135: Chapter 135 Spirit Array Activated, Assisting in Combat

The wind swept into the tunnel, carrying the stench of burning and blood; the rock walls were still shaking, and the vibrations beneath his feet felt like ten thousand horses galloping underground.

Chen Wuwang stood behind the ruined bunker, his right arm burning with pain. Toxic mist seeped into the gaps of his armor, causing a dark purple hue to bloom on his skin.

Ignoring the injury, he stared intently at the black tide ahead—the swarm was pressing closer and closer: fifty meters, thirty meters...

Meanwhile, Chen Xiaodao's solitary figure was already kneeling motionless.

He knew that if the Spirit Array wasn't activated soon, the next wave of the charge would grind the entire defensive line into dust.

"Everyone! Contract the Formation! Retreat to Node Seven!" he roared, his voice hoarse yet piercing through the battlefield's rumble.

The few clansmen still standing immediately dragged their wounded bodies back. Some helped fallen comrades, while others used the last of their spiritual power to prop up weak light shields, barely blocking the splashing venom.

A young clansman had just climbed over a broken rock when a spike pierced through his left leg. Before he could even scream, a Blade-Wing Mantis pounced from the shadows, its twin blades raised high.

Chen Wuwang's eyes turned cold, and he raised his hand to strike.

The Titanium Alloy Dagger flew from his hand, slicing through the air and pinning itself accurately into the mantis's skull, causing a burst of grayish-green fluid.

He leaped out of the bunker, his knee slamming into the bloody mud as he landed. With a flick of his right hand, the dagger automatically returned to his palm.

"Don't fall behind!" he barked. "Everyone into the light circle! Now!"

Before his voice faded, he had already rushed to the gap on the right wing. Leaning against a broken wall, his left hand quickly carved three runes onto the rock surface.

Where his fingertips passed, a glimmer of psionic energy flashed, and a temporary conduction circuit took shape.

He abruptly bit his tongue and spat a mouthful of Essence Blood onto the tail of the runes, growling, "Lead!"

Buzz—

A golden light exploded from beneath his feet, racing along the runes and instantly connecting with a Runic Pillar in the distance.

A pale golden light curtain suddenly expanded, just barely enveloping two clansmen who were about to be surrounded.

Two Worker Ants crashed into the barrier and were blown into fragments on the spot.

"Ling Zhenzi!" Chen Wuwang turned back and roared. "Activate the Formation! Now!"

At the central eye of the Formation, Ling Zhenzi sat cross-legged on a stone platform, his hands forming seals, his fingers flying like a weaver's.

Veins bulged on his forehead as sweat rolled down. He barked, "Seven Stars Radiant Alignment, protect my kin—Activate!"

Boom!

Seven Runic Pillars buried at the nodes of the earth veins lit up simultaneously. Golden light soared into the sky, intersecting to form a net in the air.

In an instant, a massive hemispherical light dome enveloped the entire position. Psionic fluctuations spread like a tide; wherever they passed, toxic mist evaporated, spores disintegrated, and even the ground trembled slightly.

"It worked!" a clansman shouted hoarsely, his voice tinged with tears.

But before everyone could breathe a sigh of relief, the edge of the light dome fluctuated violently—three Blade-Wing Mantises pounced during the gap in the energy transition, their sharp claws tearing a rift right into the barrier!

"The right wing is unstable!" someone exclaimed.

Chen Wuwang's pupils constricted. Just as he was about to charge again, Ling Zhenzi suddenly looked up, his eyes turning silver-white, and the speed of his hand seals tripled! He barked, "Switch! Offense-Defense Resonance Mode!"

Buzz—

The light dome suddenly contracted a circle before rebounding and expanding. Sixteen rotating light blades appeared on its edge, cutting at high speed like gears.

Before the three mantises could react, they were ground into fragments by the light blades, blood raining down.

Immediately after, several curved light bands extended from the outer edge of the dome, automatically locking onto approaching insect vanguards. Every time a band swept by, several insects exploded and died.

Furthermore, several light blades sliced into the ground, directly cutting a burrowing Worker Ant King in half.

"This... this is a counterattack?" An old clansman's eyes widened, forgetting to swing the spear in his hand.

"It's not a defensive array anymore," another person laughed breathlessly. "It's a killing array!"

Everyone inside the Formation felt their spirits lift; the morale that had been on the verge of collapse instantly surged back.

Some began checking their weapons, others moved the remaining ammunition, and still others dragged the seriously wounded to be settled near the center of the Formation.

Although everyone was injured and exhausted, light finally flickered in their eyes again.

Chen Wuwang stood at the edge of the light curtain, his gaze scanning the battlefield like a blade.

The swarm's offensive was clearly hindered. Those Black Beetles that hit the light dome were either bounced away or, worse, strangled by the light blades.

Further away, several Giant Scorpions tried to blast the barrier with their tail stingers, only to have their heads pierced directly by a counter-shock beam.

He took a breath and turned toward Ling Zhenzi.

The latter remained sitting motionless, his face as pale as paper, veins throbbing at his temples, and a trace of blood even leaking from the corner of his mouth.

Maintaining such a high-level integrated offense-defense Spirit Array consumed an enormous amount of spiritual power. However, his hands never left the seal gestures, and his eyes were fixed on the data-stream-like psionic trajectories ahead, as if using his Divine Sense to control every thread of energy.

"How much longer can you hold on?" Chen Wuwang crouched down and asked softly.

Ling Zhenzi didn't open his eyes, his voice hoarse:

"Half an hour... forty minutes at most. This Formation was originally designed for city defense. Using it for a field battle while also managing counterattacks means the earth vein power supply can't keep up..." He paused and gritted his teeth. "But I can adjust the frequency to let the light blades prioritize clearing high-threat units."

Chen Wuwang nodded. "That's enough. As long as we hold out until the Engineering Team brings up the spare Spirit Stones, we can sustain the Formation."

He stood up and looked around.

The clansmen had gathered spontaneously. Some were building simple bunkers against the edge of the light dome, while others began repairing damaged weapons. Someone handed him a bottle of Antivenom; he took it, downed it, and the burning sensation in his throat eased slightly.

"Patriarch!" A young clansman ran over, his face still stained with blood. "Six people from Team Two are missing; they might be trapped in the Eastern Collapse Zone!"

Chen Wuwang's eyes sharpened. Just as he was about to speak, he saw Ling Zhenzi suddenly groan and sway.

He immediately turned back. "What happened?"

"Something... is interfering with the Formation's frequency," Ling Zhenzi gritted his teeth. "It's not a conventional insect attack; it's like some kind of Mental Shockwave... they're trying to disrupt the earth vein resonance."

Before he finished speaking, the light dome shuddered. A section in the front right dimmed suddenly, and the rotating light blades stopped for a second.

"Not good!" Chen Wuwang roared. "Everyone, stay close to the Formation center! Prepare for engagement!"

Almost simultaneously, a commotion broke out within the swarm.

Dozens of Blade-Wing Mantises suddenly leaped up together, limbs splayed, forming a strange Formation in the air, their compound eyes glowing with an eerie blue light.

"Is that... a Mimicry Spirit Array?" Ling Zhenzi's pupils shrank. "They're imitating our energy frequency!"

Chen Wuwang sneered. "Want to break the Formation? Too late."

He abruptly raised his hand, spinning the dagger in his palm until the tip pointed straight at the sky. He shouted sternly, "Ling Zhenzi—lower the output frequency to thirty percent! Then, max it out instantly!"

Ling Zhenzi was startled but quickly understood. He slammed his hands down and then yanked them up rapidly!

Buzz—

The light dome suddenly contracted until it was almost touching everyone's heads. Thinking the Formation was about to collapse, the swarm pounced frantically.

But at the very moment they were about to touch the barrier, the Spirit Array erupted!

Boom!!!

Sixteen light blades accelerated in sync, their energy compressed to the extreme, transforming into sixteen bolts of golden lightning that swept outward.

The dozens of mantises at the front were vaporized on the spot. The swarm behind them was overturned by the shockwave, and even the ground below was blasted with over a dozen deep trenches.

"Great!" Cheers erupted from the crowd of clansmen.

But Chen Wuwang didn't smile. He stared at the back of the swarm, where the black tide was still surging; it was far from over.

But he knew the most dangerous moment had passed.

He turned to look at Ling Zhenzi.

The latter was so exhausted he was leaning against the stone platform, breathing heavily, but his eyes remained sharp.

"Can you still hold on?" he asked.

Ling Zhenzi grinned, revealing a mouth of bloody teeth. "As long as you don't let me close my eyes, this Formation... won't fall."

Chen Wuwang also smiled and reached out to pat his shoulder.

He turned back to face the battlefield. Beyond the light dome, insect shadows were thick, and the killing intent had not dissipated.

But inside the dome, the clansmen had already re-formed their lines, weapons loaded and Spirit Stones charged.

Someone silently handed over a new gun.

Someone whispered the remaining ammunition count.

There was also a youth who stuffed the last bottle of Recovery Fluid into a wounded man's hand, wiped his own face, and gripped his short blade tightly.

The wind was still rank, and the rock walls were still shaking.

But this time, no one trembled anymore.

Chen Wuwang raised his right hand, the dagger slowly rotating in his palm. The blade reflected the golden light of the Spirit Array, cold and sharp like a star.

He said softly:

"Come."