Chapter 336: The Artifact Newly Gained, Enemies at Its Heels

The piercing alarm sliced through the brief celebration, the artifact's light suddenly dimmed, and the space tremor grew increasingly violent.

The destructive energy wave surged like a tide; before anyone could react, a swarm of black shadows emerged from the void and encircled them.

The Shadow Clan assassins, interstellar killers famed for their coldness and cunning, now exuded a chilling killing aura.

Leading them, Xi En, slender yet brimming with explosive power, cast a cold gaze over the group, a cruel curve lifting his mouth.

"Hand over the artifact, and I might consider giving you a satisfying end."

Xingji Xiake let out a roar and launched the first attack.

He swung his energy battle axe, cleaving through afterimages, yet could never touch Xi En's true form.

Ma Ke followed closely, his heavy machine gun spitting flames, but the bullets passed through the air as if ineffective against the Shadow Clan assassins.

They flickered like specters, sharp dark blades tracing cold glints in the air, and Xingji Xiake and Ma Ke instantly bore several fresh bloodstains.

Guangming Shizhe gasped, quickly releasing healing energy to mend the two.

Zhang Cheng gripped the artifact, feeling its immense power, yet discovered that the force seemed suppressed by some mysterious power, unable to be fully unleashed.

He furrowed his brows, his gaze sweeping the encirclement, searching for a chance to break through.

Xingyun Zhizhe retreated to the rear, eyes closed, seemingly sensing everything around him by some special method.

"Their attacks… have no pattern…" Xingji Xiake muttered, clutching the wound on his arm.

Xi En sneered, "Pattern? For us Shadow Clan, chaos is the greatest pattern." He flashed, instantly appearing before Zhang Cheng, his dark blade thrust straight at Zhang Cheng's heart.

At the hair's breadth of a thousand tons, a flash of golden light streaked through…

The golden light flared, and Xingling xue zhe, appearing at an unknown moment before Zhang Cheng, held an ancient plain mirror that radiated dazzling light, reflecting Xi En's attack back.

Xi En grunted low, stepping back several paces.

The Xingling xue zhe's deep voice rang out: "Shadow Clan assassins disturb space with mental power, creating phantoms; their attacks appear chaotic but are governed by mental energy fluctuations."

Hearing this, Xingyun Zhizhe's eyes snapped open; he quickly calculated, trying to discern the pattern of the Shadow Clan assassins' mental energy fluctuations.

"No, their mental energy fluctuations… are chaotic and unordered, utterly unpredictable!" Xingyun Zhizhe's face grew grim, fine beads of sweat forming on his forehead.

The Shadow Clan assassins' attack methods completely exceeded his comprehension, leaving him momentarily at a loss.

"I'll try!" Li li, the spirit user, cried sharply, pressing her palms together, focusing her mental power.

A powerful spirit energy burst from her body, forming a visible energy wave that spread outward.

The previously hidden Shadow Clan assassins materialized one by one, struggling like trapped beasts, yet unable to escape the lock of the spirit detection wave.

"Good chance!" Xingji Xiake seized the moment, his energy battle axe bearing a fierce gust, slashing hard at a Shadow Clan assassin.

The assassin failed to dodge and was cleaved in two by the battle axe.

Other interstellar warriors likewise seized the chance, launching fierce attacks on the exposed Shadow Clan assassins.

In an instant, the battle turned, and the Shadow Clan assassins retreated step by step.

Xi En's face darkened; he hadn't expected this seemingly weak spirit user to possess such great power.

He stared at Li li with icy eyes, a cruel smile curling his lips.

"Little girl, your ability is impressive, but…" Xi En flashed, turning into a black shadow, rushing straight toward Li li…

Xi En became a lingering shadow, closing in on Li li.

In the critical moment, a massive metallic figure blocked in front of Li li.

It was mechanic A li!

He piloted a specially modified spacecraft, stubbornly withstanding Xi En's attack.

The spacecraft's Energy Shield flickered violently, emitting a piercing alarm, and a deep scar appeared on the hull.

"A li!" Guangming Shizhe exclaimed, eyes full of worry.

She quickly released healing energy, enveloping A li's piloted spacecraft.

Green light flickered as the spacecraft's damage healed at a visible speed.

Zhang Cheng saw Guangming Shizhe's concern for A li and felt an inexplicable unease.

He suppressed his emotions, focusing his attention on the battle before him.

The Shadow Clan assassin Xi En, angered by A li's actions, launched another attack, faster and stronger than before.

The spacecraft's Energy Shield could no longer bear such fierce assault and shattered with a roar.

Xi En's dark blade pierced the hull, heading straight for A li's cockpit.

At the hair's breadth of a thousand tons, Xingji Xiake and Ma Ke struck simultaneously, their energy battle axe and heavy machine gun fire weaving a dense barrage that drove Xi En back.

"These guys are truly hard to deal with!" Xingji Xiake wiped sweat from his face and said gravely.

The Xingling xue zhe, holding the ancient plain mirror, continuously reflected the Shadow Clan assassins' attacks while observing their movements.

"Their attack methods are strange, yet seem… somewhat fearful of strong light…" the Xingling xue zhe murmured, a flash of insight in his eyes.

Ka Er adjusted his glasses, eyes fixed on the battlefield's changes, "Strong light? This…"

Before Ka Er finished speaking, he rushed into the spacecraft's lab, rummaging through crates.

"Strong light! I recall I brought a high‑energy beam emitter, specifically to study interstellar organisms' spectral responses!" he muttered, pushing various instruments aside.

Finally, in a corner, he found the silvery metal box.

"That's it!" Ka Er shouted excitedly, clutching the box as he rushed out.

He quickly assembled the emitter, aiming at the Shadow Clan assassins besieging Xingji Xiake and Ma Ke.

A blinding white light erupted suddenly, illuminating the entire space like a miniature sun.

The Shadow Clan assassins bathed in the strong light let out painful screams, their movements slowed, and their once‑spectral forms became clearly visible.

Xingji Xiake and Ma Ke seized the opportunity, turning defense into offense, pushing back several Shadow Clan assassins.

"Effective! Looks like these guys truly fear light!" Xingji Xiake shouted excitedly, swinging his energy battle axe to cleave a light‑pinned Shadow Clan assassin in two.

The scales of victory seemed to tip toward them, yet Xi En's face showed no sign of panic.

He let out a cold laugh, pulling out a crystal that flickered with a dark blue light from his bosom.

"Naive! Do you think this can defeat us?" He lifted the crystal above his head, and the dark blue light instantly enveloped all the Shadow Clan assassins.

The strong light's effect on them actually disappeared!

A glint of ruthless light flashed in Xi En's eyes as he slowly said, "Now, the game has just begun…" He then fiercely crushed the crystal in his hand…