After receiving the orders, Ma Shan formed a circular formation with tails pointing inward and fronts facing outward, staggered in height. Qin Shao launched a single strike, and the target immediately changed height—most of the time, the attack could be avoided. Combined with the continuous energy balls released by his teammates, this effectively disrupted Qin Shao’s offensive rhythm. Now, imagining he could once again deliver a single blow to eliminate a demon or a chain of them—how difficult that would be! Man, I’m going to unleash a small nuclear missile—see how long you can hold up! Boom… As the magnificent mushroom cloud rose, the originally solid circular formation showed a slight loosening. Qin Shao promptly hurled his hammer, striking the carefully chosen unfortunate one. However, just as he prepared to throw the hammer a second time, the enemy formation stabilized again, and the small nuclear missile only produced a modest effect—another strike would be needed to finish off another target. Truly, these creatures are tough—unbelievably resilient. At that moment, a graceful figure soared in, her voice sweet and eager. "You're out of ideas, aren't you? Let me show you!" It was Qingya. She held out her snow-white right hand, and in her palm was the lightning pearl. She had come late not because she was lazy, but because she needed time to complete the ritual of bonding the artifact and becoming familiar with it. "Boss, you've come just in time! Hurry up!" he called out. "I know, what's the hurry?" she replied, slightly annoyed, then lifted her hand gently, and the blue pearl shot into the air. Crack— A flash of lightning appeared suddenly, but before it could strike the magical being, it vanished with a soft hiss. "What's going on?" he exclaimed, eyes wide. This had never happened before when Tao Xiang had used it. "An unexpected issue, an unexpected issue..." Qingya blushed, finding excuses for herself. "I've only just learned how to use it, and I'm a bit excited, so..." "Enough talking—get going!" Fortunately, the opponent maintained their formation and did not advance, otherwise the two would have been in a state of chaos. Crackle... crackle... crackle... dozens of thick lightning bolts descended from the sky, leaving the squad leader stunned—what on earth was this attack? He had still not fully recovered from the previous small-scale nuclear explosions, and now humans seemed capable of such a diverse array of offensive tactics. The lightning struck them all squarely on the heads, creating widespread arcs of electricity, and the magical beings began to feel numbness throughout their bodies—definitely unable to maintain their formation. Qin swiftly seized the opportunity, hurling his Hou Tian hammer with force, and struck down three of them at once. He furrowed his brows and asked cautiously, "General Meili, what is our enemy's background?" The female demon glanced at him and said lightly, "Immortals." "Immortals," he was taken aback—clearly, he had never heard of the term. Meili added, "Immortals are a race situated between ordinary humans and deities. They surpass ordinary humans in strength and can perform magic akin to that of deities, though they are not deities themselves." "Deities," the man exclaimed, "this is within the jurisdiction of the Eastern Celestial Court." The female demon shrugged, "That's not entirely accurate. This planet is also home to Western powers, and the Celestial Court has never claimed it as their territory. There's no need to worry—just a few Immortals, after all. They haven't yet reached the status of deities." The knight commander drew several sharp breaths, easily judging from the intensity of the lightning that it was a sharp and effective assault—uncertain whether his dispatched squad could withstand it. Only now did he realize the true purpose behind Mire's earlier request. It made sense that the forward base had taken so long to construct; evidently, Earth's inhabitants were not as easy to handle as he had imagined. He stammered, "Sir General, how should I approach the King to make my request—how many reinforcements and senior noble families should I ask for, so as to be appropriate?" The female demon glanced at him again, then sniffed, "Of course, the more, the better. This is your matter—no need to consult me." "Right... well..." He was gently rebuffed. On the battlefield, the demonic forces were struck by lightning and began to plummet from the sky. Though they retained partial control over their bodies, they were still under the power of Qin Shao's Hao Tian hammer. One after another, the hammer's shadow swept through, and the demons fell, one by one. Qingya bit her lips. Though she sent out lightning faster and faster, it proved difficult to actually kill the demonic beings with it—no matter how hard she tried, she only managed to wound them severely. It was Qin Shao who bore the brunt of the casualties, as the lives of the others were claimed. These warriors had already been badly injured; they only needed a gentle strike to be finished off. "Ha ha, what a delight!" he laughed. "Chief, our teamwork has been absolutely seamless. Handing you the Lightning Pearl just now was truly the right move." "Of course," she replied, her head tilted slightly. "I've certainly paid my dues—hmm. Just thinking about being kissed twice by Qin Feng makes me feel rather disadvantaged." The frequency of the lightning slowed as only a handful of the demonic beings remained alive. Qin Shao deliberately spared the squad leader. After all, as the chief, it was fitting that he should fall last—a silent, unspoken honor. Watching one after another fall, the squad leader's eyes were nearly bulging with blood. He longed to charge up and meet the enemy in a final, mutual destruction, but the continuous lightning strikes sent him in excruciating pain—so much so that even getting off his mount was a struggle, let alone doing anything else. Crack… Thunder… Boom… The Hao Tian Chui launched forth, finally dispatching the last dragon-shark. The squad leader, utterly devastated, plummeted from the sky and landed with a heavy thud, creating a deep crater. He painfully crawled out of the crater, and his first words were: "Who exactly are you people?" He probably had one more question he wanted to ask, but felt too embarrassed to voice it—namely: "How can you be so powerful, and still have any sense of justice?" Qin Shao moved with ease, holding the Hao Tian Chui firmly, and smiled warmly. "We've been fighting all this time, yet you still don't know who we are. It seems you've come to be the expendable support. Then, for your sake, listen closely—we are cultivators. Chinese cultivators." He thought the other would be terrified, scrambling and sobbing, pleading that he'd never do it again. But instead, the man narrowed his eyes: "What's a cultivator, exactly?" "Man, you're the thing! Your whole family is things!" Qin muttered, his face dark with anger. "I should have smacked you right then and there—I'm going to—" "Me," Qingya stepped forward, not to claim the spotlight, but because she simply hadn't gotten her fill yet.