Half an hour later, a long howl suddenly erupted from the dense forest near the demon fortress, followed by flashes of emerald light. Over a hundred colossal wooden giants, each several dozen zhang tall, materialized out of thin air among the trees and charged toward the fortress at a furious sprint.
Trailing behind these giants, thousands of Wood Clan members surged forth, each standing atop various flying artifacts.
Emerald wooden spears and bows materialized in their hands. With a lift of their arms, countless streaks of green light rained toward the fortress in a dense barrage.
Whether spear or arrow, the instant they left their hands, each projectile swelled several times over to enormous size.
The fortress's protective barrier instantly erupted with countless blinding bursts of light, and deafening booms rang out in an unending cascade.
By then, the hundred-plus wooden giants had already reached the fortress walls. With a swing of their arms, they transformed into enormous iron hammers wreathed in flashing white light and pounded against the barrier in a frenzied assault.
A piercing ripping sound thundered through the air!
Under the violent shaking, the fortress barrier shattered inch by inch in a matter of moments.
The entire process lasted only a few breaths before the ordinary demons stationed atop the walls finally reacted. Shrill alarm calls rose one after another along the ramparts, and waves of black light poured downward from the walls, blanketing the Wood Clan forces below like rain.
In an instant, an intensely fierce battle erupted before the fortress.
Black and green light interwove and flashed overhead, forming a vast net of radiance that crackled and boomed without cease.
Those wooden giants appeared somewhat clumsy, but their entire bodies were harder than steel. Ordinary demon attacks struck them and left nothing but shallow dents and pockmarks, utterly incapable of inflicting any real damage.
In short order, they had already smashed enormous breaches in the fortress walls and charged through without the slightest hesitation.
The giants seemed to possess innate, monstrous strength. Under the whirlwind of their hammer-formed fists, every demon that stood in their path was sent flying in a shower of blood and flesh, and they led the rest of the Wood Clan forces into the midst of the demon ranks in a single decisive push.
But this move instantly enraged the high-ranking demons among the fortress garrison. With a sharp command from a senior demon, deep roars echoed from several enormous structures within the fortress, and over a dozen rhinoceros-type demon beasts, each several dozen zhang long, burst forth.
These colossal beasts, their eyes bloodshot, opened their maws and spat forth column after column of pale white light. The beams flashed and vanished in an instant, slamming into the wooden giants.
Over a dozen of the giants staggered badly, nearly toppling to the ground!
Where the light columns had struck, charred, gaping holes now marred their bodies.
The next moment, the remaining wooden giants clenched their fists and charged headlong at the demon beasts.
The colossal beasts refused to back down either. They lowered their heads and lunged forward like a raging gale, instantly locking into combat with the hundred-plus wooden giants.
Amid earth-shattering roars and howls, neither side managed to gain a clear advantage.
At the same time, high in the sky thousands of zhang above the ground, the Wood Clan elder and the middle-aged man and woman were locked in a standoff against four demon cultivators clad in crimson armor.
"Hmph, so that's why you've grown so bold — you've called in reinforcements. No matter. Once this old fellow is eliminated, I doubt there are any higher-ranking Wood Clan members left in the vicinity." The senior demon — his face covered in stiff black bristles, his appearance resembling that of a massive bear — swept his gaze over the elder. Rather than showing any alarm, a cruel grin spread across his features.
Upon hearing these words, the Wood Clan man and woman exchanged a subtle look, their expressions shifting. But the elder's face remained unchanged. He replied with perfect composure: "Just you few at the Deity Transformation stage? Your boasting is rather excessive. Allow me to test exactly what you're capable of first."
"If they won't do, then what about me?"
With a tremendous rumble, spatial fluctuations rippled outward, and a dark figure materialized in a flash amid the four high-ranking demons, its cold gaze fixed on the opposition.
It was a man in a dark robe with a grim, angular face, two horns growing from his head and a pair of small, triangular eyes that radiated threads of cruelty.
The Wood Clan elder swept his spiritual sense over the newcomer, and his heart sank immediately.
This newly arrived high-ranking demon was a late-stage Void Refining cultivator — a full two minor stages above his own early Void Refining realm. There was little chance he could prevail.
The Wood Clan man and woman could not discern the demon's exact cultivation level, but they could sense that his aura surpassed even the elder's. Their faces turned extremely grim.
"Inspector, how fortunate that you've arrived! Otherwise, things would have truly become dire. These Wood Clan members are the leaders of the resistance forces in this area. I trust we can trouble you to lend a hand." The bear-like demon bowed respectfully toward the horned man.
"Heh heh, just these three? With such meager cultivation, I could exterminate them all with one hand. Rest assured — since I've encountered them personally, I'll make certain they don't escape." The horned man let out a wild laugh, his face brimming with contempt.
"Fellow Daoists, the situation is dire! I'll hold this old demon off with everything I have. The rest of you, retreat immediately — take as many with you as you can!" The Wood Clan elder took a deep breath, forced down the alarm in his heart, and swiftly transmitted his voice to the man and woman through spiritual communication.
"Elder Zhu, you must not fight this demon head-on. If any opportunity arises, you must retreat as well!" The pair's hearts lurched at his words. The man hurriedly sent back a transmitted message of his own.
The elder nodded gravely, saying nothing more. Instead, he swept both sleeves forward, and over a dozen green wooden spheres shot out. With a flash, they transformed into a dense cloud of green light and hurtled toward the opposition, engulfing all five demons within it.