Hundreds of “ants” shot up like meteors rising from the ground, charging toward the longhorn beetle midair.
Though they lacked precise coordinates and merely leaped up with outstretched arms, relying on luck, the sheer spectacle still startled the longhorn beetle.
She shifted her position, dodging frantically while carrying the massive “door” in midair.
Precisely because the ants’ assault was chaotic and unpredictable, she couldn’t anticipate their movements. After a few evasions, one of them suddenly grazed her arm.
The “ant” failed to grab her but left a wound with its sharp, elongated nails.
Then, the “ants” scattered back to the ground like insects dispersing or chess pieces resetting.
They maintained a certain distance, never touching one another.
Clutching her injured arm, the longhorn beetle scrambled away in panic, but the attackers gave her no respite—wave after wave of assaults followed.
The swarm of “ants” surged like a tide, leaping and crashing like a roaring ocean.
Whether she was on the ground or in the air, a flood of “ants” would pounce upon her.
Though she couldn’t comprehend how this army operated, she suspected it had something to do with those strange stones. Every time differently sized stones landed, nearby “ants” would surge upward. Yet, the stones weren’t even aimed at her—how did the “ants” pinpoint her location?
Even someone as formidable as the longhorn beetle, a “Celestial,” found her “conviction” wavering under such circumstances. Her first thought was that her “concealment” had failed.
Fortunately, having endured decades in this battlefield, she knew the dangers of doubting her own divine techniques. She forcibly suppressed her doubts and maintained her hidden form.
Regaining focus, she glared at Old Sun—her priority now was to kill the man who summoned the stones.
If no new stones appeared, the “ants'” attacks would theoretically falter. The stones seemed to be their means of coordination.
Landing softly, she crouched low and crept toward the stone-summoner. The group standing together seemed momentarily confused, their backs turned as if they’d lost sight of her.
The longhorn beetle sensed a rare opportunity. Though unsure how to ultimately win, eliminating the stone-summoner was a solid first step.
By the time she was three steps behind Old Sun, he and his companions were still staring blankly at the sky, searching for her.
Just as she reached out to snap his neck, a hand suddenly rested on her shoulder.
“…?!”
A shiver ran down her spine. She whipped around to find a sinister-looking black ram standing behind her.
“Did you forget… that your final opponent is me?”
As soon as he spoke, Old Sun and the others swiftly retreated, as if they’d anticipated this all along.
The black ram stepped forward and swung his fist, striking the longhorn beetle’s throat with brutal force, sending her flying.
A loud crash echoed as she soared through the air, her “conviction” utterly shattered. As a master of “concealment,” not only had she been seen—she’d been physically struck. No matter how unshakable her faith, doubt now gnawed at her.
Her form flickered into visibility as she tumbled across the ground, gasping from the devastating blow to her neck.
For the first time, everyone saw her true appearance—a lean, muscular woman, not as bulky as Xiaoxiao but far stronger than an average person.
The “door” she carried clattered beside her. The crowd turned their gaze toward it—a massive structure, much larger than an ordinary door, forged from scrap metal to allow thousands of “ants” to pass through.
Seeing the “door” materialize, Aunt Tong exchanged glances with Old Deng and the others before circling toward it from the side.
Struggling to her feet, the longhorn beetle glared at the black ram and noticed ripples beneath his feet, as if he stood on water.
But how could solid ground suddenly turn liquid?
Was this how she’d been exposed?
The black ram took another step, stirring the ripples again—but they were eerily silent, not like ordinary water but as though the earth itself had liquefied.
“Finally decided to show yourself,” the black ram clenched his fists and advanced. “Was lurking in the shadows fun?”
The longhorn beetle opened her mouth to speak when she spotted a hail of stone spikes materializing above her. She tried to dodge but found her limbs immobilized.
“Damn—”
The spikes rained down, slicing countless wounds across her body. Yet, as a “Celestial,” her resilience spared her from fatal injuries.
Then, a barrage of bizarre “echoes” unleashed their fury upon her.
Seizing the moment, the black ram lunged forward with a reckless strike, aiming for her chest.
Knowing his lethal precision, she understood—if this punch landed, she was finished.
With a furious scream, she unleashed a deafening shriek.
**”AHHH—!”**
The sonic blast erupted across the square. Yan Zhichun and Old Sun clutched their ears in agony as half the “echoes” suppressing her vanished. Unable to evade the black ram’s attack, she countered with a desperate punch of her own.
Neither could dodge. Their fists collided with full force, striking each other’s chests. Both were sent flying in opposite directions, blood spraying through the air—no one could tell whose it was.
“Cough—!” The black ram spat a mouthful of blood upon landing, while the longhorn beetle rolled across the ground before vanishing once more.
Su Shan blinked rapidly, wiping blood from her face. Her vision blurred, reducing everyone to glowing silhouettes.
Yan Zhichun rushed to the black ram’s side, her face etched with worry. His body was a mess of wounds, bones shattered—no ordinary person could survive such damage.
“Black Ram…” Yan Zhichun pressed a hand against his bleeding head. “Rest… Our plan is almost complete.”
“Help me up…” he gritted out through clenched teeth. “I’m on a schedule… There’s still a tiger I need to kill. I can’t die yet.”
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