Night fell, and Zhou Yan's territory continued its assault on another territory, one that had reached level 90.
No one expected an attack so late at night, leaving the high-level lord utterly surprised.
"If you seek death, then I shall obliterate you." The high-level lord was exceedingly confident. Even lords of higher standing would find it difficult to conquer his territory, yet he possessed the conviction to defeat them.
Having weathered numerous storms, this advanced lord immediately dispatched a squadron of flying beasts for reconnaissance. They soon spotted a territory launching an attack towards his.
"A territory?" The high-level lord was bewildered. When had a territory appeared beside his own?
He observed further and realized this territory was no ordinary one; it was mobile.
"Quite capable," the advanced lord commented, initiating a counterattack.
However, to his utter confusion, his defensive towers couldn't even target the approaching territory.
Advanced Lord: "(⊙︿⊙)"
Meanwhile, the opposing territory's defensive towers had already commenced their bombardment.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!!!"
Above the high-level lord's territory, a powerful defensive formation pulsed, deflecting Zhou Yan's relentless barrage.
Without hesitation, the advanced lord deployed one thousand flying warriors and twenty thousand cavalry to assault Zhou Yan's territory directly.
Upon detecting the enemy's approach, Zhang Liang's expression remained unchanged. He casually deployed several defensive towers to engage the attackers.
As a wave of frost surged forward, the thousand flying knights unleashed their inner energy, forming a shield that protected themselves and their mounts.
These individuals naively believed they could withstand the defensive towers' assault, but then...
"Boom!"
A shard of ice descended, instantly transforming the thousand flying knights into frozen statues. They plummeted from the sky, shattering into fragments and vanishing.
As for the twenty thousand cavalry on the ground, their speed and mounts were impressive, suggesting a troop barracks of S-grade quality or higher.
A cloud of poisonous gas descended, engulfing the cavalry in a toxic mist. They foamed at the mouth and succumbed to the poison. A barrage of blades swept through the ranks behind, cleaving them into pieces. Frost fell, encasing them in ice. A gale scattered them, and flames erupted, incinerating them.
In a single onslaught, the twenty thousand cavalry vanished without a trace.
They had barely advanced five hundred meters.
Advanced Lord: "ヾ(｡ꏿ﹏ꏿ)ﾉﾞ"
The high-level lord watched in stunned silence. He never imagined that his pride and joy, his cavalry and flying knights, would be so utterly defenseless, effortlessly annihilated by the enemy's defensive towers.
The advanced lord's own defensive towers were formidable, boasting several SSS-grade structures. However, their attacks were consistently shattered by the enemy's dense energy bursts, while the opponent's attacks relentlessly battered his territory's formation.
"Could these defensive towers all be SSS-grade or higher?" The advanced lord voiced a thought that even he found hard to believe.
He quickly shook his head, murmuring, "Impossible. That's at least hundreds of defensive towers. There's no way they could have gathered so many high-grade ones."
"I refuse to believe they possess so many high-grade defensive towers. It must be due to other artifacts or some item that extends their attack range, but the sheer power... it's terrifying!"
Witnessing the danger of his formation fracturing, the advanced lord exclaimed in alarm, "What the hell! This is an RR-grade advanced formation, and it's already faltering? What grade are those defensive towers? How can their power be so immense!"
Dismissing all other concerns, the high-level lord summoned over a hundred cultivators who had reached the seventy-fold heaven of the Body Tempering realm. He commanded them, "You must charge in and destroy their defensive towers. I will dispatch all my flying legions and soldiers to draw their fire."
At this point, he could afford no other strategy. He had to use these soldiers as bait, sacrificing them in a desperate charge to allow others to breach the dense defensive towers, destroy the enemy's fortifications, and prevent his own territory from being annihilated, which would spell his ruin.
"Yes!"
As the command was issued, the advanced lord scattered the remaining few thousand flying cavalry, sending them charging forward.
The soldiers on the ground also dispersed, rushing towards Zhou Yan's territory. It was a desperate measure; if the formation fell, the entire territory would be reduced to nothing.
Behind them, over a hundred cultivators at or above the seventy-fold heaven stage moved stealthily, concealed behind the advancing flying cavalry and ground troops.
Zhang Liang remained unfazed. He directed two poison gas towers to unleash a toxic assault across the entire sky, obscuring visibility. Subsequently, several blade towers emerged, dominating the airspace.
The ground assault was equally devastating. The territory possessed an abundance of defensive towers, and more could be temporarily summoned from elsewhere, ensuring an overwhelming number.
The thousands of flying cavalry perished without exception, as did the ground troops. Facing the relentless barrage from countless top-tier defensive towers, sheer numbers proved insufficient.
Even the hundred powerful cultivators at the seventy-fold heaven stage were reduced to ten severely wounded survivors.
"Oh, there are still survivors," Zhang Liang remarked with mild surprise. "These individuals possess decent strength. However, it's still not enough."
With the second wave of blades, the remaining individuals were also eliminated by the defensive towers.
Seeing this outcome, the advanced lord cursed, "Damn it! What kind of territory is this? Its defensive towers are so powerful, this is just bullying!"
"Crack!"
Hearing the ominous sound, the advanced lord cried out, "Not good, the formation is about to break!"
As the sky formation was utterly shattered, the terrifying energy finally descended upon the advanced lord's territory. Each wave of energy destroyed vast sections of buildings, causing immense casualties.
The advanced lord stared intently at the opposing territory, roaring, "I will remember this grudge! I will find out who you are!"
"Boom!"
A blast of flames engulfed the advanced lord, teleporting him outside the activity area, effectively eliminating him.
The advanced lord opened the forum, intending to find information about the mysterious lord.
The result was...
The forum was filled with curses and complaints. At least hundreds of lords were recounting how their territories had been instantly wiped out by a mobile territory.
Dragon-shaped city walls, a terrifying moat, a single bridge... so many victims!
Instantly, the advanced lord's mood improved slightly.
He discovered that several of the victims' territory levels were 80 or above. Although his was the highest among the defeated, knowing he wasn't alone offered some solace.
He posted on these threads, "Is anyone willing to help me find information about this lord?"
After a long while, the advanced lord received hundreds of replies.
"Senior, you were also defeated by that guy?"
"Holy crap, even a level 90 lord was defeated. Just how strong is that person?"
"Could that person be a max-level expert? That's the only logical explanation."
"I can accept being killed, but a max-level expert is beyond our reach."
"Seeking information about that lord, and then being crushed again in reality. Just venting is fine, but I wouldn't dare search for them."
"I wouldn't dare either. I fear they might get displeased and simply swat me back into my mother's womb."
...
The advanced lord had initially expected his reputation and the strength of his level 90 territory to rally everyone to a common cause.
But the result was astonishing; they were all terrified.
They feared the opponent might be a max-level lord and then further torment them!
Unacceptable... These people were right. What if they provoked a max-level expert, or someone with half-immortal cultivation? That would be disastrous.
Therefore, they had no choice but to accept their misfortune.