Having tasted success with the opening volley, the Heaven-Tyrant Crabs immediately pressed their natural advantage: close-quarters combat.
With monstrous defence and offensive might, once they closed the distance, annihilation was almost guaranteed. Few could escape.
Fighting spirit controllers in melee was troublesome and dangerous, of course, but against overwhelming numbers the disadvantaged side would always be the spirit controllers.
After the roar of command, the leading half-step Martial Saint crab himself charged the Tantai group.
Yet one had to admit the extraordinary methods of high-grade spirit controllers. Countless spiritual constructs (beasts, human figures, blades and swords) materialised around the Tantai team and savaged the charging crabs.
Many Heaven-Tyrant Crabs were wounded, sent flying, or even killed outright.
For a time the crimson tide could not break through.
Still, the crabs’ defences were truly terrifying. Of the humans, only the two seventh-grade advanced spirit controllers could consistently kill them despite the barrage of spiritual constructs.
In truth, seventh-grade spirit controllers also possessed mind-control and enslavement techniques, but spirit-beast minds differed from human ones. Apart from the Bimu Clan, whose nuclei were not in their heads, most spirit beasts kept their nucleus in the brain, making control extremely difficult.
Add the crabs’ natural helmet-like shells, and the Tantai experts could not seize mental control at all.
On Lin Xiao’s side, although the shockwaves had separated him from the main Wang group, countless Heaven-Tyrant Crabs swarmed him. His close-combat prowess, however, was overwhelming. Almost one swing of the pillar equalled one crab sent flying; some were smashed to pieces and died on the spot.
Even so, Lin Xiao could not help marvelling at their defences. Every strike felt like hitting solid metal; his arms tingled from the recoil.
Clang! Clang! Clang!
Harsh metallic clashes rang out everywhere as fierce melee erupted across the battlefield, especially among the half-step Martial Saint powerhouses.
The human side began suffering casualties very quickly.
Even half-step Martial Saints, already tied down by equal opponents, were wounded repeatedly under focused assaults and the suicidal charges of countless crabs.
Sssk!
Over with the Jiang Clan, the grey-robed youth at Ninth Layer Martial Emperor suddenly exploded with power. He blasted away both his direct opponents and waves of Heaven-Tyrant Crabs.
The strength he revealed had sharply risen; it actually surpassed the Jiang Clan’s own half-step Martial Saints.
“A genius who can sweep half-step Martial Saints?” Even the Bimu half-step Martial Saint fighting elsewhere was shocked.
The youth’s erupted battle power clearly exceeded his own.
If the two fought one-on-one, defeat would be certain, and it would not take long.
He might not even be able to escape.
That youth’s combat strength was simply too terrifying.
Half-step Martial Saint meant one had walked a long distance atop Ninth Layer Martial Emperor and already had half a foot inside the true Martial Saint realm. One more half-step and breakthrough would follow.
In terms of cultivation, yes, but in actual combat strength the gap between half-step and true Martial Saint was still heaven and earth. There remained vast room for improvement within the half-step realm itself.
Only Reverse-Saint monsters, or those infinitely close to that level, could completely fill that strength interval before reaching Martial Saint.
The Jiang youth was clearly such a monster.
Still at Ninth Layer Martial Emperor, not yet half-step, he already surpassed veteran half-step Martial Saints like themselves.
Thus, after he fully unleashed his power, Heaven-Tyrant Crabs fell by the hundreds and thousands.
Only now did everyone understand why the Jiang group had been so arrogant.
Three half-step Martial Saints plus one youth stronger than half-step Martial Saints, unless they met truly overwhelming numbers, almost nothing could shake the Jiang team.
Lin Xiao was equally astonished inside.
This was the first time he had seen someone beneath Martial Saint display such overwhelming might.
Still, he was confident his Sealing Heaven Stone Hand far surpassed even that youth.
If nothing unexpected happened, he had already completely filled the strength interval between half-step Martial Saint and true Martial Saint.
He could probably contend with actual Martial Saints; he simply hadn’t tested it yet.
Even with the Jiang youth’s eruption, the beast clans retained an enormous advantage.
They quickly detached two half-step Martial Saints to gang up on the youth, immediately putting him on the back foot.
A while later, the first Wang family member fell.
At that moment Wang Qi, closest to Lin Xiao, suddenly burst with terrifying aura. His combat strength shot upward in a straight line, blasting away waves of crabs and rushing to rescue the rest of his clan.
The power he revealed was on par with the Jiang youth, stronger than every other half-step Martial Saint present.
“Strength surpassing half-step Martial Saint?” Lin Xiao was stunned.
He had underestimated Wang Qi. Not only could a Seventh Layer Martial Emperor fight at Ninth Layer level, he could actually overwhelm half-step Martial Saints.
Now Lin Xiao understood why everyone obeyed Wang Qi without question.
He was not merely the Wang family young master; within this team, he was the strongest fighter.
With both status and strength, who would dare disobey?
Once Wang Qi joined the rescue, no more Wang family members died.
Of course, this also drew pursuit from the Tianluo Spirit Snail half-step Martial Saint.
The battle dragged on; the human side remained at a severe disadvantage.
Lin Xiao’s personal combat strength was monstrous, but the beast clans had not assigned too many troops against him, so he did not yet need to unleash his full power.
In critical moments he occasionally used spiritual attacks, but never spiritual abilities.
After all, the Tantai Clan’s high-grade spirit controllers were present. Drawing their attention would only invite trouble.
As for revealing the Sealing Heaven Stone Hand, he was in no hurry.
The Jiang Clan, Tantai Clan, and even the Wang Clan had all attacked his mother in the past. He had no duty to save them.
On the contrary, the more of them that died, the better. In the end he could reap the final profit.
Of course, Wang Qi had treated him well. If real danger appeared, Lin Xiao would help him.
As for the rest of the Wang family, he would offer minor assistance if convenient, but nothing more.
The war raged for several hours.
Apart from the special spirit pool, the entire region had been levelled flat.
More than half the humans from the three clans had fallen; even half-step Martial Saints had perished.
The beast-clan losses were equally catastrophic; countless Heaven-Tyrant Crabs had died, too many to count.
Yet thanks to sheer numbers, not a single beast-clan half-step Martial Saint had fallen.
Then the fighting continued for an entire additional day.
