Chapter 58: The New Purpose of the Black Spear

As the beam of light shot into the void, Gu Fangcheng, sitting in a convertible off-road vehicle, suddenly looked up and cast a suspicious glance toward Shen Lie’s direction. Below the armored vehicle, Du Lili seemed to sense something as well; her expression beneath the mask was tinged with doubt. Professor Liu even put down his test tube, closed his eyes, and began to concentrate deeply.

At the same time, about five kilometers ahead of the group, within the cluster of spider creatures, a massive spider marked with three distinctive patterns on its back suddenly emitted a series of high-pitched squeals. Its expression was a mix of anger and fear. Moments later, its eyes turned a fierce red, and with a sharp cry, the entire spider horde surged forward like a tidal wave toward the survivors’ formation.

Unaware of these developments, Shen Lie only knew that after the energy formed from the toad pearl was sent into the void, a long time passed. Just as he thought the sacrifice had failed, an almost imperceptible, faintly visible faint line returned from the void, landing on the Sacrificial Token and being stored within it.

By then, the five crystal stones had turned to dust, leaving only the Sacrificial Token intact. Shen Lie picked up the token and noticed a swirl of black mist within it, resonating with the leaf-shaped mark on his brow, seemingly ready for absorption whenever he wished.

A smile of joy crossed Shen Lie’s face—this meant the sacrifice had succeeded. According to the sacrificial arts he had studied, this returning essence was the energy gained from the ritual, which came in several grades and was truly wondrous.

Turning the token over, Shen Lie saw some characters glowing on its back—Starlight Clan script, unfamiliar to him. Yet, through the spiritual link he had established with the token, he understood the meaning despite not recognizing the letters.

“Common star energy, usable for routine energy storage.”

The inscription was brief. Shen Lie realized that while the sacrifice had succeeded, the energy gained was only ordinary. Still, this outcome was expected, so he was far from disappointed and eagerly prepared to absorb the star energy.

Just as he was about to draw the power from the token, sudden commotion erupted behind the group. The entire formation descended into chaos, and bursts of gunfire erupted—not only from the front but also from the rear. The battlefield instantly became a cacophony of cannon fire.

“Spider creatures are attacking?” Shen Lie immediately grasped the situation but remained composed. He focused his mind to communicate with the token, starting to absorb the strange energy within.

The connection was seamless. The moment his will moved, the black mist inside the token was drawn out and swiftly guided into the Niwan Palace at his brow.

Instinctively, Shen Lie attempted to channel this energy into the leaf mark on his forehead. Yet, to his puzzlement, no matter how he tried, the mist refused to merge with the mark.

This startled him greatly. When he had consumed those white petals earlier, the energy had naturally integrated into the mark. Why could it not do so now? Moreover, if the energy couldn’t be stored within the mark, would it dissipate?

Anxious thoughts stirred in Shen Lie’s heart. But then he noticed the sacrificial energy gradually permeating every corner of his Niwan Palace, which seemed to be expanding slightly because of it.

Meanwhile, the white-flower energy originally contained in the leaf mark suddenly became agitated, causing the mark itself to tremble faintly, as if the star energy and the white-flower energy were fundamentally incompatible.

This was a grave matter. Shen Lie’s face turned pale—if these two energies clashed, neither would prevail, and his own spiritual space would suffer. Such conflict within his Niwan Palace was intolerable.

Fortunately, the solution was straightforward. The white-flower energy could fuse with his bloodline power, enhancing it. Previously, he had conserved it to power the Black Spear, but now, with the arrival of star energy, it was time to release this stored force.

With a thought, the white-flower energy separated from the leaf mark and flowed through the Niwan Palace into his bloodline system. Though insufficient to drive the Black Spear significantly, this energy dramatically bolstered his bloodline, nearly igniting the third node—a cause for great rejoicing.

“Could it be that the white-flower energy isn’t star energy after all?” a sudden realization dawned on Shen Lie, growing stronger the more he contemplated it.

Though the white-flower energy could activate the Black Spear and the Sacrificial Token, it didn’t necessarily mean it was star energy. The true star energy resided within the Niwan Palace, unable to enter the skill tree. Perhaps higher-grade star energy could, but certainly not the ordinary kind.

Shen Lie was unsure if this was advantageous or detrimental, and he couldn’t change it. For now, both the white-flower energy and the star energy were beneficial, so he resolved to let matters unfold naturally.

With the energy fully absorbed, the sacrificial ritual was complete. Shen Lie carefully secured both the token and the Black Spear before hastening back toward the camp.

This group had endured several monster attacks before reaching Dongfeng Town, gaining considerable experience in combatting such creatures. Major General Zhang Kaitai commanded the forces—though not an awakened one himself, his tactical prowess was formidable.

Approaching the group, Shen Lie saw the formation arranged in a circle. The outer ring was manned by a handful of awakened warriors and soldiers armed with small firearms. Behind them was the artillery battalion’s position, followed by the supply team composed of able-bodied men at the rear. At the center were the vulnerable survivors—elderly, infirm, and children.

Before entering the formation, Shen Lie raised his binoculars and surveyed the front. The spider creatures had retreated somewhat, appearing as mere black dots. Yet even these dots were densely packed, nearly blocking the entire road ahead—numbering at least over a thousand.

“Stop! Identify yourself! I am Wu Shan, vice leader of the Awakened Alliance. You are conscripted by our alliance!” Shen Lie was stopped as he entered the ranks. In this time of war, there was no room for espionage, and he hadn’t expected resistance, yet here he was halted.

“Conscripted? By what right do you conscript me?” Shen Lie sneered, noticing the sharp-featured Zhao Jun standing beside Wu Shan. Known as the Water Ape, Zhao Jun looked at him with malicious delight.

“Hmph. This is wartime. As one of the commanders, I have the authority to conscript any non-commanders. You are now drafted into the special suicide squad to conduct decapitation strikes within the monster ranks. You dare defy my order?” Wu Shan, himself an awakened, spoke with harsh authority.

“So what if I defy it? Get lost!” Shen Lie had no patience for this nonsense. Suicide squad? Decapitating monsters? Might as well just send me straight to my death.

“Impudent!” Wu Shan’s face darkened, and from his fury, an icy spear shot forth—he wielded the same ice element power as Xiao Gang.

Wu Shan knew Shen Lie’s identity but sought only to provoke him. Yet Shen Lie’s defiant attitude embarrassed him before his subordinates. If he did nothing, his face would be lost.

“Seeking death!” Shen Lie was shocked that Wu Shan dared attack now, but anger surged within him. Without activating his bloodline power, he drew the Black Spear and struck the incoming ice spear, shattering it into powder.

He then intended to advance and teach this arrogant man a lesson, but as he moved to channel star energy into the Black Spear, he felt a deeper connection—as if the spear was an extension of his own arm. With an instinctive flick, the spear transformed into a streak of light, piercing Wu Shan’s shoulder. With a thought, it spun back into Shen Lie’s hand.

“The Black Spear can be used like this?” Shen Lie discovered a new skill and lost all interest in lingering among these people. Amid Wu Shan and Zhao Jun’s horrified stares, he strode swiftly back to his own squad.