Extraterrestrial demons invaded; I laid the groundwork eight years in advance.

Li Xiuming heard thunder rolling through his ears, his knees slammed into the mud, and his hands slid down from his head to his sides, a small patch of damp, dark color seeping through his Taoist robe on his chest.

He rolled over and lay on his back in the mud, looking at the sky above the battlefield—the cloud that had been shattered by lightning was dissipating into grayish-white mist.

My vision started to blur.

He didn't even have the strength to turn his head to look at himself. He just lay on the muddy ground, his chest rising and falling, and a rusty, metallic taste lingered in his mouth.

far away.

A charred gash appeared on the fur atop the Sky-Splittering Bat's head, cleaved open by lightning. Black blood trickled down its face to the ground, and half of its wing membrane was torn apart. Its dark golden eyes were stained with blood—like the last flickering red embers deep within ashes.

It staggered a couple of steps, its legs slightly bent, and its tattered wing membranes flapped weakly twice, wobbling as it lifted off the ground, bringing with it a gust of muddy wind mixed with the smell of burning, yet it still had some strength left.

It raised its head, fixed its gaze on Fang Yan and Sun Chen who were blocking its way, let out a piercing roar, and pounced on the two of them.

Fang Yan picked up his battle sword, and from the side, he slashed at the damaged wing of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat swung its forelimb, slamming it into the light membrane and sending him flying, sword and all.

Fang Yan didn't try to withstand the force head-on. Instead, he used the momentum to twist and roll in the air, landing on the right side of the field ridge. He took two steps back to steady himself.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat's eyes darted around, locking onto Sun Chen, before it leaped forward and pounced.

Sun Chen retreated and raised his sword to parry.

This time, the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat didn't choose to strike. Instead, it gripped the light membrane tightly with its massive claws, its five toes clenching firmly. The light membrane caved in at the center of its claws, and cracks spread outwards from the point of force.

Fang Yan's gaze darkened as he looked at the largest wound on the side of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat. He reached for his waist with his left hand—there were the last two spirit energy grenades.

Taking advantage of the fact that the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat was completely focused on Sun Chen, he pounced from the side, pulled the pin, and simultaneously pressed two grenades deep into the wound that was gushing black blood, then rolled backward.

Two explosions rang out almost simultaneously.

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The shockwave swept across, and a huge bloody hole exploded in the side of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat, with bits of flesh and black blood splattering out.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat let out a deafening screech, but its massive claws on its lower limbs did not loosen; instead, they gripped even tighter. The light membrane stretched to its limit, cracks suddenly spread, and then it shattered with a deafening roar.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat raised its forelimbs, its sharp claws aimed straight at Sun Chen's chest.

A small, thin figure suddenly rushed out from the side and pushed Sun Chen aside.

No one could see which direction he came from. The Void-Splitting Bat's claws pierced through the figure's chest and emerged from his back, blood slowly dripping from the claw tips.

Sun Chen was knocked to the side, bracing himself on his elbows. When he looked up, hot blood splattered on his cheek.

He recovered from his stiffness and saw the figure blocking his way. His vision began to blur, as if he were looking through an old gauze curtain damp with rain.

He opened his mouth and shouted at the top of his lungs, "Meng Xing—!"

Meng Xing's body was hanging on the forelimb of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat, his chest pierced through, and he was still tightly gripping his battle sword.

He felt all his strength draining away rapidly, blood dripping down his body, and he could no longer feel the pain in his chest.

He didn't look down at his wound, but simply raised his battle sword and thrust it forward. The tip of the sword pierced the gray fur on the forelimb of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat, leaving a shallow dent without even breaking the skin.

He smirked; it wasn't a bad deal.

He remembered the package, which was due to arrive tomorrow. He had originally planned to take it home himself, knowing his mother would likely say, "Why did you spend that money?" But he would put it on tonight, and things should be better the next day.

That was his original plan.

Unfortunately, he couldn't get it.

He loosened his fingers helplessly, and the sword slipped from his palm, embedding itself in the mud. The hilt swayed gently, like an uncarved monument.

The wind swept in from the edge of the field, rustling the wild wolfberry branches and leaves on the low slope.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat retracted its forelimbs, flinging Meng Xing's body away.

The slender figure tumbled twice in the air before crashing into the muddy ground a dozen meters away. The hand holding the knife was still outstretched, its fingers curled as if clutching something unseen.

Sun Chen braced himself against the ground, looking in the direction Meng Xing had landed. His lips moved, and he shouted again, his voice hoarse, before being torn apart by the wind.

He struggled to crawl over, bracing himself against the mud with his elbows before collapsing back down, his fingernails digging into the flesh of his palms, mud and blood seeping from between his fingers.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat turned around and casually swept Fang Yan, who was rushing towards it, away.

Fang Yan rolled over, propped himself up on the ground, and wobbled to his feet. He gripped the broken knife and charged forward again.

With a swing of its forelimbs, the light membrane shattered completely, slamming into Fang Yan's chest.

Fang Yan spat out a mouthful of blood and was thrown out like a rag being tossed around. He rolled twice and landed in the mud some distance away.

His vision blurred, and despite several attempts, he could not get up again.

The Sky-Splitter's dark golden eyes swept over everyone on the ground.

Fang Yan lay in the mud in the distance, too weak to get up. Sun Chen lay prone, his gaze still fixed on the direction Meng Xing had fallen, his body feeling as if his bones had been removed. Further away, Li Yang lay beside a low mound, the tip of his spear buried in the mud, his breathing weak. Li Xiuming lay on his back not far away, his body suffering a backlash, unable even to turn his head.

With a powerful flap of its wings, the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat attacked Sun Chen, whipping up mud and gravel that flew in all directions.

Sun Chen propped himself up on the ground and looked up, seeing the dark shadow of the Sky-Splitting Demon Bat rushing towards him.

He no longer had the strength to dodge; he simply clenched his fists and stared intently into those dark golden eyes.

A low whistling sound came from the night sky.

A battle halberd, enveloped in a pale golden aura, tore through the night fog from behind Sun Chen and precisely pierced the left wing of the demon bat.

The Sky-Splitting Demon Bat's body suddenly froze, pinned to the ground by that force, emitting a piercing screech.

The other wing flapped wildly in the air, trying to pull itself off the halberd, but the halberd was firmly embedded in the wing bone. Each struggle tore the wound more, and black blood flowed down the halberd shaft.

His dark golden eyes revealed madness and anxiety, like the last piece of charcoal torn apart by the wind in his chest, flickering uncertainly, on the verge of being extinguished.

Sun Chen stared blankly at the halberd—its body was entirely black, with a gilded dragon pattern winding from the tail to the tip, its dark gold light swirling in the crimson glow of the cracks.

He glanced again at the pinned demon bat, then slowly turned his gaze back to the direction from which the battle halberd had flown.

In the darkness, a figure walked from the distant ridge of the field, the sound of boots stepping into the mud echoing around like a deep war drum.

The night breeze dispersed the thin mist, revealing a young face.