Chapter 00105: The First Shattered Soul
# The First Shattered Soul
Chapter 105
Novel: After the Myth
Chapter 105: The First Shattered Soul
The once bustling city of Deya in the West Asia Sand Nation, filled with towering skyscrapers and teeming with life, now lay in ruins, completely flattened.
In the center of what used to be Deya, four massive spacecraft hovered.
These ships were of different designs—two resembled enormous flying saucers, each spanning the size of several football fields.
The other two were smaller, similar in size and shape to the "Godseeker" ship Ding Huan had encountered before.
These smaller ships flanked the larger saucers, acting as escorts.
Surrounding the four spacecraft were at least ten thousand undead spiders.
Each spider stood at least two meters tall, and they stood motionless like statues, encircling the ships.
...
On the outskirts of the Sand Nation, defensive trenches and walls had been hastily constructed.
Hundreds of thousands of federal soldiers were stationed there.
The bloodstains and craters scattered across the trenches were clear evidence of a recent battle.
The federal army commander, Gu Zhong, wore a grim expression.
In the last battle, they had lost thousands of soldiers, yet the number of undead spiders seemed unchanged.
These spiders, made of some unknown material, could withstand direct hits from artillery shells.
Even when blasted through, they would quickly recover and continue fighting.
Such terrifying resilience made them nearly invincible.
Gu Zhong could only wait for reinforcements from the Gene Alliance and the Martial Alliance.
These spiders were not something ordinary artillery could handle.
As for missiles, they were useless—any launched would simply be deflected back.
The most worrying part wasn't the inability to breach the alien stronghold, but the aliens' mysterious intentions.
They could easily obliterate the federal defenses, yet they chose not to.
What were they waiting for?
At the same time, inside the circular flying saucer, a meeting was underway.
The meeting was presided over by Captain Baru, who, despite his delicate and fair appearance, was known for his fiery temper.
However, Baru was not reckless.
"We've established a foothold here," Baru began.
"From our recent encounters, this planet does possess the strength to fight back. We must proceed with caution."
"Captain, I suggest we strike quickly. If they discover the secret of our undead spiders, the battle will become much harder," a woman named An Qing'er, one of the team's strategists, interjected.
"An Qing'er, the reason Captain Baru hasn't launched a full-scale attack is precisely to keep the secret of the undead spiders hidden," Zang Yu Ding Hui countered.
His chubby face wobbled as he spoke, but no one dared laugh.
Despite his comical appearance, Zang Yu was known for his ruthlessness.
He had even proposed burying all the men on Earth as fertilizer and keeping only the women to build their new home.
As for Earth's technological civilization, he dismissed it as worthless.
Captain Baru nodded in agreement.
"Zang Yu is right. Even if we could easily crush them, we must remain cautious. Moreover, we can't underestimate the people here. There are powerful individuals among them. The man killed by the undead spiders—I suspect he discovered their secret before he died. If more like him appear, how can we guarantee victory? Remember, we have no way back. We must conquer this planet before we can return to Zhan Shen Continent. And we must conserve enough energy for the journey back. From what I've observed, this planet has no advanced energy sources."
With Baru's decision final, the discussion ended, and everyone prepared to follow his orders.
"Ting Ti, Ji Yuan," Baru continued, "take control of Zhan Shen Guardian One and locate the Godseeker. According to our tracking, it's not far from here. The Godseeker has been on Earth for a long time and must have gathered valuable data. Once we retrieve it, we'll be ready to launch our attack."
"Yes, Captain," the two young men responded in unison before leaving the room.
...
Meanwhile, Ding Huan, now an eighth-level gene cultivator, exhaled deeply.
The Zhan Shen crystals were truly remarkable.
In just over half a month, he had advanced to the eighth level.
However, he had used up eighteen Zhan Shen crystals in the process.
Now, only one remained.
"I must find that dung beetle," Ding Huan muttered to himself.
Without it, he wouldn't be able to locate more Zhan Shen crystals, making it nearly impossible to reach the ninth level.
Even if he found a pile of spirit stones, it wouldn't compare to the efficiency of Zhan Shen crystals.
Once you got used to them, who would want to go back to grinding with spirit stones? And without either, cultivation would be pointless.
Glancing at Qi Xin Yue, who was still deep in her cultivation, Ding Huan decided to step out and craft a spear.
He needed to practice the Nine Paths technique.
"Hmm, this girl's talent isn't bad," Ding Huan thought, noticing that Qi Xin Yue had already reached the third level of gene cultivation in such a short time.
Even with the help of Zhan Shen crystals, her progress was impressive.
Her spiritual roots seemed even better than his own.
Without disturbing her, Ding Huan left the cave.
The forests of Africa were rich with resources.
It didn't take long for Ding Huan to find a purple sandalwood tree.
The wood was incredibly hard, perfect for crafting a temporary spear.
Just as he was about to cut it down, his spiritual sense detected a white ironwood tree nearby.
White ironwood was even harder than purple sandalwood, and this particular tree had undergone a genetic mutation, making it exceptionally tough.
Without hesitation, Ding Huan abandoned the purple sandalwood and went for the white ironwood.
Known as one of the hardest woods on Earth, the genetically mutated white ironwood was undoubtedly the toughest material Ding Huan could find.
He swung his starry sky blade at the tree's roots, but to his surprise, the blade didn't cut through.
Even without using his true energy, the blade, a product of alien technology, should have sliced through easily.
This wood was unbelievably hard.
Gathering his true energy, Ding Huan finally managed to cut down the tree.
Using the starry sky blade, he extracted the heartwood, which was thick enough to craft five spears.
Each spear was about two meters long—long enough to be effective but not too cumbersome to carry.
With the spears ready, Ding Huan found an open area to practice the Nine Paths technique.
The technique emphasized the unity of spear and intent, with each strike capable of unleashing devastating power.
The first move, "A Thousand Points of Light, Ten Thousand Shattered Souls," was particularly brutal.
As Ding Huan practiced, he quickly realized the limitations of his wooden spears.
After just a few strikes, the spear shattered into pieces.
Undeterred, he crafted more spears, determined to master the technique.
Over the next two days, Ding Huan went through hundreds of spears, each time learning from the failures.
By the time he reached his 326th spear, he finally succeeded.
With a single strike, hundreds of spear lights erupted, tearing through rows of trees.
This time, the spear remained intact.
Ding Huan felt a sense of calm.
He had finally grasped the essence of the technique—the spear was not a tool to bear his power but a partner to channel it.
The true strength of the Nine Paths lay in the unity of spear and intent, not in the destruction of the weapon itself.
As his understanding deepened, Ding Huan knew that this technique would only grow stronger with time.
In the heat of battle, where life and death hung in the balance, the true potential of the Nine Paths would be unleashed.
"This technique deserves a name," Ding Huan thought.
"The first move shall be called... Shattered Soul."
With the spear in hand, Ding Huan felt a surge of determination.
He had a long journey ahead, and many enemies to face.
But with the Nine Paths, he was ready to shatter their souls.
(End of Chapter.
Goodnight, friends.
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