Lin Yi's suspicions

The moment the Bloodrage-class Assault Ship burst out of the Blackrock-class Mothership, the view outside the porthole suddenly changed.

Dark, black mist swirled outside the shield like viscous ink, while the warship's blue energy shield created a spherical space to keep the mist out.

Through the porthole, Lin Yi could see a Bloodrage-class Assault Ship nearby, and further away, he could vaguely see streaks of blue light flashing through the black mist. He knew that these were other assault ships that had launched the attack together.

And the enemy...

Naturally, it's the Black Silence Beast Tide.

Because the black mist greatly obscured the Soul Power, Lin Yi could only see shadowy black figures moving through the mist. Deeper inside, he could hear bursts of energy fluctuations, indicating that the two fleets that had been stationed here were now engaged in battle with him.

Suddenly, a dark gray beam of light shot from the depths of the battlefield, striking the nearby Bloodrage-class Assault Ship.

Its shield shattered instantly, like fragile glass.

The ship's hull was directly penetrated.

Wear them side-by-side.

A huge hole appeared in the middle of the ship's hull, and dozens of figures flew out of the hole.

They were the blood-armored warriors from that warship.

After taking off, they did not flee, but quickly regrouped and established a defensive line using the wreckage of the damaged warship.

Although the warships were severely damaged, some of their weapon systems were still operational, and the hybrid guns continued to fire, providing them with fire support.

"It's an attack from a mid-stage second-tier Black Silence Beast." Li's voice rang out, eerily calm.

Lin Yi looked at the warship that had been pierced through, and his heart skipped a beat.

This is the battlefield.

If that attack had landed on their ship...

"Prepare to disembark." A sharp voice interrupted his thoughts. "Deploy into standard battle formation. Our mission is to protect the warship and ensure Zero Three can maintain continuous firepower."

77

"Clear!"

The crowd responded in unison.

This is the standard combat procedure. In a Bloodrage-class Assault Ship, the most important thing is actually the warship itself; these people are only responsible for protecting the warship from being besieged and destroyed.

Because the sustained combat capability of a Bloodrage-class Assault Ship is not much different from that of a newly commissioned Eternal Source Realm- class.

Soon, the hatch opened.

The group flashed and in the next instant, they appeared outside the warship.

A chaotic current of air rushed towards me.

Lin Yi hovered on the side of the warship, holding a dark Long Spear in his hand.

Other soldiers were around him.

Li appeared last, hovering directly on top of the warship.

At the same time, hundreds of cannons rose from beneath the armor plates on the surface of the Bloodrage-class Assault Ship, with dark red energy condensing inside the cannons.

This is a hybrid cannon array, standard equipment for the Bloodthirsty level, and each shot is equivalent to a full-force attack from a mid-stage True Source Realm.

Meanwhile, a larger turret at the bow was slowly unfolding, with destructive energy fluctuations brewing inside.

That's the Annihilation Cannon, its power is equivalent to a full-force strike from the True Source Realm expert at the peak.

However, the charging time is slightly longer.

"Attention, Black Silence Beast approaching." At this moment, Zero Three, who had taken over the Bloodrage-class Assault Ship, sent a warning to everyone via his badge.

These were originally supposed to be on the outermost perimeter participating in the siege of the Sixth Fleet, but now they've all been drawn over by this reinforcement.

Lin Yi's expression hardened as he also saw thousands of dark figures rapidly approaching from within the black mist.

Soon, the dark figures revealed themselves.

Lin Yi felt a sense of relief.

Fortunately, it was just a first-tier Darkflame Beast. This thing resembled a hunting dog, with its body covered in rough black carapace.

They were very fast, moving through the chaotic air currents with ease.

At the same time, Mantaji's voice rang out, "Lin Yi, you on the left wing, I on the right."

"Receive."

Lin Yi gripped the Long Spear tightly.

With a slight thought, a figure stepped out from his Divine Kingdom.

It was the Time Seal Clone.

The clone also held a dark red Long Spear, and its armor was also the Fierce Blood Battle Armor, but its body was covered with a faint silver-gray halo, which was the mark of the Time Primal Cosmos Seal.

This scene drew slight glances from the surrounding soldiers.

But no one asked any further questions.

The battlefield is not the place to ask questions.

Because the Darkflame Beast had already pounced close.

Zero Three opened fire.

The warship's surface-mounted hybrid turrets fired in unison, hundreds of dark red beams tearing through the fog and accurately hitting the horde of beasts.

A large area was emptied in an instant.

But the remaining Darkflame Beast immediately scattered and pounced on the warship from different directions.

"Contact the enemy!"

Mantaji was the first to break out.

In his hand was a heavy axe, its blade burning with gray flames.

With a single swing of his axe, he cleaved several Darkflame Beast that were charging towards him in half at the waist.

Because attacks from the True Source Realm cultivators are significantly weakened when launched into the chaotic airflow, most people choose to imbue their weapons with Chaos Rules and use melee attacks in order to increase their sustained combat capability.

Furthermore, their battles are always swift and decisive, avoiding any fancy or frivolous tactics.

The weapons on the assault ship are powered by Source Essence Crystal, which not only have extremely high energy reserves, but can also use traction beams to absorb the crystal cores of Black Silence Beast that have died on the battlefield. Their energy replenishment speed is also faster than that of cultivators, so they can use long-range artillery.

Therefore, it is the true heavy firepower, and close-combat sergeants should focus on protecting it.

At the same time, Lin Yi also made a move.

The main body and its clone attacked simultaneously.

With the Gold Chaos Universe Seal enhancing his Sharpness and the Time Primal Cosmos Seal increasing his speed, with his current strength comparable to the mid-stage of the True Source Realm, he could basically take down these Darkflame Beast with a single shot.

The first Black Silence Beast attempted to block, raising its front paws.

But it moved too slowly.

Lin Yi's Long Spear pierced through the forepaw and head, then with a shudder, the Darkflame Beast's head exploded instantly.

The second and third heads wanted to attack from both sides.

Their movements were no match for Lin Yi's speed.

As the Long Spear swept across...

The spearhead sliced across the necks of the two Darkflame Beast, their black heads flying off, their headless corpses tumbling in the mist.

The clones achieved even greater success, killing four of them.

With the combined efforts of the crowd and Zero Three's continuous firing, the surging Darkflame Beast were quickly wiped out.

"Cleanup complete." Mantaji glanced at Lin Yi and his clone, then returned to his position. "No one injured, very good."

Before the group could even catch their breath, another group of Black Silence Beast surged in.

This time it wasn't just a thousand, but a dense, dark mass, easily numbering at least tens of thousands.

"Prepare for engagement." Li's voice remained calm. "Protect the warships according to the original formation. The Blackrock-class Mothership will prioritize intercepting targets of Tier 2 and above; the rest are ours."

Before he could finish speaking, the mothership's artillery fire from behind had already come crashing down on him.

Countless beams of azure light tore through the sky, blasting large swaths of blank space amidst the horde of beasts.

But there are too many Black Silence Beast.

There are always some that slip through the net and break through the firepower, rushing towards the various Bloodrage-class Assault Ship.

The battle has entered a sustained phase.

Lin Yi and his team members continued to engage the enemy.

Early-stage Tier 1 Black Silence Beast pose little threat to them, but a large number of them can be troublesome.

Especially since there are some mid-term and late-term stages in between, they need to be taken very seriously.

While fighting the enemy, Lin Yi also had his clone act as a firefighter, going to provide support wherever the pressure was greatest, and also taking special care of Zhaoyue and Frost Rainbow.

After all, the two were from the same hometown and were the weakest among them.

Unexpectedly, Zhaoyue and Frost Rainbow behaved very steadily.

Although the two were only at the first level of the True Source Realm, they cooperated seamlessly.

Zhaoyue's martial arts techniques are fast and highly mobile, making her suitable for harassment and containment.

Frost Rainbow has strong control over her techniques, which can slow down the Black Silence Beast's movements.

They covered for each other, and their immediate safety wasn't a problem.

Time ticked by, second by second.

Lin Yi had lost count of how many Black Silence Beast he had killed; at this moment, his Chaos Power had been depleted to half its original level.

Fortunately, the situation is relatively stable.

Their warship's defensive lines remained unbroken.

Zero Three's hybrid turret is extremely efficient, always able to accurately eliminate the most threatening targets.

Even if they break through the defenses, they will be quickly dealt with.

As time went by, Lin Yi gradually discovered a phenomenon.

That is, although there are many first-tier Black Silence Beast in the area they are responsible for, and the pressure is great, no Second-Order Black Silence Beast have appeared.

He even noticed that any Second-Order Black Silence Beast that tried to approach them were quickly wiped out by the Black Annihilation Cannon on the Black Rock Mothership.

Moreover, when the team encounters multiple late-stage Tier 1 Black Silence Beast, Li, who has been roaming and providing support, will quickly step in to help.

Li doesn't make many moves, but he always manages to take down the most troublesome enemies.

Overall, Lin Yi had a feeling that their area seemed to be in a state of being busy but not dangerous, tiring but not perilous.

However, the defense zone of another assault ship not far away seemed to be under more pressure than theirs, and they even encountered Second-Order Black Silence Beast getting close.

Lin Yi had some doubts, but he had no evidence.

After all, the war has only been going on for a short time, and it could just be a coincidence.

Just as he was secretly speculating, a Second-Order Black Silence Beast suddenly broke through the Black Rock Mothership's firepower and charged towards their warship.

The Black Silence Beast resembled a giant python, its body covered in thick, black crystalline armor as heavy as a mountain range.

It withstood a Black Annihilation Cannon, and although its crystal armor shattered and black fluid continued to splatter, it still charged forward madly.

Everyone's hearts sank.

Before they could do anything, they saw the giant python open its mouth, and a black energy ball condensed inside.

Just then, a silver figure swept in from the side of the battlefield.

The figure moved with astonishing speed, like a silver lightning bolt.

A flash of light appeared.

The giant python's head flew up.

The energy sphere inside the □ lost control and exploded in the void, spreading out black energy shockwaves, but they were blocked by a layer of silver barrier.

The silver figure hovered in mid-air.

It was none other than the commander of the Seventy-First Garrison Fleet, Lainiadun.

Black fluid was still flowing from the surface of the silver longsword in his hand.

Then, Lainiadun's figure flashed and disappeared.

A moment of silence fell over everyone.

A moment later, a sharp voice rang out, "Continue the fight, and maintain the defensive line!"

Lin Yi withdrew his gaze, his suspicions becoming more certain, and the pressure lessened considerably.

After all, with Lainiadun's intervention, he at least no longer had to worry about being completely crushed by Second-Order Black Silence Beast.

The battle continued.

Lin Yi and his team members, relying on the Bloodrage-class Assault Ship, continuously repelled wave after wave of Black Silence Beast.

Zero Three's hybrid turrets deliver precise kills, while the Annihilation Cannon clears out dense hordes of beasts once fully charged.

Approximately five standard days have passed.

On this day, Mantaji's voice suddenly rang out, "Attention everyone, take turns providing cover, return to the warship for rest and refitting."

Lin Yi pierced the head of Black Silence Beast in front of him with his spear and retreated.

The squad members also began to retreat in an orderly manner, and everyone quickly returned to the shield range of the Bloodrage-class Assault Ship.

The hatch opened, and the team members filed in.

Then, the hatch closed, shutting out the chaotic airflow and roaring noises from the outside world.

Lin Yi leaned against the bulkhead, his Long Spear transforming into a streak of light as it retracted into his armor.

"Rest in place," Mantaji said. "Resume defense in five days."

No one spoke.

Everyone found a place to sit down and begin their recovery.

Lin Yi closed his eyes, recalling the battles of the past few days.

The application of the Time Primal Cosmos Seal in actual combat was more effective than he had anticipated. It could not only assist in attacks, but also create breathing space in defense.

With the Gold Chaos Universe Seal, he could easily handle mid-stage first-tier Black Silence Beast, and even late-stage ones could hold his own.

But second order...

Lin Yi recalled the giant python that Lainiadun had killed with a single blow.

That kind of pressure, that kind of speed, that kind of defensive power.

He's still a long way off.

Just then, Zhaoyue's voice rang out.

"Vice Captain," she said, looking at Lin Yi, "Your Time Primal Cosmos Seal... was incredible."

Frost Rainbow nodded, "With your Golden Seal, killing mid-tier first-order cultivators is like cutting vegetables."

Ruida leaned against the bulkhead and echoed, "Indeed. Several times when I was under a lot of pressure, it was the vice-captain's clone who came to help me out. Otherwise, I would have taken a lot more hits."

Sagahe smiled and said, "I think the vice-captain's ability is already comparable to the captain's."

Upon hearing this, Mantaji glared at Sagahe: "I know he's already surpassed me without you having to emphasize it. But Lin Yi's performance this time was truly outstanding. The combination of the two seals significantly boosted their combat power."

Lin Yi waved his hand upon hearing this. "You all cooperated well. Without your restraint, I wouldn't have had the chance to defeat them one by one."

He paused, then looked at the porthole on the bulkhead.

Outside the window was a battlefield with swirling chaotic air currents; further away, the wreckage of the Bloodrage-class Assault Ship, riddled with holes, was still burning.

"That ship just now..." Lin Yi's voice was low, "If we had been less lucky and had been grazed by that gray-black beam of light, the outcome might have been the same."

The atmosphere inside the cabin grew heavier.

Sagahe suddenly said, "Speaking of which, that last Second-Order Black Silence Beast... if Lainiadun hadn't intervened in time, we probably would have been seriously injured as well."

Everyone fell silent.

The image of the giant python charging at them, enduring the Black Annihilation Cannon, was still replaying in their minds.

That sense of oppression could be felt from a great distance.

"Luckily, the Commander noticed us." Zhaoyue said, still shaken.

Frost Rainbow looked at Lin Yi, "I think we should thank the vice-captain more."

"Think about it, why did the Commander-in-Chief intervene precisely when we were in danger? There are so many warships on the battlefield; he can't possibly keep an eye on every single one."

She paused, then said, "I guess it's because the vice-captain is here."

These words made everyone seem thoughtful.

Mantaji glanced at Lin Yi but didn't say anything.

Lin Yi shook his head and said, "We're all comrades-in-arms, no one should thank anyone else. On the battlefield, it's only right to look after each other."

He looked at everyone and said, "Our zero casualties this time is the result of everyone's hard work; no one could have done it without us."

The cabin was silent for a few seconds.

Mantaji stood up. "Alright, stop praising each other. Let's get back to normal; we have to go out again in five days."

The group then stopped talking and each went back to their own work.

As Lin Yi recovered, he kept thinking about what Frost Rainbow had just said.

Did Lainiadun really make a move because of himself?

Perhaps.

But in any case, this battle made him realize one thing.

Strength is the greatest source of confidence on the battlefield.

Without the combined efforts of the two seals, he couldn't have dealt with the mid-stage first-tier Black Silence Beast so easily.

Without demonstrating sufficient talent and strength, it's impossible to receive special treatment from the leader.

"However, it's not good to always rely on others for care; I need to become stronger..." Lin Yi murmured to himself.

Five days later.

The squad disembarked again to take over the defense zone from another squad.

The battle continues.

Black Silence Beast continued to emerge from the depths of the fog, and the hybrid turrets of the Bloodrage-class Assault Ship were almost constantly firing.

Lin Yi gradually adapted to this rhythm.

Fight, rest, fight again.

Time slipped away amidst the fighting.

Nearly an Epoch has passed.

On this day, the battle was raging.

A sharp voice suddenly rang in everyone's minds. "Everyone, take turns providing cover and return to the warship in an orderly manner."

Almost simultaneously, the Bloodrage-class Assault Ship unleashed their full firepower.

The hybrid cannon array erupted simultaneously, forming a dense network of dark red beams of fire. The Annihilation Cannon at the bow also unleashed its power, instantly wiping out the surrounding Black Silence Beast.

"Withdraw!"

Mantaji shouted.

The squad members quickly disengaged from the battle and flew towards the warship.

The hatch opened, and everyone rushed into the ship.

Li looked at everyone and a smile appeared on his face.

"I'm pleased that no squads have suffered any casualties during this time. We've gained an Epoch of rest and recuperation. Now, return to the mothership."

As Li finished speaking, the hatch closed.

Through the porthole, Lin Yi saw their warship turning and slowly accelerating toward the Blackrock-class Mothership.