At this moment, Wei Xi also entered a state of high tension, his gaze fixed on Shen Zhi.
The special forces soldier showed no fear, instead accelerating and charging towards Shen Zhi.
The two forces met instantaneously, and after their figures crossed paths, they both stopped.
Witnessing this, a smile appeared on Wei Xi's face.
"Lu Ziye, you probably don't know where the greatest strength of these guys lies..." Wei Xi began, "They feel no fear, no pain, and have no emotions. Don't forget, they are fighting machines..."
"And you are all just normal humans. Even with your Mu Shen Jue cultivation, you still can't defeat my subordinates!" Wei Xi laughed heartily.
"Is that so..." I smiled faintly.
Just then, the special forces soldier's body suddenly trembled, and then he collapsed to the ground with a thud.
Seeing this, Wei Xi's expression changed drastically: "Impossible! This is absolutely impossible! How can this be? My subordinate would never..."
Before he could finish speaking, Shen Zhi opened his palm.
On his palm lay a withered branch.
It was about the length of a pinky finger, looking utterly ordinary, like any dried branch found anywhere.
But upon seeing this branch, both my and Wei Xi's faces changed.
It was a branch from the Tree of Life!
"You... what did you do? You..." Wei Xi's eyes widened as he stared intently at the branch.
"My prolonged battle with him just now was merely a test..." Shen Zhi spoke, a faint flush appearing on his face.
I could clearly sense that Shen Zhi was not in good condition.
"I attacked virtually every part of his body. By the time the final blow landed, I had struck every corner of him. Finally, I confirmed..." Shen Zhi said slowly, "his abdomen was the area with the strongest power..."
"So, I speculated..." Shen Zhi continued, "why that area was being protected..."
"Thus, during the final attack, I targeted his abdomen and retrieved this from within..." Shen Zhi explained, "Do you understand what I mean?"
Wei Xi looked at Shen Zhi, then shifted his gaze to me.
"Lu Ziye..." Wei Xi's tone became serious. "I admit now that I have underestimated you all along... I must say, you are indeed powerful. At the very least, this move of yours has caught me completely off guard..."
I remained silent, listening intently.
"But it doesn't matter. You probably don't have many fighters with this kind of combat capability. However, I have nineteen more..." Wei Xi looked at me, "We still have time to play around..."
I still didn't speak, but a storm was brewing within me.
These combat machines were far too overpowered. They fought tirelessly, felt no pain, and had no emotions. Beyond killing, they had no other desires.
However, my people did not possess such physiques.
Their Mu Shen power was limited. They felt pain and their actions were restricted by injuries.
Similarly, they harbored fear in their hearts.
During battle, these were crucial factors influencing the outcome.
If even one aspect went wrong, the tide of the battle could change...
"Come on..." Wei Xi spread his arms, "Let the slaughter begin!"
The nineteen figures leaped down and charged towards us.
"Everyone, it's time to act!" Lin Chun announced.
As his voice echoed, hundreds of people appeared behind me.
Many of the wildlings also joined the fray. Some of them had begun to cultivate.
However, their combat power was clearly no match for these monsters.
Yet, in this situation, not a single person hesitated, nor did anyone flee. They charged forward with the utmost speed.
Simultaneously, the traps set along the coastline sprang into action.
Countless throwing knives, falling rocks, and flames erupted from various locations, directly impacting the special forces.
But it was evident that attacks of this magnitude caused them no harm, at most only slowing them down.
I could feel that this was likely the greatest crisis we had ever faced.
"Everyone, prepare to engage!" My voice reached every ear. "Under any circumstances, you must ensure your own safety. Absolutely do not overexert yourselves. If there's any issue, retreat immediately to the city. You will have ample time to rest, and you can return to battle after recovering, but never push yourselves to the brink..."
"Don't worry, Brother Lu. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. I really want to see how my current cultivation has progressed. These are excellent opponents..."
"Brother Lu, we understand your intentions and will not act recklessly. I can't promise much else, but we are capable of protecting ourselves..."
"We've been protected by you, Brother Lu, for so long. If we're not allowed to experience life-and-death crises, how can we grow?"
Various voices reached me from around. Those individuals charged towards the monsters.
"Listen up, everyone. Reckless action won't defeat them. They have weaknesses. Although we don't know their exact location, if you can extract the branches from their bodies, the battle can end!" Shen Zhi gritted out.
With that, the dagger in his hand vibrated as he prepared to charge again, but I grabbed him. "Go back and rest immediately. Come back when you're recovered! You can use elixirs, use the Stone Spring, even the Water of Life!"
Shen Zhi glanced at me, then nodded and turned, running towards the city.
Seeing this, I nodded with relief and turned my gaze towards the battlefield.
The two sides were already locked in combat.
Although our side had a numerical advantage, in terms of individual combat power, those special forces soldiers were clearly far superior.
As explosions sounded one after another, I could clearly see that many people were already injured.
A short sword appeared in my palm, and just as I was about to engage, Wei Xi's voice cut through the air.
"You cannot participate in this battle..." Wei Xi said, looking at me. "After our own fight concludes, the two of us will battle it out..."
"And if I insist on participating?" I asked Wei Xi, my voice cold.
"Perhaps I will resort to some underhanded tactics..." Wei Xi stated calmly. "You don't think I came here with only these forces, do you?"