"Retreat! Pull back to Sinking Sand City immediately, along the entire front!"
Flames danced in Ji Mingfeng's eyes as he stared fixedly at the battlefield projection ahead. In the image, suits of heavy combat armor were swallowed by ghastly white pillars of light, twisting, melting, and exploding under the terrifying spiritual energy bombardment.
His heart bled.
Heavy combat armor was a new weapon of war the Nine Alliance had created by combining the Mechanical Empire's technology with its own accumulated expertise. Larger than ordinary combat armor, it could wield weapons in close combat or transform into a heavy particle cannon, becoming a mobile killing machine.
Its combat strength rivaled a Nascent Soul Tribulation Realm cultivator's. Its sole flaw was insufficient speed, so it was mostly used as stationary heavy firepower.
The whole of Sinking Sea City had only ten suits, and five had been lost in this brief span alone.
But Ji Mingfeng had no time to grieve. His gaze was already locked on the enormous beast emerging from the Sinking Sand River.
It resembled a dragon rhinoceros, its four short, thick limbs like mountainous pillars. Every step made the earth thunder. Black-blue scales covered its entire body, gleaming with a cold, hard metallic sheen beneath the moonlight.
Particle cannon blasts struck its body, showering sparks, yet could not even make it pause.
"Report! Data analysis complete!"
A soldier hurried over and handed him an information tablet. Ji Mingfeng snatched it up and swiftly scanned it.
``` Black-Armored Dragon Rhinoceros: peak Shapeshifting Realm mutant beast.
Ability one: Black Armor Shield—extremely strong scale defenses. Draws upon the power of the earth and ocean; virtually impossible for anyone below the Nascent Soul Tribulation Realm to penetrate.
Ability two: Primal Energy Breath—extremely destructive. The combined power of five rivals an attack from a