"What happened!?" Qian Li exclaimed, his shock palpable as he witnessed the countless fiery explosions ravaging through the ranks of his soldiers.
However, it wasn't over yet. The temperature surged, and ominous flames erupted, enveloping the entire army in a blazing inferno.
In a moment of realisation, Qian Li looked up to see the grim reaper avatar flickering, since the supply of Qi and lifespan diminished rapidly from the soldiers dying. The pressure on him and the other soldiers intensified.
"Damn it," he cursed through gritted teeth, releasing his grip on the shield.
"You all, even if your vitality is drained to the last drop, do not release your shields," Qian Li commanded in a cold tone.
As he observed the approaching explosion, the soldiers remained steadfast, their expressions unchanged even as their comrades fell to the fiery onslaught. Despite the sweat drenching their bodies and the oppressive heat surrounding them, they stood firm, unwaveringly channelling their Qi into the shield.
Lu Zhen regarded the scene before him with a furrowed brow.
"What manner of army is this?" he pondered, sensing an eerie absence of individuality among them, as though they had become mindless automatons devoid of personal will, ready to be sacrificed without hesitation.
Lu Zhen couldn't fathom that the entire army was utterly fearless in the face of death, showing no signs of hesitation or self-preservation.
"Interesting," he murmured, a glint of intrigue flickering in his eyes as he observed the army. "Once I deal with them, I must delve deeper into this mystery."
Lost in thought, Lu Zhen was unaware that Lily was gently combing his hair with a tender smile on her face.
"Young master, your hair has grown remarkably long," she remarked, her cheeks tinged with a blush. Lily couldn't help but feel surprised at the striking blend of black and gold coloured hair which was previously completely black.
Finally, he reached the site of the explosion and looked at the remains of the charred corpses of his soldiers. Qian Li's gaze wasn't on these pitiful soldiers, as he considered them beneath him, but instead on sensing the energy around him, which caused him to frown more.
He slowly closed his eyes as if visualising things. After a long time, he finally opened his eyes as his body shrivelled.
"We have been had. The remaining tree demons all contained extremely strong vitality, which could instantly be fired the moment it comes in touch with fire Qi," he slowly muttered, his eyes full of realisation.
The point of the explosion had only happened where the remaining existence of the tree demons was, so it wouldn't take a genius to figure out what had happened.
Although the avatar of the grim reaper swatted away the sea of flames, it couldn't fully protect against the sparks of flame.
If they had used fire Qi and employed combat arts related to it with their bows, it wasn't difficult to convert the surrounding pure Qi into Fire Qi, igniting the terrifying explosion contained within the demonic trees.
"Damn it," Qian Li despaired more as he contemplated the situation. "There must be a terrifying individual behind them providing all the war tactics."
"But this isn't enough to stop us!" he roared like a madman, gazing fiercely at the towering wall ahead.
"Soldiers, charge!" Qian Li commanded, and the entire army began to advance, each step taken with determination.
As the army moved forward, the avatar slowly approached the wall. Though the death rate among the soldiers increased significantly, they could still endure for a considerable time.
"Ah, someone finally figured it out. Send a continuous volley of arrows at it. I want to see how long it can last," Lu Zhen smirked.
Instantly, arrows filled the sky as they were sent hurtling towards the avatar. However, with a simple slash of its scythe, it instantly repelled all the arrows.