Chapter 238: Sheng Ao (1/2)

Lu Yin endured the extremely foul stench of the astral beast he was hiding by as he stared at the palm-sized astral beasts. Although they were small, their sonic attacks were even more powerful than Liu Yin’s strikes. It had to be said that their innate gift was very strong, allowing them to survive in battle against the humans until today.

But these beasts were a bit too strange. Nothing this powerful had appeared during the sneak attacks on the bases, and yet, they had appeared here. There was definitely something strange going on.

The more powerful astral beasts were no less intelligent than humans. During the many days he had spent at the base, Lu Yin had heard on multiple occasions that the astral beasts were also sent on missions, like the human troops. By this point, he felt that this group of astral beasts were definitely not simple; had they been in the middle of a mission?

He could not be blamed for thinking this, as this group of astral beasts had trapped even him. There were no Explorer realm astral beasts in this group, either, which was definitely rare. Additionally, this group was strong enough to wipe out a base in an instant if they attacked, but they seemed to be intentionally avoiding the bases. They were most likely either trying to team up with other groups to attack a specific area, or they had some special mission.

Lu Yin could have escaped after he dodged those palm-sized astral beasts’ sound waves, but after thinking things through, he decided to stay. If these beasts really were on some kind of special mission, then he might be able to earn some contributions if he stayed.

Although he was just a student, the reason why he had come to the warfront was still to learn through experience. If he could earn some contributions, then he would definitely not give up, especially not if all he had to pay was enduring a loathsome stench.

Before long, the group of astral beasts started to move westwards again. The large group did not run on the ground; rather, they manipulated the soil to carry them along, as if it were a vehicle carrying them. This method also meant that they left no footprints behind.

They were indeed very smart. Lu Yin’s eyes gleamed when he saw this. The beasts had clearly realized that he had tracked them down by following their footprints; thus, they had switched to this mode of transportation specifically to avoid being followed in the future.

Lu Yin’s eyes narrowed as his scalp went numb.

After a moment, the thread completely vanished into the person’s brain. The person lying on the ground then slowly opened his eyes and stiffly stood up. He calmly walked out of the crowd of astral beasts, and not a single beast made any move to stop him. After he walked out, his eyes gradually regained their clarity, and a smile appeared on his face. Then, he flew away.

Lu Yin was dazed. What had just happened? Was the person that he had seen just now under the astral beasts’ control? That shouldn’t be the case. How could an astral beast have such a strange innate gift?

After that person left, the astral beast group returned to its previous state with the earthworm-like astral beast protected in the center. Fortunately, the creature that Lu Yin was hidden within was not too far from the center, and he could clearly make out the earthworm-like astral beast.

They did not move very far before the group suddenly changed directions when the top of the earthworm beast’s head emitted a faint light.

Lu Yin continued to follow the group in this manner as they roamed across Planet Conan.

At the same time, Shui Chuanxiao was dealing with another headache. “Commander, another warship has been destroyed. Over 2,500 soldiers were killed on that spacecraft,” En Ya, his female deputy, reported solemnly.

Shui Chuanxiao’s eyes grew frosty. “We can’t wait any longer. The number of controlled people is increasing with every day that passes. Any longer and my spacecraft will also run the risk of being destroyed.”

En Ya hesitated. “Are we really going to use that? There aren’t even twenty people in the entire frontier allied troops who are qualified to use it, and it’ll be a huge loss if an accident occurs to any one of them.”

“Pass down my command and have them all assemble. They’ll start from the hundred planets guarding the center and sweep out. They will thoroughly explore each planet. Request help from the Erudite Flowzone as well.”

En Ya acknowledged the command.

“Right, aren’t the students from the Astral Combat Academy here as well? There should be quite a few of them who can help out, so let them participate too,” Shui Chuanxiao suddenly said as an afterthought.

En Ya was immediately put in a difficult position. “This mission is a bit too difficult for them, sir. Even if the students can find a drove of astral beasts protecting the Sheng Ao, they might not be able to escape with their power. Last time, we even discovered that there were the two Guais in a drove. When those two beasts fight together, even an Explorer needs to be careful. It’s too dangerous for a mere student.”

Shui Chuanxiao shook his head. “I know, but there’s no choice. Go, the safety of the frontier is the most important priority. Carry out your orders.”

En Ya nodded helplessly and turned to leave.

Not long after, Liu Shaoqiu, Silver, Xue Liuyun, and Liu Yin received new orders and were shipped off to Planet Cangyuan, which was one of the hundred planets in the center of the defense line.

The four were shocked by this development as they were just students. However, they were indeed very powerful. There were other powerhouses among the soldiers who could match the strength of these elite students, but they had relied on time and experience to slowly build up their power. And why were these students carrying out this important mission? What about Chao Zhi, Tasha, and Lanke? In terms of just combat strength, Chao Zhi was definitely no weaker than the selected students—the only difference separating the four from the rest was that they had all comprehended a domain.

Shui Chuanxiao’s mission for them was simple. He assembled all of the soldiers who could use a domain and had them infiltrate a drove of astral beasts to find the species that was called Sheng Ao; they were the ones that could control humans.

There were too many astral beasts on the protected planets for the soldiers to eliminate every single one of them. The only option was to send skilled people to infiltrate each group to find out the Sheng Ao’s weakness. With that, they could then plan a reasonable strategy.

This mission was quite dangerous, and the astral beasts were not foolish, either. Every single Sheng Ao was protected by strong powerhouses.

Shui Chuanxiao and the rest naturally did not know that Lu Yin was the closest person to a Sheng Ao at this time. He had even found this thing’s weakness, or rather, its natural tendencies.

Every living thing had its own natural tendencies that became its strengths and weaknesses. For example, humans had an inherent ability to adapt to any complicated environment and could use tools. Astral beasts similarly had their own tendencies, which even determined whether they lived in groups or in solitary. Lu Yin guessed that this earthworm-shaped astral beast that could control humans lived by itself, to the extent that it did not even want to meet other members of its own species. Every time its head glowed, the astral beast drove would change directions. Even if the horde only changed directions three times over multiple days, it was still enough for Lu Yin to make a calculated guess.