Chapter 118: An Unexpected Enemy

The insects crawling out were several times the size of the hole, each clad in shimmering purple armor, resembling mechanical monsters. Yet, against the backdrop of Moonchild, they appeared as weak as small puppies.

At this moment, Moonchild stood 22 meters tall—equivalent to a seven-story building. Its original silvery-white scales had magnified several times over, swirling with a faint, ethereal glow. The thick, armored plates on its back had also expanded, rising outward on both sides to form shield-like structures. Most distinctively, the silver, ribbon-like hair on its head had surged in length by dozens of times, transforming into octopus-like tentacles, each capable of extending for tens of meters. At the tips of these feelers, the creature could manifest razor-sharp blades at will, a sight far more terrifying and gruesome than Yolanda’s Ultimate-stage plant totem.

"Moon Calamity Beast: Auxiliary Totem, Ultimate Stage, Cannot be upgraded further.
Abilities: Moonlight Infusion, Absolute Berserk, Triple Camouflage, Moon Calamity Tentacles.
Description: The final form of the Moon-Born Beast, representing the calamitous aspect of the moon. An ultimate hegemon under the moonlight, a semi-aquatic Ultimate-stage entity. Legend has it that it possesses the bloodline of a Moon God capable of mastering lunar power!"

Moonchild was the first Ultimate-stage entity that Shael could truly control. Over the past several days, he had exhausted hundreds of evolution points and millions worth of resources to quietly complete its ultimate evolution. The Ultimate-stage Moon Calamity Beast had not lost its previous camouflage abilities; rather, it had unlocked a third form—the current, final state.

"An Ultimate stage!" Lan looked up at Moonchild, her voice trembling.

The battle broke out in an instant, and the outcome was decided just as quickly. Moonchild strode toward the massive monsters with calm composure. The tentacles on its head glowed with a bright, crystalline light, resembling fluorescent tubes, yet they possessed shocking lethality. Each contact easily pierced the giant insects, skewering them instantly, while two tentacles working in tandem could tear them apart effortlessly. Its feelers were like indestructible blades, slicing through the armor on the insects' backs as if it were paper. In the blink of an eye, the dozens of charging giant insects were slaughtered by the tentacles, leaving not a single one capable of movement.

Invisible white beams of light emerged from the corpses and merged into the center of Shael’s brow, filling his face with irrepressible joy. To him, this place was a treasure trove. Even the weakest insect provided nearly one evolution point, while powerful ones offered one or two; these dozens of giant insects each granted over five, with the largest yielding as many as ten. All told, his evolution points had skyrocketed from the double digits to 548, rising like a rocket.

A standard power-leveling holy land—the experience gained was truly unparalleled! Shael felt increasingly glad he had agreed to this excursion; had he passed up so many evolution points, he would have regretted it to his very core. With so many points now available, there was no need for restraint. With a flick of his will, Shael instantly pressed the "+" signs behind the attributes of Firefly and his new totem!

"Give me the ultimate evolution!"

The gorilla-like monster lay on the ground, bathed in a faint light, trembling violently, yet it did not complete its evolution. At the same time, Firefly’s attempt also failed completely. But it didn't matter; he was now a Second-Rank Life Spirit Master, capable of controlling Ultimate-stage entities, so a failure would no longer result in his body collapsing. Previously, the birth of the Emperor Crocodile had been forced out by the sheer sacrifice of several giant swamp crocodiles. Back then, he had only been First-Rank, and his mental power was insufficient to fully simulate the evolutionary process; failure would have meant the collapse of hereditary factors and his body shattering.

Neither Irene nor Lan noticed the two totems behind him. They were completely mesmerized by Moonchild, their eyes wide as they watched it display its immense power. Moonchild lived up to the expectations; its tentacles danced like a highly efficient excavator, digging wantonly into the hundred-meter-tall insect nest. Insects crawled out one after another, attempting to defend their home, but they were like ants in a nest destroyed by humans, their resistance entirely futile. Their strongest individuals were merely ordinary evolved forms, and they stood no chance against Moonchild's assault.

The only reason Shael and his companions had survived the attack from Yolanda’s plant totem before was due to Leslie, who possessed totem constructs; only by having him draw the vast majority of the fire were the others able to live. Even with that double boost in strength, they still couldn't kill the creature, and it had ultimately required the main totem of Rody—who had forcibly completed an ultimate evolution—to deliver the final blow.

As Moonchild dug, the interior of the insect nest was gradually revealed. It was riddled with various tunnels, resembling a vast, intricate, and complex labyrinth, large enough for three or four people to walk side-by-side. It didn't matter, though—Moonchild was demolishing it with brute force, digging in a straight, downward-sloping line. In no time, it had carved out a massive tunnel over a hundred meters deep, with the excavated earth piling up into a small hill to the side. Its efficiency was astonishing; each tentacle acted like an excavator bucket, removing several cubic meters of rubble and soil with every stroke. Other tentacles then functioned as transport vehicles, throwing the debris outside at incredible speeds.

However, the insect nest was simply too massive—over a hundred meters tall and hundreds of meters in diameter, rivaling the most magnificent pyramids on Water Blue Star!

*Hum!*

Just then, a powerful fluctuation erupted from the depths of the cave, transforming into a mental storm that lashed out at all life in the vicinity, instantly knocking both Irene and Lan unconscious. Shael felt as if needles were being driven into his brain, forcing him to clutch his head in agony. But instead of fear, he felt excitement, and without hesitation, he whispered in his heart:

"White Spirit!"

A translucent interface appeared. The newly acquired evolution points flowed away like water, and his mental attributes began to surge, forcibly resisting the mental attack. His eyes grew brighter as he realized he had struck gold: "I never expected the Insect Queen here to possess mental abilities. That means it can fully control all the insects, no different from the game!"

He had to capture it, no matter the cost!

Over a hundred evolution points vanished, his mental attributes soared, and the two totems behind him were on the verge of completing their ultimate evolution.

*Awooo!*

Moonchild let out a painful roar. Being the closest, it had borne the brunt of the attack. But as an Ultimate-stage entity, it shook its head, shrugged off the assault with ease, and continued to dig diligently. With its efforts, it finally breached the cavern leading directly to the Insect Queen. A pile of repulsive, fleshy mountain came into Shael’s view—it was the Queen!

Before he could take a closer look, someone suddenly descended from above, stepping off a giant bird, and looked at him with surprise: "Interesting. To have cultivated an Ultimate-stage entity in such a short amount of time!"

Shael frowned slightly, for this person was one of the five giants of the Enforcement Squad!