With every heave of the ground, those cracks crisscrossing the ruins would gape open like the maws of vicious beasts, spewing out gushes of white vapor reeking of sulfur.

The rubble beneath their feet began to scorch, the soles of their shoes transmitting a sensation akin to stepping on a branding iron.

*Hiss—!*

Three feet to Su Ming's side, a crack abruptly split open. A dark red tongue of flame, like a serpent's forked tongue, shot up a foot high, instantly turning a half-person-high broken wall into a glassy, molten slurry.

Lu Jun was squatting in that very spot, adjusting the formation plate. The sudden blast of heat forced him to scramble backward, rolling and crawling. A section of his hair bun was singed, emitting a charred smell.

"The earth fire vein is about to explode!" Lu Jun's voice turned shrill, the "Ignition Pivot" he had just pieced together almost slipping from his grasp. "We can't stay here! In half the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, this entire area will become a lava pool!"

In the surrounding darkness, that spine-chilling *rustling* sound grew denser.

Countless pairs of crimson compound eyes lit up in the shadows, like drifting will-o'-the-wisps, rapidly tightening the encirclement.

Su Ming's fingers swept rapidly over the scorching formation plate.

Su Ming's voice was not loud, yet it cut clearly through the roaring din, reaching everyone's ears. "That's the formation core of the Frontier Defense Great Array, suppressed by a high-grade Spirit Gathering Array! The earth veins there are the most stable!"

"The Spiritual Hub Hall?" Lu Jun was momentarily stunned. "But that's the main assault direction of the tide of insects. With our few people..."

"Precisely because it's the main assault direction, the defensive firepower there is the fiercest. That's where the gaps in the insect swarm will be."

Su Ming offered no further explanation. He turned to look at the group of battered veterans. "Lu Jun, take those who know how to read formation plates in the center. Brother Zhao, you and your men protect the flanks."

"What about the rear?" Zhao Tiji instinctively asked.

The insect swarm was pressing from the south. Once the group started moving, their backs would be the biggest opening.

Just as Su Ming was about to speak, the veteran who had lost a leg and had been leaning against a broken wall suddenly propped himself up and stood.

His name was Old Zhou, the most senior scout of Bing-7 Battalion.

"Brother Su, you take these youngsters and those who understand formations and go first."

Old Zhou fished out a pouch of cheap tobacco from his chest, didn't bother lighting it, and stuffed it directly into his mouth, chewing vigorously. His face revealed a mouthful of yellowed, smoke-stained broken teeth. "Us rough fellows, our legs aren't nimble, can't keep up with the main group. Not good for much else, but relying on this earth fire trap, holding these beasts back for half a quarter-hour is something we can manage."

Behind him, seven or eight other heavily wounded or spiritually exhausted old soldiers silently stepped forward.

They didn't utter any heroic words, just deftly untied the few remaining explosive flame talismans from their waists, or rewrapped broken blades tightly around their hands.

Su Ming looked at Old Zhou, his lips moving slightly.

"Don't dawdle!" Old Zhou spat a mouthful of bloody saliva, his murky old eyes gleaming with a fierce intensity. "You all survive, remember to set up a monument for us. Just write 'Bing-7 Battalion Hard Bones.' That's enough!"

Zhao Tiji's eyes reddened, wanting to step forward, but Su Ming grabbed his arm and pulled him back.

"Go!"

Su Ming's voice was as cold as ice, only the knuckles of his sword-gripping hand turning white. "Don't let their lives be wasted."

*Boom—*

The ground beneath their feet shook violently again. The "Ignition Pivot" serving as bait began to emit a piercing red light, the surrounding rocks rapidly softening.

"Activate the formation!"

Following Su Ming's command, Old Zhou and the others lunged toward that earth fire node on the verge of eruption.

They weren't going to suppress it, but to detonate it.

Su Ming led the main force, plunging headlong into the darkness and firelight to the north without looking back.

Behind them, an earth-shattering roar erupted.

That was the sound of the earth fire trap being completely detonated, accompanied by the sharp, shrill shrieks of countless insects being incinerated, and the final, unyielding roars of the old soldiers.

Bing-7 Battalion's retreat was severed.

But it was precisely this towering wall of fire that tore a gaping hole through the airtight tide of insects.

"Stay close to me! Falling behind means death!"

Su Ming charged at the forefront. His longsword was no longer just used for sword techniques; every swing now carried a wisp-thin thread of water spiritual energy.

"Observation micro state" vision was fully activated.

In his eyes, this chaotic battlefield transformed into a web woven from threads of spiritual energy.

Where the spiritual energy was thin, that was the weak point of the insect swarm. Where the earth and rocks were loose, that was where they could borrow force to strike.

"Turn left! Hug that collapsed stone pillar!"

"Lu Jun! Three zhang at the Qian position, throw two thunderfire pearls! Now!"

The group moved like a fish navigating a storm, perilously dodging one deadly chaotic current after another.

However, as they drew closer to the Spiritual Hub Hall, Su Ming's heart sank lower and lower.

"Disciple, something's wrong."

Lin Yu's voice carried a touch of gravity. "These insects..."

Ahead, the insect swarm that had been surging forward en masse suddenly split apart.

Dozens of "Ironclad Shield Insects," each the size of a millstone, with carapaces so thick even magical implements struggled to scratch them, pushed to the front, forming a black wall.

Behind them, rows of "Corrosion Worker Insects" with swollen abdomens raised their tails high.

*Splat! Splat! Splat!*

A sky full of acid rained down like a green downpour.

The ground sizzled and corroded, billowing large clouds of pungent toxic mist.

Furthermore, Su Ming keenly sensed that from the shadows of the ruins on both sides, an extremely swift and concealed presence was maneuvering toward the rear of the group.

Those were the "Shadow Blade Insects" specialized in hunting and killing.

"They're learning to fight like us!" Lu Jun cried out in terror. The spiritual energy shield he had just condensed was splashed by a drop of acid, instantly dissolving a large hole. "This is an army!"

"Beasts with brains are indeed troublesome."

Su Ming's feet never stopped, but his gaze grew increasingly calm. "Since they understand military tactics, let's give them a taste of 'military tactics.'"

He grabbed a handful of tattered formation flags from his storage pouch and, without even looking, flung them backward toward several low-lying areas on both sides.

"All who understand formations, follow my command! Infuse spiritual energy at the Kan positions, detonate at the Li positions!"

Lu Jun and the others instinctively complied.

Several scattered streams of spiritual energy were injected into those seemingly randomly discarded formation flags.

*Hum!*

Those low-lying areas didn't erupt in violent explosions. Instead, they instantly collapsed, forming small quicksand-like whirlpools.

The Shadow Blade Insects preparing to flank and ambush were caught off guard, stepping into emptiness and sinking into the quicksand.

"Spirit-Sinking Pit"—this was a crude method Su Ming used in the Repair Hall to dispose of discarded spiritual residue. Now, it had become a sharp tool to hinder the enemy.

"Don't get bogged down! Charge through!"

Su Ming shouted, leading the charge toward that wall of ironclad insects.

Just then, a sudden change occurred.

From the southwest direction, a piercing azure blade light suddenly tore through the night sky.

That blade light resembled a crescent moon, carrying a bone-chilling killing intent, precisely slicing into the flank of the insect swarm.

*Thud—*

The hard-as-iron shield insect carapaces were cleaved apart like tofu before this blade light, green insect blood spraying out.

Immediately after, a squad of cultivators dressed in black tight-fitting clothes and wearing masks emerged like ghosts.

Their numbers weren't large, only twelve or thirteen, but their coordination was exceptionally seamless. Three formed a group, covering each other's flanks, like several sharp knives instantly shredding the insect swarm's neat formation.

The leader held a strangely-shaped long-handled *modao* in hand. The blade was engraved with the Earth Patrol Division's distinctive "Patrol Mountain" pattern.

"The Earth Patrol Division?" Lu Jun was both shocked and delighted.

The squad leader didn't pay any attention to Su Ming's group, merely sweeping a cold glance over them. With a swing of his *modao*, he sent a pouncing worker insect flying.

"We are ordered to clear the perimeter."

The man's voice was hoarse, exuding an aloof, keep-your-distance coldness. "If you want to live, get the hell to the Spiritual Hub Hall. Don't get in our way here!"

The words were harsh, but their appearance genuinely shared the immense pressure on Su Ming's side.

The originally airtight encirclement finally revealed a passage leading to the outskirts of the Spiritual Hub Hall.

"They're Wu Miao's people."