Chapter 1942 - 46: Great Fusion (9)_2

Yadun was seething inside and was already planning that once they got back, he’d lay down three iron rules for these Mandak people.

But he was ultimately someone who understood the bigger picture and didn’t immediately jump in to argue. Right now it was Lord Divine Envoy speaking with them; if he rashly cut in, that would be disrespect toward the Divine Envoy, which was the same as being disrespectful to the Master of the Stars.

As a devout believer, Yadun absolutely could not allow anyone in this world to show the slightest disrespect toward His Excellency the Master of the Stars.

After hearing the two reasons Justin gave, Brother Hero couldn’t help muttering a silent "good grief." These Mandak people were really as stiff as the rumors said. If he issued a mission to Justin, then Justin had to play the role of a mercenary and take payment; but if Brother Hero phrased it as a request, Justin would refuse a single coin and agree outright.

To a normal person, this was obviously the kind of move where you pull your pants down just to fart. But for these not‑so‑quick‑on‑the‑uptake Mandak people, the meaning between the two was probably completely different.

"Very well. This operation will count as a request I’m making on behalf of the Star Alliance. The Desert Worm Clan appearing inside Karon Star poses a massive threat to the fleet’s rear security. This hidden danger must be eliminated. But don’t worry, I’ll still give you two pieces of High-level Spiritual Material as a reward. I believe once you have them, they’ll further enhance your Armor."

Justin had been about to nod and agree after hearing the first part, but when he heard Brother Hero was going to reward him—and with two pieces of High-level Spiritual Material at that—he hesitated a little, then quickly shook his head and said:

"I’m very sorry, Your Excellency. If this is a request from the Star Alliance, then please forgive me, but I cannot accept your gift..."

"Don’t be in such a rush, Justin. This time, besides needing you to provide intel, I also hope you can personally lead us there. It might be very dangerous, so let’s treat these two pieces of Spiritual Material as combat supplies I’m issuing to you."

Justin fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded in agreement and said:

"I’ll fulfill my duty as a guide. When can we depart?"

"Right now."

...

The group traveled light, taking a small ship straight toward their destination.

This time their main goal was to first scout out the situation there. If it was just a coincidental lone Sharp-Horned Worm, that would be fine. But if a large-scale insect swarm had really appeared, then they might have to dispatch a Phantom Spirit Clan fleet.

Their destination lay in a stretch of uninhabited zone relatively far from the Holy City. It was still a patch of primeval forest, full of rare birds, beasts, and all kinds of strange flora. Because of Spiritual Energy Recovery, Spiritual Medicine and similar goodies would occasionally appear, making it a popular place where many mercenaries liked to come to earn some extra cash.

It was here that Justin and his squad had found that single horn. And according to his description, they had also been attacked by an unknown creature; one of his teammates was injured as a result and was now being treated in the Holy City.

"That creature was very fast, and its defensive power was also extremely high. We couldn’t even get a clear look at it before it escaped. Gugu was wounded as well. I landed a shot on it with the Blazing Spirit Gun, but it didn’t seem to be much affected at all and just ran off."

On the way, Justin recounted their previous encounter to Brother Hero.

"It took a hit from a Blazing Spirit Gun without any noticeable impact on its movements? Looks like this thing is very likely a Desert Worm; at the very least it should be some kind of Star Beast. Ordinary animals absolutely can’t withstand the damage from a Blazing Spirit Gun..."

Brother Hero pondered for a moment, then turned his gaze to the wristwatch on his left hand.

His watch had been modified to include a module capable of detecting Desert Worms. Yet from the moment they set off until now, flying all the way here, the detection interface hadn’t shown the slightest reaction. That meant there shouldn’t be any Desert Worms in this area.

"We’re almost at the destination, but we still haven’t detected any Desert Worms. Could it be that these Insects have evolved some kind of more powerful stealth Talent? Or is that horn actually not from a Sharp-Horned Worm at all, but spoils of war snatched from them by some other Star Beast? But then... what kind of Star Beast could possibly come out ahead against the Insect Race?"

A string of questions popped up in Brother Hero’s mind. For now, none of them could be answered; they would have to check the site themselves.

The ship quickly descended onto a clearing in the forest. Brother Hero, Yadun, Justin, and ten Divine Revelators guards stepped out one after another.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

They had barely stepped out when several black steel needles suddenly shot out from the surrounding trees.

"Shhk!"

A cold flash of light swept by—Yadun had drawn his sword and intercepted all those needles.

Right after, accompanied by low growls, over a dozen figures slowly emerged from within the forest.

They were beasts with pitch‑black bodies, looking somewhat like leopards covered in spikes. Those black needles from before had been their sneak attack.

"Steel-Backed Beasts!"

The warriors recognized them at a glance, and couldn’t help looking a bit disappointed.

Steel-Backed Beasts were a native species on Karon Star. They specialized in pack hunting and could fire the steel needles on their backs to attack and wound their targets.

Within this planet’s ecological pyramid, these beasts were already among the top-tier predators. But compared with the target the group was searching for, they still fell far short.

"Swish, swish, swish!"

All the Steel-Backed Beasts launched their attack simultaneously, steel needles raining down like a storm.

Had this been ordinary beasts, they definitely wouldn’t have withstood such an onslaught. Even some weaker Star Beasts might not be able to hold up under this volley and could very well fall victim to these creatures.

But here, putting aside Brother Hero, this Control Level big shot, even Yadun and the others were all well‑trained Divine Enlightenment Soldiers. How could they possibly be hurt by these beasts?

"Courting death!"

Yadun let out a furious shout, swung his Longsword, and actually cleaved out a small whirlwind, blowing all the steel needles in front of him away.

The whirlwind didn’t lose momentum and directly killed two unlucky beasts on the spot.

The other Divine Enlightenment Soldiers and Justin tanked this wave of attacks with the Armor on their bodies. Justin aside, Armor crafted by the Mandak people counted as pretty good gear even within the Star Alliance. As for those Divine Enlightenment Soldiers, they were from the High Priest’s Guard, so their equipment was naturally top notch. Even if the Steel-Backed Beasts’ attacks could penetrate a small ship’s Shield, they still couldn’t break through their defenses.

Blades rose and fell; in less than a minute, they had taken out these short‑sighted beasts without any trouble.

Brother Hero hadn’t made a move. He carefully observed the strength of these people. Although a simple warm‑up fight couldn’t show everything, his keen eye still picked up quite a lot.

"Tsk tsk, the Talent of these Phantom Spirit Clan people is really something. Even without undergoing Awakening through the Enlightenment Array, their cultivation progress can be this fast. Their potential really is impressive."

He was now very impressed with Zhang Xiaoman’s judgment. The Phantom Spirit Clan Zhang Xiaoman had saved indeed showed excellent cultivation Talent. In this era of Spiritual Energy Recovery, the chance of Talent emerging among commoners was relatively high. With a bit of guidance, even if they didn’t necessarily reach Control Level Dark Spiritual Power, at the very least mastering the use of various Dark Spiritual Artifacts was a must.

As for that Mandak person, his performance was also remarkable. In terms of sheer strength, he was at least stronger than those elite Divine Revelators warriors. No wonder his kind was one of the most sought‑after mercenary races in the Star Alliance.

"These monsters are very on edge. Normally, Steel-Backed Beasts don’t easily attack people on a ship. For them to lash out at us so furiously, something must have happened here..."

Justin studied the corpses of the Steel-Backed Beasts as he analyzed.