As the two onlookers bantered with gusto, Wang Hong's first round of attacks had already been unleashed.
While the opponents were still in disarray, Wang Hong's forces swiftly organized themselves and infiltrated their rear, cutting off their escape routes. Along the way, no one dared to stand alone against them.
Once Lin Yun and the others reacted, a group of soldiers had already positioned themselves in the rear, forming a defensive formation. Over forty Long Spears were hurled towards them.
"Don't panic, everyone! Spread out. Regardless of their cultivation level or numbers, the enemy is weaker than us."
Lin Yun stood in the midst of the crowd, shouting loudly. He felt both embarrassed and angry; in a situation where they held an advantage in all aspects, they had unexpectedly been caught off guard by the enemy.
In just one round, the highest-cultivated member of their side, Poisonwood, was killed. Even if they won this battle, it would be a stain on Lin Yun's reputation.
"If anyone has any special skills, use them now. Don't hold back; we're all in this together."
In the world of cultivation, one had to guard against both enemies and teammates, so everyone was accustomed to keeping a trick up their sleeve.
At this moment, everyone was too busy to think much. Many unleashed their trump cards and charged towards Wang Hong's side. Although some were just pretending to contribute, the overall momentum was intense.
Seeing dozens of colorful lights flying towards them, Wang Hong, Zhang Chunfeng, and Skinny Monkey each activated their high-grade defensive Magical Weapons.
The defensive shields of the Magical Weapons connected, barely managing to protect all forty-plus people.
Although the soldiers were clad in full sets of mid-grade armor, in such a chaotic group battle, even a mid-grade Magical Weapon wouldn't withstand focused attacks, let alone a high-grade one.
Under the protection of the defensive shields, the soldiers advanced confidently.
Attacks from various Magical Arts and Magical Weapons collided with the defensive shields, creating a series of loud bangs.
Unlike the disciplined and coordinated attacks of Wang Hong's soldiers, Lin Yun's group had a chaotic and uncoordinated assault. Their attacks were scattered, with varying timing; in short, it was every man for himself.
This significantly relieved the defensive pressure on Wang Hong's side. Dealing with the attacks from dozens of people was no easy feat.
Among the three, Skinny Monkey had the weakest cultivation level. Originally, using a high-grade Magical Weapon was already quite a stretch for him. His face turned pale, and blood oozed from the corners of his mouth as he endured the onslaught.
His internal Spiritual Energy was depleted, and before activating the Magical Weapon, he had consumed a bellyful of Spirit Wine.
The Spirit Wine continuously released Spiritual Energy, replenishing it into his dantian. Skinny Monkey, disregarding everything, squeezed out every bit of Spiritual Energy from his body, frantically pouring it into the Magical Weapon.
Gradually, the replenishment of Spiritual Energy couldn't keep up with his consumption. His dantian became dry, and the vortex of Spiritual Energy in the center of his dantian slowly shrunk.
In a short time, he had dropped from the fifth layer of Qi Cultivation to the fourth layer.
Skinny Monkey continued to infuse his original source of Spiritual Energy into the Magical Weapon. A cultivator's original source of Spiritual Energy was hard-earned through rigorous training, and its depletion would result in a decline in cultivation level.
He no longer cared about his own cultivation level; he didn't want to witness the death of the people he had grown close to.
Originally the son of a northern farmer in the Chu State, he roamed with his parents after being separated during Qin Kingdom's invasion, living a life of alternating hunger and satiety.
Afterward, he lost his parents again and collapsed by the roadside after starving for more than ten days.
Thinking his life was over, he woke up in a warm tent with a steaming bowl of Meat Porridge beside him.
After years of wandering, he finally felt warmth and an unprecedented sense of security.
From then on, he worked hard, eagerly taking on any task, and stubbornly refusing to leave the military camp.
Later, Wang Hong accepted him into his personal guard. Seeing his youth, intelligence, and diligence, the members of the guard treated him like a younger brother.
He had officially integrated into this team, considering this place as his home. He was a member of this large family, and whenever someone died in battle, he would grieve for a long time.
Therefore, even if his cultivation level was completely depleted, he would fulfill his responsibility, protecting his loved ones. He didn't want to see anyone else die.
Under the protection of the three-person defensive shield, the soldiers had already rushed to the enemy's front. Three squads launched the main attack, while two teams flanked from the sides.
At this point, Skinny Monkey's cultivation level had dropped to the third layer of Qi Cultivation, and Wang Hong ordered him to step back.
By now, on Lin Yun's side, there were few actively engaging in the attack. Overall defense wasn't as crucial, and Wang Hong and Zhang Chunfeng's defense seemed effortless.
The Lin Family cultivators were hastily gathered, lacking even basic mutual trust, let alone cooperation.
When the soldiers charged forward, each person's reaction and choice varied. Some defended cautiously, some retreated, and only a small portion charged forward.
Moreover, due to the earlier evasion of the dense spear attacks, they had already dispersed.
This resulted in a situation where, despite having numerical superiority, Lin Yun's side was facing a disadvantage of being outnumbered by Wang Hong's forces.
The soldiers didn't bother with defense; each time it was three to five people, or even eight to nine, attacking one person.
The moves were also very simple, with several people thrusting their spears simultaneously, leaving no room for evasion or defense.
So, although their cultivation levels were slightly lower, utilizing the close combat advantages of body-refining cultivators, the efficiency of killing enemies was extremely high when facing multiple opponents.
This scene greatly surprised the observing cultivators in the distance.
"Tsk, these Lin Family cultivators are too useless. Two in the late Qi Cultivation stage, twenty in the mid Qi Cultivation stage, with an overwhelming advantage, and they still end up ."
"It's not that they're useless, but the opponents are too strong. If you led the Qi Family cultivators, do you think you'd have much chance of winning?" a white-robed cultivator said casually.
The cultivator in green robes pondered for a moment before speaking, "If I led a group similar to the Lin Family cultivators in number, I should be able to win."
The white-robed cultivator chuckled, "You mean your Qi Family's elite hundred, right? Even if you win, the losses would be devastating."
They were both families with a long-standing relationship, knowing each other inside out.
"Brother Jiang, I've never heard of these people popping up from nowhere. I never knew there was such a force in Azure Void City."
"I haven't heard of them either, but judging by their disciplined and well-trained movements, it's obvious they didn't form in a short time. Their fighting style also resembles Mortal military battle formations, where Mortals lack individual strength and emphasize collective cooperation. Cultivators, on the other hand, focus on individual strength enhancement, and most aren't willing to be constrained by military formations."
The white-robed youth precisely pointed out the difference in fighting styles between Mortals and cultivators.
By now, on the battlefield, most of the Lin Family cultivators were either dead or injured. The remaining twenty-plus had been intentionally allowed to escape by the opposing forces.
Yin Wolf wasn't lucky enough to be on the list of those released. He had long been on Wang Hong's blacklist; how could he be allowed to escape?
Seeing the encircling soldiers, he hadn't even had a chance to beg for mercy before several Long Spears pierced through his body. He, who usually enjoyed plotting in the shadows, had miscalculated this time, even costing his own life.
Lin Yun, realizing the situation was dire, tried several times to escape but was repeatedly surrounded by a group of soldiers.
He had considered surrendering temporarily, but he also understood that this was a premeditated trap. If they wanted to kill him, surrendering wouldn't help; it would only bring humiliation. If they didn't want to kill him, there was no need for him to surrender willingly.
"Do you really dare to kill me? Aren't you afraid of retaliation from the Lin Family's ancestors?" Lin Yun shouted at Wang Hong.
Wang Hong smiled faintly, confidently stating, "I'm waiting for him to come!"
"I understand." Lin Yun now realized that he had fallen into a carefully laid trap. He had foolishly brought the Lin Family cultivators here, a thousand miles away, only to meet their doom.
Regret filled Lin Yun's heart at this moment. Falling into the trap was his own fault, and he had indirectly caused the deaths of many Lin Family cultivators. It might even implicate the ancestral roots of the family.
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