Level Up in Martial World

Lu Zhen surveyed the remaining army with a smirk, noting that while a few of the demonic trees still stood, the majority had been dispatched by the second-stage martial artists.

With the combined assault of thousands of second-stage martial artists, the demonic trees stood no chance.

As the last few remaining trees faced imminent elimination, Lu Zhen's expression hardened, his gaze turning stern as he focused on the army before him.

"Ready your aim," he commanded.

Instantly, arrows engulfed in flames were drawn and aimed skyward by countless soldiers, their brows held high.

Even Zhang Shi wielded a bow, his aim fixed on the heavens. Xia Mei and the other women followed suit, their bows raised and pointed upwards.

Lu Zhen scrutinised the surroundings, able to discern almost everyone's trajectory and aim. Satisfied, he nodded approvingly.

Though some bows seemed slightly off target, the majority of the army had accurately aligned their shots with the intended trajectory.

While he noted those who made some flaws, he looked at the army in front of him.

"Fire," Lu Zhen roared with the support of his Qi, which was already merging with his true form.

His voice travelled wide and far; however, it suddenly stopped at the wall. He didn't want to alert his enemies like a fool.

Boom!

Everyone released their strings with stern expressions on their faces.

The arrows travelled with their tips lightened with fire; it looked more like an apocalypse.

However, this time the enemy army seemed to have been prepared already.

"Get in formation," Qian Li, one of the second-stage martial artists, spoke with a grimace on his face. The countless arrows really looked like a doomsday, covering the entire sky in a sea of flames.

Qian Li, who spoke, seemed to be the highest-ranked person, as the soldiers, even the second-stage martial artists, gathered in groups before they raised their black shields, which had intricate patterns.

Qian Li himself held his shield aloft, extending it forward as his Qi infused the shield, causing it to glow brightly.

His actions mirrored those of his soldiers, their shields resonating in unison to create a peculiar harmony among them.

As the arrows hurtled toward them with terrifying force, seemingly propelled by the relentless pull of gravity, a sudden shift occurred.

An avatar of a fearsome being materialised from all the glowing ominous black shields.

This avatar took the form of a creature shrouded in darkness, its skeletal frame draped in a hooded cloak.

Only its skull was visible, its eye sockets empty yet seemingly containing the depths of an abyss.

In its hand, it wielded a long scythe that was at least nine metres tall, even bigger than the avatar who was seven metres tall.

The grim reaper!

The grim reaper's presence instilled a newfound confidence in Qian Li, elevating his spirits to unprecedented heights in an instant.

Standing amidst the void, the grim reaper avatar exuded an ominous aura of death.

As the sea of flames surged toward it, the avatar glanced at the approaching inferno before raising its scythe and swinging it toward the sea of flames.

Boom!

An intensely chilling aura pervaded the entire surroundings, enveloping the entire city within its icy grip.

Even from miles away, Lu Zhen could sense the ominous presence looming over the battlefield.

"A first-stage martial realm avatar?" Lu Zhen pondered with a furrowed brow. "This was not part of my calculations, and judging by its aura, it's anything but ordinary."

He observed as the pure Qi in the atmosphere underwent a peculiar transformation, turning frigid and sinister.

"If I'm not mistaken, the surrounding area's Pure Qi has entirely turned to Yin Qi," Lu Zhen deduced, his eyes widening with realisation.

Despite the distance, he could feel a chill creeping into his bones. Yet, with a mere circulation of his own plant Qi, he dispelled the cold sensation effortlessly.

"Utilise your Qi and channel it through your meridians," he commanded, issuing instructions to those around him as he turned away to focus on the unfolding events.

Every person here was a martial artist so they had even a slight amount of Qi which they could circulate and instantly the chilling sensation in their body vanished causing them to heave a sigh of relief.

He looked at his woman who had long since used their Qi to ward off the yin Qi and nodded his head with admiration.

"They aren't mere vases, after all," Lu Zhen remarked. He hadn't needed to search for his general; he had carefully selected them himself. How could they be simple person?

Lu Zhen suddenly turned around and surveyed the barren city, devoid of any signs of life, and heaved a sigh of relief. "Luckily, I imposed a lockdown and even installed isolating formations inside these mortal houses."

As he refocused on the battlefield, the surrounding Yin Qi finally began to dim, while the avatar of the Grim Reaper stood stoically with a scythe slung over its shoulder.

Lu Zhen felt a twinge of disappointment. He hadn't expected the army's avatar to be so terrifying that not even a scratch befell it despite the onslaught of the sea of fire.

According to Lu Zhen's estimation, if a normal first-stage martial artist were to collide with such an attack, they would surely be seriously injured.

However, in actual combat, no one would be foolish enough to face such a barrage head-on, especially a first-stage martial artist.

After all, a first-stage martial artist wasn't foolish; reaching marital level couldn't be achieved without possessing battle awareness.

"Attack," Qian Li commanded fiercely, his battle spirit erupting as he supplied a steady stream of Qi into the shield.

Internally, he mused, "Too bad these avatar creations require so many resources, drawing on the continuous supply from millions of soldiers and even draining their life force."

His expression turned cold as he observed the soldiers around him, some of whom had already fallen due to the loss of vitality.

Yet, strangely, the others seemed unperturbed.

These armies felt no pain and were incredibly obedient to the commands of their superiors; such obedience was ingrained in their bloodline.

Looking at the other second-stage martial artists, Qian Li nodded with a determined smile. "Let's crush that bastard," he declared, his expression hardening with resolve.

Boom!

Suddenly, a sea of fire erupted from the ground, unleashing an intense heat that instantly engulfed nearly a thousand soldiers in its fiery embrace.

Qian Li was shocked to see these.