Chapter 56: Full-Scale War
The blazing sun hung high, the midday heat was scorching, but soon the sky darkened, as if rain was coming again.
Su Xiao remained seated in meditation inside the wooden shed near the insect nest. Amu and Baha were present, but Bubu Wang was nowhere to be seen. At this moment, Bubu had infiltrated enemy territory to gather intelligence.
Since the enemy refused to make a move, Su Xiao was in no hurry. Whoever could hold steady might become the final victor, and the purple supply crate was scheduled to drop today.
The Tiger Wasp Clan would certainly not let things go. In the previous battle, the Tiger Wasp Clan hadn’t truly lost. They had failed to capture the insect nest after a prolonged siege and chose to temporarily retreat. That was a wise decision. In terms of overall numbers, the Tiger Wasp Clan had only suffered some losses, not enough to reduce their combat strength.
The Tiger Wasp Clan’s losses were minimal, and Su Xiao hadn’t been fully serious either. When the insect nest was under siege and the number of Demon Beasts exceeded 80,000, he had removed the [War Lord] title. With the insect nest’s endless spawning, it was enough to hold them off. There was no need to reveal his full strength at that time.
Currently, there were 250,000 Demon Beasts near the insect nest. Once Su Xiao equipped the [War Lord] title, the Demon Beasts’ attributes would change to:
Name: Demon Beast
Strength: 125 (True Attribute)
Agility: 130 (True Attribute)
Stamina: 110 (True Attribute)
Intelligence: 68
Charm: Insect race has no charm attribute.
Skill 1, Demon Power (Passive, LV.60): Attacks deal an additional 130 points of True Damage.
Skill 2, Super Speed Running (Passive, Lv.60): Running speed increased by 180%.
Skill 3, Combat Insect (Passive, Lv.52): Carapace defense +70, flesh defense +40, health +2500 points.
Skill 4, Combat Instinct (Passive, X): A killing creature born for battle; combat abilities are etched into their genes.
Skill 5, Lethal Tail Blade (Passive, Lv.55): Tail blade attack power +27, sharpness +42, penetration +39.
Skill 6, Bloody Battle (Title Class·Passive, Lv.40): Each attack on an enemy has a chance to absorb the enemy’s life force, restoring lost health.
Skill 7, Soul-Burning Power (Title Class·Passive, Lv.50): Weapons can be imbued with soul-burning power, dealing an additional 40 points of True Damage per attack. This ability increases stamina consumption.
Note: The Demon Beast’s tail blade and claws are considered weapons by default.
…
This form of Demon Beast was Su Xiao’s trump card. He regretted that the Demon Flame Dragons couldn’t benefit from this boost. They weren’t soldier-type units. Perhaps upgrading [War Lord] to six or seven stars might allow them to receive the bonus.
The communicator in Su Xiao’s pocket suddenly rang. He took it out, and the front flashed red. The distance from Baha was too great for a call, but transmitting this simple alert was still possible.
The Tiger Wasp Clan and the Diya Tribe had mobilized. The exact numbers were unknown, but at least several million, or even more. It was time to show the enemy the power of the Demon Beasts.
[Prompt: Detected that the Hunter has caused a massive impact on this world. You have activated the War Main Quest.]
Seeing this prompt, Su Xiao was surprised. He had activated a main quest in this world.
[The Hunter is one of the leaders of this war.]
[The Hunter is the controller of the insect race.]
[You have gained 15% World Source (this is forcibly seized World Source).]
[You have triggered the War Class Main Quest: Conquest.]
[War Class·Main Quest: Conquest.]
Difficulty Level: War class main quest difficulty fluctuates greatly.
Quest Information: Defeat the Tiger Wasp Faction and the Diya Tribe, forcing them away from the roots of the Tree of Life.
Quest Time Limit: Before the survival trial ends.
Quest Rewards: Star Seal Imprint (1/5), Soul Crystal (Complete) × 120, World Core (Fragment) × 3.
Quest Penalty: Forced Execution.
…
Seeing the rewards for this war quest, Su Xiao knew a tough battle was ahead. What the Star Seal Imprint (1/5) was used for was unclear, but the Holy Maiden Seat was searching for it. The number of Soul Crystals was very large, and the final World Core (Fragment) × 3 was highly useful.
For Su Xiao, this item was very important. He had obtained one piece before and inserted it into the soil near the Black Maple Tree. The result was that the Black Maple Tree’s growth rate increased slightly. It wasn’t forced growth but accelerated natural development.
The quest requirement puzzled Su Xiao. It wasn’t to annihilate the Diya Tribe and the Tiger Wasp Clan but to defeat them and drive them far away from this large area.
Thinking of the Tree of Life’s stump nearby in the trial zone, Su Xiao guessed a possibility: the core of this world was likely near there.
Taking the core of a trial world was unlikely, but if the World Core was sealed for a long time, it would generate a large amount of Space-Time Power, which was an important resource.
Su Xiao accepted the war quest without hesitation. Under the previous instigation of Naji Jia, hostility with the Tiger Wasp Clan and the Diya Tribe was inevitable. Now that they were enemies, he would fight until the enemy was terrified.
The red light on the communicator flashed more urgently. Soon, the insect race building, the Detection Tower, reacted. The enemy had entered within 30 kilometers.
At this moment, in the insect race territory, a vast sea of figures rushed from afar. Conservatively estimated at several million, they kicked up clouds of dust.
At the front were native tribesmen riding supernatural creatures. They were the “Qidemei Tribe” under the Diya Tribe, skilled in communicating with beasts.
“Woo-yo-yo-yo~”
The Qidemei tribe members let out strange cries, holding cyan tree spears with amber-like blade tips.
Behind these native cavalry were three giant elephants. On the elephants’ backs were a group of short, monkey-like natives.
“Gu ba ba ye (Native language: Diya warriors).”
The natives shouted loudly. Regardless of their tribe, they all called themselves Diya warriors. Behind the elephants were a flock of strange birds, and on the birds’ backs were a group of spirit witches with gray-white hair, holding wooden staffs with skulls tied to the tops.
The Diya Tribe’s reverence for the Ancient Elves bordered on fanaticism. Anything left by the Ancient Elves was considered a treasure. They even wanted to try reviving the Tree of Life to become the second generation of Ancient Elves.
Behind the large group of Diya warriors were the Tiger Wasp Clan. It wasn’t that they were cowardly, but they simply couldn’t keep up with the Qidemei tribe ahead.
After a thunderous charge, all the Diya warriors and Tiger Wasp Clan stopped. The ones who had been shouting loudly were clearly unaccustomed to this style of combat. Usually, they would just charge straight in and fight.
About ten kilometers from the insect nest, a large group of Diya warriors gathered. Tens of thousands of spirit witches jumped off the strange birds. They gathered in groups of 500, raised their skull staffs, and chanted various “spells” of different styles.
Indeed, every spirit witch’s chant was slightly different, sounding chaotic. Even the nearby Mu Xiao was a bit stunned.
Dark green energy converged, eventually forming a sphere over ten meters in diameter. With a boom, a dark green fireball shot out, breaking through the air and heading toward the insect nest.
In just a few seconds, hundreds of dark green fireballs streaked across the sky toward the insect nest. After arcing, these fireballs, each over ten meters in diameter, reached above the insect nest.
All the defensive insect race buildings around the nest activated. Thorn spikes, corrosive rays, and other attacks met the dark green fireballs.
The explosions were deafening. In that moment, the sky was dyed dark green.
Demon Beasts surged out, charging straight toward the Diya warriors over ten kilometers away. These Demon Beasts had already received the boost from the War Lord title.
The Demon Beasts rushed out of the fungal carpet range and soon reached the Diya warriors. The Qidemei tribe, known for their bravery, charged forward. Their spirits merged with the supernatural creatures they rode, nearly becoming one.
Like two torrents colliding, Demon Beasts leaped up, tail blades thrusting forward while claws spread wide.
What the Diya Tribe and Tiger Wasp Clan never expected happened. The Demon Beasts tore through the Qidemei tribe’s ranks. Blood splattered everywhere. The war beasts serving as mounts howled in agony. The Qidemei tribe fell in droves in an instant.
A total of 50 worker scorpions were distributed across the battlefield. Their bodies suddenly exploded, forming three-meter-tall biological sacs. Patches of fungal carpet spread across the ground, eventually connecting to the insect nest’s fungal carpet.
A chaotic melee erupted. The Diya Tribe and Tiger Wasp Clan had no chance to retreat. The Demon Beasts charged with near-suicidal ferocity.
After just one full-force charge, the insect nest’s bio-energy reserves were full. Spawning began.
In the chaotic battlefield, Wen Chong was surrounded by nine contractors. Around them were Diya warriors and Tiger Wasp Clan members, protecting them. They shared a common mission: assassinate Su Xiao. To this end, they carried five types of eighth-rank one-time items obtained in the trial zone, each with terrifying power. Additionally, they had prepared 12 types of Holy Spirit rank items, all aimed at killing Su Xiao.
“Roar!”
A dragon’s roar came. A Demon Flame Dragon with a wingspan of nearly 50 meters flew overhead. Wen Chong looked up and, upon seeing the Demon Flame Dragon Barbatos, instinctively shuddered.
But soon, Wen Chong saw Su Xiao standing on Barbatos’s back. This made him incredulous, then his eyes filled with wild joy.
“He’s over there…”
Wen Chong’s voice grew quieter because 12 Demon Flame Dragons had already flown above them. Wen Chong raised a gem in his hand, but he couldn’t pinpoint the target’s exact location. The dragons above were too massive.
“Perception type.”
Wen Chong roared, but unfortunately, the nine people around him were all assassination types.
Su Xiao stood atop Barbatos’s head. Several black tentacles coiled around his right arm. Barbatos’s mouth glowed with flames. It lowered its head and spewed dragon flame downward.
Whoosh!
Including Barbatos, the other 11 Demon Flame Dragons simultaneously breathed dragon flame downward. Barbatos’s flame was especially thick and dazzling, with sparks flying around.
The dragon flame instantly engulfed Wen Chong and the others. Then there was nothing. Wen Chong and his group were gone in an instant. This was the combined breath of 12 Demon Flame Dragons.
Intelligence was the key to victory. Through Bubu Wang’s reconnaissance, Su Xiao had long known these people were coming. The best way to deal with assassins wasn’t to hide in the insect nest but to kill everyone who wanted to kill him.
Su Xiao looked down from above, searching for Naji Jia’s position. His strategy this time was simple: first, through war, increase the number of Demon Beasts to over 600,000. Then stop breeding Demon Beasts and start breeding Demon Flame Dragons. If 30 weren’t enough, then 50. If 50 weren’t enough, then several hundred.