Under the influence of the fluorescent skull, the zombie horde became even more agitated. Their sprinting speed and strength both increased.

An Wenshan was fiercely tugged by one of the genderless beings. Its hand gripped An Wenshan's clothes tightly, with such force that when An Wenshan struggled to break free, he tore off the creature's forearm along with flesh.

The severed arm dangled from An Wenshan's clothing, looking like a grotesque work of art.

During the struggle, An Wenshan gradually sensed that the horde's strength had surged, as if some magical force was amplifying them, driving them into a state of extreme frenzy.

Although the horde was vastly different from before, An Wenshan could still barely force a path through, but the process consumed far more stamina than before, nearly exhausting him.

Seeing that her horde had failed to stop the four, "Xi Wangmu" continued to urge the fluorescent skull, trying to unleash more energy to control the horde.

The faint glow of the skull she held pulsed suddenly, its intensity increasing severalfold in an instant.

The moment the light flared, the horde went even more berserk, surging towards Fatty and the others like a tidal wave.

An Wenshan could barely cope with it all, but in the next second, seven or eight genderless beings pounced on him at once, grabbing onto his thighs and arms. No matter how much he struggled, he couldn't shake them all off.

Now, let alone clearing a path, it was difficult just to avoid being engulfed by the horde and maintain a small pocket of space.

Fatty's situation was even worse. He was simultaneously fending off five or six genderless beings and stepping on two or three old Taoists. The genderless beings closest to Fatty were practically face to face, their putrid fluids smearing onto his face.

Han Yu and Rou Yi also desperately drew their knives, ready to fight the horde to the bitter end.

An Wenshan gritted his teeth and said to Han Yu behind him, "Dr. Han, I have one grenade left. I'm just waiting for you to say the word."

An Wenshan's meaning was clear: he was ready to go down with the tide of zombies.

Just as Han Yu hesitated, suddenly, from the direction of the sky behind them, the fluorescent skull in "Xi Wangmu's" hand made a "snap" sound...

A crack appeared on the top of the skull, quickly spreading across the entire surface. Accompanied by "crack, crack" sounds, the crack widened.

The fluorescent light on the skull dimmed, the glow slowly dissipating...

The instant the light disappeared, the skull exploded, turning into dust.

The damage to the fluorescent skull resulted in the horde being stunned for a moment, standing in place without any movement.

After a short while, the horde resumed its movements, but their strength and speed were greatly reduced, no longer able to restrain An Wenshan and Fatty's powerful attacks.

An Wenshan could finally catch his breath. He released the grenade's pin, put the grenade back in its place, and then cleared away the corpses clinging to him.

"Quick, take advantage of their daze and rush past!" An Wenshan reminded them.

Thus, led by An Wenshan, the four of them resumed their previous speed.

With the magical artifact destroyed and Fatty and the others unharmed, "Xi Wangmu" flew into a rage, making "giggle" sounds. She flung away the remaining bone fragments in her hand, suddenly adjusted her posture, and dove towards Fatty and the others with all her might.

Fatty saw "Xi Wangmu's" stance and knew she was planning to fight to the death.

Fatty shielded Rou Yi and Han Yu behind him, preparing to meet the enemy and engage "Xi Wangmu" in close combat.

Just as "Xi Wangmu's" sharp claws were about to touch the tip of Fatty's knife, a thunderous voice erupted from the meteor—

"Retreat!"

The sound wave was like an invisible cannonball, striking "Xi Wangmu" directly in the face.

"Xi Wangmu" was blasted away.

However, the attack didn't cause any substantial damage. There wasn't a single mark on her exterior, and she remained suspended in the air.

"Xi Wangmu" adjusted her posture, preparing to launch a second attack.

Clearly, she didn't take the meteor's "retreat" command to heart at all.

"Hmph, as expected, humans are not to be trusted. Back then, I gave the three of you humans the free will, but in the end, your servant betrayed you, and now you defy my orders."

The voice was vast, sounding like Zhao Chenguang's voice, but with a sense of unfamiliar majesty, making it difficult to discern.

"Xi Wangmu's" heart seemed to be struggling, but her face was hidden beneath the mask, and no one knew her expression.

After a while, she seemed to have figured out what to do.

"Xi Wangmu" adjusted her posture again, rushing towards Fatty and the others, this time even faster, as if she was determined to settle things once and for all.