And in Xu Wuyi’s perception, even more signatures were moving toward him from underground.

’It seems this isn’t a coincidence,’ Xu Wuyi realized.

These things were very sensitive to Energy fluctuations.

The base station’s power output was low, but the special frequency it used during startup must have provoked them.

That saved him the trouble of hunting them down one by one.

He estimated their distance and numbers.

Eight on the surface, with about six more approaching from underground.

Fourteen Ash Worms in total. The one with the highest Energy Level was close to 30.

For an ordinary Martial Artist, being surrounded by so many of these thick-skinned Star Beasts, which specialized in burrowing and ambushes, would be an extremely difficult situation.

But unfortunately for them, they had run into Xu Wuyi.

Xu Wuyi slid silently from the top of the rock formation, his landing making no sound.

He didn’t rush in. Instead, he surveyed the terrain and quickly chose a relatively low-lying area, shielded by tall lava formations, to serve as his "battlefield."

Then, he took out two High-Explosive Concussion Grenades and weighed them in his hands.

’First, I’ll clear the ones on the surface.’

He waited for the moment when the eight Ash Worms were most densely clustered. With a flick of his wrist, the two grenades traced an arc through the air, landing precisely in the center of the swarm.

BOOM! BOOM!

These weren’t explosions designed for shrapnel, but two deafening blasts that unleashed a powerful shockwave!

The ground trembled violently as a visible shockwave rippled outward!

The eight Ash Worms were clearly stunned by the sudden concussive attack.

Their tough hides could resist high temperatures and a degree of Energy impact, but their resistance to pure physical shock was only average.

Instantly, all the worms went rigid. Their mouthparts opened and closed unconsciously as their bodies writhed in agony.

Now!

Xu Wuyi moved.

Pushing Instant Shadow Step to its limit, he shot out from his hiding place like an arrow loosed from a bow, charging straight at the swarm!

The Meteor Iron Long Spear was already in his hand. At its tip, the dark-gold Undying Flame ignited without a sound.

PFFT! PFFT! PFFT!

The spear moved like a bolt of lightning, precisely piercing the head of each Ash Worm or running straight through their circular maws.

The Undying Flame flowed from the spear’s tip, instantly spreading through their bodies.

Dark-gold flames erupted from the worms’ wounds, maws, and even the crevices between their segments, burning with a silent lethality.

The tenacious Life Force the Ash Worms prided themselves on rapidly disintegrated under the Undying Flame’s conceptual incineration. Their writhing quickly weakened, and their dark-red bodies turned ashen before his very eyes.

The moment Xu Wuyi finished off the last worm on the surface, the ground below him exploded!

The six Ash Worms lurking underground had finally arrived. Bursting from the earth with a rage born of being disturbed, they lunged at Xu Wuyi from all directions.

Thick, high-temperature acid shot from their maws like arrows!

Xu Wuyi had anticipated this. His body moved like a willow reed in the wind, slipping through the gaps between the streams of acid by a hair’s breadth.

His spear spun around, still wreathed in the Undying Flame, carving a dark-gold arc through the air.

SSSHHHICK!

The two worms in the lead were struck by the sweep of his spear. Under the combined assault of the sharp blade and the Undying Flame, their tough hides were sliced open like a hot knife through butter, and the fire instantly poured in.

Seeing this, the other four worms stopped their reckless assault and immediately began to burrow into the ground, attempting to flee.

’Trying to run?’

Xu Wuyi’s gaze turned cold. His Spiritual Power flared, and the heavy Intention of a great sun cresting a mountain peak radiated from him.

He wasn’t using its full power, but the sense of stagnation that descended in that instant was still enough to make the four burrowing worms slow down.

Xu Wuyi’s figure flickered past like a phantom. His spear struck like a dragon, its dark-gold flame tracing a path of death.

Ten seconds later.

The last Ash Worm was reduced to nothing but ash by the Undying Flame.

Xu Wuyi withdrew his spear and stood, his breathing even.

A series of kill records scrolled rapidly across the display on his combat suit’s faceplate.

He didn’t leave immediately. Instead, he focused his Spiritual Power, carefully scanning the ground beneath him to confirm there were no stragglers and that no new worms had been attracted to the area yet.

’A good start.’ A faint smile touched Xu Wuyi’s lips as he glanced at the climbing numbers on his personal terminal.

Without further delay, he quickly left the battle site and continued toward the deployment point for the second base station.

...

Xu Wuyi’s progress was smooth.

As he ventured deeper, the environment grew more hostile. The scorched-black ground became even darker, and radioactive dust particles started to drift through the air.

Signs of Energy Turbulence became more frequent. Occasionally, he could hear a low rumble like distant thunder—the sound of unstable energies colliding deep underground, tearing at the fabric of space.

The Star Beasts he encountered grew more numerous and powerful.

After the fourteen Ash Worms, Xu Wuyi endured three more waves of attacks.

The second wave consisted of six Lava Lizards that suddenly burst from the mouth of a lava tunnel. 𝗳𝚛𝚎𝚎𝘄𝕖𝕓𝕟𝕠𝚟𝚎𝕝.𝗰𝕠𝐦

They were nearly three meters long, their dark-red, keratinous skin covered in patterns that flowed like molten rock. They were swift and perfectly coordinated.

The moment they appeared, they fanned out to encircle him, spitting projectiles of corrosive acid.

Xu Wuyi didn’t retreat. He swung his spear, executing the Wind Vortex technique from his Wind-Settling Spear style—a move designed to churn and deflect incoming force. The tip of his spear traced a series of perfect arcs, scattering most of the acid projectiles in midair.

At the same time, he used Instant Shadow Step to weave between the gaps in the acid spray. In the blink of an eye, he was upon the leftmost Lava Lizard.

He thrust his spear, imbuing it with the Undying Flame.

The dark-gold flame easily tore through its prized keratinous hide and plunged into its body.

The lizard fell stiffly to the ground before it could even cry out, the fiery patterns on its hide swiftly fading to black.

Seeing this, the remaining five became even more ferocious and lunged at him in a frenzy.

Xu Wuyi once again released the heavy Intention of a great sun cresting a mountain peak. He didn’t unleash its full power, but the sudden sense of stagnation was still enough to slow their movements by half a beat.

That half-beat was the difference between life and death.

A forest of spear-afterimages flickered into existence, flashes of golden-red light glinting across the dim, scorched earth.

In less than a minute, all six Lava Lizards, which had an average Energy Level of 31, had been reduced to charred husks.

Xu Wuyi wasn’t even breathing heavily. He simply calmed the slight turbulence in his Qi and Blood before continuing toward the next base station’s coordinates.

The third wave, the fourth... The types of Star Beasts began to vary. In addition to Ash Worms and Lava Lizards, bizarre creatures mutated by high-energy radiation started to appear.

There were Radiation Beetles, their bodies covered in crystals, that could fire Energy spikes; and Shadow Claw Mongooses, which moved like the wind and had venomous claws and fangs.

The strongest of them all, with the highest Energy Level, was a "Lava Lizard Chieftain" that had clearly undergone a secondary mutation.

It was a full size larger than its kin, the fiery patterns on its skin were almost solid, and the acid balls it spat were not only highly corrosive but also had an explosive effect. Its Energy Level was a solid 33.