The skeleton army moved first. A grayish-white wave surged from the front, the sound of bones grinding against each other growing louder and denser like the tide.

Skeleton Warriors were in the front, and Skeleton Archers were in the back; infantry and archers coordinated in a disciplined formation.

Five thousand skeletons stepped in unison, their footsteps blending into a dense, continuous sound like countless ants gnawing on bone.

The Undead Army followed behind the sea of skeletons. Four Undead Knights cruised along the sides of the phalanx, the hooves of their Skeleton Warhorses leaving deep prints in the ground.

Meng Yi stood in the center of the Great Qin Elite Soldiers' phalanx, his halberd propped on the ground. His gaze swept over the sea of skeletons, landing on the Necromancers floating in the distance.

Without looking back, his voice was as steady as iron: "Steady. Wait for the order."

The sea of skeletons advanced to three hundred meters.

"Two hundred meters."

Meng Yi raised his right fist, then swung it down abruptly. "Three-stage volley—Fire!"

The first row of Elite Soldiers crouched, the second row knelt, and the third row stood.

Eight hundred Qin Crossbows fired ❀ Nоvеlігht ❀ (Don’t copy, read here) simultaneously. Arrows poured down like a rainstorm, pinning themselves into the front row of the skeleton sea.

Skeleton Warriors fell one after another, their bones shattering and soulfire extinguishing.

As one row fell, the next row filled in. The Necromancer waved his staff, and a dark light swept over the fallen skeletons. Dozens of shattered bone fragments began to squirm, reassembling and climbing back up from the ground.

"Second row, fire!" The arrows flew over the heads of the front row, pinning into the middle of the skeleton sea.

The Necromancer waved his staff again, resurrecting another batch. The number of skeletons in the sea barely decreased.

The Skeleton Archers entered range and began to return fire. Black bone arrows sliced through the air, landing in the Great Qin Elite Soldiers' phalanx, thudding densely against black armor and halberds.

The effect of Great Qin Military Soul: Elite Soldiers had already activated once the numbers exceeded 1,900—increasing total defense by thirty-five and block probability by twenty percent.

Most of the arrows were blocked and deflected; the few that hit armor plates only left shallow marks.

Several Elite Soldiers in the front row were hit in the shoulders and arms. They grunted but did not fall.

Su Yurou's bone healing staff glowed with emerald light as several Healing Spells landed precisely.

The Undead Archers also began to shoot. Their black arrows carried Shadow energy, moving faster and hitting harder.

An arrow pinned into an Elite Soldier's breastplate, the tip sinking an inch into his flesh.

The Elite Soldier glanced down, yanked it out, threw it on the ground, and continued reloading his crossbow.

Su Yurou's Healing Spell landed once more, and the wound closed.

"Third row, fire!" The third row of Elite Soldiers fired, their arrows swarming like locusts toward the back of the skeleton sea.

Skeleton Archers had their skulls pierced, their bodies crashing to the ground in a heap of bone shards.

The Three-stage volley cycled repeatedly. The arrows almost never stopped, their rhythm like a drumbeat, like a precision killing machine.

The front row of the skeleton sea had been shot to pieces, with shattered bones piling up into small mounds.

The Necromancers continuously resurrected the fallen skeletons, but their mana was depleting rapidly.

After several rounds, the low-level Necromancers' mana was nearly empty, and the dark light at the tips of their staves began to flicker.

Meng Yi raised his halberd and pointed forward. "Arrowhead—Advance!"

Five phalanxes stepped in unison. Their synchronized footsteps sounded like a roll of muffled thunder across the ground.

The front row of Elite Soldiers held their halberds level, pointing the tips at the skeleton sea. The middle row held their Qin Crossbows level, firing as they walked. The back row held their halberds high, ready to replace the front row at any moment.

The sea of skeletons surged forward. The front row of Skeleton Warriors rushed before the Great Qin Elite Soldiers, their rusted iron swords slashing at the soldiers' chests.

Instead of retreating, the Elite Soldiers advanced. They held their halberds horizontally, the shafts parrying the iron swords. "Clang—" The sound of metal clashing exploded at the front line.

With a flick of the wrist, an Elite Soldier pressed down the skeleton's iron sword with his halberd shaft. Taking advantage of the opening, he thrust the halberd tip upward from below, piercing the skeleton's jaw and coming out through the top of its skull.

With a twist, the bones shattered and the soulfire was extinguished.

The Elite Soldier pulled out his halberd, kicked away the corpse, and stabbed at the next one.

The orders of the Commanders of Five Hundred and Centurions rose and fell within the phalanxes. "Spear Array: Cheval de Frise—Rise!"

A Commander of Five Hundred shouted.

The soldiers under his command pointed their halberd tips diagonally forward and crouched slightly, their shafts lined up to form a barrier of iron spikes.

Skeleton Warriors rushed forward, crashing into the halberd tips. They were impaled and stuck; those behind them stepped up and were also impaled.

The halberd tips repeatedly pierced through the skeleton crowd like a meat grinder. Grayish-white bones shattered, crumbled, and turned to dust under the tips.

"Arrowhead: Breakthrough—Charge!" another Commander of Five Hundred shouted.

The phalanx changed formation. With halberd shafts held level and bodies leaning forward, they sliced into the skeleton sea like a sharp knife. Their halberds stabbed repeatedly, tearing a hole in the sea of skeletons.

The skeleton army also had its own officers.

A Skeleton Centurion raised a bone sword, the soulfire in its eye sockets much brighter than those of ordinary skeletons. It stood in the center of the phalanx, pointing its bone sword at the Great Qin Elite Soldiers, and the Skeleton Warriors' advance speed increased slightly.

A Great Qin Commander of Five Hundred noticed it. He flanked around from the side and raised his Qin Crossbow—Rapid Fire!

Five crossbow bolts were fired in succession. Three pinned into the Skeleton Centurion's chest, triggering a Root effect.

The Skeleton Centurion froze in place, its bone sword held mid-air.

The Great Qin Commander of Five Hundred's halberd pierced its skull from the side. With one thrust, it went through, and the soulfire was extinguished.

The surrounding Skeleton Warriors lost their command and began to wander aimlessly.

Just as the Great Qin Elite Soldiers were advancing steadily, several black spears suddenly thrust out from the gaps in the skeleton sea.

Using the skeletons as cover, the Undead Warriors thrust their spears from a low stance. The spear tips passed under the skeletons' ribs and over their shoulders, aiming straight for the Elite Soldiers' throats and abdomens.

Several Elite Soldiers in the front row were caught off guard and hit by the spears. The tips pierced through the gaps in their armor plates, sinking several inches into their flesh.

One Elite Soldier grunted as his health bar dropped by nearly a hundred, his footsteps faltering. Another was hit in the shoulder, and his Bronze sword slipped from his hand.

The Commander of Five Hundred shouted: "Watch out for the undead behind the skeletons! Drive them back!"

The front-row Elite Soldiers switched from stabbing to sweeping. Their halberds swung across, shattering the skeletons in their way and forcing out the Undead Warriors hidden behind them.

The two sides engaged in close-quarters combat. Halberds clashed with spears, and Bronze swords parried bone swords, sending sparks flying.

On the west side of the phalanx, two Undead Knights charged from the flank.

The Skeleton Warhorses' hooves pounded the ground at extreme speed. The knights held black lances, their tips condensing Shadow energy as they lunged straight for the New Moon Legion's flank.

Jiang Zhaoyue immediately turned around, her silver moon sky spear held across her body. Her Valkyrie Aura lit up, increasing the attack and defense of nearby allies.

"New Moon, turn! Shield array, engage the enemy!"

The Shield array quickly adjusted its direction, shields lined up and spears pointing diagonally.

The first Undead Knight reached the Shield array. Its lance struck a shield surface, and the massive impact sent the two soldiers in the front row flying. Their shields shattered, and they slammed onto the ground, coughing up blood.

The Undead Knight's momentum didn't slow. A sweep of its lance knocked down two more soldiers.

Jiang Zhaoyue rushed out from behind the Shield array. Her silver moon sky spear pierced the front leg of the Skeleton Warhorse. The horse neighed and pitched forward, throwing the Undead Knight from its back.