ABRIWMTHM Chapter 104

Able to fight, but the team’s formation needs to change.

This star beast has a high level of intelligence and can always discern weak points in the formation.

In the blink of an eye, twenty minutes passed. Chi Yao assigned two additional unmanned battleships to General Ye Jun, and the command center team began to discuss further encirclement arrangements.

Er Ya noticed something and said seriously, “It has been holding back in its attacks; the injuries on it… need to fully recover.”

This star beast is conserving its strength, waiting for a moment when it fully recovers, which will mark the beginning of the next fierce assault.

Chi Yao and Shi Xing also glanced at the star beast, confirming the validity of Er Ya’s observation.

Shi Xing noticed something else, “The energy fluctuations from the star beast exceed what it uses for attacks.”

In other words, most of its mental power is being expended on healing itself rather than on offense.

The unmanned battleships are meant to delay the star beast; likewise, the star beast is deliberately stalling them, conserving energy and waiting for an opportunity.

After observing for a while, Chi Yao said in a deep voice, “It fights very cleverly.”

The star beast makes utmost use of its abilities. Its sudden appearances of mental power often target the weak points of their formations, causing confusion among the unmanned battleships and reducing the effectiveness of their attacks.

“Its level of intelligence is exceptionally high,” Chi Yao emphasized again.

In just a few minutes, the complex formations were all dismissed.

As for simple formations, Fei Chu could see the flaws, “No, these few are too easily seen through. As soon as it creates distractions, the coordination will fall apart, and what good will that do? We don’t want to be caught off guard.”

It was rare for Chi Yao not to refute Fei Chu. “You’re right.”

Shi Xing, who didn’t have as deep an understanding of formations and real combat, followed the flow of voices, glancing among everyone, remaining silent and listening attentively.

Chi Yao’s gaze returned to the battlefield, his brows furrowed. After a moment, he made an astonishing decision.

“Cancel the army’s formation; there’s no need for coordination anymore—let’s go in person.”

Fei Chu: “Huh?”

Fei Chu: “Go in person who?”

Chi Yao: “Me.”

Shi Xing was taken aback.

Chi Yao continued in a steady voice, “Plus Bi Zhou, a quick battle should be possible.”

After facing the mutated star beast multiple times, only Chi Yao had severely injured it with his mental power. Under such circumstances, fighting directly with high-level mental power seemed to be the fastest method.

Shi Xing’s first reaction was to resist, but he didn’t say it out loud; Fei Chu voiced it for him.

“What about your command? Your mental sea is still in recovery… Bi Zhou lacks combat experience; if you take him, do you expect to worry about him too?”

Chi Yao: “He may lack combat experience, but he’s not the main offensive force; it shouldn’t be a problem.”

Rolling up his sleeves, Chi Yao added, “Moreover, even if he doesn’t have experience, I possess plenty.”

Shi Xing belatedly realized that the injuries Chi Yao had sustained in his mental sea during treatment probably arose from situations like this.

Indeed, His Highness had ample experience dealing with star beasts.

Logically, Shi Xing knew that since Chi Yao was going in, it shouldn’t be too much of a problem; however, emotionally, perhaps for the first time, he felt a lingering resistance that he couldn’t fully express.

Because Shi Xing clearly understood this was also the responsibility of His Highness.

Or rather, their shared responsibility.

What others were allowed to shirk wasn’t an option for them.

After closing his eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath, and reopening them, Shi Xing calmly said, “Your Highness, go ahead. I will help fend off the star beast’s mutated attacks from outside.”

Pausing, he promised, “I will also keep an eye on Bi Zhou; he won’t get hurt.”

Fei Chu: “?”

Fu Qing: “?”

Chi Yao nodded. In the midst of silence, he stated, “All squads listen up; Commander Yi Zhenqiang will take over operations, with Zhuang Yuan as deputy commander, and Shi Xing…” he glanced deeply at his partner, “let’s make him deputy commander as well.”

Shi Xing accepted.

In this first battle against high-level star beasts, Bi Zhou appeared very excited.

Even though Fei Chu and Fu Qing had some reservations, under military orders, they quickly adjusted their emotions.

In less than ten minutes, the formation changed and dispersed, providing Shi Xing with excellent visibility to help him fend off mutated attacks, while Chi Yao and Bi Zhou avoided impeding battleships, opting to engage the fight alone.

A powerful mental force followed closely after the unmanned battleships struck the star beast. With the beast’s furious roar, close combat was initiated.

Due to his talent ability, Chi Yao maintained stability in mid-air, with speed that was not inferior to that of the star beast.

And this time, it was also Shi Xing’s first look at Bi Zhou’s talent ability in action.

The combination of wind and water elements was executed exceptionally well.

However, D-level mutated 3S-level star beasts are quite rare; the battle was fierce. Several times, Shi Xing’s talent only allowed him to see energy shockwaves covering the heavens and the earth, and he had to disable his talent ability to refocus on Chi Yao and Bi Zhou’s figures.

Shi Xing’s performance did not disappoint anyone.

Besides the three squads he led, it was the first time other squads had witnessed his real combat skills, leading to surprise and even astonishment that exceeded expectations.

Under the enhancement of his talent abilities, Shi Xing became acutely sensitive to the fluctuations of energy in the space around him.

Time and again in battle, the star beast reused its tactics, attempting to disrupt with mutated mental power attacks against the rear squads. The moment the attacks manifested, they were solidly blocked by Shi Xing’s barriers.

After using several barriers and feeling the strain, Shi Xing switched to providing special barriers, while Fei Chu and Fu Qing used their mental power to establish normal barriers under his protection, lessening his fatigue.

As Shi Xing’s teacher, Er Ya did not take part in the battle; she focused on supplementing his mental power, ensuring it did not dip below half, to guard against unexpected situations.

The attacks resembled fireworks exploding against Shi Xing’s barriers, one after another.

Precise predictions.

Tight defenses.

Accurate placement of barriers.

All of this gave all the soldiers, including Bi Zhou, an unusual sense of safety on the battlefield.

The people of the Empire have strong physical qualities; as long as their mental sea isn’t breached, no matter how severe their external injuries, with the Empire’s medical capabilities, they can still be saved.

“The star beast just took a hit.”

“Second strike.”

“Feint, third attack; it’s starting to focus on the wound now.”

Fei Chu observed on the side and relayed the battle status to Shi Xing and Er Ya.

Suddenly, Shi Xing turned around, and the distance revealed a vast desolation.

“What’s wrong?” Er Ya noticed his movement and asked.

Shi Xing shook his head, feeling a bad premonition that vanished almost instantly. He wasn’t sure if it was an illusion.

There was no time to ponder. Another attack followed, and Shi Xing raised his hand to release a barrier.

Another barrier layered over Bi Zhou to block the attack. Sensing Chi Yao begin to accelerate, Shi Xing provided an additional soft barrier, and at the moment the barrier formed, Chi Yao changed his attack direction, charging directly at the star beast’s mouth.

A massive energy impact exploded.

In the viewpoint granted by his first talent, the world was enveloped in a bright white void of energy dispersal, and everyone and everything was shrouded in thick fog, hard to break through.

Shi Xing closed his talent once more and, looking up again, saw the star beast plummeting like a meteor.

“Hit it.”

Realizing the battle was over, Shi Xing let out a sigh of relief, his talent ability activating once more.

In his field of view, instead of the star beast ceasing to exist, it erupted in resplendent colors, a thin layer tightly wrapping around its beastly body.

Shi Xing had never seen this phenomenon before. With no time to react, the star beast crashed through the isolation barrier, plummeting toward their position.

“Scatter! It’s not that hurt!”

In an epiphany, Shi Xing’s shout coincided with the sudden flip of the star beast’s body in mid-air.

Chi Yao would use feints; the star beast could also play dead.

In the next moment, as the star beast approached the team of Qi Jue, Shi Xing’s broad barrier opened simultaneously.

The mutated mental power crashed against Shi Xing’s barrier, an unending onslaught.

The star beast did not retreat, and Shi Xing could not easily sever the mental power supporting his barrier; the two forces violently clashed before creating a tug-of-war.

“Shi Xing.”

“Shi Xing!”

“Shi Xing!!!”

Several calls erupted in Shi Xing’s ears, but he couldn’t focus on who was calling him.

Just then, he understood the reason behind everyone’s shouts.

In the tug-of-war, under the influence of the mutated mental power, his position changed.

From the rear command zone, he was forcefully yanked to the front of Qi Jue’s team by the star beast’s manipulation of time, disrupting the space with time laws.

“Little prince, you need to pull back!”

Qi Jue’s voice rang out.

Knowing it was for his own good and fearing that the battle would again cause energy to be strained, Shi Xing still understood…

If he pulled back, he knew clearly that the teams behind him lacked the means to protect themselves.

Such powerful mental power would breach everyone’s mental sea in the first instant.

He couldn’t pull back.

Regardless of the level of consideration, he couldn’t just prioritize himself by retreating.

In that moment of determination, Shi Xing pushed his hand forward, thrusting the barrier ahead, unexpectedly shoving the star beast back.

“Everyone retreat! Spread out!”

Shi Xing grit his teeth and commanded.

The First Legion followed orders promptly; Qi Jue didn’t let Shi Xing worry in this regard; almost the instant he uttered the command, the battleships floating behind him dispersed and swiftly evacuated the battlefield.

“Roar—”

The continuous assault of the star beast began to increase in intensity, all directed at Shi Xing.

The energy shockwaves caused Shi Xing’s arms to tremble.

For a fleeting moment, the air was filled with voices calling his name; Shi Xing couldn’t discern the words, nor who was speaking.

The star beast shifted positions, trying to break through the barriers, and Shi Xing adjusted his defense position.

The directions of attacking and defending began to change rapidly, spinning at high speeds, rendering the surrounding battleships unable to pinpoint the star beast.

Feeling the mental powers of Chi Yao and Bi Zhou coming toward him, before Shi Xing could breathe a sigh of relief, an explosion of extraordinary colors erupted at the site of their energy collision. His heart jolted, and upon reopening his eyes, Shi Xing found the army and familiar environment had vanished around him.

He found himself suspended in an unknown high place.

Here we go again; he was dragged away by the star beast’s mutated ability.

Due to the intertwining energies, the mutated ability could also impact him.

Shi Xing understood this, but he could not resist at all.

The sound of energy impacts exploding around him rang in his ears…

Shi Xing was momentarily startled and realized he had leapt forward in time; this was distinctly the sound of the explosion from when Chi Yao attacked the star beast just moments ago. He had been nearby, and his perception of the sound’s intervals couldn’t be mistaken.

He had also experienced a leap in time.

Thus, what he had felt earlier, the familiar energy in the distance, wasn’t an illusion.

It was his mental power.

He had been pulled away by the star beast…

“Roar—”

Once more, Shi Xing plummeted without any respite to retract his barrier. Not only could he not pull back, but amidst the relentless attacks, he was also forced to continuously open mental barriers in different directions to resist.

This kind of resistance could not last.

If it continued, he would inevitably be at a disadvantage.

He had not yet passed the maturity period. Without Er Ya’s supplementation of mental power, his energy was rapidly drained through the constant openings of barriers.

He knew he needed to sever the entangled mental powers.

He also knew he needed to shake off the star beast.

But…

Shi Xing completely couldn’t do that.

He had absolutely no opportunity.

The star beast’s attacks came too quickly, one after another without pause; exhausting him to barely endure the assaults, let alone finding a way to escape.

He… couldn’t escape.

And his mental energy was being consumed at a terrifying rate.

If this continued, inevitably, he would be hit.

Moreover, with the mental powers entangled, he was continually jumping in time, constrained and interfered with by spatial dimensions.

Simply put, both the time and space Shi Xing occupied were changing.

Even if each leap only allowed him a two-minute advantage, Shi Xing could tell from the sound that he was getting further and further away from the team.

He…

The barrier suddenly shattered under an attack.

There was little mental power left to Shi Xing.

He needed to replenish, could no longer go on like this, he couldn’t…

Breath heavy, he didn’t want to feel the threat of death again.

At that moment, the thought erupted in him, and Shi Xing’s barrier began to twist, Er Ya’s words once again resonating in his ears.

—“The mental power splits into many streams, infiltrating the other party’s mental energy, and then pulling it back.”

—“It is the opposite process of healing; in healing, the mental power is released completely while absorption is a total demand.”

—“Like wandering in a desert, you need a drop of water to survive.”

—“If you can’t drink it, you’ll die.”

No, he didn’t want that ending; he wanted…

In this lifetime, he wanted a brand new ending.

Shi Xing’s barrier dissolved like water, with non-aggressive mental power entwining with the star beast’s mental energy, permeating.

This process resembled the star beast piercing through Shi Xing’s barrier.

Blue Star Humans’ mental powers lack aggression, even when entwining deeply into the star beast’s body, all the star beast felt was an even, warm sensation that could even be described as comfortable.

Sensing the drying up of Shi Xing’s mental power, the star beast let out an excited roar, opening its foul mouth wide, diving directly toward Shi Xing.

In mid-air, the wind element held Shi Xing’s form while the overuse of mental power left him drowsy, his eyes half-closed, the discomfort akin to a wilting white rose on the verge of losing vitality.

And this delicacy was about to fall into the star beast’s mouth.

Drool dripped, the star beast was thrilled; it hadn’t smelled such a fragrant mental energy in ages. So fragrant, it must be delicious.

Just as the star beast was less than a meter away from Shi Xing, ready to bite down—

Shi Xing’s sea-blue eyes snapped open.

The mental power fully permeated into the star beast’s body.

He felt vast life force.

He felt…

Finally felt the last drop of life’s water.

Shi Xing raised his hand, instantly fixing the star beast in mid-air, preventing any further movement.

The star beast froze; in the blink of an eye, it couldn’t resist in time, and as its attacking mental power embedded into Shi Xing’s body, the mental energy surrounding it, along with its internal force, was violently ripped away by a savage power, uncontrollably stripped and drawn back into the body of the Blue Star Human.

So much mental power flowed into Shi Xing, yet it was like a cow sinking into the ocean.

His complexion shifted from pale to rosy, and he extended another hand in the air.

“Roar, roar, roar!”

The star beast howled in pain.

But Shi Xing felt comfortable and fulfilled.

The star beast struggled violently, attempting to flee.

Yet Shi Xing stepped forward toward the star beast.

In that moment, the relationship between hunter and prey flipped.

Shi Xing also found the star beast’s mental power intriguing. It was on a high level and so fresh!

When Shi Xing’s hand touched the star beast, it let out a mournful scream. However, Shi Xing seized its jaw, as the mental power within continued to drain, its mouth suddenly caved in, turning to blood and flesh, losing its original shape and function.

“Be quiet,” Shi Xing said weakly.

In the next moment, Shi Xing’s other hand was also placed on the star beast.

Crisp, crackling sounds echoed in the subtleties.

That was the sound of the beast core cracking.

With a muffled sound, a crack instantly spread through the beast core.

Shi Xing, half-closing his eyes, submerged in the nourishment of overwhelming energy, felt at peace.

Withered petals swelled once again, blooming with vibrant life.

Letting out a deep breath, his mental sea filled, the absorption rate improved again; this time, the outer layer of Shi Xing’s mental sea frantically absorbed all the energy.

Chi Yao and the others hurriedly arrived and witnessed this scene from a distance.

Shi Xing leaned against the star beast, as if petting a little animal.

“Shi Xing!”

Chi Yao’s voice came from afar.

Shi Xing opened his eyes, instinctively thinking he should hurry. The moment this thought surfaced, the beast core completely exploded, turning into powder within the star beast’s body.

Er Ya sensed something and forcibly grabbed Chi Yao, shouting loudly, “Don’t go near! Something is off!”

Before Chi Yao could break free, the star beast’s body began to disintegrate in mid-air.

Flesh and blood dripped like water.

This scene left the First Legion collectively speechless.

“He has learned,” Er Ya said.

As soon as those words were spoken, the star beast collapsed under the incomprehensible emptiness of mental energy.

Yet what frightened Er Ya was that Shi Xing’s absorption of energy had not stopped. The energy diffusing in the air continued to flow into Shi Xing’s body.

He…

“Your Highness.”

Calling out once, Shi Xing shook his head, feeling a trance of intoxication.

In the next moment, his body wobbled and began to descend like the star beast.

During the fall, Shi Xing’s absorption of energy from the air never ceased.

“Shi Xing!!”

Er Ya didn’t have the time to warn him as Chi Yao dashed out.

Stunned for a moment, realizing what happened, Er Ya quickly gave chase.