By this point, after the fierce fighting, the enemy's Morning Star combatants were all bearing various injuries, and being focused entirely on breaking through, they had barely any fighting strength left—they were practically free contributions.
Lei Lin's decision to withdraw at this moment was the very model of selfless nobility, and he immediately received many grateful gazes—though, of course, there were no shortage of those who looked at him as if he were a fool.
But Lei Lin paid them no heed at all, retreating to the rear with a stony expression to rest and recover, watching the battle unfold before him.
"Right now they have no heart for battle, but if they eventually realize they still can't break through, their final desperate strike will be truly terrifying! Most importantly—I'm not a priest of the Eye of Judgment! There's absolutely no benefit in me working myself to the bone for their sake…"
Lei Lin shook his head, harboring his own plans.
"Besides, now is the moment!"
"Chip! Execute the previously established Plan One!"
【Ding! Task established! Plan initiated! Agent One preparing!】the Chip reported faithfully.
"Excellent! Bloodline seal—release!"
Following Lei Lin's will, the dormant bloodline power within him began to rage uncontrollably. Although the Myriad Serpent Curse Seal simultaneously absorbed a great deal of the bloodline energy, the power of a Fifth Rank Warlock gradually reawakened within Lei Lin.
"This feeling—this is the true power of a Warlock! Shadow Puppet!" Lei Lin was so exhilarated he nearly roared aloud, but he forced himself to hold back. Time was tight, and a magic template was rapidly being assembled.
An exact duplicate of Lei Lin materialized as a shadow puppet on the spot. With the Chip's intelligent assistance, it could simulate every detail of Lei Lin with perfect realism—even an acquaintance wouldn't be able to tell the difference, let alone these strangers.
Meanwhile, beneath the sea surface where Lei Lin stood, a massive serpent shadow shot forth like a black arrow loosed from a bow, vanishing swiftly into the deep ocean. Thanks to the giant serpent's innate concealment properties and the aid of shadow power, none of those focused on the battlefield noticed a thing.
"True Eye of the Evil King! Death Ray!"
The battlefield had now reached its most intense phase. Several guardians were fleeing in all directions only to be blocked again, with fierce fighting erupting everywhere. In the very center of the battlefield, a massive phantom figure of an Evil Eye loomed into view.
The innate ability unleashed by Evil Eye Elder Beclark was far more powerful than what Gegeduoer had displayed before. Not only was the phantom it summoned virtually solid, but the death rays shot from its pupils were incredibly dense, carrying an overwhelming aura of death.
"My lord, Wings of Fluctuation! Master of Chaos! Bestow your humble gaze upon this servant and help your faithful follower escape this predicament…"
Faced with such a death ray, even Governor Iyas dared not be careless.
Amid the fervent chanting, the Exalted Filthbird behind him immediately descended with a torrent of gray corruption power, without even demanding any sacrifice.
This was the privilege of a Fourth Rank Priest—they could receive power first and settle the score with sacrifices and offerings after the battle.
The gray corruption power spread across Iyas's entire body, not only suppressing all of his injuries but also continuously pouring into the Night Eagle beneath him.
"Scree!" With a piercing eagle's cry, the enormous Night Eagle's form seemed to be draped in a layer of gray feathers, its body swelling significantly as it began to transcend its night eagle shape, growing ever more similar in appearance to the Filthbird.
The transformed Night Eagle radiated an even more formidable aura, showing faint signs of breaking through the confines of the Fourth Rank. Driving a terrifying gale before it, it charged headlong to meet the death ray hurtling toward it.
A massive explosion of crimson light erupted with a muffled roar, so blinding that even the Morning Star powerhouses couldn't look directly at it. From the center of the blast, several gray feathers—utterly lifelike—drifted down continuously.
After the blinding light dissipated, the Night Eagle flew back to Iyas's side, showing barely any visible injuries, but the death ray from before had vanished without a trace.
"Heh heh! To be able to combine the Path of Ritual with Beast Soul Arts to this degree, Iyas, you're not half bad!"
Beklark seemed somewhat surprised as it spoke: "The eyes you have now are worthy of being added to my collection!"
As soul fluctuations rippled outward, the imposing phantom of the Eye of Judgment materialized behind Beklark, and vast quantities of golden lightning flickered into existence in the air above.
"Judgment!" "Judgment!" "Judgment!"
The sizzling of lightning grinding against lightning, the faint howling of wild wind—the multitude of sounds seemed to merge into a collective roar. The mighty power of Judgment descended ceaselessly through unknown channels in the unseen realm. Belinda and the other ritualists felt their spirits stir as well, as if they too had received some benefit.
"Heh heh! The gap between ranks makes effort meaningless. I am a Fifth-Rank ritualist—I can even draw down a trace of the power of Judgment! Under my Lord's judgment, all filth can only be utterly incinerated!"
Beklark's expression was one of absolute devotion, and as it made its proclamation, torrents of golden lightning rained down, sweeping away every last trace of the gray, tainted power.
When the gray, tainted power encountered the golden lightning, it dispersed with breathtaking speed, like fresh snow meeting the blazing sun.
Iyas, watching this scene unfold, turned deathly pale.
This wasn't because the Foul Bird was inferior to the Eye of Judgment—it was simply that his ritualist rank was far below his opponent's, and the power he could call upon fell far short by comparison.