134: Chapter 134 The dagger charges in, the sword aimed at the swarm of insects.

Pieces of insect corpses still smoldered, stuck to the left shoulder of Chen Xiaodao's mech like charred flesh.

Sparks crackled and burst from broken circuits, casting flickering light across half his face.

He glanced down at the cockpit panel—Energy remaining: 12%. Left arm transmission System offline, thruster response delay 0.7 seconds, toxin resistance module failed.

Yet, he was still standing.

Fifty meters ahead, the black tide surged.

A swarm of Hydralisks climbed over the corpses of their own kind, Giant Scorpions dragged their severed tails while smashing through rocks blocking their path, and Blade-Wing Mantises glided low to the ground, their compound eyes glowing with a scarlet light.

They did not stop, nor were they afraid; they simply charged forward, as if pushed by something unseen, determined to grind this position into dust.

The wreckage of the "Tiller" was right at his feet.

He remembered the names of those two young men—Shi Tou and A Tie.

One was only nineteen, having just arrived at the Artifact Refining Workshop three months ago; the other was the son of Old Li from the Medicinal Field, who stuttered when he spoke but was a master at welding circuits.

They didn't shout slogans or call for reinforcements; they just drove those two scrapped agricultural mechs and plunged headlong into the sea of fire.

The explosion flipped three Giant Scorpions and blasted open a brief gap.

But this gap was being filled inch by inch by the corpses of the insects.

"Damn it!"

Chen Xiaodao slammed his fist onto the console, making the entire cockpit hum. He gritted his teeth, squeezing two words through them: "I... have had enough!"

He yanked the control stick, the engine let out a hoarse roar, and the mech's right leg thruster engaged at full power. The alloy sole carved a blinding spark into the rocky ground, and he shot forward like an arrow released from a bow, straight into the densest part of the swarm!

"Warning! Energy overload! The System will force a shutdown in three seconds!"

The mechanical female voice rang out coldly.

"Shut up!"

He kicked the main control screen, his voice explosive, "I'm not dead yet, it's not your place to speak!"

The mech leaped up with a boom, clearing a ten-meter-high pile of corpses. As it landed, the Laser Sword on its right arm unsheathed instantly, the blade expanding ten meters, its silver light tearing through the darkness as it hacked straight into the center of a group of Hydralisks.

Clang! Clang! Clang!

The sound of metal breaking was as dense as rain; three Hydralisks were severed at the waist on the spot, their venomous blood spraying and causing the ground to hiss with corrosion.

He used the momentum to spin; although his left arm was useless, he slammed his shoulder armor into a Blade-Wing Mantis, shattering its compound eyes and sending the insect body tumbling.

"Kill!"

He roared until his throat bled, his voice piercing through the roar of the battlefield.

He swung his sword again, and the second form of the Meteor Sword Intent, "Flowing Light," erupted. Sword shadows poured out like a galaxy, sweeping in all directions.

The heads of five Worker Ant Kings flew off, and the forelimbs of two Giant Scorpions were sliced off, causing them to stagger back.

He didn't retract his move at all; he stomped hard, and the mech surged forward again. The tip of his sword hooked a Hydralisk and flung it at the swarm climbing behind him, forcibly creating a vacuum of space.

For the first time, the swarm hesitated.

It wasn't fear, but an instinctive perception of a threat—this human was insane.

But he wasn't the only one who had gone mad.

A clansman had just peeked out from cover when a lurking Blade-Wing Mantis lunged out, its dual blades aiming straight for his throat.

In a flash of lightning, Chen Xiaodao threw his sword backhanded. The Laser Sword flew from his hand, accurately piercing the Mantis's skull and pinning it to the rock wall; the remaining force continued, skewering two Worker Ants behind it.

"Don't come out!"

He roared, his voice as hoarse as tearing silk, "All of you, get back! Leave this to me!"

He drew the spare short sword from his waist, held it in one hand, and swept his gaze over the layers of insect shadows ahead.

He knew he couldn't hold on for long.

Only 6% energy remained, and toxic mist had begun to seep through the gaps in the cockpit, making every breath burn. But he couldn't stop.

And he couldn't retreat.

He had to hold the gap that Shi Tou and A Tie had sacrificed their lives to blast open.

He took a deep breath, suppressing the metallic taste of blood churning in his chest, and shouted in a low voice: "Continuous Star Slash!"

The third form of the Meteor Sword Intent: Continuous Star Slash—a Fusion technique between a Sword Cultivator and a mech. It uses Sword Intent to guide the energy flow, achieving seven consecutive strikes. Each strike locks onto a different target, so fast that it's hard for the naked eye to discern.

The first slash split open three Hydralisks directly in front;

The second slash diagonally sliced off a Giant Scorpion's tail stinger;

The third slash swept horizontally, clearing the swarm climbing the wall on the left;

The fourth slash, a rotating kick combined with a strike, obliterated the Worker Ant King ambushing from behind;

The fifth slash, using the sword tip to push off the ground and leap into the air, slashed two Blade-Wing Mantises in mid-air;

The sixth slash, landing and rolling, thrust the short sword into the ground to detonate the energy circuit, blasting away five close-range insects;

The seventh slash—he leaped up, holding the short sword high, his Sword Intent condensed like a falling meteor!

Boom!

The sword light exploded; within a ten-meter radius, the insects were completely vaporized, and three deep trenches were plowed into the rocky ground, leaving it charred black.

The vanguard of the swarm was forcibly hacked into a fan-shaped gap by him alone.

A brief silence.

Immediately after, the sound of dense crawling came from behind the pile of insect corpses, and more black shadows swarmed from all directions. They no longer charged blindly but began to flank, attempting to surround him.

Chen Xiaodao panted heavily, half-kneeling in the remains of his mech, using the short sword to prop himself up.

The cockpit alarms flashed wildly: "Energy depleted! System shutting down! Toxic mist concentration exceeds limits! Vital signs dropping!"

He raised his hand to wipe his face, his fingertips stained with blood. It wasn't all the enemy's.

The wound on his left shoulder had split open, and blood trickled down his armor, dripping onto the console and spreading into a small patch of dark red.

He looked up, staring fixedly at the writhing black tide in the distance, his eyes unwavering.

"Come on..."

He said in a low voice, so soft it was almost inaudible, yet as cold as a blade, "Who's afraid of whom?"

He used his still-functioning right hand to slowly pull out the Laser Sword stuck in the rock wall.

The blade was covered in cracks, its light dim, but he reconnected it to the right arm slot anyway.

Click.

A soft sound.

The mech let out one last low hum, the thrusters emitted a puff of black smoke, and it completely died.

Now, he was left with only a piece of scrap metal and a sword that was about to break.

Yet, he was still standing.

And he had pinned down this gap.

The swarm stopped fifty meters away, as if assessing, or perhaps waiting.

They did not charge immediately because this person in front of them, even if he fell, would take a whole group with him.

The wind blew from the depths of the tunnel, carrying the stench of blood and burning, and also bringing a moment of respite.

On the rear position, someone saw that lonely figure.

Someone's eyes turned red.

Someone gripped their weapon tightly.

Someone silently opened an ammunition box and began to reload.

And Chen Xiaodao remained half-kneeling there, his sword tip propped on the ground, his back straight.

He didn't look back, nor did he know what was happening behind him.

He only knew that as long as he was alive and could move, no one would step across this line.

Not even a single step.

His vision began to blur, the toxic mist eroding his nerves, his limbs going numb. But he bit the tip of his tongue, forcing himself to stay awake with the pain.

"Shi Tou, A Tie..."

He murmured, his voice hoarse, "The path you blasted open, I must finish walking it for you."

He slowly raised his hand to wipe away the blood obscuring his eyes, his gaze once again cast toward the black tide.

The next wave could come at any moment.

He was ready.