He examined Shi Yong’s injuries; the situation was more severe than anticipated.

One arm was fractured, two bones in his back were broken, there were extensive bone cracks across his body, and his internal organs had sustained some damage.

For injuries like these, even for someone like Shi Yong with a Furelai rating nearing ten thousand, after taking medicine, it would take about two days to recover. The broken bones might need three or four days to heal. In any case, Shi Yong would not be able to fight for the next several days.

What was also regrettable was that Shi Yong’s Red Condensation-grade armor had been damaged and would need prompt repair; otherwise, it would be unusable.

The squad members’ expressions were grim. They had known the battle would be difficult, but they had not expected it to be this hard.

Their gazes turned to the figure ahead, shrouded in black energy.

To save Shi Yong earlier, Ye Zhongming had used all the shadows he had summoned. Only by doing so had he been able to sever those emerging roots in an instant.

The squad members felt somewhat embarrassed. The number of roots that had emerged earlier was not large, yet they had been caught off guard and slow to react. While some—like the defense warriors and support warriors—lacked ranged abilities, if they had timed things right, it might have been possible to eliminate those roots. But they had been slow, whereas Ye Zhongming had succeeded. This had shattered whatever pride they had left.

Another reason for their grim expressions was that after Shi Yong returned, the Huo Grass had once again fallen silent. They showed no interest in Ye Zhongming’s energy-based duplicates, letting them walk over them without any reaction, as if they had forgotten that it was these shadows that had severed their roots.

Could it be that the roots only attacked when a physical body entered their range? Then… wouldn’t that require bait?

Even Shi Yong, with his speed and equipment, could not escape unscathed. What about them?

The squad members did not fear that Ye Zhongming would force them to act as bait. What bothered them was the thought of giving up.

Before them lay mutated plants worth nearly one hundred thousand Moonspan Gold.

They thought the mission might be abandoned, but Ye Zhongming did not see it that way.

Over this period, the entire Star-Eye Clan had progressed rapidly. As the one who had brought them these abilities, Ye Zhongming’s own strength had grown by leaps and bounds. Not only could he maintain his transformed state for a long time now, but he could also use other abilities simultaneously.

He raised one hand, pointing diagonally at the sky. No one knew what he was about to do. At the same time, the shadows identical to him began to withdraw from the Huo Grass area, evenly distributing themselves around its perimeter.

Soon, they understood.

In the direction he pointed, the massive shadow of a mountain peak appeared. At first, it was clearly an energy construct, but after a dozen seconds, the mountain grew increasingly real. Eventually, it was almost indistinguishable from the genuine article.

Ye Zhongming had become increasingly adept at using the Mountain King Crown’s ability: Mountain Press.

The colossal mountain grew until it was roughly the size of the entire Hive Nest, then stopped. It rotated in the air before descending.

The squad members were stunned by the sight. They did not know what this was, but it looked remarkably similar to abilities used by top-tier experts—or even peak experts.

“Get ready!”

He reminded them. They gripped their weapons tightly, unsure of what would happen next but ready to act when the moment came.

The colossal mountain shadow plummeted like a meteor, about to crash into the ground in seconds.

And then, the previously silent nest came alive. Countless roots shot out simultaneously, rising to meet the descending mountain.

A thunderous boom shook the ground and air. In truth, it was not a single sound but many, yet they occurred almost simultaneously, merging into one.

Ye Zhongming’s body hunched over.

“Attack!”

He’s voice nearly cracked. She knew that Ye Zhongming had created the best opportunity they would get.

The squad members unleashed their abilities on the bases of the roots.

The shadows around the Hive Nest surged forward, attacking the forest of upright Huo Grass roots.

Now, everyone understood what Ye Zhongming was doing. He was using his powerful ability to threaten the entire Hive Nest.

If energy constructs provoked no response, then he would create the largest energy construct possible and drop it on them. If they still did not react, he would crush them into pulp.

Sensing the danger, the Hive Nest finally moved. It extended all its roots to fend off the massive threat descending from above.

Under the collective resistance, the mountain shadow did not shatter or disappear. It continued pressing downward.

Looking closely, one could see large cracks forming on the mountain’s surface. It clearly could not hold out much longer.

Even without looking at the mountain, Ye Zhongming’s condition made it evident what kind of strain he was under…

So He could not afford to be calm. She did not know how much longer Ye Zhongming could hold on. She had to ensure those roots were severed as quickly as possible. If not all of them, then as many as possible!