Return Again, Where Are Your Teammates?

However, the remaining seven gods of the Devouring Race and the Abyss Race ignored this level of trash talk.

They maintained their layers of defensive shields, auras of laws, and radiance of treasures with all their might, like hedgehogs huddled in their sturdy tortoise shells, while inside they were engaged in a frantic and rapid exchange of souls.

"What do we do? That Human Race's attack power was definitely at the level of a high-ranking god! Otherwise, even if it was a sneak attack, it wouldn't have been possible to severely injure Kunluo to the point of near death in one blow, directly triggering the protection mechanism!" A Abyss Race god's voice was filled with fear.

"Kunluo" was the name of the Devouring Race Beetle God who was ambushed and instantly killed by Lin Yi.

The leader, a high-level giant lizard god of the Abyss Race, spoke with a grave expression, "How long has it been? A high-level god-level combatant has already appeared in this level of the secret realm. And we've had the misfortune of running into them."

It glanced warily at the large pile of Kunluo's treasures floating in the void not far away. "This guy didn't even take the spoils right away. It's obvious he's not afraid we'll escape; he wants to annihilate us!"

The mantis-shaped, peak-level Devouring Race beside him flashed his compound eyes. "What do we do? Split up and escape? He's sealed off space; if we scatter, we'll just be picked off one by one and die even faster!"

The Abyss Race Giant Lizard God said in a deep voice, "I have already sent out a distress signal! However, this space has been sealed off by him, and it will take time for the support team to locate and arrive. We need to hold out for at least 10 standard days before we have any chance of being rescued!"

"10 standard days?"

Upon hearing this, the peak-level Mantis God of the Devouring Race sighed, "But let alone 10 standard days, I think even 3 standard days would be difficult! His attack power is too terrifying. Our passive defense consumes a huge amount of divine power; we simply can't hold out for long!"

As it spoke, a fierce glint flashed in its eyes, "How about... we fight them? Maybe we can knock one or two of them out of the secret realm, at least it won't be such a loss!"

The Abyss Race Giant Lizard God remained silent for a moment, quickly assessing the situation.

Of the five opponents, apart from the terrifying Human Race, the other four, while possessing considerable aura, had not yet reached their peak.

Of the seven on our side, two are at their peak, but the opposing high-ranking deity is the biggest variable.

However, passively defending and waiting for reinforcements is unlikely to bring down enemy numbers, and may even offer a glimmer of hope for survival.

"This is the only way!" The Abyss Race Giant Lizard God finally made up his mind. "It's better than passively defending and taking a beating! Let's attack!"

"Roar!"

"Hiss!"

Almost the instant their souls reached an agreement, the seven Devouring Race and Abyss Race gods simultaneously unleashed a deafening roar!

The previously huddled defensive formation suddenly expanded outwards, and the violent divine power and law fluctuations erupted like a long-suppressed volcano!

A great battle suddenly broke out!

Two supreme deities— the Abyss Race Giant Lizard and the Devouring Race —charged out first, one from the left and one from the right!

The giant lizard god's dark golden scales shone brightly, and it brandished its mountain-like claws, carrying a violent power capable of tearing through the starry sky, as it charged straight at Lin Yi!

The mantis god of the Devouring Race transformed into a dark purple afterimage, its two pairs of Sharpness blade arms slashing out countless dark purple blades that tore through space, covering Lin Yi's body. At the same time, its compound eyes locked onto Hui Lie and Shi Feng, who were a little further away, attempting to separate and restrain them.

The other five high-level gods also launched their attacks simultaneously, each unleashing their strongest attacks in coordination with the actions of the two peak-level gods, attempting to disrupt the formation of Lin Yi's team.

Faced with this sudden counterattack, Lin Yi's eyes remained cold and he showed no sign of panic.

"Proceed according to plan!" he shouted telepathically.

Hui Lie, Shi Feng, Liu Na, and Sevilla were prepared and instantly and tacitly faced their chosen opponents.

The four strictly followed Lin Yi's tactic of "one person holding off one opponent," not seeking a quick victory, but only aiming to steadily hold off their opponents and create space for Lin Yi.

Lin Yi himself became the most agile and deadliest point on the battlefield.

Faced with the combined attack of two peak-level gods and several incoming attacks, his figure suddenly became blurred.

Void Annihilation Step!

With the blessing of the laws of space and time, his movement trajectory was unpredictable, as if he existed in multiple locations at the same time, and as if he had completely blended into the spatial background.

The giant lizard spirit's powerful claw strikes and the mantis spirit's dense, net-like blade cuts mostly landed on empty air. The few attacks that did hit Lin Yi only left afterimages as they passed through space and time.

At the same time, the Sky-Evasion Shuttle Spear in Lin Yi's hand shone with a silver-gray annihilation light.

His primary target was not the two relatively troublesome peak-level beings, but the high-level Abyss deity who had just fought with Liu Na and was now trying to harass him from the flank in coordination with the peak-level Abyss Race!

"Void Annihilation - Stagnation!"

Silver-gray ripples spread out from Lin Yi, precisely enveloping this high-ranking Abyss Race.

The Abyss Race deity felt a sudden heaviness around him, and his movements and the flow of divine power became noticeably sluggish.

"Not good!"

Alarm bells rang in its mind, and it frantically activated its defensive treasures and divine shield.

However, Lin Yi's attack had already begun.

A concentrated, silver-gray spear beam, seemingly traversing spatial distance, instantly struck its defensive treasure.

Bang!

The divine shield was shattered instantly, and the defensive artifact trembled violently, its light flickering and spiderweb-like cracks appearing on its surface.

"It wiped out nearly 5% of my total divine power in one hit!"

The high-ranking Abyss Race of the Abyss Clan transmitted his voice to his companion in terror, his tone filled with horror.

"Help!"

The Abyss Race Giant Lizard God roared, its massive body twisting as its claws, imbued with the power of the Law of Death, swept out in an attempt to force Lin Yi back.

The peak-level Mantis of the Devouring Race also transformed its bladed arm into a sky full of purple shadows, slashing towards Lin Yi from another direction to restrain him.

However, Lin Yi didn't give them a chance to engage in a direct confrontation.

Having landed a successful blow, his figure blurred once more, disappearing like a ghost between the attacks of the two peak-level fighters, and reappearing on the other side of the battlefield.

He fully utilized the flexibility of the Space Law!

Sometimes it would appear beside the targeted high-ranking Abyss Race, launching a thunderous attack that forced it into a desperate defensive posture, causing its divine power to continuously decline; other times it would suddenly turn its spearhead, attacking the giant lizard or the peak-ranking mantis at a precise and tricky angle, forcing them to retreat or dodge, unable to fully rescue their companion.

In the center of the battlefield, Lin Yi single-handedly held back two high-level peak deities of the enemy, as well as one high-level deity who was being specifically targeted.

He was like a silver-gray lightning bolt weaving through a storm, each appearance accompanied by a deadly threat, perfectly demonstrating the "Void Annihilation Codex"'s tactics of combining illusion and reality, offense and defense.

Although the enemy had a numerical advantage, they lacked high-level law deities and relied mainly on advanced laws and a small number of advanced laws. In terms of sophistication and the level of their laws, they were completely unable to compete with Lin Yi's spacetime laws.

They can only struggle to survive by relying on their greater divine power, richer combat experience, and better teamwork.

The high-ranking Abyss Race, who was the primary target of Lin Yi, suffered the most tragic fate.

It simply couldn't keep up with Lin Yi's elusive pace. Every time Lin Yi appeared, it had to defend itself with all its might. Even so, each time it withstood or dodged Lin Yi's attack, it would consume a considerable amount of divine power.

Lin Yi's attacks weren't just focused on it; he would occasionally turn around and harass the two peak-level opponents, making them hesitant to attack and unable to form an effective protective circle.

Under this constant pressure and fear, its divine power rapidly dissipated like a flood.

60% 50% 40%

Finally, when its divine power reserves dropped to around 35%, a chill rose from the depths of its soul.

It knew that if things continued like this, it wouldn't be long before it couldn't even withstand Lin Yi's full-force attack, and would easily be severely injured and on the verge of death, resulting in even greater losses.

"You two!"

Filled with resentment, it telepathically communicated with the giant lizard and the mantis spirit, "I... I have to leave the secret realm! Otherwise, in a little while, I might not even be able to withstand a single blow from him and will be on the verge of death!"

The Abyss Race Giant Lizard God and the Devouring Race God exchanged a glance, both showing a hint of dejection.

They had tried their best, but in front of a high-level god-level powerhouse who was well-versed in the laws of space and time, protecting a teammate who was being closely watched was simply too difficult.

"Let's cancel together."

The Abyss Race Giant Lizard, at its peak, sighed, "Otherwise, if you withdraw, the breach will open, and we won't be able to hold on much longer. I've already transmitted information about this high-ranking Human Race, including his physical characteristics, the properties of his spacetime laws, and a rough assessment of his strength, to the other teams around us. At that time, powerful individuals will naturally come to deal with him!"

It took one last, deep look at the silver-gray figure that moved through the distance like the Grim Reaper, its eyes filled with coldness.

"Let's go!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Abyss Race Giant Lizard God no longer hesitated and was the first to activate the secret realm's life-saving mark.

Buzz!

A dazzling seven-colored light burst forth from its body, forming a thick light shield.

Almost simultaneously, the high-level peak god of the Devouring Race, along with several other Devouring Race and Abyss Race, also activated their marks.

Six clusters of seven-colored light burst open in the starry sky in succession, like six strange flowers that bloomed for a moment and then quickly disappeared.

The figure inside the light barrier gave the battlefield one last, cold look, filled with resentment and unwillingness, before vanishing without a trace, along with the light barrier itself.

As the seven-colored light of the secret realm mark flashed, the originally fierce and noisy battlefield instantly became deathly silent.

Only equipment, storage containers, and other miscellaneous items, radiating various colored lights, floated in the void.

Those were the "legacy" left behind by eight enemy gods, silently floating in the dark starry sky, as if telling the story of the brief but thrilling ambush and counterattack that had just taken place.

Lin Yi looked at the suddenly empty starry sky and the seven-colored light that flickered and then completely disappeared, and said calmly, "They ran away decisively."

Without uttering a word, the other party attacked directly. After fighting for a while and realizing there was no hope, they activated their marks and withdrew from the secret realm without hesitation. This decisiveness was not to be underestimated, and it also thwarted his plan to extract information.

Fortunately, you won't lose a single penny of the spoils.

Lin Yi raised his hand and swept over all the spoils floating in the void, temporarily gathering them together without immediately counting them.

Then, he said to Liu Na and the other three who had flown to his side, "Although we didn't get any information just now, the fact that they were able to ambush us means we shouldn't stay here any longer. Let's leave first and divide the spoils on the way."

Upon hearing this, Liu Na's cool face revealed a hint of agreement. Without saying anything more, she moved her mind, and the emerald green "Azure Spirit" spaceship reappeared in the starry sky.

Everyone quickly boarded the ship, which immediately transformed into a streak of light and sped away at full speed.

Upon entering the spaceship, everyone immediately took out their respective treasures for restoring divine power, making the most of the divine power consumed in the battle.

Although the battle was short, everyone knew they needed to be in peak condition to deal with any follow-up attacks or unexpected events.

While holding the Origin Crystal to restore his divine power, Lin Yi waved his hand and took out all the spoils he had just collected, which then floated in the center of the cabin.

The various treasures emitted different colors of light, making the cabin dazzling and colorful, which was obviously even better than the spoils from the previous battle when they forced Jilama to retreat.

Looking at the mountain of spoils, Lin Yi smiled and said, "This haul seems quite substantial. Clearly, they're still fixated on that previous escape point, probably because they haven't found a new one yet."

Hui Lie glanced at the spoils, then nodded and said, "Not bad. If they had an escape point available, they would have already exchanged most of their unused loot for Points to improve their strength. Look at the spoils they left behind; they're diverse, and many are clearly resources from the secret realm itself, but they haven't had time to exchange them yet."

"Moreover, they were forced to leave the secret realm this time. According to the rules, if they possessed Points, half of them would condense into Origin Universe Tower Points Crystals and fall out. But I didn't find any of these crystals just now, which means their Points are likely still zero, or very few."

Liu Na's cool voice rang out, adding, "This also confirms the importance of extraction points. Entering an extraction point once can convert a large amount of temporarily unused physical resources into safe Points. Even if you are forced to leave the secret realm due to encountering a powerful enemy later, you will only lose half of your Points, which is far better than losing all your treasures and losing everything."

"Therefore, since they haven't found a new evacuation point yet, they are determined to take the known one."

"Not bad." Lin Yi nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the piled-up treasures. "Especially as the exploration deepens, each team will accumulate more and more treasures, and the need for an extraction point will become increasingly urgent. The side that possesses an extraction point will have an increasingly greater advantage in subsequent competition."

As he spoke, Lin Yi's mind stirred slightly, and he communicated with the secret realm's imprint to quickly scan and value the pile of spoils before him.

Soon, a number came back.

"The portion that can be exchanged for Points is estimated to be around 4.1 billion Origin Universe Tower Points."

Lin Yi read out the number.

"4.1 billion!"

Shi Feng couldn't help but gasp, and Sevilla's emerald eyes were also filled with shock.

Although Hui Lie and Liu Na remained relatively calm, they could not hide the surprise in their eyes.

This only includes the redeemable items; it does not include weapons, equipment, and certain special items brought in from outside that cannot be redeemed.

A single counterattack against the ambushers yielded such terrifying results.

After a brief moment of shock, Liu Na spoke first, saying solemnly, "Captain, I propose that we change the way the spoils are distributed."

She looked at Lin Yi, her clear, earnest emerald eyes saying, "In this battle, the four of us merely followed your tactics, each holding back one opponent. The one who truly decided the outcome, crushed the enemy's core forces, and forced their entire force to retreat was you. We... we weren't even high-level peak gods; our contribution was limited."

"It's neither reasonable nor ethical to distribute resources according to the previously agreed-upon ratio. This doesn't align with the principles of contribution-based distribution, nor is it a sustainable approach for the team."

Hui Lie immediately nodded in agreement, "Liu Na is right. In this battle, we were just there to assist you, to hold off the enemy and prevent them from interfering with you. You're the one who secured the majority of the victory, so you should take the majority of it. If we divide it according to the old rules, we won't feel at ease taking it."

Shi Feng and Sevilla quickly expressed their opinions as well.

All four of them knew very well that the gains this time were enormous, with 4.1 billion redeemable Points alone.

If the distribution is still based on the "old rule" that Lin Yi only takes 40%, the remaining amount will be an astronomical sum for each of them.

This is certainly tempting, but they understand the difference between "having a full meal at one meal" and "having a full meal at every meal."

Lin Yi's strength has reached the threshold of a high-level god, placing him among the top tier in the secret realm.

He's only taking them along because it's a favor, and also because they've been relatively cooperative and obedient so far.

However, if they act greedily and only think about taking advantage, then with Lin Yi's strength, he can find stronger teammates at any time.

By then, they will lose not only a rich harvest, but also a top-tier expert they can rely on and a relatively safe exploration environment.

They can distinguish what is important and what is not.

Lin Yi was taken aback at first, but then, looking at the four people with serious expressions, he immediately understood the deeper meaning behind Liu Na's words and everyone's concerns.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. This hastily assembled team consisted of members of decent character who knew their limits and understood that long-term interests were far more important than immediate gains.

He hesitated briefly, then declined without feigning reluctance.

As everyone has said, his contribution in this battle was absolutely dominant, and it is only right that he takes the lion's share. Excessive modesty would seem hypocritical and might make the team members feel uneasy.

"Since everyone says so," Lin Yi said with a gentle smile, "Then I won't be coy. How about this: I'll shamelessly take 60% of the spoils, and the four of you will each take 10%, how about that?"

Lin Yi received 60% of the funding for this project, demonstrating his core contribution.

The remaining 40% will be divided equally among the four people, with each person receiving 10%.

Although Lin Yi gets the lion's share while they only get a fraction, it's still a huge sum. One tenth of 4.1 billion Points equals 410 million Points!

Adding to the physical treasures such as weapons, equipment, and special materials that cannot be exchanged for Points but are equally valuable, the total value of each person's gains this time is probably close to eight or nine hundred million Points!

For Shi Feng and Hui Lie, who were relatively poor, this almost instantly doubled their net worth.

Even for Liu Na and Sevilla, this was an extremely large windfall.

"Agree!"

"Fair enough!"

"Let's do it this way!"

"The captain can make the arrangements!"

Upon hearing this, almost without hesitation, everyone nodded in agreement, and smiles appeared on their faces.

This percentage was actually higher than they had expected. Being able to receive such a huge amount of wealth while maintaining good relationships within the team was undoubtedly the best possible outcome.

With the plan finalized, Lin Yi didn't delay any longer.

As usual, he first carefully checked all the spoils of war, especially the storage containers and special items, to prevent a situation like the last time in Jilama, where the nascent form of the Source Treasure was hidden in a secret compartment.

However, there were no similar surprises this time.

Although these assassins were wealthy, they did not seem to be carrying any extraordinary treasures.

Their collections consist mostly of various resources accumulated through exploration and plunder in the secret realms, as well as weapons and equipment for their own use or as spares.

After confirming that everything was correct, Lin Yi began to quickly divide the materials according to the proportions.

Resources that can be redeemed for Points are separated according to their estimated value, while physical items that cannot be redeemed are allocated based on their attributes, uses, and approximate value, striving for fairness.

The process was quick, and in the end, Lin Yi's share, just in terms of the redeemable Points, was valued at an astonishing 2.46 billion Origin Universe Tower Points.

Looking at the enormous number in his mind, a surge of pride welled up in Lin Yi's heart once more, and at the same time, a thought naturally popped into his head:

"Suddenly I have so many Points again. Should I just teleport back to that evacuation point, enter the Pure White Space, and exchange them again?"

Once the thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.

Moreover, they are now more than a year away from the evacuation point, well past the communication range. If they return, he can also transmit the information about the ambush and the enemy squad, which is a mix of Abyss Race and Devouring Race, back to alert the Pan-Spirit Alliance team stationed near the evacuation point.

Thinking of this, Lin Yi looked at his teammates beside him and said, "Guys, I think I need to go back to the evacuation point."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look.

Lin Yi explained, "First, we were just ambushed. This eight-person team, composed of a mix of Abyss Race and Devouring Race, was clearly targeting the group leaving the evacuation point."

"This message must be relayed back to Yan Long and Qing Ling as soon as possible, so that they and other allies operating nearby can be on high alert and make preparations."

"Secondly," he paused, "I currently have a large number of Points, which I can use to exchange for another batch of treasures upon returning to the extraction point. This should allow me to further enhance my strength."

As he spoke, Lin Yi's face showed a hint of apology. "However, because the distance is quite far, my current divine power is insufficient to teleport everyone together, so I can only return by myself this time. But I will be back soon and won't be delayed for too long."

After hearing Lin Yi's explanation, everyone expressed their understanding.

They naturally had a general understanding of the energy consumption of teleportation by the Space Law.

The divine power consumed by a Space Law deity when teleporting itself is not high, but if it is to teleport with others, the more people there are, the stronger they are, and the farther the distance, the greater the consumption will be.

For example, it is almost impossible for Space Law deity to teleport Venerable Lord Rank powerhouse.

These were all high-ranking deities, and Lin Yi could manage the journey of a few days or ten days while teleporting them, but a journey of more than a year was indeed unbearable.

As for allowing other deities to enter one's own Divine Kingdom and then teleporting, the essence is the same, because the difficulty is never in teleporting a single divine body, but in bearing the "connection" between other deities and one's Divine Kingdom at the moment of teleportation.

Liu Na spoke first, "Captain, please. We can wait here. Anyway, it won't take you long to make the round trip, including the time it takes to exchange the currency."

Hui Lie nodded and said, "That's right, Captain, hurry back. We can use this time to consolidate our understanding of the battle we just fought and keep watch on our surroundings."

Shi Feng and Sevilla naturally had no objections.

"Okay, then I'll go first."

Seeing that no one had any objections, Lin Yi nodded slightly.

The next moment, silver-gray spacetime power enveloped him, his figure blurred for a moment, and then he disappeared from the spot.

The evacuation point was a relatively stable platform of rubble next to the huge white vortex.

The Yan Long, seemingly composed of dark golden rock, sat cross-legged on the edge of the platform, like an ancient sculpture, silently watching over the surrounding starry sky.

His spiritual perception was like an invisible spider web, covering a large area.

Suddenly, a subtle yet familiar ripple appeared in the space in front of him.

Yan Long's heart skipped a beat, and he looked over warily.

A flash of silvery-gray light appeared, and a figure materialized out of thin air, its body still clearly showing the disturbances of various laws from the battle.

It was Lin Yi had just left not long ago.

Yan Long's heart skipped a beat.

He quickly stood up and asked in a low voice, "Lin Yi, why did you come back alone? Where are your teammates?"