The Battle's End

As the melee continued, spatial rifts gradually multiplied. Dark blue cracks silently opened and closed in the void, like Death's scythes hanging above everyone's heads.

The Void Beast's eyes gleamed when it saw them.

Golden Horn and Giant Axe had also gained several wounds, blood dripping along scales and robes. But both had already gone red-eyed with slaughter. Several Stellar level experts had fallen to their combined assault, and neither had the mind to count how many fruits they had seized.

While fighting, Golden Horn kept part of his attention on the situation. He had released his clone before the battle erupted, disguising it by smearing mud and blood over its silver-white scales and deliberately folding its wings. It looked like an ordinary special lifeform, preventing others from mistaking it for the Void Beast.

At that moment, the clone was hiding at the outermost edge with his Origin Core.

As long as the Origin Core remained intact, he would not die. Even if his true body perished, he could be reborn from the Origin Core. It would only cost some energy. This was the Golden Horned Beast's greatest life-preserving trump card.

The Void Beast clone did not rashly join the battle. Instead, it prowled around the outskirts, specifically targeting heavily injured explorers who were fleeing.

Those people had suffered severe injuries and were at their weakest. Relying on its teleportation talent, the Void Beast clone struck once and fled, never lingering to fight. In only a short while, it had seized several spatial rings.

Profit.

After the fighting continued for some time, people began to notice that something was wrong. The surrounding spatial rifts were growing more numerous.

Those who had already gained something wanted to leave. Those who had gained nothing were unwilling to accept it and desperately held them back.

"If we keep fighting, we'll all die!" someone roared.

"Hand over the fruits, and I'll leave!" the other side refused to yield.

At that moment, the Void Beast saw that the time was about right. Nearly everyone was wounded, and many were preparing to flee. If it did not act now, they would all get away.

It suddenly threw back its head and let out a long howl. Silver-white light exploded from its body, and countless clones appeared once more, surrounding everyone.

Everyone was baffled. The fruits had all been picked, so why was it still blocking them? With so many spatial rifts around, no one would benefit from continuing to fight.

The Void Beast floated in midair, its silver vertical pupils sweeping over every person present. Its voice was cold as frost. "You stole my fruits, destroyed my home, and killed so many of my kin. And now you want to leave?"

A crazed smile curled across its lips. "Since you came, then stay here forever!"

Before its words had even faded, it suddenly spread its wings wide, and spatial power surged wildly around it.

"Let's die together!"

Boom—!

Space trembled violently as an unprecedentedly terrifying fluctuation erupted from the Void Beast. It was not merely its own power. A dark blue curtain of light rose from the horizon, sweeping over them like a tsunami!

"Space Storm!" someone shouted despairingly. "The storm has erupted early!"

The Void Beast's crazed detonation overlapped with the storm, and space throughout the core region began to collapse on a massive scale. Rifts emerged from every direction, merging and expanding into black chasms that devoured everything.

The ground split apart, and giant trees toppled.

Screams rose one after another. A Universe level expert tried to teleport away, only to be swallowed by a suddenly appearing black chasm before he could even scream. Three Stellar level warriors charged together toward the edge of the storm, but a rift swept over them and silently cut them in half, blood mist filling the air.

More than ten Universe level experts attacked the Void Beast like mad, trying to stop it from continuing to mobilize spatial power. Yet the Void Beast neither dodged nor defended, allowing the attacks to strike its body. There was only a crazed smile on its face.

Amid the chaos, a familiar aura locked onto Golden Horn. It was the Sirius clan Universe level expert who had pursued him! The other man's left arm was injured, clearly having suffered during the earlier melee. Yet upon seeing Golden Horn again, he still refused to give up. He immediately controlled his psychic weapon, secretly sending it toward him.

Golden Horn sneered. I hadn't even gotten around to settling things with you, and you actually came to me on your own!

Golden Horn pushed his movement technique to its limit. He did not clash head-on, only dodging, and appeared to be in a miserable state.

But the Void Beast clone quietly approached the Sirius clan expert. Just as the man focused completely on controlling his psychic curved blade in an attempt to give Golden Horn a fatal strike, the clone teleported behind him. Its longsword pierced through the wound on his left arm, severely injuring him in one blow!

"Argh!" The Sirius clan expert screamed and spun around sharply, sending his psychic curved blade slashing back, but it hit nothing. The clone had already teleported dozens of meters away.

"Who?!" He was both shocked and furious. His psychic power spread wildly outward, yet he could not catch even a trace of the clone.

The Void Beast clone gave him no chance to catch his breath. Relying on its teleportation talent, it repeatedly launched sneak attacks from every direction, each one precisely targeting his wounded areas.

Although the Sirius clan expert's cultivation was profound, he followed the psychic master path, and his physical body had never been his strength. Combined with his serious injuries, within only a few breaths, several more bloody holes appeared on his body.

"If you have the guts, fight me head-on!" he roared repeatedly, yet he could not even touch his opponent's shadow.

Golden Horn's true body also stopped dodging and swiftly closed in on the Sirius clan expert!

"Courting death!" The Sirius clan expert had nowhere to vent the rage caused by the Void Beast clone. Seeing Golden Horn approach, he attacked him with all his strength.

Golden Horn grinned. Do you think I'm still as strong as when I first entered the Stellar level? Then you're terribly mistaken!

Golden Horn fully unleashed the strength of the Stellar level, fifth order. His genetic level had originally been ten times higher, so even when he had first entered the Stellar level, his strength had already been comparable to the Stellar level, seventh order.

Now that he had reached the Stellar level, fifth order, and with the enhancement of his body-tempering secret technique, his combat power was already not far from that of an ordinary Universe level expert.

Against the heavily injured Sirius clan expert, he no longer needed to dodge.

Golden Horn swatted the curved blade away with one claw. The tremendous impact split the Sirius clan expert's hand open, blood pouring out. Before he could react, Golden Horn's second claw had already struck his chest.

"Pfft!"

The Sirius clan expert spat blood and flew backward, crashing heavily into a broken tree trunk.

The Void Beast clone instantly appeared behind him, and its longsword pierced into the wound on his back once more.

Golden Horn's true body followed immediately after. His golden horn aimed at the man's chest and violently pierced through it.

Crack!

His ribs shattered, and his heart ruptured.

The Sirius clan expert's eyes widened as he stared fixedly at Golden Horn. His lips trembled as though he wanted to say something, but he could only let out an unwilling growl. Then his aura vanished.

Golden Horn pulled out his horn and shook off the blood on it, feeling incomparably satisfied. This great enemy was finally dead.

At the same time, Giant Axe's furious roar sounded from nearby. He had been trapped by an expanding spatial rift, his left leg sliced open by it and bleeding profusely. The Void Beast clone flashed over, using spatial power to stabilize the rift, while Golden Horn's true body grabbed Giant Axe's hand and yanked him out.

When Giant Axe saw an unfamiliar expert rushing toward him, he was initially wary.

Golden Horn followed close behind and offered no further explanation, only saying, "One of us. You can trust him."

Giant Axe paused slightly, then nodded without asking more. After all, the other party had just saved him.