Chapter 128: Shield Temple, Cao Xing’s Tactical Command!

Chapter 128: Shield Temple, Cao Xing's Tactical Command!

Outside the Shield Temple, it seemed to be occupied by a large number of Soul Eaters.

The sight of dozens of Soul Eaters crawling around outside the temple left Cao Xing stunned.

"Damn… so many?"

While shocked, Cao Xing also felt a wave of pressure.

In addition to the ordinary Soul Eaters, he even spotted one or two with red and yellow skin among the horde.

Their upright walking posture made them look more like the Xenomorphs from the movies.

He took a glance at the attributes of these monsters.

[Soul Eater Howler (lv25)]

[Race: Soul Eater]

[Rank: Tier 3 Elite]

[HP: 18940 / 18940]

[Attack: 1077 ~ 1112]

[Skills: Spirit Pressure, Soul-Scattering Claw, Soul Devour (attributes same as above), Soul-Eater Howl (emits a piercing shriek, causing all surrounding Soul Eaters to enter a berserk state, increasing attack speed by 30%)]

[Talent: Soul-Devouring Body]

…

[Soul Eater Stalker (lv27)]

[Race: Soul Eater]

[Rank: Tier 3 Elite]

[HP: 17680 / 17680]

[Attack: 1205 ~ 1244]

[Skills: Spirit Pressure, Soul-Scattering Claw, Soul Devour (attributes same as above), Stealth Claw Strike (enters shadows, dealing 217% damage upon reappearing, cooldown 180 seconds)]

[Talent: Soul-Devouring Body]

…

"Such thick HP." Cao Xing's pupils constricted.

However, besides these two elite-level Soul Eaters, there was also a giant Soul Eater next to them, over five meters long, with a pitch-black maw open, as if it could swallow a person in one bite!

This was the strongest existence among this group of Soul Eaters!

[Soul Eater Ripper (lv28)]

[Rank: Tier 3 Boss Creature]

[HP: 31240 / 31240]

[Attack: 1519 ~ 1540]

[Skills: Spirit Pressure, Soul-Scattering Claw, Soul Devour (attributes same as above), Magic Claw Sweep (the Ripper swings its claws horizontally, dealing two hits of 157% damage to enemies and causing them to enter a crippled state, cooldown 120 seconds), Evil Spirit Bite (the Ripper grabs an enemy and begins a frenzied biting attack, dealing multiple hits of damage and restoring its own HP, cooldown 500 seconds)]

[Talent: Soul-Devouring Body]

…

"A terrifying guy!" Cao Xing evaluated.

He didn't immediately let his subordinates rush in, but continued to observe the situation inside.

At this moment, those Soul Eaters were persistently attacking the gate.

However, they were bounced back by the blue energy shield on the gate every time.

However, it seemed that because of the Soul Eaters' constant attacks, the energy shield on the gate was becoming increasingly thin.

Cao Xing pondered: "This must be the Advanced Magic Energy Gate that the undead Carl Han mentioned, which has been blocking this group of Soul Eaters outside."

"But, this gate doesn't seem like it can hold on much longer."

He took a glance at the gate's attributes.

[Advanced Magic Energy Gate]

[Armor: 500]

[Durability: 200000]

[Shield Durability: 34032 / 100000 (recovers 1000 durability per second, consumes 5 energy)]

[Remaining Energy: 1032 / 50000]

…

Cao Xing nodded inwardly.

It was just as he had expected; the gate wouldn't last much longer.

Once the shield's energy was depleted, they would be able to attack the gate itself.

After that, the group of Soul Eaters could rush into the Shield Temple and start their buffet.

At this time, his subordinates also saw the scene inside.

Braum lowered his voice and exclaimed: "By the gods! So many monsters!"

Hearing his voice, the other subordinates also walked over and saw the scene inside.

They were immediately shocked.

Renis was also astonished: "So many Soul Eaters!"

For a moment, everyone felt a wave of pressure in their hearts.

Although they were strong, there were too many Tier 3 Soul Eaters here.

Coupled with the gap between Tier 2 and Tier 3.

If they were surrounded, even they wouldn't be able to hold out.

Cao Xing gestured for everyone to retreat slowly.

In the passageway, everyone quickly gathered together.

Then, all eyes turned to Cao Xing.

Although Cao Xing was only a Tier 2 mage, through the previous few battles, his command ability had already won the recognition of everyone.

Even Sarah admired his command ability very much.

These recruited creatures were all waiting for Cao Xing to issue orders.

Cao Xing was also pondering, seemingly thinking about tactics.

At this moment, he looked up at Sarah beside him and asked: "Sarah, can you handle those two elite-level Soul Eaters, plus that boss, all by yourself?"

Sarah nodded: "My blades will be at your command, cutting through all thorns!"

She appeared full of confidence.

Although Sarah was just a newly advanced Tier 3 leader, she was a few levels lower than these Soul Eaters.

But with her rich combat experience, and the series of BUFFs Cao Xing added to her, it could be said that both her survivability and attack capability were terrifyingly strong.

Cao Xing nodded and said: "Good, then that's the plan."

"Next, Sarah will initiate the attack, and then be responsible for luring those three Soul Eaters away, drawing them out of the battlefield."

"And we will attract the attention of the other Soul Eaters, making them all come to attack us."

"And Braum and Assam, you two must defend the gate together."

"Then all ranged units will start outputting at full power."

This was a very simple gate-blocking tactic.

However, because the gate in front of them was very wide, it required at least two powerful warriors to block it.

Moreover, the most crucial part of this tactic was that Sarah had to successfully lure those three powerful Soul Eaters out of the battlefield.

At the same time, Assam and Braum, who were responsible for blocking the gate, had to firmly stop the attacks of the Soul Eaters outside and absolutely must not let the Soul Eaters in.

Consequently, Cao Xing took out [Life Potion (Small)] from his backpack.

Then he distributed 5 bottles each to Braum, Assam, Andrew, and Sarah.

Cao Xing said: "In a moment, you four will bear the brunt of the pressure; you must follow my commands."

Assam responded first: "I obey the Lord's command. I believe that you will lead us to victory, just as you have before!"

Andrew, standing to the side, also unsheathed his claws: "You are a wise lord, and the power of nature will be at your command."

Cao Xing nodded.

Then, he said directly: "Then now, let the operation begin!"

"Sarah, go!"

As soon as Cao Xing finished speaking, Sarah had already vanished from the shadows.

She entered a stealth state and went directly into the hall outside the passageway.

And that group of Soul Eaters seemed completely unaware.

Cao Xing and his subordinates waited silently.

Everyone held their breath.

A few seconds later.

A bloodstain suddenly appeared on the back of that boss-level monster: the Soul Eater Ripper.

A cold light flashed silently.

[- 3754!]

The next moment, a terrifying damage number appeared.

The Soul Eater Ripper was attacked and immediately roared up at the sky.

"Hiss!!!"

The sharp screech caused the entire Soul Eater horde to be in a commotion.

Thump! Thump, thump, thump!

The messy footsteps of the Soul Eater horde seemed to be trying to find the enemy that attacked them.

However, no matter how they searched, they couldn't find anyone.

Under the [Shadow Bloom] state, even if Sarah attacked, she would not exit the stealth state.

And just at this moment, bloodstains appeared on the other two elite Soul Eaters as well.

[- 2314]

[- 2251]

Two terrifying damage numbers appeared.

"Hiss! Hiss, hiss!"

The elite Soul Eaters also let out angry screeches.

The entire horde began to fall into even more serious chaos.

Meanwhile, after Sarah's three attacks, she exited the [Shadow Bloom] state and gradually revealed her figure.

And that group of Soul Eaters also saw a shadow in the corner of the hall.

The Soul Eater Ripper's eyes immediately turned red.

"Hiss!"

The next moment, all the Soul Eaters, like a group of crazed Xenomorphs, lunged fiercely towards Sarah.

"Boom! Boom, boom!"

The scene of dozens of Soul Eaters lunging over was astonishing.

And just at this moment, Cao Xing spoke: "Renis, Hilda, attack!"

"Assam, rush into the monster horde and attract the attention of all the Soul Eaters!"

As soon as Cao Xing finished speaking.

Assam, like a knight going to battle, raised his longsword high and instantly rushed out.

And Renis and Hilda also made attack moves at the same time.

At this moment, the group of Soul Eaters saw another figure rushing over from behind, and their attention was immediately drawn to this side.

"Hiss, hiss! Hiss, hiss!"

A portion of the Soul Eaters rushed towards Assam.

Cao Xing ordered from the rear: "Assam, use Sword of Justice!"

Assam did not hesitate at all upon hearing this, directly raising the knight's sword in his hand, and a divine light condensed.

"In the name of justice, slash!"

Swish! Swish, swish, swish!

[- 335]

[- 347]

[- 384]

[- 594!]

[- 317]

…

At least a dozen Soul Eaters were sent flying by this wave of Assam's sword energy!

However, after landing, this group of monsters lunged at Assam with even more ferocious intensity.

Even some of the Soul Eaters that were pursuing Sarah rushed over as well.

Seeing this, Cao Xing immediately ordered, "Assam, fall back!"

"Renis, Hilda, keep attacking the Soul Eaters near Sarah and draw all of them over here!"

Upon receiving Cao Xing's command, Renis instantly adjusted her archery angle.

Swish!

[-478!]

Just as the first arrow was fired, she immediately loosed a second one.

Hilda also began spraying vast amounts of Blood Poison.

As it landed on the group of Soul Eaters, it emitted a continuous sizzling sound.

The Soul Eaters, feeling the pain, let out waves of agonizing screeches.

More and more Soul Eaters charged toward them.

Cao Xing noticed that some Soul Eaters were still charging toward Sarah, and his eyes narrowed instantly.

"Assam, turn back and slash out a Frost Wolf Sword Qi."

Assam was currently sprinting toward the passageway, but upon receiving Cao Xing's command, he instantly stopped in his tracks, and a frosty aura began to condense on his longsword.

"Swish!"

A blue sword wave slashed down vertically, landing amidst the group of monsters near Sarah and kicking up a dense cluster of damage numbers.

However, this single strike from Assam completely drew the attention of all the Soul Eaters.

Including the two elites and one boss Soul Eater, they all surged toward the group.

Seeing this, Ji Xinyue's heart tightened instantly, because this was different from Cao Xing's tactical plan.

If those elites and the boss weren't drawn away, they would be under immense pressure.

They might even have their formation broken and everyone torn to shreds by the Soul Eaters!

However, Cao Xing did not seem panicked.

He gestured toward Sarah.

Sarah, in the darkness, understood and snapped her fingers.

"Snap!"

The next moment, three Soul Eaters were suddenly struck as if by lightning.

[-3754]

[-2314]

[-2251]

Three terrifying damage figures appeared above their heads.

This was Sarah's [Shadow Bloom] skill, which could record the damage from previous attacks and then detonate it to deal the full amount—it was quite terrifying!

But unfortunately, this skill had a five-minute cooldown.

At this moment, the three Soul Eaters, having suffered heavy injuries, finally had their aggro completely drawn by Sarah.

They broke away from the battlefield and charged toward her.

Sarah, showing no fear, stood her ground and performed a taunting gesture toward the three Soul Eaters.

Seeing this, Cao Xing felt reassured.

"Very good! The Soul Eaters have finally been separated!"

Dozens of ordinary Soul Eaters charged toward them.

Cao Xing immediately ordered, "Braum, raise your shield!"

"Assam, help Braum defend with everything you've got!"

The next moment, the two big guys blocked the passageway entrance tightly!

The Soul Eaters rushed up frantically.

"Hiss! Hiss, hiss, hiss!"

While letting out piercing screeches, they used their sharp hook claws to attack Assam and Braum!

"Crack! Crack!"

A series of shattering sounds echoed.

The three layers of Holy Shields on the two men were torn apart by the large number of Soul Eaters.

Immediately afterward, the special effect on Liu Muxue's shield, [Knight's Blessing], was also shattered.

The next moment, damage numbers appeared above their heads.

[-214]

[-204]

[-193]

Seeing these damage numbers, Cao Xing nodded inwardly.

"Very good, this damage is still within the acceptable range."

"Although these Tier 3 Soul Eaters have an attack power as high as five or six hundred, it has been significantly reduced by the armor on Assam and Braum, as well as the mitigation from the Frost Magic Shield."

"Combined with the success of the bottleneck tactics, there are only four to six Soul Eaters that can attack them at the same time!"

"This way, they can block those monsters outside the door!"

Seeing this, Liu Muxue and Ji Xinyue both breathed a sigh of relief.

At the same time, looking at Cao Xing's back, Ji Xinyue couldn't help but feel admiration.

Although this man possessed so many powerful recruited creatures, he didn't act rashly or arrogantly, recklessly charging in to engage this group of Soul Eaters head-on.

Instead, he chose to play it steady and secure, utilizing simple but effective tactics.

No wonder someone like him could develop so quickly in this apocalyptic world.

Ji Xinyue thought to herself.

At this moment, seeing that the monsters were blocked, without Cao Xing needing to say more, Hilda and Renis had already launched their most fierce attacks.

Meanwhile, Cao Xing began summoning two Frost Sprites and commanded, "Andrew, be ready to take Braum's place at any time!"

"Muxue, refresh Braum's Holy Shield."

"Watch for the bleeding status on them and use Purification and Holy Healing Art at any time."

After a Holy Shield is destroyed, it requires a 60-second cooldown to reform.

However, if Liu Muxue casts an Aurora Holy Shield again at this time, she can directly refresh the 3 layers of shields.

This was a mechanism Cao Xing had discovered by accident.

Liu Muxue nodded, then raised her longsword and applied a new Holy Shield to Braum.

Then, noticing that Assam's HP had dropped to 80%, she cast [Holy Healing Art] without hesitation.

[+374]

[+75]

Holy Healing Art had a 30-second cooldown, while Cao Xing's Ice Healing Art could recover over two thousand HP in 30 seconds.

Plus, Assam still had [Life Potion (Small)] on him.

This meant he could recover at least three thousand HP every 30 seconds.

Meanwhile, Hilda gave her belly a flick, and a large number of Blood Spiders quickly hatched.

Then, she licked her lips and said, "Go, my children, let them taste the flavor of the Blood Spider clan~"

Those Blood Spiders all rushed forward and began to explode frantically.

Not only that, Hilda also began spraying large swaths of Blood Poison, covering the entire entrance of the passageway.

The number of Blood Poison stacks on those Soul Eaters began to skyrocket rapidly.

In no time, it stacked to the 10-layer limit.

After the Blood Poison reached 10 stacks, they had to take 100% of Hilda's attack damage every second.

Instantly, sheets of damage numbers appeared.

[-331]

[-334]

[-346]

[-314]…

Meanwhile, after enduring 6 attacks, the [Ice Bloodline] inside Braum erupted.

Combined with [Frost Magic Shield], a terrifying chill swept through in an instant!

The four Soul Eaters attacking them at the door were all frozen into ice sculptures.

Taking advantage of this opportunity, everyone began to output damage continuously.

Swish! Swish, swish!

Waves of attacks rained down.

Meanwhile, Renis narrowed her eyes, aimed at the eye of one of the Soul Eaters, and fired a Wind-Chasing Arrow.

[-747!]

A damage number nearly breaking a thousand appeared.

After the system update, hitting a vital point would cause extra damage, plus the critical hit effect.

This was the highest damage she had dealt so far.

The Soul Eater's HP hit zero, and its ice-sculpted body shattered directly, turning into a pile of ice blocks scattered on the ground.

[Your territory member: Renis Eagle Eye killed Soul Eater Lv27, gained EXP: 540]

[Combatants gained EXP: 270]

Immediately afterward, the HP of the other three frozen Soul Eaters also dropped to zero.

Three system notifications appeared.

A white light appeared on Renis.

[Your territory member: Renis level has increased, current level: 16.]

Cao Xing was delighted. "Very good, Renis has leveled up too!"

The battle gradually fell into a rhythm.

A minute later, 7 more Soul Eaters at the door had fallen.

Cao Xing noticed that Braum's HP had dropped to 50%.

He was only a Common-tier hero, and both his HP and armor were significantly lower than Assam's.

To be able to withstand so many Soul Eaters while being more than ten levels lower was already remarkable.

Therefore, Cao Xing immediately ordered, "Braum, fall back and wait for your Holy Shield to recover."

"Andrew, take Braum's place."

Braum obeyed the order and retreated directly.

Andrew transformed into a huge white bear, rushed over violently, and filled Braum's position.

The Soul Eaters that were just about to rush in were once again blocked.

Andrew, having waited for a long time, stood up on his hind legs like a crazed grizzly bear and frantically swung his huge bear paws to strike.

"Puff! Puff, puff!"

One Soul Eater after another was swatted away by the crazed Andrew.

"Roar!!!"

Andrew let out a deafening roar!

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