Chapter 206: The Breach Reopens
The cracks spread with astonishing speed.
The pale blue energy membrane was like thin ice cleaved by a giant axe, tearing from the center of impact toward both sides. The gap widened continuously as the icy, foul-smelling underground wind, mixed with the scent of spores, poured into the position through the breach. The three third-tier scaled beasts at the very front used the momentum of their charge, their massive bodies bursting directly through the barrier. Their heavy hooves landed on the sandy ground in front of the trench, causing the earth to tremble slightly.
"The barrier is broken! Third-tiers are inside!"
A non-commissioned officer roared, blowing a sharp, brief warning whistle. The infantry on both sides of the trench immediately swiveled their guns, unleashing a dense volley of arrows at the charging behemoths. The long-rod piercing rounds sank into the scaled beasts' thick hides, and black blood gushed from the bullet holes. Yet, these injuries were not enough to instantly fell them. One third-tier scaled beast let out a maddened roar of pain, its thick tail sweeping violently to collapse half of the parapet. Two soldiers who failed to dodge in time were buried under the rubble, their screams instantly swallowed by the beast's howls.
Old Zhou no longer waited. Gripping his oscillation stinger with one hand, he charged fiercely from behind the cover.
The blue light of the oscillation weapon flared brilliantly in the gunsmoke. Aiming for the eye socket of the nearest scaled beast, he thrust with all his might. With a buzzing burst of energy, the beast reared its head back in pain, its massive skull tilting backward as its charging momentum momentarily stalled. But Old Zhou himself, having overexerted, tore open his old wound on his ribs. Warm blood soaked through the bandages, flowing down his waist, and his vision darkened in waves.
"Hold them back! Don't let them scatter our lines!" he roared, gritting his teeth to steady his stance.
The remaining eight third-tier scaled beasts did not all rush in at once. They guarded the outside of the breach, taking turns ramming the already teetering edges of the barrier to continuously widen the gap. Endless waves of ordinary scaled beasts squeezed through the ever-widening fissure like a black tide, wave after wave, packing the breach so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass.
On the Sea of Consciousness defense front, the pressure had also reached its absolute limit.
The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being's low-frequency tremors spread once again, continuously pulling at the already incomplete resonance network. The Sea of Consciousness links that had barely been reconnected began to sway. The surviving cultivators clenched their teeth, huddling together to support one another. Their faces were as pale as paper, and fine beads of blood seeped from their ear canals. They no longer had the strength to project large-scale defenses outward; all their Sea of Consciousness power was locked desperately onto this specific area corresponding to the breach, barely offsetting a portion of the psychic impact.
Seizing the chaos in the battle lines, the Illusion Ancient Being released intermittent, instantaneous psychic stabs.
A loader replenishing ammunition suddenly saw his vision blur. His comrade beside him transformed into a pouncing scaled beast, and he instinctively swung his loading rod to strike, nearly hitting his own teammate. A nearby non-commissioned officer slammed hard into him, pulling him back from the illusion. But that brief moment of distraction had already disrupted their firing rhythm.
"Stabilize your minds! The illusions are only momentary interference; do not attack each other!" Lin Yan's warnings continued to echo over the channel, his Sea of Consciousness fixed intently on the signal flow of the five ancient beings within the cavern.
The Beast Commander's consciousness grew excited as it methodically directed the subsequent echelons. A portion of the scaled beasts continued to pour through the breach to entangle the frontline defenders, while another squad flanked northward along the outside of the barrier, their target directly aimed at the far-end breach that had not yet been fully repaired. It was in no rush to swallow the entire defense line in one gulp; instead, it wanted both breaches to bear pressure simultaneously, forcing humanity's forces to be stretched too thin to defend either.
The Spiderweb Ancient Being finally made its move.
Its consciousness threads, dormant for so long, suddenly stirred. Three spore anchor points in the near suburbs were ignited simultaneously. On the command sand table, three red dots lit up abruptly, and alarms sounded one after another. The remaining serum squads were exhausted from rushing around, having to suppress the restless spores while also calming the residents who had fallen into dizziness and auditory hallucinations. Distress signals were constantly uploaded, but they could no longer spare any forces to support the frontline.
Deep within the cavern, the supreme ruler's consciousness steadily received all battlefield feedback.
The other four ancient beings, each performing their designated roles, coordinated with near-instinctual precision. The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being continuously trembled the Sea of Consciousness defense; the Illusion Ancient Being waited for opportunities to throw psychic stabs to create chaos; the Spiderweb Ancient Being used the anchor points to harass the rear; and the Beast Commander controlled the charging rhythm of the beast tide. The supreme ruler did not release its original source power; it continued to observe, watching how many trump cards the defenders could still mobilize and where their absolute limits of resistance lay.
In the command hall, the atmosphere was suffocatingly oppressive.
Scholar Su stared at the two highlighted breakthrough points on the sand table, his fingertips tapping heavily against the desk. "We only have one squad left in reserve. Send them all to the far northern end to intercept the flanking scaled beasts. For the main breach, there are no more reinforcements; Old Zhou and his men must hold it on their own. Notify medical to prioritize sending all painkillers and calming agents to the frontline. Every extra moment we hold is a victory."
A messenger quickly ran out to relay the orders.
The fighting in front of the main breach had devolved into close-quarters melee.
Soldiers and the invading scaled beasts were locked in a deadly绞杀 (entangled slaughter). The sounds of gunfire, the roaring of oscillation weapons, beast howls, and the pained cries of the wounded blended into a chaotic cacophony. A soldier drove a short blade into a scaled beast's throat, but before he could withdraw his weapon, another beast's razor-sharp claws slammed into his chest. The muffled sound of shattering bones was distinctly audible.
Old Zhou had sustained yet another new wound. A scaled beast's fangs had torn a deep, long gash in his arm, and his strength was fading rapidly. The blue light of his oscillation stinger dimmed bit by bit, the energy core's load nearing its absolute limit. He stared fixedly at the scaled beasts continuously squeezing through the fissure, knowing in his heart that at this rate, the collapse of the defense line was merely a matter of time.
"The breach is still expanding! The flanking beast herd on the north is less than forty meters from the far-end fortifications!" Lin Yan continuously reported intelligence. "The Beast Commander is still dispatching reserve scaled beasts to the main breach. They intend to continuously commit forces, giving us no chance to catch our breath and regroup. The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being's power is slowly recovering; it will soon be able to unleash overlapping psychic stabs again."
In the rear medical station, Qin Kai slowly clenched his fists after hearing the report. He wanted to stand up and return to the battlefield, but the slightest movement sent tearing pain through his entire body. He could only fall heavily back onto the stretcher, his eyes filled with utter helplessness. The last remaining neutralizing bomb lay quietly in the armory, but there was no one left who could cross the rift, filled with illusion arrays and ambushes, to deliver it deep into the channel.
The wind on the wasteland carried a heavy stench of blood, mingling with the distinct musty odor of spores as it drifted everywhere.
The breach in the barrier continuously spat out death, while the defenders used their flesh and blood to desperately seal the gap, suffering casualties every single second. Deep within the rift, the harmonious resonance of the five ancient beings was steady and icy. They were patiently harvesting the lives of the defenders, waiting for the moment when the defense line would completely snap.
Lin Yan closed his eyes. His Sea of Consciousness endured the sweeping perception probes of the five ancient beings, causing his old wounds to burn with searing pain. Watching the densely packed, continuously multiplying thermal signatures on the screen, he knew that the next lethal strike from the darkness was already brewing.
End of Chapter.
The pale blue energy membrane was like thin ice cleaved by a giant axe, tearing from the center of impact toward both sides. The gap widened continuously as the icy, foul-smelling underground wind, mixed with the scent of spores, poured into the position through the breach. The three third-tier scaled beasts at the very front used the momentum of their charge, their massive bodies bursting directly through the barrier. Their heavy hooves landed on the sandy ground in front of the trench, causing the earth to tremble slightly.
"The barrier is broken! Third-tiers are inside!"
A non-commissioned officer roared, blowing a sharp, brief warning whistle. The infantry on both sides of the trench immediately swiveled their guns, unleashing a dense volley of arrows at the charging behemoths. The long-rod piercing rounds sank into the scaled beasts' thick hides, and black blood gushed from the bullet holes. Yet, these injuries were not enough to instantly fell them. One third-tier scaled beast let out a maddened roar of pain, its thick tail sweeping violently to collapse half of the parapet. Two soldiers who failed to dodge in time were buried under the rubble, their screams instantly swallowed by the beast's howls.
Old Zhou no longer waited. Gripping his oscillation stinger with one hand, he charged fiercely from behind the cover.
The blue light of the oscillation weapon flared brilliantly in the gunsmoke. Aiming for the eye socket of the nearest scaled beast, he thrust with all his might. With a buzzing burst of energy, the beast reared its head back in pain, its massive skull tilting backward as its charging momentum momentarily stalled. But Old Zhou himself, having overexerted, tore open his old wound on his ribs. Warm blood soaked through the bandages, flowing down his waist, and his vision darkened in waves.
"Hold them back! Don't let them scatter our lines!" he roared, gritting his teeth to steady his stance.
The remaining eight third-tier scaled beasts did not all rush in at once. They guarded the outside of the breach, taking turns ramming the already teetering edges of the barrier to continuously widen the gap. Endless waves of ordinary scaled beasts squeezed through the ever-widening fissure like a black tide, wave after wave, packing the breach so tightly that not even a drop of water could pass.
On the Sea of Consciousness defense front, the pressure had also reached its absolute limit.
The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being's low-frequency tremors spread once again, continuously pulling at the already incomplete resonance network. The Sea of Consciousness links that had barely been reconnected began to sway. The surviving cultivators clenched their teeth, huddling together to support one another. Their faces were as pale as paper, and fine beads of blood seeped from their ear canals. They no longer had the strength to project large-scale defenses outward; all their Sea of Consciousness power was locked desperately onto this specific area corresponding to the breach, barely offsetting a portion of the psychic impact.
Seizing the chaos in the battle lines, the Illusion Ancient Being released intermittent, instantaneous psychic stabs.
A loader replenishing ammunition suddenly saw his vision blur. His comrade beside him transformed into a pouncing scaled beast, and he instinctively swung his loading rod to strike, nearly hitting his own teammate. A nearby non-commissioned officer slammed hard into him, pulling him back from the illusion. But that brief moment of distraction had already disrupted their firing rhythm.
"Stabilize your minds! The illusions are only momentary interference; do not attack each other!" Lin Yan's warnings continued to echo over the channel, his Sea of Consciousness fixed intently on the signal flow of the five ancient beings within the cavern.
The Beast Commander's consciousness grew excited as it methodically directed the subsequent echelons. A portion of the scaled beasts continued to pour through the breach to entangle the frontline defenders, while another squad flanked northward along the outside of the barrier, their target directly aimed at the far-end breach that had not yet been fully repaired. It was in no rush to swallow the entire defense line in one gulp; instead, it wanted both breaches to bear pressure simultaneously, forcing humanity's forces to be stretched too thin to defend either.
The Spiderweb Ancient Being finally made its move.
Its consciousness threads, dormant for so long, suddenly stirred. Three spore anchor points in the near suburbs were ignited simultaneously. On the command sand table, three red dots lit up abruptly, and alarms sounded one after another. The remaining serum squads were exhausted from rushing around, having to suppress the restless spores while also calming the residents who had fallen into dizziness and auditory hallucinations. Distress signals were constantly uploaded, but they could no longer spare any forces to support the frontline.
Deep within the cavern, the supreme ruler's consciousness steadily received all battlefield feedback.
The other four ancient beings, each performing their designated roles, coordinated with near-instinctual precision. The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being continuously trembled the Sea of Consciousness defense; the Illusion Ancient Being waited for opportunities to throw psychic stabs to create chaos; the Spiderweb Ancient Being used the anchor points to harass the rear; and the Beast Commander controlled the charging rhythm of the beast tide. The supreme ruler did not release its original source power; it continued to observe, watching how many trump cards the defenders could still mobilize and where their absolute limits of resistance lay.
In the command hall, the atmosphere was suffocatingly oppressive.
Scholar Su stared at the two highlighted breakthrough points on the sand table, his fingertips tapping heavily against the desk. "We only have one squad left in reserve. Send them all to the far northern end to intercept the flanking scaled beasts. For the main breach, there are no more reinforcements; Old Zhou and his men must hold it on their own. Notify medical to prioritize sending all painkillers and calming agents to the frontline. Every extra moment we hold is a victory."
A messenger quickly ran out to relay the orders.
The fighting in front of the main breach had devolved into close-quarters melee.
Soldiers and the invading scaled beasts were locked in a deadly绞杀 (entangled slaughter). The sounds of gunfire, the roaring of oscillation weapons, beast howls, and the pained cries of the wounded blended into a chaotic cacophony. A soldier drove a short blade into a scaled beast's throat, but before he could withdraw his weapon, another beast's razor-sharp claws slammed into his chest. The muffled sound of shattering bones was distinctly audible.
Old Zhou had sustained yet another new wound. A scaled beast's fangs had torn a deep, long gash in his arm, and his strength was fading rapidly. The blue light of his oscillation stinger dimmed bit by bit, the energy core's load nearing its absolute limit. He stared fixedly at the scaled beasts continuously squeezing through the fissure, knowing in his heart that at this rate, the collapse of the defense line was merely a matter of time.
"The breach is still expanding! The flanking beast herd on the north is less than forty meters from the far-end fortifications!" Lin Yan continuously reported intelligence. "The Beast Commander is still dispatching reserve scaled beasts to the main breach. They intend to continuously commit forces, giving us no chance to catch our breath and regroup. The Sharp-Sense Ancient Being's power is slowly recovering; it will soon be able to unleash overlapping psychic stabs again."
In the rear medical station, Qin Kai slowly clenched his fists after hearing the report. He wanted to stand up and return to the battlefield, but the slightest movement sent tearing pain through his entire body. He could only fall heavily back onto the stretcher, his eyes filled with utter helplessness. The last remaining neutralizing bomb lay quietly in the armory, but there was no one left who could cross the rift, filled with illusion arrays and ambushes, to deliver it deep into the channel.
The wind on the wasteland carried a heavy stench of blood, mingling with the distinct musty odor of spores as it drifted everywhere.
The breach in the barrier continuously spat out death, while the defenders used their flesh and blood to desperately seal the gap, suffering casualties every single second. Deep within the rift, the harmonious resonance of the five ancient beings was steady and icy. They were patiently harvesting the lives of the defenders, waiting for the moment when the defense line would completely snap.
Lin Yan closed his eyes. His Sea of Consciousness endured the sweeping perception probes of the five ancient beings, causing his old wounds to burn with searing pain. Watching the densely packed, continuously multiplying thermal signatures on the screen, he knew that the next lethal strike from the darkness was already brewing.
End of Chapter.