Lin Yi's Choice

Once the thought was made up, Lin Yi immediately and secretly contacted Liu Na, Hui Lie, Sevilla, and the others who had just stopped attacking.

As they looked over in surprise and doubt, Shi Feng transmitted his voice, "It might have something good on it! And the fighting just ended recently, this guy definitely has a lot of blood on his hands from the Pan-Spirit Alliance, we can't let it go."

Upon hearing this, everyone's consciousness flickered slightly in agreement.

Lin Yi continued via telepathy, "When the fight starts, if it really burns its divine power, you all keep your distance and hold it back. I'll mainly deal with it. Its first wave of desperate attacks will definitely be the strongest, but as long as you can hold on, the burning of its divine power will become irreversible, and its aura will gradually decline, so it won't be a big problem."

This plan is very practical.

Liu Na, Hui Lie, Sevilla, knowing the unpredictability and defensive capabilities of his spacetime laws, nodded silently.

Although Shi Feng had never fought alongside Lin Yi, Lin Yi's instantaneous teleportation and spatial delay to control Jilama had been enough to intimidate him, so he had no objections at this moment.

On the other side.

Jilama's hideous body, covered in dark red bone spikes, hovered among the meteorites in the Frost Star Domain, its bloody divine power surging like a suppressed volcano.

Its compound eyes were fixed on the five people opposite it. Seeing that they were silent, only occasionally exchanging glances, clearly discussing something in secret, its heart sank.

"Damn it... they weren't fooled." Jilama thought to himself, a sense of unease rising from the depths of his soul.

It had just roared and offered to leave behind treasures worth nearly 300 million points of the Points Origin Universe Tower as a way out, and even slightly triggered signs of divine power burning, all in a gamble that the other party was unwilling to bear the risk of personnel loss.

Judging from the current situation, the other party seems to have seen through its true strength, or... doesn't care whether it fights desperately or not.

We can't wait any longer!

A bloodthirsty glint flashed in Jilama's eyes, and he abruptly raised his voice, "A treasure Points! This is my bottom line! Don't force me to fight to the death!"

It tried to break free by offering a higher price.

Five hundred million Points is an astonishing fortune, even for a peak-level high god, enough to make many powerful individuals hesitate and be tempted.

However, it was met with a clear sneer.

Lin Yi took a step forward, silver-gray spatial energy rippling around him like flowing water, his tone carrying undisguised sarcasm. "It's best to keep your threats to yourself."

Before he could finish speaking, a fierce glint flashed in Lin Yi's eyes, and he shouted, "Attack!"

"Boom!"

The crowd, who had been waiting in the wings, suddenly erupted.

Shi Feng the first to respond. He had been holding back for so long, and now that he had strong reinforcements by his side, his fighting spirit surged. His divine power surged, and a condensed fist beam tore through the cold void, striking directly at Jilama's face.

Sevilla's vibrant green life force transformed into countless resilient vines, binding and binding her from the side.

Liu Na raised her hands, and beams of emerald light, like chains, intertwined to form a net, enveloping Jilama's retreat. Hui Lie holy light shone brightly, and a giant sword of light materialized, carrying the intent of purification and judgment, slashing down from the sky!

Lin Yi did not launch a direct attack immediately.

He made a fist with both hands again towards the area where Jilama was, and the silver-gray spacetime power spread silently, further solidifying and slowing down the spatial structure of that area, like an invisible swamp, which greatly restricted Jilama's evasion and energy circulation efficiency.

Jilama roared, unleashing a burst of dark red, bloody divine power. Bone spikes stood erect on his body, which resembled a ferocious beetle. He swung his forelimbs, unleashing dozens of dark red blades that tore through space, meeting the attacks of the crowd.

Clang! Sizzle! Boom!

The deafening roar of the energy collision echoed through the star field, and the shattered ice crystal meteorites were crushed into dust by the aftershocks.

To everyone's slight surprise, despite its repeated roars and terrifying aura, Jilama did not actually begin to unleash its divine power as it had threatened.

It simply pushed its divine power to the limit, its body engulfed in bloody flames, desperately resisting the five people's attack, while its compound eyes frantically scanned its surroundings, searching for an opening to break through.

"It didn't burn divine power!" Shi Feng immediately transmitted his voice.

"They're stalling, trying to find a chance to escape." The Hui Lie Holy Greatsword unleashed a series of strikes, forcing Jilama to parry repeatedly, his divine power rippled violently.

Lin Yi's eyes were cold; he wasn't surprised.

Burning its divine power comes at too high a price; it would never take that step unless it was truly in dire straits. Right now, it's still gambling, gambling that it can hold out until the other side makes a mistake, or... gambling that it'll happen to have an ally passing by.

"Coordinate well, don't give it any chance." Lin Yi transmitted his voice, and at the same time, his figure flashed, he activated the Void Annihilation Step, and appeared behind and to the side of Jilama. The Sky-Evasion Shuttle Spear in his hand transformed into a silver dragon, and went straight for the weak point where the shell on its back was connected.

Jilama was shocked and enraged. He turned around and swung his claws to block. The dark red blade collided with the silver-gray spear tip, exploding into dazzling sparks.

It felt a tricky force of spacetime annihilation seeping in through the point of attack, causing its divine power to stagnate slightly.

"Damn Human Race!" Jilama cursed inwardly, but he had to devote more attention to dealing with Lin Yi's unpredictable attacks.

The battle was at a stalemate, but the scales of victory were steadily tipping in Lin Yi's favor.

Time passed little by little.

Half a standard hour can feel quite long in the heat of battle.

Jilama's crimson divine flames had dimmed considerably, and dozens of deep wounds had appeared on his carapace. Some were cleaved by Hui Lie's holy light greatsword, some were pierced by Lin Yi's spacetime spear, and some were cracked by Shi Feng's fist imprint.

Its aura, which had initially reached its most violent peak, had become noticeably unstable.

Under the combined attack of five, its divine power was depleted far more than it could be replenished, and its defeat was only a matter of time.

Jilama was clearly aware of this as well.

The madness and anxiety in its compound eyes intensified, and its attempts to break through were repeatedly thwarted. The space was firmly locked by Lin Yi, and a forced breakthrough would only result in concentrated fire.

It could feel its divine power draining away like a floodgate being opened, every second.

If this continues, even without the opponent using lethal force, once its divine power drops below 30%, its ability to burn its divine power to fight to the death will be greatly reduced.

"Could it be... that we really have to go that far?" Jilama struggled deep within his soul.

Even if burning divine power can severely injure or even kill one or two opponents, one will be mostly crippled after leaving, requiring a long period of time and astronomical resources to recover.

But if he didn't burn it... he was extremely unwilling to be kicked out of the secret realm like this.

Another coordinated attack.

Hui Lie's holy light greatsword and Shi Feng's fist imprint struck simultaneously. Jilama tried his best to defend, but was shaken and staggered.

Lin Yi seized the opening and fired a shot into the crack in its ventral carapace, a burst of silver-gray light flashing out.

"Pfft!"

Carapace fragments mixed with dark red blood splattered out.

Jilama let out a painful screech, his divine power reserves instantly plummeting below the 40% warning threshold.

It finally ceased all its attacks, hovering in the shattered asteroid belt, the surging bloody divine power around it slowly subsiding, leaving only a dim glow.

The fierce battlefield suddenly fell silent.

Liu Na, Hui Lie, Sevilla, Shi Feng also stopped fighting, forming a circle around it, and coldly stared at it.

Jilama slowly turned its ferocious head, its compound eyes scanning the five people one by one, finally settling on Lin Yi.

His gaze was filled with resentment, unwillingness, and a hint of undisguised dejection.

It didn't roar or howl; it simply let out a low, hoarse sigh from deep within its throat.

"Heh..."

Then, it gave Lin Yi a deep, cold look, as if it wanted to etch Lin Yi's image into the depths of its soul.

Then, Jilama no longer hesitated, nor did he attempt any further negotiation or threats.

It directly triggered the life-saving mark granted by the rules of the secret realm.

Buzz!

A dazzling seven-colored light suddenly burst forth from its body, instantly forming a thick seven-colored light shield that completely enveloped it.

The whole process was swift and efficient, without any unnecessary delays.

A burst of seven-colored light flashed intensely.

Jilama's figure, covered in dark red bone spikes, along with the protective aura, vanished without a trace.

In the starry sky, only its original suspended position remains, now filled with numerous floating objects.

A dark red, menacing bone-spiked armor; a massive claw weapon radiating a dense, bloody aura and the power to tear apart laws; several strangely shaped, insect-shell-like storage containers; and scattered mineral crystals, energy clumps, and carapace materials of unknown creatures, all shimmering with various colors...

All sorts of things drifted slowly in the void of the universe, like a small ocean of treasures.

The battle ended abruptly.

Lin Yi was slightly taken aback, seemingly not expecting the other party to be so "decisive".

He sensed the lingering fluctuations of the secret realm's teleportation within the space, glanced at the pile of floating treasures, and then a sneer, undisguised, curled at the corner of his lips. "So he's just a coward who talks big but doesn't walk the talk."

"Ha ha!"

Shi Feng the first to laugh out loud. He rubbed his still-aching chest, a lingering injury from when Jilama was chasing him. "They screamed so loudly, burning their divine power and talking about fighting to the death, but they didn't even dare to fight to the death and just ran away!"

Hui Lie's holy radiance subsided, and a smile appeared on his face, "These Devouring Race insects are quite protective of me."

Liu Na's cool lips curved almost imperceptibly. She didn't speak, but her gaze softened considerably.

Sevilla breathed a sigh of relief, her emerald eyes filled with joy.

Actually, everyone was mentally prepared before they took action.

Facing a high-level deity at the peak who might burn their divine power to fight to the death, although the five of them have the advantage, it is very possible that someone will be knocked out of the secret realm during the melee, resulting in the loss of some of their gains.

After all, if the other side is truly willing to pay any price, it's not impossible for them to take one or two people down with them.

Unexpectedly, this Devouring Race God was all talk and no action, or rather, quite pragmatic.

After weighing the pros and cons, they realized that the cost of fighting desperately far outweighed the gains and losses, so they did not hesitate to give up the resistance and choose to withdraw.

"That's good, it saves a lot of trouble, and..." Hui Lie's gaze swept over the pile of floating objects in the void, his smile deepening, "The harvest seems quite substantial."

Shi Feng spoke first, addressing Lin Yi, Liu Na, Hui Lie solemnly. "Thank you all for your help! If you hadn't arrived in time, I'm afraid I would have been in grave danger today."

He nodded to Sevilla, "Sevilla also for contacting them for help in time."

Having said that, Shi Feng wrist, and three treasures appeared in his palm: a crystal that was entirely crimson, with what appeared to be flowing magma inside; a piece of dark golden metal that exuded a sharp, metallic aura; and a Light Sphere shimmering with pure life energy. "A small token of my appreciation, to thank the three of you for your help. Please accept it."

Without much formality, the three of them each reached out and took a treasure.

Afterwards, everyone's gaze returned to the main pile of loot in Jilama.

Shi Feng immediately replied, "I am the one who was rescued. I am already extremely fortunate to have survived and gained my own spoils. I will not participate in the distribution of these spoils."

Sevilla followed up with, "Me too. If it weren't for the three of you and Shi Feng coming to my aid, I would have been forced out of the secret realm long ago. My contribution in this battle was limited, and I will not participate in the distribution of the spoils."

Lin Yi was not surprised by their statements, after all, they were the ones being rescued.

However, Lin Yi hesitated for a moment before speaking, "The main reason we were able to force Jilama to retreat without taking any damage this time was because we outnumbered him and formed an encirclement, leaving him with no hope and no courage to fight to the death. If it were just me..."

Liu Na, Hui Lie, and the other two had truly recklessly burned their divine power when they encountered it, the outcome would have been uncertain; it certainly wouldn't have been so easy.

His gaze swept over Liu Na and Hui Lie, and he continued, "Shi Feng and Sevilla also contributed, first by holding back and wearing down the enemy in the early stages, and then by joining forces in the later attacks. So..."

Lin Yi proposed a plan. "The spoils left behind by Jilama should be shared equally between Shi Feng and Sevilla."

Liu Na, Hui Lie, you each take 20%. I'll take 40%. How about that?

This allocation plan takes into account the contributions, status, and past experiences of each party.

Lin Yi considered that as the core combat force, provider of space teleportation, and tactical commander, it was reasonable for him to take 40%. Liu Na and Hui Lie, as the other side of the joint operation, each took 20%.

Shi Feng and Sevilla were the ones who received the assists, but they also contributed to the attack, each earning a share of the credit.

Upon hearing this, Liu Na's cool expression remained calm as she nodded. "Okay."

Hui Lie readily agreed, "That makes sense, I have no objection."

Sevilla bowed slightly. "Thank you, Lin Yi. Sevilla has no objections."

Shi Feng saw Lin Yi set the distribution ratio as soon as he spoke, and directly stated that he would take 40% for himself, and the other three gods had no objections, he was immediately awed.

Shi Feng didn't hesitate at all; he immediately said, "Shi Feng your consideration, Lord Lin Yi."

Lin Yi sensed Shi Feng's shocked gaze, looked at him, and smiled faintly, "Brother Shi Feng seems quite surprised?"

Shi Feng a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in his heart, and said with a wry smile, "It's more than just an accident... Lord Lin Yi, I never expected you to have grown to such a level. I thought you were some reclusive, ancient deity. My apologies, my apologies!"

Lin Yi waved his hand. "It's just an empty title. We're all comrades in this secret realm. Let's take stock of the treasures first."

"Yes, yes," Shi Feng quickly replied.

He shared the same thought as Sevilla: the significance and future potential of a peerless genius who had risen to such heights in just ten thousand years were completely different.

The group began to take stock of Jilama's remains.

First, there are the two most eye-catching pieces of equipment: the dark red, ferocious bone spike armor and the enormous, bloody claw. The armor exudes powerful physical defense and divine resistance, while the claw contains terrifying law fluctuations; both are top-tier masterpieces of high-level deities, and are extremely valuable.

Next were those insect-shell-shaped storage containers.

Lin Yi opened them one by one and scanned them with his divine sense.

Piles of rare divine metals and minerals, dozens of bottles of extremely high-grade divine power restoration and healing potions, some bone fragments recording the secret techniques of the Devouring Race, several pieces of slightly inferior but unique weapons and equipment, several complete Devouring Race biological warships, and a large number of scattered unknown materials and energy crystals shimmering with various colors of light.

"Tsk tsk... did he bring all his belongings with him?" Hui Lie scanned the supplies with his divine sense and assessed, "These supplies are worth at least one billion Points in total."

A hint of joy flashed in Sevilla's and Shi Feng's eyes as well.

Even if they only take 10%, it's still a considerable fortune for them.

Lin Yi nodded and began distributing the materials according to the previously agreed-upon plan.

He first took out the two most valuable main equipment pieces, the dark red bone spike armor and the bloody claws, and then mixed all the remaining items together, roughly estimated their total value, and then divided them proportionally.

The process went very smoothly.

Lin Yi possessed powerful spiritual sense and precise mental calculations, allowing him to divide the data fairly and reasonably.

Shi Feng and Sevilla each received their share, consisting of various supplies worth approximately 110 million Points.

Liu Na and Hui Lie each received a share worth approximately 220 million Points.

Lin Yi then took the armor, the claws, and the remaining supplies.

At this point, the main treasures have been distributed, and only some storage equipment for miscellaneous items remains in the void.

Everyone breathed a sigh of relief. Although the battle in the Frost Star Domain was thrilling but ultimately safe, the mental tension was real when facing a high-level deity on the verge of despair, roaring that they were ready to fight to the death.

Now that the dust has settled and the gains have been substantial, the atmosphere has naturally eased.

Shi Feng and Sevilla exchanged a glance, both seeing a hint of relief and gratitude in each other's eyes.

Each of them carefully stored their share of resources, including valuable divine minerals, recovery treasures, and some unknown materials from the Devouring Race, into their own storage equipment.

Liu Na remained aloof, her delicate hand gesturing lightly. Her share of the treasure transformed into a stream of emerald light, disappearing into an antique-style rattan bracelet on her wrist. The bracelet's surface flashed with a faint light that vanished almost instantly, as if nothing had happened.

Hui Lie laughed heartily, and with a surge of holy light, he gathered up the mountain of supplies, each gleaming with a different color. He weighed the holy light greatsword in his hand, which temporarily replaced his previously damaged weapon, clearly quite satisfied with his gains.

All eyes turned to Lin Yi, or rather, to the two trophies floating in front of him: the dark red, ferocious bone spike armor and the enormous claw that exuded a strong bloody aura.

These two items were Jilama's main combat equipment, accounting for the majority of its total remaining value, and now they belonged to Lin Yi.

Lin Yi, however, was not in a hurry to put away the two conspicuous treasures.

His fingertips were swirling with silver-gray spatial power as he gently stroked the cold, hard bone spikes on the dark red armor, then lightly touched the edge of the bloody claw, as if trying to sense the patterns of laws and the imprint of divine power contained within.

After a moment, he shook his head, seemingly slightly disappointed.

"The finest pieces from the highest level of the higher deities are extremely valuable, whether for personal use, exchange, or dismantling for materials."

Lin Yi raised his head, his gaze sweeping over his four companions who had just finished collecting the items and were looking at him. A smile played on his lips. "However... before those Devouring Race insects fled, they roared so loudly, offering 500 million Points to buy their way through and even burning their divine power to perish together with others. They were putting on a desperate show."

"I'd like to see if any of those bottles, jars, and odds and ends hidden in its storage space actually contain anything truly valuable that could cause it to lose its composure or even harbor such wishful thinking. It's fine if it's just bluffing, but if there really is something hidden, let's all take a look to avoid any unforeseen complications later."

Upon hearing this, Liu Na's eyes flickered slightly, Hui Lie raised an eyebrow, Shi Feng and Sevilla also showed expressions of curiosity.

Indeed, Jilama's final blustering act contrasted sharply with his swift and decisive escape, and in retrospect, it felt somewhat abrupt.

"Lin Yi's considerations are thorough." Shi Feng nodded in agreement.

"It's good to take a look," Hui Lie said with a smile, quite interested. "We might actually find some surprises. After all, he's a veteran Devouring Race deity; it wouldn't be surprising if he had some hidden treasures."

Although Liu Na and Sevilla remained silent, their eyes revealed tacit approval and attentiveness.

Lin Yi said no more. With a thought, he took the insect-shell-shaped storage containers that he had previously roughly explored and which contained odds and ends into his hands.

The first insect shell container was opened, and what poured out were mainly low-level energy crystals, various low-level cannon fodder insect eggs, and a bunch of random Rule Comprehension treasures.

These things were of limited value to Lin Yi and his group.

The second container was opened, and a large amount of metals and minerals were poured out. Most of them shimmered with a dark or bloody luster. They were mainly metals of the World Derivation level and Star Domain level, such as "Abyssal Corrosion Crystal". These were resources that were relatively unique to the Devouring Race's territory and certain dangerous places. The quantity was quite considerable, and they looked radiant when piled together.

However, while these are more precious than the previous one, they are neither unique nor secret.

The third container appears to be more cluttered.

Inside were dozens of weapons and equipment of varying quality and styles, but none of them were god-level, clearly not for Jilama's personal use. In addition, there were some sealed samples of Devouring Race biological tissue and several sets of Devouring Race biological warship power components.

These things might be useful for studying Devouring Race or in specific situations, but they are not particularly surprising.

After opening three containers in succession, these items did not seem sufficient to explain Jilama's unusually violent reaction at the last moment.

Shi Feng stroked his chin, hesitatingly saying, "It looks... like just ordinary junk?"

Hui Lie crossed his arms, his holy light slowly circulating around him, and chuckled, "Perhaps we're overthinking it? That bug was just being stubborn; when its bluff failed, it saw the situation was against it and ran faster than anyone else. These kinds of things aren't uncommon."

Liu Na's cool face showed little expression; she simply said, "Not necessarily. There are still containers that haven't been checked."

Lin Yi remained calm and was not disappointed by the discovery before him.

He pointed his finger, and the fourth, and final, insect-shell-shaped storage container floated up in front of everyone.

This container is slightly smaller than the previous three, but the dark red patterns on its outer shell are more intricate and complex, subtly forming a contracting sealing rune, and the energy fluctuations it emits are more restrained and obscure.

"This is the last one." Lin Yi said, as strands of silver-gray spacetime power wrapped around the insect shell container.

The container's interior is divided into many small, independent compartments of varying sizes, containing a more diverse range of items in smaller quantities, resembling more of Jilama's personal collection of "odds and ends" or "special items."

Everyone probed with their divine senses, carefully discerning the details.

Some strange insect eggs sealed in transparent crystals appear to be the eggs of some rare cosmic insects; several clumps of unidentified gelatinous life forms wrapped in divine power and slowly wriggling; a bundle of dark red hair bound with the sinews of an unknown animal.

There were also several small medicine bottles labeled with the secret script of the Devouring Race, containing an unknown liquid of strange color, as well as a bunch of miscellaneous strange minerals, bone fragments, dried plants, and other items that even the Xuanji Database could not fully identify at the moment.

Lin Yi took them out one by one, suspending them in the air for everyone to inspect.

Each item exudes an air of strangeness or antiquity, clearly not ordinary; collecting them may require both luck and a discerning eye.

But that's all. They are more like the "collecting obsession" of a seasoned explorer. They may be priceless in certain fields or by certain researchers, but in terms of being "treasures" in the general sense, or "enough to make even the most powerful gods fight to the death," they seem to fall short.

Hui Lie shook his head. "The items are quite varied and rare, but to say that the Devouring Race insects would be so reluctant to part with them... I doubt it."

Shi Feng also gave a wry smile, "It seems we were overthinking it. This guy is just plain rich, and he's heartbroken when he loses something, so he yells a lot, but he knows perfectly well what's going on. Once he realized things were hopeless, he ran faster than Starflow."

Sevilla sighed softly, whether in disappointment or relief was unclear.

Lin Yi did not draw a conclusion immediately.

His divine sense, like the finest comb, swept over the removed fragments and the now empty insect shell container again and again.

The laws of spacetime endowed him with far more refined perception than ordinary divine sense, enabling him to detect the faintest ripples of energy and the most subtle structural anomalies.

Just when everyone was about to give up and think that Jilama was bluffing, Lin Yi's brows furrowed very slightly.

His gaze was fixed on an extremely hidden corner inside the insect shell container.

There was a subtle line there, almost imperceptible to the naked eye and ordinary divine sense, perfectly blending with the natural crustacean pattern of the container itself. However, upon closer inspection, the trajectory of its energy flow had extremely slight discontinuities, resembling a cleverly concealed "hidden compartment."

Lin Yi remained silent for a moment.

Actually, he has two choices now.

First, if nothing is discovered, find an excuse to put away the container of miscellaneous items; no one will object. Then, find an opportunity to see what's inside for yourself. In short, it's about keeping it all for yourself.

Secondly, it can be pointed out directly.

There's more.

Without hesitation, Lin Yi chose to publish his discovery.

He believed that in the eternal life to come, character and a solid reputation are more important than temporary treasures.

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