The four summoned units in Lin Mo's field turned into motes of light as they were sacrificed to one of the strongest Unit Cards of the Celestial Beasts deck. The same unit that he randomly summoned using a Spell Card before during the Alpha Test of the Celestial Duel Gear.

Liu Xiaoyu, who still remembered how she lost at the absurdity of that random summon, excitedly cheered. "Go, Boss! Take it down!"

A pillar of pure, emerald light erupted from Lin Mo's Celestial Field, seemingly silencing the chaotic sound emerging from all directions. The oppressive effect of the Aetheric Field recoiled as if deflected, lightening the pressure on the cultivators' shoulders.

The [Jadevein Qilin] materialized in all its majestic glory. Its jade-like scales shimmered, its starlight mane flowed, and its emerald eyes fixed on the distant fortress with an ancient, unwavering authority. Its presence somehow became amplified by Lin Mo's own Perfect Foundation and Starlight Attunement.

He only expected it to exert at most a strength similar to a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator but that amplification brought it up to the late Nascent Soul Stage. And with its contained effect inside Lin Mo's Celestial Field as a spiritual projection of a divine beast, it could stand toe to toe against Liu Zhongzhu's peak Nascent Soul Stage strength.

With a majestic roar that was akin to an absolute yet serene command, the Qilin stomped on the ground.

A wave of vibrant, emerald energy spread from its hoof, and the ground itself seemed to come alive. Vines of solidified, jade-like spiritual energy erupted, snaking towards the fortress gates with impossible speed.

"Master Liu, now!" Lin Mo's voice cut through the awe-filled silence.

Liu Zhongzu didn't need to be told twice. He and the seventy elite experts dashed forward, using the path cleared by the Qilin's power as their highway to the fortress.

The Vindicators on the fortress walls, having recovered from their initial shock, unleashed a coordinated volley of Aether-laced crossbow bolts. The bolts were massive, each one the size of a spear, and they streaked through the air with a deadly, silent hum. The formation linking them was not only amplifying their defenses but also their attacks.

However, with how quickly the cultivators buffed with [Basic Card Talismans] and [Spirit Embodiment Sticker Seals] moved, they never reached their targets.

The [Jadevein Qilin] raised its head. With its emerald horns glowing, a translucent barrier of pure jade light materialized in front of the charging cultivators, intercepting the entire volley.

The Aether-bolts shattered against it like glass, their metallic energy dissipating harmlessly.

Then, the Qilin took a single step forward. Its divine presence was causing the Aether in the surroundings to churn.

The fortress gates, forged from a thick, dark alloy and reinforced with Aetheric runes, were the main obstacle. They were designed to withstand a siege, barring the challengers of the Anchor from going to the next Area.

The Qilin's horn glowed again. And then, a single, thin beam of concentrated, emerald light shot forth.

The Centurion inside the fortress jumped out to block it but the beam acted like a silent drill of pure fundamental law.

It shoved the Centurion back into the fortress before it struck the center of the gates.

The Aether-forged alloy and the defensive runes inscribed in it became unraveled before eventually exploding.

In seconds, a circular hole, large enough for ten men to walk through abreast, was bored through the seemingly impregnable gate.

The cultivators of the Eastern Abyssal Domain, led by Liu Zhongzhu, immediately charged through that hole, entering the fortress filled with enemies.

"Charge! Take down the links to destabilize the core of their formations," Liu Zhongzu roared with laughter as he was the first to charge through the opening, his fists already crackling with a storm of lightning.

Inside the fortress, hundreds of Legionaries were forming shield walls, their Decanus leaders barking commands handed down by the Centurion. Turma cavalry were mounting their reptile steeds, preparing for a flanking charge.

And at the center of the fortress's main courtyard, standing before a larger, more fortified structure that was likely the Area Core's chamber, were the Centurion who had been thrown back by the Qilin. His face, barely visible from his helmet, was etched with a grim expression that bordered on suicidal fury.

He was flanked by five Decurions, his elite personal guard, mounted in their own steeds. His aura flared to life as a powerful wave of metallic zeal reaching the peak of the Nascent Soul Stage clashed against the spiritual pressure of Liu Zhongzhu and the other experts.

"For the Prime Conclave! For the Covenant!" The Centurion roared a battle cry. "Purge these chaotic anomalies! Prevent them from charging into the next Area! No retreat! No surrender!"

The battle for the fortress had begun.

Liu Zhongzu met the charge of the Turma cavalry head-on. His body became a living storm of wind and thunder. Each punch was a thunderclap and each kick a gale-force wind that sent the armored riders and their mounts flying.

He was a one-man army that quickly folded the Decurions leading the cavalry.

The other Nascent Soul experts followed his lead. The Sect Master who had just broken incinerated entire squads of Legionaries. Another, a reclusive clan head known for his earth-based arts, stomped his foot, and the ground of the fortress courtyard turned to quicksand, trapping a shield wall in place as they were picked off by Core Formation experts.

Even though there were more than double their numbers, the Vindicators failed to lock them in or link together to deal with them.

The Vindicators' strength lay in their perfect, interlocking formations. But faced with an enemy that had a dozen different ways to break those formations, their rigid doctrine collapsed.

Meanwhile, Lin Mo and his group remained behind again. They acted like a command and control center, as well as a rapid-response unit while watching the converging Vindicators from different directions to reinforce the fortress.

"Yan Wei, Zhou Rui!" Lin Mo's command cut through the din. "A group of Decais is attempting to rally the broken squads on the eastern wall! Intercept them! Do not let them reform!"

"Hmph! Leave it to me!" Yan Wei sneered, but his movements were a blur of green as he and the Azure Gale Sect Elders included in the seventy experts, shot towards the designated location.

"We are on it, Benefactor!" Zhou Rui replied. Likewise, some Crimson Vale Sect Elders moved alongside him to support Yan Wei's flank.

The two sects that used to butt heads against each other were not acting like an effective hammer-and-anvil combination.

"Sword Fairy," Lin Mo continued, "The enemy is attempting to use their long-range crossbows from the ramparts. They are targeting our support cultivators. You are the only one with the speed and precision to silence them."

"Mhm. I'm on it." Jiang Jianxin's reply was a whisper of wind as her form vanished, reappearing moments later atop the fortress walls in a flash of silver light. The sound of silent, deadly sword strikes followed, and the volleys of Aether-bolts ceased abruptly.

"Your Highnesses," Lin Mo said, turning to Wu Tianlong and Wu Meiyu. "Their command structure is their weakness. The Centurion is their core. Without him, the rest of the army will fall into disarray. Let's pave a way for Xiaoyu and her father to cut off the head of the snake.

Crown Prince Wu Tianlong's eyes gleamed with a warrior's fire. "An excellent strategy, Shopkeeper. Dragon General, Scholar Wei, with me!"

The trio, which Lin Mo dubbed as a perfect party consisting of a tank, support, and DPS, began cutting a direct path through the chaos towards the Centurion and his elite guard.

Wu Meiyu followed, taking up the second support role, her Celestial Field providing a constant stream of buffs while her summoned units intercepted any stragglers who tried to interfere. She didn't need to personality fight. She's more fond of taking up the mantle of the new profession, Celestial Duelist.

That left only Lin Mo and Liu Xiaoyu.

"Well, Boss," Xiaoyu said, cracking her knuckles with a grin. "Looks like everyone's got a job. Me too. What about you?"

"Me?" Lin Mo replied as he popped another [Energy Replenishing Candy] to maintain the Jadevein Qilin. After that, his spear materialized in his hand. "I naturally have to look after my prodigious assistant. Go and coordinate with your father. We'll help him take down the Area Boss and clear this stage before we get swarmed by their reinforcements."

Upon saying that, his [Stellar Domain] pulsed outwards like another layer of his Celestial Field.

A squad of Legionaries, attempting to intercept the Crown Prince's charge, suddenly found their movements becoming sluggish, their Aetheric link flickering erratically as the serene power of the stars disrupted their metallic zeal.

Lin Mo charged forward as he used [Crimson Flow Phantom Steps] to turn into a blur, following Liu Xiaoyu behind.

He didn't engage in prolonged combat. A thrust here, a sweep there. Each strike was infused with just enough starlight qi to find the gaps in their armor and extinguish the life within. His [Qi Solidification] created momentary walls or sharp spikes, tripping the charging cavalry and blocking counter-attacks, creating openings for his allies. The Jadevein Qilin also followed behind him, its pressure allowing him to dominate any Vindicators as long as they're not at the level of the Centurion.