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The Dragon Saint also refrained from using the "Dragon-Slaying Sword," instead extending his left fist to deliver a punch.

"Boom—" A deafening explosion resounded as if two massive bells had collided. The Dragon Saint's left fist, condensed into a dragon claw, clashed with Catherine's mithril-plated gauntlet. The tremendous explosive force twisted the air into rippling shockwaves, sending the five Dragon Emperor Knights behind the Dragon Saint and the Golden Dragon beneath his feet reeling from the blast. Catherine was clearly at a disadvantage in this exchange, being hurled backward and crashing into the city wall, leaving a massive crater.

"Indeed, even if female orcs handle pregnancy better than human women, you still need to divert forty percent of your combat energy to protect your abdomen to fight. In this state, victory is impossible," the Dragon Saint remarked with slight regret.

Catherine took a deep breath and slowly stood up, remaining silent. However, another metallic voice echoed across the battlefield.

"Heh heh heh, after bullying a pregnant woman, you still say such things, Dragon Saint. Don’t you feel ashamed? I think even the Dragon God would be so mortified by your existence that he’d want to kill himself." A golden skeletal arch-Lich clad in black robes stood atop a Black Crystal Bone Dragon, slowly emerging from the castle. The dark and deathly magical aura caused the Dragon Emperor Knights and dragons behind the Dragon Saint to stir uneasily.

"King of the Undead? Do you think you can interfere in a battle of this level?" the Dragon Saint questioned with a frown.

"That question is meaningless, heh heh heh. Should I just stand by and watch you bully our mistress before destroying this city? After all, a patron as generous as Fontainebleau is hard to come by." The Lich cackled, summoning dozens of powerful undead and condensing them into a single mass before hurling it at the Dragon Saint. "No more words—'Netherghoul Cannon'—"

Though the King of the Undead had nearly doubled his magical power with the aid of the Twelve Star Palace Gate, he was still no match for the Dragon Saint. The "Netherghoul Cannon," capable of leveling a castle, was shattered with a single swing of the Dragon Saint's sword. However, such power was enough to influence the battle, prompting the Dragon Emperor Knights behind the Dragon Saint to roar in unison and charge at the King of the Undead.

Even an arch-Lich at the pinnacle of dark magic could not withstand the close-quarters assault of five Sword Masters, let alone these five Dragon Emperor Knights, who wielded power akin to orc Sword Masters and possessed partial dragon magic immunity, making them natural mage killers. The King of the Undead immediately commanded his Black Crystal Bone Dragon to descend.

Below on the city walls, two iceberg Beamon, three Crystal Dragons, and an Ebony Treant stood ready. Surrounding these super beasts were over a hundred Sword Masters - werewolves, half-orcs, and other races - trained and recruited by Chen Xuanfeng over the years, including four Sword Emperors. They showed no fear against the Dragon Emperor Knights. Safely shielded by these elite warriors, the King of the Undead could now unleash his magic without restraint.

The King of the Undead's magical prowess was unparalleled—far surpassing Chen Xuanfeng's amateurish skills and even eclipsing Jin Luosha or forbidden spell mages. Not only had he mastered dark and necromantic magic to perfection, but he had also attained ninth-circle mastery in all other schools except light magic, with earth, water, ice, wind, and spatial magic being his specialties. When he unleashed his spells, they came in overwhelming, endless waves. Though the Dragon Saint's magic resistance was near-draconic, the King of the Undead had a thousand ways to bypass it and inflict harm. With Catherine regrouping and rejoining the fray, the Dragon Saint found himself momentarily flustered.

"Oath—Sword of Victory—"

A keen-edged blade of golden light sliced through the void above the Qingcheng Fortress. This razor-sharp blade, infused with boundless will, was something even the Dragon Saint dared not face head-on, forcing him to dodge. Yet as he evaded, massive ice walls materialized behind him, blocking his retreat. Just as the Dragon Saint prepared to shatter them with his Demon Dragon King apparition, the ice exploded prematurely, releasing several frostbone revenants who entangled his apparition. Before he could react, Catherine's golden sword energy was already at his brow. He barely managed to block with the "Dragon-Slaying Sword," the clash sending Catherine reeling once more while the Dragon Saint paled slightly, using the momentum to shatter the undead behind him.

"Hmph, you—" The Dragon Saint began, only to see another golden flash as Catherine's "Oath" sword slashed toward him with unexpected speed. Simultaneously, the shattered undead bones swirled midair, forming a three-dimensional magic circle dozens of meters wide. Within its range, gravity shifted chaotically in all directions, as if tossing one into a violently tumbling box, severely disrupting the Dragon Saint's balance. Unaffected, Catherine closed in swiftly, delivering three devastating strikes.

"Clang—Boom—Crack—"

The Dragon Saint, being one of the continent's supreme figures, remained composed even under the combined assault of the Lich and the Saint Martial Emperor. His Demon Dragon King apparition expanded violently, turning the tide by shattering the King of the Undead's gravity spell, while his "Dragon-Slaying Sword" parried Catherine's attacks before countering. He then let out a long roar.

Answering his call, the Golden Dragon circling above unleashed its might.

This Golden Dragon, the Dragon Saint's mount, was unlike the dragons ridden by the Dragon Emperor Knights. Over eight thousand years old, though slightly past its prime physically, its mastery of draconic magic surpassed that of younger dragons tenfold. A veteran of countless battles and one of the eight elders of the Golden Dragon clan, its power was nearly on par with the clan leader. Its intervention instantly turned the tide.

"Hum—Ning—Si—Wei—Sa—" As the Golden Dragon, named "Starlight," intoned an eldritch chant, the magical elements in the air became inert, losing all vitality. Then, a silver magical energy, entirely distinct from natural elements, suffused the heavens, transforming into countless meteors that cascaded upon the King of the Undead below the walls.