Chapter Fifty-Six: The Monster Strikes

Shen Lie had studied this token-shaped object countless times, but had made no progress. Of course, he knew it was extraordinary because it had once led him to the Golden Hall in another realm.

However, after repeated fruitless attempts, he had gradually given up. It was only when the fiery red bead inside that toad-like creature triggered a change in the object that he was reminded of it again.

Holding the miniature token in one hand and the toad monster’s fiery red bead in the other, Shen Lie sensed a faint connection between the two. The main reaction, however, was on the token; the bead showed no change.

“Could it require an energy activation?” Shen Lie had tried using his bloodline power on this token before, but it never responded. This time was no different. No matter how much bloodline energy he poured in, the token remained unchanged. The bloodline energy couldn’t even be absorbed—it seemed to be just an ordinary piece of metal.

“Useless?” Shen Lie frowned. Given the token had warmed up, there ought to be more to it. Perhaps the energy was incorrect?

Suddenly, he recalled that he had never tried activating the token using the mysterious energy from his brow. That energy had only manifested in Dongfeng Town, and since the leaf-shaped mark appeared on his brow, he had been focused on survival, neglecting the token. Now it seemed he had missed something crucial.

With more than half of the brow mark’s energy remaining, Shen Lie extracted a trace and slowly infused it into the token. Immediately, his expression brightened.

The moment the mysterious energy touched the token, a layer of radiance appeared on its surface. On one side, countless tiny symbols, too small to be seen with the naked eye, shimmered faintly, while the other side revealed a strange pattern.

This change was profound. Shen Lie’s heart lifted; only now did he understand that the pendant his father left him was an artifact of the Starry Clan. The object that originally guided him wasn’t some spatial rift or the Golden Hall—it was the black short spear in his hand.

No, more precisely, it was the single drop of black essence blood that the item pointed to!

Suddenly enlightened, Shen Lie realized he had been mistaken all along, believing the token could sense spatial rifts. He had been pursuing the wrong path, which explained why his research yielded nothing.

The black essence blood had dissipated due to its conflict with the golden essence blood and was later absorbed by him. Thus, the token no longer sensed the essence blood’s presence and appeared ordinary. It was only because he never attempted to use the brow energy that this treasure remained dormant.

As the radiance appeared, Shen Lie continued infusing the token with mysterious energy, causing it to grow hotter and hotter, but no other changes occurred beyond the intense heat.

After a while, when Shen Lie sensed that the energy in his brow mark had nearly halved, a vague message finally emerged from the token.

What did it mean? Thirst?

The message was too obscure, merely a faint intuition that left Shen Lie perplexed. It seemed to convey a sense of thirst.

“Could it be blood?” Shen Lie recalled some novels he had read and considered the current situation humanity faced. Blood seemed the most likely answer, so he pricked his finger and let a drop fall onto the token.

This time, he was right. The moment the fresh blood touched the token, its radiance brightened significantly. Shen Lie immediately felt an ineffable connection forming between himself and the token. The glow intensified to its peak, then astonishingly, the radiance detached itself, forming a separate entity that rose from the token!

Shen Lie was stunned by what he saw, but before he could think further, the radiant entity streaked like a white light, swiftly entering his brow!

After a moment, Shen Lie recovered from his daze, though his mind remained shaken.

That light contained a wondrous technique called the Starry Sky Sacrifice. This mystical method allowed a fitting sacrificial item to be offered through a sacrificial array, which then returned energy from the starry sky—an energy called Star Power, the same mysterious force within his brow mark.

The reason the token reacted upon contact with the toad monster’s bead was that the bead was a sacrificial object, and the token served as a device to detect such sacrificial items.

The long-sought method to enhance the mysterious energy in his brow mark had now appeared before Shen Lie. This time, he didn’t just want to laugh—he wanted to laugh wildly, unrestrainedly, uproariously, laughing so fiercely it shook heaven and moved earth.

“Woooooo!”

As the saying goes, extreme joy often breeds sorrow. Just as Shen Lie had gained two treasures, the squad’s alert team sounded a deep, urgent horn. This horn replaced electronic radios; its blowing signaled approaching danger. The more urgent the horn, the greater the threat.

This time, the horn was frantic. Shen Lie’s expression changed sharply. Since leaving Dongfeng Town, their team had encountered no major danger, making him believe they might safely reach Yang City. He hadn’t expected a battle was unavoidable.

The urgency meant a large swarm of spider monsters was approaching. These creatures had grown more numerous and powerful over time.

“Brother Shen, a large group of spider monsters has appeared ahead. The professor wants you to return to the armored vehicle to discuss,” Zhang Jing knocked on the window outside, her tone tense.

“How many are there? Any intel?” Shen Lie swiftly stowed away his items and stepped out, spotting Du Lili wearing a mask.

“According to reports from the front, we’ve encountered a monster squad estimated at over a thousand!” Du Lili hurried over, anxiety in her voice.

“A thousand?” Shen Lie exclaimed in shock. How could their team withstand that? Among so many, there must be higher-level spiders, perhaps even super-tier ones. With only a few awakened fighters in their ranks, this was perilous.

“Is there any chance to bypass them?” The battle hadn’t started yet, indicating the patrol spotted the spiders first, so it wasn’t an ambush.

“Unlikely. The headquarters just sent word. It seems a bloody fight is unavoidable. Spider monsters have been spotted both ahead and behind us. They’re surrounding our team. The professor suspects there’s an intelligent leader among them.”

As Shen Lie listened while walking, his face darkened further. An intelligent leader would exponentially increase the monsters’ combat power. They were truly in trouble.

“Tell the professor I’m going out to assess the situation. I’ll be back shortly!” Without waiting for a reply, Shen Lie suddenly stopped, turned to Du Lili, and then swiftly dashed toward the front of the formation, ignoring Zhang Jing’s calls.

The looming battle was about to begin.