Screech! Screech!
The rat swarm ran extrely fast, their sharp screeches overlapping, as if countless blades were scraping across glass, making one's skin crawl!
Even the passengers without Super Vision quickly saw what they looked like.
Their half-flesh, half-machine bodies and ferocious faces were enough to make anyone who saw them lose their sanity.
Their entire bodies were soaked in a constantly seeping, pitch-black, paste-like oil, driving them into a state of frenzy as they madly attacked everything in sight.
Numbering in the tens of thousands, wherever they passed, plants withered rapidly, and large patches of corrosion marks were left on the ground.
Every single one of them had the strength of the Commander Rank!
Soon, they charged to within fifty ters of the train, about to close in on the carriages!
Dong!
Suddenly, the special Extraordinary Power Boiler inside the Star-Piercer heated up rapidly. A large amount of steam surged from the exhaust ports around the train's body.
Empowered by the Steam Power, a chanical Great Hamr swung and struck.
Boom!
Like the great bells and pipes of a temple, the sound echoed across the wilderness.
The Star-Piercer Train's Machine Spirit awakened. In that instant, boiling Steam chanical Spiritual Energy surged, wrapping a large amount of steam into a silver-colored barrier that spread out to envelop the entire Star-Piercer.
A high-tier chanical-type skill—Shield of Steam!
The reason the Star-Piercer could command such a high ticket price wasn't actually because it was the fastest, but mainly because of its safety.
It was a defensive skill built into the Star-Piercer by the chanics of the Machine King Domain.
Powered by the entire train's Extraordinary Steam Engine, it rearranged and condensed intangible steam into a shield. It could withstand attacks below the Morning Star Rank and also defend against minor natural disasters like small mudslides.
Besides that, there was also an offensive chanical-type skill—the Great Steam Pendulum Hamr, which could smash a Spirituality Transformation Level demonic beast into a at patty.
As for the 【Moon of Proliferation】, their strength was simply off the charts.
They had dispatched a Matriarch-level powerhouse, and there was also a mole.
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A large number of high-speed rats crashed straight into the barrier, their speed so great that their tal heads were directly deford by the impact.
Although it wasn't lethal, they couldn't withstand their companions surging from behind, who carried them into a second collision with the steam barrier, turning them directly into Rat Patties.
Seeing the demonic beasts stopped, the passengers should have been relieved.
Even the attendants wanted to take the opportunity to promote their train's safety features, but before they could speak, they discovered that this weird black-red Rat Tide was sowhat different from other demonic beasts.
The purpose of most demonic beast attacks was to obtain food, not to throw their lives away.
But after discovering the obstacle, they didn't stop. Instead, their ferocity was triggered, and they launched an even more ferocious attack!
Buzz!
As the rat swarm continuously battered it, the Shield of Steam began to tremble, and fine cracks appeared.
Whirrrr—
The next mont, the Extraordinary Boiler on the Star-Piercer operated once more. A violent impact sound rang out as it discharged a large amount of steam again, forming a huge white hamr that smashed down fiercely.
Rumble!
Following a loud bang, flesh and blood splattered everywhere amidst countless tal fragnts and black oil, and a gap appeared in the dense rat swarm.
The great hamr swung, smashing the rats as if they were whack-a-moles, incomparably fierce.
It displayed the ultimate chanical Aesthetics of Violence!
Bigger is better, more is beautiful!
Caliber is justice!
"That's great!"
Everyone was pleasantly surprised. Just as they were about to breathe a sigh of relief, they saw a horrifying scene!
The rat demonic beasts that had been turned into patties, which everyone thought were as dead as could be, actually staggered back to their feet.
Even more black oil seeped from their bodies as they continued to charge the Shield of Steam!
Faced with such a bizarre scene, the Spirituality Transformation Level Beast Tars were fine; after all, even if the carriage was breached, they were confident they could escape. But the Elite and Commander Rank Beast Tars started to panic.
Facing such a weird rat swarm, it would be easy to be subrged and eaten clean.
But soon,
"What is this thing? It can still move after being smashed like that?"
"chanical? Flesh and blood? Is this still a rat?"
"Damn, a Demonic Beast Tide the mont we enter the Machine King Domain? This level of public security is just outrageous, isn't it?"
"Didn't they say the Machine King Domain has a resident Silent Skyhawk Drone Swarm near all infrastructure, carrying powerful firepower and patrolling frequently? But now there's not even a shadow of them.
Could it be false advertising?"
"It's scalp-numbing. Is this also a chanical-type demonic beast? It's too weird! Even more frightening than an Undead Tide!"
"Good thing they can't break through the Shield of Steam, or we'd be in trouble."
"…"
Because they were covered in black oil and flesh, the original appearance of the rat demonic beasts was obscured, let alone their origins.
People just assud they were so kind of aberrant Contamination Species.
Just like the Maddened Blood Hyena is the Aberrant Species of the Bloodthirsty Hyena, with significant differences in temperant and appearance.
Bang!
Just as everyone was discussing it, the originally solid Shield of Steam suddenly shattered, leaving a huge gap.
"What's happening!?"
The passengers looked horrified.
Only now did they realize that the black oil splattered from the rats' bodies during the previous collisions had silently landed on the Shield of Steam.
Like living things, they began to spread, continuously corroding the chanical Spiritual Energy with a hissing sound as large amounts of black smoke rose.
The Shield of Steam, as if splashed with so highly concentrated chemical agent, caused the chanical Spiritual Energy to lose its stability, leading to a massive drop in defensive strength, and it was breached directly!
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
A large number of rats charged toward the carriage, dragging their twisted and broken bodies, like a zombie invasion, creating a terrifying visual impact.
"Raging Tide of the Sea of Trees!"
Following a steady voice, dense tree roots suddenly spread from beneath the ground, directly sending hundreds of rats flying before binding them.
Squeak! Squeak!
The rats let out sharp screeches, twisting their bodies desperately, trying to break free from the restraints.
"Absorb Nutrients!"
Following another steady voice, a green radiance lit up on the tree roots, but it quickly dimd.
But the rats were completely unaffected, still struggling madly, their eyes growing even more crimson!
"Absorb Nutrients is ineffective? This thing has flesh and blood, could it be that it's not a living creature?"
A middle-aged man in a black and white uniform with a 【Train Master】 badge on his chest appeared on the front of the train, his brows tightly furrowed. Behind him followed a huge, dark green butterfly.
However, unlike the light and graceful bodies of ordinary butterflies, this butterfly's wings were a pair of giant leaves, and its antennae were like plant roots, giving it a heavy, tree-like feel!
As it flapped its wings, a large amount of Scale Powder, similar to Spore Powder, scattered from its body, turning into tree roots that spread underground.
That last attack was launched by it!
The middle-aged man's thoughts flashed, and he then commanded:
"Spirit Tree Butterfly, crush them!"
Whoosh!
The Spirit Tree Butterfly nodded, its antennae flashing with a green glow.
The large number of tree roots instantly activated, continuously constricting like a python hunting its prey.
With a series of crack, crack, crack sounds, they were directly strangled, turning into a ground full of tal fragnts stained with black oil!
But as a price, the tree roots were all contaminated by this weird black oil, withering at a visible rate and turning into fly ash!
"What the hell is this thing?"
The middle-aged man's brows furrowed as he issued another command:
"Awakening of Flora!"
The dark green butterfly flapped its wings, and mysterious Scale Powder scattered.
After landing on the ground, a large number of roots spread out and swung violently, throwing back the rats trying to approach the carriage, forming a Root Barrier!
It temporarily blocked their offensive!
Seeing this, the Chief Attendant said in pleasant surprise, "The Train Master has made his move!"
The Train Master she spoke of was the only Early Morning Star Rank powerhouse on the Star-Piercer Train—Yao Risheng!
With a military background, he was the fourth Train Master of the Star-Piercer. After breaking through to the Morning Star Rank, due to his deep affection for the train, he refused a promotion from the Alliance and continued to operate the train between the Imperial Capital and the Borderlands!
And his pet beast was the Spirit Tree Butterfly!
A Wood-type Pet Beast born only in areas where the Spirit Butterfly Ecosystem and Giant Tree Ecosystem overlap.
Its initial form is the Chlorophyll Worm, looking like a bouncy, leaf-green jelly. A special insect that grows by absorbing sunlight and nutrients from giant tree roots, it has a docile temperant and its potential is High-stage Commander.
It needs to absorb enough nutrients and have a Giant Tree Sapling parasitize its body to evolve. The two live in symbiosis, granting it the power to control trees!
"We're saved!"
Many passengers breathed a sigh of relief.
With a Morning Star Rank Beast Tar taking action, they should be fine this ti!
However, Yao Risheng wasn't so optimistic, because the Rat Tide was still surging from the horizon, numbering at least thirty or forty thousand!
And in the center of this Rat Tide, there was actually a thirty-ter-long Giant Rat…
No, that's not quite accurate!
Because that giant rat was pieced together from tens of thousands of smaller rats. The black oil flowing over them connected them together and covered them with a thin layer of flesh and blood.
These dense and disparate spiritualities, pieced together, had actually produced so kind of bizarre change, causing their spiritualities to rge.
And there was no further aberration!
Although it hadn't undergone the tamorphosis of the Mother River, its spirituality level was, in a sense, infinitely close to Morning Star!
"Could this be sothing that escaped from so laboratory?"
Yao Risheng's expression was grave.
He knew more than the average person; after all, the Machine King Domain wasn't just about machines, it also had nurous laboratories!
So of them were official, but there were also so special experintal projects born of ambition!
But he still couldn't hide the shock in his heart!
If this thing could really ignore individual wills to bond together, turning parts into a whole and giving birth to a collective consciousness, and then enter the Mother River for spiritual tamorphosis…
It would absolutely be a terrifyingly monstrous being!
If it's confird to be a research product, I absolutely have to file a complaint with the Alliance. This is far too dangerous!
"Spirit Tree Butterfly, use Dance of the Sea of Trees!"
The Spirit Tree Butterfly vibrated its wings and danced, sending a large number of tree roots surging forward like waves, quickly crawling all over the Giant Rat's body.
Yao Risheng continued, "First, use Favorable Wind, then Rootlet Activation!"
The Spirit Tree Butterfly flapped its wings, whipping up a gale that carried the special leaf-green Scale Powder and deposited it on the roots binding the Giant Rat, causing them to grow frantically and tighten their hold!
Combination Skill—Myriad Tendril Strangulation!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
A large number of tree roots tightened, attempting to crush it. They constricted so forcefully that they even sparked from the friction!
Faced with the force binding its body, this black-red Giant Rat opened its bloody maw.
A large number of red flesh tendons were torn apart like snapped threads, looking extrely ferocious.
Its body suddenly expanded, and it let out a deafening roar:
Roar!
Pop! Pop! Pop!
With a sound like a string of firecrackers, a large number of tree roots snapped and fell to the ground.
Rustle! Rustle!
And under the influence of the seeping mysterious black oil, the constriction marks on the Giant Rat's body rapidly grew red flesh tendons, repairing themselves in the blink of an eye.
The larger the body, the harder it is to strangle!
Not to ntion this rat swarm also had a terrifying regenerative ability, allowing it to completely ignore ordinary attacks!
It was a nightmare for those of the sa rank!
And against lower ranks, it was a Dinsionality Reduction Strike!
Roar!
After breaking free, the large number of rats forming the Giant Rat's eyes squird and quickly looked at Yao Risheng.
It opened its mouth and spat out a large ball of black oil that shot out like a cannonball!
Yao Risheng reacted quickly, "Spirit Wood Impact!"
The best defense is a good offense!
The Spirit Tree Butterfly manipulated the power of trees, forming huge Wooden Spears that pierced forward!
Hiss! Hiss!
However, when faced with the black oil, these trees were instantly corroded, turning into wisps of black smoke, and the oil's montum didn't slow as it continued to fall!
"Damn it!"
This scene made Yao Risheng's expression change drastically. He quickly activated the 【Vitality Sea of Trees】 puzzle to empower the Spirit Tree Butterfly, while also summoning his other two Wood-type Pet Beasts to jointly create multiple 【Barriers of Wood】, barely managing to block it.
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
But a large amount of black oil still landed on the ground, attracting a large number of rats to gnaw on it. They quickly ate it clean, making them even more berserk and slightly increasing their strength.
They charged the tree roots in front of the carriage, causing many people to cry out in alarm.
"Terrifyingly corrosive, and incredibly tough itself, how can we fight this?" Yao Risheng's face was grim.
He couldn't see any chance of victory, not to ntion that enormous rat swarm…
Once surrounded, it would be a dead end!
"Looks like we have no choice but to abandon the train and flee, and request reinforcents from the chanic Alliance…" Yao Risheng clenched his fists, having already made a decision in his heart.
Thinking of this, he glanced at the Star-Piercer, his eyes filled with deep reluctance.
Decades, equivalent to a third of his life, had been spent on this train.
His Heart Spark was also awakened during one of these journeys.
The Star-Piercer was no longer just a train; it was his Partner, his comrade-in-arms!
Once he evacuated, the Star-Piercer would definitely be chewed to pieces by this horde of rats. Perhaps even its Machine Spirit would be destroyed!
But… the duty of a Train Master was, above all, to protect the passengers!
"Old buddy, wait for !"
Yao Risheng gritted his teeth, preparing to co back and protect the Star-Piercer after escorting the passengers to a safe area.
So he quickly announced the news, which naturally caused a panic. No one had expected that even a Morning Star Rank Beast Tar like Yao Risheng couldn't stop the Rat Tide.
They began to frantically pack their luggage, preparing to run away quickly.
Yao Risheng watched this scene, and just as he was about to advise them to abandon their miscellaneous items and prioritize saving their lives, a cry of alarm suddenly ca from amidst the noisy carriage:
"What's that in the sky!?"
What!?
Yao Risheng was stunned.
He looked up at the sky and saw a scene he would never forget for the rest of his life!
At so unknown ti, a purple Void Fissure had been torn in the sky, stretching for a hundred ters. A mysterious purple light flowed within it, as if a terrifying Void Demonic Beast had opened its giant mouth, ready to devour everything!
"Is this… a Void Invasion?" Yao Risheng's mouth fell open, sowhat in disbelief.
The Void can now invade the interior of the Machine King Domain?
What on earth is the chanic Alliance doing?
Has the Gate of All Machines failed?
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
Just as he was dumbfounded, spiders erged one by one from the Void Fissure. Their bodies were entirely made of Purple Crystal and they were as tall as a person.
Over a hundred of them leaped from the fissure, falling to the earth like raindrops and surging towards the rat swarm!
Their figures flickered, their movents ghostly. They instantly blinked to the front of the rat swarm, raising their blade-like spider legs and slashing through the void!
Like the Flower of the Void blooming!
Crack!
The sharp edges cut, and the heads of several rats flew high.
Purple crystals rapidly appeared at the wounds and spread quickly, sealing them within blocks of Void Crystal in an instant.
Bang! Bang! Bang!
The next mont, they all exploded, scattering into countless motes of Crystal Powder.
This swarm of Flicker Spiders moved as if through an unguarded land, waving their spider legs and beginning a frantic slaughter, quickly clearing out the rat swarm!
The entire station was transford into a Crystal Powder Storm at this mont, shining brightly under the refraction of the sunlight.
"Such beautiful spiders.
Are they demonic beasts from the Void?"
"These invading demonic beasts from the Void… why are they helping us? Do they have a grudge against each other?"
"Are you stupid? This is obviously a big shot from the Beast King System with the Void attribute taking action! That boss is mighty!"
"Oh right, I almost forgot about the Beast King System. That thing is too far removed from us ordinary people.
You can't afford it without money, so it didn't cross my mind…"
"This is too strong. I feel like one of that boss's Slave Beasts could instant kill .
How on earth are they raised?"
"Space-type Slave Beasts… every single one of them is worth more than my entire net worth!"
"Is this what they call a master hiding among the common folk?"
"…"
Everyone was pleasantly surprised, curious as to which big shot had intervened.
"That's great, the Star-Piercer is saved!" Yao Risheng's expression was excited, not expecting a powerhouse to be hidden on the train.
Roar!
At this mont, the Giant Rat also sensed sothing blocking its path. Its eyes, ford from a large number of rats, turned crimson as it roared and charged directly at the swarm of Flicker Spiders.
Seeing this, Yao Risheng shouted a warning:
"Your Excellency, be careful! This thing is very dangerous. We only have a chance if we team up…"
Before he could finish, a Small Hand extended from the Void Fissure.
Its fingers were fair and slender. It waved in the air, signaling that it wasn't necessary, and then made a fist!
Ying!
A soft, low hum, like an angel pronouncing judgnt upon the mortal world!
Carrying with it an indifference towards mortals!
If soone could translate it, they would surely understand its aning…
Void Holy Seal!
The charging Giant Rat instantly froze in place, as if soone had pressed a pause button.
Squeak! Squeak! Squeak!
The rat swarm that composed it began to struggle and charge frantically, sensing so terrifying danger, attempting to forcefully break through the cage that confined it.
But it was useless!
Crack!
Under everyone's watchful eyes, a corner of the Giant Rat's body was first compressed, as if struck by an invisible behemoth.
A large part of the rat swarm forming its body was instantly crushed. Blood mist and black oil exploded… but could not spread out of this space!
It was tightly bound in place!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The Giant Rat's body began to compress continuously, its mournful cries echoing across the wilderness, making everyone's skin crawl.
In just a few breaths, it was compressed into a basketball-sized, black-red sphere.
Swoosh! Swoosh! Swoosh!
It floated in the air, rotating little by little… faster and faster, spreading out a Void Force Field!
Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!
A fierce wind suddenly howled,
With it as the epicenter, it directly beca the center of a huge storm, generating imnse suction that enveloped the entire rat swarm.
Hiss! Hiss!
This force slowed down their running speed. Even with their claws dug into the ground, they were forcibly dragged, leaving only long scratches behind.
One by one, the rats were sucked into the air and slamd, back-first, into the sphere!
Splat!
With a crisp sound, a rat was directly ground into dregs, its flesh, blood, and tal fragnts rapidly being absorbed!
Crack! Crack! Crack!
The sphere seed to have beco a large at Grinder, absorbing all the rats and shredding them, even scraping up a layer of the ground.
It looked as if the ground had sunk, creating a Large Pit a hundred ters in diater and several ters deep!
After the entire rat swarm was annihilated, the sphere had expanded to a ter in diater.
Then, the Small Hand beckoned, and it turned into a streak of purple light, rushing into the Void Fissure!
At the sa ti, the Flicker Spiders on the ground also finished cleaning up the remaining rats, blinked back, and the Void Fissure closed.
Everything returned to calm!
If not for the terrifying ruins of the battlefield…
Everyone almost thought it was all just a dream!
"So… so strong!"
"A direct instant kill!?"
"Did a Void Monarch just descend?"
"I didn't even see what happened, and it was all over.
What level of strength is that? Peak Morning Star Rank or a Moonlight Rank Important Figure?"
"Does an Important Figure of that level even need to take a train? Are they having fun with the common people? Experiencing civilian life?"
"That ability, why does it look so familiar, like I've seen it sowhere… Holy crap, it couldn't be him, right?"
"Damn you, stop being a Riddler! Hurry up and say who it is! I'm going to go get friendly with the big shot later!"
"I'm not sure… If it's really him, that's too terrifying!"
"Void attribute… spiders… and that hand. I was Screen Licking at the ti… oh no, I watched the video countless tis, there's no way I'd mistake it!"
"…"
Everyone was discussing it, all of them shaken by the scene before them.
Especially the few who had guessed his identity; their expressions were extrely complicated.
As firsthand witnesses, they had seen the terror of this rat swarm!
Their life force was astonishing, their bodies comparable to tal.
As long as they weren't completely shredded, they could still move, far more terrifying than zombies. And there was that weird black oil that could corrode machines and tal.
Faced with the Giant Rat, even a Morning Star Rank Beast Tar could only give way to avoid conflict.
And yet, that person… without even showing their face, had annihilated the entire rat swarm!
The gap between them was unimaginably huge!
What was a disaster in their eyes was like swatting a fly in his, effortless and casual!
You have to know, this guy…
Isn't even twenty years old!
Soone couldn't help but exclaim with emotion, "The young are to be held in awe!"
"This is a monster with a constitution more suited for a Borderlands Baby!"
"…"
As the Train Master, Yao Risheng rarely went online, preferring to watch the scenery along the route in real life.
High EQ: Likes to enjoy the scenery!
Low EQ: Doesn't know how to use electronic devices!
So he wasn't very sensitive to what happened online. He spent most of his ti in the driver's cabin tending to his plants and didn't know much about the outside world.
So when he saw everyone's strange expressions, even whispering to each other that the powerhouse was a monster, he couldn't help but frown…
Why don't these young people know how to respect the strong?
Sooner or later, they'll pay a heavy price for it!
So he asked an excitedly chattering attendant, "Excuse , is this so highly respected Beast Tar Senior? I would like to thank him for his help!"
"Highly respected? That word probably doesn't fit…"
The attendant was taken aback, then continued:
"After all, he's much younger than you!"
"Much younger?"
Yao Risheng froze. A thought flashed through his mind, and a guess erged.
He said in shock:
"Could it be the one who boarded earlier…"
"Yes, yes, yes!"
The attendant nodded repeatedly, saying with an adoring expression:
"It's that handso guy who boarded earlier, known as the Mystic Realm Scour… ahem, one of the top-tier geniuses of the Borderlands. It was said online that he had the potential to challenge for the title of Prodigy, but I see that was just a rumor!
He's basically the Tenth Prodigy himself! I heard he's only eighteen.
I feel like he has a shot at taking the Top Seat in this year's Imperial Capital University's College Entrance Exam…"
The others also chid in excitedly, one after another, recounting all of Lu Yu's past experiences.
After hearing all this, Yao Risheng was completely dumbfounded!
From a grassroots background, he had managed to rise to this level in half a year, conquering several mystic realms and bulldozing the Top-tier Genius Battle.
At eighteen, he already possessed the strength to crush him!
And now, with all the geniuses of the Alliance gathered, he had a chance to compete for the Top Seat of the Imperial Capital University's College Entrance Exam!
Is he even human?
…………………………
anwhile, in the VIP cabin, Lu Yu had no idea he was already being suspected of not being part of the Human Race.
However, given that he possessed a Taboo Rank, whether he was human or not… was indeed debatable!
At this mont, he was studying the mysterious black oil, and he had made an astonishing discovery!
A big 6,600-character chapter.
Asking for monthly tickets at the beginning of the month. My body has recovered a bit.
The new story arc starts tomorrow.
User Comments
0 comments from readers