Deathly silence spread between the two sides.
The stillness of the vacuum was more suffocating than any sound, as if the deepest malice since the birth of the universe was slowly seeping out from the pores of Giant Tomb Zhou.
Lin Xiaohe was on full alert, waiting for Giant Tomb Zhou to make its move.
But what came for her was not an overwhelming tide of insects. Instead, her consciousness and spiritual power felt as if they were being pulled into a long tunnel.
In the next moment, she found herself in an unfamiliar place.
Before her lay a massive circular pit.
The river water pouring into it was boiling like mad, and countless droplets, unable to evaporate in time, floated upward in eerie strings against gravity, eventually vaporizing into nothingness.
The air around her was so scorching hot it could almost melt a person.
The screeching of all kinds of insects rang in her ears.
The sky above was heavy and overcast. Dark clouds churned, gathering and condensing with increasing density.
Under some kind of force, the clouds moved in a single direction, spinning faster and faster, until they formed a vortex that looked like a black hole.
The vortex grew larger and larger, eventually blotting out the entire sky. Fierce winds howled, and space itself began to warp.
Lin Xiaohe’s consciousness stood firm like a small tree struggling against a gale, its roots planted deep in place, resisting the pull of the vortex.
Suddenly, a sharp cone-like object pierced through the center of the vortex.
It struggled violently, like a cicada shedding its shell, trying to break free from some kind of binding.
From all directions, insects of every shape and size swarmed in—using claws, using antennae, and some even using their mouthparts directly to bite into the cone, pulling downward with all their might.
Instinct told Lin Xiaohe that she could not let this thing come out.
The energy in the air became chaotic and turbulent, and the violent currents buffeted the insects left and right.
The cone pulsed and contracted, as if absorbing the energy contained in the air.
Lin Xiaohe had never seen this kind of energy before and couldn’t analyze its composition.
But she knew one thing: whatever the enemy supported, she would oppose. Whatever the enemy wanted, she would take away!
Having made up her mind, Lin Xiaohe opened her mouth wide and began frantically inhaling the energy.
The chaotic energy currents paused, wavering uncertainly between Lin Xiaohe and the cone.
Sensing something was wrong, the cone grew anxious and immediately increased its suction.
Lin Xiaohe’s pupils shrank slightly, and she opened her mouth even wider.
Honestly, she had never imagined that her mouth could open wider than her entire face!
Damn it, if anyone saw this, could she even still call herself human?!
The energy currents were pulled toward the cone one moment, then snatched away by Lin Xiaohe the next.
The two were like contestants in an eating competition, seeing who could consume more.
Clearly, Lin Xiaohe’s digestive capacity couldn’t match that of the cone.
The cone had already taken the shape of a Giant Tomb and was struggling to break through the center of the vortex, trying to descend upon this world.
The only thing holding it back was a thin layer of dark clouds.
Lin Xiaohe was burning with anxiety. The energy she had devoured was pooling in her lower abdomen, growing larger and larger, from the size of a small stone to that of a fetus.
A true woman never gives up easily.
Even though her belly looked like it had gone from four months pregnant to carrying octuplets at eight months, she still kept frantically absorbing energy.
Hang in there, Lin Xiaohe!
Lin Xiaohe’s features twisted in agony.
Her consciousness felt like it was about to burst, the pain so intense it made her tremble.
One last stream—just one final current remained.
Every bit she took meant one bit less for Giant Tomb Zhou.
The energy current was stretched to its limit between them, pulled back and forth like a taut rubber band. Suddenly, with a snap, it reached its breaking point and tore apart.
Giant Tomb Zhou only managed to grab two-fifths of it and let out a helpless roar of frustration.
The Giant Tomb figure that had nearly emerged reluctantly shrank back.
Lin Xiaohe’s consciousness had also reached its limit. She felt as if someone had kicked her, and her awareness snapped back into her own body.
The entire standoff had lasted an extremely long time.
But to the outside world, only about ten minutes had passed.
First, they saw the insectoid Giant Tomb swell like a balloon being inflated, its aura skyrocketing.
The overwhelming pressure directly knocked out anyone with a spiritual power level below 3S!
The few officers who managed to stay conscious were bleeding from all seven orifices, enduring excruciating pain as they tried to send messages to Lin Xiaohe.
But Lin Xiaohe seemed frozen in place, making no move at all, her expression one of great pain.
Just as they were resolved to go down fighting, the insectoid Giant Tomb suddenly deflated like a popped balloon.
“Good grief, I almost fell for that.” Lin Xiaohe gasped heavily, a chill running down her spine.
She hadn’t expected that Giant Tomb Zhou’s attack method would be so completely different from Little Black’s, and so eerily strange.
It seemed it really was craving her body.
Giant Tomb Zhou was on the verge of losing its mind. Just a tiny bit more—just one-fifth more of that chaotic energy—and it would have evolved successfully! Its rank in the insectoid hierarchy would have advanced by one!
And Lin Xiaohe had ruined it all!
“Lin Xiaohe, I’m going to eat you!” Giant Tomb Zhou let out a piercing screech, its killing intent chillingly fierce.
Insects across the entire star domain stirred at the call and swarmed toward Lin Xiaohe like a plague of locusts.
Long-range, close-combat, physical attacks, psychic attacks—holding nothing back.
Giant Tomb Zhou itself leaped into the fourth dimension, determined to completely annihilate Lin Xiaohe!
The surviving officers’ eyes bulged, veins popping out on their necks, as they roared, “You damn bugs, I’ll fight you to the death!”
The fusion engines of the space battleships flickered like rapid, nervous breathing, and the eerie blue glow of charging cannon muzzles spread silently through the vacuum.
Come on, let’s settle this once and for all!
…
The insect army from the Sixth Star Ring was racing at full speed.
Ripples of stardust trailed beneath the Void Devourers, one after another, nearly forming a grand highway of starlight.
They easily crossed the boundary between the Fifth Star Ring and the Sixth Star Ring.
Little Black had chosen the shortest interstellar route, ignoring planetary gravity and asteroid belts entirely.
It was focused on one thing only: forward, and forward again!
Wesley and Melina followed closely with the Giant Sound Whales.
The Giant Sound Whales were the first to cut through the sea of stars, their massive bodies gleaming with icy blue and shadowy radiance, leaving trails of stardust in their wake.
They hummed lowly, their long whale songs sending invisible ripples through the vacuum, as if urging their companions to hurry.
Stardust Humans rode atop them, flickering like sparks of fire, their eyes burning with blazing fury and battle intent!
Their chests vibrated as they silently sang the “Song of Farewell to Starfire.”
“The silver moon hangs above the mountain peaks, gentle breezes kiss the strings of the Giant Sound Whales. The hero who picks up their pack dons the morning mist, letting stars adorn their fiery red armor.”
“Through the land of eternal night they go, shadows clinging like a second skin, but the starlight of the Giant Sound Whales will cleave through frozen passes, guiding you over bones and spring.”
“Let us drink the lingering echoes of parting, adorning the crown of ascension with teardrops. When you sail beyond the vortex beyond time, we shall meet again in the dawn yet to be born!”
“Far-traveling light-chasers, you follow the undying stars, writing the verses of destiny…”
“We are here! This battle will be our leader’s crowning fight!”
