While Han Wu was lost in thought, a special notification sounded in his mind.
[Contestant Han Wu, you have received a gift from the event host Shaura, totaling 5,000 Divine Essence.]
[Attached message: Little guy, I’m rooting for you. Keep it up, Ura!]
Han Wu was pleasantly surprised. He had actually received a gift from Gifting God King. Just clearing out one Devilsprite village had been enough to catch Shaura’s eye. What would happen if he wiped out a Centaursprite tribe next?
The Temple at the center of the pond seems like a decent option too. As Han Wu considered his options, an urgent piece of intelligence suddenly flashed through his mind, warning him to leave the area immediately.
Apparently, after the Devilsprite village’s destruction, a powerful ultimate-tier Digital Sprite known as the Phantomsprite King had mobilized a ghost army and was heading straight for him.
Han Wu had an ultimate-tier guard of his own, but he knew this wasn’t the time to take unnecessary risks. The War Saint Locustman was strong enough to handle a mature-tier Devilsprite, but facing an ultimate-tier Phantomsprite King, whose abilities would negate nearly all of its physical attacks, was an entirely different matter. There was no way that fight would end well.
Still, Han Wu wasn’t about to let the Phantomsprite King off so easily. He spent another 100,000 energy points and summoned a Nuclear Locust. Following the intel his avatars had gathered, he ordered it to intercept the ghost army under the Phantomsprite King’s command. Then he climbed onto the War Saint Locustman and continued searching for targets elsewhere.
Ten minutes into the flight, the numbers on Han Wu’s panel suddenly surged by 250,000 energy points and 70,000 evolution points. He knew right away that the newly summoned Nuclear Locust had completed its mission.
The Phantomsprite King had suffered losses for nothing, and Han Wu wondered whether it was releasing steam from its nostrils right now. Of course, that assumed the Phantomsprite King even had nostrils to vent its anger through.
After the massive haul from the Devilsprite village, Han Wu decided to push north. A Centaursprite tribe lived in the mountains there. The War Saint Locustman could unleash its full power against ordinary Digital Sprites, and even against a powerful ultimate-tier opponent, it could trade a few blows.
Han Wu flew north and surveyed the mountain range below until he finally spotted the tribe. The Centaursprites had lived as hunters for generations and were natural-born predators. Their physiques were athletic and muscular, and their entire bodies radiated a feral beauty.
The moment Han Wu descended into their territory, the Centaursprites sensed the aura unique to those from the Divine Civilization. Before he could say a word, countless Centaursprites grabbed their weapons. Some wielded spears, others drew bows, and all of them attacked Han Wu at once.
His protective barrier lost twenty-two points of durability, leaving only seventy-eight. That gave Han Wu a fright. He quickly poured in 10, 000 Divine Essence, raising the barrier’s durability to 10,068 before he finally felt some relief.
As for the Centaursprites attacking him without so much as a warning, Han Wu was furious. He spent 100,000 energy points, summoned another Nuclear Locust, and sent it toward the tribe.
With the Nuclear Locust’s Self-Detonation, even if it couldn’t engulf the entire tribe, it could still wipe out three-quarters of them.
What Han Wu never expected was that the Nuclear Locust had finally met its match. The Centaursprites intercepted the Nuclear Locust 300 meters away, forcing it to detonate before it could reach its intended position.
The terrifying nuclear blast erupted once more. As the mushroom cloud rose into the sky, Han Wu gained 40,000 energy points and 3,000 evolution points. That was nowhere near enough to cover the cost of one Nuclear Locust. It was a net loss. To make matters worse, the premature detonation had only wounded a number of Centaursprites, which enraged their leader.
The Thunder Halberd Centaursprite King, a powerful ultimate-tier Digital Sprite, charged out to avenge its fallen kin. Under its command, the entire herd stampeded forward, causing the mountains to tremble beneath them.
Han Wu realized that he had kicked an iron plate. He quickly mounted the War Saint Locustman and fled. Even in the air, he couldn’t match the Centaursprite King’s speed. The distance between them continued to shrink, and the crackling thunder halberd was moments away from striking him.
He had no choice but to place his hopes on the Evolution Tree once more. He desperately needed a guard with powerful defense to protect him so that the War Saint Locustman could focus entirely on combat.
Among Han Wu’s locusts, the Abyss Bug line specialized in defense. He immediately followed that path and unlocked the full Abyss Bug line.
[Locust (juvenile, Common life form) > Abyss Bug (adolescent, Unique life form) > Armored Abyss Bug (mature, Lord life form) > Heavy Armored Abyss Bug (perfect, King life form) > Iron Abyss Bug (ultimate, Earthsunder life form)]
Unlocking the entire Abyss Bug evolution line cost Han Wu 210,000 evolution points. Thankfully, he had ambushed the Phantomsprite King’s army on his way out of the Devilsprite village and earned a substantial number of evolution points. Otherwise, the Divine Essence he had received from gifts would have been nearly drained.
He then spent 200,000 energy points to summon an Iron Abyss Bug. It was enormous, roughly the size of a basketball court, and its entire body was covered by a carapace harder than steel. Standing atop it, Han Wu felt safe.
Now, the War Saint Locustman could fight without restraint. It raised the long spike strapped to its arm and activated its Stinger Holy Sword. Golden energy enveloped the weapon, greatly enhancing its power.
Sensing the pressure radiating from the War Saint Locustman, the Thunder Halberd Centaursprite King grew serious. It let out a series of roars, and the Centaursprite herd behind it echoed in unison.
In an instant, 10,000 voices merged into a surge of raw power that poured into the Centaursprite King’s body. Empowered by that energy, the Centaursprite King swung its thunder halberd and condensed the force into a pure white sphere of lightning before hurling it at the War Saint Locustman.
The clash began.
In the next second, Han Wu watched the War Saint Locustman use Death Pierce. It shot forward like a steel needle, piercing straight through the lightning sphere and slamming into the Centaursprite King. The concentrated attack caused the Centaur King’s blood to boil, and its massive frame dissolved into a cloud of red mist.
The powerful ultimate-tier Thunder Halberd Centaursprite King was dead. The War Saint Locustman had suffered considerable damage in the exchange as well.
The Centaursprites who had followed their king witnessed its gruesome death and went berserk. They charged the War Saint Locustman in a suicidal frenzy, hoping to overwhelm it through sheer numbers.
Han Wu had no intention of letting that happen. He converted all of his remaining Divine Essence into energy points. Combined with the rewards from killing the Centaursprite King, he used everything to summon a second ultimate-tier War Saint Locustman guard.
Another powerful ultimate-tier Digital Sprite appeared before Han Wu. It had a similar build to the first War Saint Locustman but carried a different weapon. By coincidence, this one also wielded a halberd.
Under Han Wu’s command, the new War Saint Locustman charged into the Centaursprite herd. Its halberd danced with ferocious speed, and no enemy could get close.
Energy and evolution points flowed steadily into Han Wu’s panel.
Before long, the new War Saint Locustman had fought its way to the spot where the Centaursprite King had fallen. Its thunder halberd was still embedded in the ground.
Spotting the powerful weapon, the War Saint Locustman pulled it free and swapped it with its innate halberd. Lightning exploded across the battlefield in an instant.
Armed with the thunder halberd, the War Saint Locustman unleashed devastating power and tore through everything in its path!