From the end of the world

Chapter 736 Zhu Shi's Counterattack

Zhu Shi's words seemed to signal the start of a counterattack.

However, I don't quite understand how she, at such a significant disadvantage, could possibly reverse the situation. Aside from the Yama Sword in her hand, Zhu Shi herself shouldn't possess any power sufficient to change the course of the battle between the Great Impermanence and the Great Demon.

Soon, Zhu Shi handed in his answer sheet.

She suddenly changed her previous strategy of evasion and defense, and charged ahead to attack one of the opposing great demons. This sudden turn of events seemed to have caught even the opposing great demons off guard. Since ancient times, a counterattack has always been an easy way to exploit the psychological weakness of the pursuer.

However, the reason this surprise attack tactic is so unpredictable is due to its inherent flaws. Even if the weaker party, already in a position of avoidance, manages to catch the stronger party off guard, they will ultimately find themselves in extremely dangerous territory. Doing so in a one-on-one situation might be reasonable, but in a situation where the opponent outnumbers and outmatches them, it inevitably appears as walking into a trap.

Just as Zhu Shi's attack was about to strike the target demon, the dark magic released by the demon Shen Tu suddenly switched from offense to defense, narrowly intercepting Zhu Shi's sword. Even this desperate attack failed to land. The demons immediately launched a concentrated attack on Zhu Shi, but Zhu Shi was undeterred. He didn't retreat or dodge, but instead pressed forward, his sword penetrating even deeper into the enemy ranks.

This seemingly suicidal straight-line assault temporarily evaded the concentrated fire, but at the same time plunged Zhu Shi into an even deeper predicament. At most, within three rounds, Zhu Shi would have been annihilated by the subsequent siege of the demons—but things didn't turn out that way in the end.

The five "Great Demons of Calamity" behind him used the sea of ​​fire on the field to launch a flame teleportation, closely following Zhu Shi deep into the enemy formation. At the same time, they released countless flame magic powers, cleverly blocking the dark magic attacks from all directions.

Six against ten, the latter numbered nearly twice as many as the former, yet they still couldn't break through the former's defensive perimeter.

This should not have happened.

Although the doomsday demons summoned by the Great Demon God Tu lack rationality and tactical wisdom, they can still demonstrate extremely high accuracy and judgment based solely on instinct.

The five "Great Demons of Calamity" I provided to Zhu Shi rely on automated programs based on my pre-defined instruction sets for their actions. Perhaps in the future I can create "Great Demons of Calamity" with true intelligence, or even if I simply install highly advanced programs on them like editing artificial intelligence, their intelligence might surpass that of the Doomsday Demon. But that will likely be possible only in the distant future; at present, the intelligence of the "Great Demons of Calamity" is still quite rudimentary.

But the reality was completely different from what I had imagined—the reason why the defensive circle around Zhu Shi was so solid was because these five "Great Demons of Calamity" displayed a battlefield judgment that even I, their creator, found unbelievable.

Perhaps no one will believe this, but I think even if I were in the shoes of those five "Great Demons of Calamity," I might not be able to observe and grasp the timing of my attack with such accuracy and finesse. You must understand that I have already absorbed and digested only a fraction of Xuanming's experience; I am no longer the person I was, severely lacking in battlefield experience. Now, those five "Great Demons of Calamity" are practically like seasoned and experienced warriors.

However, this scene looks somewhat familiar; I've seen something similar before...

In just a short while, I retrieved the corresponding memory from my mind—it was something that happened not long ago in a southern city, when I fought against the Dog.

A similar phenomenon occurred when Xu Gou led three Meng Zhang avatars in battle against me. Despite having no knowledge of troop deployment or communicating with the surrounding Meng Zhang avatars, Xu Gou still managed to lead his three avatars in an exceptionally brilliant military offensive.

This is because he wields a power of combat based on metaphysical concepts. Even without any systematic learning or training, he can become a master in the field of combat without any formal instruction, and he knows how to coordinate with his allies to achieve even better results. Even his allies, who fight alongside him, can instinctively learn how to operate on the battlefield. Regardless of whether they originally possessed basic knowledge of warfare, or even if their intelligence originally had significant flaws, they can overcome them in an inexplicable way.

The killing power of the Dog (戌狗) is merely an imitation of the killing power of the White Tiger (白虎). Ying Lingyun probably never intended for him to lead troops into battle; the display of that combat talent was likely just an influence carried over from the original prototype.

The power Zhu Shi is currently using is the original and authentic White Tiger Slaughtering Magic.

Fire is used for forging weapons, water for refining elixirs, and wood for cultivating... And at this moment, the killing methods of the Metal Element White Tiger are being displayed for the first time. Under Zhu Shi's leadership, the five "Great Demons of Calamity" shattered the formation of the Doomsday Demons in one fell swoop.

Zhu Shi seemed to be gradually becoming proficient in this "leading troops into battle" fighting style. The team combat efficiency of the five "Great Demons of Calamity" gradually increased, and there was a faint trend of overwhelming the opponent with fewer troops.

My initial orders to these "Great Demons of Calamity" were merely for them to protect and cooperate with Zhu Shi. The reason Zhu Shi hadn't demonstrated this leadership ability in the previous rounds was probably because she was observing how her actions interacted with those of the "Great Demons of Calamity." Now, however, she has completely grasped all the essential techniques involved.

Suddenly, a surge of dark magic broke through the defensive perimeter, striking one of the "Great Demons of Calamity." However, this attack caused no real damage; a silver-white shield materialized around the "Great Demon of Calamity," keeping it at bay. It turned out that it wasn't just that they had become incredibly skilled in battle under Zhu Shi's leadership; Zhu Shi's own magic power had also been shared with all the "Great Demons of Calamity" through an invisible means.

This level of battlefield performance may not even be the limit of the White Tiger's power. It's important to understand that Zhu Shi is currently only using the Yama Sword to unleash the authentic White Tiger's killing power. If he were a true inheritor of the White Tiger's seed at the Great Impermanence level, he might display even more miracles in this regard.

I've always had a question in my mind—why did Zhu Yi, the ancestor of the Zhu family, dare to lead three other Liangyi successors who had not yet become Dawuchang to besiege Shan Liangyi?
Even if Shan Liangyi was in its weakest form at that time, possessing only the Yellow Dragon Seed, it was still a genuine Great Impermanence, even possessing the essence beyond the Third Gate, and the ability to freely switch its magical attributes. Even now, using every means at my disposal, I dare not say I can confidently defeat Shan Liangyi in its weakest form. Moreover, facing a Liangyi successor who has not yet become a Great Impermanence, Shan Liangyi could reclaim its power seed with a mere thought. The other three Liangyi successors are nothing but utter burdens to Zhu Yi.

Zhu Shi's performance suggested a possibility to me—perhaps a complete descendant of the White Tiger can not only share their magical power on the battlefield, but also temporarily elevate non-Great Impermanence companions to the Great Impermanence realm, and enable them to exert extraordinary teamwork.

I recalled what Zhu Shi once said: the name "Zhu Yanmo Sword" means "to forge the sword of great impermanence"...

Judging from her unfamiliarity with the power, this might be the first time Zhu Shi has officially used this type of power. Could she possibly use the Yama Sword to master the same abilities as the complete White Tiger successor in the future? Although it's impossible to predict that, her power is already more than sufficient in the current battle.

Taking advantage of the fact that the other nine Doomsday Demons were suppressed by the five "Calamity Demons", Zhu Shi charged towards the Great Demon God Tu with overwhelming force, and the silvery-white dazzling sword energy soared into the sky like a boundless waterfall.

Before the Great Demon God Tu could defend himself, his massive body, which resembled black mud, was cleaved open with an extremely deep wound, and countless other wounds burst open all over his body.

Immediately afterward, the severe wounds on its torso rapidly healed. This is also an example of super-fast regeneration. The Great Demon Xuanwu of the past was similar; although the original naval Xuanwu did not regenerate at super-fast speeds, the individual manifested in its Great Demon form possessed powerful regenerative abilities. It's possible that all doomsday Great Demons possess this ability.

The real issue isn't that. The key point is that the Great Demon God Tu is now forced to focus all his energy on Zhu Shi, and due to the immense magical impact he just endured, the disturbing sound waves that the Great Demon God Tu has been emitting have temporarily ceased.

Zhu Shi did not cease his offensive; his silver-white sword energy fired relentlessly like a machine gun. The Great Demon God Tu could only focus entirely on dealing with the attack, unable to spare any additional power to interfere from afar.

This finally freed Mazao, who was leaning against me, from the predicament of her intense mental turmoil. Her expression became incredibly calm, and her eyes regained a bright and clear willpower.

“Thank you, Zhu Shi…” Ma Zao read in a strong tone, “Next—it’s my turn!”

As she spoke, the power of the vortex of fate was once again mobilized on a large scale, transforming into immense power that descended upon her.

Her magical power surged like a rocket, changing dramatically with every moment. Finally, at a certain point, as if breaking through a huge and heavy door, her magic irresistibly entered a new realm.

The power of Ma Zao has been elevated to the realm of the Great Impermanence.

(End of this chapter)