Almost at the same time, on the edge of the battlefield, the old shaman who had been standing meekly behind the orc guards raised his cloudy eyelids almost imperceptibly.

Her withered lips seemed to move slightly, as if she were silently reciting something, or perhaps she was smiling like the stars and the moon.

That smile was equally enigmatic, hidden deep in the shadows cast by his lowered eyelids, so fleeting that it seemed like an illusion.

The two, with different goals and different thoughts, achieved a strange synchronization at the moment when Grom unleashed his strongest power.

Grom Gorehowl's roar still reverberated through the swamp miasma, and the crimson lightning surrounding him had pushed his power to its peak.

The blood-drinking blade hummed as it pointed towards the stars and moon, its killing intent almost tangible.

His crimson beastly eyes were fixed on the silver figure in mid-air, his muscles bulging, ready to unleash a devastating attack.

However, at the peak of this power eruption, a sudden change occurred!

The subtle smile at the corner of Xingyue's mouth had not yet faded.

Grom then felt a cold, slippery, and highly corrosive force, like invisible shackles, suddenly wrapping around him from all directions!

This power did not act on the surface of his body, but directly invaded his blood and bone marrow, and even tried to shake his soul origin that belonged to the favored one of the Beast God!

"What?!"

Grom's bronze face contorted in horror.

The raging bloodthirsty power within him was forcibly blocked by this cold force, causing it to stagnate and become as if his body no longer belonged entirely to him!

He suddenly looked around.

Centered on the entire battlefield, within a radius of two miles, the swamps, withered trees, and even the drifting gray-green miasma all silently lit up with rings of eerie gray-blue light!

The light was cold and lifeless, as if it were coming from the depths of a tomb, forming a huge and complex magic circle that enveloped everyone!

"Necromantic magic! It's a large-scale necromantic binding array!"

Terrified screams erupted from the mercenaries and heretics of the Rotten Vine Alliance who had been waiting for an opportunity to strike.

Some people, like startled rabbits, turned and rushed towards the gray-blue light at the edge of the magic circle, only to be violently bounced back by a powerful repulsive force, falling into the mud and water, their faces filled with terror.

But others reacted in the exact opposite way.

Several seemingly insignificant figures in black robes, who had been driven away by the orc guards, now had a gleam of fanaticism and greed in their eyes.

They quickly pulled out pale white skull masks from their pockets and put them on their faces without hesitation.

Two eerie green soul flames instantly ignited in the eye sockets of the mask, echoing the gray-blue magic circle on the ground.

Their aura suddenly changed, becoming cold and deathly still, like undead servants crawling out of a tomb. They quickly occupied several key nodes of the magic array, subtly sealing off the battlefield inside.

"roar--!"

Behind Grom, his proud "Skullcrushers" guards also let out painful roars.

These fierce orc elite warriors were also stiff and sluggish, their eyes filled with disbelief, confusion, and struggle, clearly also being controlled and corrupted by that cold power!

The true target of this magic array is him and his personal guards!

These heretics outside were merely contained within the magic array's range!

"What did you do?!"

Grom abruptly turned his head, his crimson beastly eyes almost spitting fire, fixing his gaze firmly on Xingyue in mid-air.

He forcibly circulated the raging bloodthirsty power within his body, attempting to break through the invisible shackles.

Veins bulged beneath his bronze skin, and his muscles twitched violently like steel cables, making a teeth-grinding cracking sound, but to little avail.

He was filled with shock and rage, his voice hoarse from extreme fury and a hint of barely perceptible panic: "Xingyue! You damned woman! You set up this magic array?!"

Xingyue casually twirled her spear beautifully, the silver spear pointing diagonally at the ground, her mithril soft armor gleaming coldly in the gray-blue light.

Faced with Grom's roaring questions, she simply rolled her eyes lazily.

His expression was as if he were looking at an unreasonable and naughty child, with a hint of mockery and a touch of helplessness at how slow-witted he was.

"Tsk, little puppy, don't try to pin this on me." Her voice was still cold, but it clearly pierced through the chaotic battlefield. "I'm busy fighting you, I don't have time for such a big fuss. You should ask... that 'old dog' you brought with you."

"Old dog"?

These two words, like icicles, pierced Grom's chaotic mind.

His massive body stiffened abruptly, like a rusty machine, with an almost broken disbelief, as he turned his head inch by inch with extreme difficulty.

His gaze passed over the struggling guards and landed on the old shaman at the rear of the battlefield, whom he had always regarded as his right-hand man and who had served the Beast God's court for many years.

There, the old shaman, who had been meek and timid with a heavy breath, had quietly raised his head at some point.

Beneath the wide fur robe and hood covered in ancient magic patterns, the cloudy old eyes no longer held any humility or subservience.

Instead, there was an almost cold calm, and a hint of barely perceptible pity.

His withered lips parted, and his hoarse, aged voice, like the friction of decaying wood, clearly reached Grom and the ears of everyone on the battlefield who was still capable of thought:

"Your Highness...this old man...is grateful for your kindness and trust over the years..."

The old shaman paused, his cloudy eyes staring directly at Grom's face, which was completely distorted by rage and betrayal, his tone flat to the point of cruelty.

"...However, please forgive my bluntness..."

His voice wasn't loud, but against the silent backdrop of the necromancy array, it sounded like a death knell.

"Even if you possess the bloodline talent favored by the Beast God, you... are truly unsuitable to be the future king of the Beastman race. This talent should be given to someone more deserving!"

The moment the words left his mouth, the old shaman's withered fingers secretly and quickly twitched once more within the wide sleeves of his leather robe.

The gray-blue magic circle that enveloped the battlefield suddenly shone brightly!

The binding and controlling power instantly increased several times, like countless cold iron chains, tightly binding Grom and all his guards' limbs and bones!

The gray-blue light of the necromantic array, like solidified swamp miasma, weighed heavily on the hearts of every living being.

Grom Gorehowl's massive body trembled violently in the center of the magic circle, his bronze muscles bulging and veins twisting wildly beneath his skin like writhing dragons, trying to break free from the cold shackles that came from his blood and marrow.

Each time he struggled, the light of the magic circle on the ground flickered and emitted a sickening buzzing sound.

"roar--!!"

A roar filled with pain, rage, and disbelief ripped through the deathly silence within the magic circle.

Grom's crimson beast eyes were fixed on the familiar figure behind him, his gaze almost spitting out lava to burn the other person to ashes.