In the four directions, three Evolution·Leader monsters were positioned in each, possessing significantly greater strength than other creatures.
Seeing them rapidly approach the territory, Zhou Yan moved towards them.
He unleashed 《Meteor Shower》, covering the three leaders, but their decent speed allowed them to dodge, resulting in only minor injuries.
He then cast a previously unused skill, 《Thunderbolt Strike》.
"Crack!"
A thunderous boom echoed through the sky as a lightning bolt swiftly struck the ground.
"Boom!"
The lightning powerfully hit an Evolution·Leader·Dark Abyss Leopard, instantly killing the boss with its terrifying might.
"Decent power."
Single-target skills truly possessed formidable power.
He cast 《Thunderbolt Strike》 twice more, eliminating the other two bosses.
He spotted six silver treasure chests, with each boss dropping two.
He quickly moved forward to collect them.
Three two-star Dark Core, Leopard Sinew, Leopard Bone, Leopard Claw, and other materials were obtained.
At nine in the morning, the monsters changed again.
A group of Enhanced·Leopard-Headed Orcs appeared, each wielding a weapon.
"Even orcs have appeared," Zhou Yan muttered, speechless.
These were leopard-headed orcs, over three meters tall, each incredibly strong.
They charged towards the territory, wielding various blunt weapons.
These orcs were clearly more difficult to deal with than the previous monsters.
However, they still suffered heavy casualties against the defensive towers.
Their overwhelming numbers meant they soon reached the soldiers.
Chen Qingzhi's buffs provided significant advantages to the soldiers. Combined with their own levels and equipment quality, they remained fearless even facing these foes.
Zhou Yan entered the battlefield, continuously using 《Seven Star Sword Technique》, countless sword energies crisscrossing the area, felling orcs one by one.
Upon their demise, the weapons these humanoid monsters wielded did not disappear, serving as an additional bounty.
However, they had no time to collect them; all looting would have to wait until after the battle.
At ten minutes to ten, an Enhanced·Leader·Leopard General, accompanied by nearly a thousand guards, approached the territory. In an unfortunate turn of events for them, they encountered the defensive towers' second skill refresh.
They were eliminated before they could even make a move.
At ten o'clock, Orc Knights appeared. At ten fifty, two Enhanced·Leader·Orc General Knights arrived.
The battles were exceptionally fierce, and it was clear the day's fighting would be prolonged.
Every hour, a stronger type of monster would appear.
Moreover, the number of monster bosses also increased each hour.
The stronger the monsters, the greater his gains.
While the soldiers had not yet suffered any fatalities, some had sustained injuries.
The items he had given to the various heroes finally proved useful. A variety of area-of-effect runes, scrolls, spells, and high-tech bombs inflicted significant casualties upon the monsters.
At eleven o'clock, Orc Berserkers...
At twelve o'clock, Orc Dragon Knights.
He was at a loss for words. Although the monsters' levels remained at twenty, they were progressively becoming stronger, each monster's power nearing that of a boss.
If not for the territory's powerful defensive towers, formidable soldiers, each possessing combat power no less than that of a boss, and Chen Qingzhi's substantial buffs, the sheer numbers would have likely caused him heavy losses.
His soldier count was still too low, but without materials to upgrade the barracks, he was helpless.
For now, he could only stall for time.
Li Shuang, leading the maids, continuously provided the front-line soldiers with ample Spirit Spring Water and Spirit Fruits, along with various rations, greatly boosting their recovery.
They still had a long time to defend.
This was a war of attrition, testing everyone within the territory.
Zhou Yan had anticipated the final day to be difficult, but he hadn't expected it to be this arduous.
At one in the afternoon, these Orc Dragon Knights were reinforced with archers, posing a considerable threat to the territory.
However, their numbers had decreased, offering him a slight reprieve.
At two in the afternoon, Orc Lancer units were added.
At three o'clock, Orc Shield Warriors were introduced, presenting a significant challenge to the soldiers.
Crucially, a Bronze-level boss appeared at three o'clock. Although eliminated by the defensive towers, the appearance of a Bronze-level monster at this hour left him uncertain about what was to come.
The good news was that the Bronze Boss dropped a Gold Treasure Chest.
At four o'clock, two Bronze Bosses appeared in each direction. At five o'clock, three Bronze Bosses.
Each wave was stronger than the last, monsters surging towards the territory like a tide, draining the stamina of every soldier.
They could only persevere.
They endured immense pressure constantly.
The powerful monsters dropped significantly better quality treasure chests than before.
Outside lay a field of treasure chests, predominantly Bronze and Silver, with a considerable number of Gold Treasure Chests visible.
Persistence meant victory. Although casualties had occurred, with the "Underworld" in place, these soldiers could be resurrected.
At six and seven o'clock, finally, it was eight in the evening.
Silver Bosses finally appeared, accompanied by a swarm of flying monsters.
"Holy crap! Flying monsters have appeared too!"
Zhou Yan was speechless. Fortunately, these flying demonic beasts were only common monsters, and their numbers were not overly large.
He had few options against aerial threats, as he currently had no anti-air units.
He himself only possessed Thunderbolt Strike, which could target these flying demonic beasts individually.
However, before the flying demonic beasts could get too close, he used 《Meteor Shower》 to eliminate a significant portion of them.
The remaining aerial monsters, coordinated with the ground-based Orc Dragon Knights, advanced towards the territory.
These flying monsters did not attack the soldiers but headed directly for the crystal within the territory, earning Zhou Yan a string of curses as he rushed towards the crystal himself.
If the crystal were destroyed, the arduous trial would yield no final rewards. He absolutely would not allow such a thing to happen.
He was fast, reaching the **King's Crystal** in an instant.
He then used 《Thunderbolt Strike》 to attack the flying demonic beasts in the air, killing them one by one.
However, the flying demonic beasts were numerous, and they soon approached within a few hundred meters of the crystal.
But the **King's Crystal** possessed its own lightning attacks.
As soon as these flying demonic beasts entered the crystal's attack range, they were immediately struck by bolts of lightning, falling to the ground, charred and instantly killed.
He was surprised, as this was the first time he had witnessed the **King's Crystal** attack, and he lacked a clear understanding of its offensive capabilities.
He ceased his own attacks, observing the crystal's power.
The flying demonic beasts did not attack other parts of the territory but focused solely on the **King's Crystal**.
From the other three directions, many flying demonic beasts also arrived. They were ordinary monsters without any special attributes.
They swarmed towards the crystal, intending to shatter it with their sharp claws.
However, the **King's Crystal** unleashed a barrage of lightning attacks, electrocuting these monsters black and crispy.
It attacked as many as came, with no respite.
Its offensive power was even greater than that of the defensive towers.
The crystal's attack speed was incredibly fast, with virtually no interval. Unless a defense could withstand its lightning strikes, attacking the crystal was extremely difficult.
"Whoa, this **King's Crystal** is impressive," he finally breathed a sigh of relief.
It was fortunate that these flying demonic beasts only targeted the **King's Crystal**; otherwise, other buildings in the territory would surely have been destroyed.
This also gave him a clearer strategy for defending against these flying monsters.
The world of lords contained many flying monsters, and he would eventually need to prepare for them. Early preparation would prevent him from being so passive when encountering them.
However, he would have to wait until after the novice trial.