"You really don’t care about your precious clone?"

"Doesn’t it hurt to lose it?"

With that, Nesia raised her hand and snapped her fingers. The space around her instantly twisted, and several massive black Teleportation Gates materialized out of thin air, roiling with a dense Void aura.

The next moment, countless Ancient Giant Dragons wreathed in violet Void Energy flew out from the gates, flapping their wings. The former majesty in their golden draconic eyes was gone, replaced by a numb fanaticism.

Clearly, these top-tier creatures that had once occupied the Holy Mountain had long since been thoroughly brainwashed by the Evil God Believers behind Nesia, reduced to minions loyal to the Void Evil God.

"Last time, I was careless and let you kill one of my Magic Clones."

"I won’t make the same mistake this time."

"Go!"

"Tear this guy to shreds!"

The order was given. The Ancient Giant Dragons, enveloped in Void Energy, all tilted their heads back and snapped open their massive, fang-filled maws.

In the next instant, streams of Dragon Breath of every color spewed from their mouths. Some pulsed with the dim violet light of the Void, others blazed with scorching crimson flames, and still others were wreathed in bone-chilling frost. The countless torrents of energy wove together into a colossal, deadly net, hurtling straight toward Arthas, who stood alone on the Holy Mountain.

Qin Feng knew perfectly well that Arthas alone, even channeling the full power of Divine Descent, had absolutely no chance of withstanding a combined assault from so many Ancient Giant Dragons.

What’s more, Nesia was watching like a tiger stalking its prey, ready to strike the finishing blow at any moment.

Therefore, he didn’t have Arthas put up any resistance.

After all, the core purpose of Arthas’s trip was to scout the Holy Mountain. Whether this clone, which could be re-summoned at any time, would make it out alive had never been his main concern.

However, Qin Feng still found the situation troublesome.

The Holy Mountain’s terrain and location were simply too treacherous. The rugged mountain paths, the complex environment, and the heaven-defying Magma Canyon made it impossible for outside forces to send in large-scale ground troops.

The only ones who could barely make it into the Holy Mountain were a small number of Royal Dragon Cavalry and Extraordinary Mage Masters.

Unfortunately, the main enemies here were all Ancient Giant Dragons with a strength of at least 1-Star (Gold). Adding to that were the "lesser demon" Void Creatures that swarmed everywhere like maggots on a rotting bone. Neither the Royal Dragon Cavalry nor the Extraordinary Mage Masters could handle them with ease.

’Tsk...’

’This is a tough fight...’

’The combat power of the Ancient Giant Dragons is just ridiculous...’

’To deal with these upgraded ’Dragon Cavalry,’ the best option is still to send in the Wood Elf Archers, who are their natural counters...’

’Is there any way...’

’...to get rid of the magma in the Dragon’s Canyon blocking the way to the Holy Mountain...’

’As long as I can clear out that magma, even without sending in the Wood Arrow Spirit Archers, I have a high chance of taking the Holy Mountain by sacrificing a large number of ranged Divine Chosen Soldiers...’

’After all...’

’...all the soldiers under my command right now...’

’...have at least a 500% Extra Life Value bonus...’

’...making them far stronger than normal Extraordinary Soldiers...’

Qin Feng was lost in thought for a long time, his fingers unconsciously stroking the hilt of his sword. He ran through every possible strategy in his mind but still couldn’t find a solution to break the stalemate.

The only barely viable idea was to use the power of Leviathan, Kraken, and Cetus, the "Sea Gods." He could have the three Ocean Giant Beasts use magic to summon a massive amount of seawater. The low temperature would cool and solidify the flowing crimson magma in the Dragon’s Canyon, transforming the perilous "Magma Canyon" into a "Solid Rock Canyon" covered by the sea.

The principle was like pouring cold water onto molten iron. The water wouldn’t immediately cover the iron; it would first be vaporized by the high temperature. Only after all the heat was carried away and the iron solidified into a block could the remaining water steadily cover its surface.

But the critical problem was that these three Ocean Giant Beasts could not set foot on land. Furthermore, the western deep sea and the Eastern Dragon Realm were thousands of miles apart. Getting them to cross such a vast distance to come here was practically a fantasy.

If he had to find a viable path, Qin Feng did have one underdeveloped plan in mind.

First, he would build a "Gate of War" on the deep-sea floor, then construct a corresponding Teleportation Gate at the Dragon’s Canyon end.

Once both gates were activated, he would personally escort Kraken and the other two giant beasts through the Teleportation Gate to the canyon. He would have them immediately cast their magic to summon seawater and use the deluge to cool the magma flowing underground.

As soon as the magma began to solidify and the water covered the area, he would have to send the three giant beasts back to the seafloor immediately.

After all, if they were away from a water source for too long, the land environment would continuously drain their power. The slightest delay could permanently affect their condition, a risk he absolutely could not take...

While Qin Feng was mulling over the plan, he felt his clone perish on the Holy Mountain.

Under the relentless assault of countless top-tier Ancient Giant Dragons, Arthas had exhausted his strength. His body was consumed by scorching Dragon Breath, and he fell in battle.

The next second, the shared Field of View between Qin Feng and Arthas abruptly severed. The detailed view of the Holy Mountain vanished instantly, leaving only a blank void, making it impossible for him to observe the situation on the other side of the canyon.

Seeing this, Qin Feng let out a soft sigh and pressed a finger to his brow, his tone tinged with a bit of helplessness.

"Hah."

"It feels like there’s no other way."

"If I really wait until the number and scale of my Extraordinary Dragon Cavalry are enough to face the Ancient Giant Dragons head-on..."

"...I’ll have to wait at least two or three years to ’save up’ that many Royal Dragon Cavalry."

"That’s just too long."

"I’d better just try this speculative plan first."

Having made up his mind, Qin Feng no longer hesitated. He immediately ordered artisans and villagers to be dispatched, pouring all their efforts into the construction of the Gate of War. Every step, from site surveys to material transport, was meticulously planned.

At the same time, he personally oversaw the outer regions of the Dragon Realm, dealing with the Lizardmen and Sub-dragon Creatures that had surrendered to the Holy Empire. He assigned them all to positions that best suited their skills.

As for these Eastern Extraordinary Soldiers who had once served the Ancient Giant Dragons, their combat effectiveness was far from impressive. 𝙛𝓻𝒆𝒆𝒘𝙚𝓫𝙣𝙤𝒗𝙚𝓵.𝙘𝙤𝙢

Their level was only on par with the Forest Sub-humans or the Empire’s regular soldier types.

They neither possessed the game-changing, heaven-defying combat mechanics of the Royal Dragon Cavalry or the Sielo Knights, nor did they have the unique advantages of the Desert Demon Wolves, which could "charge like cavalry in forest terrain," or the self-detonating Crimson Flame Foxes.

They were, at best, a mediocre fighting force.

This included the Sub-dragon Creatures, which were Demon Beasts. Although they possessed some intelligence, they couldn’t fly, and their strength was only at the level of an "upgraded version of a Gulad Empire’s Ordinary Dragon Cavalry Mount." They were far from being a top-tier force.

The only advantage this group of Sub-dragon Magical Beasts had was a path to autonomous advancement. Over time, they could automatically break through their limits and evolve into Demon Beast bosses of the Extraordinary Realm, which would bring about a qualitative leap in their combat power.

But in the eyes of Qin Feng, who possessed the "Survival of the Fittest" Talent, this advantage was as good as non-existent.

After all, all of his forces could rapidly iterate and upgrade through his "Survival of the Fittest" Talent. An ability for autonomous evolution held no special appeal for him.

’Alright then.’

’If the remaining Ancient Giant Dragons can’t receive the ’Divine Gift’ soldier type bonus...’

’...then the final candidate for the Divine Gift Soldier Type...’

’...can only be chosen from either the Extraordinary Dragon Cavalry or the Ventecenia Magic Masters.’

’Hmm...’

’Should I just go ahead and select the Divine Gift soldier type now?’

’After all, the Ancient Giant Dragons are clearly all BOSS creatures that are ’Heroic Units.’ Even a newly hatched Ancient Giant Dragon is born with the constitution of a Hero BOSS.’

’There’s a 99% chance they won’t be able to receive the ’Divine Gift’ soldier type bonus.’

’And it doesn’t seem like there are any other creatures on the Holy Mountain...’

After a moment of contemplation, Qin Feng made his decision. It was safer to finalize the selection for the Divine Gift soldier type first.

During this time, his Sixth Sense had been faintly telling him that this was the most appropriate choice at the moment.

Therefore, since even his never-wrong "sixth sense intuition" was telling him this, any further hesitation on Qin Feng’s part would be pointless.