The Whole Nest Mobilizes, On the Verge of Eruption
Upon hearing this, Taikasha's expression turned extremely serious. "Speaking of which, I need to remind everyone of something. While Lin Yi's return is undoubtedly a great help, we must also be soberly aware that it could also be the fuse for a Decisive Battle battle."
"You mean..." Qing Ling frowned slightly.
Taikasha looked around at everyone and said in a deep voice, "When Lord Lin Yi left back then, he was ambushed in a premeditated attack. The combat power he displayed that time could not have gone unassessed by the enemy. Now that he is about to return, if his whereabouts are discovered by the enemy, they will definitely not sit idly by and watch such a powerful ally easily join us."
"I think, given the nearly ten standard years of travel distance, unless Lord Lin Yi returns alone, he can't possibly have brought his team all the way here. Therefore, once they discover the whereabouts of Lin Yi's team, they will most likely mobilize a large force to encircle and annihilate them. This is not only to prevent Lin Yi's return, but also to damage our morale, and possibly..." She paused, a fierce glint in her eyes, "... to set a trap, attempting to devour the support force we will inevitably send out!"
"Because we must go to provide support; it's an open strategy. If we don't go, Lord Lin Yi might be surrounded; if we go, we might step into a trap."
Yan Long then said in a deep voice, "There's something I need to tell everyone. Over the years, we've made some discoveries about their reconnaissance methods. Based on some scattered clues and tracing multiple abnormal energy fluctuations, we speculate that they may be utilizing a rare variant of the Void Worm."
"Void Worm?"
Qing Ling was somewhat surprised. The Void Worm was a rare species cultivated by the Devouring Race for the manufacture of storage equipment, and it was known for its affinity with space.
"Yes," Yan Long affirmed, "It should be a specially bred variant with enhanced stealth and reconnaissance capabilities. It almost completely blends into the void, making it extremely difficult to detect by conventional means of perception; even soul scans might miss it."
"If it weren't for the newly arrived squads of Space Law deities who, after several conflicts, detected extremely subtle traces of active spatial movement in the residual energy turbulence of the void, it would have been completely undetectable."
Then, he said gravely, "However, based on the density of trace distribution and activity frequency we observed, we infer that this variant's reproductive efficiency must be very low, or there must be other harsh cultivation conditions that result in a relatively small number of them. Therefore, they cannot form a comprehensive monitoring network."
"We estimate that this void detection worm can effectively monitor only about 30% of the area within a one to five standard-year flight range around the evacuation point. However, this 30% coverage area is not fixed, because these worms themselves are also moving."
"Thirty percent of the area. And that thirty percent is covered by random navigation."
Mo Yao pondered, "This means that there's a 70% chance that Lin Yi's return journey will completely evade surveillance, but there's also a 30% chance that his tracks will be discovered. We can't gamble on that 70% chance. Lin Yi's safety, and the impact of his return on the battle situation, don't allow us to take the risk."
"Exactly," Taikasha nodded. "Therefore, organizing a support team is essential. Moreover, since we anticipate that the enemy might launch a large-scale encirclement or even an ambush once they discover Lord Lin Yi, our support force must be strong enough not only to successfully provide support but also to handle any potential battles."
As she spoke, a sharp glint flashed in her seven-colored eyes. "Everyone, I have an idea. We'll leave only a small number of deities behind, relying on our existing defenses at the evacuation point to create a diversion and give the illusion that our main force is still intact. We'll integrate our true core strength into the support troops."
"In this way, if the enemy's interception force is weak, we can wipe them out in one fell swoop. If the enemy has a similar idea to us and deploys most of its forces to try and eliminate our support forces, then we'll engage in a decisive Decisive Battle!"
The proposal caused a moment of silence in the council chamber.
Deploying all main forces to support the evacuation point means that the evacuation point itself will become relatively vulnerable. Once discovered, the remaining troops will have no choice but to take advantage of the delay caused by the existing defenses to evacuate as quickly as possible.
On the other hand, if the main force stays behind and the supporting forces sent out are weak, if they encounter heavy enemy troops on the way to the rescue, not only will the rescue fail, but a number of elite troops may also be lost for nothing.
Concentrating resources on one point to ensure a successful relay and possess the strength for Decisive Battle seems to be a more proactive and positive choice in the current situation.
The several peak deities quickly exchanged glances.
"I agree," Qing Ling said first. "Instead of spreading our forces thin, we should concentrate them on accomplishing one great task. As long as we can ensure Lin Yi's safe return and rejoin our main force, the initiative in the battle will return to our hands. At that time, whether to fight or defend will be up to us."
"I agree," Mo Yao said in a deep voice. "While leaving a defensive feint requires meticulous planning, it's feasible. The key is to maintain the highest level of vigilance and mobility of the support troops, so that they can make swift decisions should the support be successful or encounter a strong enemy."
Seeing that the other two core members had agreed, Yan Long nodded emphatically, "Alright! It's settled then. I will inform Lord Lin Yi of this plan and our analysis, so that he can be prepared."
He immediately took out the dark silver communication device and edited Taikasha's analysis, speculations about the Void Detection Worm, and the plan to concentrate the main force to provide support and prepare for the Decisive Battle, while leaving others to create a false impression, into a long message, which he then sent to Lin Yi.
--
Inside the "Azure Spirit" spaceship.
Lin Yi soon received a long message from Yan Long.
He read carefully, his brow furrowing slightly at times and relaxing at others.
He was not surprised that the Abyss Race and the Devouring Race might mobilize a large force to encircle and annihilate them.
Given that the other party was able to intercept him so accurately back then, it's quite normal that they would have a way to send the message back; even if they didn't, those Abyss Race Devouring Race gods who were forced to leave the secret realm have probably re-entered it by now, so it's impossible to keep it a secret.
He did take note of the speculation about the void detection worm.
This method was indeed covert. If Yan Long and his team hadn't made some discoveries after years of observation, their rash return might have exposed their whereabouts prematurely.
Regarding the evacuation point, the plan is to concentrate the main force for support while leaving others to maintain a defensive posture.
Lin Yi's first reaction was to refuse.
In his view, with his current strength and the newly formed Heart of the Abyss Sea, as long as the Abyss Race Devouring Race did not come out in full force, ordinary interception teams, no matter how many there were, would be basically easy prey for him.
He even felt that such a large-scale operation at the evacuation point was unnecessary, and sending people to meet them might actually increase unnecessary variables and risks.
But he stopped himself from saying it.
He re-examined the analysis in Yan Long's message—"Once they discover your whereabouts, they will surely guess that we will come to meet you, so they might even be thinking of wiping out our support force."
A flash of understanding crossed Lin Yi's eyes.
Indeed, from the enemy's perspective, this is a golden opportunity.
If successful, it would not only eliminate itself but also severely damage the forces at the evacuation point, achieving two goals at once.
From this perspective, the enemy's forces to intercept and kill him must be considerable. Although he is confident in his ability to fight and retreat, being entangled by a large number of enemies will ultimately cause him trouble.
More importantly...
Lin Yi thought of the Heart of the Abyss Sea in his hand.
I wonder if that high-level peak-stage Devouring Race deity revealed the loss of the prototype of the Dao Origin Treasure. If it did, then the enemy would most likely not dare to intercept and kill me.
Of course, Lin Yi believed that it was highly unlikely that he would say so.
After all, that thing was hidden quite well. If he were that Devouring Race God, he would definitely be thinking that if anyone in his team were killed one day, there might be a chance to get them back.
Besides, even if they didn't expect to have a chance to get it back, they probably wouldn't have told anyone.
Unless that Devouring Race God is stupid, he must know that the gods who die at the hands of that Source Treasure will inevitably hold a grudge against him. Only someone with a faulty mind would say it out loud.
Therefore, Lin Yi felt that the source treasure he had seized should be considered one of his hidden trump cards at this stage.
However, while this trump card is incredibly powerful, it also consumes a lot of resources and should not be revealed too early.
If we are forced to use the Source Treasure prematurely due to being intercepted by a large group of enemies, even if we can kill a group of interceptors, it will be equivalent to exposing the fact that we possess the Source Treasure to the Abyss Race and the Devouring Race.
At that time, the other side will likely adjust its strategy, either by mobilizing more and stronger forces and using more extreme means, or simply by running away and waiting for other opportunities.
Neither of these scenarios is what Lin Yi actually wants to see.
In his mind, the best course of action would be to unleash his full power in the final Decisive Battle, severely crippling the combined forces of the two races. Without their weapons and armor, even if these gods were to rejoin, their strength would be greatly diminished.
Therefore, if the support team is strong enough, one's own Source Treasure can remain hidden, reserved for the most crucial moment to play a decisive role.
With that in mind, Lin Yi replied via the communication device, "Alright, better safe than sorry. I agree to this plan and will keep an eye out for any potential void detection worms."
Evacuation point camp.
After receiving Lin Yi's affirmative reply, Yan Long and the others felt relieved.
Without delay, they immediately began to act.
First, in the name of several supreme deities, a "Decisive Battle Mobilization Order" was issued to all Pan-Spirit Alliance teams within the camp.
The mobilization order did not conceal the news of Lin Yi's imminent return, and at the same time frankly analyzed the current grim situation, pointing out that the Abyss Race and the Devouring Race were very likely to take this opportunity to launch a large-scale ambush.
In order to ensure the safe return of reinforcements and to thwart the enemy's plot in one fell swoop, it was decided to gather the main force, take the initiative to launch a support attack, and at the same time prepare for Decisive Battle with the enemy's main force!
Over the years, some of Lin Yi's circumstances have become no secret, and many well-informed teams have heard about them.
Therefore, the news immediately caused an uproar throughout the evacuation camp.
Is Lord Lin Yi returning?
"That's great! With him here, we feel much more confident!"
"Proactive support? Preparing for Decisive Battle? Are they going to confront those bastards head-on?"
"Great! I've been wanting to have a good fight with them for ages!"
"Count me in for the backup! But we also need people to stay behind and set up the formation. I'm a bit conflicted, because I'm good at illusion magic."
"Our entire squad has joined the support team."
Throughout the camp, the deities were engaged in lively discussions, most of them filled with fervor.
The pressure of constant friction and conflict had long been simmering with resentment among many deities. Now, hearing that they were to gather their strength to take the initiative to fight back, or even prepare for Decisive Battle, many of them became excited.
Of course, a few teams were more cautious, worried that it was too risky, but given the general trend, the prestige of several top gods, and their clear analysis of the situation, most teams ultimately chose to join the support legion.
The rest stop where Thousand Illusions is located.
Adeline and Saxi naturally heard the news.
"Captain, should we sign up?"
Saxi looked at Thousand Illusions, her golden eyes gleaming with eager anticipation.
After a period of rest, her injuries have mostly healed, and she has regained her basic combat abilities.
Adeline nodded in agreement. "Providing support for Lin Yi is something we should all participate in, both professionally and personally. However, Captain, your injuries..."
Thousand Illusions's face hardened with determination. "My injuries are mostly healed. Now that my junior brother has returned, how can I stand idly by?"
Adeline and Saxi exchanged a smile. Adeline said, "Alright! Let's sign up together and join the support team. Perfect, we might even get a close look at your little junior brother, whom you always talk about, and see his prowess on the battlefield."
Registration and group assignments proceeded quickly and efficiently.
Under the coordination of top deities such as Yan Long, Qing Ling, Taikasha, and Mo Yao, the deities who signed up to join the support legion were quickly reorganized.
According to the established strategy, the support force was divided into two parts, one visible and one hidden.
A team of about seventy deities was selected as the "rescue advance team" in name only. They included Yan Long and Qing Ling, two high-level peak deities, and their team members, including the Thousand Illusions Squad.
The true core force, including top-tier combatants like Taikasha and Mo Yao, comprised over 1,500 powerful high-level deities, who had quietly hidden themselves within the Divine Kingdom of several of the strongest captains before their departure.
Meanwhile, a small team of over twenty deities skilled in illusion and concealment was also selected to remain behind.
They will carefully set up a diversion, creating the illusion that a large number of deities are still stationed in the camp, in order to mislead any potential enemy reconnaissance.
Preparation, coordination, tactical simulations—everything was carried out efficiently and silently.
The Azure Spirit, on its return journey, smoothly passed through more than ten standard years.
During a journey through a relatively calm Star Dust belt, they encountered a Pan-Spirit Alliance squad consisting of four deities.
The opposing team was of mixed races. The leader was a female Star Spirit Race with a cool and aloof demeanor and a crescent-shaped star mark between her brows. Her team members included a Holy Radiance Race, a Spirit Race, and a Flame Race.
"Are you all heading to the evacuation point?" Lin Yi asked in a friendly and proactive manner.
The Star Spirit Race captain replied politely, "Indeed. You are one too? We received some news a while ago that an evacuation point over there had been captured by our forces, and we were just about to head there."
Lin Yi nodded in confirmation. "The information is correct. The evacuation point does exist, and it is currently being guarded by Yan Long and Qing Ling of our Pan-Spirit Alliance."
He then briefly introduced the general situation of the evacuation point and the current escalating conflict in the surrounding area, and reminded the other side to be aware of possible reconnaissance and interception activities.
Hearing Lin Yi's detailed information and his familiarity with the evacuation point, the Star Spirit Race leader was very grateful and quickly said, "Thank you for providing such important information. May I ask your name?"
Lin Yi.
Upon hearing the name, the Star Spirit Race female deity visibly paused for a moment.
She had heard of the name Lin Yi!
He was repeatedly mentioned and hailed as the "First Heavenly Prodigy of the Younger Generation" even within the clan's and the Pan-Spirit Alliance's intelligence channels.
She also knew that this prodigy had mastered the laws of time at the Star Core level, Wild Tide in the Myriad Secret Realm, and was bestowed the title of Fearless War God by the Qing Yan on the battlefield of the Two Realms Abyss. Soon after, he possessed combat power comparable to a powerful god.
However, in her understanding and intelligence, although Lin Yi possessed unparalleled talent and formidable combat power after acquiring the Fearless War God, he was ultimately a rising star whose rise to power was extremely recent, relying on external aids to attain his powerful god-level combat strength. How could he possibly appear in this 45th level of the secret realm?
Moreover, he has become the captain of this five-person team!
Judging from the attitudes of the other four team members, they clearly had great faith in their captain.
This is simply unbelievable!
Although countless thoughts raced through her mind in an instant, the Star Spirit Race captain remained outwardly composed, her tone becoming even more polite, "So it's Lord Lin Yi!"
The three teammates behind her also looked surprised when they heard the name "Lin Yi," clearly having heard of him as well.
Then, the Star Spirit Race captain smiled and said, "Captain Lin Yi, our team's strength is limited, and as you just mentioned, there might be some danger ahead. I wonder if we could have the honor of traveling with your team for a while? That way, we can look out for each other."
Lin Yi pondered for a moment.
The four opponents were fairly strong and belonged to the Pan-Spirit Alliance. Since the remaining journey wasn't far, taking them along wouldn't be a problem.
"Alright," Lin Yi nodded in agreement, "We also need to return to the evacuation point anyway."
"Thank Lin Yi." The Star Spirit Race beamed with joy.
She didn't really think it was necessary to join forces; rather, she felt that with Lin Yi's talent, he was bound to be extraordinary in the future, and since they had met, it would be good to make connections.
So the two teams merged to form a temporary team of ten and continued sailing toward the evacuation point.
With the addition of new teammates, the journey became more interactive, and Lin Yi learned about some situations in more distant star systems from them.
Time flew by amidst the voyage, occasional rest stops, and exchanges.
When Lin Yi estimated, based on the voyage and speed, that there were still about ten standard years left before the agreed rendezvous time with Yan Long, he believed the time had come.
On this day, he took out the dark silver mechanical communication device and sent a message to Yan Long specifying the exact coordinates of their agreed meeting:
"Yan Long, I anticipate arriving at the coordinates in ten standard years."
Upon receiving Lin Yi's message, the entire evacuation camp sprang into action. Soon, the seventy selected deities boarded more than ten warships and sailed away from the evacuation camp in an orderly fashion, heading at full speed toward the rendezvous coordinates agreed upon with Lin Yi.
Meanwhile, inside the "Azure Spirit" spaceship, Lin Yi's spacetime perception was like the most sophisticated radar, scanning every inch of the void ahead of the flight path.
Just as the spaceship entered the first half of the area where it was expected to rendezvous with the support team, he keenly detected a subtle "wriggling" sensation that was extremely faint and almost perfectly in sync with the background void fluctuations.
This feeling was fleeting, and it would have been extremely difficult to detect if he hadn't known about the existence of the "Void Detection Worm" beforehand and hadn't specifically intensified his detection efforts.
"We've been discovered."
Lin Yi's heart skipped a beat, and he immediately took out his communication device to send an alert to Yan Long: "Yan Long, a faint spatial disturbance suspected to be Void Worm has been detected. My whereabouts may have been exposed."
After sending the message, Lin Yi remained calm and instructed Liu Na to maintain the current course and speed, and not to do anything unusual that might disturb the other party, while he himself entered a state of highest alert.
Meanwhile, inside the flagship of the support team, Yan Long received Lin Yi's warning, and Yan Long's expression became even more solemn.
"Lin Yi has reported an alert, confirming an encounter with a suspected detection worm; its coordinates have been marked. The enemy likely already has a general idea of its movements."
A glint flashed in Taikasha's seven-colored eyes. "Since we've been discovered, let's proceed according to plan. The overt support team will maintain its course and speed and continue towards the rendezvous point, while the main force will remain hidden, ready for battle at any moment."
--
Time flew by amidst the voyage, occasional rest stops, and exchanges.
When Lin Yi estimated, based on the distance and speed, that there were still about twenty standard days left until the agreed rendezvous time with Yan Long, he and the Star Spirit Race team who were temporarily traveling with him carefully maneuvered their spaceship into the edge of the designated rendezvous zone.
The spacecraft's wide-area detection system was scanning the space ahead at maximum power.
Suddenly, a system notification appeared.
"A large-scale gathering of high-energy divine power has been detected ahead!"
The Intelligent Life system on the Azure Spirit reported, "Numbering approximately seventy divine power units; based on signal analysis, they belong to the Pan-Spirit Alliance faction."
"Seventy divine reactions?"
Upon hearing this, the Star Spirit Race deity who was a guest on the Azure Spirit turned to look at Lin Yi and asked in surprise, "How could such a large Pan-Spirit Alliance force be assembled at this distance? Could it have been dispatched from the evacuation point?"
Lin Yi nodded, confirming, "Yes, they've come to meet us."
"Provide backup?"
"That's right." Lin Yi explained, "Because of the interception by the Abyss Race and the Devouring Race, some highly concealed miniature detection devices were pre-deployed on the outer perimeter of the evacuation point, which should be the work of the Machine Race. At the same time, there are also gods carrying ultra-long-range communication devices and proficient in the Space Law patrolling and scouting at key nodes on the outer perimeter."
"Once they detect a signal belonging to the Pan-Spirit Alliance, they will attempt to make contact, depending on the situation. However, you are traveling with my ship, and I have already contacted the evacuation point, so they know we are here."
The Star Spirit Race captain nodded knowingly, understanding the underlying mechanism.
But then a hint of doubt flashed in her eyes as she asked, "Normally, when an evacuation point sends out a support team, would they mobilize so many deities at once?"
Seventy deities—that's equivalent to many complete squads combined into one force.
Lin Yi calmly replied, "No, this is a special case."
The Star Spirit Race gave Lin Yi a deep look. She didn't press further, but simply nodded and said, "I see."
She already knew in her heart that the "special circumstances" that could make the evacuation point so well-organized must be related to the Human Race captain in front of her, who was known as the "First Heavenly Prodigy of the younger generation".
Neither side exchanged further words, adjusted their course, and headed towards the large support team.
As the distance rapidly closed, the scene in the star field ahead gradually became clearer.
More than ten warships of various shapes and sizes were arranged in a neat defensive formation and were slowly approaching them.
The lead warship had a heavy, imposing design, while the other was light and agile, clearly led by Yan Long and Qing Ling themselves.
Soon, the two sides met in the void.
The "Azure Spirit" and the Star Spirit Race squadron's ships slowly decelerated, cutting into the enemy's deployed formation.
Lin Yi led Liu Na and the others out of the cabin, with the Star Spirit Race captain and her team following closely behind.
"Lin Yi!"
Yan Long's massive rocky body was the first to greet them, "It's great to see you've arrived safely!"
Qing Ling nodded slightly in greeting.
Lin Yi returned the greeting, saying, "Thank you for coming to greet me personally, Your Yan Long, Your Excellency Qing Ling, and everyone else."
His gaze quickly swept over the apparent support team, seeing many familiar and unfamiliar faces, as well as the stunningly beautiful face of Senior Sister Thousand Illusions at the back of the crowd.
Senior Sister Lin Yi felt a slight stirring in her heart, but this was not the time for reminiscing.
"Lin Yi."
Yan Long glanced at the deities following Lin Yi, his gaze lingering briefly on the Star Spirit Race leader before he gave a slight nod in greeting. He then said in a deep voice, "We'll make it seem like we're rushing back to the evacuation point. They definitely already have an interception team on their way, but they're a bit slower than us because they need to make arrangements, etc. However, I estimate they'll meet us in one or two standard years at most!"
"Okay, I'm just afraid they won't come!"
Lin Yi responded briefly, a cold glint flashing in his eyes.