Chapter 380

Howl!

She let out a mournful wolf howl; Cloi, having entered the overheated state, turned into a bolt of lightning and charged into the defenseless crowd.

Her target was naturally that Sima-faced old man who dared to be insolent, speaking grandiose falsehoods.

But the Count knew that while his mouth could be as hard as steel, his body was ultimately soft, so he first hid in the thickest part of the human wall before daring to speak his mind.

"Protect the Count!"

Moreover, his mocking words might well have been part of his plan, for the knights skillfully clustered together, raising their shields, and on the flat ground they actually piled up a fortress, filling the gaps with a forest of spears.

Tsk……

Although Cloi was angry, she hadn't turned into a fool; the enemy's defense was now as tight as a hedgehog, so recklessly clashing head-on was absolutely not a wise choice.

Given her current speed, the upcoming impact was unavoidable, so she could only minimize the risk through skillful maneuvering.

However, when she channeled all her lightning power into her legs, preparing to follow through and use a deft kick to slip past the enemy's blade and make other plans,

Crack!

The sensation from her foot striking the shield's surface was completely unlike what she had imagined.

It was neither the flexibility unique to wood nor the characteristic cold of iron, but rather like accidentally stepping on a loose stone while climbing—a sudden loss of strength!

"What?"

Thinking she had fallen into a trap, her heart jolted; like a startled cat she exerted force again, letting her large body leap lightly and finally land in a safe spot.

Just as she was about to swing her claws back for a counterstrike, she glanced over and the wolf went dumbfounded.

Because she was internally over-tense and lacking a sense of security, she had actually misjudged this bunch of foolish knights.

Their shield formation really consisted of nothing more than what it literally showed; even their spears were so honest they dared not add barbs, fearing that doing so would curse them to have children without skin inflammation.

So the sensation of collapse she felt was actually because her kick was too powerful, directly blowing a gap in their shield.

The sturdy legionary giant shield was trampled to pieces in the lightning, taking the knights behind with it as they flew backward, crushing a bunch of unlucky souls.

Looking at the enemy formation torn open with a genuine gap, there were panicked believers and angry knights who mistakenly thought the wolf was toying with them.

Cloi could only stand in place.

"I… I really am that strong?"

Only a sufficiently hard target can measure truly hard damage; she had basically just been mowing down weaklings earlier, her lightning power seeing little effective use, but this time she finally got to test her upper limit.

And the Count, seeing that the life-saving shields he had spent a fortune to arrange for the knights were destroyed in just one collision, was shocked and hurriedly urged.

"This wolf is no ordinary foe! If we want to live, we all must attack together!"

"……"

After glancing at the Knight Captain locked in a heated duel with Cang Lang, the leaders of the various factions, though each harboring ulterior motives, now seemed to have no choice but to fight side by side against the strong foe.

Thus the priests and guards formed a disordered formation, relying on their own combat experience as they picked up staves and crossbows, beginning a fire suppression against Cloi.

That kick just now had clearly given Cloi confidence; seeing the situation, she not only didn't dodge but instead revealed a friendly smile.

"Useless! Useless! Before my miraculous thunder and light, your attacks are all…… wow!"

However, before she could even experience the feeling of standing unmoving as enemy arrows rained down, she saw the newly erected light shield cracked by a magic orb, frightening her into a hasty retreat.

Fortunately, Cloi was quick-eyed and quick-handed, retracting her legs swiftly, for in the instant she withdrew, the light shield was shattered by a torrential downpour of attacks, smashing the very spot where she had stood.

Feeling something off, she quickly closed her eyes to sense her internal state, discovering that the lightning power that had just been vigorous had now become extremely thin, dwindling to the point where it could hardly condense.

"What, what's going on?"

What's going on?

Do you think you're some supreme god with infinite energy, daring to squander such high-grade energy so casually?

Even in another world, cosmic laws still apply; a fantasy world is ultimately just the real world with a few supernatural elements like magic and divine power added on.

Since the law of energy conservation still holds, using such a powerful skill must inevitably come at a high cost.

Even if Ji Ming is a true god, he wouldn't engage in shady deals like 'Hey streamer, you make the crowd do some nasty work on the ladder and I'll gift you.'

But as the source of energy, it's certain that the user's mana bar would drain quickly; moreover, this was already after Ji Ming's blessing had greatly expanded her sea of consciousness, otherwise she would have run out on the way from efficiently clearing troops,

Without the lightning power's boost, Cloi is essentially just a low-level thirty-something strange werewolf.

If it were a one-on-one duel, perhaps she could still stride through this crowd, but in a group melee, who would bother to duel her singly?

Thus, in one second the father became the son; seeing that damned wolf lose its strange ability just moments before, everyone swiftly shifted from defense to offense, brandishing various weapons, vowing to strike it down while it was weak.

Cloi struggled hard twice, realizing she could indeed take a human head, but if she kept fighting like that she'd surely be surrounded and killed; with no choice, she hurriedly fled toward Cang Lang.

"... Hey you, save me!"

At this moment, Cang Lang's duel with Bogo had already entered a white-hot phase; there was no spare attention to spare for a tail-tucked fleeing wolf, so he didn't even turn his head.

"If we can't beat you, we'll retreat first; we Pioneers aren't afraid of dying."

Cloi: "Ah?"

But the Count apparently had no qualms about unleashing a sweeping strike to take out both wolves together; he waited for the moment when Cang Lang and Bogo had finished several rounds of exchange, re-separated and adjusted their states, then commanded a massive magical storm to pour down.

Cloi gazed up at the sky, nearly scared silly; if she took that blow to the face, even if she didn't die she'd be badly maimed.

And Cang Lang, seeing this, furrowed his brows; his inner True Qi surged like clouds, leaving his body to coalesce into a dome.

——《True Qi Body-Nurturing Technique》·Second Transformation·Earth Qi Shield

Moreover, it is likewise a variant he created by merging his personal combat experience, turning the originally rigid spherical shield into something extremely flexible, able to freely adjust the output at any point.

Thus this unidirectional qi shield, thickened by at least four layers, remained as stable as Mount Tai under the relentless attacks, also protecting Cloi beside it.

All his scheming came to naught; the hard-won offensive opportunity was just blocked like that, and the Count could no longer hold back, outright exploding with a profanity in the most proper tone.

"Damn!"

But he also noticed that the shield only existed on the upper left, leaving that man's flank unprotected, so he gave the Knight Captain a hard stare.

"Uh……"

Bogo was reluctant to take advantage of someone's peril, but he wasn't an inflexible blockhead either; gritting his teeth, he charged forward as well.

Unfortunately, Cang Lang had already anticipated their trick, timed the lull in the enemy's ranged attacks, and shifted the Qi shield to between himself and that iron can.

Bogo, seeing this, did not retreat; after all, every protection has a damage‑absorption limit.

Those beings of over twenty levels were just noobs; the fact that they couldn't break it didn't mean we couldn't!

So he kicked off, leapt into the air, raised his usual heavy sword, and, accompanied by flames that rose along the blade, descended with the force of splitting a mountain ridge.

The power was indeed extraordinary; in an instant a wave of heat surged, and the strange energy shield could not endure, shattering amid the slash.

The heavy sword, having pierced a layer of defense, still retained its force, and then…

Wrong!

Bogo felt a chill in his heart and was about to retreat, because he realized the shield hadn't been broken by him but had cracked on its own.

But Cang Lang was waiting for this moment; since true Qi can be compressed into a high‑density Qi shield, it can also be released actively, forming a powerful shockwave!

Boom!

The exploding true Qi burst like a high‑energy grenade against the bizarre special forces, and the fierce Qi wave galloped through the relatively narrow underground cavity like a herd of horses.

Even the few distant cultists of the evil god, overloaded with aberrant Qi, were burned, collapsed, and writhed in pain on the ground; let alone Bogo, who was hit up close.

Even as a fire‑magic knight, he didn't suffer extra damage from the shield's explosion, and his armor already provided ample protection, yet he was still knocked down in a mess.

And Yangyue World is not a game; even with Cang Lang intervening, Cloi, who hadn't prepared for impact, was also hit and rolled several circles away.

"Why does misfortune always fall on me…"

She rose from the ground with a sorrowful expression, watched the few mystic cultivators in the distance who, after a struggle, finally died with snarling faces, and suddenly thought of something terrifying.

If she hadn't boldly approached the deity earlier to ask for favors, receiving its blessing and enhancement, and then endured a near‑full‑damage true Qi wave at such close range…

If it were pure aberrant Qi, she'd already be dead,

…

Then it seemed that in a second………………

Ying!

While Cloi was still pondering whether she would die, Cang Lang, who had been shadowing the iron can, suddenly surged forward, taking advantage of the enemy's confusion to strike straight in.

When a group can hold a single enemy, the opponent's sudden charge means we can trap the turtle in a jar; just ready the rope and sack and we're done.

But when a group cannot hold a single enemy, letting them charge in is simply sending them a dish; there is no other way but to have morale completely shattered.

So Cang Lang, leaping into the crowd, was truly a tiger that swallows the horizon, swinging fists wrapped in true Qi and instantly entering a mowing‑down mode.

Clatter! Disordered limbs and broken arms flew everywhere; no one could match him, and they could only be beaten to death.

Even the Earl, despite his extensive knowledge, had once, during a diplomatic visit to Deep Forest, witnessed the so‑called Northern Front, yet had never seen such a reckless warlord.

In panic, he could only shout, his voice nearly cracking, before our side was utterly defeated by excessive casualties.

"Bogo, stop him quickly!"

However, as mentioned before, when the wind is favorable, a crowd becomes the enemy's quagmire; when the wind is against us, a crowd becomes our obstacle.

Bogo still couldn't force a path; he could only struggle against the desperate fleeing crowd, trying to reach the man who kept roaming in battle, only to be repeatedly blocked.

This won't work…

The Earl, brow furrowed and drenched in sweat, felt a helplessness of exhausting every effort yet still failing—a feeling he hadn't experienced in over fifty years.

He weighed the pros and cons, paused, and a plan rose in his mind.

"Let's go."

The nearby knight, hearing his lord speak, hurried forward.

"Lord Earl, what did you just say?"

Yan Shan lifted his head, and instead of explaining, he tossed out a line first.

"Go, call the knight captain back."

After the panting Bogo, looking like a monkey that had been let loose, returned to obey, he waved his hand and whispered.

"Let's leave."

!!!

Bogo's eyes widened instantly, then he regained his composure.

"I understand… I understand…"

The Earl, still well acquainted with the knight captain's temperament, reached out and patted his shoulder.

"Well, the way out has cleared, and as long as there are still people retreating, let's hurry and withdraw."

As the Yan Shan‑Earl lineage quietly faded, other clever ones gradually awakened.

—Right, if we can't win we just run; why should I risk my life!

So more and more people slipped away stealthily; in the end they stopped acting altogether, let out a howl and fled in a rush.

Cloi and Cang Lang did try to block, but one was cowardly and weak, unable to become the frontline gate; the other was strong but exhausted, already beyond his limits after intense fighting.

Then, instead of greedily trying to swallow an elephant like a snake, it's better to tear off a piece for a feast.

Cang Lang, brandishing a Winchester, first shot down the fastest runner.

"Stop, or I'll fire!"

Coincidentally, among the captured few, the vast majority were cold‑iron cultists already discarded as expendables.

Having lost their leader and almost all officers, they were now a leaderless horde, and their extermination had become a foregone conclusion.

"No, no! You can't leave us here!"

"Get out of the way, don't block me from running!"

"Ah!"

Seeing the youngster who was knocked back by a Xigong iron fist, Cang Lang even felt a twinge of pity.

Sigh, how pitiful; better to die quickly.

But to be honest, if the youngster were to kneel and beg for mercy right now, it would show that his mind is clouded by pig fat and he has been deceived by the evil god's guile.

Whether you believe it or not, Cang Lang could still be soft‑hearted enough to change his death sentence to life forced labor, after all he is a robust laborer.

However, he may know he's about to die, and instead of fearing it, he even lifts his head and begins to pray to that so‑called Hanging‑Hair God.

He asks for his own life, demands the enemy's death, and finally hurls a fierce curse at the betrayer… Hiss, cursing people is truly vulgar.

Unfortunately, Cang Lang has heard worse, so he just laughs heartily and pats the young man's doghead.

"Stop praying; that useless rag‑hair of yours isn't a forum buddy. This place is ultimately within the Holy Light God's sphere of influence; He doesn't dare to manifest, so praying for ten thousand years won't help."

Then he saw the kneeling silhouette suddenly shift, its hand like pliers gripping his wrist, its clawed fingers cold as iron.

"Hmm?"