Artillery Barrage

Deputy Director Gao, who had been speeding ahead, suddenly stopped atop a massive boulder. The flying sword hovering at his side gave a clear ring, then burst into searing flames and turned into a streak of crimson light, shooting toward a boar-like mutant beast covered in rock-like scales as it lunged from the dense forest ahead!

"Screech!"

The flaming flying sword pierced precisely into the mutant boar's eye socket. Blazing sword qi erupted instantly. The boar let out a miserable shriek and crashed to the ground, its head charred black and giving off a pungent burnt smell.

Deputy Director Gao merely twitched a finger, and the flying sword nimbly circled back in a trail of sparks, hovering beside him with crimson light still flickering from its tip.

Almost at the same time, three wolf-shaped creatures shot out from the bushes on the left, moving so fast they left afterimages behind. Their fur had an unnatural metallic sheen, and their claws tore through the air with a piercing whistle.

"Thunder, come!"

Wang Jianchao gave a low shout and threw out a talisman. Blinding lightning gathered in his palm, then transformed into three slender thunder spears that struck precisely at the three Mutant Demon Wolves!

"Crackle!"

Lightning exploded. The three demon wolves convulsed all over before collapsing to the ground in black smoke, the air filled with the stench of scorched fur and electrically seared flesh.

Liu Xin guarded Wang Jianchao's flank, holding a gun in both hands as she vigilantly watched the surrounding vegetation.

Yang Wenqing landed behind the three of them, holding a gun in one hand and the Azure Edge dagger in the other. He realized he hardly had a chance to intervene.

"Threat eliminated. There is an energy signature from a spirit herb beneath the giant tree to the right. Judging by the aura, it is a Soul-returning Herb."

Yang Wenqing's Golden Core immediately detected the energy signature Deputy Director Gao had mentioned. He accurately located the target and put it into his storage pouch. By then, Deputy Director Gao and the other two had already continued advancing. Gunfire also echoed from other parts of the forest, so he hastily cast a Lightness Charm on himself and sped up to catch them.

Two minutes later...

They encountered another skirmish and successfully collected a Soul-returning Herb. Then, dense rustling sounds that made their scalps tingle suddenly rose from the ground ahead.

Yang Wenqing then saw a dark tide surging out from beneath the humus layer. They were Golden-armored Spirit-devouring Ants, each the size of a fist, with dark golden shells and vicious mouthparts!

These mutant ants had hard shells capable of resisting ordinary blades. More troublesome still, they were extremely numerous. Once they closed in and latched onto someone, it was very difficult to break free.

"Golden-armored Spirit-devouring Ants. Be careful—their acid can corrode spiritual energy shields!" Deputy Director Gao warned. The fire around his hovering flying sword flared brighter, clearly preparing for a wide-area sweep. However, against such densely packed tiny targets, the flying sword's efficiency would be greatly reduced.

"Let me handle it!" Wang Jianchao shouted. He suddenly crushed an energy crystal in his right hand. Pure spiritual energy erupted at once, guided by both his hands into a massive hand seal ten times more intricate and profound than the one he had used for his lightning technique earlier. Dazzling lightning gathered madly before him, producing terrifying crackling booms.

"Thunder Net Heavenly Snare!"

With his sharp cry, a massive net of lightning composed of countless leaping arcs materialized out of thin air. Covering an area thirty meters across, it descended upon the golden ant tide!

"Sizzle—crackle—!"

The instant the lightning net touched the ant swarm, a continuous barrage of piercing sounds erupted.

The Golden-armored Spirit-devouring Ants' hard shells were like paper before the violent force of lightning, instantly reduced to charred husks. A strange fragrance spread through the air.

It was the scent released by the spiritually enriched flesh of the Golden-armored Spirit-devouring Ants, a rare and highly nourishing delicacy on the market.

The lightning persisted for several breaths before gradually fading. The golden ant tide that had seemed so terrifying moments earlier had now become patches of blackened remains across the ground, with only that distinctive meaty fragrance proving they had ever existed.

"Clear the battlefield. Gather the intact flesh. Move quickly!" Deputy Director Gao calmly ordered, his flying sword circling low in the air on guard.

Yang Wenqing immediately stepped forward and swiftly collected the intact remains into his storage pouch.

"Boom!!!"

The sound from before echoed again, only this time it was far more violent. It was followed by a visible, terrifying blast wave mixed with a thick stench of blood and violent spiritual energy, sweeping toward them like a tsunami!

Wherever the blast wave passed, the trees swayed violently, branches and leaves whipped wildly, and even smaller rocks on the ground were thrown into the air. Yang Wenqing felt his chest tighten and immediately used the Golden Light Bodyguard Spell to form a golden shield around himself.

Deputy Director Gao's expression instantly turned incomparably grave. With a sweep of his sleeve, he fixed his eagle-sharp gaze on the heart of the forest and said in a deep voice, "Such a powerful aura. There is at least a demon creature close to the Foundation Establishment stage, or perhaps the Spirit-gathering Altar itself has birthed some sort of monster!"

Wang Jianchao and Liu Xin also became extremely serious upon hearing this. A demon creature close to the Foundation Establishment stage was far beyond those mutant beasts from earlier and posed a lethal threat to them.

Yet none of them, including Yang Wenqing, felt nervous, because the government troops had artillery deployed. Even a true Foundation Establishment cultivator would meet a bitter end under its fire.

As they thought this, three red signal flares immediately rose from the camp behind them. They were the signal for an artillery barrage!

"Stay concealed. The artillery barrage will begin in five minutes."

As Deputy Director Gao gave the warning, he took out and activated a talisman. The talisman in his hand ignited without wind, transforming into a thick stream of earthy yellow light that sank into the ground beneath his feet.

"Hum—"

The ground trembled slightly. An incomparably thick rammed-earth wall instantly rose from the ground, firmly sheltering the four behind it. Runes flowed across the wall's surface, radiating an aura as steady as a mountain.

Five minutes passed in the blink of an eye.

"Whoosh—whoosh—whoosh—!"

Shrill, piercing whistles tore through the air from afar, like the shriek of death passing overhead. More than a dozen blazing spiritual lights trailing long tails of flame shot skyward from the camp behind them, streaked across the bizarre sky tinted by the barrier, and slammed viciously into the heart of the forest like falling meteors!

The next moment—

"Boom! Boom! Boom!"

The earth shook and the mountains trembled!

The explosions from the first volley merged into a terrifying roar that tore at their eardrums. Even from such a distance, with the earth wall and forest reducing the impact, Yang Wenqing still felt as if a giant hammer had smashed brutally into his chest. His ears rang, and the ground beneath his feet surged violently like waves.

Then a dazzling white light erupted from the heart of the forest, instantly swallowing everything. It was followed by towering smoke, dust, and shredded tree debris, forming a mushroom-shaped pillar that continued to expand.

Next came another scorching blast wave mixed with the smell of soil, splintered wood, and burning flesh. It swept over them like a tsunami for the second time and slammed heavily against the earth wall with a dull impact.

And this was only the beginning!

Blazing trails of flame cut across the sky again, and then...

"Boom! Boom! Boom! Boom—!"

Deafening explosions echoed once more, relentlessly pounding the earth and everyone's hearts. The distant heart of the forest had already turned into a fiery hell of death. Blinding flashes illuminated the dim forest again and again, while billowing smoke blotted out the sky.

Before this heaven-sent power of destruction, individual bravery seemed so insignificant.

Yang Wenqing pressed close to the trembling earth wall, feeling the seemingly endless roar and vibration. His heart was filled with awe for absolute power.