110: The mastermind behind the beast tide

Zhao Iron Pillar's alarm was like cold water dripping into a pan of hot oil; the entire Black Swamp outpost instantly entered a state of high alert.

Wen Youyi rushed out of the grotto, only to see miasma surging violently deep in the distant swamp. Trees were being crushed and broken, and a dull vibration rose from the earth. Countless swamp Yao Beasts—from millstone-sized Poison-Spittle Centipedes to thick-skinned Armored Crocodiles, to Ghost-Face Toads capable of spitting corrosive slime—were surging toward the outpost like they had gone mad, their eyes glowing red!

This was by no means a normal Yao Beast riot! Although the beast tide was chaotic, there was a faint sense of guidance within it, making it look more like a driven army!

“Activate ‘Distributed ark’!” Wen Youyi ordered without hesitation.

In an instant, all core members simultaneously activated the 'personal node' rings they wore! Over a dozen faint starlight beams lit up throughout the outpost, quickly resonating and connecting to form a pale silver light shield with a radius of about ten zhang, sheltering the main grottoes within!

The “Ark Domain” expanded instantly!

Almost the moment the Domain took shape, the vanguard of the beast tide slammed into it fiercely!

“Bang! Bang! Bang!”

The sound of frantic impacts was incessant! The pale silver light shield fluctuated violently, like a water surface hit by giant boulders! Everyone inside the Domain could clearly feel the massive force of the impact.

“Steady! Inject Spiritual Power!” Wen Youyi roared, taking the lead by injecting his own Spiritual Power into the node beneath his feet. Others immediately followed suit, working together to maintain the stability of the Domain.

Thanks to the Breakthrough in the ark 3.0 distributed design and energy compression technology, the resilience of this temporary Domain far exceeded expectations. Though it shook incessantly, it stubbornly withstood the first wave of impact.

“Iron Pillar, Senior Brother Wang, Senior Brother Li! Lead your people to the edge of the Domain and eliminate high-threat Yao Beasts with precision! Senior Brother Zhang, the Research Hall is responsible for maintaining Domain stability and energy supply!” Wen Youyi quickly issued commands, his sharp gaze scanning the chaotic beast tide.

He was searching! Searching for the “black hand” hidden behind the beast tide!

Zhao Iron Pillar roared, swinging his heavy sword to send several Armored Crocodiles flying as they tried to climb the light shield. Wang Wu and Senior Brother Li led other War Hall Disciples, using Spells and Talismans to precisely kill those Yao Beasts attempting to spit venom or corrosive slime.

The battle was intense and chaotic. The Yao Beasts seemed infinite, frantically assaulting this final Shelter.

“Boss! We can't keep this up! Our Spiritual Power won't last much longer!” Zhao Iron Pillar shouted while hacking away. Maintaining the Domain and fighting were both rapidly consuming everyone's Spiritual Power.

Wen Youyi did not answer. His gaze was locked onto the rear of the beast tide, within the most violently churning patch of miasma. The warning from the star core fragment indicated that the source was right there!

He took a deep breath, concentrated most of his Mental Energy, and sent a strong, probing “Star Language” wave toward that direction through the star core fragment!

【Get out here!】

The “Star Language” wave was like an invisible thorn, piercing through the chaotic beast tide and shooting straight into the depths of the miasma!

“Screech—!”

A sharp, ear-piercing screech that sounded nothing like a Yao Beast rang out from the miasma! Then, the churning miasma was torn open as if by an invisible giant hand, revealing the presence hidden within!

It was a monster about the height of a man, shaped like a black spider magnified dozens of times! But it was not made of flesh and blood; its entire body was composed of a dark metal and writhing shadows. Its eight compound eyes flickered with ominous red light, and its abdomen pulsed continuously, emitting a bizarre wave that caused mental agitation!

It was precisely this wave that was influencing the surrounding Yao Beasts, driving them into a killing frenzy!

“What the hell is that thing?!” Zhao Iron Pillar gasped when he saw the monster.

“Is it a... minion of the Scavengers? Or another ‘harvesting’ tool?” Wang Wu's face turned pale.

Wen Youyi's pupils constricted slightly. The energy fluctuations on this monster were of the same origin as the “Scavengers” he had sensed before, but it was weaker and... more distorted, full of chaos and destructive urges. It looked more like a “low-end Scavenger” or a “virus spreader” deployed specifically to create chaos and death!

Its goal was clear—to use the beast tide to destroy this marked “anomaly point”!

“To catch the bandits, first catch their leader!” A cold light flashed in Wen Youyi's eyes. “Iron Pillar, Senior Brother Wang, cover me! Senior Brother Zhang, maintain the Domain and buy me ten breaths of time!”

He had to risk rushing out of the Domain to kill that monster! Otherwise, once everyone's Spiritual Power was exhausted and the Domain shattered, they would face an endless, frenzied beast tide and certain death!

“Boss, it's too dangerous!” Zhao Iron Pillar said urgently.

“Execute the order!” Wen Youyi's tone was decisive.

He took a deep breath, adjusting his state to its peak as the Spiritual Power in his body began to resonate with the Star Core Power. At the moment Zhao Iron Pillar, Wang Wu, and the others intensified their attacks to temporarily draw the attention of the frontal beast tide—

Wen Youyi shot out like an arrow from a bow, charging out of the “Ark Domain”!

“Star Evolution Five Elements Domain, open!”

The moment he left the Domain, he unhesitatingly deployed his strongest defense and crowd-control method! A pale silver halo mixed with five-colored flowing light spread out from him, instantly slowing down several Yao Beasts that lunged at him!

He did not linger in the fight, pushing his movement technique to the limit, weaving through the gaps in the frenzied beast tide like a phantom, his target fixed on the hidden black spider monster!

The spider monster also sensed Wen Youyi's intent. Its abdomen pulsed violently, emitting an even sharper screech as the bizarre wave controlling the Yao Beasts suddenly intensified! Simultaneously, it opened its hideous mouthparts, and a pitch-black ray of intense corrosive energy shot toward Wen Youyi like a venomous snake!

Wen Youyi's body twisted sharply, narrowly avoiding the ray; the ground where he had just been was corroded into deep pits. He didn't slow down, his eyes fixed only on that monster!

The distance was closing rapidly!

Fifty zhang! Thirty zhang! Ten zhang!

“Now!”

Wen Youyi suddenly stopped, his hands clutching the air as the star core fragment in his bosom blazed with light! He poured most of his Mental Energy and Spiritual Power into it, condensing it into a highly refined beam of starlight that seemed capable of tearing through space!

“Now... disappear!”

The starlight beam arrived first despite being fired later, accurately striking the spider monster's head!

“Boom!!”

Blinding starlight exploded! The spider monster let out a shrill, wretched scream as a large hole was blown through its hard head, dark liquid and distorted energy splashing everywhere! The wave controlling the Yao Beasts stopped abruptly!

With its core destroyed, the spider monster's body twitched violently a few times before collapsing with a crash, dissipating into wisps of black smoke.

Almost at the same time the monster was eliminated, the beast tide that had been frantically assaulting the “Ark Domain” suddenly froze, as if a pause button had been pressed. The red light in their eyes quickly faded, returning to their original turbid instinct.

Without the drive of that bizarre wave, the beast tide instantly disintegrated. The Yao Beasts looked around blankly, then instinctively feared the pale silver light shield, howling as they scurried back into the depths of the swamp like a receding tide.

In the blink of an eye, the battlefield that had been filled with the sounds of slaughter just moments ago became deathly silent, leaving only a mess and the pervasive scent of blood.

Inside the “Ark Domain,” everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Many slumped to the ground, panting heavily, their faces filled with the relief of having survived a disaster.

Wen Youyi also felt a wave of exhaustion; that last strike had drained more than half of his strength. He stood where the monster had dissipated, his brow furrowed.

This was by no means the end. This was just a beginning, a warning, or rather, a test.

Has the “Harvest Feast”... already begun?

(End of Chapter)