Clang!

No sound of explosion could be heard. Yet out of the corner of the eye, one could clearly see bursts of eerie green fireworks blossoming in the air. Flesh worm ghosts were spherical creatures with no means of locomotion. Incapable of controlling their own bodies, they were light in weight and could only drift with the wind. The wind tonight was far from gentle. Positioned upwind on favorable terrain, this pack of bamboo pole ghosts hurled one flesh worm ghost after another toward the wall, seeking to breach the fortifications before storming into the camp's core. Under such an onslaught, Chen Fan and the others had little room to fight back. They stayed crouched behind the parapet as much as possible to avoid being splattered by the viscous green fluid, leaving the rest to the arrow towers. This offensive was exceptionally fierce. One group of bamboo pole ghosts was tasked with throwing the flesh worm ghosts, while another group was already charging toward the wall, followed by a horde of ghost creatures including mantis ghosts and monkey head ghosts. "Arrow Rain Storm!" "Arrow Rain Storm!" A Level 3 arrow tower hurled a continuous volley of crossbow bolts into the air without pause, striking true against ghost creature after ghost creature rushing into the camp. Casualties mounted in an instant. The remaining ten Level 2 arrow towers fired an unending barrage as well. Every crossbow bolt was like a vengeful demon claiming souls straight from hell, striking with lethal precision. Boom! Boom! Tremors vibrated through the earth as the bamboo pole ghost leader—noticeably larger than the rest—slowly strode into the camp from the black mist. Every step it took sent vibrations shuddering through the ground. Though a bamboo pole ghost all the same, this leader's limbs were distinctly more powerful. Grabbing two mantis ghosts beside it with casual ease, it took a quick running start and flung them into the air, sending them arching over the wall to land right in the camp's core area behind it. It repeated this motion over and over. One mantis ghost after another vaulted clean over the wall. Crashing heavily inside, the mantis ghosts flipped upright in a flash. Screeching, they raised their mantis arms high and charged up the stone steps toward Chen Fan and the others on the wall. And right at this moment— A good number of bamboo pole ghosts reached the base of the wall. Grabbing the mantis ghosts beside them, they used the creatures' mantis arms like battering rams, slamming them full force against the wall to breach the defense. All at once, the camp was beset by threats from within and without, wolves ahead and tigers behind, plunged into extreme peril. ... "Focus on staying alive!" Chen Fan shouted at the top of his lungs, then quickly surveyed the situation outside. The flesh worm ghosts had all been exhausted. Though this section of the wall was heavily corroded and pitted, it had not yet collapsed. Many bamboo pole ghosts had fixed their sights on this weakened breach, battering it relentlessly. The Level 3 arrow tower, enhanced in power and imbued with the fire element, was picking off the high-ranking bamboo pole ghost that had stepped into the camp with pinpoint shots. The tower's firepower was formidable; bolts pelted like hail. One struck its forehead. Two struck its eyes. Three pierced its belly. Before the creature could advance more than a few paces, it stumbled, collapsed to the ground, and moved no more, thoroughly dead. With the thrower eliminated, no more mantis ghosts were flung inside the perimeter. Having dealt with this high-ranking bamboo pole ghost, the arrow tower turned to the pack of bamboo pole ghosts swarming beneath the wall, picking them off one by one. Backed by five of the Level 2 arrow towers, it cleared the ghost creatures along the wall's edge in short order. The other five Level 2 arrow towers swiftly finished off the mantis ghosts that had landed inside the wall. Meanwhile, the second Level 3 arrow tower, repeatedly triggering its Arrow Rain Storm skill and firing in both directions, was rapidly mowing down the large hordes of ghost creatures surging into the camp. The entire camp appeared to sway precariously like a skiff caught in a downpour. In reality, it was steady as a rock. All they needed to do was simple: stay alive and evade the attacks of the few mantis ghosts that had breached the camp. The camp's defensive structures would handle the rest! Just then— A mantis ghost lunged from the shadows, leaping into the air with twin blades bared and screeching as it slashed down toward Chen Fan and the others. Lightning flashed. Chen Fan could even make out the fine fuzz beside the creature's mouth. Chalk-white and gruesome. "Clang!" God-Slaying Spear in hand, Quehou stepped forward immediately and raised the weapon to block the strike. Yet the tremendous impact slammed him straight to the ground, though it succeeded in thwarting the mantis ghost's ambush. The next instant, a crossbow bolt streaked through the rain. A direct hit. Robbed of the chance to strike again, the mantis ghost froze in midair, then crashed dead onto the rain-swept wall. ... In just several tens of breaths, the battle drew to a close. Outside the wall, ghost creature corpses littered the ground, and one section of the perimeter stood precarious. Inside the camp, not a single living ghost creature remained. "..." Chen Fan swept his gaze across the others, then looked down inside the wall. Not a single person was injured. Zhou Mo, who had been asleep, had also been awakened. He now stood gasping in the rainy night, broadsword in hand, blood oozing from the web of his hand as he looked up at Chen Fan. Chen Fan had never clashed directly with a mantis ghost in close quarters. A single, well-placed bolt from a Level 2 arrow tower could instantly kill a mantis ghost. However— He had just seen with his own eyes that Zhou Mo, after trading only a few blows with a single mantis ghost, could barely defend himself. Even so, the repeated clashes had torn the flesh between his thumb and forefinger, drawing blood. With the strength of a Level 2 cultivator and an exotic treasure in hand, he was still incapable of facing a cannon-fodder mantis ghost head-on. Ghost creatures... such entities were simply not something mortal flesh could match directly. Even cultivators found it arduous. And that was inside the camp, where there was light. Out in the Eternal Night, surrounded by dense blackness with zero visibility, Zhou Mo would not have lasted three exchanges before falling to a mantis ghost's blade. Chen Fan looked toward the sedan in the gray mist beyond the camp. At this point! The ghost creatures encircling the camp tonight had been wiped out to the last, leaving only that sedan. "Is it retreating?" Chen Fan frowned slightly as he watched the blood-red sedan slowly pulling back into the gray mist. This female ghost was far too intelligent—a massive threat. If allowed to withdraw, she would surely return next time with an even greater horde. Yet he had no good recourse. He could only watch her retreat, for the arrow towers could only strike creatures within the camp's boundaries. The next moment— The four bamboo pole ghosts carrying the sedan backed up several meters, then abruptly bolted toward the camp. Accelerating rapidly, they charged straight inside with the sedan on their shoulders. The moment they crossed into the camp, the sedan violently exploded. It shattered into countless fragments that embedded themselves into the ground. The four bamboo pole ghosts were blown to pieces as well. "Ahahaha!!!" A shrill, eerie burst of mad laughter instantly enveloped the entire camp. A completely naked female ghost stood barefoot on the ground, gazing up at the figures on the wall. Her cheeks were pale as snow, bearing no resemblance to the face of the living. Her features were delicate and exquisite, like a masterpiece sculpted by a master craftsman. Her eyes held no pupils, only a swirling, chaotic abyss of black, while her lips were unnaturally crimson. A cascade of pitch-black hair fell past her waist, hanging down to her calves. Beautiful. That was Chen Fan's first impression—so stunning that she hardly seemed a ghost creature at all, but rather an earthly siren. A woman without clothes did not inherently possess much beauty; it was often clothing that veiled and revealed that accentuated grace. Yet— The female ghost before him wore not a single thread, standing unclad between heaven and earth. There was not the slightest trace of vulgarity about her; instead, she radiated a cold, noble aura.