--- Some time earlier ---
The undead soldiers slammed into the Ye Residence like a divine hammer. The scene from earlier was reversed, and it was the side of the cultivators that was crushed mercilessly. Warriors below the Nascent Soul Realm fell by the dozens, only to stand up again and attack their comrades.
The moment blue flares had been shot in the sky, the estate was suddenly swarming with warriors, like an angry swarm of bees. 13 official combat squads of the main family, 21 combat squads of the auxiliary family, various private troops, and smaller support battalions.
It was safe to say that the streets and hallways of the Ye Family Residence were clogged with people ready to fight, but most of them were just fodder for the horde. The great force they had assembled was their own weakness.
The people actually able to face even one of her undead soldiers were outnumbered 15 to one. The remaining 14 were busy increasing the number of lower undead that would further increase their advantage. Where the forces met in the outer section of the residence, the situation instantly tilted in favor of the undead horde.
What intrigued Evee was that the situation didn't tilt as fast as she expected. The Land of the Dead gave a 30% buff to all undead. However, the overall increase in power they showed was more like 15-20%. It meant something weakened them; however, it was not quantified as a debuff by the system.
Was this because of the formations hidden within the structure of the Ye Family? Evee was almost certain that whatever formations were laid in the outer perimeter of their estate, they hampered the undead slightly.
However, the horde didn't get to keep the upper hand for long. The immediate change forced the leaders to take action quickly.
"Anyone below the Nascent Soul realm retreat to the Inner Palace and ready the siege weapons!" A bellow shook the ancestral Ye residence. In the sky above the central palace floated a crowd led by 10 people.
The leaders were clearly a cut above the rest. 9 of them ranged between lv.140 and 155, while one of them, the man who gave the command, was a whopping lv.172. The crowd behind them was mostly made up of people in the early lv.120s, with a couple being just below that.
Overall, there were roughly 50 people above the Nascent Soul Realm, of which the sect leader was probably in the Dao Seeking Realm. Right after the command was issued, all of them took action and charged down into the outer sect.
"I guess it is time for me to step in," Evee mumbled, watching the ensuing scene.
The undead army, excluding the turned cultivators, was made up of 8000 undead, with each rivaling a cultivator at the peak of the Nascent Soul Realm, with many being above one depending on their rank. In a world of linear growth, this would have been an almost unbeatable force.
However, above lv.100, whether it was the system or the Voracious Cloud Continent, the disparity of levels was vast. Could the army take down the Spirit Severing Experts with their numbers? Probably. But the Dao Seeking Family Leader? No.
"I will come with you," Edward said, unsheathing his Whitehilt. However, Evee raised her hand to stop him.
"Don't. Those crazy undead cultivators would attack you, too. I can't spare my focus to keep them in check," she explained. Unwillingly, Edward nodded. It was clear that he didn't like watching her jump into danger, but he couldn't risk becoming a burden either.
"No need to worry, I'm just buying some time," she said with a smile.
---
Family Head Ye Mer observed the situation grimly. The rotten creatures attacking the family were hardly hampered by their formations and traps. Regular troops simply died and returned to kill their comrades.
Their elites managed to put up a fight, but were little more than a wet paper wall. Those among the elites who fell came back as even worse opponents. Unlike the soldiers, they attacked anything that moved, whether they were a warrior or a commoner.
He couldn't help but question how a formation that could cause this nightmare could exist. Where had a force of such terrifying and grotesque strength come from? But he had no time to waste on such idle thoughts.
"Anyone below the Nascent Soul realm retreat to the Inner Palace and ready the siege weapons!" he commanded the men. The number of beasts only grew stronger with the addition of weaklings, which were cut down like wheat.
"All combat squads are to cover their retreat." He added, using sound transmission with the captains of the combat squads and the elders behind him. A wet paper wall was still a wall. They just had to make sure the enemy didn't poke too many holes in it.
"Elders, you support the combat squads. I will activate the formations and join you afterward," he instructed the auxiliary family leaders, their advisors, the external and family elders, and anyone above the Nascent Soul Realm to act. Facing the strength and numbers, only cultivators of the Soul Severing Realm would be able to make an impact.
The elders dove into the crowd like tigers into a pack of wolves. Swords and shields, armor and bodies, broke, facing the Ye Family's Wave Sword Technique. Meanwhile, Ye Mer activated the family formations. Blue runes covering the whole residence lit up and filled the estate with the refreshing power of the ocean.
In this environment, the power and energy recovery of experts who learned the Ye Family Techniques was vastly improved. The Soul Severing experts below increased their effort with rejuvenated vigor to lessen the burden of the combat squads and cover the ongoing retreat to the inner courts.
Despite all that, their situation was dire. The elders were facing tens of enemies at once, while the members of the combat squads were still dying like mayflies. Even when using the formations, sword formations, and elders, the numerical advantage was too overwhelming.
The Ye Mer had to act quickly, even if it meant sacrificing half the residence. The buildings could be rebuilt, but he couldn't allow any more losses. The family head unsheathed his blade, circulating his true essence in the pattern of the Tsunami Dragon Blade when-
A black gauntlet appeared right before his eyes, aiming for his face. Muscle memory moved his sword, blocking the fist covered in black crystal. Only then did he have a moment to register the enemy that had suddenly appeared.
At the end of the arm encased in darkness was a female figure exuding a dreadful fog. Beyond the fog, her body was covered in dark fabrics and crystalline armor plates. Only her face was not covered; instead, she wore an exotic black crown. It was clearly defensive equipment, but not the style of the XiGuang Province.
No, the Family Head knew that this was not even a style native to the continent. He deflected the blade and immediately turned the movement into a horizontal slash, aiming for her torso. She vanished, only leaving smoke behind, and reappeared standing on a rotten ray, floating in the air.
"You…are an expert from the Verdant Twilight Province," he made his conclusion. The armor, the sorcery, everything was too foreign to the continent, but it perfectly fit the descriptions of the foreign world they had squeezed out of the captives.
"The what?"