Before the Eerie King could react.
High on both cliffs of the canyon.
A total of 140 Level 5 Cannon Towers activated almost instantly.
"Boom!"
The first roar of a Cannon Tower propelled tonight's battle to its climax. The 140 Level 5 Cannon Towers, which had been positioned from Chen Fan's elaborate calculations, formed a perfect crossfire network that covered every inch of the canyon.
There were no blind spots.
And not a shred of mercy.
No longer a canyon.
Instead, it was a slaughterhouse that Chen Fan had devised over several days.
One white-hot light beam after another burned through the curtain of rain, accurately striking places where the Eerie Creatures clustered.
Continual chains of lightning lashed out, hitting three Eerie Creatures near each locked-on target.
The firing rhythm of every Cannon Tower perfectly matched Chen Fan's calculation. The terrifying, surging tide of Eerie Creatures now resembled raw material awaiting pulverization.
"You dare!"
The Eerie King, having finally reacted, turned and saw this scene. His army was being massacred. The crimson triangles within his eye sockets spun continuously as he looked up at the Cannon Towers positioned high on the canyon cliffs.
He was just about to release crimson light beams to destroy the Cannon Towers...
When he saw...
Countless light beams poured from high above, enshrouding him.
He had no time to destroy the Cannon Towers. He could only summon a glowing red barrier to shield himself. The beams melted into the crimson barrier, unable to harm him, yet rapidly draining his power.
...
"This is 'Arrow Storm'."
Inside the cave.
Chen Fan calmly watched what the Shadow Recording Formation had transmitted back on the Perpetual Night Lord Panel. He had made thorough preparations over these past days.
The Arrow Storm from the Level 5 Cannon Towers couldn't kill the Eerie King, but it kept him from intervening in the massacre. Once his troops had been wiped out, handling him would be much easier.
...
"No...!"
Under the onslaught of countless light beams and utterly unable to break free, the Eerie King watched his army being swiftly slaughtered. Finding himself powerless to stop this, his eye sockets burned red as he let out a hysterical roar.
Rather than die in vain...
Better to...
"All armies, heed my command, in One!"
The Eerie King's voice reverberated off the cliffs, booming throughout the sky.
The next moment—
All the Eerie Creatures in the abyss pit and canyon sank into a sudden hush. They ceased their charge, no longer dodging the light beams, and fell to their knees towards the Eerie King in unison. Their eyes brimmed with feverish fanaticism as they wailed.
Qian Xi and Qian Qiu, from behind, were taken aback.
They exchanged a glance.
Taking a deep breath.
Then knelt on one knee, facing the Eerie King, their voices pious, resolute, and hoarse as they whispered,
"At the King's service. May the King's name resound across the continent. May the darkness descend as scheduled."
"For the King..."
"In One!"
The moment the words fell.
The entire battlefield seemed to freeze, with only the light beams unceasingly sniping at Eerie Creatures one by one. In the next instant, all the Eerie Creatures disintegrated, transforming into torrents of thick Eerie blood that surged into the Eerie King.
A crimson glow, like raging flames, enveloped the Eerie King.
Not a single Eerie Creature remained in the abyss pit.
Only the Eerie King stood in place, emanating a menacing aura.
Having lost their targets.
The 40 Cannon Towers that could reach the Eerie King from the canyon, along with the remaining Cannon Towers from the abyss pit cliffs and the 8 Level 5 Cannon Towers on the city wall, all swiveled their muzzles at the Eerie King.
Dozens of light beams deluged the Eerie King.
However...
The beams dissolved upon contact with the Eerie King, causing him not a shred of harm.
"Die!"
Glaring at the Level 3 city wall of Cave 1, the Eerie King growled with great distress in the rain, his face now contorted with hysterical rage. If not for so many of his troops being killed, the "In One" fusion would have granted him even greater power!
He had intended to destroy this camp first, then head to Rivernorth City.
Unexpectedly, this place had forced him to use the trump card.
A crimson glow gradually formed an ethereal spear in his hand. Summoning all his strength, he hurled the spear straight at the city wall!
The next moment!
"BOOM!!!"
An explosion roared through the rainy night. The Level 3 city wall, which had never been breached, had a hole, several meters wide, blasted into it, revealing the structures inside.
The Eerie King felt somewhat triumphant, but shortly after, he thought back to the slain Qiu Kui. If he had had the God-Slaying Spear, with that strike, even if this Level 3 wall was unusually sturdy for a Level 3 City Wall, the entire wall would have fallen apart.
But at that moment!
When exhaustion had taken over, and his new power had yet to assemble.
A blazing light beam, noticeably bulkier than one from a Level 5 Cannon Tower, shot out from a Level 6 Cannon Tower hidden within the city wall. It struck the Eerie King squarely before he could dodge.
"BAM!"
A direct hit.
The Eerie King was smashed straight into the abyss pit cliff, blood seeping from the corner of his mouth.
"Another trump card?"
"Then let's see just what trump cards you still hold!"
With a sneer, the Eerie King turned into a crimson streak of light that zoomed from place to place in the abyss pit as he drew ever closer to the city wall. The beams from the Level 6 Cannon Tower failed to follow the Eerie King; all the white-hot beams it fired had been dodged.
...
"..."
Inside the cave, hiding with Crippled Monkey and the others in the deepest part of the "Meat Grinder Passage," Chen Fan silently watched this scene through the Perpetual Night Lord Panel. The Eerie King was far stronger than imagined.
This Level 6 Cannon Tower was one he had built a few days ago using the green-grade "Mourning Lantern." It was more powerful, but the Eerie King's speed was too overwhelming, making it difficult to hit him.