I'll pick it up in the middle!

"Come on, let's work out some tactics together," the Faling-Flower Master suggested. She was democratic in her approach, willing to discuss with others.

Unfortunately, she didn't know that Eddie, formerly known as Yue Yang, only liked to study bedroom techniques and was clueless about tactics. Besides, asking a man who had never really been on a battlefield or led troops to devise tactics? That was more dangerous than having no tactics at all!

"Well, I have read Sun Tzu's 'Art of War.' The highest level is to subdue the enemy without fighting, right? But that won't work here. I've also read about guerrilla warfare tactics used by generals in ancient China, but here we can't use guerrilla warfare, landmine warfare, or tunnel warfare," Eddie pondered. Which of the Thirty-Six Stratagems would be most applicable here? After much thought, he concluded that none of the strategies like 'Besiege Wei to Rescue Zhao,' 'Deceive the Heavens to Cross the Sea,' 'Borrow a Knife to

Kill Another,' or 'Lure the Tiger out of the Mountains' would work. Not to mention the Empty Fort Strategy, the Self-Torture Strategy, or the Beauty Trap. In the end, he felt that the last of the Thirty-Six Stratagems, 'Retreat,' was the most suitable!

Eddie had fought a level-seven bronze Bone Dragon before. Its bones were super hard, and without innate Qi to form an invisible sword, it was nearly impossible to harm. Now, there was a level-seven bronze Demon Blade Butcher and a level-six bronze Ghost Claw Color Wing in the air aiding it. Those two monsters were one thing, but there was also a level-five golden Bloodthirsty Queen.

The concept of a golden-level war beast was something Eddie could imagine from the three-headed Chimera he encountered in the White Ram Palace. Moreover, this Bloodthirsty Queen was a golden king beast. No matter how weak, she was still a queen!

As they journeyed, the Faling-Flower Master tried to encourage Eddie, telling him to think about the prestige of owning a golden-level war beast and how impressive it would be to others. She urged him not to give up so easily. After traveling over mountains and through waters for two hours, they finally reached Feilai Peak, where the Bloodthirsty Queen resided.

Feilai Peak was a type of sky island. Eddie hadn't seen them on Dragon-Tide Continent, but they existed on every level of the Heaven-Reaching Tower. Even on the first level, in rare places like the Black Stone Labyrinth of the Star Region, some stones floating in mid-air could be seen. Large enough sky islands were named "Feilai Peaks."

Feilai Peaks weren't the largest sky islands. In fact, they were relatively small. It was said that on large sky islands, cities or even entire nations could be established. For example, the Faling-Flower Master's "Waterfall City" was built on a sky island.

Below Feilai Peak, two towering cliffs connected by a spiral staircase made of densely packed floating stones wound upward. The Bloodthirsty Queen's mother had apparently spent many years building structures akin to human architecture on the summit of this cloud-reaching peak.

"If we took over this place and set up a resort for tourists, I bet business would be booming!" Eddie began to daydream. "Just like in 'Avatar,' create a sky island, get some people in minimal clothing, shoot a movie, and it becomes a huge hit! If I really set up a sky villa resort here, even if it's not as sacred as the mountains in 'Avatar,' it surely wouldn't be much less impressive than Dubai's Palm Islands, right?"

"Your idea isn't bad, but I doubt anyone would risk their lives to come to the third level of the Heaven-Reaching Tower for a vacation. That's not a holiday; that's a death wish!" the Faling-Flower Master laughed.

As they chatted and laughed, the Faling-Flower Master and Eddie were about to find the most concealed path up the mountain when suddenly the Faling-Flower Master noticed black smoke billowing from the summit of Feilai Peak. She became furiously enraged and leapt up, exclaiming, "Little thief, hurry up! Someone's beaten us to it! I'm telling you, you can't hold back. Kill anyone you see. If it's something I've set my sights on, no one can take it from me!"

"What if they're not demons from the Demon Abyss but humans?" Eddie wondered, considering that this area might still be within the territory of human warriors.

"Nonsense. In my eyes as the Faling-Flower Master, there's only one kind of enemy: those who oppose me!" The Faling-Flower Master gave Eddie a punch, emphasizing her point. "Whoever it is, if they don't leave, you let loose and chop them down. I'll take responsibility for whatever happens!"

Eddie thought the Faling-Flower Master was a reasonable person, but she turned out to be more ferocious than a censorious official, utterly domineering. He immediately drew his Moon Blade and sprinted. The Bloodthirsty Queen was his pre-booked summoning beast; whoever dared to touch it would face his blade. The Faling-Flower Master had said she would take responsibility, so there was no reason not to attack.

The spiral floating stone path had some areas where the stones had crumbled, leaving gaping, terrifying holes. Bloodstains, feathers, severed limbs, and broken weapons were scattered everywhere. As they climbed higher, they found the bodies of Harpies, and three-level demon creatures killed by their wings were discarded all around, some still burning fiercely.

The stench of burning flesh and blood was nauseating. Clearly, this wasn't an attack by human warriors but a major assault by demons.

As they approached the last floating steps near the summit of Feilai Peak, they found the body of a level-four Demon Giant, its head gruesomely severed by a terrifying force.

"This time, there must be Demon Generals leading the attack, maybe even a Demon Commander!" The Falling-Flower Master signaled Eddie to be extra cautious.

When they reached Feilai Peak and turned a narrow mountain path to climb halfway up the mountain, they saw hundreds of Demon Abyss creatures besieging a small number of Harpies. 

At least three Demon Generals were taking turns attacking and ambushing a blood-soaked giant wielding a blade. 

This giant, resembling a female Minotaur but even larger, swung a scythe-like huge blade, slaughtering hundreds of lower-level demons in unstoppable rampages.

No demon, apart from a few hits from the Demon Generals, could halt this blade-wielding giant's charge. 

Long-horned demons lay slain in heaps around it.

On another part of the battlefield, a giant Harpy, several times larger than a normal human, was entangled in countless spiderwebs, unable to fly. 

Two Demon Generals, wielding massive axes and swords, were fiercely attacking it. 

Although they couldn't easily kill the Harpy, their relentless assault inflicted numerous wounds.

The Harpy cried out in pain, struggling to break free from the webs, but to no avail. Clearly, it was being restrained by a counteracting beast.

Eddie guessed that the Demon Generals had summoned creatures like "Bird-Catching Spiders" or "Net-Casting Ghouls" to restrain the agile, fast-flying Harpy and then mercilessly attacked it while it was weakened. The Faling-Flower Master, with her experience, could discern more details, such as the blade-wielding giant likely being affected by creatures like "Weakening Moths," "Bone-Leech Gnawers," or "Frenzied Crimson Ant Wasps." Otherwise, it wouldn't make sense for the level-seven bronze giant to be so easily battered by the three Demon Generals, losing its sanity and attacking wildly.

Suddenly, an incredibly sharp scream echoed from the sky, spreading like ripples. Every creature, whether ordinary demons or Demon Generals, fell to the ground unconscious upon hearing this piercing, heart-wrenching scream. The lowest-level ghouls even died on the spot, their heads exploding like smashed watermelons, spilling brain matter everywhere. The strong, like the blade-wielding giant and the level-seven bronze Demon Blade, writhed in agony and fell to their knees.

Eddie felt a buzzing in his head, a blankness lasting for a couple of seconds, as if he had been struck from behind with a heavy hammer. His innate Qi immediately reacted to the piercing scream, circulating through his body and forming a protective cyclone around his head, which slowly dissipated the dizziness. He felt a strange sense of clarity filling his mind, his spirit not only unaffected but also becoming sharper.

This natural reaction of his Qi excited Eddie. Could this be the second level of the "Unity of Five Senses" in the formless sword Qi technique? He had been practicing the second level for a while but still grappled with many of its profound concepts. Under the ancient tree, he had understood the heart of nature, elevating his spiritual world and pointing the way to the third level. Now, the horrifying scream had unexpectedly helped him understand the "Unity of Five Senses," significantly enhancing his sensory abilities.

In contrast, the Faling-Flower Master took longer to recover. She clutched her forehead, groaning in pain. "That... that's the Bloodthirsty Queen's 'Banshee Scream.' She must be facing a powerful enemy! I need a minute to fully recover. If you can move, then take advantage of the enemies' disorientation from the scream to attack the Demon Generals. Wait, there's someone in the sky, be careful! That guy is Marion, one of the three giants among the Demon Commanders, a Dragon-Riding Demon Knight. His strength is not inferior to mine. This battle might be extremely tough. In any situation, prioritize survival."

As she spoke, a figure crashed heavily onto the ground, stirring up a cloud of dust and debris. Eddie focused and saw a dragon and its armored rider slam into the earth. Surviving a direct hit from the scream without his head exploding into pulp was quite impressive. This must be Marion, one of the three giants? He sounded formidable!

Another figure, a golden-winged woman, plummeted diagonally from the sky. Her attire was scant, barely covering her chest and private areas, with a bit of demonic armor. A dagger was deeply embedded in her chest.

A mutually destructive battle? Eddie's heart raced with excitement. This was clearly an opportunity sent from the heavens to claim the Bloodthirsty Queen for himself. If he didn't seize it, he felt he might be struck down by divine retribution.

"You guys keep fighting. I'll just pick up the pieces in the middle!" he thought, rushing towards the unconscious Bloodthirsty Queen, ready to use his phantom possession technique to take over her body.