"Still not giving up, huh?" Ghostfus shook his huge head. He seemed unable to understand. Then, his expression quickly hardened. "Then go die."
As an Ant-person who primarily relied on strength, Ghostfus’s attacks were monotonous, consisting only of endlessly swinging his fists, again and again.
The Blood Spirit Form quickly shattered, then recovered, repeating the cycle incessantly.
Chen Jiuge dodged to the side, letting the force of Ghostfus’s punch slide away. Suddenly, he received a mental message from Yue Meng. His hand movements changed; he turned and grabbed Ghostfus’s only arm.
"Still haven’t learned your lesson?" Ghostfus looked at Chen Jiuge’s move in surprise. Had the prolonged, intense battle caused him to lose his composure?
The muscles on Ghostfus’s arm seemed to come alive, transforming into sharp, fleshy spikes that thrust viciously toward Chen Jiuge’s arm.
Blood splattered. Chen Jiuge’s body paused unnaturally. Eric, who had been watching in secret, seized the opportunity to approach swiftly and silently swiped his dagger at Chen Jiuge’s back.
"Divine Skill—Full Moon!"
A voice imbued with a noble aura rang out, and a magnificent full moon appeared above the three figures.
Time seemed to stand still as the huge full moon slowly descended upon the trio below, appearing and disappearing without a sound.
"Cough, cough, cough... That nearly crushed me," Chen Jiuge said, looking at his body, now partly turned to white bone. A lingering fear gripped him. I was so close to death just then.
Eric, the Assassin Type, had been reduced to ashes, while Ghostfus still clung to life, his entire carapace completely shattered, revealing an ugly mass of raw flesh.
Seeing Chen Jiuge approaching, Ghostfus offered a pained smile. "You’ve won, but the Insect Clan will prevail."
The Calamity Immortal Sword chopped Ghostfus into countless pieces. Chen Jiuge sat weakly in the void and said to Black Qilin, "Go help."
"Yue Meng, are you alright?" Chen Jiuge asked, looking toward Yue Meng, who stood quietly in the void.
There was no response. Chen Jiuge’s heart lurched. He hastened closer. Ah, so she just fainted from excessive Mana consumption, he realized.
Though they had lost two Major Insect Generals, both Chen Jiuge and Yue Meng had also lost their ability to fight. Fortunately, Black Qilin could quickly dispatch the low-level Insects, relieving some of the pressure on the battlefield.
Still, given the sheer number of Insects who fought to the death without retreating, the losses this time were likely to exceed Chen Jiuge’s imagination.
Chen Yan looked at the freshly delivered battle report, his expression one of shock. "More than half of the White Tiger Guards are dead or injured? How is that possible?"
"Commander-in-Chief, the Insect Clan’s forces were led by two Major Insect Generals. The White Tiger Guards initially held them off with military formations, but as time wore on, they couldn’t hold out any longer."
"Major Insect Generals? The Insect Clan can still deploy Major Insect Generals—two of them at that?" Chen Yan exclaimed. Have they abandoned guarding their Empress?
"Do we even have any True Immortals of General Level strength left in the Third Zone?"
The great hall fell into sudden silence. It seemed they really didn’t. As a newly established frontier zone, it was already fortunate to have a few Disciples at the Insect General level. Many promising Disciples simply hadn’t had enough time to mature.
"I will request reinforcements from our superiors," Chen Yan said solemnly, his gaze falling upon his old friends. "However, I can’t guarantee support will arrive. I need you all to go to the front lines and provide support."
These staff officers weren’t weak; most possessed strength equivalent to Insect Generals. Together with the remaining White Tiger Guards, they could construct a defensive line that should temporarily stall the Major Insect Generals. ɴᴇᴡ ɴᴏᴠᴇʟ ᴄʜᴀᴘᴛᴇʀs ᴀʀᴇ ᴘᴜʙʟɪsʜᴇᴅ ᴏɴ novel·fıre·net
The great hall quieted for a moment. Then, a burly figure stood up and declared, "I’ve had enough of sitting here! I’ll go on ahead!"
"Huo Yan, you might die," another staff officer said hesitantly.
Huo Yan let out a cold laugh. "We’re all old-timers. If the Peak Master hadn’t valued the considerable contributions we’ve made, we would have perished in some insignificant war long ago."
Watching Huo Yan transform into a streak of fire and rush towards the front lines, several other elderly staff officers also rose. "It’s time for us old folks to get moving too."
As one figure after another vanished, the number of people remaining in the great hall dwindled. Yet, about half were still present, and these were almost exclusively the eldest among them.
After submitting the request for reinforcements, Chen Yan returned to the great hall. He looked deeply at these elders and said calmly, "It’s uncertain if support will come from above. Those who don’t dare to go to the front lines must get out and head to the middle layer within three days. Furthermore, you are not permitted to take any supplies with you."
"How are we supposed to get back to the Middle Star Sea on our own?" several of the oldest staff officers complained. "Crossing the boundaries of the Infinite Star Sea isn’t easy. To get from the lower levels to the higher ones, one must be guided from above; otherwise, ascending is impossible."
Chen Yan shot them a cold glance. "We’ve all known each other for many years; do you really think you lack the connections to leave? Sparing your lives is already an act of great mercy on my part. Must I pave the way for you as well?"
Watching Chen Yan depart with a flick of his sleeve, the remaining staff officers exchanged glances, then left one by one, presumably to contact those who could help them escape.
Chen Jiuge’s luck was relatively good. After extensive calculations, Chen Yan had determined that Butterfly Star and the neighboring Jin Bing’s Golden Light Star were the most suitable locations for establishing a defensive line.
All the Stars in the other three directions had been assaulted by the Insect Clan. Only the southern quadrant, specifically the direction of Butterfly Star, remained free of them.
Truth be told, the south was spared because Chen Jiuge had accidentally killed the Insect assigned to monitor them earlier. This led the commanding Major Insect General of the Insect Clan to believe that attacking this sector might slow their overall progress, so they opted for other directions instead.