65: The crusade begins!

These examinees, scattered by the beast tide or encountering each other on their desperate escape, began to unleash their defensive skills!

Earthen-yellow light shields and cyan wind walls instantly rose on the flanks. Although they swayed precariously and their light dimmed under the support of these exhausted examinees, they ultimately managed to temporarily block some of the subsequent monster attacks, attempting to relieve the pressure on Lin Feng and his group from the rear-flank.

The terrifying Transcendent-level aura erupting from the depths of the Barren World was like the last straw that broke the camel's back, making them thoroughly understand that scattered escape would only lead to death.

And Lin Feng's 'feat' of confronting the beast tide head-on and carving out a path to survival was like a lighthouse suddenly lit in the depths of an endless dark abyss, becoming their only and last hope!

They instinctively and desperately gravitated towards this 'isolated island' emanating powerful strength and the light of hope!

"A bunch of good-for-nothings! Now you know to stick together? What were you doing before?!"

A slightly harsh voice, filled with undisguised arrogance, broke the short-lived, tragic atmosphere.

A young man, dressed in magnificent battle armor, spotless from head to toe, with two gleaming longswords floating beside him, arrived near this area, surrounded by several examinees who were clearly bodyguards and exuded a calm aura.

He was Nangong Jie, a scion of the Nangong family.

His face showed undisguised contempt and disdain, his gaze sweeping over the disheveled examinees forming a formation, as if he were looking at ants.

However, when his gaze passed over the Alien Queen, Rift Tear, and Abyssal Venom, who were slaughtering their way through the beast tide, and especially when he felt the stable and powerful aura emanating from Lin Feng, a trace of solemnity and apprehension flashed in the depths of his eyes... The bodyguards beside him were quite strong, clearly the 'shadows' General Zhao had mentioned, blocking most of the attacks for him.

"Nangong Jie! Stop with the sarcastic remarks! If you're so capable, kill a few more monsters!"

The axe-wielding strongman glared angrily.

"Hmph, when this young master does things, it's not your place to dictate!"

Nangong Jie snorted, precisely controlling his longswords to slay approaching monsters with high efficiency. However, he was clearly prioritizing self-preservation and did not actively share the burden.

Lin Feng glanced at the dozens of examinees who had gathered: some were fighting desperately with bloodlust, some were forced to protect themselves, and some, like Nangong Jie, were looking out for themselves with their bodyguards.

Chaos, fear, anger, and the will to survive were intertwined.

His heart was unperturbed; he simply said coldly.

"If you want to live, follow orders! Hold the area behind me! Qin Yuyan, have the Ice Crystal Phoenix assist them in defense!"

He had no time or energy to unite their hearts; he could only use the most direct method... using strength and clear commands to forcefully establish order amidst the chaos.

He needed these people to share the pressure from the flanks and the air, allowing him to focus more on breaking through the front and dealing with any potential Beastmaster powerhouses.

Qin Yuyan immediately understood, directing the Ice Crystal Phoenix to adjust the range of its 'Extreme Cold Domain' to primarily cover the front of the gathered examinees, forming a frost-induced slowdown zone.

At the same time, she herself released skills like Ice Shard and Ice Wall to assist in defense.

With the addition of these dozens of examinees, though their strength was uneven, they ultimately formed a resistance force, barely stabilizing their position and creating a temporary defensive circle with Lin Feng's three beasts as the spearhead and the other examinees as shields.

The desperate curses diminished significantly, replaced by roars, the booming of skill explosions, and the wails of monsters.

The shadow of death had not dispersed, but the flame of survival rekindled a glimmer of light in everyone's hearts.

"Damn the Professional Association higher-ups! What do they take us for?! Bait?!"

"Where are the Professional Association people? Are they all dead?!"

"When I get out of here, I'm going to report this to the Council! To the Professional Association headquarters!"

During lulls in the fighting, curses rose and fell.

No one was a fool; that terrifying Transcendent-level aura, along with the Beastmasters' abnormal, no-holds-barred full-scale attack, all pointed to a terrifying truth... they had been used!

Just as the examinees in the Barren World were fighting bloody battles and curses soared to the heavens, somewhere outside, on a floating alloy command platform, the oppressive atmosphere was finally broken!

"Buzz!!!"

The piercing alarm turned into the highest-level battle alert siren! All the lights on the platform turned a dazzling crimson!

The massive spatial rift, like the hideous gaping maw of a giant beast, was violently fluctuating, with even tiny, glass-shattering-like cracks appearing at its edges, as if it could completely collapse at any moment!

"Report to the Commander! Spatial rift stability has dropped below critical! The 'Gate' fluctuation has reached its peak! Repeat, the 'Gate' fluctuation has reached its peak!"

"Report! Transcendent-level energy source stably locked! Coordinates: Barren World core region, 'Dragonfall Nest'! Energy intensity: Transcendent-level initial (suspected)! Life signs confirmed!"

"Report! Beastmaster Priest Corps main force position confirmed! Located at 'Thousand Dragon Valley' on the outskirts of 'Dragonfall Nest'! A large-scale sacrificial ritual is underway! Energy reactions are abnormally active!"

"Report! All examinee signals carrying 'Starmarks' are stable! But the casualty rate... has exceeded seventy percent! Teacher and observer casualty rates have exceeded sixty percent!"

Report after report, like thunderclaps, exploded in the command center.

The enormous casualty figures made everyone's heart bleed.

Zhao Tieying, this iron-blooded general, now had bloodshot eyes, his teeth clenched, and the muscles in his jaw twitching violently.

He stared intently at the deep-purple, heart-like pulsating light dot on the screen... the Dragonfall Nest!

And the dazzling crimson area marked 'Thousand Dragon Valley' next to it!

"Highest order! Highest order!!!"

The communicator's voice was filled with ecstasy and trembling.

"Council Speaker's order: Operation begins! Codename — 'Dragon Slaying'!"

"Roar!!!"

The long-suppressed rage and grief, at this moment, transformed into an earth-shattering roar that erupted from Zhao Tieying's mouth, echoing throughout the entire command platform!

He fiercely drew the alloy battle saber from his waist, its blade pointing directly at the massive spatial rift on the screen!

"Transmit my order!!!"

"Spatial channel generator — maximum power! Activate!"

"'Dragon Slaying' Legion — all units! Objective: Barren World!"

"First to Fifth Thousand-Man Brigades! Mission: At all costs, rescue all surviving examinees! Coordinates synchronized! Prioritize ensuring the safety of 'Starmark' bearers! Clear all Beastmaster and monster obstacles along the way!"

"Sixth to Tenth Thousand-Man Brigades! Follow me — strike directly at the heart! Objective: 'Dragonfall Nest'! Destroy the Beastmaster Priest Corps! Capture the Transcendent-level dragon beast alive!"

"For the Dragon Nation! For those children who died! Kill!!!"

"Kill!!!"

On the platform, all officials and soldiers roared in unison, their voices almost tearing off the alloy dome!

The accumulated grief transformed into soaring battle intent!

Below the platform, the colossal war machine, already assembled and awaiting orders, began to roar.

One thousand Gold-level Professional, clad in standard alloy battle armor, wielding psionic weapons that gleamed with cold light, stood like a silent steel forest.

They were divided into ten teams, each hundred-person group leading a thousand-person square formation composed entirely of Silver-level peak soldiers, exuding a murderous aura that pierced the sky.

In front of the platform, dozens of strangely shaped, massive devices covered with complex energy circuits simultaneously burst forth with dazzling light.

Powerful energy beams converged, fiercely striking the unstable spatial rift!

"Sizzle... Boom!!!"

The spatial rift was forcibly torn open, stabilized, and expanded!

A gigantic spatial channel, over a hundred meters in diameter, with blue energy arcs flowing along its edges, like a gate to hell, forcefully formed in the void!

"First to Fifth Brigades! Attack!"

Five hundred Gold-level peak generals, exuding powerful auras, were the first to leap into the channel!

Immediately following, five thousand Silver-level peak Professional, like a steel torrent, or a raging flood breaking through a dam, rushed into the Barren World with unparalleled killing intent!

Their objective was clear... rescue!

"Sixth to Tenth Brigades! Follow me!"

General Zhao Tieying led the charge, his alloy battle saber gleaming with cold light, his figure transforming into a golden meteor as he plunged into the channel!

Behind him were five hundred Gold-level Professional and five thousand of the most elite Silver-level soldiers.

These individuals, like peerless divine weapons unsheathed, carried an unwavering resolve, their target aimed directly at the terrifying Transcendent-level source deep within the Barren World — the Dragonfall Nest!

The steel torrent had officially descended upon the Barren World! Objective — Transcendent-level!