This ripple didn't look like a powerful weapon, but its effect was so unreasonable that not a single insect escaped unscathed; once it was affected, they all stopped moving.
"They're getting more and more skilled at using the Element Extraction Wave from this Mechanical Scourge."
Yan Jun's voice rang out at the opportune moment, acting as a temporary commentator for Li Xingkong.
"I think you've heard of the infamous Mechanical Scourge. They've gone very far in controlling iron, and this Element Extraction Wave is one of their signature weapons."
"It can solidify and extract iron from the affected organisms. Look at these insects, which one of them doesn't have any iron in its body?"
Seeing the power of this ripple, Li Xingkong couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief. Fortunately, this battlefield was still some distance from his own civilization.
If this were to hit Earth Star civilization, the entire civilization would be paralyzed.
Without iron, let alone buildings and weapons, even individual survival becomes a problem. Apart from individuals like Li Xingkong who can achieve absolute control over their own bodies, most life forms require the participation of iron to survive.
Insects are no exception; iron plays a very important role in the formation of their bodies.
Under the influence of this Element Extraction Wave, the iron in the affected insects rapidly accumulates and condenses, directly causing devastating damage to each individual insect.
This kind of attack is not something that can be dealt with by ordinary evolution or adaptation. After all, it targets the element directly. As long as this element is present in the body, one will inevitably be affected by this Element Extraction Wave.
Individual forms can evolve, but finding a substitute for iron is no simple problem.
Moreover, being trapped in such a cosmic cage, the resources at hand are very limited, and there are not many opportunities to try things out.
One attack succeeded, and the Mechanical Scourge accelerated its teleportation speed. A large number of warships poured out of space like canned goods. For a time, the number of mechanical creatures on this battlefield was even comparable to that of insects.
"This move... it feels a bit like the Five-Color Divine Light..."
At first glance, Li Xingkong didn't feel anything about the Mechanical Scourge move, but after thinking about it carefully, the sense of déjà Li Xingkong in his mind became much stronger.
This move has a subtle similarity to the Five-Color Divine Light that Li Xingkong remembers, except that their methods are still in a relatively crude stage.
The Five-Color Divine Light is different from his own Five Elements Divine Light. It is the innate divine power of Kong Xuan in the Myth, which is said to be able to cleanse all things in the world.
Considering the Mechanical Scourge, Li Xingkong felt that he had vaguely grasped the essence of this supernatural power.
What kind of supernatural power could disregard the defenses of various magical artifacts and magic spells, and seize objects and people as if entering an empty place?
Clearly, methods like Mechanical Scourge are one way to achieve this capability.
When they have complete control over the iron element within a limited area, they can use this method to gather all the iron element in the area into their hands, thus achieving an effect similar to Divine Light capturing objects.
"Your ability to project your thoughts is truly impressive. The Five-Color Divine Light is considered a great supernatural power even within the entire system pool."
The system has emerged; it is also observing this great battle.
Although the system operates in a higher dimension, it rarely witnesses such grand scenes.
Just like how people would stop and watch for a while when they see ants fighting, large-scale events, no matter where they happen, have a natural attraction for intelligent beings.
"What, it's actually pretty much what I thought?"
Li Xingkong understood the system's implied meaning; it seemed that this supernatural power truly operated on that principle.
"Although it sounds simple, this supernatural power involves far more than just iron. To control it freely, one would need to be proficient in controlling at least ten common elements."
"Moreover, while each of these supernatural abilities is considered invincible within its own realm, pushing it to a higher dimension would require an immense amount of effort."
"For example, someone like Yan Jun can focus on studying space. Even if he wants to advance to a higher dimension, Zhunti in that one area is enough. But the Five-Color Divine Light is different. It involves too many and too wide elements. To improve it, it requires more time and effort. Moreover, for higher-dimensional beings, defining their existence by elements is inherently too limiting."
"So, from a higher-dimensional perspective, this supernatural power is actually like a chicken rib—tasteless to eat, but a pity to throw away?"
Following the system's train of thought, Li Xingkong realized that after the dimensional ascension, this supernatural power didn't seem as strong anymore.
"No, it's not useless, it's a cheat code for crushing weaklings. Why does this supernatural power still have such a great reputation even though it's not so effective in higher-dimensional worlds? Because as long as you haven't transcended and are still in your current world, you're almost certain to be punished by this supernatural power."
Li Xingkong understood. This thing was similar to the enhancement of Divine Sense when Foundation Establishment Qi Refining against a Qi Refining cultivator. With the assistance of Divine Sense, the Qi Refining cultivator had no power to resist.
Similarly, under this supernatural power, as long as an individual's existence still depends on real material things, they cannot escape its punishment.
Just as Li Xingkong was communicating with the system, the insects launched their counterattack.
While they couldn't effectively defend against the elemental extraction weapons of the Mechanical Scourge, the two sides had clashed more than once, and the insects naturally had their own solutions.
The insects that weren't affected spat out clusters of small fleshy growths, which, like spores, attached themselves to anything they came into contact with.
The remains of destroyed insects, the torn mechanical creatures, and even the still-charging Mechanical Legion.
The moment anything came into contact with this growth, it was instantly devoured by it within seconds.
It's less about devouring and more about assimilation.
Upon contact with it, those creatures that were already dead or still active were enveloped in a flesh-colored liquid, and within a few breaths, they were transformed into a new form of insect.
The transformed insects sprang up like mushrooms after rain, rising once again from the ruins of this endless battlefield at a speed faster than they fell.
Moreover, having assimilated a considerable number of mechanical entities, these entities possess the aura of the Mechanical Scourge. They are immune to the effects of the extraction waves, thus enabling them to retaliate against the Mechanical Scourge's positions.
The insects were truly endless; for every one that fell, a new one would spring up. This endless war of attrition made Li Xingkong feel somewhat desperate.
Fortunately, their opponents are no pushovers either; they are also adept at massing troops.