The battle turned white-hot from the very beginning.
The number of Aberrants was several times that of the Blood Demons, but they were facing an army that was completely unafraid of death, never grew tired, and only became stronger as they fought.
Every time a Blood Demon fell, its remains were greedily swallowed by the surging Sea of Blood, instantly transforming into new combat power.
Every time an Aberrant was torn apart, its splattered flesh and blood merged into the Sea of Blood, becoming nourishment to sustain the Blood Demon Legion. The battlefield had become a cruel and efficient conversion furnace.
But the massive number of Aberrants did not sit idly by; they counterattacked frantically.
As the Blood Demons' offensive grew increasingly fierce, the Mental Polluter that had been hiding behind the lines finally moved.
The dark red mist around it suddenly surged, transforming into countless tentacles that stabbed into the bodies of over a hundred surrounding Aberrants.
The Aberrants that were stabbed let out a piercing screech simultaneously. The crystallized patterns on their bodies flared brilliantly, their frames swelled, and their attacks became even more frenzied.
A crimson claw-wing was tackled by three enhanced Devourers at once. Its bone wings were torn to shreds, and its body was ripped apart, turning into blood that seeped into the ground.
Another fell.
And another.
The losses of the Blood Demons began to accelerate. In just ten breaths, over fifty Blood Demons had fallen.
Jiang Lin stood in the air, his golden eyes narrowing slightly.
He raised his right hand, palm facing downward.
The Sea of Blood surged.
Viscous blood energy erupted from his palm, spreading rapidly through the air.
The remains of the fallen Blood Demons, the torn pieces of Aberrant corpses, the black pus and dark red blood flowing through the ruins—everything was swallowed, transformed, and reshaped the moment it touched the Sea of Blood.
One, ten, fifty, a hundred...
In just a few breaths, one hundred and twenty brand-new Blood Demons struggled out of the Sea of Blood and pounced toward the battlefield below.
The number of the Blood Demon Legion did not decrease; it increased.
The Mental Polluter seemed to sense something. Its "face," condensed from mist, turned toward Jiang Lin's direction, and dark red light flickered within its body.
In the next second, the mist around it suddenly retracted, condensing into a thick pillar of dark red light that shot toward Jiang Lin!
The speed of that light pillar was astonishingly fast. Wherever it passed, the air distorted and burned.
Jiang Lin didn't even move.
The crimson claw-wing beneath his feet banked sharply, its bone wings flapping once, narrowly avoiding the attack.
The light pillar grazed past them and hit a derelict building behind them. The entire structure was instantly swallowed by the dark red light and turned into a cloud of debris.
Jiang Lin looked down, meeting the Mental Polluter's gaze.
"Found you."
With a thought.
Three Bloodblade Butchers turned simultaneously, charging toward the Mental Polluter with heavy strides.
The bone spikes on their backs fired repeatedly, and blood crystals exploded around the Mental Polluter, causing the mist surrounding it to surge violently.
Twenty crimson claw-wings flanked it, their bone wings folding as they dove like blood-red meteors, tearing through any Aberrants that tried to intercept them.
Ten cursed blood bone dolls hovered in the rear, their tiny skeletal fingers rising in unison. One blood-red rune after another appeared above the Mental Polluter's head, and the power of the curse poured down like a tide.
The mist around the Mental Polluter surged violently. It tried to control the surrounding Aberrants to protect itself, but those enhanced Aberrants were already pinned down by the Blood Demon Legion and could not break free.
It let out a silent screech, its dark red mist transforming into countless tentacles that lashed out frantically in all directions.
One Bloodblade Butcher was struck by a tentacle, its chest bone armor shattering as it staggered back.
But it only paused for a second before stepping forward again, its four arms swinging simultaneously as its bone blades severed several tentacles.
Two crimson claw-wings were ensnared by tentacles, their bone wings torn apart as they crashed to the ground.
But in the next second, the Sea of Blood surged, and their remains were swallowed and transformed into new Blood Demons that pounced back into the fray.
The Mental Polluter's resistance grew weaker and weaker.
Its mist was being consumed, its power was fading, and the number of Blood Demons was only increasing.
Finally, a Bloodblade Butcher broke through the defensive line, its four arms stabbing into the Mental Polluter's body simultaneously.
Squelch!
The bone blades pierced through the body condensed of mist, pinning it to the ground.
The Mental Polluter let out a final screech, the dark red mist around it surging frantically before quickly dissipating like a punctured balloon.
Its body began to disintegrate, turning into countless dark red points of light that scattered into the night sky.
The Aberrants it had been controlling froze simultaneously, the fierce light in their eyes dimming as their movements became sluggish and chaotic.
The scales of battle had completely tipped.
Jiang Lin stood in the air, looking down at the one-sided slaughter below.
The number of the Blood Demon Legion had exceeded one thousand five hundred, while fewer than five hundred Aberrants remained.
He did not intervene again, simply watching quietly as those blood-colored creatures harvested the lives of the Aberrants like wheat.
When the last Aberrant was split in half by a Bloodblade Butcher's bone blade, and the last roar faded in the river valley, the entire bridge fell into a deathly silence.
Only the wind blew through the rusted steel cables, letting out a low wail.
Jiang Lin descended slowly, his feet stepping onto the cracked bridge deck.
Beneath his feet was a thick layer of dark red crystal dust—the powder of Aberrant remains—lightly scattering in the night wind.
He looked around.
One thousand six hundred Blood Demons stood silently among the ruins.
Crimson claw-wings perched on the bridge's steel frame, their bone wings folded, their dark red eyes looking toward their master.
Cursed blood bone dolls hovered in mid-air, their tiny bones vibrating slightly in the wind.
Bloodblade Butchers stood at the bridgehead, their four arms hanging down, the bone spikes on their backs emitting a dangerous light.
One thousand six hundred.
This was the total number of Blood Demons currently under his command.
Crimson claw-wings made up the majority, about one thousand one hundred; there were three hundred cursed blood bone dolls and two hundred Bloodblade Butchers.
Adding the two 3rd-rank peak Bloodspeakers and the 3rd-rank peak Shadow of Blood possessing him.
Such power was already enough to crush any Aberrant gathering zone head-on.
But it wasn't enough.
He needed more Blood Demons, stronger Blood Demons, and more precise tactics.
"Return."
Jiang Lin leapt onto the back of a crimson claw-wing with a thought. The crystal in the center of the Bloodspeaker's mask flashed, and an invisible mental wave spread out.
One thousand six hundred Blood Demons turned simultaneously, transforming into a blood-colored torrent miles long, speeding back toward Rusty Town.
Behind them, the bridge stood silent as a tomb under the dark red sky.
The Aberrant remains torn apart by the Blood Demons were slowly disintegrating, turning into dark red crystal dust that scattered in the night wind.
This former vital thoroughfare would henceforth become the bridgehead for the Blood Demon Legion's march into the Corrupted Plains.
When they returned to Rusty Town, the sky was already beginning to lighten.
The engineering team had not slept all night.
When they saw that blood-colored torrent surging from the horizon, everyone stopped their work and stood dazed in place.
Someone accidentally dropped a tool, kicking up a small cloud of dust.
They saw that those monsters called Blood Demons had nearly doubled in number in such a short period!
It wasn't until the Blood Demon Legion dispersed in an orderly fashion throughout the ruins to resume their guard duties that those tensed shoulders finally relaxed.
"Mr. Matthew!"
Ed ran over from the edge of the camp, her amber eyes filled with undisguisable shock.
"The bridge... it's settled?"
Jiang Lin leapt down from the back of the crimson claw-wing and nodded slightly.
"Three thousand four hundred Aberrants, all eliminated."
He paused and added:
"Tell headquarters they can send people to establish an outpost at the bridge. It's a vital path to the Corrupted Plains and must be held."
Ed opened her mouth but found she couldn't make a sound.
Three thousand four hundred Aberrants, wiped out in a single night.
She knew this youth was strong, but she never imagined he was this powerful.
"Also."
Jiang Lin took out the crystal extracted from the Mental Polluter's core from his spatial ring and handed it to Ed.
"Give this to the research institute. Dr. Villa should be interested."
Ed took the fist-sized dark red crystal with both hands. It was warm to the touch but emitted heart-palpitating fluctuations.
She could clearly feel that the energy inside the crystal was purer and more violent than those previous Aggregate cores, as if something alive was pulsing within.
"I'll arrange for someone to send it back to headquarters immediately."
She took a deep breath, turned, and walked away quickly.
Jiang Lin said no more and leapt to the top of the clock tower ruins, sitting cross-legged.
Although summoning no longer consumed his magic essence, there was still some mental and physical fatigue.
He closed his eyes, and his three breathing techniques began to circulate simultaneously.
Holy light magic essence flowed through his body, repairing minor damage.
Ice soul power merged with the holy light, circulating repeatedly through his meridians.
The blood energy from the Shadow of Blood's possession also merged into it, the three distinct powers forming a delicate balance within him.
The morning in Rusty Town was exceptionally quiet under the dark red sky.
The engineering team had already begun a new day of work, clearing debris, transporting supplies, and building sturdier barracks.
The Blood Demon Legion was scattered throughout the ruins, their crimson eyes flickering in the morning light.
Everything was proceeding in an orderly fashion.
Half an hour later, Jiang Lin opened his eyes.
His spirit was fully restored, and his body was filled with magic essence.
He took some dry rations from his spatial ring and chewed them slowly, washing them down with fresh water from his canteen.
Just then, a familiar aura approached from a distance.
Jiang Lin looked up and saw a silver-white figure speeding toward him from the direction of headquarters.
The speed was extremely fast, far exceeding the limits of an ordinary 3rd-rank powerhouse.
A moment later, the silver-haired woman landed atop the clock tower ruins, breathing slightly.
Her silver combat suit was stained with dew, clearly indicating she had traveled in haste.
"Mr. Matthew."
She bowed slightly.
"Headquarters received word from the bridge.
"The Leader asked me to pass on a message: the 'Old World Remnants' might have reacted."
Jiang Lin raised an eyebrow slightly.
"What kind of reaction?"
"Our monitoring station deployed at the edge of the Eternal Frost Ruins detected an abnormal energy fluctuation last night."
The silver-haired woman took out a palm-sized holographic projector and activated it.
Light unfolded in the air, transforming into a blurred waveform graph.
"This is the record from 3:17 AM last night.
"The fluctuation lasted for a very short time, only 0.3 seconds, but the energy intensity was extremely high, far exceeding any known pollution source we've encountered."
She pointed to a sharp peak in the waveform graph, her voice low:
"According to Dr. Villa's analysis, the characteristics of this fluctuation are highly consistent with the communication signals of the 'Ark' shelters from before the Great Cataclysm."
Jiang Lin stared at the waveform graph, his golden eyes narrowing slightly.
"They sent out a signal intentionally?"
"Uncertain."
The silver-haired woman shook her head.
"It might have been leaked accidentally, or it could be some kind of probe.
"But one thing is certain: something is indeed active deep within the Eternal Frost Ruins."
Jiang Lin remained silent for a moment before standing up.
"Tell Leah to keep monitoring. If there's another similar signal, notify me immediately."
"Understood."
The silver-haired woman nodded, hesitated for a moment, and then added:
"Additionally, headquarters has begun planning a large-scale breeding farm.
"Dr. Villa said that if all goes well, the first one can be completed within three months, with a daily output of thirty tons."
"Thirty tons?"
Jiang Lin frowned.
"Not enough."
"I know."
The silver-haired woman smiled bitterly.
"But that's the limit.
"Our manpower is limited, and so are our resources. To expand production, we need more people, more land, and more equipment.
"And these..."
She didn't finish, but the meaning was clear.
All of this required time.
"Then speed it up."
Jiang Lin turned around, his gaze looking toward the dark red horizon in the southwest.
"I'm taking the Rust Mine today. There's enough land and water there to build a larger breeding farm."
The silver-haired woman's pupils shrank slightly.
"Today? There are tens of thousands of Aberrants at the Rust Mine..."
"I know."
Jiang Lin interrupted her, his voice calm.
"So, I need your people to follow behind, responsible for collecting the spoils and establishing a base.
"Leave the fighting to me."
He didn't explain further and leapt down from the clock tower ruins.
The moment he landed, the crystal in the center of the Bloodspeaker's mask flared, and an invisible mental wave spread out like a tide.
"Assemble."
With one command, the entire Blood Demon Legion in Rusty Town moved simultaneously.
Crimson claw-wings dove from the tops of the ruins, their bone wings folding as they lined up neatly above the plaza.
Cursed blood bone dolls drifted out from the shadows, their tiny bones making light clicking sounds in the air.
Bloodblade Butchers walked out from the depths of the streets with heavy strides, their four arms hanging down and the bone spikes on their backs gleaming with a dangerous light in the morning sun.
One thousand six hundred Blood Demons were lined up.
Jiang Lin leapt onto the back of a crimson claw-wing and raised his right hand, pointing toward the southwest.
"Depart."
The blood-colored torrent soared into the sky once more.
This time, the target was not the bridge, but the Rust Mine—the largest Aberrant gathering zone on the edge of the Corrupted Plains.
Twenty thousand Aberrants, over fifty 4th-rank Aggregates, and that unknown existence hidden deep within the mine.
Jiang Lin stood on the back of the crimson claw-wing, his long golden hair fluttering in the wind, his golden eyes reflecting the dark red horizon in the distance.
...
Rate on N.U.
