Chapter 1740

But if the enemy wanted to aim at them, tough luck—the golden sphere doesn't accept reverse impalement. Its defensive capability surpasses that of the other two divine generals; over a dozen yaksha chased it, stabbing wildly, yet none could pierce its shell, leaving them as frantic as dogs chasing a ball.

If He Lingchuan saw these three divine generals, he would surely envy them until his eyes turned red. His Golden Armor Bronze General had only just been upgraded to divine general status a month prior, consuming vast resources, and even with his current wealth he still felt the pang—yet the Heavenly Palace squad deployed three finished products right off the bat!

These are battlefield heavy hitters—whether charging forward or hauling supplies from behind, they're invaluable.

Once Heavenly Palace unleashed the three Golden Armor Divine Generals, frontline pressure eased considerably. These are three steel-skinned cans with astonishing defense; one giant yaksha pounded away for ages before merely denting the humanoid divine general's breastplate—but it fractured its own hand bones, and the Golden Armor Divine General seized the opening, thrusting a spear straight through its heart.

The Golden Armor Divine General's most remarkable trait is its ability to judge and fight autonomously, so obedient it hardly requires its master's attention.

Their drawbacks here aren't really drawbacks—just absurdly high energy consumption.

Bai Ziqi saw the yaksha surging from the sea and, oddly, felt relieved: "Not another mountain-moving, sea-filling ordeal—good, shows the Phantom Sect still has some strength left."

Correct judgment! Since the Phantom Sect can't unleash its great divine powers, he feels even more confident in slowly wearing them down.

The current situation is quite interesting: the Phantom Sect strives to eliminate Heavenly Palace's numbers and drain the gods' power, because these are non-renewable resources.

Bai Ziqi, however, opts to cut off the source—he aims to drain all spiritual energy from this heaven and earth. It's like pulling a tiger's fangs: once its claws and teeth are gone, the tiger looks far less fearsome.

Both sides are fiercely attacking each other's weak points, and Bai Ziqi clearly knows that if only this combat intensity continues, time will inevitably favor him.

If only.

As our side's tide-like assault was suddenly blocked, a faint, ethereal chime rang from somewhere—unresonant yet haunting—but the yaksha spirits stirred, and one violently spewed Bai Shuang at the golden sphere.

The soldiers inside the sphere were naturally unharmed, but the ground and sphere surface coated in a thick layer of ice, causing the golden sphere to roll slower and slower until it froze solid shortly after.

Though it possessed a divine ability to relieve distress, it hadn't yet activated when another yaksha roared forward, gripping its wolf-tooth club with both hands, spinning and swinging a horizontal sweep! This was the largest yaksha, standing five zhang tall, with strength to match.

The golden sphere was launched into the air, flying higher and higher, even tracing a perfect arc in midair before plopping into the Upside-Down Lake with a sputter.

The wolf-tooth club in its hand—no one knew what material it was made of—had previously withstood over a dozen strikes from the humanoid divine general, suffering only a small chip; yet this full-force swing, though it sent the golden sphere flying, caused the club—thicker than double doors—to snap with a crack.

The force of the impact speaks for itself.

"Oh no!" the puppet master controlling the golden sphere exclaimed, sweat beading on his forehead.

The golden sphere can shield its internal soldiers from blades, spears, arrows, and halberds, and filter out many divine abilities, but it is not waterproof! Who, during its design, ever imagined this thing would roll into a lake? Those dozens of soldiers trapped inside this leaking iron can with hundreds of Kong Dong—how long could they survive?

Upon receiving Bai Ziqi's lethal gaze, the puppet master strained every nerve, trying to command the golden sphere back to shore.

But the lake bottom was pitch black—nothing visible.

After struggling for dozens of breaths, the puppet master had no choice but to report dejectedly: "My lord, the golden sphere and I have lost, lost contact."

Those dozens of soldiers were gone, and Heavenly Palace's heavily invested golden sphere was gone too.

Its refinement consumes immense effort, money, and time—it absolutely cannot be rushed into completion.

Bai Ziqi had no time to assign blame, pointing at the Golden Armor Divine General and saying: "Go help!"

That hulking figure was currently besieged by several giant yaksha, its puppet master under immense pressure, but this is a highly specialized technical control—ordinary cultivators still couldn't share the burden.

This man, as if pardoned, sprinted over as if flying.

At this moment, yaksha kept emerging endlessly from the lake, wave after wave assaulting the Heavenly Palace camp. Looks like they won't stop until they drag the living down.

Aside from the Golden Armor Divine Generals and a few other puppets, Heavenly Palace's forces are mere flesh and blood, clashing head-on with these water-shelled evil spirits—no wonder they're at a disadvantage.

Furthermore, being dragged and pulled by these things, the Heavenly Palace troops find retreat difficult.

Bai Ziqi turned back to gaze at the Upside-Down Lake. The Phantom Sect went to great lengths to lure them here—was it just to use yaksha against them? He had to admit, these yaksha caused his side considerable trouble, but so far, not fatal!

Even tsunamis couldn't handle the Heavenly Palace troops—would the Phantom Sect really naively think these yaksha could gnaw them to death?

Or is there still some trap or hidden move?

Bai Ziqi's mind stirred, and suddenly he recalled He Xiong.

That brat had already climbed Stone Dragon Peak—by now he should be colluding with the Phantom Sect.

What are immortals and the Immortal Sect like? Heavenly Palace has understood their nature over many years, but if He Xiong is added as a variable...

Bai Seventeen also happened to ask: "My lord, He Xiong rode a sheep cart up Stone Dragon Peak—will he cause trouble?"

Having followed Bai Ziqi for so long, this was the first time he saw the Lord Marshal find an opponent troublesome—besides Qingyang, He Xiong's inverted heavenly gang formation set up at Yongquan Mountain Villa left everyone with fresh memories.

And Bai Seventeen hadn't forgotten that He Xiong himself hadn't even lifted a finger, yet caused Bai Er's death—people don't speak of it, but they already fear him in their hearts.

Bai Ziqi shook his head: "He's only just entered the Upside-Down Sea; even if he claims the Spirit Mountain identity to meet the Phantom Sect, given these immortals' arrogance, how would they look up to him? Even less likely would they heed his arrangements."

He added a "but": "This person's scheming runs deep—we still can't discern his purpose. He may not be allied with the Phantom Sect; he could be acting independently."

He Xiong is the second target of Bai Ziqi's expedition to the Upside-Down Sea.

Their grudge has lasted far too long—this time, it must be settled within the Upside-Down Sea!

Bai Ziqi clenched his fists silently: "If someone like He Xiong isn't eradicated early, he will surely become a source of endless future calamity!"

Just then, it seemed another chime echoed from the sea.

The next wave of yaksha assault surged again—this time, the lake-emerging yaksha were larger, more ferocious in appearance, and their movements more vicious.

Can't finish fighting—basically, can't finish fighting.

Bai Seventeen instinctively glanced back at the Immortal Capital Grand Formation, truly puzzled: "Where did the Phantom Sect gather so many ghosts!"

Can't kill them all off.

"Who knows how many wronged spirits have died in the North Sea over the years—Silver Pearl Island was swept along by storms, or maybe they plucked these ghosts up mid-journey." Bai Ziqi casually ordered: "Reinforce the northwest corner, don't let them break through the formation!"

(End of Chapter)