I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 489
Due to the beast tide, the entire Cloud Sea Pioneer Space was in a heightened state of tension. The West Area had always been a weak point in its defenses, but the commander of the West Area, Si Yu, was a ruthless man. He had moved the command headquarters directly to the westernmost front-line positions, personally overseeing the defense.
When Wang Lan and Earth Walker arrived, they witnessed a Pioneering Legion, having suffered heavy casualties, retreating to camp. Area Commander Si Yu rushed out to greet the returning heroes.
"Commander, it’s terrible! The beast tide has erupted! There are so many of them, at least five hundred thousand..."
"I know. Go and rest. Everyone else, listen up! Prepare for battle! Although we have a retreat and consolidation plan, that is merely a backup. Our primary directive is to hold the front line. Until I fall in battle, or I give the order, no one is to execute the backup retreat plan! Violators will be beheaded!"
"Yes, Sir—"
Just then, two figures slowly descended from the sky.
"Who goes there?" Si Yu roared, his gaze instantly fixed on the sky like a lion’s.
"Earth Walker. Qiao Shan," Earth Walker replied indifferently, his hands clasped behind his back.
The name alone immediately transformed Si Yu’s wary expression into one of ecstatic joy. "Your Highness Earth Walker, you’ve actually come! This is wonderful! Lord Earth Walker, the Exotic Beasts might be about to erupt!"
"Mm, that’s why we’re here. Oh, and this person needs no introduction from me, right?" Qiao Shan said casually, gesturing towards Wang Lan.
"He is..." Si Yu genuinely didn’t recognize Wang Lan. Although Wang Lan’s reputation was skyrocketing in the Cloud Sea Pioneer Space, very few people actually knew him. Only the two Pioneer Legions from the Southwest Area were familiar with him.
"You don’t know him? Isn’t he renowned throughout the Cloud Sea Pioneer Space?" Qiao Shan asked, puzzled.
"Commander Si Yu, hello. My name is Wang Lan."
"You’re Wang Lan... Well, I’ll be! I’ve long admired your reputation; it’s as resounding as thunder! What you did in the Southwest Area was absolutely brilliant. I’m truly envious of that fellow Lin Yao for snagging a treasure like you. How about coming to my West Area? I feel you and my West Area are fated."
Hearing this, Wang Lan instantly felt bewildered. Looking at Si Yu, he noted the man wasn’t bald. Fated with the West Area... Are you trying to convert me or something?
"Hahaha... Si Yu, you can’t poach Greedy Wolf now. He has just been granted a title; he’s a Titled Strongman now."
"He received a title? So quickly?"
"If you could single-handedly suppress a beast tide and slaughter a hundred thousand Exotic Beasts, you could be titled that quickly too. Enough talk, there’s work to be done." After speaking, Earth Walker’s figure instantly vanished into the ground. He reappeared beside Qiao Shan, who was already in position outside the defensive line. Qiao Shan surveyed the defensive fortifications and shook his head slightly.
"Uncle Qiao, what’s wrong? Is there something not right with the defensive position?"
"It’s not that there’s anything particularly wrong with it, but relying on these defenses to stop the Exotic Beasts is wishful thinking. Luckily, I’m rather skilled at constructing defensive works." Saying that, he took out a scroll from his spatial bracelet.
Qiao Shan spread the scroll on the ground, revealing an ink wash painting of a perilous landscape with dense mountains. He struck the scroll with his palm and exclaimed, "Painting into Reality—"
BOOM—
Instantly, the ground trembled violently. All the Pioneers stared in terror at the area before their defensive line as the earth began to transform rapidly, as if reawakening.
At the edge of their vision, stretching for ten kilometers, steep mountain peaks rose abruptly from the flat ground. Each peak soared over five hundred meters high, their surfaces covered with bizarre, jutting rocks, standing as straight and sharp as swords.
This scene not only stunned the Pioneers but also caused Wang Lan, a Titled Strongman himself, to gaze in horror at this unremarkable man who stood less than 1.6 meters tall.
The effective range of a Star Martial Skill was influenced by the Star Martial Warrior’s strength. Most warriors had an attack range within a hundred meters; only those at or above the Galaxy Stage could possibly reach three hundred meters. All of Wang Lan’s Star Martial Skills, except for the Star Sky God Arrow which could strike from extreme distances, had a maximum coverage of only about a kilometer.
Even when Qing Emperor had once used Life Firmament to protect the entire Sky Park, its range was only about two kilometers. Yet, Qiao Shan’s single Star Martial Skill spanned ten kilometers, raising entire mountain ranges within that area. Was this even human? Not even Abyssal-level Exotic Beasts would dare attempt something like this, right?
"Hehehe... I’m a bit special. I’ve had an exceptionally large Star Power reserve since I was young, so these large-scale terrain-altering Star Martial Skills suit me well. Truthfully, my combat strength isn’t that high. Perhaps I was granted a title just because of this ability," Qiao Shan explained modestly.
Wang Lan found this hard to believe. While becoming a Titled Strongman wasn’t solely about strength—it also required outstanding contributions to the nation and a certain level of prestige and fame—strength was the fundamental prerequisite. A strong individual might not necessarily become a Titled Strongman, but a Titled Strongman was undeniably powerful. If I had Star Power like Qiao Shan’s, what would I have to worry about? I’d just go all out with large-scale Star Martial Skills!
The transformation of the terrain continued for about half an hour before it was finally complete. By then, the landscape outside the defensive position had been utterly reshaped. What had been a flat plain was now replaced by a continuous, undulating mountain range, instantly turning an easily assailable position into a formidable, defensible stronghold.
Looking down at the fortifications from a high vantage point, Wang Lan was filled with nothing but admiration for Earth Walker. This kind of feat... I could probably never achieve it in my lifetime.
Suddenly, Wang Lan looked up sharply, his gaze fixed on the distance. On the other side of the mountain range, the Chaos Mist began to churn erratically. Wang Lan’s expression changed, and in an instant, he was at the very forefront of the defensive line, less than a kilometer from the Chaos Mist.
"Not good, the beast tide is coming," Earth Walker said gravely, having appeared beside Wang Lan at some point.
"All hands, to your positions! The beast tide is coming—" Qiao Shan’s voice rang out, and all the Pioneer Legions rapidly began to assemble.
The mountain range Qiao Shan had created served as both a natural barrier against the Exotic Beasts and a fortress for their own forces. Once in position, every peak offered a high vantage point for ambushes.
In the West Area, the front-line forces numbered less than thirty thousand. Facing an onslaught from hundreds of thousands of Exotic Beasts in the beast tide, these forces were like instant coffee—gone in a flash.
Sure enough, amidst the surging Chaos Mist, a dark mass of Exotic Beasts suddenly burst forth, charging towards the western defensive positions.
"Hades Bone Cards—" Wang Lan suddenly slammed his palm down from mid-air. Instantly, along the ten-kilometer stretch of the defensive line, the ground shook violently as, one after another, Hades Bone Cards rose from the earth, sealing the gorges between the mountains.
If the previous terrain had resembled a forest of swords, the entire landscape now transformed into a complex labyrinth. These Gates of The Underworld became checkpoints that the Exotic Beasts would have to break through repeatedly.
The first wave of Exotic Beasts roared out of the mist, but they were not the first to clash with Wang Lan and the others. Seconds later, a large swarm of flying Exotic Beasts also broke through the mist, swooping towards the Pioneer Base in the West Area.
Flying Exotic Beasts were relatively rare; most Different Dimensional Spaces didn’t harbor them. However, they were also the most troublesome. A flying Exotic Beast might only be at the Star Cloud Stage, but because it could fly, its actual combat effectiveness could surpass that of a Galaxy Stage ground-based Exotic Beast. Air supremacy, in any world, represented an overwhelming advantage.
"What is that?!" Suddenly, a Pioneer hiding in a dugout pointed at the dark cloud in the sky and shrieked.
"Flying Exotic Beasts... We’re done for... Damn it, are these things even Exotic Beasts anymore? They actually know to use an air force to bomb us first?!"
"So many flying Exotic Beasts! Even a few hundred would pose a huge threat to us. This dense swarm... there must be at least ten thousand, right? We’re done for. We’re really done for this time."
"But thankfully, Wang Lan and Qiao Shan can both fly. Let’s hope they can find a way to deal with the flying Exotic Beasts. Otherwise, who knows how many of us will die in this battle."
"Impossible! Even if the two Titled Masters can fly, their speed and agility surely can’t match those of the flying Exotic Beasts."
At that moment, Wang Lan instantly donned the Phoenix Saint Cloth and conjured the Sword of Light. After its initial release, the Sword of Light transformed into a blade of light over ten meters long, pointed towards the flying Exotic Beasts in the sky.
"Phoenix Form, Five-Colored Phoenix—activate!"
Facing Wang Lan’s distant, threatening blade of light, the flying Exotic Beasts paid it no heed. Perhaps they had grown accustomed to their aerial dominance, feeling that no matter how strong the enemy on the ground, they posed no threat to their safety in the air. Thousands of flying Exotic Beasts, shimmering with Star Energy Fluctuations, howled as they dived towards the Pioneers’ positions.
"Feathers of Light—Nai Luo!"
BOOM—
The Sword of Light shattered, transforming into countless tiny light swords, like steel needles, that shot towards the sky, forming a barrage in the sky directly along the flight path of the incoming Exotic Beasts.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!—
The swarm of flying Exotic Beasts crashed headlong into the barrage formed by the Sword of Light. In an instant, countless corpses of flying Exotic Beasts rained down from the sky.
How could one describe the ferocity of this scene? The carnage was akin to setting up an electric insect zapper in a yard with its light on; countless mosquitoes and moths would hurl themselves at it, drawn to their doom.
After this single attack, at least a few hundred flying Exotic Beasts were downed. But it wasn’t over. Wang Lan sprouted wings from his back and, with powerful flaps, pursued the fleeing flying Exotic Beasts.
Empowered by the dual flight capabilities of the Phoenix Saint Cloth and his Phoenix Form, Wang Lan’s flying skills had long surpassed those of ordinary flying Exotic Beasts.
The scene was almost a complete reversal of roles. It had always been the flying Exotic Beasts overwhelming others; never had they been the ones overwhelmed and forced to flee. But this human chasing them was simply too ferocious.
They had no idea what those released points of light were, but any Exotic Beast hit by one was instantly killed. And the sheer number of these light points was terrifying.
It wasn’t that no Exotic Beast wanted to change the situation. Some flying Exotic Beasts turned, opening their maws to unleash a Star Martial Skill against this human, ready for mutual destruction.
But before the Star Martial Skill could be launched, a light sword blew its head apart. The fish died, but the net remained unbroken.
They couldn’t outspeed him, nor could they outfight him. Before the eyes of all the bewildered Pioneers, a spectacular scene unfolded: one man hunting down nearly ten thousand flying Exotic Beasts.
"Truly worthy of being the one who single-handedly suppressed a beast tide and slaughtered a hundred thousand Exotic Beasts," Si Yu sighed, a bittersweet expression on his face as he watched the scene unfold in the sky. With such strength, he’s likely a peerless existence even among Titled Strongmen.
