The great army pressed on, two forces arrayed against each other.
The Azure Dragon Demon Emperor at the forefront roared in the sky.
Beside him, the White Tiger and the Black Tortoise glared furiously at the Phoenix above the City of Desolation.
"Third brother, I'll give you one more chance, come back quickly, and your elder brother will forget this incident!"
The Phoenix knew its master's immense power and had been forcibly bound by Zhang Pingfan through a master-servant contract.
The Phoenix could not betray Zhang Pingfan, nor would it at this moment, as it was acutely aware of the terrifying existences surrounding Zhang Pingfan.
"Big brother, I also advise you to surrender quickly. My master is not someone you can provoke. Ultimately, you will be the one to suffer!"
"Nonsense! We are brothers. With unity, where in the world can we not go? Come back quickly, and I'll act as if nothing happened. We'll take the City of Desolation and complete the task assigned by the Dominator!"
The Phoenix shook its head.
"Big brother, I sincerely advise you to pledge allegiance to my master. I truly do not wish to cross swords with you!"
The Azure Dragon roared to the heavens, wondering what sort of spell had been cast on his third brother to make him so obstinate, refusing even his elder brother's command.
"Third brother, after I take the City of Desolation, I will tear your so-called master to pieces! Brothers, attack! Tear them apart!"
The monsters roared and charged wildly towards the City of Desolation.
The White Tiger and the Black Tortoise advanced with terrifying strides, step by step, towards the City of Desolation.
Zhang Pingfan's face was grim.
"Do you have no way to delay them?"
The Lord of the City of Desolation shook his head and said, "We must rely on the master to make a move. Otherwise, we cannot withstand their attack!"
Zhang Pingfan asked with a dark expression, "How long can you hold them?"
The Phoenix shook its head.
"Master, I am well aware of my elder brother's strength. Even if my elder brother and the Lord of the City of Desolation join forces, we might not be his match. Furthermore, the White Tiger and Black Tortoise are by his side. If the master does not intervene, this battle is surely lost!"
Zhang Pingfan nodded. If that were the case, he might be finished here.
"Attack! Delay them for as long as you can. I will think of a solution. You should know that I cannot act personally right now."
"Yes, Master!"
The Phoenix believed its master was testing it. Given the prominent figures surrounding its master, dealing with its elder brother would be more than enough.
Zhang Pingfan looked at his five disciples.
"You all go up too. Try your best to prevent those lesser monsters from approaching the City of Desolation!"
"Yes, Master!"
Zhang Pingfan sat on the highest tower of the City of Desolation, surveying the entire scene, but his heart was in turmoil.
In the morning, the number of players was scarce. However, due to the two-on-one fight, the White Tiger Demon Emperor had ultimately retreated. Even with few players, they hadn't posed much of a threat to the City of Desolation. But now, with a large player population, it had become a two-on-three situation, and their opponent was the incredibly powerful Azure Dragon Demon Emperor. The outcome of this battle was already evident.
In a clash between armies, the greatest cost was always borne by the cannon fodder.
The players continued to use their previous strategy, utilizing the residual combat energy emanating from the great bosses to attack the monsters.
The player casualties were significantly fewer than before.
However, the players realized that something felt off about today's battle.
It wasn't just off; it felt like they were losing!
"What's going on? Don't we have any powerful great bosses on our side?"
"The Phoenix and the Lord of the City of Desolation can't hold on anymore. What's happening?"
"We're doomed. Could we really fail? What is the Village Chief doing?"
"Yeah, what is the Village Chief doing? Why hasn't he made a move yet? If he doesn't act soon, it'll be over!"
In truth, Zhang Pingfan's heart was in great turmoil. It wasn't that he was unwilling to act, but rather that he was simply unable to. The skills he could use were rendered unusable.
As time wore on, more and more people questioned the Village Chief's capabilities, as the number of player deaths continued to increase.
The Phoenix and the Lord of the City of Desolation were also being pushed back.
After nearly half an hour of a back-and-forth battle, the City of Desolation had lost more than half of its defenses.
However, Zhang Pingfan's divine talent skill, Befriend Enemy, still required another hour to become available.
Hold on, please hold on! As long as we can hold out for another hour, we will definitely be the victors.
But the disparity in strength was not as simple as Zhang Pingfan had imagined.
Another half hour passed. With only half an hour left, his skill would be ready.
But by this time, the scene below had undergone a drastic change. The surroundings were filled with monsters, and most players were being killed.
Simultaneously, the Phoenix and the Lord of the City of Desolation were heavily wounded. They could no longer inflict significant damage on their opponents.
"Boom!!!"
The Lord of the City of Desolation crashed heavily at Zhang Pingfan's feet.
The spitting blood Lord of the City of Desolation looked at Zhang Pingfan, hoping he would take action.
With another boom, the Phoenix smashed through a large section of buildings and lay on the ground, unable to rise for a long time.
The ninth-tier War Gods brought by Zhang Pingfan were all injured. They could not withstand this battle.
The Azure Dragon Demon Emperor remained imposing.
Seeing his third brother defeated on the ground, unable to lift his head, his gaze now shifted to Zhang Pingfan.
"You are my third brother's master, aren't you? You, who are you to be my third brother's master? I want to see what kind of power you possess!"
Saying this, the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor extended a dragon claw towards Zhang Pingfan. If caught, Zhang Pingfan would undoubtedly die.
"Master, run!"
Run? Run where? His abilities were restricted.
He was now a lamb waiting to be slaughtered.
Seeing the dragon claw rapidly approaching, Zhang Pingfan closed his eyes.
"If you want to harm my master, you'll have to step over my corpse first! Chirp!!!"
The Phoenix activated its Phoenix Rebirth skill, instantly restoring its state to peak condition.
It stood alone in front of Zhang Pingfan and the others, repelling the Azure Dragon Demon Emperor.
The Azure Dragon Demon Emperor was enraged.
"Second brother, fourth brother, cooperate with me to capture third brother. I want to see what this human's methods are. He's already been beaten to this state and doesn't dare to resist. He's useless!"
Under the combined assault of the three Demon Emperors, even with its formidable recovery abilities, the Phoenix was no match for all three of them.
In less than ten minutes, the Phoenix was captured.
The White Tiger Demon Emperor and the Black Tortoise Demon Emperor pinned the Phoenix under their feet.
The Azure Dragon Demon Emperor once again extended his dragon claw. This time, Zhang Pingfan had nowhere to escape.
All the players knew it was over. If Zhang Pingfan died, the mission would be utterly finished, and all their efforts over the past few days would be in vain.
"Village Chief, hurry and run! Why are you standing there?"
"Village Chief, our efforts over the past few days cannot be in vain. Run, as long as we are alive, there is still hope!"
Zhang Pingfan wanted to run too, but he couldn't. His body seemed to be shackled, unable to move at all.