Chapter 360: The Great Clash

The Church's people moved.

After the machine‑gun fire weakened, countless figures surged out from behind the cover, rushing toward the cliff like a tide, and the Rune's light lit up the night sky.

"Charge! Now!"

"Take out that Ying Guang Lu!"

"Destroy that cannon!"

Qi Junyi stood at the front of the squad, staring at the Ying Guang Lu figure, his brows furrowing tighter.

Something's off.

He suddenly got an ominous premonition.

Then Qi Junyi saw Ying Duo lift its head, its golden eyes glancing toward them.

There was no emotion in that gaze.

No fear, no tension, not even the focus before battle.

It was as if... it were watching a bunch of inconsequential things.

Qi Junyi's heart sank sharply.

"Stop—!"

Before his shout could leave his mouth, he saw Ying Duo's hand move.

It wasn't tapping a keyboard, but a swipe through the air, and a dazzling inventory interface unfolded before him again.

Six brand‑new machine guns materialized out of thin air, neatly landing on the ground in front of Ying Duo, their metal barrels glinting coldly in the eerie blue light as energy lines simultaneously pierced into each gun.

The auto‑targeting Rune executed in one smooth motion.

The whole process took no more than ten seconds.

The Church's assault squad had just covered half the distance when they saw the six machine guns swivel their muzzles toward them simultaneously.

Everyone's steps instinctively halted; the rain of bullets that had just rained down left a heavy psychological scar on each of them.

The person charging at the front didn't even have time to brake before seeing the six gun barrels spin, six tongues of flame spewing out at once.

"Cover!!"

Someone shouted hurriedly, but it was already too late.

The dozen‑plus people at the front were instantly engulfed by bullets; the protective Rune flickered once then shattered, and a mist of blood blossomed in the eerie blue light.

Meanwhile, the six machine guns continued to spray wildly.

Ying Duo no longer looked at those guns, merely pushing the few overheated old machine guns aside as if discarding trash.

"Grrr…"

Several guns rolled down the cliff, vanishing into the endless darkness.

The Church's commander hid behind a massive boulder, bullets shattering stone and spraying debris; he couldn't even lift his head.

"Captain Qi! What do we do?!"

Qi Junyi crouched beside him, his face ashen.

He thought those six guns were all there was, but they casually produced six more.

He assumed the overheated guns were an opening, but they simply swapped in fresh ones.

Old ones? Just toss them.

Like they're free.

"... How many did he actually bring?" Qi Junyi muttered to himself.

No one could answer, because no one knew.

But clearly, the ones losing time would be them.

In the distance, Teacher Li Ya also hid behind cover, watching the six new guns spray wildly; she inhaled deeply, then closed her eyes, pressing both hands onto the ground.

Emerald‑green light surged from her palms, seeping into the rocks and soil beneath her feet.

The earth began to tremble.

Not a slight vibration, but as if something were awakening from deep underground.

"Boom—!"

The ground in front of the cliff suddenly split, and countless thick tree roots burst from the fissures, twisting like living things, growing wildly, and within a few seconds interweaving into a massive tree wall.

"Puff—!"

Machine‑gun bullets struck the tree wall, splintering wood, but the roots were too thick and dense to be pierced.

The Church members widened their eyes, staring at the suddenly risen tree wall.

"Charge! There's cover!"

Someone tentatively stuck their head out from behind the tree wall, found the bullets truly blocked, and more people rose, using the wall's protection to push forward again.

Li Ya's complexion turned pale, fine beads of sweat beading on her forehead.

She had only just brushed the edge of her domain, but her ability hadn't reached the level to wield it freely; sustaining such a vast arboreal field drained her immensely.

Yet she didn't stop.

Su Jingchuan finally found a suitable sniping spot.

He set up his rifle atop a large tree; in the scope, the Ying Guang Lu head was clearly visible.

The wind was a bit strong, causing bullet drift, but he had no time to wait for it to calm.

He inhaled deeply, his finger lightly resting on the trigger.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, a dark silhouette lunged from the side, throwing him to the ground.

"Bang!"

The bullet veered off course, its destination unknown.

Su Jingchuan struggled to lift his head and saw a familiar face looking at him.

Dark Raven.

Lu Mu.

"Yo, sniper, huh?" Lu Mu grinned, flashing a set of white teeth. "That shot just now was yours too? Come on, let's have some fun."

Su Jingchuan tried to raise his gun, but Lu Mu was faster; the jet‑black feather blade was already pressed against his neck.

On the battlefield, the cover of the tree wall let the Church's members advance more quickly.

Bai Mu Yun leaned against a broken wall, watching the enemies closing in; a hint of fatigue flickered in his golden horizontal pupils.

Yet his expression remained calm. Just as Bai Mu Yun was about to cast another illusion, a figure stepped in front of him.

It was Lei Zhao.

Bai Mu Yun froze for a moment.

Lei Zhao simply stood there with his back to Bai Mu Yun, facing the Church members that were pressing forward.

"You're wounded; let me handle it," Lei Zhao said calmly.

"Consider it thanks for you blocking Hong Ling."

Bai Mu Yun opened his mouth to speak, but the words fell back down.

He glanced at Lei Zhao's silhouette, then at the massive cannon in the distance still charging, and finally let out a soft sigh.

"…Thank you."

Lei Zhao said nothing as deep‑purple Lightning Chains gathered in his palm.

A massive bolt of Lightning Chains descended from the sky, striking precisely at the center of the Heresy Tribunal's formation.

"Boom—!"

Over a dozen people were blasted by the Lightning Chains, their screams drowned in thunder.

Qi Junyi narrowly dodged the Lightning Chains, turned around, and saw Lei Zhao standing before a cliff, surrounded by purple arcs of electricity.

"Lei Zhao?!" Qi Junyi's pupils snapped shut. "Are you mad?! You're helping them?!"

Lei Zhao gave no reply.

He simply raised his hand again, another bolt of Lightning Chains fell, and the unlucky souls struck fell to the ground convulsing, foaming at the mouth.

【Charging time remaining: 00:16】

【00:15】

【00:14】

Lei Zhao's Lightning Chains kept falling one after another, but with so many people, some slipped through.

Fang Zhiyan's tentacles flailed wildly, each flash of silvery light snatching away several people; the scene had completely spiraled out of control.

Shouts of slaughter rang everywhere, Runes glowed everywhere, blood and wails filled the air.

The muzzle's glow had reached its utmost intensity.