Pretending to be a genius starts with the civilization advancement assessment.

Chapter 397 Returning Again, Where Are Your Team Members?
However, the remaining seven gods of the Eclipse Clan and the Abyss Clan ignored this level of trash talk.

They maintained their layers of defensive shields, auras of laws, and treasure radiance with all their might, like hedgehogs huddled in their sturdy tortoise shells, while inside they were engaged in a frantic and rapid exchange of souls.

"What should we do? That human's attack power must have reached the level of a high-ranking god! Otherwise, even if it was a sneak attack, it wouldn't have been possible to severely injure Kunluo to the point of near death in one blow, directly triggering the protection mechanism!" A god of the Abyss clan said in a voice filled with fear.

"Kunluo" was the name of the Eclipse Beetle God who was ambushed and instantly killed by Lin Yi.

The leader of the Abyss Clan's high-level giant lizard god had a solemn expression in his soul fluctuations: "How long has it been? A high-level god-level combatant has actually appeared in this secret realm. And we were unlucky enough to run into him."

It glanced warily at the large pile of treasures belonging to Kunluo floating in the void not far away. "This guy didn't even take the spoils of war right away. It's obvious he's not afraid of us escaping and wants to annihilate us!"

The mantis-shaped, peak-level Eclipse God beside him had his compound eyes flashing: "What should we do? Scatter and escape? He has sealed off space; escaping separately will only lead to being picked off one by one and dying even faster!"

The Abyss Giant Lizard God said in a deep voice, "I have already sent out a distress signal! However, this space has been sealed off by him, and it will take time for the support team to locate and arrive. We will have to hold out for at least 10 standard days before we can be rescued!"

"10 standard days?"

Upon hearing this, the peak-level Mantis God of the Eclipse Clan sighed, "But let alone 10 standard days, I think even 3 standard days will be difficult! His attack power is too terrifying. Our passive defense consumes a huge amount of divine power, and we simply cannot hold out for long!"

As it spoke, a fierce glint flashed in its eyes, "How about... we fight them? Maybe we can knock one or two of them out of the secret realm, at least it won't be such a loss!"

The Abyss Giant Lizard God remained silent for a moment, quickly assessing the situation.

Of the five opponents, apart from the terrifying human high god, the other four, while possessing considerable aura, had not yet reached their peak.

Of the seven on our side, two are at their peak, but the opposing high-ranking deity is the biggest variable.

However, passively defending and waiting for reinforcements is unlikely to bring down enemy numbers, while actively fighting might reduce enemy numbers and even offer a glimmer of hope for survival.

"This is the only way!" The Abyss Giant Lizard God finally made up his mind. "It's better than passively defending and taking a beating! Let's attack!"

"Roar!"

"hiss!"

Almost the instant their souls reached an agreement, the seven Eclipse Clan and Abyss Clan gods simultaneously unleashed a deafening roar!
The previously huddled defensive formation suddenly expanded outwards, and the violent divine power and law fluctuations erupted like a long-suppressed volcano!

A great battle suddenly broke out!
Two peak deities—the Abyss Giant Lizard and the Eclipse Mantis—charged out first, one on the left and one on the right!

The giant lizard god's dark golden scales shone brightly, and it brandished its mountain-like claws, carrying a violent power that could tear apart the starry sky, as it charged straight at Lin Yi!

The Mantis God of the Eclipse Clan transformed into a dark purple afterimage, its two pairs of incomparably sharp blade arms slashing out countless dark purple blades that tore through space, covering Lin Yi's body. At the same time, its compound eyes locked onto Hui Lie and Shi Feng, who were a little further away, attempting to separate and restrain them.

The other five high-level gods also launched their attacks simultaneously, each unleashing their strongest attacks in coordination with the actions of the two peak-level gods, attempting to disrupt the formation of Lin Yi's team.

Faced with this sudden counterattack, Lin Yi's eyes remained cold and he showed no sign of panic.

"Proceed according to plan!" he shouted telepathically.

Hui Lie, Shi Feng, Lu Na, and Serena were prepared and instantly and tacitly faced their chosen opponents.

The four strictly followed Lin Yi's tactic of "one person holding off one opponent," not seeking a quick victory, but only aiming to steadily hold off their opponents and create space for Lin Yi.

Lin Yi himself became the most agile and deadliest point on the battlefield.

Faced with the combined attack of two peak deities and several incoming attacks, his figure suddenly became blurred.

Void Annihilation Step!
With the blessing of the laws of space and time, his movement trajectory was unpredictable, as if he existed in multiple locations at the same time, and as if he had completely blended into the spatial background.

The giant lizard spirit's powerful claw strikes and the mantis spirit's dense, net-like blade cuts mostly landed on empty air. The few attacks that did hit Lin Yi only left afterimages as they passed through space and time.

At the same time, the Sky Shuttle Spear in Lin Yi's hand lit up with a silver-gray annihilation light.

His primary target was not the two relatively troublesome peak-level beings, but the Abyss Clan high-level deity who had just fought with Luna and was now trying to harass him from the flank in coordination with the peak-level deities!

"Void Annihilation - Stagnation!"

Silver-gray ripples spread out from Lin Yi, precisely enveloping this high-ranking deity of the Abyss Clan.

The Abyss Clan deity felt a sudden heaviness around him, and his movements and the flow of divine power became noticeably sluggish.

"not good!"

Alarm bells rang in its mind, and it frantically activated its defensive treasures and divine shield.

However, Lin Yi's attack had already begun.

A silver-gray spear light, condensed to its maximum, seemed to transcend spatial distance and instantly struck its defensive treasure.

Bang!
The divine shield was shattered instantly, and the defensive artifact also trembled violently, its light flickering and its surface showing spiderweb-like cracks.

"It wiped out nearly 5% of my total divine power in one go!"

The high-ranking deity of the Abyss clan transmitted his voice to his companion in terror, his voice filled with horror.

"help!"

The Abyss Giant Lizard God roared, its massive body twisting as its claws, imbued with the power of the Law of Death, swept out in an attempt to force Lin Yi back.

The peak-level Mantis of the Eclipse Clan also transformed its bladed arm into a sky full of purple shadows, slashing towards Lin Yi from another direction to restrain him.

However, Lin Yi didn't give them a chance to engage in a direct confrontation.

Having landed a successful blow, his figure blurred again, disappearing like a ghost between the attacks of the two peak-level fighters, and reappearing on the other side of the battlefield.

He made the most of the flexibility of the laws of space!

Sometimes it would appear beside the targeted high-ranking deity of the Abyss Clan, launching a thunderous attack that forced it into a desperate defensive posture, causing its divine power to continuously decline; other times it would suddenly turn its spearhead, attacking the giant lizard or the peak-ranking mantis at a precise and tricky angle, forcing them to retreat or dodge, unable to fully rescue their companion.

In the center of the battlefield, Lin Yi single-handedly held back two high-level peak deities of the enemy, as well as one high-level deity who was being specifically targeted.

He was like a silver-gray lightning bolt weaving through a storm, each appearance accompanied by a deadly threat, perfectly demonstrating the "Illusory Annihilation Record"'s tactics of combining the real and the illusory, integrating offense and defense.

Although the enemy had a numerical advantage, they lacked high-level law deities and relied mainly on advanced laws and a small number of advanced laws. In terms of sophistication and law level, they were completely unable to compete with Lin Yi's spacetime laws.

They can only rely on their greater divine power, richer combat experience, and better teamwork to barely hold on.

The most miserable was the high-ranking deity of the Abyss Clan who was the main target of Lin Yi.

It simply couldn't keep up with Lin Yi's elusive pace. Every time Lin Yi appeared, it had to defend itself with all its might. Even so, each time it withstood or dodged Lin Yi's attack, it would consume a considerable amount of divine power.

Lin Yi's attacks weren't just focused on it; he would occasionally turn around and harass the two peak-level opponents, making them hesitant to attack and unable to form an effective protective circle.

Under this constant pressure and fear, its divine power was rapidly depleted like a flood.

60% 50% 40%
Finally, when its divine power reserves dropped to around 35%, a chill rose from the depths of its soul.

It knew that if things continued like this, it wouldn't be long before it couldn't even withstand Lin Yi's full-force attack, and it would easily be severely injured and on the verge of death, resulting in even greater losses.

"You two!"

Filled with resentment, it telepathically communicated with the giant lizard and the mantis spirit, "I...I have to leave the secret realm! Otherwise, in a little while, I might not even be able to withstand one of his attacks and will be on the verge of death!"

The Abyss Giant Lizard God and the Eclipse Mantis God exchanged a glance, both showing a hint of dejection.

They had tried their best, but in front of a powerful high-level deity who was well-versed in the laws of space and time, it was extremely difficult to protect a teammate who was being closely watched.

"Let's cancel together if we're going to."

The Abyss Giant Lizard, at its peak, sighed, "Otherwise, if you withdraw, the breach will open, and we won't be able to hold on any longer. I've already transmitted information about this high-ranking human god, including his physical characteristics, the properties of his spacetime laws, and a rough assessment of his strength, to the other teams around us. At that time, naturally, powerful individuals will come to deal with him!"

It took one last deep look at the silver-gray figure that moved through the distance like the Grim Reaper, its eyes filled with coldness.

"Let's go!"

As soon as he finished speaking, the Abyss Giant Lizard God no longer hesitated and was the first to activate the secret realm's life-saving mark.

hum!
A dazzling seven-colored light burst forth from its body, forming a thick light shield.

Almost simultaneously, the high-level peak god of the Eclipse Mantis Clan, along with several other gods of the Eclipse Clan and Abyss Clan, also activated their marks.

Six clusters of seven-colored halos burst open in the starry sky in succession, like six strange flowers that bloomed for a moment and then quickly disappeared.

The figure inside the light shield gave the battlefield one last cold look, filled with resentment and unwillingness, before vanishing without a trace, along with the light shield.

As the seven-colored light of the secret realm mark flashed repeatedly, the originally fierce and noisy battlefield instantly became deathly silent.

Only equipment, storage containers, and other miscellaneous items, radiating various colored lights, floated in the void.

Those were the "legacy" left behind by eight enemy gods, silently floating in the dark starry sky, as if telling the story of the brief but thrilling ambush and counterattack that had just taken place.

Looking at the suddenly empty starry sky and the seven-colored light that flickered and then disappeared completely, Lin Yi said indifferently, "You ran away decisively."

Without uttering a word, the other party attacked directly. After fighting for a while and realizing there was no hope, they activated their marks and withdrew from the secret realm without hesitation. This decisiveness was not to be underestimated, and it also thwarted his plan to extract information.

Fortunately, you won't lose a single penny of the spoils.

Lin Yi raised his hand and swept over all the spoils floating in the void, temporarily gathering them together without immediately counting them.

Then, he said to Luna and the other three who had flown to his side, "Although we didn't get any information just now, the fact that they were able to intercept and kill us means that we shouldn't stay here for long. Let's leave first and divide the spoils on the way."

Upon hearing this, Luna's cool face revealed a hint of agreement. Without saying anything more, she moved her mind, and the emerald green "Azure Spirit" spaceship reappeared in the starry sky.

The group quickly boarded the ship, which immediately transformed into a streak of light and sped away at full speed.

Upon entering the spaceship, everyone immediately took out their respective treasures for restoring divine power, making the most of the divine power consumed in the battle.

Although the battle was short, everyone knew they needed to be in top condition to deal with any possible follow-up attacks or unexpected events.

While restoring his divine power with the Primal Crystal, Lin Yi waved his hand and retrieved all the spoils he had just collected, which then floated in the center of the cabin. The various treasures emitted different colors of light, making the cabin dazzling and colorful, clearly surpassing the spoils from the previous battle where he forced back Kirama.

Looking at the mountain of spoils, Lin Yi smiled and said, "This harvest seems quite substantial. Clearly, they are still thinking about that previous evacuation point, probably because they haven't found a new one yet."

Hui Lie glanced at the spoils of war, then nodded and said, "Not bad. If there were an evacuation point available, they would have already exchanged most of their unused gains for points to improve their strength. Look at the spoils they left behind; they are diverse, and many are clearly resources from the secret realm itself, but they haven't had time to exchange them yet."

"Moreover, they were forced to leave the secret realm this time. According to the rules, if they have points, half of them will condense into Origin Tower Point Crystals and fall out. But I didn't find any of these crystals just now, which means that their points are likely still zero or very few."

Luna's cool voice rang out, adding, "This also confirms the importance of evacuation points. Entering an evacuation point once can convert a large amount of temporarily unused physical resources into safe points. Even if you are forced to leave the secret realm due to encountering a powerful enemy later, you will only lose half of your points, which is far better than losing all your treasures and losing everything."

"Therefore, since they haven't found a new evacuation point yet, they are determined to take the known evacuation point."

“Not bad.” Lin Yi nodded slightly, his gaze sweeping over the piled-up treasures. “Especially as the exploration deepens, each team will accumulate more and more treasures, and the need for an extraction point will become increasingly urgent. The side that owns an extraction point will have an increasingly greater advantage in the subsequent competition.”

As he spoke, Lin Yi's mind stirred slightly, and he communicated with the secret realm's imprint to quickly scan and value the pile of spoils before him.

Soon, a number came back.

"The portion that can be exchanged for points is estimated to be around 41 billion Shiyu Tower points."

Lin Yi read out the number.

"41 billion!"

Shi Feng couldn't help but gasp, and Serena's emerald eyes were also filled with shock.

Although Hui Lie and Luna remained relatively calm, they could not hide the surprise in their eyes.

This only includes the redeemable portion, not including weapons, equipment, and certain special items brought in from outside that cannot be redeemed.

A single counterattack against the ambushers yielded such terrifying results.

After a brief moment of shock, Luna spoke first, saying solemnly, "Captain, I suggest we change the way the spoils are distributed."

She looked at Lin Yi, her clear, earnest emerald eyes saying, "In this battle, the four of us merely followed your tactics, each holding back one opponent. The one who truly decided the outcome, crushed the enemy's core forces, and forced them to retreat was you. We... we're not even high-level peak gods, so our contribution was limited."

"It would be inappropriate, both morally and logically, to distribute the funds according to the previously agreed-upon ratio. This does not conform to the principle of contribution distribution, nor is it a sustainable approach for the team."

Hui Lie immediately nodded in agreement, “Luna is right. In this battle, we were just there to assist you and hold off the enemy so they wouldn’t interfere with you. You’re the one who won the most of the battle, so you should take the majority of it. If we divide it according to the old rules, we won’t feel at ease taking it.”

Shi Feng and Serena quickly expressed their opinions as well.

All four of them knew very well that the gains this time were enormous, with 41 billion points available for exchange alone.

If the distribution is still based on the "old rule" that Lin Yi only takes 40%, the remaining amount will be an astronomical sum for each of them.

This is certainly tempting, but they understand the difference between "a full meal" and "full meals every day".

Lin Yi's strength has reached the threshold of a high-level god, placing him among the top tier in the secret realm.

He's taking them along out of kindness, and also because they've been relatively cooperative and obedient so far.

However, if they act greedy and only think about taking advantage, then with Lin Yi's strength, he can find stronger teammates at any time.

By then, they will lose not only a rich harvest, but also a top-tier expert they can rely on and a relatively safe exploration environment.

They can tell what's important and what's not.

Lin Yi was taken aback at first, but then, looking at the four people with serious expressions, he immediately understood the deeper meaning behind Luna's words and everyone's concerns.

He couldn't help but feel a sense of admiration. This hastily assembled team had members of decent character who knew how to conduct themselves and understood that long-term interests were far more important than immediate gains.

He hesitated for a moment, then declined without feigning reluctance.

As everyone has said, his contribution in this battle was absolutely dominant, and it is only right that he takes the lion's share. Excessive modesty would seem hypocritical and might make his teammates feel uneasy.

"Since everyone says so," Lin Yi said with a gentle smile, "then I won't be coy. How about this, I'll shamelessly take 60% of the spoils, and the four of you can each take 10%, how about that?"

Lin Yi received 60% of the funding for this project, demonstrating his core contribution.

The remaining 40% will be divided equally among the four people, with each person receiving 10%.

Although Lin Yi gets the lion's share while they only get a fraction, it's still a huge amount. One tenth of 41 billion points is 4.1 million points!
Adding to that the physical treasures such as weapons, equipment, and special materials that cannot be exchanged for points but are equally valuable, the total value of each person's gains this time is probably close to eight or nine hundred million points!

For Du Shifeng and Huilie, who were relatively poor, this almost instantly doubled their net worth.

Even for Luna and Serena, it was an extremely large windfall.

"agree!"

"very fair!"

"Let's do it this way!"

"The captain can make the arrangements!"

Upon hearing this, almost without hesitation, everyone nodded in agreement, and smiles appeared on their faces.

This percentage was actually higher than they had expected. Being able to receive such a huge amount of wealth while maintaining good relationships within the team was undoubtedly the best possible outcome.

With the plan finalized, Lin Yi no longer delayed.

As usual, he first carefully checked all the spoils of war, especially the storage containers and special items, to prevent a situation like the last time in Kirama, where the nascent form of the Source Treasure was hidden in a secret compartment.

However, there were no similar surprises this time.

Although these assassins were wealthy, they did not seem to be carrying any extraordinary treasures.

Their collections consist mostly of various resources accumulated through exploration and plunder in the secret realms, as well as weapons and equipment used or kept as spares.

After confirming that everything was correct, Lin Yi began to quickly divide the materials according to the proportions.

Resources that can be redeemed for points are separated according to their estimated value, while physical items that cannot be redeemed are allocated based on their attributes, uses, and approximate value, striving for fairness.

The process was quick, and in the end, Lin Yi's share, just in terms of the redeemable points, was valued at an astonishing 24.6 billion Origin Tower points.

Looking at the enormous number in his mind, a surge of pride welled up in Lin Yi's heart once more, and at the same time, a thought naturally popped into his head:
"Suddenly I have so many points again. Why don't I just teleport back to that evacuation point, enter the Pure White Space, and exchange for another batch?"

Once the thought arose, it could no longer be suppressed.

Moreover, they are now more than a year away from the evacuation point, long beyond the range of communication. If they return, he can also transmit the information about the interception and the enemy squad that was a mix of Abyss Clan and Eclipse Clan back to the Pan-Spirit Alliance team stationed near the evacuation point, so that they can be on high alert.

Thinking of this, Lin Yi looked at the team members beside him and said, "Everyone, I think I need to go back to the evacuation point."

Upon hearing this, everyone turned to look at them.

Lin Yi explained, "First, we were just ambushed. This eight-person team, composed of a mix of Abyss Clan and Eclipse Clan members, was clearly targeting the team that left the evacuation point."

"This message must be relayed back to Yanlong and Qingling as soon as possible, so that they and other allies operating nearby can be on high alert and make preparations in advance."

"Secondly," he paused, "I currently have a large number of points, which I can use to exchange for another batch of treasures when I return to the evacuation point. This should allow me to further enhance my strength."

As he spoke, Lin Yi showed a hint of apology on his face: "However, because the distance is quite far, my current divine power is insufficient to teleport everyone together, so I can only go back by myself this time. But I will return soon and will not be delayed for too long."

After hearing Lin Yi's explanation, everyone expressed their understanding.

They naturally had a general understanding of the energy consumption of teleporting using the laws of space.

The divine power consumed by a spatial law deity when teleporting itself is not high, but if it is to teleport with others, the more people there are, the stronger they are, and the farther the distance is, the greater the consumption will be.

For example, it is almost impossible for a spatial law deity to teleport a Lord-level powerhouse.

These were all high-level deities, and Lin Yi could manage the journey of a few days or ten days while teleporting them, but a journey of more than a year was indeed unbearable.

As for allowing other gods to enter one's own divine realm and then teleporting, the essence is the same, because the difficulty is never in teleporting a single divine body, but in bearing the "connection" between other gods and one's divine realm at the moment of teleportation.

Luna spoke first: "Captain, please do as you wish. We can wait here. Anyway, it won't take you long to make the round trip, including the time it takes to exchange the currency."

Hui Lie nodded and said, "That's right, Captain, hurry back. We can use this time to consolidate our understanding of the battle we just fought and keep watch on our surroundings."

Shi Feng and Serena naturally had no objections.

"Okay, then I'll go first."

Seeing that no one had any objections, Lin Yi nodded slightly.

The next moment, silver-gray spacetime power enveloped him, his figure blurred for a moment, and then he disappeared from the spot.

The evacuation point is a relatively stable platform of rubble next to the huge white vortex.

Yanlongna, whose body seemed to be made of dark golden rock, sat cross-legged on the edge of the platform, like an ancient sculpture, silently guarding the surrounding starry sky.

His spiritual perception was like an invisible spider web, covering a large area.

Suddenly, a subtle yet familiar ripple appeared in the space in front of him.

Yanlong's heart skipped a beat, and he looked over warily.

A flash of silvery-gray light appeared, and a figure materialized out of thin air, its body still clearly showing the disturbances of various laws from the battle.

It was Lin Yi, who had just left not long ago.

Yanlong's heart skipped a beat.

He quickly stood up and asked in a low voice, "Lin Yi, why did you come back alone? Where are your teammates?"

(End of this chapter)