Volume 9: From Green Leaf to Undead - Chapter 5: A Chaotic Melee on the Spot

The units behind Salbali turned out to be the Treant Elders, which had been completely suppressed by Li Bin during this period. Originally the strongest defensive force, they were now slowly moving to the front of Salbali’s battle formation, intending to use their own bodies to block the incoming, frenzied battering rams. Just then, two squads of Nether God-Lamps charged into the corridor alongside the battering rams. Being relatively fast, they reached their desired range just as the rams breached Salbali’s first line of defense.

Suddenly, volleys of Reckless Curses were fired wildly, targeting not only the Treant Elders but also several nearby elite units. Upon seeing this, Salbali immediately summoned two magic heroes who frantically cast Water-elemental Dispel. However, they were one step too late. At least ten Treant Elders were trapped by tangled roots, along with more than a dozen Unicorns and an Elven hero. Due to the entrapment of these Elders, Salbali’s defensive line became fragmented, allowing one battering ram to break through and charge directly toward the undefended Salbali. As the ram was about to collide with her, Salbali slowly extended a finger and tapped it lightly. A flash of silver light followed, and the battering ram shattered into five or six pieces. Watching this from afar, Li Bin was shocked. Although he and Bai Lingyu had built these battering rams in a rush, they possessed at least Level 4 strength. For Salbali to destroy one in a single strike could only mean her power far exceeded that of the rams by at least twofold.

Looking at Salbali in the distance, then at the Dread Knights currently entangled with the Gold and Green Dragons, Li Bin gritted his teeth and ordered, "Send out more battering rams! We have plenty of materials—charge them to death!" He then cast several curses on a Green Dragon about to break through the Dread Knights' line, dragging the creature down just as it prepared to take flight. A wave of Skeleton Soldiers then rushed forward to replace the decimated skeleton troops.

Beside him, Kadoqin exhaled dark purple flames in excitement. "That’s four already," she said gleefully upon seeing Li Bin. "Kill one more, and I can have another Nether Dragon as my guard."

"It doesn't matter if you have a Nether Dragon as a guard, but be careful in the future, understand?" Li Bin replied with uncharacteristic gentleness. "Also, remember to leave the dragon corpses for me. Don't chew them up."

"What if I do? You only use them to summon Bone Dragons or Corpse Dragons for Reed to lead anyway. They’d be better off as food for my guards," Kadoqin retorted with dissatisfaction.

Just then, another Green Dragon collapsed to the ground, unable to hold on any longer. Ignoring Li Bin, Kadoqin shouted excitedly, "With the sacrifice of five metallic dragons, I summon the arrival of a Nether Dragon! Using my position as the coordinates, bring the Nether Dragon here quickly!" Once Kadoqin finished, Skeleton Soldiers and Will-o'-Wisp slaves stepped forward to collect the dragon corpse and store it in Li Bin’s mechanical carriage.

By the time Li Bin finished clearing out all the Gold and Green Dragons, the situation on Salbali's side had changed once more. Having joined the battle personally, Salbali displayed immense combat power, destroying a battering ram with every strike. Before long, she had obliterated all the rams Li Bin had dispatched. She then decisively abandoned the trapped Treant Elders and those units, instead sending Stone Giants to rapidly clear the forests on both sides of the corridor.

This time, their attack began from the front. Without a single unit stepping into the corridor, the traps Li Bin had set became completely useless. Furthermore, they used the triggered traps within the corridor to prevent Li Bin from sending out his own reinforcements. Li Bin grew anxious; he had never imagined Salbali would employ such a countermeasure. Soon, a new path over fifty meters long had been cleared through the forests on both sides, bringing the enemy within a hundred meters of where the Phantom Undead Archers were hiding.

Desperate, knowing the Phantom Undead Archers were his trump card and that they would almost certainly be wiped out if this continued, Li Bin ordered Bai Lingyu to deactivate all traps in the corridor. He led his troops out of the passageway for the first time. Due to their speed, the Knight units led by Ted charged at the forefront, followed by Li Bin’s few Vampire units, while troops like the Skeleton Soldiers quickly dispersed toward the edges of the forest, some vanishing instantly into the rapidly expanding woods.

After repelling the Stone Giants, Li Bin glanced at Salbali’s main force, which stood heavily defended just ahead. Gritting his teeth, he abandoned the idea of attacking their position and retreated with his troops back into the corridor.

The moment Li Bin withdrew, several dragon roars echoed from behind Salbali. The Green Leaf Alliance had sent reinforcements: a force composed of 5 Gold Dragons, 11 Green Dragons, and 3 squads of Heavy Unicorns appeared behind Salbali’s battle formation. It seemed as if Salbali had received new orders; she halted all attacks and recalled her remaining units to reorganize.

Soon, Salbali’s formation shifted. A triangular formation, led by Salbali herself and consisting of the new reinforcements and the high-level units like the Unicorns from her original force, appeared before the corridor. The remaining units were divided into two groups, armed with axes and tools, and began approaching the woods on either side of the corridor. It was clear they were targeting the Phantom Undead Archers hidden within.

Facing this, Li Bin could no longer hold back any reserves. He quickly gathered his main heroes—Reed, Ted, and Toudina—at the other end of the corridor. Behind them stood a counter-charge force comprised of Bone Dragons, Dread Knights, Death Knights, and a vast number of Skeleton Soldiers. As soon as Salbali launched her attack, Li Bin would charge out with these forces to pin her down within the corridor, turning the reinforcements from the Green Leaf Alliance into sitting ducks for the Phantom Undead Archers in the forest.

The atmosphere grew heavy. Salbali slowly pointed her hand toward Li Bin and shouted, "Target directly ahead, prepare to charge!" Just then, a massive flock of crows, shimmering with green light, suddenly flew in from near Salbali's formation and dove directly into the forest. Li Bin could even see the crows rapidly transforming into Elven Druids clad in tree-bark armor before they hit the ground.