Halberd and fist collided – the thunderous impact sending a shockwave out in all directions.


    Tremours rippled through his arm like a wave, eventually reaching his body and shaking it down to its very core.


    Yet even then, Zhao Yunxiao refused to take a step back, enduring it with all of his mind and body.


    Of course, it definitely helped that he could clearly see how Old Niu was in an even worse state right now.


    It was obvious that Nie Hanchang’s arrow of energy had resulted in some grievous injuries.


    But despite these injuries, he still refused to turn away from Zhao Yunxiao. On the contrary, it actually made him more determined to double-down on his earlier decision.


    Aaaaaaahhh!” Old Niu roared and struck out with his other fist, directly striking Zhao Yunxiao’s halberd on the shaft that was already bent to its limit.


    This time, it was Zhao Yunxiao’s turn to spit out a mouthful of blood as he staggered back a dozen steps, only managing to barely find his footing after falling to one knee for support.


    He had been imbuing his halberd with essence energy, which formed a natural connection between the two.


    The sudden destruction of the halberd had caused an unexpected disruption to this connection, resulting in an energy backlash that directly affected Zhao Yunxiao from within.


    That said, he was lucky enough to get away without suffering any severe internal injuries, but the consequences still could not be ignored.


    But top it all off, there was still the psychological pain of witnessing his trusted halberd be reduced to nothing but scraps!


    “


    The relentless golden tortoise heads were also starting to get through Old Niu’s tough skin with greater ease, a testament to how he was starting to lose his ability to sustain the energy expenditure required to strengthen his defences.


    This was the terror of the Dark Tortoise Devouring Array – a killing array capable of rendering its target into absolute nothingness.


    And from the looks of it, Old Niu was done.


    Now that there was a brief moment of respite, Zhao Yunxiao thought back to the arrows of energy that Nie Hanchang had been firing, and could not help but shudder in apprehension.


    Considering this, Zhao Yunxiao was just glad that they had been on the same side.


    The narrative has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the infringement.


    “


    He was the most lively one right now, being the only one who had not participated in the battle, or at least not directly so.


    “


    “


    Bit by bit, pieces of flesh were still being slowly ripped out of Old Niu’s tough body.


    “


    Wha-cough... What right do-cough... Do you people have? To co-cough... come here and loot our home?” Old Niu spoke weakly, his speech impeded by the blood that kept escaping his mouth in spurts.


    Ghost Fog Valley has always been unclaimed territory,” Zhao Yunxiao repeated what he said earlier.


    Cough! Unclaimed territory? That’s easy for outsiders like you to say...” Old Niu responded wryly.


    With that, his huge body finally fell to the ground, landing face firstonto the floor of grass.


    His body started transforming once again, this time losing all semblance of a humanoid and completely reverting to his true form of a giant green bull.


    The entire valley is my home! So, tell me, what’s wrong with me taking care of any intruders? You only have yourselves to blame for entering without my permission!


    All my kinsmen started leaving one by one. Now, I am the only one left defending our home.


    Unclaimed territory? That’s easy for outsiders like you to say...


    Was it others’ fault for disregarding his claims? Or was it Old Niu’s fault for not possessing the strength to defend his home, yet still stubbornly trying to do so?


    It was a world where the strongest fist set the rules.


    Even a man with the most tragic of backgrounds would need to be put down if he was posing a risk to others. Otherwise, it would only serve to bring tragedy upon more people!


    “


    “


    Now that things had come to this, they had to ensure that he dies, or Zhao Yunxiao would not be able to leave with a peace of mind.


    Zhao Yunxiao carefully aimed the dagger at Old Niu’s closing eyes while suppressing the chaos in his own body.


    But just as he was about to throw out the dagger, he suddenly found himself losing his balance.


    Wha?!” Zhao Yunxiao exclaimed while struggling to find his footing.


    It was the world around him that was suddenly warping crazily!


    Nie Hanchang furrowed his brows and knelt down to stabilise himself, leaning against the Grand Annihilator for additional support.


    What’s going on?!” Lou Yuan cried out in horror as he similarly staggered around like a drunkard before quickly holding onto Nie Hanchang for support.


    There was no doubt about it – they had fallen under an illusion technique!


    Who did it? Old Niu?


    This figure slowly transformed, changing from mere petals to form flesh and blood, complete with clothes that wrapped neatly around it.


    It was a young boy with white hair reaching all the way down to his feet, dressed in white cloth that covered him from the neck down. His pupils and iris were both white, making them seem almost invisible against his white sclera.


    “