Chapter 23 The Goal is in Sight

The Seven Ember Stars formation blazed across the chamber. From his vantage point behind what could generously be called 'cover,' Zhao Lingfeng watched Qin Yi's masterful command with admiration. Each cultivator moved like a blade in the young commander's hand, their paths tracing burning lines through the air.

At his side, the Stone Claw Bear tilted its head, studying the formation with surprising intensity. Then, to Zhao Lingfeng's horror, it began attempting to mimic the cultivators' stances. Its massive stone-armored form shifted awkwardly, like a mountain trying to perform a dance routine.

"Stop stop," Zhao Lingfeng whispered, tugging at its fur. "We're supposed to be hiding!"

The bear gave him a look that somehow managed to convey both innocence and mild offense, as if to say, 'But I could totally do that formation thing.'

Zhao Lingfeng sighed. "Later. Right now, we need to—"

He paused as Qin Yi's voice rang out with another command, the formation shifting into an even more aggressive pattern. The beetle's attention was completely fixed on dealing with the coordinated assault.

"Go!"

They began moving forward. Perhaps inspired by Qin Yi's group awe-inspiring charge, the bear also moved with hurried pace. Fortunately, the movements were mildly subdued by Zhao Lingfeng's urging to slow down and it still remembered to be stealthy.

As they drew closer to the nest, Zhao Lingfeng's attention split between managing their path and watching the great battle.

When he saw Qin Yi about to unleash a technique that looked like a finishing ultimate move, he urged the bear to go faster, knowing that there was no way that the beetle or anyone would pay attention to him.

But then the beetle suddenly lurched sideways and it series of movements made his heart sank.

Luckily, Qin Yi had hesitated in unleashing the blow, and Tan Rei's group came to the rescue.

During this time, Zhao Lingfeng also pulled the hairs on the bear, as if he was pulling on reins on a horse, to force the bear to duck for cover from the spray of electrified stone shards.

There was a heavy thud, but it was masked by the fierce attack of the beetle.

Nobody had seen them.

"Phew, we have finally made it."

They had reached the final position.

Here, the problem became glaringly obvious. The remaining distance to the nest was almost entirely open ground. The few outcrops that did exist were almost not existent to say even Zhao Lingfeng could hide behind, let alone conceal a bear that seemed to think it was auditioning for a stealth operation.

"This is as far as we go for now," Zhao Lingfeng whispered, patting the bear's flank. It responded by attempting to squeeze itself even further behind their current cover, its stone-plated rear end sticking out in a way that would have been comical if their lives weren't potentially at stake.

Now came the waiting.

Zhao Lingfeng frowned, remembering what just happened.

Something had been bothering him since they'd first started observing the battle, and now, seeing it up close...

The beast's reactions weren't quite right.

They looked erratic at first glance. Wild charges, seemingly random bursts of lightning, unpredictable changes in direction. It always kept a close distance towards its nest.

The beasts here were abnormal in the first place, so it was difficult to make a sound judgement.

But there was a hidden baffling pattern to it.

He had now realized the strangeness of the beetle.

But Zhao Lingfeng decided to hold the thoughts of what he speculated.

Because that very thought was absurd.

Zhao Lingfeng put the thought back into the back of his mind and focused on the battlefield.

From their position, they had a clear view of the front lines up close. He could see the drama unfolding and the two sides being at a cease fire, but that's not what his attention was focused on. What his attention was focused on was Tan Rei's group whom were discreetly putting themselves in position for the plan.

Good, Zhao Lingfeng praised in his mind.

The bear shifted restlessly, making the outcrop it was 'hiding' behind screech ominously.

"Patience," Zhao Lingfeng breathed, though he felt the same restless energy. They were so close to the nest he could make out individual strands of Thunder Silk gleaming in the chamber's dim light.

But rushing now would ruin everything.

One shot, he reminded himself. We get one chance at this. After that...

The bear suddenly tensed beneath him, its small eyes fixed on something ahead. Following its gaze, Zhao Lingfeng saw Tan Rei making a subtle gesture.

Not the signal they'd agreed upon, but a precursor to it.

The real test was about to begin.

Zhao Lingfeng's hand tightened on his sword hilt, which he now took out, as he watched the political dance below reach its crucial moment.

Everything hinged on what happened next: Tan Rei's proper integration into the group, the beetle's response, and most importantly, whether their seemingly simple plan could survive contact with the increasingly suspicious reality of their situation.

Tan Rei's gaze swept across the chamber, lingering for just a moment on the spot where an impossibly large Stone Claw Bear was attempting to hide behind an outcrop half its size.

One wouldn't particularly notice anything different from the surroundings. But if one actually focused on that outcrop, it definitely looked unnatural and very suspicious.

"The cracks," he said, gesturing at the beetle's carapace where the Seven Ember Stars formation had left various marks. "We target those weak points while gradually drawing it this way."

Qin Yi nodded, his military mind already analyzing angles of attack.

"I noticed something during our earlier exchanges. The beetle's exoskeleton is strong, but not invincible. Ideally, we have tried aiming for its undersides, but with how fast the beast is, it has only lead to casualties. However, there is one spot that I have yet to verify... ..." His hand tightened on his sword hilt. "It's the eyes," he finished.

Before Tan Rei responded on what Qin Yi was trying to say, Fan Wei chimed in from the side, "Senior Brother Qin Yi. Are you suggesting to divert its attention with its wounds, while in truth we are actually aiming for its eyes?"

Qin Yi, scrutinized at Fan Wei. "Mm. That's right. Junior Brother Fan Wei was it? Not bad."

Tan Rei felt a little embarrassed but did not say anything. He had also reached the answer, but didn't speak because he was thinking about Zhao Lingfeng. It seems his brief silence had been misunderstood as not understanding what Qin Yi wanted to do.

Around them, the remaining cultivators readied their weapons. The tension in the chamber was thick enough to cut with a blade, broken only by the occasional crackle of electricity from the beetle's horns.

"Everyone who can still fight," Qin Yi commanded, his voice carrying the weight of authority, "spread out. Focus your attacks on the existing damage. Make it protect those areas."

Tan Rei moved to position himself on the beetle's left flank, his spear held with deceptive casualness. "Just remember," he added, subtly directing attention away from the nest, "its charges are devastating. We should try to keep space between us and that wall."

"SSSHHRKKK!"

The beetle hissed, as if sensing their intentions.

The battle began with a probe from the supporting cultivators, launching a coordinated barrage. Sword light and various spiritual techniques converged on the beetle's cracked shell. The attacks weren't particularly powerful individually, but they forced the beast to twist and turn, defending its weakened areas.

Qin Yi seized the opening, his sword trailing crimson light as he darted in from the right. The beetle's lightning response was instant, forcing him to dodge aside, but the movement exposed its flank to Tan Rei's spear. The weapon's tip scraped across one of the larger cracks, drawing an ear-piercing screech from the beast.

The battle was flowing toward their position, each exchange bringing the combatants closer to his hiding spot. Tan Rei was doing his best to steer the fight, making each retreat and advance seem natural while subtly controlling the battlefield's geography.

Of course, the goal of Tan Rei was to set up the opportunity for Zhao Lingfeng.

The beetle charged again, its horns leaving trails of lightning through the air. Qin Yi met the assault with perfect timing, his sword describing an arc that forced the beast to adjust its trajectory. It bounded past him, directly into the path of Tan Rei's spear. The weapon's tip found another crack, and for a moment, it seemed their strategy was working perfectly.

Although Qin Yi was at half his strength, the pill he took before the fight was making him recover. With Tan Rei, the only other Qi Refining cultivator of the 8th level, and the added people of Tan Rei's party, the loss of combatants had now barely come full circle to how the battle was at the beginning.

Then Qin Yi saw his chance.

"There!"

Spiritual energy surging around his blade.

The beetle had turned to face Tan Rei, momentarily exposing its eyes. Its previous defenses had left just enough of a pattern for Qin Yi to spot an opening. A brief window where neither horns nor lightning could intercept a precisely aimed strike.

Tan Rei's expression shifted in panic. "Wait—"

But Qin Yi was already moving, his sword becoming a crimson blur as he charged. The beetle's legs scraped against stone as it prepared to meet the attack. Everyone else held their breath, sensing the pivotal moment.

What happened next seemed to defy natural movement.

The beetle lurched sideways in that same unnatural motion they'd seen before, its body twisting with a quick spark. The maneuver simultaneously evaded Qin Yi's strike and repositioned itself so that any follow-up would risk striking the Thunder Silk nest.

But this time, something was different.

Boom!

The beetle's awkward dodge brought it crashing very close to the rock formations behind which Zhao Lingfeng and his bear had been hiding. Stone cracked and shattered, sending fragments flying in all directions. The bear, having parts of its 'camouflage' literally crumbling around it, let out a startled grinding sound that echoed through the chamber.

Zhao Lingfeng found himself facing an impossible choice. The beetle's movement had not only exposed its nest but also completely compromised his position. He could retreat, find new cover, and wait for another opportunity...

But more than that, they could see the back of the beetle only a few meters in front of their eyes.

This opened a new opportunity: a sneak attack!

The bear turned its head to look at him, its small eyes carrying a question. After all their ridiculous attempts at stealth, after watching their companion's sacrifices, after coming so far...

"Well," Zhao Lingfeng said quietly, a smile touching his lips, "I guess subtle isn't really our style anyway."

The bear's eyes lit up. It raised its large stone claw arms and shifting to a stance that resembled that of a seasoned boxer, steady and poised to strike.

It was ready to give the beetle a big surprise.

"Nope, we aren't doing that."

He forcefully moved the bear's head, thrusted his arm out, pointing a finger.

In that direction was the golden light.

"CHARGE!!!"