Chapter 205: Broken Links and Flickering Light
The low-frequency Sea of Consciousness tremors continued to spread.
The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being had abandoned its lethal psychic spikes, opting instead to continuously churn the entire Sea of Consciousness resonance network. The cultivators' consciousnesses were like silk threads tossed into a raging torrent, constantly swaying and slipping, as the connections between them loosened one after another. The gap left by the fallen young cultivator was like a loose brick, and the chain reaction was spreading rapidly.
"Third group on the left, hold steady! Converge your power toward the center!" The defense captain roared, veins bulging on his forehead. He forcibly expanded his own Sea of Consciousness power, acting as a main pillar to desperately catch the collapsing defense line. But his own old wounds had not yet healed; with every extra breath he held, the wounds deep within his Sea of Consciousness tore further, and the metallic tang of blood constantly surged up his throat.
Under the alternating impacts of the third-tier scaled beasts, the barrier's light membrane caved inward to an increasingly severe degree.
The eleven third-tier scaled beasts divided into three groups to take turns ramming. One group charged fiercely while the other two pulled back to build momentum, cycling endlessly. They knew how to conserve their stamina and avoided pointless exhaustion, ensuring every single impact landed precisely on the areas already covered in cracks. Dozens of ordinary scaled beasts followed closely behind, prowling on the flanks to harass and distract. The moment any gap appeared in the barrier, they would immediately dart in to widen the breach.
The firepower in the trenches desperately poured into the assault echelons.
The piercing cannons roared continuously, their barrels heating up rapidly. Several loaders swapped ammunition at breakneck speed, sweat and dust dripping from their jaws. One third-tier scaled beast took a hit to its eye socket. The agonizing pain made it thrash its head wildly, yet it still used its momentum to slam mercilessly into the light membrane. Black blood flowed down the surface of the barrier, staining the milky-white energy a dark, murky gray.
The Illusion Ancient Being continuously released intermittent, instantaneous psychic stabs.
There were no large-scale illusion domains, only fleeting flashes of错觉 (misperception). Some saw the ground beneath their feet collapse; others saw their comrades beside them transform into scaled beasts pouncing at them. These brief moments of distraction were enough to throw off their firing rhythm. Non-commissioned officers roared incessant reminders, forcing everyone to stare only at the real beast shadows in front of the barrier, refusing to be ensnared by the fleeting illusions.
"The illusions are instantaneous interference! Do not get distracted! Prioritize killing the third-tier scaled beasts!" Lin Yan's warning echoed continuously over the channel. His Sea of Consciousness was firmly locked onto the Illusion Ancient Being's elusive consciousness, predicting the timing of each illusion trigger and issuing advance warnings.
Yet, the pressure on the defense line continued to accumulate.
Another cultivator could no longer endure the internal injuries caused by the tremors. Suppressing a groan, his Sea of Consciousness link snapped completely, and he slumped softly against his comrade's shoulder. With two consecutive incapacitations, the Sea of Consciousness defense network lost two massive chunks. The resonance strength, which had been barely maintained, plummeted off a cliff.
The pale blue barrier membrane flickered violently a few times, its brightness dimming significantly.
"Unstable energy output! Insufficient Sea of Consciousness reinforcement!" an engineer screamed at the console, shoving the overload valve upward. "Overload initiated! We can only hold it for thirty breaths! After thirty breaths, the generator risks burning out!"
Piercing alarm sirens wailed across the left flank position.
In overload mode, the barrier erupted with a blinding blue light, forcibly withstanding the next round of third-tier scaled beast impacts. But everyone knew in their hearts that this was merely a brief support bought by透支 (overdrafting) the equipment. Once the time was up, they would either have to shut down the overload, drastically weakening the barrier, or let the generator burn out, rendering this section of the barrier permanently失效 (ineffective).
Old Zhou tensed his entire body, his gaze fixed tightly on the cracks in the light membrane. Blood from his rib wound had soaked through the bandages, and his entire left arm had nearly lost all sensation; he could only grip his oscillation stinger with one hand. He was fully prepared: the moment the barrier cracked, he would be the first to charge forward, plugging the gap and engaging in close-quarters combat inside the breach.
Deep within the cavern, the consciousness of the five ancient beings interacted smoothly.
The Beast Commander received real-time impact feedback, adjusting the rhythm of the alternating charges. It slowed down momentarily to let the scaled beasts catch their breath, while simultaneously maintaining continuous pressure on the barrier, forcing humanity to keep the overload state active. The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being maintained the low-frequency tremors, neither increasing nor relaxing its intensity, continuously wearing down the Sea of Consciousness defense. The Illusion Ancient Being conserved its original source, waiting to strike only when the barrier showed obvious signs of chaos. The Spiderweb Ancient Being continued to guard the main trunk links, not rashly igniting any anchor points—it was saving this harassment tactic for the exact moment the defense line collapsed, to coordinate with the beast tide from within.
The supreme ruler quietly sensed the barrier's energy fluctuations, capturing the abnormal energy peak of the overload. It understood humanity's desperate overdraft and transmitted a signal to the Beast Commander: Delay the fierce assault. Maintain continuous pressure. Exhaust the overload time limit.
"They've figured out the overload! They're delaying the impact, pacing outside the barrier to wait!" Lin Yan intercepted the signal and shouted immediately, "They're waiting for the overload time to run out!"
Sure enough, the third-tier scaled beasts that had been charging fiercely stopped collectively. Pacing and growling just over ten meters in front of the barrier, they stared fixedly at the flickering light membrane. They were no longer slamming into it violently, but the oppressive pressure remained undiminished.
The soldiers in the trenches felt their hearts sink.
This was far more tormenting than a continuous charge. Holding firearms in their hands, they could only watch helplessly as the enemy waited right in front of them, waiting for their trump card to burn out.
The thirty-breath countdown ticked away in everyone's mind.
The Sea of Consciousness cultivators seized this brief window, desperately trying to reconnect their resonance links. The wounded supported each other, weaving their remaining strength back together. But the casualties had already been dealt; the gaps could not be filled, and the strength of the new network was far inferior to what it had been at the start of the battle.
"Twelve breaths left!" the engineer stared at the timer.
At the rear medical station, Qin Kai listened to the updates on the channel, his fists clenched. His injuries were too severe to return to the frontline, so he could only transmit a low reminder to Scholar Su through the communicator: "After the overload ends, the barrier will experience a brief period of weakness. That will be their signal for a general offensive. We must concentrate all our firepower at that exact instant to suppress the third-tier scaled beasts."
Scholar Su immediately issued the order: "All heavy piercing cannons, stand by for unified command! The second the overload countdown ends, concentrate fire on the three leading third-tier scaled beasts!"
The orders were relayed downward. Cannon muzzles were recalibrated, and loaders shoved armor-piercing rounds into the chambers.
Within the shadows of the rift, the Beast Commander reorganized the scaled beast formation. The eleven third-tier scaled beasts lowered their bodies once again, muscles taut, poised to strike.
The harmonious resonance of the five ancient beings rose slightly. All their power aligned perfectly, waiting for the exact same moment in time.
Ten breaths.
Five breaths.
Three breaths.
The countdown on the console hit zero.
With a dull weng, the overload state was forcibly terminated.
The blue light of the barrier dimmed abruptly. Cracks expanded wildly, and the energy membrane caved inward in a massive section.
Now!
"Fire!"
Dozens of piercing cannons roared simultaneously, dense volleys of long-rod ammunition tearing through the air and crashing into the beast herd. At the exact same moment, the Beast Commander's commanding wave slammed down. The eleven third-tier scaled beasts howled in unison, leading over a hundred ordinary scaled beasts as they launched their charge once again.
BOOM!
The beast tide slammed mercilessly into the weakened barrier.
The light membrane let out a groan of unbearable strain. Following the path of its previous scars, a massive tear violently ripped open.
End of Chapter.
The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being had abandoned its lethal psychic spikes, opting instead to continuously churn the entire Sea of Consciousness resonance network. The cultivators' consciousnesses were like silk threads tossed into a raging torrent, constantly swaying and slipping, as the connections between them loosened one after another. The gap left by the fallen young cultivator was like a loose brick, and the chain reaction was spreading rapidly.
"Third group on the left, hold steady! Converge your power toward the center!" The defense captain roared, veins bulging on his forehead. He forcibly expanded his own Sea of Consciousness power, acting as a main pillar to desperately catch the collapsing defense line. But his own old wounds had not yet healed; with every extra breath he held, the wounds deep within his Sea of Consciousness tore further, and the metallic tang of blood constantly surged up his throat.
Under the alternating impacts of the third-tier scaled beasts, the barrier's light membrane caved inward to an increasingly severe degree.
The eleven third-tier scaled beasts divided into three groups to take turns ramming. One group charged fiercely while the other two pulled back to build momentum, cycling endlessly. They knew how to conserve their stamina and avoided pointless exhaustion, ensuring every single impact landed precisely on the areas already covered in cracks. Dozens of ordinary scaled beasts followed closely behind, prowling on the flanks to harass and distract. The moment any gap appeared in the barrier, they would immediately dart in to widen the breach.
The firepower in the trenches desperately poured into the assault echelons.
The piercing cannons roared continuously, their barrels heating up rapidly. Several loaders swapped ammunition at breakneck speed, sweat and dust dripping from their jaws. One third-tier scaled beast took a hit to its eye socket. The agonizing pain made it thrash its head wildly, yet it still used its momentum to slam mercilessly into the light membrane. Black blood flowed down the surface of the barrier, staining the milky-white energy a dark, murky gray.
The Illusion Ancient Being continuously released intermittent, instantaneous psychic stabs.
There were no large-scale illusion domains, only fleeting flashes of错觉 (misperception). Some saw the ground beneath their feet collapse; others saw their comrades beside them transform into scaled beasts pouncing at them. These brief moments of distraction were enough to throw off their firing rhythm. Non-commissioned officers roared incessant reminders, forcing everyone to stare only at the real beast shadows in front of the barrier, refusing to be ensnared by the fleeting illusions.
"The illusions are instantaneous interference! Do not get distracted! Prioritize killing the third-tier scaled beasts!" Lin Yan's warning echoed continuously over the channel. His Sea of Consciousness was firmly locked onto the Illusion Ancient Being's elusive consciousness, predicting the timing of each illusion trigger and issuing advance warnings.
Yet, the pressure on the defense line continued to accumulate.
Another cultivator could no longer endure the internal injuries caused by the tremors. Suppressing a groan, his Sea of Consciousness link snapped completely, and he slumped softly against his comrade's shoulder. With two consecutive incapacitations, the Sea of Consciousness defense network lost two massive chunks. The resonance strength, which had been barely maintained, plummeted off a cliff.
The pale blue barrier membrane flickered violently a few times, its brightness dimming significantly.
"Unstable energy output! Insufficient Sea of Consciousness reinforcement!" an engineer screamed at the console, shoving the overload valve upward. "Overload initiated! We can only hold it for thirty breaths! After thirty breaths, the generator risks burning out!"
Piercing alarm sirens wailed across the left flank position.
In overload mode, the barrier erupted with a blinding blue light, forcibly withstanding the next round of third-tier scaled beast impacts. But everyone knew in their hearts that this was merely a brief support bought by透支 (overdrafting) the equipment. Once the time was up, they would either have to shut down the overload, drastically weakening the barrier, or let the generator burn out, rendering this section of the barrier permanently失效 (ineffective).
Old Zhou tensed his entire body, his gaze fixed tightly on the cracks in the light membrane. Blood from his rib wound had soaked through the bandages, and his entire left arm had nearly lost all sensation; he could only grip his oscillation stinger with one hand. He was fully prepared: the moment the barrier cracked, he would be the first to charge forward, plugging the gap and engaging in close-quarters combat inside the breach.
Deep within the cavern, the consciousness of the five ancient beings interacted smoothly.
The Beast Commander received real-time impact feedback, adjusting the rhythm of the alternating charges. It slowed down momentarily to let the scaled beasts catch their breath, while simultaneously maintaining continuous pressure on the barrier, forcing humanity to keep the overload state active. The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being maintained the low-frequency tremors, neither increasing nor relaxing its intensity, continuously wearing down the Sea of Consciousness defense. The Illusion Ancient Being conserved its original source, waiting to strike only when the barrier showed obvious signs of chaos. The Spiderweb Ancient Being continued to guard the main trunk links, not rashly igniting any anchor points—it was saving this harassment tactic for the exact moment the defense line collapsed, to coordinate with the beast tide from within.
The supreme ruler quietly sensed the barrier's energy fluctuations, capturing the abnormal energy peak of the overload. It understood humanity's desperate overdraft and transmitted a signal to the Beast Commander: Delay the fierce assault. Maintain continuous pressure. Exhaust the overload time limit.
"They've figured out the overload! They're delaying the impact, pacing outside the barrier to wait!" Lin Yan intercepted the signal and shouted immediately, "They're waiting for the overload time to run out!"
Sure enough, the third-tier scaled beasts that had been charging fiercely stopped collectively. Pacing and growling just over ten meters in front of the barrier, they stared fixedly at the flickering light membrane. They were no longer slamming into it violently, but the oppressive pressure remained undiminished.
The soldiers in the trenches felt their hearts sink.
This was far more tormenting than a continuous charge. Holding firearms in their hands, they could only watch helplessly as the enemy waited right in front of them, waiting for their trump card to burn out.
The thirty-breath countdown ticked away in everyone's mind.
The Sea of Consciousness cultivators seized this brief window, desperately trying to reconnect their resonance links. The wounded supported each other, weaving their remaining strength back together. But the casualties had already been dealt; the gaps could not be filled, and the strength of the new network was far inferior to what it had been at the start of the battle.
"Twelve breaths left!" the engineer stared at the timer.
At the rear medical station, Qin Kai listened to the updates on the channel, his fists clenched. His injuries were too severe to return to the frontline, so he could only transmit a low reminder to Scholar Su through the communicator: "After the overload ends, the barrier will experience a brief period of weakness. That will be their signal for a general offensive. We must concentrate all our firepower at that exact instant to suppress the third-tier scaled beasts."
Scholar Su immediately issued the order: "All heavy piercing cannons, stand by for unified command! The second the overload countdown ends, concentrate fire on the three leading third-tier scaled beasts!"
The orders were relayed downward. Cannon muzzles were recalibrated, and loaders shoved armor-piercing rounds into the chambers.
Within the shadows of the rift, the Beast Commander reorganized the scaled beast formation. The eleven third-tier scaled beasts lowered their bodies once again, muscles taut, poised to strike.
The harmonious resonance of the five ancient beings rose slightly. All their power aligned perfectly, waiting for the exact same moment in time.
Ten breaths.
Five breaths.
Three breaths.
The countdown on the console hit zero.
With a dull weng, the overload state was forcibly terminated.
The blue light of the barrier dimmed abruptly. Cracks expanded wildly, and the energy membrane caved inward in a massive section.
Now!
"Fire!"
Dozens of piercing cannons roared simultaneously, dense volleys of long-rod ammunition tearing through the air and crashing into the beast herd. At the exact same moment, the Beast Commander's commanding wave slammed down. The eleven third-tier scaled beasts howled in unison, leading over a hundred ordinary scaled beasts as they launched their charge once again.
BOOM!
The beast tide slammed mercilessly into the weakened barrier.
The light membrane let out a groan of unbearable strain. Following the path of its previous scars, a massive tear violently ripped open.
End of Chapter.