Chapter 1694

Everyone, after the restriction ends shortly, it's all up to your performance!

I'll say the unpleasant truth up front! Anyone who deliberately doesn't exert effort, who doesn't quickly come to support me, will end up not getting any reward—only their own stupidity!

Beyond the fortress's 3,000‑kilometer extreme detection range, Gul Hong Mo coldly stared at the Fifth Stage representatives arranged by the other Star‑Destroying Levels, and snarled without hesitation.

The countdown still has thirty seconds left.

To launch a surprise, the seven newly recruited Star‑Destroying Level Fifth Stage warriors he brought in are all currently preparing behind the first batch of Fifth Stage.

Once the restriction ends, they will immediately use the Frontline Fifth Stage as a springboard; ten Star‑Destroying Levels together with six hundred Fifth Stage will assault the fortress with thunderous force!

Hearing the Fire Giant's blunt snarl, the Fifth Stage representatives present showed no dissatisfaction at all.

They naturally knew what Gul Hong Mo was worried about.

"Fire Lord, you can rest assured."

"As long as we trap Hei Di and his group, we will naturally support you first. After all, your pressure is the greatest."

"Are we only going to attack from one direction?"

"A full encirclement would yield greater gains, wouldn't it?"

Smiling, a humanoid Fifth Stage representative who had taken off his helmet and was laden with many weapons couldn't help but ask doubtfully.

The Fire Giant is the initiator of the plan and also bears the risk, so they naturally don't mind letting him be the commander.

But in Gul Hong Mo's arrangement, they only attack from one direction, which makes it easy for those Fifth Stage to escape.

Although the main target is Lin An, the permit and reward for killing him, even a mosquito is still meat...

"Don't be greedy!"

"We are going to kill that Star‑Shatterer!"

"If we don't concentrate our force to charge in, what if something goes wrong!? You don't need to face him, but I do!"

"Let them escape if they escape! Is the value of a B‑level permit really not worth those few points!?"

He coldly rebuked.

The Fire Giant deliberately put on an extremely solemn attitude and rebuked the representatives of the War Emperor's forces.

A full encirclement? Let not a single person inside the fortress escape?

What a joke!

If we really encircle, how would he kill Lin An and then flee?

From beginning to end, after seeing Lin An's true combat power through the eyes of the dying Flame Ghost, a crazy plan took root in his mind.

He never intended to share the reward with other Fifth Stage; the so‑called promise to divide the permits was merely to make these idiots work for him!

Unlike the other Star‑Destroying Levels, who fear Lin An might have problems and dare not face him.

Only he knows that if he himself rushes in and finds that worm, he can instantly crush Lin An!

This is his opportunity!

Kill, flee, all in one go!

For this, he has already rehearsed it countless times in his mind, even preparing to abandon all his clansmen!

"A‑level permit!"

"That's an A‑level permit... how could I possibly share something like this with you?"

He sneered inwardly.

Watching the many Fifth Stage before him making ready for the countdown, the Fire Giant issued orders one after another without changing expression.

As long as he obtains the permit and the reward for killing Lin An, he will be able to break through to Star‑Shatterer upon his return!

Faced with such terrifying gains, how could he not be excited, not want to give it his all!?

"These idiots, each more cowardly than the last..."

"They all want me to test that person's strength first, which gave me this opportunity..."

"It's just a pity about my clansmen... but it doesn't matter anymore."

A faint contempt flickered in his eyes, barely perceptible.

Hearing the other Star‑Destroying Levels' cautious arrangements, they were discussing how to hold back Hei Di and the others with minimal risk. For a moment, Gul Hong Mo couldn't help but feel somewhat pleased.

He acted too well; everyone thought he too feared Lin An, merely having no choice but to bear the risk.

He deliberately had his clansmen follow these Star‑Destroying Levels into battle, further giving all the Fifth Stage the illusion.

That is, he would absolutely not flee! His Gul Hong Mo clansmen are still in their hands!

Especially, it wasn't that he voluntarily proposed to face Lin An alone; rather, he was forced to!

"The only problem now is whether I should destroy that brat's body and flee with his head, or simply kill him outright..."

"A mere waste at most War Star Level, yet the system treats him as a Star‑Shatterer... the secret behind this is probably no less valuable than the permit."

"The risk of capturing him alive is just too great... I'm not good at escaping to begin with."

He felt slightly torn inside.

The Fire Giant unconsciously glanced toward the fortress; the fire in his eyes, like his inner greed, was burning.

"The countdown is about to end."

"In ten seconds, the third‑party faction, Star‑Shatterer Lin An, will have the restriction lifted."

"10!"

"9!"

"7!"

"0!"

The countdown ended quickly.

With the cold system prompt ending, in an instant, before the eyes of the many Fifth Stage, a black column of light suddenly shot up above the fortress.

The giant skull representing the Star-Shatter Level, at this moment like a death mark, rapidly enlarged.

A black ripple, moreover, with an unstoppable force, swept across the entire battlefield at extreme speed!

Like a silent nuclear blast erupting inside the fortress, ten thousand meters above, that shocking Shockwave instantly seemed to proclaim the devil's release.

Exactly the same as the scene when Lin An's identity was exposed.

Looking at this exaggerated release scene, all Fifth Stage cultivators' hearts violently shook.

Although they all believed that the person in the fortress was certainly not a true Star-Shatter, for a moment they instinctively tensed their bodies.

The deterrent power of the Star-Shatter Level is truly immense!

At the same time, another system announcement closely following it came again.

「Restriction lifted! 」

「The Starfield Battlefield begins to contract! 」

「Hum! 」

As the system voice sounded again, a black torrent suddenly began to slowly advance at the boundary of the Starfield Battlefield where it should not be.

Like an expulsion, with each advance of the torrent, the land it covered instantly turned to nothing!

「What is this! 」

On the fortress, Hei Di looked in surprise at the black line that suddenly appeared on the system map.

Originally, all his thoughts were focused on the upcoming battle.

But seeing this newly added battlefield restriction, he couldn't help but become dazed!

Battlefield contraction!!

What does this mean!!

Is the system trying to shrink the distance between them, forcing them into a melee!!

No time to think too much; before Hei Di could even subconsciously consider what changes this would bring, in the next second, a series of oppressive spatial fluctuations suddenly erupted at the periapsis.

In the sky at the same altitude as the fortress, more than ten spatial rifts suddenly, like a beehive, rapidly spewed out large numbers of Fifth Stage cultivators.

They came so fast!

They didn't even do a small-scale probe, going straight to war!!

This was somewhat beyond Hei Di's expectation.

Seeing the sudden arrival of four hundred Fifth Stage troops, Hei Di suppressed his miscellaneous thoughts, decisively condensed his own rules, and prepared to meet the enemy.

Although their speed was faster than he imagined, only War Star Level cultivators had appeared first, so the problem was not yet serious.

「Chimera Emperor! No need to defend that side anymore! 」

「They're all in this direction of mine! 」

He shouted via mental power transmission.

Not wanting to lose too many of our Fifth Stage cultivators, Hei Di instantly saw the enemy's movements and simply had the Chimera Emperor cooperate with him.

First kill this batch of Fifth Stage cultivators; with Lin An's deterrence, those Star-Shatter Level cultivators should wait a while before daring to act.

There isn't too much pressure.

Thinking that he had somewhat benefited from Lin An's Star-Shatter Level deterrence, being able to kill a batch of Fifth Stage cultivators in advance, Hei Di's eyes showed no fear.

He even felt a bit glad.

But before he could think further, in an instant, ten successive astonishing auras burst forth again from the spatial passage.

Damn!!

His expression drastically changed.

In the black light domain, Hei Di's pupils suddenly contracted, as if unable to believe, he stiffened in place.

「Ten Star-Shatter Level!! 」

「They're coming to kill us now!! 」

Why!!

Why has it come to this!!