"Then, we needn't send anyone else. The first two waves failed to accomplish their mission. It seems that indeed there is a powerful force guarding the second core—something beyond our reach." A magical mage, his body enveloped in green energy, frowned as he spoke. "I agree. Although the final core remains intact, preventing the complete collapse of the Wood Realm's array, the loss of most of the other cores has significantly weakened the overall power of the array. This should allow many high-ranking members to survive within it. As long as our elite forces remain intact, even if all the lower-tier subordinates are lost, that won't be a major setback. With our current strength, replenishing the lower-tier ranks will be a straightforward task. Moreover, the fundamental purpose of our large-scale deployment was always to support Lord Thun Tian's operations. Once Lord Thun Tian succeeds, our Saint Clan will have officially established its presence in the Spirit Realm." The young mage nodded in agreement. "Yet we cannot overlook the formidable power of the second protective array's core! To be safe on the off chance, why not establish this grand luminous flame array centered on the current site? With this superarray defending us, even if a cultivator of the Great Stage attempts to strike, we shall be able to withstand their attacks. In the meantime, we will consolidate our elite forces within the array, prioritizing our own survival over inflicting damage. This way, we will have a much stronger chance of holding on until the Great Sky-Devouring Master achieves victory." A dark-skinned magian spoke with brightening eyes. "This is a sound strategy. After the core of this array is destroyed, this very location has become the weakest point of the Wood Realm's supreme seal. Establishing a superarray here to counter it seems very feasible. Very well—I shall take charge of this. I've already brought all the necessary materials for array construction on my departure." The green-tinged magian's eyes sparkled with enthusiasm. "With Master Jin, the master of array arts, personally overseeing it, the grand array will surely be flawless. As for the others, they will immediately set out to gather as many clan members from across the region as possible." The young mage of the魔race was delighted and announced his final decision. The other several magi showed no hesitation, promptly agreeing. Thus, the remaining members of the魔race immediately began taking action. Meanwhile, the vast army of the魔race, under the command of one of their own, began bustling around the nearby mountain ranges. Within just half a day, a massive array spanning over a hundred miles began to take shape. During this time, waves of elite magi swiftly converged from all directions, soon surpassing a million in number. At that very moment, the Wood Realm array finally gathered sufficient energy. As the sky resonated with a powerful roar, the second wave of defensive spells simultaneously activated across the entire array! Magical beings from other regions suffered severe damage under the relentless assault of the second wave of restrictions, yet those at the original primary array focal point, protected by the newly constructed magical defense array, sustained only minor losses—this instantly boosted their morale. Of course, under the pressure of the Wood Realm's array attacks, they dared not launch active offensives, instead continuously reinforcing their own defenses. As a result, the Wood Realm's array could gather sufficient energy nearly every one or two days to launch devastating assaults against the various magical forces. With the rapid decline in the number of magical beings across regions, the power of the Wood Realm's array gradually began to concentrate on the original primary focal point. After several successive waves of restrictions, even though these magical beings had their own defensive arrays, the numbers of lower-tier magical beings began to dwindle significantly. By the end of one month, what had once been a force of over a million within the magical array was now reduced to merely a few tens of thousands. Yet among the relentless assaults of the great half-monthly seal, only the high-ranking magical beings—each with at least a Transcendent stage of cultivation—had managed to survive. The high-ranking magical beings gathered here alone accounted for more than half of the remaining magical beings within the entire Wood Realm array. After a low exhalation, the eight elder wood-kin instantly expelled several clots of refined blood from their mouths, followed by a surge of black blood gushing from their seven orifices. Their vital qi vanished completely, leaving them lifeless. The interim Senior Elder of the Wood Clan bowed to the eight newly arrived Wood Clan members, his expression grave. "Senior Elder, please rest assured! Though we are junior disciples to the eight elders in the art of divination, we will do our utmost!" One of the eight replied solemnly. The interim Senior Elder nodded and gestured with a wave, signaling the start. Thus, the eight new Wood Clan members began to channel their incantations. A flash of luminous energy passed through the spell array, and the previously vanished screen reappeared instantly. The new divination commenced once more. Not only did the screen reappear within just a cup of tea's time, but suddenly, a disturbance arose in the audience. A high-level Wood Clan member surged to the front from below, delivering a transmission jade scroll to the interim Senior Elder with evident alarm. "Senior Elder, we have urgent news from Mucan City—magical high-level beings have infiltrated Mucan City and even penetrated the Sacred Sanctuary!" "What? How could this be possible?" How could anyone have accomplished this when all three of the Magian Sage-Ancestors have been held in check? What are the guards of Mucan City doing! The acting Senior Elder of the Mucan clan had already been deeply troubled by the death of Mu Ling's birth chart. Upon hearing his subordinate's report, he instantly erupted into fury, his mind reeling. With a swift motion, he seized the jade scroll from the messenger and pressed it firmly against his forehead. This sudden action caused the other several senior elders of the Mucan clan to gasp in astonishment, all of them fixing their eyes intently on the acting Senior Elder's face, refusing to shift their gaze. Within just a few breaths, the fierce expression on the acting Senior Elder's face vanished, replaced instead by a pale, ashen complexion, as though all the vital energy within him had suddenly drained away. "Let me see!" "One of the Wood Clan elders could take it no longer. He stepped forward suddenly, snatching the scroll from the temporary Grand Elder with nearly unceremonious rudeness, then cast his divine awareness into it. But moments later, the elder's face turned pale—so pale that not a single trace of color remained. His lips moved slightly, and then he murmured in a dreamlike, almost incoherent tone: 'It's impossible. The Sacred Tree has been destroyed. Even the Grand Elder recovering from his injuries has perished along with it... It's over. The Wood Clan is truly doomed.' Upon hearing this, the other Wood Clan elders' faces twisted in shock, yet none offered further words. Instead, they each took the scrolls and used their divine awareness to examine the contents. Though they had anticipated the worst, their expressions were deeply troubled—some even staggered slightly, nearly collapsing without conscious awareness. 'Well,' the elder said, 'now that the event has occurred, further panic will do no good. Let us focus on how we shall proceed with the aftermath.'" Though our Wood Clan may never achieve independence in the Spiritual Realm, we must still find ways to ensure the safety and survival of our hundreds of billions of people." The temporary Grand Elder suddenly straightened up, biting his teeth firmly and speaking with determination. Though his face remained quite stern, he had regained some of his usual composure. "Indeed, we still hold several reserve Sacred Trees. As long as our lineage continues, it is entirely possible to see the emergence of great cultivators again—thus, we still have a chance to reestablish our presence in the Spiritual Realm." After a moment of quiet exchange, the other elders gradually regained their strength and voiced their agreement. "Right now, our priority is to keep this matter strictly confidential. Then, we will proceed step by step to formulate a strategy for retreat and preservation." The voices of the people on stage immediately dropped, and they began to grow increasingly somber as they carefully planned. Three days later! Above a dense forest, a somewhat loose group of figures was speeding forward swiftly, with Han Li among them, his face grim as he hurried through the air with his spiritual flight. They had now traveled millions of li away from the great Wood Realm Array. Just half a day ago, he and the night-fighter maiden had only recently learned from a Wood Clan elder about the destruction of the Sacred Tree in the rear city of Mucan and the fall of the senior Wood Clan elder. By now, however, the vast majority of the Wood Clan's army stationed within the Array had already evacuated, and the Wood Clan's Council had already decided to unleash the full power of all the secondary array nodes, causing the entire Wood Realm Array to self-explosion, aiming to annihilate as many demonic forces as possible within it. Fortunately, these senior Wood Clan elders had managed to alert the high-ranking members of the other clans stationed within the Array; otherwise, should the Array self-explode, even they would be engulfed by its immense force. However, since both the Mu clan's sacred tree and the senior abbot have vanished, there is naturally no further significance to the ongoing battle. Immediately after leaving the second array focal point, Han Li took a group of human cultivators who had been assisting the Mu clan in guarding the array and proceeded directly toward the Mucian City. It is likely that the allied forces from other clans, upon receiving this news, will also withdraw without delay.