Once upon a time there was a greedy snake.

Chapter 245 The Road to Evolution
In the past, these warriors of the Blood Chapter would not have wanted to directly fight the Chosen Champions, naturally because they didn't want the opponents to gain experience.

So they didn't actually go into battle until their battle record was fully honed. At that time, they were all convinced that they were qualified to fight against these chosen champions—at least in their own eyes, they had considerable strength and were ready to go out and fight.

Then they were naturally taught a lesson. The absolute gap in strength could not be made up for by last-minute cramming training. All the soldiers were killed on the spot, and they became the experience of those chosen champions.

This left them extremely remorseful even after death. Their self-hatred was so profound that they never imagined that, despite their thorough preparations, they would still have aided the enemy.

However, it was precisely because of this complete defeat that these soldiers became more determined in their beliefs.

"Since we've already delivered it once, we can always deliver it a second time!"

At that moment, the soldiers decided to give up entirely.

After this battle, they all realized that since there was a gap between them anyway, they might as well fight these chosen champions. Indeed, these chosen champions could improve through fighting, but couldn't they also improve through fighting?
If this battle is seen as a competition, then death is not their end; they can keep running, and keep running forever.

Until they truly catch up to the level of those chosen champions, until they truly have the ability to harm these terrifyingly powerful beings.

However, just as their skills reached their peak in battle after battle, and they even managed to defeat a chosen champion, those chosen champions eventually revealed more of their trump cards.

When the body is torn apart and the soul is destroyed, the extreme pain that pierces to the heavens makes it impossible for them to think normally anymore.

Slaughter has become the only cure.

This time, they really started to give up entirely.

One warrior after another charged forward, only to be cleaved into countless pieces by those two-handed greatswords, as if breaking pottery—their current bodies were even more fragile than when they were made of flesh and blood, and even the slightest bump would cause large cracks to appear.

"what?"

The chosen champions were also quite puzzled. Suddenly, a group of terracotta warriors attacked. The main thing was that, apart from their fragile bodies, these terracotta warriors were actually quite powerful in combat.

However, they didn't take these terracotta figures too seriously, since they were too fragile and would shatter into pieces with the slightest bump, making them practically useless in combat.

"It looks like some kind of strange golem... Did the god of wisdom even teach them something like this?"

Golems, or humanoid constructs, are considered symbols of advanced technology in many primitive civilizations, but they are quite common in the Star Sea. After all, the technology behind them is not actually that complicated; it simply uses a consciousness aggregate, similar to a soul, to make a humanoid mechanical structure move on its own.

Of course, given the God of Wisdom's consistent style, this is definitely not some proper golem, and what's inside is probably not some kind of aggregated consciousness like a soul, but more likely some real soul...

"……Um?"

Thinking about this, the chosen champions suddenly realized that something was wrong.

On one hand, the thoughts that popped into their minds made them realize that something was wrong; on the other hand, it was because another group of terracotta warriors was rushing towards them from afar—and the way they were rushing towards them was exactly the same as the terracotta warriors from before.

"you……"

Before these chosen champions could say anything, they were already drawn into a new battle.

The entire battle was still relatively easy; they easily shattered the bodies of these terracotta warriors—but this time, before they could even think, they saw a new batch of terracotta warriors rushing out from the distant city.

The way the terracotta warriors wielded their bronze short swords was so familiar that it reminded the chosen champions of some warriors who had already been chopped into pieces.

If it's one of those people... "Oh no!"

The warning had barely been spoken when the terracotta army surged forward once more.

The battles continued one after another, seemingly without end, and the shards of pottery beneath their feet had long since piled up into a small mountain—yet the terracotta warriors in the distant city seemed endless, and every time they smashed a batch of terracotta warriors, new ones would emerge from them.

"It's the power of the underworld! They are resurrecting endlessly!"

The rune swords in the hands of the chosen champions suddenly lit up, their crimson, blood-red light capable of directly destroying the soul.

This time, however, these rune swords didn't seem to be as effective.

The greatsword struck the terracotta warrior, but only the terracotta warrior was shattered. The feeling of the strike was that it did not touch the soul at all.

Even the experience they gained was gradually decreasing.

It's as if their kills have become meaningless.

"what happened!"

For a moment, the chosen champions who were fighting were quite puzzled, because this was the first time they had ever seen someone lose experience points for killing enemies.

unless……

"It was suicide."

The chosen champion finally realized the problem.

It wasn't murder, but suicide. To avoid their souls being lost to the blade, these terracotta figures would shatter their own bodies before facing a fatal attack. Once their bodies were shattered, the terracotta figure would die, and their souls would return to the underworld on the spot, directly escaping the blade's slaying.

Then, they resurrected once more, charged in again, and rushed towards them once more.

"Are we... being restrained?"

Many of the chosen champions have even begun to feel somewhat disoriented.

With the blessing of the God of Courage, they have conquered countless planets. After all, as long as they keep leveling up and accumulating experience, they can keep getting stronger, even forever.

But now, the enemies they face, even if they kill them, will not give them much experience, and will only leave behind a lot of fragments. Apart from those broken bronze swords, they can say that they have gained nothing. But these terracotta warriors are completely different. Battle after battle, they have made rapid progress and have even caught up with their level again.

This time, the battle lasted only one day, and some of the chosen champions were already injured.

Even now, as night has fallen, the terracotta figures continue to emerge, seemingly endless.

"...We must move forward, at least to gain some time to rest and recuperate."

It was at this moment that Elias spoke up again.

For the first time, the chosen champions, who had never retreated in battle, chose to retreat.

(End of this chapter)