: I've Learned (Third Update, Seeking Monthly Tickets)

"So, Meng Zizhong changed tactics again, employing the Earth Python Technique. Since aggressive attacks were proving ineffective, he switched to a control method, restraining the Black Wind Tiger Demon to maintain the initiative for himself."

"I've learned."

Ning Zhuo carefully contemplated and continuously analyzed Meng Zizhong's tactical choices. The latter kept probing, quickly adjusting his spell types based on the results, thereby consistently keeping the battlefield situation under his control.

Ning Zhuo put himself in Meng Zizhong's shoes and asked himself, "If I were Meng Zizhong, could I achieve this?"

He shook his head inwardly.

On the surface, Meng Zizhong's actions didn't seem particularly impressive; they were quite ordinary.

But even ordinary things aren't easy to accomplish.

Ning Zhuo knew his own limitations. He lacked combat experience and proficient spell-casting skills, making it easy for him to lose his rhythm.

Although there was no close combat, the frequency of their exchanges was very high.

If Ning Zhuo hesitated or slowed down even slightly, he would miss the opportunity and allow the Black Wind Tiger Demon to close in.

Once that happened, Ning Zhuo's situation would become extremely passive.

"Meng Zizhong has clearly immersed himself in earth-element spells for many years, achieving profound mastery. His Earth Spike Technique is cunning and precise, specifically targeting the lower body and exploiting the enemy's weaknesses. He is truly a model for us."

"I've learned, I've learned."

The earlier Earth Spike attack left a deep impression on Ning Zhuo. He made a mental note to study this technique carefully, absorbing others' strengths and turning them into his own, so he could become even better.

The Black Wind Tiger Demon roared, its cry full of pain.

While maintaining the Earth Python Technique, Meng Zizhong pushed his mental energy to the limit, regulating his golden core and unleashing mana to cast the Earth Spike Technique.

Compared to before, this time, casting the Earth Spike Technique was exceptionally difficult and slow for him.

It was like two strong men locked in a contest of strength, with no extra power left for additional attacks.

Earth Spike, Earth Spike, Earth Spike!

The first spike struck the Black Wind Tiger Demon's thigh, breaking its leg bone.

The second spike aimed for its eye socket but was barely dodged, slicing off half the flesh from its cheek.

The third spike targeted the immobilized chest of the Black Wind Tiger Demon, aiming straight for its heart!

If it hit, the Black Wind Tiger Demon would be severely wounded, if not killed.

At the critical moment, the Black Wind Tiger Demon unleashed its potential, activating the demonic technique "Meat Grinder."

The muscles on its chest suddenly thickened, forming a vortex-like shape that entangled the Earth Spike's attack. After a few moments of stalemate, the muscles, as if alive, exerted force and crushed the tip of the spike!

The Black Wind Tiger Demon let out a howl, exerting itself wildly, gradually pushing its arms upward.

The Earth Pythons emitted continuous cracking sounds, like the strings of a large bow being plucked.

Cracks rapidly spread across the bodies of the Earth Pythons.

Finally, the Black Wind Tiger Demon violently thrust its arms upward, shattering the two Earth Pythons into over a dozen segments.

The Black Wind Tiger Demon roared skyward, breaking free and charging at Meng Zizhong.

"What a pity." Fox God sighed upon seeing this. "Meng Zizhong's mastery of the Earth Python Technique is limited. If he had cultivated the Earth Dragon Technique, he could have trapped the Black Wind Tiger Demon in one move."

Sun Lingtong, however, stared at the charging Black Wind Tiger Demon and said, "Its Giantification Technique isn't top-tier either."

"The reason it's so effective in combat is mainly because it practices the Meat Tank Blood Devourer Demon Art."

"This demonic art excels at cultivating blood and flesh, allowing its defense to soar even after giantification."

"This battle is far from over!"

Meng Zizhong's expression was cold and stern as he continuously retreated, creating distance while casting the Earthen Wall Technique to slow the Black Wind Tiger Demon's charge as much as possible.

However, his previous rounds of full-force spellcasting had consumed a significant amount of his mana, leaving his golden core dim and lifeless.

Bam, bam, bam!

The Black Wind Tiger Demon crashed through the earthen walls one after another. Its speed increased instead of decreasing, and its roars grew louder, its momentum soaring.

Meng Zizhong realized with frustration that his attempt to wear down the Black Wind Tiger Demon with long-range attacks had backfired. After several rounds of full-force spellcasting, his own mana was nearly depleted, leaving him in a temporary low.

"I can't retreat any further!"

Meng Zizhong had reached a point of no retreat!

If he retreated further, he would endanger the battle of his subordinate army. Although entering the battle formation would grant him powerful enhancements and other offensive means, doing so would result in a pyrrhic victory. The other cultivators would be used as cannon fodder, suffering heavy losses.

Meng Zizhong had trained his troops diligently and cherished the elite force he had painstakingly built with effort and time.

Gritting his teeth, he thought, "Forget it."

He made a decision and ignited the Divine Summoning Talisman!

The spirit-rich talisman burned to ashes in the blink of an eye.

"Great Spirit God, possess me quickly!" Meng Zizhong roared softly.

The next moment, a pillar of divine light pierced through the clouds from above, almost instantly enveloping Meng Zizhong.

Meng Zizhong cried out in extreme pain.

His entire body expanded within the divine light, and in moments, he too transformed into a giant!

"Great Spirit God!" Fox God murmured upon seeing this, a look of envy and longing in its eyes.

Gods are categorized differently.

Gods like Fox God belong to earth spirits, bound to Misty Hidden Mountain, finding it extremely difficult to leave.

In contrast to earth spirits, there are also celestial spirits.

The Great Spirit God is a celestial spirit, able to move freely under the heavens without restrictions on its range of activity.

Bam, bam, bam!

The Black Wind Tiger Demon finally forced Meng Zizhong into close combat.

The Black Wind Tiger Demon's fists and feet attacked like a hurricane, clearly holding the upper hand.

Meng Zizhong, relying on his long-handled war hammer, gritted his teeth and held his ground. With the help of the Divine Summoning Technique, he managed to stabilize his position, exchanging blows with the Black Wind Tiger Demon.

Ning Zhuo watched without blinking, gaining new insights.

"The rhythm of close combat is too fast. Although Meng Zizhong is skilled in spells, once suppressed, he only managed to cast one Stone Armor Technique to enhance himself over such a long time."

"Now it's the Black Wind Tiger Demon's turn to take the initiative."

The clash between the two reached a stalemate for the time being.

At this point, Ning Zhuo could roughly assess the combat capabilities of both the Black Wind Tiger Demon and Meng Zizhong.

The Black Wind Tiger Demon specialized in close combat, with very limited long-range attack methods. Meng Zizhong, on the other hand, had decent proficiency in both long-range and close combat, making him more balanced. In long-range combat, he primarily used earth-element spells. In close combat, he relied on Divine Summoning Talismans obtained through daily worship and prayers to enhance himself.

Judging by the Great Spirit God's swift response, Meng Zizhong was either very devout or had made significant offerings to the temple.

"If these two golden core cultivators can't determine the outcome, the deciding factor in this battle will likely be their subordinates."

Realizing this, Ning Zhuo shifted more of his attention to other parts of the battlefield.

The demon cultivators, following their king with fierce cries down the mountain, deliberately avoided the clash between the two golden core cultivators, directing their fangs instead at the human cultivator army.

The demon cultivators charged into the human ranks like battering rams.

Human cultivators were sent flying one after another!

But they quickly got back up, seemingly unharmed, and rushed back to rejoin the battle.

These cultivators were clad in uniformly styled heavy armor. The primary material of the armor was Jade Smooth Mystical Steel, and combined with the defensive arrays inscribed on it, part of the demon cultivators' attacks were deflected, preventing full impact.

This effect immediately reminded Ning Zhuo of his own Glossy Slip Talisman.

"No, the armor alone couldn't achieve such defensive effectiveness."

"There's also a large-scale array enhancing the cultivator army, benefiting every one of them."

Ning Zhuo quickly saw the trick.

This was the result of the human cultivators' earlier formation.

The demon cultivators found it difficult to inflict fatal injuries on the armored cultivators. Once trapped in the formation, they felt as if they were stuck in mud, every movement hindered, their speed significantly reduced.

"This should be the earth-element array—the Quagmire Array, right?" Ning Zhuo asked, though he wasn't entirely sure.

He had read about the Quagmire Array in books but had never seen it in person.

Fox God nodded. "Exactly, the Quagmire Array."

As they spoke, chaos suddenly erupted at the center of the cultivator army.

A mole demon cultivator launched an attack from underground, successfully breaking through a array disk buried four feet below.

Once the array disk was destroyed, the entire Quagmire Array began to quickly collapse.

Freed from the array's constraints, the demon cultivators regained their normal speed and seized the opportunity to counterattack, wreaking havoc among the human cultivators.

Many human cultivators, suffering from the array's backlash, were in poor condition and fell victim to the demon cultivators' onslaught.

At this critical moment, the Meng family骨干 within the cultivator army displayed their mettle, stepping forward and shouting orders: "Form the battle array!"

After a period of chaos, the cultivator army, though suffering casualties, managed to catch their breath and form the battle array.

This time, the battle array was a dynamic formation, quite different from the static array previously set up with array disks.

The core of the array was the commander, and the key points were the elite officers.

As the battle array activated, it enhanced every human cultivator. The elite officers, in particular, felt a surge of immense power, and due to the intense enhancement, they even experienced an illusion of invincibility!

The squad leaders within the army held their ground against the demon cultivators, beginning to confront them head-on.

With them bearing the pressure, the other cultivators felt much more at ease, maintaining the battle array more smoothly and effortlessly.

This ease further accelerated the operation of the dynamic formation, granting the squad leaders even greater enhancements.

Gradually, the human squad leaders began to suppress the numerous demon cultivators.

The scales of victory slowly tipped in favor of the human cultivators.

One by one, demon cultivators fell under the coordinated attacks of the cultivators, meeting their end.

The Black Wind Tiger Demon, seeing this after failing to break through, grew anxious. With a full-body shake, it activated its innate talent: Night Shadow Yin Malevolence.

In the next moment, Yin Malevolent energy surged from its body, and its shadow on the ground came to life, rising up like a splash of black ink.

Just as the night shadow was about to pounce on Meng Zizhong, instead of being alarmed, Meng Zizhong seemed pleased and shouted, "I've been waiting for this move!"

The intelligence on the Black Wind Tiger Demon's innate talent had already been exposed. How could Meng Zizhong, leading his army to attack, not have a countermeasure?

A mirror flew out from within his robes.

The mirror hovered above Meng Zizhong's head, emitting a beam of light that shone directly on the tiger demon's night shadow.

The night shadow was completely suppressed, quickly weakening until it finally dissipated!

(End of )