The threat of the aerial volley was overwhelming. Most importantly, these crossbow bolts rained down from the skies. That kind of threat felt like divine retribution from above, sweeping down with unstoppable force. Defending against an attack from the heavens was far more difficult. In the chaos of a charge, it was nearly impossible to keep an eye on the skies above.
The crossbow bolts rained down relentlessly—some pierced through chests, others directly skewered heads.
In a flash, casualties piled up.
"What a powerful arrow formation. But if you think a single arrow formation is enough to stop my Kobold race, you're dreaming!"
A cold gleam flashed in Gou Buli's eyes as he let out a chilling shout.
Without further hesitation, he gripped a blood-red scythe, and with a sharp glance at the gathered kobolds around him, he shouted, "Warriors! Today we shall let the entire world know that the Kobold race fears no slaughter, no enemy. Anyone who stands in our way has only one fate—death!"
"Kill! Kill! Kill!!"
The surrounding kobolds all roared with fanaticism.
"Charge!!"
With a sweep of his scythe, Gou Buli barked the order.
This time, there was no hesitation. Leading from the front, he strode forward, gripping the scythe. His movement was like a signal—massive waves of kobolds surged forward from all directions.
RUMBLE!!!
Explosions echoed as a massive army pressed forward!
This push brought forth no fewer than two hundred thousand troops. The sheer might of their advance felt like a mountain collapsing upon the earth.
"They've finally made their move. The kobolds are truly furious this time—even Gou Buli is joining the fray himself. They're determined to annihilate the humans. Even with that powerful arrow formation, it might not hold against this kind of force. It could be crushed in an instant."
"This is it—the moment of truth. This battle will decide victory or defeat. Facing ten times their number with only twenty thousand troops—this kind of pressure is practically impossible to bear."
"Good! Good! Let's see what tricks the humans have left. Defeating a stronger foe isn't easy. And the kobolds aren't weak either—they have plenty of trump cards. This is going to be interesting."
Despite Yi Tianxing's display of might, using the arrow formation to slaughter large numbers of kobolds, few still believed in the humans' chances. The disparity in numbers was simply too vast to overcome.
"They've made their move? Perfect—let's bury these kobolds right here in this valley."
Yi Tianxing, watching Gou Buli join the battle, felt a chill run through his heart.
"General Wang, prepare the formation. On my signal—activate the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation."
Jia Xu took a deep breath and gave the order.
"Rest assured, Strategist."
Wang Dahu responded confidently. His expression revealed no anxiety—he had practiced this formation countless times.
"Hm?"
At that moment, Yi Tianxing's pupils contracted as he stared into the battlefield, a look of solemnity crossing his face.
Looking closely, one could see that as soon as Gou Buli stepped onto the battlefield, he swept his scythe, and an invisible force erupted outward in all directions.
CRACK!!
In an instant, a terrifying sight unfolded before their eyes.
All across the battlefield, the corpses of fallen kobolds began to undergo grotesque transformations. Their flesh exploded violently, and from the carnage, skeletal figures stood up. They held swords and blades, emitting an eerie aura. Cold flames flickered in their eye sockets, dancing unnaturally, sending chills through anyone who saw them.
They were skeletons—undead soldiers!
Undead creatures, skeleton warriors!!
One after another, the skeletons rose. The moment they appeared, they let out unnatural shrieks and began marching forward, brandishing weapons. As long as the corpses weren't utterly destroyed, they were being rapidly revived by some mysterious power—transformed into undying skeletons. These skeletons exuded a chilling, terrifying presence.
Anyone—regardless of race—would feel a shiver upon seeing these undead abominations.
The scene was utterly shocking.
"They can actually turn dead corpses directly into undead skeletons! And the aura these skeletons give off isn't any weaker than in life. In fact, without vital points, they've become even more dangerous!"
"What a terrifying technique. Is this Gou Buli's innate divine ability? It's bizarre and horrifying. He walks the battlefield like a death god from the mortal realm."
"He can create undead and summon skeletons over such a wide area... No way his innate divine ability is this powerful on its own. There must be something else at play. But what exactly, we can't say."
Many other races watching from the shadows drew in sharp breaths.
No one expected that Gou Buli could revive the dead, summoning a massive army of undead skeletons. These skeleton soldiers appeared completely under his control—instantly bolstering his forces by tens of thousands. The destructive potential was unimaginable.
The battlefield was thrown into chaos.
In a matter of moments, the humans were surrounded by tides of kobolds and skeletons. They were completely enveloped, with no path of escape, no openings to be found. This was a slaughter trap, offering no way out.
No one could see how the humans could possibly survive this.
Gou Buli's move turned the tide into a crushing advantage.
The appearance of the undead skeletons boosted the morale of the kobolds to the heavens.
Life Aperture — Undead!!
Gou Buli's life aperture birthed the divine power to summon skeletons using corpses—controlling and commanding them.
Ordinarily, his strength alone wouldn't allow him to command so many skeletons or affect such a wide area. However, he wielded a blood-jade scythe—a weapon of extraordinary power. It amplified the power of his Undead Life Aperture by dozens, even hundreds of times.
Thanks to the scythe, he could easily control and command these skeletons, no matter how many there were. The whole process seemed utterly otherworldly.
As if he held the scepter of all the world's undead.
WHIZ WHIZ WHIZ!!
The crossbow bolts continued to rain down, striking skeletons—but many simply passed through the gaps in their bones without doing any damage. Even when ribs were shattered, the skeletons showed no sign of slowing. They were truly terrifying.
Only a direct hit to the skull, extinguishing the flames of life, could destroy them.
The overall lethality of the volley dropped drastically.
"Battle formation—Eight Gates Golden Lock!!"
Yi Tianxing took a deep breath and gave the signal. Jia Xu nodded and issued the command without hesitation.
BOOM BOOM BOOM!!
The moment the words fell—
Wang Dahu's army began to move.
Their collective aura merged, and a mystic formation diagram appeared overhead. With this connection, every soldier's energy became tied to the formation. It quickly faded from view, merging into the world itself.
A thick white mist rapidly expanded outward, engulfing the battlefield. In the blink of an eye, the area where the army had stood was entirely shrouded, the mist spreading far and wide. The fog was mysterious and confusing—neither normal sight nor special vision could penetrate it.
"Eight Gates Golden Lock — Open the Rest Gate!!"
A clear shout echoed from within the fog.
A golden ancient gate materialized in the mist, faintly visible. A massive character—"Rest" (休)—glowed atop the gate, emanating profound Daoist energy.
"Eight Gates Golden Lock — Open the Life Gate!!"
"Eight Gates Golden Lock — Open the Hurt Gate!!"...
In an instant, gate after gate appeared—each radiating dangerous, unpredictable power.
Within moments, the human army had vanished, leaving only the white fog and the eight golden gates floating in the mist.
Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation (八门锁金大阵)The eight gates are: Rest, Life, Hurt, Obstruct, View, Death, Fright, and Open. Entering through Life, View, or Open brings fortune; through Hurt, Fright, or Rest brings injury; through Obstruct or Death brings annihilation.
Once activated, the formation connected with the world itself, drawing on universal principles and channeling them into the formation.
With the formation diagram integrated into the battle formation, the result was far beyond simple addition—its power was multiplicative.
"A formation... a battle formation!"
"This is a military battle formation! I can't believe the humans possess such a formation!"
"Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation... what kind of war formation is this? It creates a fog that blankets the land and summons eight mysterious gates. It's completely unpredictable!"
"A trap—just as I suspected. The humans came prepared. Do they plan to rely on this formation to turn the tide?"
Countless watching outsiders were once again shocked.
No one had expected Yi Tianxing to have such a war formation under his command. These kinds of military formations could multiply an army's power several times over, even dozens of times. Their destructive potential was devastating.
And this formation—at a glance—was clearly no ordinary battle formation.