Chapter 416

This opportunity came faster than anyone expected.

Only half a year after the fifth Samsara began, the black tide gathered again at the end of the horizon, pressing toward the wizard camp with a decisiveness and resolution far exceeding any previous round.

Jie Ming and a group of Logistics Wizards, although surprised after hearing the alarm, also quickly prepared and were busy on the core observation platform of the legion's main formation.

Unlike the previous round, the observation instruments placed on the platform at this moment were mostly in duplicate configurations.

One set was the old instruments "rescued" from the previous Samsara that had been repaired and calibrated, and the other set was newly built using materials after the "reset" in this round.

Jie Ming's research group decided to do experiments while collecting data, so the new machinery was used to collect data.

And the old machinery was used to observe the data differences produced in time reversal by matter that had existed, disappeared, and then reappeared, serving as an important paradox reference experiment.

"Why are they so urgent this time?" Jie Ming frowned while adjusting the macroscopic energy scanner in front of him, looking at the massive black wall that had risen again in the distance.

According to the experience and records left from the previous few rounds, the Sickle-Skull tribe should have been more inclined to delay and consume, utilizing Samsara to constantly try and learn from mistakes.

And for unknown reasons, most of the Sickle-Skull tribe seemed to have a considerable sense of resistance to the matter of time Samsara, so they should have been very happy about the wizards' behavior of delaying time.

"Not clear." Frost's voice came through the communication rune, calm but carrying a trace of solemnity. "Our advance rhythm completely replicates the 'warm water strategy' of the previous round, but the other side doesn't seem to intend to cooperate."

"They might have sensed something—such as the shift in our research focus, or that we are utilizing Samsara to conduct some kind of exploration that is more dangerous to them."

Jie Ming was thoughtful.

The Sickle-Skull tribe's resistance to time reversal was clear, but they chose this near-suicidal full-scale attack at this moment.

Was it because they sensed that the wizards' research might touch the root of Samsara, thus jumping over the wall like a dog in desperation?

Or was it that in the depths of their unknown decision-making network, there was some older will driving them to rush toward the fire?

In any case, the present moment was the perfect opportunity to acquire high-tier samples.

"Commander, please retain some high-tier samples for me during the engagement, preferably Tier 7 and Tier 8 individuals." Jie Ming immediately made the request. "Life or death doesn't matter; complete corpses or separable complete parts are both fine."

"Can do." Frost agreed very readily. "Anyway, the war loot will disappear after Samsara, so it's better to make the best use of it. Prepare yourself as well; the pressure on the front line will be very high."

As the voice fell, the war broke out again.

This time, the Sickle-Skull tribe army clearly learned the painful lessons of the previous two rounds.

When the wizards habitually released targeted "frequency pollution fields" and "crystallization disintegration waves," patches of reverse-modulated energy shields quickly lit up within the insect tide.

Like countless ripples on a black sea, they neutralized and offset most of the interference effects.

They even released specialized "scavenger" variants, sacrificing themselves to actively absorb and decompose the nano-clouds specifically targeting their pheromone receptors.

The Sickle-Skull tribe was evolving and adapting.

But the wizards had never stopped their steps either.

Even before the wizards themselves cast spells on a large scale, the strangulation mission at the very forefront of the battlefield was handed over to the new generation of biochemical modified beast herds.

These monsters were based on the genes of captured low-tier Sickle-Skull tribe individuals, fused with the hunting characteristics of various extreme-environment organisms, and embedded with dozens of lethal weakness codes targeting the Sickle-Skull tribe's physiological structure.

Their appearance was ferocious, like armored centipedes magnified countless times with biological energy cannons all over their carapaces, while individual variants were flesh masses flowing with highly corrosive mucus capable of spraying penetrating bone spurs.

Most importantly, these biochemical beasts were endowed with the ability to devour large amounts of biomass for evolution and high-speed fission reproduction.

As soon as the battle began, the first batch of tens of millions of biochemical beasts thrown into the battlefield rushed into the flock like hungry wolves.

Their claws and teeth could easily tear through the reinforced Sickle-Skull tribe carapaces, and the digestive juices they secreted could rapidly decompose the Sickle-Skull tribe's tissues and convert them into their own energy.

Whenever a biochemical beast devoured enough biomass, its body surface would wriggle violently, and then split into two or even three independent individuals in a very short time!

The moment the black insect tide collided head-on with this silver-gray "plague," the battle situation presented a one-sided trend.

The number of biochemical beasts grew exponentially during the battle, like thick ink dripped into water, rapidly staining and spreading.

Soon, the silver-gray color swallowed and covered the black ocean.

The battlefield they passed through left only carapace fragments weathered after being sucked dry of energy and biomass.

The wizards in the rear played the roles of "support" and "harvesting."

They released large-scale energy storms to clear obstacles for the biochemical beast herds and create opportunities.

Or they precisely sniped those high-tier Sickle-Skull tribe individuals attempting to organize counterattacks or release special abilities.

And under Commander Frost's orders, there were also many wizards specifically manipulating invisible force fields to strip one relatively complete and valuable Sickle-Skull tribe corpse after another from the chaotic battlefield and transport them back to the rear platform.

Jie Ming quickly entered a working state.

He shuttled between the "samples" being transported back continuously, his spiritual sense sweeping over them for rapid sorting.

Tier 1 and Tier 2 were stored in batches in specific areas as basic research materials.

Tier 3 and Tier 4 were carefully checked for morphology and mutation characteristics and classified.

Tier 5 and Tier 6 were focused on screening.

All samples were divided according to the experimental plan, with one part stored as a whole in the cave heaven, and the other part carefully cut—

perhaps cutting off a limb, half a head, or part of the internal organs, storing only the cut part, while the remaining torso was left outside.

Each tier of samples was divided into multiple batches, segmented according to the percentage of volume, and stored in the internal cave heaven to observe the changes in the next round.

Just as the sample collection work was in full swing, high above, a sudden change occurred!

Five terrifying pressures that made the world change color descended suddenly, and the sky seemed to be pressed low by an invisible heavy object.

Five Tier 8 Sickle-Skull tribe leaders, far exceeding ordinary size with dark golden patterns flowing on their carapaces, led over a hundred fierce-looking Tier 7 guards to tear through the clouds and head straight for the core of the wizard camp!

Their goal was clear—to destroy the command system and those "researchers" who made them feel a fatal threat!

"Finally willing to come out?" Frost's cold voice resounded through the sky.

He did not hesitate in the slightest, his silver-gray robe billowing, his figure turning into a stream of light tearing through the long sky, fiercely meeting those five Tier 8 auras!

One against five!

Behind him, dozens of Tier 6 wizards who had long been unable to hold back roared and soared into the sky, each selecting a target and pouncing on the over a hundred Tier 7 Sickle-Skull tribe members.

Clearly at an absolute disadvantage in numbers and tiers, the wizards had no fear on their faces, only cold calculation in their eyes.

The sky instantly turned into a destructive vortex of law and energy collision.

Frost's figure flickered uncertainly amidst the siege of five Tier 8 powerhouses; every move he made was concise and efficient, yet the law fluctuations he triggered made space moan continuously.

With his own strength, he actually firmly restrained five existences one tier higher, and even completely counter-suppressed them!

The battlefield of the Tier 6 wizards was also exceptionally smooth.

They either fought several Tier 7 Sickle-Skull tribe members alone or formed small battle arrays to fight against many with few.

Various bizarre and powerful wizardry spells bloomed, time flow was locally distorted, space was folded and torn, matter was deconstructed at the molecular level, and souls were impacted at the spiritual level—the wizards interpreted the violence of knowledge to the fullest.

Tier 7 Sickle-Skull tribe members fell one after another amidst shrill hisses, their broken corpses falling like rain.

Soon, Tier 6 wizards solved their opponents; they drove energy, dragged several or even a dozen huge corpses of Tier 7 Sickle-Skull tribe members back to the platform, and threw them in front of Jie Ming.

"Quick! Before the energy dissipates completely!" the wizards urged.

"You guys were too ruthless; the whole sample is almost shattered!"

Saying this, Jie Ming's spiritual concentration was high, and his movements were as fast as a phantom.

He quickly checked every corpse, focusing on the special carapace on their chest known as the "Glory Armor."

According to research, this carapace recorded the severe injuries experienced by the individual, and every healing would leave a unique, unfalsifiable color mark.

Because the color produced by every healing changed randomly, in the culture of the Sickle-Skull tribe, the more scars and colors on this carapace, the richer the combat experience, and the higher the status in society.

And such a special carapace naturally became the most suitable marker.

Jie Ming used a specially made carving knife to precisely cut off standard circular, triangular, or square fragments from the Glory Armor of several corpses, and then stored the fragments into the cave heaven.

As for the corpses themselves, half were stored as a whole, and half were stored only with the parts where the carapace was cut.

The fierce battle in the sky was nearing its end.

Frost severely injured the last two Tier 8 leaders who were putting up a desperate fight with a "Silent Star Mark" that tore through the void, locking them in mid-air with powerful confinement wizardry, unable to move.

And in his hands, he was already holding three Tier 8 Sickle-Skull tribe corpses whose auras had been cut off.

He landed on the platform, put down the three corpses, and pointed to the two confined ones in the air: "Keep the living ones for observation, you handle the corpses. Follow your experimental plan."

Jie Ming nodded and stepped forward to carefully examine the three Tier 8 corpses.

Their Glory Armors were even larger, and the colors on them were mottled and gorgeous, recording countless tragic battles.

Jie Ming selected one of the corpses, as well as circular fragments cut from the Glory Armors of the other two corpses, and solemnly stored them into the core isolation area of his internal cave heaven.

With these markers, progress could be made in the research on the time paradox mechanism produced by time reversal in the next Samsara.

Jie Ming patted his chest with satisfaction.

On the battlefield, the number of the Sickle-Skull tribe army had already dropped to a certain critical point under the joint strangulation of biochemical beasts and wizards.

That inexplicably familiar pulling sensation originating from the root of the world swept over Jie Ming's perception again without warning.

The elements of the entire plane began to tremble violently, and time began to roll backward.

The fifth Samsara is about to end.

At the last instant when his consciousness was stripped away, Jie Ming used all his spiritual power to sweep as many of the new instruments and recording crystals on the observation platform as possible into his internal cave heaven.

Darkness swallowed his vision.

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