34: Chapter 34 The mantis stalks the cicada, unaware of the oriole behind.

Midnight. East of the city, Mist Canyon.

Lin Hao's Divine Kingdom hung in the fog-filled valley like an isolated island, flickering like a candle in the wind. The barriers of his Divine Kingdom were covered in cracks, the light dimming as if it could be extinguished at any moment.

His followers, a group of ragged miners, stood with their backs to the core of the Divine Kingdom. Clutching pickaxes and inferior swords, they stared in despair at the enemies surrounding them.

It was Brother Feng's Divine Kingdom army.

They were all A-rank Storm War Eagles knights, riding sturdy magical beasts. Their armor was exquisite, filled with divine power, and they were slowly tightening the encirclement with a mocking demeanor.

Lin Hao knelt before the core of his Divine Kingdom, his fists clenched so tightly that his nails dug deep into his palms, blood dripping from between his fingers.

That anonymous message was his last hope.

But he had been here for half an hour, and aside from the thickening fog and the sound of the enemy's approaching footsteps, there was nothing.

Was it a trap? Was it some cruel joke?

"Hahaha! Lin Hao, what are you still waiting for? Are you waiting for your savior?"

Outside the encirclement, Brother Feng's arrogant laughter pierced through the dense fog, filled with the pleasure of a cat playing with a mouse. Beside him were several prodigies from the Key Class, all standing with arms crossed and mocking expressions on their faces, as if they were enjoying an interesting play.

"A piece of trash with a D-rank talent daring to go against Brother Li Ang—this is your fate!" another prodigy chimed in. "Today, we will completely crush your pathetic Divine Kingdom, slaughter all your followers, and let you know what the gap in class really means!"

Brother Feng raised his hand, preparing to give the order for the final assault and enjoy the pleasure of the slaughter.

Lin Hao closed his eyes, a single tear of despair sliding from the corner of his eye.

Just then, a sudden change occurred!

Without any warning, dozens of pitch-black shadows emerged silently from the damp soil behind Brother Feng's army!

Those shadows were like ghosts, their bodies shrouded in tattered cloaks, revealing only eyes flickering with eerie green soul fire. In their hands, they held bone daggers coated in deadly poison, and with a posture that completely defied the laws of physics, they silently closed in on the rear ranks of the Storm War Eagles knights.

This was a new unit type Jiang Xun created after fusing the Undead and Rogue civilizations—Shadow-Bound Assassins!

A series of muffled sounds of blades piercing flesh rang out almost simultaneously.

Dozens of Storm War Eagles knights responsible for rear security didn't even have time to scream before their throats were slit from behind. Both the riders and their mounts collapsed limply, instantly swallowed by the dense fog.

"Enemy attack!!"

Only then did the shrill roar ring out. Brother Feng and the others turned pale, whipping their heads around, but they saw only a sea of churning fog.

Before they could react, the ground began to shake violently.

On the left and right sides of their army, two rows of thick earthen walls rose from the ground like the arms of two giant beasts, pinning their formation tightly. Immediately after, over a hundred heavy infantrymen, nearly three meters tall and armed with massive tower shields and war hammers, stepped out of the fog with heavy, deliberate strides.

Their armor was carved with dwarven defensive runes, and their steps were as steady as mountains, causing the earth to tremble with every movement.

"What the hell are these things?!" Brother Feng screamed in terror. He had never seen such bizarre units before.

What terrified him even more was yet to come.

Above the canyon, hundreds of Orc knights riding Ghost War Wolves appeared out of nowhere. Letting out bloodthirsty roars, they descended from the sky like black meteorites, crashing precisely into the center of his formation, which had been thrown into chaos by the earthen walls.

Divide, surround, ambush, slaughter!

A seamless, fluid set of tactical combinations was completed in just a few dozen seconds.

Brother Feng's prized A-rank Storm War Eagles legion was like a flock of scattered sheep, instantly falling into chaos as they fought individually. Their speed advantage vanished under the constraints of the narrow terrain and earthen walls, and their vaunted striking power was shattered against the wall of tower shields held by the heavy infantry.

Meanwhile, the elusive Shadow-Bound Assassins, under the cover of the dense fog, acted like the most efficient butchers, precisely picking off every isolated knight.

This was an out-and-out massacre. A dimensionality reduction strike of tactics against brute force!

On a high ground in the distance of the canyon, a figure stood quietly. It was Xu Qingran, who had followed them secretly.

She covered her mouth with her hand, her beautiful eyes filled with indescribable shock.

She saw that army, as precise and efficient as ghosts. She saw how those proud prodigies were thrown into panic and made fools of themselves in the face of absolute tactical suppression.

She also saw that from beginning to end, the targets of this ambush were only Brother Feng's army; not a single one of Lin Hao's followers had been harmed.

Was this what Jiang Xun meant by "watch how I do it"? Was this his "Way"?

No indiscriminate killing, no innocent victims. Using only the bloodiest means to punish the evildoers who were currently committing violence!

In less than ten minutes, the battle was over.

Brother Feng's army was completely wiped out, and his Divine Kingdom, along with those of the other prodigies, was breached, leaving only the bare Divine Kingdom cores floating in the air, trembling.

Brother Feng's face was as pale as paper. Looking at Lin Hao, who emerged from the fog, and the silent, mountain-like heavy infantry behind him, his eyes were filled with fear.

"Jiang Xun! It's Jiang Xun! Come out, you coward!!" he roared, his voice trembling despite his bluster.

No one answered him.

Only Jiang Xun's army began to silently clean up the battlefield. They did not touch the Divine Kingdom cores of Brother Feng and the others, but instead gathered all the resources they had previously stolen from Lin Hao, as well as the equipment dropped by their army, and piled them up in front of Lin Hao.

They even "transported" a large sum of Faith Points from Brother Feng's Divine Kingdom treasury as "emotional damages."

After finishing all this, Jiang Xun's army retreated like a receding tide, blending back into the fog and the earth as if they had never appeared.

Lin Hao stared blankly at the mountain of resources before him, then looked at the defeated prodigies in the distance. Finally unable to hold it back, he fell to his knees and wept bitterly.

It was the ecstasy of finding survival in a desperate situation, and the release of long-repressed emotions.

Just as Brother Feng and the others thought the nightmare was over and were preparing to flee in disgrace, a cold voice, as if traversing space, rang directly in each of their minds. The voice belonged to Jiang Xun.

"Tell everyone: whoever bullies the weak, I will personally pay them a visit. This time, it's a warning. Next time, your civilizations will bear the surname Jiang."