104: A hard-fought victory to secure a spot in the finals (Part 1)

The glory of the top four had not yet finished echoing over Cloud City before the smoke of the semi-finals was ignited. The atmosphere in the central arena of the virtual battlefield was even more solemn and murderous than during the quarter-finals. Those who could stand here were all powerful experts who had survived brutal slaughters and truly stood at the Peak of this league.

The four members of Yuncheng No. 1 High School (Lin Zhou, Lei Huang, Yan Li, and Su Yueyao) appeared in the preparation area. After the mental battle with Huanmeng Academy, although they had successfully advanced, the absence of Zhao Hao and the mental exhaustion of the group were very real. Fatigue lingered in the eyes of Lei Huang and Yan Li, and Su Yueyao's cold face was a bit pale. Only Lin Zhou, relying on the powerful recovery of his Dragon Bloodline and the Fire of Civilization, remained in relatively good condition, though a hint of gravity was hidden deep in his eyes.

Their opponents, a team from the veteran powerhouse War God Academy, were already in position in the opposite preparation area. Their leader, Captain Xing Zhan, was built like a mountain, with mysterious war patterns branded on his bronze skin and eyes that were wild and aggressive. His Domain was Behemoth, a legendary creature kin known for absolute strength and physical defense, considered one of the Peaks of melee combat. The three team members behind him also possessed kin like War Treants and Hill Giants, which similarly excelled in strength and defense.

This was a team that took the philosophy of 'brute force overcomes all' to the extreme! In stark contrast to the treacherous Huanmeng Academy, their tactics were simple, crude, yet incredibly effective—using absolute power to crush all flashy tricks!

"Behemoths..." Lei Huang's brow furrowed tightly. His Thunder Giants had decent strength, but facing the legendary Behemoths, they were clearly at a disadvantage in both power and defense. Although Yan Li's Phoenix flames could cause damage, the opponents were thick-skinned and had high resistances, so the effect would likely be limited. Su Yueyao's Moonlight was more oriented toward support and purification, offering few means to suppress such pure physical power.

Pressure weighed on everyone from Yuncheng No. 1 High School like a physical substance. Having lost Zhao Hao's Red Dragon, a vital aerial and assault force, their disadvantage was magnified against a lineup like War God Academy's iron torrent.

Xing Zhan's gaze swept over the Yuncheng No. 1 High School side, finally landing on Lin Zhou, his voice booming like a great bell: "Lin Zhou? Your Domain and those little tricks are meaningless before absolute power! In this match, I will personally crush your so-called miracle!"

His words were filled with powerful confidence and Battle Intent, like the beating of war drums, stirring the heart.

[Semi-finals, Yuncheng No. 1 High School vs. War God Academy, Team Battle Mode, Map: Lava Rift! 10-second countdown for preparation!]

The image on the light screen switched, revealing a world of crimson heat. The earth was cracked, and rivers of rolling magma crisscrossed like veins. The air was thick with the smell of sulfur and waves of high-temperature heat. This was an environment that provided buffs to fire and earth-based kin but imposed certain restrictions on slow-moving giants and treant units, while also greatly compressing maneuverable space.

"Lava Rift... the terrain isn't favorable for us, but it can also limit some of the enemy's formation deployment," Lin Zhou quickly analyzed. "Lei Huang, your lightning might trigger overload explosions in this high-temperature environment. Yan Li, your flames are buffed here. Classmate Su, use Moonlight Guardian to focus on defending against their charges and area-of-effect shockwave attacks."

He looked at everyone, his tone solemn: "In this battle, there's no possibility of using tricks. We can only fight a bloody battle to the end!"

"Fight!" Fighting spirit ignited in the eyes of Lei Huang and Yan Li. Su Yueyao nodded slightly, and her Moonlight Power began to circulate.

The ten-second countdown ended!

Both teams were dropped into opposite ends of the Lava Rift.

The battle reached a white-hot intensity in an instant!

"Behemoths, charge! Crush them!" Xing Zhan didn't use any tactical tricks, directly launching the most violent assault!

"ROAR—!!!"

Accompanied by world-shaking roars, four golden beasts as massive as small mountains charged out from the War God Academy camp! Their bodies were covered in thick fur that seemed forged of pure gold, their muscles were knotted like granite, and their sharp claws glinted with cold light. Every step they took made the lava-covered earth tremble, and the scorching magma was splashed everywhere by their terrifying power!

Enemy Core Kin: Behemoth (Xing Zhan's Main Force)

Behemoth (LV35-LV38): Quantity: 4 (Xing Zhan's Core). Attributes are extremely specialized: Strength 65+, Physique 70+, Agility 25, Intelligence 10, Spirit 18. Skills: War Stomp, Crushing Tear, Golden Barrier. Traits: Physical Damage Reduction 50%, Magic Resistance 30%, Super Armor (Extremely high chance to immune control), Earth Affinity.

War Treant (LV33-LV36): Quantity: 3 (Member A). Slow movement, Strength 50, Physique 60. Skills: Root Entangle, Rock Throw, Natural Healing.

Hill Giant (LV32-LV35): Quantity: 5 (Member B). Strength 45, Physique 55. Skills: Landslide, Heavy Strike, Throw.

Lava Elemental (LV30-LV33): Quantity: Numerous (Member C, map-adapted summons). Strength 40, Physique 50 (Elemental body). Skills: Lava Eruption, Flame Body.

A true iron torrent! Especially those four Behemoths—they were practically mobile war fortresses!

On Yuncheng No. 1 High School's side, Lei Huang's Thunder Giants roared as they stepped up to intercept, attempting to use lightning to slow the charge. However, the violent lightning struck the Behemoths' golden fur and was mostly negated by the Golden Barrier and natural magic resistance, leaving only slight scorch marks and failing to hinder them in the slightest!

"Boom, boom, boom!" War Stomps landed, and the terrifying shockwaves sent the front-line Thunder Giants reeling, their HP plummeting!

Yan Li's Phoenix tried to burn them with fire, but the Behemoths' resistance to fire was also quite high. As the flames swept over them, they only made their golden fur shine more brilliantly, causing limited damage. Instead, she was interfered with by the War Treants' Root Entangle and the Hill Giants' Rock Throw, making it difficult to maintain full output.

Su Yueyao's Moonlight Guardian expanded, trying to stabilize the line, but the Behemoths' impact was too strong. The vibration effects from the War Stomps constantly hammered the Moonlight shield, causing it to fluctuate violently. She also had to distract herself by healing the heavily damaged Thunder Giants in the front line, causing her Divine Power consumption to increase sharply.

Lin Zhou's Hundred Schools Kin were also under immense pressure. The Literary Heart Elves' Vast Righteous Qi had an average effect against this kind of pure physical brute force; the Tiangong Dwarves' ballistae fired at the Behemoths like they were tickling them, only producing small sparks; the Law Fishmen's Net of Law tried to restrain them but was easily broken by the Behemoths' Super Armor trait, and the damage from the Judgment skill seemed like a drop in the bucket compared to the Behemoths' massive health and defense!

The absolute power gap was displayed to the fullest!

"Hahaha! Do you see? This is power! Your ridiculous methods are vulnerable before true strength!" Xing Zhan laughed wildly, commanding the Behemoths to concentrate their attack on one point, targeting Lei Huang, who was the pillar of the front line!

A Behemoth tanked the lightning and ballistae, its massive claws carrying an Aura that could tear through anything as it slammed down hard toward Lei Huang's Thunder Giant Hero unit!

"Thunderstorm!" Lei Huang's eyes were nearly bursting as he exploded with full power. Lightning gathered around the Hero unit into a ball and then exploded!

"BANG—!"

Lightning and golden claw shadows collided fiercely! The energy surge sent waves of magma flying into the air!

In the next moment, Lei Huang's Thunder Giant Hero staggered back, three claw marks deep enough to see bone appearing on its chest. The lightning around it dimmed, clearly showing it had been heavily wounded! Meanwhile, that Behemoth only saw the golden light on its claws dim slightly; it shook its head and roared violently once more!

The gap was too large!

"Lei Huang!" Yan Li cried out, her Phoenix flames trying to block the other approaching Behemoths, but she was stopped by the War Treants' roots and the Hill Giants' boulders.

Su Yueyao's Moonlight landed on Lei Huang's Hero unit in time to stabilize its injuries, but the situation remained critical.

The front line was on the verge of being forcibly torn apart! Once the front line was broken, the fragile Literary Heart Elves, Tiangong Dwarves, and Moon Elves in the back would be exposed to the Behemoths' terrifying claws, and the consequences would be unthinkable!

Lin Zhou's brow was furrowed, his mind spinning rapidly. The Pure and Inactive Realm had negligible effect on these Behemoths, whose heads were filled with nothing but muscle and combat instincts; the Eye of Delusion Breaking and Spirit Pivot Needle were even less applicable. Going head-to-head in strength was definitely a dead end.

Were they... really going to stop here?

No! The essence of the Hundred Schools Dao lay in adaptation, in defeating the strong with the weak, and in using skill to overcome force!

His gaze swept across the battlefield, over the surging magma rivers, over the relatively slow War Treants and Hill Giants, and over the opponent's formation, which appeared somewhat bloated and direct due to their pursuit of extreme power... A highly risky tactic, but perhaps their only chance of victory, quickly took shape in his mind!

"Everyone, follow my lead!" Lin Zhou's voice rang out in the team channel with indisputable decisiveness. "Lei Huang, stop resisting head-on. Fight while retreating and move toward the narrow rift area at the three o'clock direction! Yan Li, cover our retreat path with fire to block the pursuers! Classmate Su, contract the Moonlight Guardian to protect our core units and prepare for a powerful impact!"

"What? Retreat? Isn't that exposing our backs to them?" Lei Huang said urgently.

"Execute the order! Trust me!" Lin Zhou's tone was firm and decisive.

Out of trust in Lin Zhou's previous ability to turn the tide, Lei Huang gritted his teeth and commanded the injured Thunder Giants to begin an orderly retreat, no longer going head-to-head with the Behemoths. Although Yan Li was confused, she immediately controlled her Phoenix to rain down a vast sea of fire, temporarily obstructing the War Treants and Hill Giants.

The Yuncheng No. 1 High School line began to shrink back, seemingly retreating in defeat under the matchless power of the Behemoths.

Seeing this, Xing Zhan was even more smug: "Trying to run? The Lava Rift is only so big; where can you go? Behemoths, chase them down and tear them to pieces!"

The four Behemoths were like golden whirlwinds of death, pursuing relentlessly. Their massive feet cracked the earth, sending magma splashing.

However, the retreat route Lin Zhou chose was extremely tricky, specifically picking areas where magma rivers were dense and the ground was narrow and unstable. In such terrain, the Behemoths' massive size actually prevented them from moving freely, and their speed was somewhat affected.

"Now!" Seeing the four Behemoths and some of the pursuers led into the predetermined narrow rift, Lin Zhou's eyes flashed with brilliant light!

"Lei Huang! Detonate the left rock wall! Yan Li, use maximum firepower to blast the right rock wall and the ground!"

"Elwin! Use Aura of Righteousness Barrier to protect the sky and prevent falling rocks! Bronzebeard, calculate the best blast points! Snik, use Net of Law to interfere with the enemies behind and delay their support!"

A series of commands was issued like a sudden storm!

Although Lei Huang didn't understand why, his trust in Lin Zhou made him execute without hesitation! All the Thunder Giants concentrated their remaining Divine Power. The violent lightning snakes no longer attacked the Behemoths but instead slammed into the massive left rock wall, which was already structurally unstable due to magma erosion!

Yan Li's Phoenix also gathered all its Divine Power, turning into an extremely compressed Platinum Fire Pillar that blasted the right rock wall and the ground beneath everyone's feet!

"BOOM, BOOM, BOOM, BOOM—!!!"

A deafening roar, far more terrifying than any previous collision, erupted!

Under the concentrated bombardment of lightning and Phoenix fire, the towering rock walls on both sides could no longer hold and collapsed on a massive scale! Countless giant, burning rocks poured down like meteors! Simultaneously, the already fragile earth beneath them shattered completely, and rolling magma surged out from the cracks like fountains!

The heavens collapsed and the earth split! A true catastrophe!

Lin Zhou's tactic was never to fight the Behemoths head-on; it was to leverage the terrain to create a man-made natural disaster and bury these four terrifying war beasts along with this entire area!