, gradually took form—a black dragon emerging subtly and imperceptibly from its surface. As the dragon opened its eyes, a steady stream of azure-black spectral winds flowed out from its mouth. The wind roared, gathering into powerful gales that swiftly turned into a dense, black mist, sweeping away sand and stones and blinding the onlookers. At the same time, the red-clad maiden raised her arm, supporting a red dish in her hands, and chanted a melodious incantation. A flash of red light caused nine bright copper plates to suddenly leap from the dish, gather in the air, and spin smoothly. There, a large, ancient red mirror, several feet in size, materialized, its surface shimmering with luminous energy. From the mirror, countless fire birds of fist-sized proportions burst forth, each encased in a flame, their beaks spouting flames. Then, after a clear, resonant chime, the birds shot out like arrows, straight toward the target. Three senior officers of the Jinyi stood in a triangular formation and simultaneously raised their massive gourds behind them. A piercing, icy white aura, interlaced with countless snowflakes and hailstones, instantly transformed a wide expanse before them into a snowy realm and surged rapidly toward the opposite side. Columns of various colored light, surging waves of magical fire, were successively summoned from the cultivator ranks, instantly merging with the first wave of rare artifacts' attacks to fully envelop the entire faction of magicians. The magicians' protective energy shield was now completely exposed to these relentless, successive assaults. The thin, gaunt elder frowned, barely expecting that merely delaying his incantation by a single step would immediately turn his position into one of defense. The intensity of the opposing assault left him unable to draw upon the magician forces for immediate counterattacks. Under such overwhelming pressure, even an Immortal Stage cultivator would dare not absorb these attacks without the protection of a magical array. "Lady Lu! It seems we must now deploy your great beasts. Otherwise, we'll be unable to gain the initiative." The elder suddenly addressed the black-robed woman beside him. "Since the Master has lent those great beasts to your friend, please go ahead and use them. There's no need to specifically inform me of this." The black-robed woman smiled slightly, speaking with calm indifference. The elder nodded satisfiedly and immediately issued orders. A thunderous roar shook the air, and from within the shield of the martial cultivators, a dozen massive forms surged forth, braving a barrage of attacks. These were the armored, wild-beast giants. As soon as they emerged, they charged straight toward the cultivators' encampment. Consequently, a portion of the cultivators' attacks shifted direction, now targeting these giants. The magical assaults on the martial cultivators' ranks consequently slowed slightly. Seizing the opportunity, several high-level cultivators swiftly took to the air, launching a dozen spherical projectiles of varying colors, and began chanting incantations. An astonishing scene unfolded. Some of the spheres plunged directly into the ground and vanished. Others spun erratically before being enveloped in emerald light. A few solidified into pools of clear water, or burst into flames, enveloped in roaring fire. Then, from the ground, from the emerald glow, and from the water and flames, one by one, various forms of mythical beasts materialized. A yellow earth serpent several dozen zhang long, a massive fire wolf seven or eight zhang high, a ghostly green bird of indistinct form, and a blue immortal turtle veiled in mist—these strange beasts, as soon as they manifested, swiftly followed the wild, towering creatures and charged directly toward the opposing group of cultivators. After chanting the incantation, one after another, the monsters surged forth, charging fiercely without fear. Many cultivators' faces grew pale, intensifying their spells against the onslaught. The pressure on the faction of the spell-mages, however, significantly eased. Seeing this, Long Han's expression grew serious and he hurried to issue instructions—but it was already too late. The frail elder, seizing the opportunity, issued a command and had already drawn half of his spell-mages to shift into offensive spiritual techniques. Instantly, a vibrant array of spiritual lights erupted, forming in the air: great fire balls, each several zhang in diameter, and ice spears as thick as small trees, coalescing one by one under the rhythm of the incantations. "Spiritual technique array," Long Han murmured, realizing that he could no longer contain the opposition. He quickly transmitted a message through a subtle movement of his lips. Immediately, the rare treasures ceased their attacks, and their owners swiftly retreated into the ranks, re-entering the protective array. At the same time, a thousand highly skilled cultivators soared upward from the ranks of the cultivator army, each holding a flag several feet long. They swiftly formed an imposing, meticulously structured grand array. Then, each cultivator tossed their flag skyward. Vast five-colored light screens materialized above the cultivator ranks, resembling a massive shield and adding another layer of protection to the army. Meanwhile, the opposing forces launched hundreds of enormous fire balls, followed by over a thousand towering ice spears. Instantly, waves of flame and mist enveloped the entire cultivator army. The great beasts and the spirit-beasts that had transformed into projectiles had already covered half the distance, and after several rounds of magical attacks, they now surged directly before the cultivator forces. Only about seven to eight of the strongest beasts remained, and half of the newly transformed spirit-beasts had been lost. Yet, facing the dense ranks of cultivators, these spirit-beasts showed no signs of fear, charging boldly and relentlessly forward.