Chapter 204: Thunder from the Hidden Intersections
The probing assault had already lasted for nearly an hour.
The nerves of the soldiers in the trenches were repeatedly stretched to their limits. From being taut with every initial charge of the scaled beasts, they gradually succumbed to a numb exhaustion. The roaring rhythm of the piercing cannons had become fixed: spot the beast's shadow in the gray fog, aim, fire, and wait for the corpse to fall, over and over again. Many soldiers' eyelids began to droop. Fresh blisters formed on their palms from the friction against the gun stocks, and their old wounds throbbed with pain from the continuous exertion.
The rotation of the Sea of Consciousness defense group was also beginning to show flaws.
The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being's targeted psychic stabs were specifically timed to land during the one or two breaths of transition between shifts. The cultivators who had just taken their posts had not yet fully synchronized their resonance with their comrades, leaving minute gaps in the defense line. A young cultivator, who had already sustained trauma during the previous heavy impact, suddenly had a psychic spike drill into him. His body swayed violently, and a trace of bloody froth spilled from the corner of his mouth. Forcing himself not to collapse, his resonance strength visibly weakened.
"Hold the transition rhythm! It doesn't matter if the handover is half a breath slow, just don't leave any gaps!" the defense captain roared in a low, hoarse voice.
He knew clearly that these minute injuries would not cause an immediate collapse, but they accumulated. Every stab added a tiny wound to the Sea of Consciousness. Once the scars reached a critical threshold, the breakdown of a single individual would trigger a chain reaction, causing the entire resonance to collapse.
The alarms from the near-suburb anchor points continued to sound intermittently.
The Spiderweb Ancient Being no longer ignited multiple points at once. Instead, it activated them one by one. Just as the western warehouse was suppressed, a signal of spore restlessness erupted from an abandoned culvert in the east. The remaining serum squads rushed back and forth, their physical stamina and reserves of calming agents dropping rapidly, leaving them unable to spare any forces to support the frontline. The ancient being didn't need to cause massive destruction; as long as it kept this squad constantly occupied, its objective was already achieved.
Inside the rocky hill observation shed, Lin Yan's gaze had not left the thermal signatures in the hidden intersections for a moment.
The eleven third-tier scaled beasts lay dormant in the shadowy channels, not accompanying the probing squads. The Beast Commander's consciousness swept over them periodically, adjusting their positioning and arranging the assault echelons. They were like a heavy cannon, fully loaded and waiting only for the trigger to be pulled.
"The rhythm of the probing is slowing down," Lin Yan reported to the command center in a low voice. "They have achieved their probing objectives. Our rotation gaps, fire coverage blind spots, and ammunition consumption rates have all been figured out. The Beast Commander is recalling the scattered probing beasts outside, pulling them back toward the hidden intersections."
Scholar Su's heart sank. "Prepare. The main force is moving. Notify everyone to pull their focus away from the sporadic beast probing and concentrate entirely on the main rift entrance!"
The orders were relayed down the chain. The frontline, which had become slightly lax, instantly tensed up again. Soldiers rubbed their sore eyes and recalibrated their cannons. The Sea of Consciousness cultivators fully retracted their consciousness, linking tightly with one another to reinforce the resonance links to their most stable state. Engineers placed their hands on the energy overload valves, ready to pour maximum power into the barrier at any moment.
Within the rift, the synchronization signals of the five ancient beings shifted simultaneously.
The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being, which had been responsible for harassment, ceased its sporadic stabs. It began to concentrate its power, gathering all its remaining psychic strength. The target was no longer to kill cultivators, but to create a massive Sea of Consciousness tremor, disrupting the synchronization rhythm of the entire defense array.
The Illusion Ancient Being activated the concealed instantaneous illusion array nodes near the entrance. The illusions would not cover a vast area; they would only erupt for a split second the moment the main scaled beast force charged out, briefly distorting everyone's vision and preventing the defenders from seeing the direction of the beast assault.
The Spiderweb Ancient Being temporarily abandoned the near-suburb anchor points, plugging its entire consciousness into the beast herd's command link to help the Beast Commander stabilize the signal transmission, ensuring the main assault echelon moved in perfect synchronization.
The Beast Commander's heavy commanding fluctuations swept over the hidden intersections like a shockwave.
The eleven third-tier scaled beasts, dormant for so long, raised their heads simultaneously. Low roars echoed deep within the channel. Taking heavy strides, they followed the dozens of ordinary scaled beasts that had been recalled, forming a dense, cone-shaped assault formation as they advanced steadily toward the rift exit. This time, it was not a scattered squad; it was a heavy punch, fully charged.
At the center, the supreme ruler transmitted a confirming synchronization signal.
Strike.
In the next second, the gray fog churned, and a massive tide of scaled beasts poured out of the cave entrance like a flood.
The eleven third-tier scaled beasts at the very front took the lead. Lowering their hard heads with their bone spurs pointing forward, they slammed into the left flank of the barrier with earth-shattering force.
BOOM!!
The sound of the collision was far more ferocious than any of the previous probes. The entire energy membrane caved inward violently, and cracks spread like a spiderweb from the point of impact.
"Main force assault! Left flank!"
The piercing cannons in the trenches roared collectively, splashing dense volleys of long-rod ammunition directly at the faces of the third-tier scaled beasts. One beast at the forefront was struck in the head, black blood gushing out. Its massive body staggered, but the one behind it immediately stepped up, continuing to slam mercilessly into the barrier.
Just as everyone's eyes were drawn to this group of third-tier scaled beasts, the Illusion Ancient Being's instantaneous illusion array triggered!
In an instant, the scenery in everyone's field of vision twisted.
The beast herd, which had originally been concentrated on the left flank, seemed to spontaneously split into countless squads, charging simultaneously from both the north and south. Roars of beasts echoed from all directions. Many soldiers instinctively turned their guns, firing at the fake illusions, and their firepower was instantly dispersed.
"Don't be deceived by the illusions! The target is still the left flank! The illusions are just phantoms!" Lin Yan roared fiercely.
Seizing this opportunity, the Sharp-Sense Ancient Being unleashed a wave of Sea of Consciousness tremors.
There were no sharp cutting blades, only a continuous, low-frequency vibration that spread throughout the entire Sea of Consciousness defense group via the resonance links. The cultivators' Seas of Consciousness swayed in tandem, and the resonance connections between them loosened on a massive scale.
"Hold the resonance! Don't let it shake you apart!" the defense captain roared, expending every ounce of his strength to stabilize his own Sea of Consciousness and output power to link up with his comrades.
Yet, someone still couldn't hold on.
The young cultivator who had been previously injured could no longer maintain the link in his Sea of Consciousness. Trembling violently, he fell straight backward. This breach caused the barrier, already under immense pressure, to see its load surge again, and the warning red lights flashed frantically.
Guarding the inside of the breach, Old Zhou gripped his oscillation stinger. His wounds went numb with pain due to the intense emotional fluctuations. He stared fixedly at the third-tier scaled beast charging at the forefront, knowing that this wave was entirely different from all the previous probes. The ancient beings had figured out all their rhythms, weaknesses, and rotation habits. This strike was aimed precisely at their vulnerabilities.
Deep within the cavern, the consciousness of the five ancient beings resonated in harmony, calmly receiving feedback from the frontline.
They were not in a rush to expand their gains. They merely maintained a steady assault, slowly pushing the cracks in the barrier to continue extending. The supreme ruler quietly observed the effect of this round of assault, silently evaluating in its mind whether it needed to commit more trump cards.
Above the wasteland, smoke billowed once again.
Illusions blinded the eyes, tremors disturbed the mind, and third-tier scaled beasts rammed the barrier in relays. The hastily consolidated defense line of the garrison was teetering on the brink of collapse under this long-planned heavy blow.
Lin Yan stared fixedly at the densely packed beast heat signatures on the screen, his heart sinking continuously.
He knew clearly that this was only the first wave of the main offensive. If the barrier was smashed open here, no force on earth could stop this beast tide.
End of Chapter.
The nerves of the soldiers in the trenches were repeatedly stretched to their limits. From being taut with every initial charge of the scaled beasts, they gradually succumbed to a numb exhaustion. The roaring rhythm of the piercing cannons had become fixed: spot the beast's shadow in the gray fog, aim, fire, and wait for the corpse to fall, over and over again. Many soldiers' eyelids began to droop. Fresh blisters formed on their palms from the friction against the gun stocks, and their old wounds throbbed with pain from the continuous exertion.
The rotation of the Sea of Consciousness defense group was also beginning to show flaws.
The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being's targeted psychic stabs were specifically timed to land during the one or two breaths of transition between shifts. The cultivators who had just taken their posts had not yet fully synchronized their resonance with their comrades, leaving minute gaps in the defense line. A young cultivator, who had already sustained trauma during the previous heavy impact, suddenly had a psychic spike drill into him. His body swayed violently, and a trace of bloody froth spilled from the corner of his mouth. Forcing himself not to collapse, his resonance strength visibly weakened.
"Hold the transition rhythm! It doesn't matter if the handover is half a breath slow, just don't leave any gaps!" the defense captain roared in a low, hoarse voice.
He knew clearly that these minute injuries would not cause an immediate collapse, but they accumulated. Every stab added a tiny wound to the Sea of Consciousness. Once the scars reached a critical threshold, the breakdown of a single individual would trigger a chain reaction, causing the entire resonance to collapse.
The alarms from the near-suburb anchor points continued to sound intermittently.
The Spiderweb Ancient Being no longer ignited multiple points at once. Instead, it activated them one by one. Just as the western warehouse was suppressed, a signal of spore restlessness erupted from an abandoned culvert in the east. The remaining serum squads rushed back and forth, their physical stamina and reserves of calming agents dropping rapidly, leaving them unable to spare any forces to support the frontline. The ancient being didn't need to cause massive destruction; as long as it kept this squad constantly occupied, its objective was already achieved.
Inside the rocky hill observation shed, Lin Yan's gaze had not left the thermal signatures in the hidden intersections for a moment.
The eleven third-tier scaled beasts lay dormant in the shadowy channels, not accompanying the probing squads. The Beast Commander's consciousness swept over them periodically, adjusting their positioning and arranging the assault echelons. They were like a heavy cannon, fully loaded and waiting only for the trigger to be pulled.
"The rhythm of the probing is slowing down," Lin Yan reported to the command center in a low voice. "They have achieved their probing objectives. Our rotation gaps, fire coverage blind spots, and ammunition consumption rates have all been figured out. The Beast Commander is recalling the scattered probing beasts outside, pulling them back toward the hidden intersections."
Scholar Su's heart sank. "Prepare. The main force is moving. Notify everyone to pull their focus away from the sporadic beast probing and concentrate entirely on the main rift entrance!"
The orders were relayed down the chain. The frontline, which had become slightly lax, instantly tensed up again. Soldiers rubbed their sore eyes and recalibrated their cannons. The Sea of Consciousness cultivators fully retracted their consciousness, linking tightly with one another to reinforce the resonance links to their most stable state. Engineers placed their hands on the energy overload valves, ready to pour maximum power into the barrier at any moment.
Within the rift, the synchronization signals of the five ancient beings shifted simultaneously.
The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being, which had been responsible for harassment, ceased its sporadic stabs. It began to concentrate its power, gathering all its remaining psychic strength. The target was no longer to kill cultivators, but to create a massive Sea of Consciousness tremor, disrupting the synchronization rhythm of the entire defense array.
The Illusion Ancient Being activated the concealed instantaneous illusion array nodes near the entrance. The illusions would not cover a vast area; they would only erupt for a split second the moment the main scaled beast force charged out, briefly distorting everyone's vision and preventing the defenders from seeing the direction of the beast assault.
The Spiderweb Ancient Being temporarily abandoned the near-suburb anchor points, plugging its entire consciousness into the beast herd's command link to help the Beast Commander stabilize the signal transmission, ensuring the main assault echelon moved in perfect synchronization.
The Beast Commander's heavy commanding fluctuations swept over the hidden intersections like a shockwave.
The eleven third-tier scaled beasts, dormant for so long, raised their heads simultaneously. Low roars echoed deep within the channel. Taking heavy strides, they followed the dozens of ordinary scaled beasts that had been recalled, forming a dense, cone-shaped assault formation as they advanced steadily toward the rift exit. This time, it was not a scattered squad; it was a heavy punch, fully charged.
At the center, the supreme ruler transmitted a confirming synchronization signal.
Strike.
In the next second, the gray fog churned, and a massive tide of scaled beasts poured out of the cave entrance like a flood.
The eleven third-tier scaled beasts at the very front took the lead. Lowering their hard heads with their bone spurs pointing forward, they slammed into the left flank of the barrier with earth-shattering force.
BOOM!!
The sound of the collision was far more ferocious than any of the previous probes. The entire energy membrane caved inward violently, and cracks spread like a spiderweb from the point of impact.
"Main force assault! Left flank!"
The piercing cannons in the trenches roared collectively, splashing dense volleys of long-rod ammunition directly at the faces of the third-tier scaled beasts. One beast at the forefront was struck in the head, black blood gushing out. Its massive body staggered, but the one behind it immediately stepped up, continuing to slam mercilessly into the barrier.
Just as everyone's eyes were drawn to this group of third-tier scaled beasts, the Illusion Ancient Being's instantaneous illusion array triggered!
In an instant, the scenery in everyone's field of vision twisted.
The beast herd, which had originally been concentrated on the left flank, seemed to spontaneously split into countless squads, charging simultaneously from both the north and south. Roars of beasts echoed from all directions. Many soldiers instinctively turned their guns, firing at the fake illusions, and their firepower was instantly dispersed.
"Don't be deceived by the illusions! The target is still the left flank! The illusions are just phantoms!" Lin Yan roared fiercely.
Seizing this opportunity, the Sharp-Sense Ancient Being unleashed a wave of Sea of Consciousness tremors.
There were no sharp cutting blades, only a continuous, low-frequency vibration that spread throughout the entire Sea of Consciousness defense group via the resonance links. The cultivators' Seas of Consciousness swayed in tandem, and the resonance connections between them loosened on a massive scale.
"Hold the resonance! Don't let it shake you apart!" the defense captain roared, expending every ounce of his strength to stabilize his own Sea of Consciousness and output power to link up with his comrades.
Yet, someone still couldn't hold on.
The young cultivator who had been previously injured could no longer maintain the link in his Sea of Consciousness. Trembling violently, he fell straight backward. This breach caused the barrier, already under immense pressure, to see its load surge again, and the warning red lights flashed frantically.
Guarding the inside of the breach, Old Zhou gripped his oscillation stinger. His wounds went numb with pain due to the intense emotional fluctuations. He stared fixedly at the third-tier scaled beast charging at the forefront, knowing that this wave was entirely different from all the previous probes. The ancient beings had figured out all their rhythms, weaknesses, and rotation habits. This strike was aimed precisely at their vulnerabilities.
Deep within the cavern, the consciousness of the five ancient beings resonated in harmony, calmly receiving feedback from the frontline.
They were not in a rush to expand their gains. They merely maintained a steady assault, slowly pushing the cracks in the barrier to continue extending. The supreme ruler quietly observed the effect of this round of assault, silently evaluating in its mind whether it needed to commit more trump cards.
Above the wasteland, smoke billowed once again.
Illusions blinded the eyes, tremors disturbed the mind, and third-tier scaled beasts rammed the barrier in relays. The hastily consolidated defense line of the garrison was teetering on the brink of collapse under this long-planned heavy blow.
Lin Yan stared fixedly at the densely packed beast heat signatures on the screen, his heart sinking continuously.
He knew clearly that this was only the first wave of the main offensive. If the barrier was smashed open here, no force on earth could stop this beast tide.
End of Chapter.