97: The spoils are endless! This wave of profit is huge!

The embers of war still smoldered silently at the edge of the sinkhole.

Fafnir’s massive steel body slowly descended onto the utterly leveled earth.

With two heavy metallic thuds, the flame dragon mecha and the thunder dragon mecha leaped down from the colossal beast, one to its left and one to its right, once again setting foot on the land that had witnessed their humiliation and revenge.

The air was filled with a strange mixture of sulfur, charcoal, and the sap of some peculiar plant.

As far as the eye could see, the once sky-reaching giant tree, which used to blot out the sun, was now nothing more than a bottomless, terrifying sinkhole with crimson lava still flowing along its edges.

The entire center of the Isle of Wisdom seemed to have been precisely struck by an apocalyptic meteor, imbued with the dead silence and oppressive feeling that follows destruction.

“Clear the battlefield,” Lin Mo’s voice broke the post-war quiet.

He piloted the flame dragon mecha towards the giant, emerald-like heart of the world tree, which floated serenely in the center of the sinkhole.

Gu Zhixia, piloting the thunder dragon mecha, silently followed behind him.

Her phoenix eyes, usually as sharp as blades, were now curiously surveying the magnificent “meteorite crater” that they had created with their own hands.

The moment Lin Mo’s mechanical hand touched the emerald heart, a boundless, ocean-like surge of Life energy rushed through the mecha’s fingertips!

[heart of the world tree (Mythic)]

[Type: Core Energy / Special Material]

[Effect 1: Can be used as the ‘life engine’ core for a space battleship, providing nearly infinite Life energy to the vessel and unlocking ‘Platinum-tier’ advancement authority.]

[Effect 2: Contains vast power of Life laws, usable for forging Mythic-tier equipment or as core material for the evolution of certain special organisms.]

[Description: The crystallization of all Life and power from a mythical creature that lived for untold tens of thousands of years. It is, in itself, a small, eternal Life furnace.]

“Platinum-tier advancement…” Lin Mo looked at the description, and the calm he felt from his successful revenge rippled once more.

The Natural Selection had finally found its opportunity for a complete metamorphosis.

He carefully stored the massive heart in his inventory, his gaze then falling on several other scattered spoils of war nearby.

A seed, entirely emerald green, radiating a soft glow.

It was only fist-sized, yet its surface seemed to be engraved with countless intricate runes, like theVeins of Life.

[Seed of the Ancient Tree of Life (Gold)]

[Type: Special Plant]

[Effect: Can be planted in a suitable environment to grow into an ‘Ancient Tree of Life’. The ancient tree can produce ‘Life Fruits’ with special beneficial effects daily, and can slowly purify the surrounding environment, forming a ‘Natural Territory’ filled with Life energy.]

[Description: The condensation of the most fundamental trace of Life essence after the fall of the World Tree. Perhaps it cannot recreate the glory of the World Tree, but it possesses a completely different possibility.]

“Brother Mo! Can this be planted on the ship?” Gu Nianqiu’s voice, filled with an irrepressible anticipation and joy, came through the communication channel.

She had clearly seen the attributes of this spoil of war, and in her mind, a picture had already formed of having her own lush little orchard within the cold steel battleship.

“Yes,” Lin Mo’s lips curved into a faint smile.

“The ecological garden in the living area has just the right space.”

Finally, there were three palm-sized fragments, seemingly made of some greenish-blue woody crystal.

The surface of the fragments was covered with profound patterns, and when the three pieces were put together, they vaguely formed the upper part of a scepter.

[Fragments of the Scepter of Nature * 3 (Gold)]

[Type: Unknown / Quest Item]

[Effect: ???]

[Description: Appears to be a holy relic left behind by an ancient civilization that revered the power of nature, long since annihilated in the river of history. It emanates an ancient andvicissitudes of life aura, seemingly awaiting the day it will be reawakened.]

Another enigma that couldn't be used for now.

Lin Mo didn't dwell on it too much and put them all away.

With the spoils cleared, Fafnir spread its dragon wings again, carrying the two mechas, and soared into the sky, returning to the Natural Selection suspended above the clouds.

This island, which had once forced them to flee in panic, now held no secrets in their eyes... Meanwhile, in a sea area tens of kilometers away from the Isle of Wisdom.

A player fleet, consisting of three medium-sized armed vessels, was turning around at top speed, frantically fleeing in the direction away from the Isle of Wisdom.

On the deck of the leading ship, a burly man with a full beard was holding binoculars.

His hands trembled violently from extreme fear.

His name was Xiong Hai, and he was the leader of this survivor team called “Raging Waves.”

Just half an hour ago, they had been ecstatic about a piece of intelligence.

The intelligence said that the Isle of Wisdom was rich in fruits that could permanently increase attributes, and with a little caution, they could reap a rich harvest.

So, Xiong Hai brought his two most elite squads and rushed over excitedly.

However, before they could even get close, they witnessed a scene they would never forget in this Life.

That colossal black aerial battleship, whose model they couldn't even name.

That beam of light, like a god's spear, piercing through heaven and earth.

That terrifying giant steel dragon, descending from the sky, larger than a mountain.

And finally, that… that destructive light that dyed half the sky white and was powerful enough to vaporize everything.

“Cap… Captain…” a young crew member beside him, his face ashen, his teeth chattering uncontrollably.

“What… what the hell was that? Gods fighting?”

Xiong Hai abruptly lowered his binoculars.

His face was filled with the terror of surviving a catastrophe and a hint of… twisted relief.

He was relieved that he had arrived a step late.

He was relieved that he hadn't rashly landed on the island to provoke that group… no, it could no longer be called a “group.”

That was a natural disaster.

“Pass on my order!” Xiong Hai’s voice was hoarse like a broken gong, yet he used all his strength to roar at everyone.

“Everyone! Everything you saw, everything you heard, you all better keep it buried inside! Whoever dares to utter a single word, I’ll personally throw him into the sea!”

He turned back and took one last look at the terrifying sky, which had returned to calm but made his soul tremble.

He muttered to himself, as if admonishing himself, and also as if engraving a taboo that could never be touched for eternity.

“From today on, a new god has been born in these waters.”

“No…” He shook his head, a more terrified expression appearing on his face.

“That’s not a god.”

“That’s a natural disaster… walking among humans.”