This was the eye of the formation—the very core of the entire battle array.To break the formation, there was only one way: fight your way to this core.If one couldn't reach it, they would perish within the array, with no chance of survival.Aside from reaching the core, there was no other method to escape—unless the formation was actively withdrawn. But in a life-and-death conflict, how could such a deadly formation be easily removed?
To Gou Buli and his forces, it appeared they were walking along winding paths.But in Yi Tianxing's eyes, what they saw were massive golden chains.
Eight golden chains, forming eight roads.They crisscrossed through the space, spanning all directions and sealing all eight gates.
Strangely, only one of these golden chains directly connected to the core where Yi Tianxing and his men stood.The other seven ended in abrupt breaks—shrouded in mist. Even if one reached the end, they would only see dense fog and remain barred from reaching the array's heart.
At the end of each road was a gate—an array gate that could randomly lead to any of the eight golden chain roads.If fortune favored you, you'd enter the one true path to the core.If not, you'd step into a dead end and have to start all over—again and again—until chance smiled on you.
The odds?Abysmally low.
And even if one did land on the correct path, it was far from safe.Every road was filled with dangers—even the right one.Reaching the core was never guaranteed.
"Open Gate brings fortune, Scene Gate brings mystery,Enter the Hurt Gate and you'll bleed miserably. Views Gate brings decay, Fright Gate brings shock, Rest Gate is death by rot and rot. Life Gate weeps, Death Gate laughs, Better to hear ghosts cry than hear their laughs. Eight Gates lock eight directions,Locking spirits and the heavens."
That was the proverb of the Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation—a testament to its terrifying nature.Once inside, escape was nearly impossible.
Yi Tianxing stared at the kobolds running through the eight golden roads.On either side of these paths, Wang Dahu and his soldiers shifted positions in rapid succession.Golden chains condensed in their wake.Ancient runes representing Wind, Thunder, Marsh, Fire, and others appeared on the chains, exuding various energies.
These forces swept along the golden roads, pulling kobolds into the mist, where they were brutally slain.With every breath, many kobolds fell—killed on the spot.
One swing of Gou Buli's sickle had indeed injured a soldier—though he survived, losing only an arm.But to say anyone could harm the soldiers within this battle array?Far from easy.
Yi Tianxing's voice rang coldly:
"No mercy. Divine Machine Battalion, fire at will. I want all intruders dead. No survivors."
"Yes, my Lord!"Yang Yanping responded swiftly and shouted:
"All soldiers—target the Golden Chain Roads. Kill all enemies.Fire at will. Use the most effective means to eliminate the enemy."
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
With the order given, the entire Divine Machine Battalion exploded into action.No need for the Three-Star Arrow Formation this time—completely free fire.
Bolts flew like lightning.
"What the hell is this?"
"Crossbow bolts—damn it! Archers!"
"Evade! Scatter!"
While dodging the golden chains and surging ahead, they suddenly heard the whistling of countless arrows.When they looked, they were shocked to see a storm of bolts raining from the mist—like a torrential downpour.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
The arrow storm swept across the battlefield.Within moments, thousands of kobolds lay dead.
Already struggling with the golden chains, they now faced a deadly rain of arrows.They couldn't even see where the bolts were coming from—the mist concealed everything.By the time the bolts appeared, it was too late to dodge.
The narrow roads offered no room to evade.
It was a slaughter.
The Divine Machine Battalion didn't care how fierce the kobolds were.They had only one action—shoot, shoot, shoot.They unleashed their full arsenal, dumping entire quivers of bolts.
Their mission: eliminate all enemies.
"Despicable! Yi Tianxing, come out if you have any guts!Let's fight one-on-one! Hiding and ambushing—what kind of man are you?!"
Gou Buli roared in fury.He could withstand the chains, but the relentless arrow storm decimated his forces.Watching them fall in waves made his heart ache.
His eyes nearly bled with rage as he bellowed to the sky.
Yi Tianxing simply sneered:
"Ignore him. Keep firing."
This was war, not a child's game.No one would give him a fair duel.Victory was all that mattered.Even if others called it disgraceful—who cared?
On the battlefield, the only goal was survival.
The Divine Machine Battalion obeyed without pause.Arrows kept flying, fast and merciless.
"Chief, help us!"
"We're finished! We can't even find the enemy—we're just dying here! I refuse to go out like this!"
"Chief, I'm not willing—I died so unjustly!"
The kobolds wailed in despair.
Some charged into the mist.Others were shot down before they could even react.
But no matter how they died, death was the end result.Corpses littered the golden roads.A scene of total carnage.
This Eight Gates Golden Lock Formation was practically unbreakable—too deadly.Once inside, only death awaited, unless one fought all the way to the core.
And even then, breaking the core was no certainty.
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Before long, hundreds of thousands of kobolds perished, leaving only Gou Buli alive.
Facing the arrow rain, his sickle flashed like lightning, infused with battle qi.He slashed down bolts by the dozen, his blade glowing with blood-red light.
But no matter how strong he was, under such a relentless onslaught, he eventually faltered.He couldn't keep up.
He missed—a single bolt pierced his chest.
Then another. And another.
Soon, bolts riddled his body—his chest, limbs, all pierced.He became a human pincushion, blood gushing out like a fountain.
"I'm not willing—!"
Gou Buli screamed to the heavens, his face twisted in rage and disbelief.
He never imagined dying like this—not in a glorious duel, but shot down like a dog.
If he were to die, he wanted to fall in a true battle, not this humiliating end.
Even in death, he was filled with resentment.
"What a terrifying kobold chieftain,"Jia Xu commented as he looked at the corpse."He lasted a full quarter-hour under the Divine Machine Battalion's arrows.His battle energy protected him until the end—those arrows couldn't penetrate him while it held.He must've already stepped into the Life Aperture Realm. With a treasured weapon, killing him head-on would be difficult, but possible.Yet even such a strong foe still died here."
In ancient times, during the Eight-Nation Alliance, martial arts masters could face hundreds alone.They weren't just legends—against outdated firearms, they were truly terrifying.
But even those martial masters would die in alleyways when faced with barrages of bullets.No matter how skilled, they could not escape the storm.
That was exactly what happened to Gou Buli.
No matter how powerful, the arrow storm killed him.
"This is war, not a duel.There is no justice—only survival. If they're enemies, they must die—by any means necessary."
Yi Tianxing said coldly.