CHAPTER 409: CHAPTER 409 SUDDEN INCIDENT

This time, Wang Lan strictly positioned himself as a Medical Star Martial Warrior. Although Wang Lan possessed formidable strength and could instantly kill a gigantic Exotic Beast with a single Star Sky God Arrow if he put his full power into it, his healing abilities played an incomparable role on the battlefield. Even the strongest attack-oriented Star Martial Skills couldn’t compare.

Wang Lan’s Mandala Flower area was like a portal to Reincarnation Road. One after another, severely injured Star Sea realm warriors were thrown in, only to be revived, fully healed, and returned to the battlefield.

This sustainable cycle allowed Wang Lan’s side the possibility of engaging in prolonged warfare. Under normal circumstances, or even with a Medical Star Martial Warrior who lacked Wang Lan’s immense strength, sustaining such a prolonged battle would be an impossible dream.

"Indeed, I am ultimately a Medical Star Martial Warrior. Even if I’m not willing to admit it, I have to accept it," Wang Lan said with a show of feigned, lonely superiority, healing Longya, whose body had been half-shattered.

"Cut the crap! You *are* a Medical Star Martial Warrior; what’s there not to admit? Stay put, and don’t even think about joining the fight. I’m heading out—" Longya transformed into a soaring dragon and charged at the Exotic Beasts, bursting out from the Mandala Flower area. Meanwhile, Wang Lan pulled out a Life Lock Chain to connect to the warrior just brought before him.

If it weren’t for Wang Lan upgrading his Life Light to Platinum Level Five, he really wouldn’t have been able to handle such a large-scale scene. Wang Lan was confident that his Medical Star Martial Techniques were now among the best in the world. It just goes to show how critical Medical Star Martial Warriors are on a real battlefield.

As a Medical Star Martial Warrior, there is no need to kill enemies, no need to be responsible for fighting; their battle is to pull their comrades back from the brink of death. Watching helplessly as their comrades die one by one has to be the cruelest thing for a Medical Star Martial Warrior.

Fortunately, so far, as long as they were still breathing when brought to Wang Lan, everyone was restored to full health and vigor.

AIIIEEE—!

A shrill cry of agony rang out. An Exotic Beast was struck through the chest by a Star Traveller’s deadly blow, with Yu Ruoyun assisting. Following that, Qi Hu transformed into an amber slash and killed it in one move. This marked the first Exotic Beast to be killed head-on since the melee began.

With one less Exotic Beast, the Star Martial Warriors had a greater hope for victory.

From the beginning of the battle, the scales of victory were heavily tipped against the Star Martial Warriors. This was especially true since the Exotic Beasts had not only unified, eliminating the chance to defeat them individually, but had also wisely engaged in coordinated group combat.

Judging these Exotic Beasts by traditional standards was a strategic error. If Wang Lan hadn’t been present, this battle would have undoubtedly been lost. Aside from the three Titled Strongmen, everyone else might have perished.

The battle would have ended with devastating losses on both sides. As long as more than five Exotic Beasts remained, the East Sea Pioneer Space would be in grave danger.

It was Wang Lan’s Medical Star Martial Techniques that had stabilized this disadvantageous situation, and now, the tide was even beginning to turn, bit by bit.

SQUEAK SQUEAK SQUEAK—! Far away, an upright Beetle Type Beast suddenly emitted a squeaking sound, and three Exotic Beasts abruptly broke free from the three Star Martial Warrior squads harassing them.

The three Exotic Beasts then whirled around fiercely, and two devastating energy cannons instantly bombarded Wang Lan.

"Be careful!" Yu Ruoyun shrieked, flashing to Wang Lan’s side. In an instant, her Star Power linked with his.

"’Hades Bone Card!’"

Wang Lan was controlling the Mandala Flower, so he had to leave the use of the Hades Bone Card to Yu Ruoyun. The moment Wang Lan shouted the warning, Yu Ruoyun understood his intention. Her palm slammed violently against the ground.

"’Ice Hell!’"

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—

A series of ice walls rose around the Mandala Flower, their intricate patterns mirroring those of the Gate of The Underworld. This was a composite Star Martial Skill Yu Ruoyun created by combining her Ice Crystal Shield and the Hades Bone Card.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—

The three attacks struck the ice walls successively, demolishing the first, second, and third layers...

Only after shattering the seventh layer were the attacks nullified by the Ice Hell. Wang Lan remembered that the last time he had used the Hades Bone Card, it had taken dozens of Gates of The Underworld to defend against a single energy blast. Who would have thought that the combination of ice and the Gates would so greatly enhance the defense?

Their attack having failed, the Exotic Beasts charged toward Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun in unison. This move struck at the Star Martial Warriors’ Achilles’ heel. Regardless of Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun’s identities, or Wang Lan’s crucial role as a powerful Medical Star Martial Warrior, they were individuals the Star Martial Warriors had to protect at all costs.

The Exotic Beasts’ intelligence, or lack thereof, was indeed their greatest weakness. It had taken them this long to wonder why the Star Martial Warriors seemed to be growing in number, and how the injured returned to battle so quickly. If their positions were reversed, the Star Martial Warriors would have known from the outset to target the enemy’s support first.

"Fifth, Eighth, and Ninth squads, stop them!" Star Traveller roared urgently.

"Don’t!" Wang Lan suddenly shouted. "Ruoyun and I can hold off these three Exotic Beasts! This is a godsend! Seize this moment to turn the tables!"

Wang Lan’s words made the three squads hesitate for a moment. In the distance, Star Traveller and Zuo Ming exchanged a look and nodded simultaneously.

"Hold them off! Brothers, counter-attack! Kill!"

BOOM!—

The Exotic Beasts charged wildly, rushing directly into the Mandala Flower formation, causing the entire bird’s nest-like structure to tremble violently. Countless vines were crushed under their feet, only for Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun to control just as many to rise anew.

As for Wang Lan, besides controlling the Mandala Flower, he also had to focus on healing others. The vast Star Power expenditure forced him to continuously consume Soul Beads without pause.

"Bloom, Mandala Flower!" Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun brought their hands together. Instantly, a sea of flowers blossomed, its pollen filling the entire space like a dense fog. Exotic Beasts possessed a much stronger resistance to Star Martial Toxins than Star Martial Warriors, especially those of such immense size.

However, even with their high resistance and massive size, they couldn’t withstand such a dense concentration of Star Martial Toxins. Soon, all three Exotic Beasts were drawn into a dreamlike illusion. Though it was unclear what dreams these titanic Exotic Beasts were having, they were surely pleasant ones.

Wang Lan was overjoyed. He controlled the Mandala Flower to rapidly entwine the three Exotic Beasts. With these three Exotic Beasts providing Star Power, Wang Lan no longer needed to expend his own to maintain the Mandala Flower.

Once all three Exotic Beasts had been enveloped within the sphere, both Wang Lan and Yu Ruoyun let out a sigh of relief.

"With these three ’power banks,’ I’m safe for now. Ruoyun, go help the others!"

"Okay!"

Yu Ruoyun instantly transformed into a flurry of colorful butterflies, appearing behind another Exotic Beast in the blink of an eye. Originally, the beast had been fending off Zuo Ming’s frontal assault and was caught completely off-guard by Yu Ruoyun’s sudden appearance. By the time it reacted, Yu Ruoyun’s attack had already struck.

BOOM!—

A beam of white light ruthlessly shot into the Exotic Beast’s eye. This was Wang Lan’s Extreme Heat Light Beam. With their Star Power linked, Yu Ruoyun could also use Wang Lan’s Star Martial Skills. This wasn’t because Yu Ruoyun lacked formidable Star Martial Skills of her own, but because her combat style fundamentally differed from Wang Lan’s.

Perhaps Wang Lan suffered from a phobia of insufficient damage output; besides the terrifying offensive power of the Star Sky God Arrow, his Extreme Heat Light Beam’s single-target destructive capability also far surpassed most Super S-rank Star Martial Skills.

This technique of aiming an Extreme Heat Light Beam specifically at an Exotic Beast’s eyes was something Yu Ruoyun had learned from Wang Lan. Compared to Wang Lan’s previous attacks in his normal state, Yu Ruoyun’s current strike, amplified by her Dragon Emperor Form, was several times more powerful.

It didn’t just blow out one of the Exotic Beast’s eyeballs; half of its face was scorched. Zuo Ming seized this golden opportunity. A Tai’a Sword, transforming into a descending firmament, struck from the heavens, instantly killing the Exotic Beast on the spot.

Within a mere minute, five Exotic Beasts had been annihilated. This significantly boosted the Star Martial Warriors’ morale and instantly alleviated the pressure on everyone. Riding this momentum, the Star Martial Warrior squads launched another coordinated attack.

BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—

Severely injured Star Martial Warriors were continuously brought in, while healed ones constantly returned to the battlefield. After half an hour of this, more than fifty Exotic Beasts had been slain, leaving only about twenty.

On the Star Martial Warriors’ side, except for ten who were killed instantly without any chance for treatment, their overall fighting strength remained largely undiminished from the start of the battle.

With only half the Exotic Beasts remaining and the Star Martial Warriors’ combat strength barely diminished, the dawn of victory was in sight.

However, at this moment, it seemed that both Wang Lan’s and Yu Ruoyun’s ascended states were nearing their limits. It was evident that each of Yu Ruoyun’s attacks was becoming more strenuous. Furthermore, the skill points in Wang Lan’s system were rapidly depleting, with fewer than 20,000 remaining.

At a consumption rate of ten points per second, he could last at most another ten minutes.

SKREEECH—!

Suddenly, a piercing shriek cut through the air. The Beetle Type Beast began to radiate multicolored light as its body rapidly shrank, transforming in the blink of an eye until it was less than ten meters tall.

"Has it lost its ability to maintain its giant form?" a peak Star Sea realm warrior exclaimed joyfully.

"No, its Star Power has surged! Be careful!" a nearby warrior swiftly warned.

The words had barely left his mouth when the shrunken Beetle Beast vanished. Instantly, the joyous Star Martial Warrior merely felt a gust of wind sweep past him before he watched in horror as the lower half of his body vanished.

"So fast!"

The Beetle Beast moved as if strolling through the void, its body emanating a lustrous, amber-like light, flickering like a Ghost through the air. Almost instantaneously, five peak Star Sea realm Star Martial Warriors were killed on the spot by the ascended Beetle Beast.

"Damn you!" Zuo Ming and Star Traveller bellowed simultaneously, rushing toward the Beetle Beast to stop its carnage. But the Beetle Beast was too fast; even Star Traveller, with his unparalleled speed, was left in its dust.

The Beetle Beast effortlessly evaded their combined pincer attack and instantly slew three more Star Sea realm masters. If they couldn’t find a way to subdue this Exotic Beast, it would slaughter all the Star Sea realm Star Martial Warriors present.

"Ruoyun, be careful!" Wang Lan suddenly cried out urgently.

The Beetle Beast’s form blurred, appearing beside Yu Ruoyun almost simultaneously.

BOOM!—

A streak of colorful light flashed through Yu Ruoyun’s body, and she seemed to explode on the spot. Just as everyone watched in horror, their eyes wide with disbelief, Nether Butterflies fluttered around Yu Ruoyun as she narrowly activated the Dance of the Dark Butterfly in the nick of time.

"Vile creature!" Qi Hu, scared witless but enraged, pursued the Beetle Beast. However, its speed was on an entirely different plane from everyone present, allowing it to easily evade his attack.

"You can’t catch it!" Zuo Ming yelled urgently.

"Void Purple Eyes, open!" Wang Lan’s voice thundered as if from beyond the heavens, and his eyes erupted with a blast of purple light.