Invasion and Evolution

On a wasteland repeatedly plowed by the fires of war, where nothing remained but scorched earth and scattered stones.

Inside an inconspicuous cave half-concealed by several weathered boulders, space rippled slightly, and Benjamin and Anya's figures slowly solidified from illusion into reality.

The cave was dimly lit, its air filled with dust and a faint remnant aura of light-element energy, though its energy level was exceedingly weak.

Benjamin's gaze swept across the cave walls before finally settling on a massive block of basalt at the back, one that looked far too regular and utterly out of place amid its surroundings.

"Here?" Anya asked in a lowered voice. Her senses spread like invisible feelers, cautiously probing every inch of the surrounding space.

Benjamin glanced down at the faintly glowing map projected by the terminal on his wrist, compared it with the precise coordinates and energy markers sent by Wizard Starfall, and nodded.

"That's right. The coordinates match, and the abnormal convergence of energy below points here as well. Beneath this rock should be the entrance fissure leading to their 'secret construction site.'"

The two said no more and simultaneously employed their scouting methods.

Benjamin's spiritual power seeped into the boulder's microscopic structure like precise mercury, while Anya investigated through life perception attached to the cave's microorganisms and faint air currents.

Before long, their senses penetrated the thick rock layer and "saw" the narrow, winding fissure deliberately concealed beneath it.

From deep within the fissure came a faint yet massive, rhythmic pulse of energy, like the heartbeat of a sleeping beast.

"These light clusters... their intelligence has only been awakened for a short time, yet their instincts—or rather, their survival wisdom—are quite fully leveled," Benjamin said, withdrawing his senses with a trace of amusement. "They know that if they want to do