Above the cliff, bubbles danced in the air.

Below the cliff, a merciless bombardment, a merciless slaughter! 𝐟𝚛𝕖𝚎𝕨𝗲𝐛𝚗𝐨𝐯𝐞𝕝.𝐜𝗼𝗺

Light arrows rained down, artillery fire scoured the earth, and even Fire Dragon Oil was poured out.

The Grass Blades died in droves.

Even Watermelon grew a little fearful from all the slaughter.

’If the bombardment continues like this, what kind of resistance will the grassland put up?’

’That’s a Divine!’

’The most powerful Divine in the area!’

Finally, the grassland responded. First, vine-like creatures appeared, climbing up the cliff from below.

Then, just below the cliff, massive, pagoda-shaped trees began to grow at a terrifying rate. The trees were leafless, with only bare branches and trunks of a deep crimson color. They grew a meter taller in the span of a single breath.

"Aim for that big tree! Fire!"

Wang Yi shouted, pointing at the nearest tree. Flying Light Arrows, Bamboo Section Arrows, and tank shells immediately rained down on it, setting it ablaze, shattering it, and snapping it in two...

But no matter what attacks it suffered, the tree repaired itself instantly. It maintained its terrifying growth rate, growing ever taller and more frightening.

The grassland below was the same. Though the bombardment sent dirt flying everywhere, it healed instantly. The small crimson blades of grass regrew at astonishing speed. The artillery could not eradicate it; no sooner was it blasted away than it grew right back.

’Damn it, weren’t we told it was detached from the greater ecosystem? How is it still so damn tough! Don’t tell me we were tricked...’

Wang Yi’s expression was grim. He felt as if he were facing a malevolent Mother Nature. To say the grassland below had Life Force was a colossal understatement. ’Our firepower still isn’t enough,’ he thought. ’If we just had one nuke to drop on it, maybe things would be different.’

"Boss, the grassland is enraged! It’s moving toward us!"

Watermelon yelled, the panic in her expression impossible to hide.

Wang Yi said, "Don’t panic! Keep firing! I’m betting this grassland can’t just keep healing forever!"

Just then, the grove of trees—battered yet growing with monstrous abandon—had already surpassed the height of the cliff. They stood like giant towers. Their trunks varied in diameter: five to six meters, six to seven, seven to eight. The thickest trunk looked to be over ten meters in diameter, and they were likely two or three hundred meters tall.

They finally stopped growing, but then, as if mutating, red Wood Knots rapidly swelled up on their surfaces.

Like inflating balloons, the red Wood Knots swelled from the size of a fingernail to the size of a human head. Then, they suddenly shot off the trees like cannonballs, hurtling toward the cliff.

"Is it making a battery of tree-artillery?" Wang Yi frowned and yelled, "Keep up the attack! Don’t stop! Fish-Transformed Dragon, Hai Zhongxian, intercept those Wood Knots!"

"Sir!"

Fish-Transformed Dragon stood on one side of the cliff, a light breeze lifting his Cloak. His expression was icy. He gently raised a palm, and his immense Inner Strength formed an invisible wall. Within a thirty-meter radius, from the sky above to the ground below, every approaching Wood Knot froze in mid-air before exploding. BOOM! BOOM!

On the other side, Hai Zhongxian, clad in his Python Robe, also raised a hand. With his left hand clasped behind his back, his right hand moved as if parting water. With a flick and a slap, swaths of incoming Wood Knots were sent flying backward. In their reverse flight, they seemed to corrode, rapidly melting and dissipating into nothing.

And so, with these two Brocade Guard Commanders holding the line, the clifftop remained relatively safe. Not a single Wood Knot could make it past them. Many, however, slammed into the cliff face, bursting like bags of blood. Scarlet liquid splattered everywhere, trickling down the rock.

Soon, the entire cliff face was stained red. The vines climbing the rock, once doused in the crimson liquid, went into a frenzy of growth as if on stimulants.

Simultaneously, where the cliff face was soaked in the red liquid, strange little blades of crimson grass sprouted at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The Grass Blades below began to climb up the red-stained cliff wall.

"It’s reached us!"

Watermelon shouted, maneuvering the Crossbow Machine Carriage to strafe wildly, attacking the giant trees one moment and the Grass Blades below the next.

A continuous stream of Wood Knots still shot toward them, held back only by Fish-Transformed Dragon and Hai Zhongxian.

Wang Yi felt the pressure mounting. He glanced at the scene below the cliff and immediately barked, "Western Factory Brocade Guard, get ready! Leonidas, prepare! Form a defensive line along the cliff edge! Prepare to engage the Grass Blade army from below! Everyone else, engage at will, but do not charge off the cliff!"

"Sir!"

The Soldiers roared in unison. Swiftly, the Leonidas and Feng Yuxiu units took their positions at the cliff’s edge. The Feng Yuxiu drew their Swords and Sabers, while the Leonidas raised their shields and Sha River Overlord Spears, bracing for the assault.

Before long, vines crested the edge. Like tentacles, like giant snakes, they lashed out at the nearest person, only to be swiftly severed by Swords, Sabers, and long spears. Red, blood-like fluid gushed out, splashing onto the ground.

The fight on the clifftop had suddenly turned into a defensive battle. They held the cliff’s edge like defenders of a lone, besieged city.

When the Grass Blades finally swarmed over the top, the battle reached its fiercest point. A full-blown melee erupted.

The clifftop descended into chaos.

The Grass Blades were weak and fought with no skill, simply pushing forward relentlessly. But their numbers were overwhelming, seemingly endless.

Suddenly, with a CRACK, a vine as thick as a water bucket burst from the ground. Like a giant python, it instantly coiled around a Taisen.

The Taisen threw punches at it, but to little effect. It was quickly bound tight.

CLANG! A Huajin Fengyu Cultivator flashed past, a saber in one hand and a sword in the other. With a swift slash, he severed the vine into three pieces.

The rescued Taisen cast a grateful glance at the Huajin Fengyu Cultivator before raising its fists to attack another vine that had just burst through the ground.

But more and more vines were bursting from the ground now—thick and thin, long and short. Once they emerged, they attacked the living like venomous snakes and giant pythons.

Wang Yi looked down from the cliff again. The Grass Blades were packed so densely they were practically forming hills. Even more surged from the distance like a great ocean wave. The bubble bombardment now seemed utterly feeble.

’What a hopeless feeling. So this is a Divine?’

Wang Yi’s brow furrowed. Seeing more and more vines erupting from the ground, he yelled, "All personnel, retreat from the cliff! Get to the small train! We’re relocating! Fish-Transformed Dragon and Hai Zhongxian, cover the rear!"

He had decided to abandon the cliff. Hearing his order, the Soldiers began a swift retreat.

Fish-Transformed Dragon and Hai Zhongxian, however, were like two Stabilizing Needles. They stood firm, facing the tide-like army of Grass Blades and Earth Thorn Vines, yet they maintained a thirty-meter-wide clean zone around them. Anything that entered this domain, whether Grass Blade or vine, was instantly turned to ash.

They executed Wang Yi’s command, covering the others’ retreat.

For the first time on the battlefield, the two Commanders made eye contact. They nodded at each other, joining forces to repel the enemy.

But with the two of them no longer on the front line, the Sky Wood Knots went unopposed. They rained down on the clifftop—SPLAT! SPLAT!—shattering to pieces and splashing red fluid everywhere. And wherever the red fluid flowed, the front line advanced; wherever the fluid touched, the Grass Blades could charge.

And so, the cliff was gradually overrun by Grass Blades, as if it were being slowly devoured and absorbed into the grassland itself.

A moment later, Wang Yi and his Soldiers were off the cliff. The Grizzly Tank and Crossbow Machine Carriages drove down as well.

Although Wang Yi’s decision had been swift, two Taisens and one Boyka who had fallen behind were ensnared by vines that erupted from the ground. They were dragged down and immediately swarmed by the Grass Blades.

"We’ve lost men!"

Wang Yi grunted, glancing back at the clifftop now completely overrun by Grass Blades. Then he commanded, "Everyone, regroup! Form a new defensive line, right here! We continue the fight! We fight without stopping until we beat them back!"

"Sir!"

The Soldiers obeyed. The Leonidas units were the most disciplined; they quickly formed neat ranks, leveled their Sha River Overlord Spears, and braced for impact.

The Fire Fire Evil Gods were the least disciplined. One by one, they hopped onto the roof of the small train, sat down, picked their noses, and fidgeted with their slippers, the very picture of laziness.

Soon, the grassland crept forward, and the battle erupted anew.

Meanwhile, in the distance, behind a large rock, Wild Wolf and "Ma Changgui" were watching in secret.

Wild Wolf’s heart pounded with dread.

No one had ever dared to provoke the grassland like this. It was clearly enraged and would never let these people before it escape.

’Foolish outsiders. You’re all going to die! You’ll be devoured by the grassland and become a part of It...’

But Wild Wolf didn’t want Watermelon to die. Young, beautiful women like her were a rarity. He mustered his courage, pointed at Watermelon driving her Crossbow Machine Carriage, and said to "Ma Changgui" beside him, "My Lord, that woman is my target! Please help me capture her!"

"Ma Changgui" remained expressionless. His eyes flickered, his thoughts unreadable. After a long moment, he suddenly said, "Take me to your village. I need to level up."