144: Chapter 144 Star Beast Swarm Attack, Bloodbath

The night on the Trial Ancient Star has no moon.

But that deep purple firmament glows on its own—not the afterglow projected by stars, not the fluorescence of atmospheric ionization, but the eternal, intrinsic radiance of countless transparent stars.

Those stars have no names.

They just hang there, coldly watching everything that happens on this planet: birth, reproduction, hunting, death, and—appearing only once every few thousand years—the footprints of Trial Takers.

Lin Ye raised his head and glanced at that unfamiliar starry sky.

Then he lowered his head, looking at the ground beneath his feet.

There was a vibration.

Not footsteps.

It was something more, denser, and finer—the resonance of countless limbs striking the surface simultaneously as some kind of creature moved at high speed.

The vibration was very light.

So light that Chu Yunxi's Eagle Eye Spell did not capture any anomalies.

So light that the black tortoise shield Zhou Tieshan had inserted into the ground did not detect any shockwaves exceeding the threshold.

So light that the environmental sensing System of Qin Ruoxue's thousand faces cloak only traced a faint, barely perceptible ripple on the seismic spectrum, one that was almost classified as "background noise."

But Lin Ye felt it.

At this moment, the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body's perception of "life force" surpassed all technological detection and traditional Divine Sense.

That was not a group of Star Beasts.

It was an ocean.

"...Everyone." Lin Ye's voice was not raised; it was even lighter than usual, but that lightness caused everyone to stop in their tracks simultaneously.

"Combat Formation."

"Defense priority."

"Three hundred meters north, that highland."

No one asked why.

Within three seconds, ten people and one mech completed the transition from a marching column to a defensive ring Formation.

Zhou Tieshan's black tortoise shield was inserted at a 45-degree angle into the hardest rock layer at the edge of the highland, with the shield face pointing south and the base embedded 37 centimeters into the ground.

Shi Potian stood three meters behind the shield; that was the "anti-impact corridor" Zhou Tieshan had reserved for him—any enemy that broke through the shield defense would directly face the frontal fist of his Hegemon Blood body.

Chen Hao piloted the chaos unit no. 1, half-crouched at the highest point of the ring Formation, with the shoulder missile nest hatch open and the particle rifle capacitor charged to 90%.

Chu Yunxi knelt halfway, three meters to the left of the mech, with the flame feather bow's arms fully extended and nine enchanted arrows stuck in the ground at her feet, within easy reach.

Lu Xinghe crouched in the very center of the ring Formation, with the star compass hovering thirty centimeters above his palm and six High-Grade Spirit Stones lined up in order at his feet. He was setting up an array—not an attack array, but a [Hold Firm Array].

Yun Qianxue stood behind Lu Xinghe, the fluorescent light at the head of the green lotus staff shifting from a soft green to a stagnant emerald. That was the "Group Healing Preset" state.

Su Qingyue stood at the very front edge of the ring Formation.

She did not hold a sword.

She simply stood there, her icy blue long hair still gently rising under 9.7 times gravity—that was Vast Cold Spiritual Power circulating through her body with extremely high efficiency, compressing, condensing, and readying every trace of cold energy.

Zhao Wuji crouched in the very center of the ring Formation, his backpack on his knees, the top layer already opened.

He did not ask "who is the enemy," "how many are there," or "can we win."

He simply arranged first-aid bandages, health recovery pills, spirit recovery pills, and Antidotes—by category, by priority, and by frequency of use—in positions within his easy reach.

Qin Ruoxue remained standing in the most concealed position at the rear flank.

Her thousand faces cloak blended completely with the environment, but her voice was crystal clear in the team channel at this moment:

"Confirmed enemy attack."

"Species identification: Gold-Devouring Ant."

"Level: 55."

"Quantity: —"

She paused for 0.7 seconds.

That was the limit of reaction time trained into Heavenly Secret Pavilion intelligence analysts, used to complete a final 0.5-second secondary confirmation before stating the worst news.

"...Over ten thousand."

—

Over ten thousand.

When this number reached everyone's ears through the team channel, no one spoke.

There were no exclamations, no gasps, no one asked "are you sure."

Because at this moment, everyone could see it—

On the southern horizon, that boundless "tide," black with a golden sheen, surging toward the highland.

That was not a tide.

That was a swarm.

Each Gold-Devouring Ant was 1.2-1.5 meters long, with six legs, its entire body covered in a metallic-lustered chitinous shell, mouthparts like hydraulic forging hammers, and mandibles capable of biting through 10mm-thick homogeneous steel plates.

[Gold-Devouring Ant - Native gregarious Star Beast of the Trial Ancient Star]

[Level: 55 (Common)]

[Health Points: 22000-27000]

[Attack Power: 4300-5100 (Bite)]

[Defense: 3800 (Carapace) + 600 (Metal Resistance)]

[Speed: Moving speed 12 meters/second in 9.7G environment (Charge)]

[Traits:]

[1. Metal Devour: Deals an additional 50% damage to metal-type equipment/weapons/armor and has a probability of damaging the target's durability]

[2. Pheromone Coordination: Exchanges battlefield intelligence in real-time within the population via pheromones; cannot be defeated one by one]

[3. Worker/Soldier Ant Differentiation: Soldier Ants are larger (1.8-2.1 meters), have thicker carapaces, and their mandibles can spray corrosive acid]

[4. Queen's Will: When the swarm's casualties exceed 30%, the queen in the rear will release "Berserk" pheromones, all attributes +20%, lasting until the end of the battle]

[Weaknesses:]

[1. No carapace covering at the abdominal segment joints; defense reduced by 70%]

[2. Fear of cold; movement speed -50%, attack speed -40% in sub-zero 30℃ environments]

[3. After losing pheromone guidance, they will fall into a 3-5 second state of confusion]

Over ten thousand Level 55 Star Beasts.

What kind of concept is this?

In the Big Dipper Star Field, the total strength of a medium-sized guild is about 3000-5000 people, with an average level of 45-50.

Ten thousand Level 55 Gold-Devouring Ants are enough to annihilate any player faction within the Yan State in 30 minutes—including the Heavenly Court.

And at this moment, Lin Ye only has nine people beside him.

One mech.

One shield.

—

The first wave of impact erupted 8 seconds after Qin Ruoxue's voice fell.

No probing.

No standoff.

No "keeping distance to observe."

The moment the Gold-Devouring Ant swarm entered the 500-meter range of the highland edge, the three thousand Soldier Ants in the vanguard accelerated simultaneously, their six legs chiseling dense sparks into the ground; the 12 meters/second charge speed made the 9.7 times gravity seem non-existent.

"Black Tortoise Hall—raise shields!" Zhou Tieshan's roar exploded simultaneously in the voice channel and in real space.

The muscles in his arms bulged to the limit, and the three penetrating cracks on the surface of the black tortoise shield simultaneously lit up with a dark yellow glow—the sign that the shield's built-in [Immovable As Mountains] skill had been forcibly activated to 120% overload power.

Boom—!!!

The first Soldier Ant slammed into the shield face.

Boom—!!!

The second.

The third.

The fourth.

Over five impacts per second.

Zhou Tieshan's feet sank deep into the rock layer at the edge of the highland, and everything below his knees was completely submerged in crushed stone and frozen soil. His Health Points plummeted from 100% to 41% within the 2.7 seconds of the first wave of impact, then jumped back to 59% under Yun Qianxue's instant Rejuvenation Spell.

He did not retreat.

Not even a single step.

"Shi Potian—!!!" Lin Ye's voice pierced through the hissing of the insect swarm.

"Com—ing—!!!"

The moment Shi Potian rushed out from behind the shield, the Hegemon Mark burned all the way from his wrist to his shoulder blade. His right fist smashed into the head and thorax of the first Soldier Ant that broke through the gap in the shield defense; his fist pierced the carapace, and dark green body fluid splattered onto his face.

He did not stop.

The second punch smashed into the second Soldier Ant's abdominal segment; the Soldier Ant's body folded in half from the middle, its six legs twitching as it curled into a ball.

The third punch, the fourth punch, the fifth punch—

Every punch was the cost of one Soldier Ant losing its combat ability.

But the swarm had no end.

One Soldier Ant fell, two Soldier Ants filled its place.

Two fell, four pounced.

Shi Potian's punching speed was very fast—the cooldown of the Bone Refining Chapter · Star-Shattering Fist was compressed to its limit by him, and the boiling Hegemon Blood caused dark golden flames to burn around his body.

But no matter how fast his fists were, they were not faster than ten thousand insects.

[Shi Potian - Current Status]

[Health Points: 73%]

[Hegemon Blood Concentration: 51%]

[Stamina: 38%]

[Warning: Hegemon Blood boiling is continuously consuming, current remaining time is approximately 97 seconds]

"Chen Hao!" Lin Ye said in a low voice.

"Received—!!"

The shoulder missile nest of the chaos unit no. 1 emitted a piercing screech, and sixteen micro-missiles, trailing pale blue exhaust flames, passed over the top of Zhou Tieshan's shield and over Shi Potian's head—

And exploded simultaneously in the densest area of the swarm.

Boom—Boom—Boom—Boom—

Sixteen flowers of fire bloomed in the night, each ball of fire devouring at least three to five Gold-Devouring Ants.

[chaos unit no. 1 - Missile Nest Volley]

[Ammo: 16/16 → 0/16]

[Reload Time: 180 seconds]

[Kills: 47 (Confirmed)]

[Severely Injured: Approx. 80]

47.

Compared to the base of ten thousand, 47 was not even 0.5%.

But those 47 insect corpses created a "vacuum zone" with a diameter of about fifteen meters in the center of the swarm's vanguard.

The swarm's charging rhythm was interrupted for 0.3 seconds.

0.3 seconds.

That was enough.

"Qingyue—!!"

Lin Ye's voice was the signal Su Qingyue had been waiting for for a full 43 seconds.

She opened her eyes.

In those icy blue eyes, there was no fear, no hesitation, not even a doubt about this impossible-to-win battle.

Only an extreme, condensed cold that had almost turned into substance.

"Vast Cold Descent."

Her voice was very light, so light that it seemed as if she were not giving an order, but merely stating a fact that was destined to happen.

But the moment those four words fell—

With her as the center, a visible, pure white ice ring exploded in all directions!

That ice ring was not spiritual power, not a Spell, and not even any "skill effect" that could be defined by game data.

That was Law.

It was the ultimate talent of the Vast Cold Spirit Body—at the cost of 50% of maximum Divine Power, invoking the projection of the Taiyin Star's Origin power to create an absolute ice Domain—

For the first time, fully deployed.

[Vast Cold Descent - Domain Fully Open]

[Radius: 100 meters]

[Duration: 45 seconds (Current Divine Power upper limit)]

[Enemy units within the Domain:]

[Movement Speed -50%]

[Attack Speed -40%]

[Fire Resistance -50%]

[Ice Resistance +80% (Invalid, as the enemy has no ice-type)]

[Every 3 seconds: All friendly units recover 5% of lost Health Points]

When that ice ring swept past the edge of Zhou Tieshan's shield, the dozen wounds on his arm torn by insect mandibles scabbed over and closed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

When that ice ring swept past Shi Potian's back, his Hegemon Blood concentration, which was burning to the point of exhaustion, slowly rose back from 39% to 44%.

When that ice ring swept past the armor surface of the chaos unit no. 1, a thin layer of ice covered the outer layer of the mech's energy shield, reducing the damage of the next wave of insect swarm acid spray by 60%.

When that ice ring swept past Chu Yunxi's flame feather bow, fine ice crystals condensed on the arrowheads of the nine enchanted arrows that had not yet been fired on the bow arms.

Then—

It swept past the swarm's vanguard.

The first row of charging Soldier Ants had their six-leg joints frozen the instant the ice ring touched their carapaces.

They were still charging forward, but their speed plummeted from 12 meters/second to 6 meters/second.

The second row of Soldier Ants slammed into the rear of the first row, and their speed decreased further.

The third row slammed into the second row.

The fourth row.

3 seconds.

Only 3 seconds.

The vanguard of the insect swarm that had been rushing toward the highland with the momentum of an overwhelming tide 8 seconds ago was like an image on which the 0.5x playback button had been pressed—

It slowed down.

"Zhou Tieshan!" Lin Ye shouted sharply.

"Black Tortoise Hall—Counter-Attack Stance!!"

Zhou Tieshan let out a roar that had been suppressed for a full 13 seconds.

He pulled the black tortoise shield out of the ground, held the shield with both hands, and his entire body was like a cannonball fired by a giant trebuchet—

He slammed head-on into the insect swarm!

[Immovable As Mountains - Counter-Attack Stance]

[Effect: Within 5 seconds, Defense -50%, Attack Power +100%, Shield Impact Damage +300%]

[Cooldown: 60 seconds]

That epic-grade heavy shield, 1.7 meters tall and weighing 470 kilograms, had now transformed into a battering ram.

The shield's edge slammed into the cephalothorax of the first Soldier Ant whose joints had been frozen—its carapace shattered.

The shield's face struck the abdomen of the second Soldier Ant—body fluids splattered everywhere.

The shield's corner gouged into the mouthparts of the third Soldier Ant—its mandibles and maxillae snapped simultaneously.

Zhou Tieshan was drenched in blood, some his own, some from the insects.

He did not stop.

[Zhou Tieshan - Current Status]

[Health Points: 47%]

[Stamina: 31%]

[Warning: Stress fracture detected in right humerus]

He did not stop.

The battle entered its twentieth minute.

Su Qingyue's first Vast Cold Descent duration ended, entering a 12-hour cooldown.

The insect swarm's movement speed recovered to 70%—some Soldier Ants still had unhealed frostbite on their joints.

[Gold-Devouring Ants killed: approx. 370]

[Total attacks sustained by Heavenly Court Expedition Team: over 2000]

[Medicinal Pill Consumption:]

[High-Grade Blood Recovery Pill: 24 / 120]

[Mid-Grade Blood Recovery Pill: 87 / 300]

[High-Grade spirit recovery pill: 16 / 80]

[Emergency Repair Kit: 2 / 3 (used for chaos unit no. 1 armor repair)]

Zhao Wuji crouched in the center of the circular Formation, his hands moving so fast they were almost a blur.

He was doing three things simultaneously: First, retrieving, sorting, and distributing medicine from his pack. Second, broadcasting real-time Medicinal Pill inventory in the team channel. Third, using that [mysterious gold abacus] to estimate the maximum support time at the current consumption rate.

His voice was already hoarse, but his count remained precise to the single digit:

"18 High-Grade Blood Recovery Pills left, 71 Mid-Grade remaining... At the current injury rate, we can hold out for 40 minutes at most..."

"12 High-Grade spirit recovery pills left... Yun Qianxue's Divine Power is below 30%, prioritize supply to her..."

"chaos unit no. 1 energy core at 67%, spare block is ready, but replacement requires a 90-second interference-free window..."

He did not say, "We can't hold on much longer." But everyone knew.

The battle entered its thirty-fifth minute.

The limbs of Chu Yunxi's flame feather bow showed fine cracks for the first time.

This was a sign that the bow's material had reached its fatigue limit due to the enchanted runes under continuous overload firing.

[flame feather bow - Current Status]

[Durability: 31%]

[Warning: Continuous firing has exceeded design threshold, suggest reducing rate of fire]

Chu Yunxi did not reduce the rate of fire.

She simply drew the last nine Flame Feather Arrows from her quiver and nocked them onto the bowstring.

Nine arrows fired simultaneously.

[Flame Feather Arrow Formation - Nine Stars in a Row]

[Consumption: 9 Flame Feather Arrows]

[Effect: Performs area coverage strikes on a circular zone with a 15-meter diameter, with each arrow's hit calculated independently]

[Cooldown: 300 seconds]

Nine crimson meteors tore through the night sky, crashing into the densest heart of the insect swarm.

Explosion.

Fire.

Nine fireballs rose simultaneously.

[Kills: approx. 120]

Chu Yunxi lowered her bow.

Her right arm was trembling violently, the web of her hand split open, and blood dripped onto the ground along the bow handle.

She did not speak.

She simply took the last bottle of spirit recovery pill from Zhao Wuji's hand and tilted her head back to pour it into her mouth.

The battle entered its fiftieth minute.

Lu Xinghe's [Solid Defense Formation] had collapsed three times and been rebuilt four times.

All six High-Grade Spirit Stones were exhausted.

The Spirit Stone fragments at his feet had piled up into a pale little hill, each grain once a Cultivate treasure worth 3000 Spirit Stones.

He felt no heartache.

He simply looked up at Lin Ye and said in a hoarse voice:

"Boss, the Formation is gone."

"Do you have anything else?"

Lin Ye looked at him.

Three seconds.

"Yes."

Lin Ye took a dark golden scroll, covered in the traces of time, from his Storage Ring.

[Heaven Burial Record - Fragment]

[Type: Golden Formation Diagram / Single-use Consumable]

[Quality: Legendary (Fragmented)]

[Description: A fragment of the quasi-emperor grade killing Formation "Heaven Burial," recording 1% of the Formation's mysteries. Although it is a fragment, it can still be used to set up a simplified version of the killing Formation, dealing massive damage to enemies within the Formation's range and applying a "Heavenly Might" suppression effect.]

[Effect:]

[1. After deployment, generates a 50-meter radius "Heaven Burial - Fragment" Domain, lasting 180 seconds]

[2. All enemy units within the Domain receive 1000 + (Caster's Rank × 20) True Damage per second]

[3. All enemy units within the Domain have all attributes -30%, movement speed -40%]

[4. All friendly units within the Domain have all attributes +15%, damage +25%]

[Deployment Requirement: Grandmaster-Rank Formation (Lu Xinghe's current Rank: Great Master-Rank)]

[Penalty: Forcing deployment has an 80% chance of failure, causing the scroll to be destroyed and inflicting 200% Mental Energy backlash on the caster]

Lin Ye handed the scroll to Lu Xinghe.

"You have a 20% chance of success."

Lu Xinghe took the scroll.

He did not ask, "What if it fails?"

He simply looked down at the dark golden fragment, looking at those ancient patterns he had never seen before, yet which seemed branded deep into his Soul.

"...80% chance I'll die," he said softly.

Lin Ye did not answer.

Lu Xinghe looked up.

For the first time, something appeared in his eyes that Lin Ye had never seen before.

It wasn't fear.

It was—

"20%."

He pressed the scroll against his chest.

"That's enough."

[Lu Xinghe - Forcing deployment of "Heaven Burial - Fragment"]

[Calculating...]

[Calculation failed]

The scroll exploded in Lu Xinghe's hands.

Dark golden fragments scattered, each one slicing open his palms, arms, and cheeks.

His Health Points plummeted from 71% to 22%.

His Mental Energy—that invisible thread supporting the Formation Master's communication with the Laws of heaven and earth—was torn into countless fragments by the backlash in that same instant.

[Lu Xinghe - Current Status]

[Health Points: 22% (continuously dropping)]

[Divine Power: 7%]

[Mental Energy: 0 (severe backlash)]

[Status: Mental breakdown (unable to cast Spells, unable to communicate with Laws, unable to use any Formation-type skills)]

[Recovery Time: 72 hours for natural recovery, 36 hours for High-Grade healing, immediate recovery with Legendary-grade Divine Soul potion]

Lu Xinghe fell to his knees.

He did not collapse.

He just knelt there, looking at his mangled hands, looking at the scroll fragments scattered on the ground.

His lips moved.

No sound came out.

But Lin Ye understood.

He was saying: I'm sorry.

The battle entered its seventy-third minute.

Su Qingyue deployed Vast Cold Descent for the second time.

It was not the complete version—the complete version required a 12-hour cooldown.

She used a forbidden technique she had just comprehended, unverified by the System, which consumed double the Divine Power to force a skill cooldown reset.

[Vast Cold Descent - Forbidden Reset]

[Effect: Forces a reset of the "Vast Cold Descent" skill cooldown and grants a Domain effect lasting 30 seconds]

[Cost: 1. Divine Power consumption × 300% (insufficient Divine Power currently, difference deducted from Health Points)]

[2. After the skill ends, enter "Extreme Cold Backlash" state, all attributes -50%, lasts 60 minutes]

[3. 15% chance of causing permanent meridian damage]

She did not tell anyone.

At the very moment her Health Points dropped from 82% to 39%, she deployed that 100-meter radius ice ring—once again.

The insect swarm's charge was frozen once more.

Shi Potian stood up from the pile of insect corpses.

His Hegemon Blood concentration had dropped below 20%, his right arm had three compound fractures, his left eye had been sprayed with acid, and his vision was reduced by half.

He stood there, panting heavily, looking at the endless sea of insects before him.

Then he smiled.

In that smile was blood, sweat, the excruciating pain of 11 broken ribs—and a kind of ultimate calm that Lin Ye had never seen on his face before.

"Boss," he said.

Lin Ye looked at him.

"In my grandfather's lifetime, he never truly fought a single battle."

Shi Potian raised his right arm.

That hand, with shattered bones, torn tendons, and a split web, still clenched into a fist.

"In this lifetime of mine—"

He aimed his fist at the insect swarm.

"I've fought enough to make it worth it."

The battle entered its one hundred and seventh minute.

Zhou Tieshan's Mysterious Tortoise Shield finally shattered.

That epic-grade heavy shield, which had followed him for five months, endured the tail stinger of the Earth Dragon Scorpion King, withstood a siege by a hundred members of the Primordial Royal Court, and blocked a fatal strike from the Blood Prince for him during the breakout battle at Purple Mountain—under the continuous biting of three Soldier Ants, starting from the deepest crack in the center, countless fine, spiderweb-like cracks spread outwards.

And then.

It shattered.

Zhou Tieshan watched the fragments scatter in his hands, watching his old companion that had accompanied him through half his fighting life turn into a pile of wreckage.

He had no time for sorrow.

At the same instant the fragments hit the ground, he drew his spare refined iron combat blade from his waist.

The blade was 1.1 meters long, weighed 37 kilograms, was of Rare quality, and was worth only 8000 Spirit Stones in the Big Dipper Star Field.

He used this blade to hack into the mouthparts of the next Soldier Ant that lunged at him.

The battle entered its one hundred and thirty-fifth minute.

Yun Qianxue's 37th group heal only restored an average of 9% of her teammates' Health Points.

Her Divine Power, after two hours of continuous high-intensity spellcasting, had dropped to less than 8%.

That bottle of Legendary-grade fountain of life, under strict orders of "do not use unless near death," was currently clutched in her left palm.

Her right hand was still casting Spells, still staunching Zhou Tieshan's bleeding, repairing Chen Hao's mecha neural connections, and stabilizing Lu Xinghe's collapsing mental sea.

She did not use that medicine.

Because it was not yet near death.

Because it was the team's last insurance policy.

Because—they hadn't lost yet.

The battle entered its one hundred and sixtieth minute.

Chu Yunxi's flame feather bow snapped.

The bow limbs folded into two segments from the center, and after the bowstring snapped, it lashed out at her cheek like a viper, leaving a bloodstain deep enough to see bone.

She did not touch her face.

She simply picked up a broken mandible that had fallen off a Soldier Ant, gripped it in her hand, and used it as a dagger.

Then she walked to Zhou Tieshan's side and stood shoulder-to-shoulder with him.

"I have no weapon left," she said.

Zhou Tieshan did not look at her.

The refined iron combat blade in his hand was already chipped, the blade covered in notches, the anti-slip cloth wrapped around the hilt long since soaked through with blood.

"...Me neither," he said.

Chu Yunxi nodded.

She gripped the broken mandible tighter, facing the next Soldier Ant lunging at them.

The battle entered its one hundred and eightieth minute.

Exactly six hours.

Lin Ye stood in the center of the circular Formation.

His Chaos Domain had been deployed continuously for 107 minutes.

This was the limit of his ability to maintain the Chaos Domain in the Four Extremities Realm state—exceeding the theoretical maximum by 370%.

His Divine Power had hit zero 107 minutes ago.

What was supporting this 9-meter radius gray Domain right now was not Divine Power.

It was the Origin of the Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body.

It was the irreversible loss of 1% per second, bought by burning his own Health Points.

It was the order he had silently given himself at the 43rd minute of the battle, without telling anyone:

"As long as I have a single drop of blood left—"

"The Domain must not dissipate."

[Lin Ye - Current Status]

[Health Points: 23% (continuously dropping)]

[Divine Power: 0%]

[Chaos Domain maintenance method: Life Burning (-1% per second)]

[Remaining support time: 23 seconds]

He did not look at that countdown.

He just looked at the sea of insects before him, frozen by the Vast Cold Domain, eroded by the Chaos Domain, held back by ten people with their lives—yet still seeming endless.

23 seconds.

Is it enough?

He didn't know.

But—he knew—there were nine people behind him.

Nine people, not one of them had fallen.

Zhou Tieshan's Mysterious Tortoise Shield was shattered, but he still had his blade.

The blade was chipped, but he still had his fists.

His knuckles were cracked, but he still had his shoulders.

His shoulder was dislocated, but he still had his teeth.

Chu Yunxi's bow was broken, but she still had the broken mandible.

The mandible snapped, but she still had her fingernails.

Shi Potian's right arm was useless, but he still had his left arm.

The left arm was broken, but he still had his headbutt.

Su Qingyue's Vast Cold Descent had backlashed, but she still had her Ice Soul Sword.

The sword was broken, but she still had Spiritual Power.

Her Spiritual Power was exhausted, but she still had—

Lin Ye did not continue watching.

He closed his eyes.

Three seconds.

He opened his eyes.

That [Hegemon Blood Essence - Ancestral Star Special Supply] which he had held in his left palm since the start of the battle, which he hadn't been able to bring himself to use—brought back by Shi Potian from the Ancestral Star, the only one the entire team possessed, a Legendary-grade treasure that could restore 20% of Hegemon Blood concentration within 30 seconds and permanently increase the Hegemon Blood cap by 5%—

[part:gemini-3.0-flash]

He stuffed it into his mouth.

Not for himself.

It was for the Chaos Domain.

For those 23 seconds.

For—

Chaos Divine Power and Hegemon Blood power, at this moment, for the first time in his body—merged.

[System Notification: Unknown resonance detected between Chaos Power and Hegemon Blood power]

[Resonance Intensity: 17%]

[Effect: Chaos Domain traits temporarily changed—]

[Original: Enemy attributes -30%, Allies +20%]

[Current: Enemy attributes -45%, Allies +35%, added "Hegemon Awe" (Enemy morale -30%, Confusion probability +15%)]

[Duration: 30 seconds]

[Cost: Chaos Domain maintenance method switched from "Life Burning" to "Hegemon Blood Burning," consuming 5% of current Hegemon Blood concentration per second]

[Warning: Your current Hegemon Blood concentration is 0% (No hegemon body bloodline)]

[Forcibly extracting the unrefined portion of "Hegemon Blood Essence"...]

[Extraction successful]

[Your current Hegemon Blood concentration: 7%]

[Chaos Domain: Hegemon Blood Mode]

[Remaining time: 14 seconds]

—

Lin Ye took a step forward.

This step crushed a section of rock half a meter in diameter beneath his feet.

This step made the front line of the swarm, the Soldier Ants that had just woken up from the freeze, stop their charge simultaneously.

This step allowed the nine people behind him—Zhou Tieshan, Chu Yunxi, Shi Potian, Su Qingyue, Chen Hao, Zhao Wuji, Qin Ruoxue, Yun Qianxue, and Lu Xinghe—

At the same instant, to feel an unprecedented—crossing the boundaries of class and Bloodline—

Power.

"Chaos Domain: Hegemon Blood, expand—"

Lin Ye's voice pierced through the exhaustion of six hours of bloody battle, pierced through the danger of 23% health, and pierced through the 14-second limit countdown.

"Thirty-meter radius."

"Enemy attributes -45%."

"Allies +35%."

"Three seconds."

"Kill."

—

Three seconds.

Zhou Tieshan's fine iron war saber hacked into the abdominal joints of three Soldier Ants.

Chu Yunxi's Broken Jaw pierced a Soldier Ant's eye socket.

Shi Potian's left fist smashed a Soldier Ant's cephalothorax.

Chen Hao's particle rifle emptied its last set of capacitors in overload mode.

Su Qingyue's broken sword ran through a Soldier Ant's ganglion.

Zhao Wuji used his mysterious gold abacus to flatten a Soldier Ant's antenna.

Qin Ruoxue emerged from the shadows, her dagger slicing through a Soldier Ant's neck membrane.

Yun Qianxue crushed the last bottle of Blood Recovery Pill, scattering it over the team as dust.

Lu Xinghe used the edge of that cracked star compass to slit a Soldier Ant's spiracle.

Lin Ye's Chaos Sword swept across the front line of the swarm—

Seven Soldier Ants were cut in half simultaneously.

Three seconds ended.

The swarm did not disperse.

But their charge, for the first time, came to a halt.

—

Then, they began to retreat.

It wasn't a rout.

It was an orderly, controlled tactical retreat following the command of some higher will.

The remaining Soldier Ants at the front turned around, guarding the wounded in a combat stance as they retreated into the boundless darkness to the south.

The Worker Ants left countless fine pheromone trails on the ground, navigation coordinates marked for the next attack.

Three minutes later.

Within a 500-meter radius around the high ground, there wasn't a single living Gold-Devouring Ant.

Only insect corpses everywhere.

Only blood.

Only nine people and a mecha stood in the center of the circular position, gasping for breath.

Only Lin Ye.

He stood there, looking at the darkness to the south where the swarm had disappeared.

His health, at the moment the Hegemon Blood Essence effect ended, froze at—

7%.

7 drops of blood.

He stood for a long time.

Then he turned around, looking at the nine familiar faces behind him, seeing the same exhaustion and pride of surviving a disaster on each of their faces.

He opened his mouth.

No sound came out.

Yun Qianxue walked up to him.

She didn't speak.

She just took that bottle of legendary fountain of life that she had held in her palm for six hours and couldn't bear to use—

And gently placed it in Lin Ye's palm.

Then she turned and began to urgently treat the wounds of the seriously injured.

Lin Ye looked down at the medicine.

The pale green liquid sloshed gently in the transparent crystal bottle; every drop was worth 100,000 Spirit Stones.

He didn't use it.

He just tucked it into the deepest part of his Storage Ring.

Then he spoke, his voice so raspy it was almost unrecognizable:

"...Loot."

Zhao Wuji scrambled up from the ground.

His legs were still shaking, his face was still pale as paper, and his stamina was down to 11%.

But he still opened his data pad.

"...Gold-Devouring Ants... corpses... harvestable Materials..." His voice was intermittent, every word squeezed out of his throat.

"Worker Ant carapace... 0.8-1.2 kg per ant... Defense... 3800... can be used for... light armor manufacturing..."

"Soldier Ant mandibles... 2-4 per pair... Attack... 4500-5100... can be used to make... daggers/arrowheads..."

"Acid glands... 1 per Soldier Ant... can be used for... Alchemy/enchanting..."

He reported for a long time.

Long enough for Chu Yunxi to finally retrieve the two pieces of her broken bow, long enough for Zhou Tieshan to start wrapping the fracture in his right arm with bandages, and long enough for Shi Potian to fall asleep leaning against an insect corpse.

Then he reported the last item:

"...Star Beast Cores."

"Gold-Devouring Ant Worker Ants... 5% drop rate..."

"Gold-Devouring Ant Soldier Ants... 12% drop rate..."

He paused.

"Current count... 127 cores."

[Star Beast Core: Gold-Devouring Ant]

[Type: Core Material for Artifact Refining/Alchemy]

[Quality: Rare - Epic]

[Description: Energy crystals condensed within the Gold-Devouring Ant, containing weak Metal Laws and some life essence. Core material for refining "Metal Resistance Equipment," "Strength Augmentation Pills," and "Mecha Joint Reinforcement Modules."]

[Effect (Artifact Refining):]

[1. Added to armor forging, has a chance to grant "Metal Resistance +15%" Special effects]

[2. Added to weapon forging, has a chance to grant "Armor Penetration +10%" Special effects]

[3. Added to mecha joint reinforcement, permanently increases response speed by 3%-5%]

[Effect (Alchemy):]

[1. Primary material for refining "Gold Element Pill," grants 5-8 permanent Strength points upon consumption]

[2. Auxiliary material for refining "Barrier-Breaking Pill," success rate +10% when breaking through to the Dragon Transformation Realm]

[Market Value: Approx. 1200-1800 Spirit Stones per core (Big Dipper Star Field)]

[Current Stock: 127 cores]

127 cores.

Worth about 150,000 to 230,000 Spirit Stones.

This was the total loot exchanged for six hours of bloody battle—ten people nearly dying seventeen times, medicine exhausted, the black tortoise shield destroyed, the flame feather bow broken, Lu Xinghe's mental sea backlash, Su Qingyue's extreme cold backlash, Lin Ye burning Hegemon Blood Essence, and Shi Potian's three open fractures in his right arm.

No one felt it was a loss.

Because everyone was still alive.

—

Lin Ye stood at the edge of the high ground, looking at the southern horizon which was still pitch black.

The direction where the swarm had retreated.

Qin Ruoxue walked to his side.

Her thousand faces cloak had 17 holes corroded by acid during the six-hour battle, revealing the equally damaged lining inside. There were three bloody scratches on her face from insect mandibles that she hadn't had time to treat.

But she didn't care about that.

She just looked at Lin Ye and said softly:

"Before they retreated, they left pheromone markers."

"Not marking the terrain."

"They marked—us."

Lin Ye didn't speak.

Qin Ruoxue continued:

"The Gold-Devouring Ant Queen has an intelligence level no lower than a Level 60 BOSS."

"It used ten thousand Worker and Soldier Ants to wear us down for six hours."

"It tested our defense limits, attack intensity, healing capacity, command patterns, and everyone's combat habits and weaknesses."

"It took away over 1,270 insect corpses—that's over 1,270 sets of complete combat data about us."

"Then it retreated."

Qin Ruoxue paused.

"Not to preserve the species."

"It was for—the next time."

Lin Ye still didn't speak.

He looked at that pitch-black horizon.

There was nothing there.

But he knew that in the darkness, deep within the nest of that Queen of unknown level and intelligence no lower than a human's—

A brand-new hunting plan targeting the Heavenly Court Expedition Team was quietly taking shape in the silent network woven by pheromones.

The six-hour bloody battle was just an appetizer.

The real battle—

Hadn't even started.

Lin Ye turned around.

He looked at the nine faces behind him, exhausted to the limit but still forcing themselves to stay up.

He saw Zhou Tieshan using a spare ordinary iron shield—rare quality, with only 60% of the black tortoise shield's defense—to re-establish the front line of the position.

He saw Chu Yunxi take out a spare fine-grade longbow from her Storage Ring and test the tension of the string.

He saw Shi Potian asleep against an insect corpse, but his right hand still held a fist-clenching posture.

He saw Su Qingyue sitting cross-legged on the ground with her eyes closed, her ice-blue hair lifting gently in the night wind—of the 60 minutes of extreme cold backlash, 17 minutes remained.

He saw Chen Hao open the mecha cockpit, half his body leaning out, using the last set of consumables from the emergency repair kit to rush repairs on the severe wear of chaos unit no. 1's right shoulder joint.

He saw Zhao Wuji squatting among the medicine piles, re-categorizing, arranging, and counting the last 12 Blood Recovery Pills, 7 spirit recovery pills, 1 Antidote, and 1 roll of emergency bandages.

He saw Yun Qianxue holding her green lotus staff; the glow at the tip was so faint it was almost invisible, yet she was still maintaining the basic "Slow Heal" status for everyone.

He saw Lu Xinghe lying on the ground, eyes open, looking at the deep purple, starless sky.

His mental sea was still dead silent.

But he didn't close his eyes.

He was still looking at the sky.

Lin Ye withdrew his gaze.

He turned around and faced the pitch-black southern horizon again.

"We're not leaving tonight," he said.

"Camp here."

"Watch rotation, two people per shift, rotating every two hours."

"First shift—"

He paused.

"Me."

No one spoke.

No one asked, "Can you still stand guard with only 7% health?"

No one said, "You've been fighting for six hours straight; you should rest."

No one tried to persuade him.

The nine people just silently—those who could move helped those who couldn't set up tents, those who could walk helped those who couldn't lay out sleeping bags, and those with medicine gave the last of it to those who needed it more.

Then, one by one, they fell into a deep sleep.

Lin Ye stood at the edge of the high ground.

His health slowly recovered to 11%.

His Divine Power was still 0%.

His Chaos Domain was completely closed, requiring at least 8 hours of natural charging to reactivate 10%.

He stood there, looking south.

That darkness was still silent.

The pheromone markers from the swarm still remained on his armor, his skin, and even in the spiritual power fluctuations of his Chaos Heavenly Emperor Body.

That was the arrow the Queen had shot at him.

The arrow had left the string.

It just hadn't arrived yet.

Lin Ye didn't wipe away those pheromones.

He just stood there.

7% health.

0% Divine Power.

10 people.

127 Star Beast Cores.

Medicine exhausted.

Ahead, there were still over 300 kilometers.

There were still the Star Skeleton Mountains, the Crystallized Forest, Star Core Giant Beasts, and that Queen watching them from the darkness.

He didn't look back.

He just said softly:

"Come."