"You are truly disrespectful! It's just a sparring match, is it necessary to go to such lengths?" Staring at Ye Ruozai, still nonchalant amidst the subordinates encircling them in the courtyard, Bailang roared furiously, feeling regret in his heart as things spiraled rapidly out of control.

This was not the collaboration he wanted to continue, but he couldn't understand why these people from another dimension were so aggressive. Isn't mutual probing customary in interdimensional cooperation? Are they special? Unable to suffer any loss, and yet, it's always his side at a disadvantage!

Looking at his agitated subordinates and the provocative collaborators, Bailang found himself in a dilemma. If he backed down now, he would lose not only the initiative on the battlefield in the future but also the loyalty of his subordinates!

He must get an explanation from the other side, no matter what!

"Release my people, surrender, and I will demand an explanation from Mr. Shitang!"

"No need to look, I'm here!"

As Bailang finished speaking, a voice came from outside the crowd. The people turned to see Pei Yan, sheltered under a parasol held by Zhao Yuanhu, walking slowly towards them. Upon seeing him, the crowd parted under Bailang's signal, making way for him to enter the courtyard smoothly.

"Mr. Shitang..." As Pei Yan's figure crossed paths with his, Bailang hurriedly tried to say something but was cut off by Pei Yan's dismissive wave, ignoring Bailang's grim expression. He walked straight to the center of the field, standing in front of Ye Ruozai, and beckoned Summer Yu.

Seeing this, Summer Yu dragged Hela's body like a dead dog to Pei Yan's front, only to receive a resounding slap from Pei Yan before she could respond.

Feeling the burning pain on her face, Summer Yu, usually proud, surprisingly did not resist but lowered her head obediently. Witnessing this, the anger on the faces of the Demon Race members in the field finally subsided a bit, reluctantly watching how Pei Yan handled his subordinates.

"Summer, you've made us lose face! Do you think we need a hostage to ensure our safety?" Pei Yan's icy voice issued from his throat as if from Hell. Hearing this, everyone was stunned, especially Bailang, who felt inwardly that things were going wrong.

Pei Yan continued to shout, "You heard what Bailang said; he wants you to release his subordinate, so break her other leg and give her back to him!"

"Yes!" Summer Yu nodded heavily, and without waiting for Bailang to stop her, she kicked Hela's calf fiercely. The already unconscious Hela let out a shrill scream from the severe pain before turning her head and fainting again. After finishing, Summer Yu tossed Hela in front of Bailang.

Looking at Hela lying in front of him, without an arm and with a severely deformed right leg, Bailang felt anger boiling up inside. This young lady, who had grown up under the watchful eye of Sifuer, turned Bailang's fury into an intense rage, shouting upward, "Shitang Longsi! You're too much! Don't think you can do whatever you want under the guise of cooperation! Our Demon Race also has a limit!" Facing this stubborn fool who didn't know how to back down, Bailang, usually composed and elegantly refined, finally tore off his mask. The majestic horns atop his head emitted a dazzling red light as his body swelled. Simultaneously, all his subordinates let out a synchronised shout, completing their crystallisation and sharpening their blades, ready for battle upon their leader's command!

"The ones overboard are you! Not thinking about cooperating together but probing again and again! You think I'm forced to choose you for cooperation? Bah! You shameless old thing!" Pei Yan spat contemptuously on the ground, responding hysterically towards Bailang.

"Command!" Summer Yu, having absorbed Liang Guangsheng's abilities, extended her arms to unleash countless iron currents from her body. In no time, mechanical replicas, identical in appearance, surged forth, surrounding the four protectively with their large swords poised toward the outside.

"Sword Dao, Heavenly Dao!" Ye Ruozai murmured a word, and the longsword was unsheathed; the boundless sword array was formed anew. At the same time, the originally clear and sunny sky suddenly shifted, clouds gathering, thunder rumbling, and raindrops started falling with faint dragon chants echoing from the horizon.

That wasn't all; Pei Yan's hundreds of mechanical replicas stealthily ascended into the sky, aiming electromagnetic cannon muzzles at everyone within the field. Elsewhere, the roaring tigers echoed continuously throughout the city; above the sky, mechanical golden eagles and steel condors hovered, filled with animosity. Even more terrifying, a dragon head, gleaming with metallic luster, emerged from the clouds; only then did everyone understand the origin of the dragon chants—the five mechanical divine dragons were rolling and roaming within the clouds!

Black clouds press down on the city, threatening to collapse it! A battle was on the brink!

Initially holding an advantage in numbers, the Demon Race couldn't help but gasp and grasp their longswords tightly upon seeing these stances, collectively looking towards Bailang, awaiting his command.

At this moment, Bailang was listening to a hurriedly arriving guard whispering a report in his ear.

"Lord Bailang, a large number of Steel Beasts suddenly appeared across the streets and are flooding towards here. Our people previously received no gathering information, many were cut off and surrounded at the station, with quite a number of beasts still approaching and intercepted by our perimeter guards. Both sides are in a standoff, without any engagement yet; Lord Bailang, what should we do?"

Hearing the report, Bailang's forehead broke out in cold sweat. He had indeed been careless, thinking being in the refuge meant he couldn't build up a barracks, leaving just enough to manage and organize people, dispersing the rest among civilian homes. Yet, the opponent had already mapped out all the residing places clearly, defaulting to them being divided and surrounded in case of confrontation. Who could have thought that just four people could unleash such formidable combat power?

Looking up towards Summer Yu within the crowd, this woman, whom he didn't pay much attention to, could unleash Steel Puppets on par with Pei Yan's, seemingly without limitation in numbers!

Having witnessed the combat abilities of these puppets, Bailang knew well the price he'd pay fighting against so many puppets. Even if victorious, he'd suffer heavy losses, while the opponent would only lose lifeless puppets.

Thinking this, the red light atop Bailang's head gradually faded. He readjusted his mood, waved his hand and whispered, "Issue the order, have everyone on high alert; remember, if the other side doesn't attack, our side absolutely cannot make the first move. Anyone disobeying this could face execution! This is a command; do you understand?"

Watching the commanded guards quickly run out of the courtyard, Bailang took a deep breath; since Shitang hadn't engaged immediately, it indicated the opponent also didn't wish to completely cross the line, meaning there's still room for negotiation.