Chapter 53: The Minor Extinction Card

A flock of shadow crows floated in the western sky above Mount Divine Maiden, drifting like dark clouds as they swiftly converged on the stronghold. This swarm was no smaller than the one Lin Huang had encountered a few days before—if anything, it was even larger. Numbering in the millions, the crows, when not faced with transcendents, were virtually without rival. Even Yi Zheng, ranked eleventh among the Gold Hunters of Zone Seven—a renowned prodigy—could do nothing but avoid their edge when faced with such numbers. The arrival of the shadow crow flock elevated the beast tide to nearly a nightmare-level event, sufficient to obliterate a medium-sized stronghold without transcendent defenders.

The hunters, who moments before still clung to hope, now sank into utter despair as the shadowy mass blotted out the sky and drifted ever closer. Lin Huang, too, felt his heart plummet as he gazed at the darkening heavens. On one side, countless monsters surged across the grasslands; on the other, an overwhelming army of shadow crows blocked out all light. The stronghold, he realized, was lost.

Yi Yeyu stood atop a towering boulder, her expression shifting with turmoil. She bitterly regretted choosing this stronghold for her assessment. If her brother hadn’t come, she would have steeled herself to die defending the place to the last—but with Yi Zheng present, she knew he would never leave if she stayed. To remain would mean bringing death to her own brother, and it was this that caused her hesitation.

Yi Zheng understood his sister’s character: stubborn, proud, yet warmhearted beneath her occasional temper. She would never abandon twenty thousand residents to their fate. Even when simply passing through, she could not turn her back on a stronghold beset by a beast tide; she would always stay to fight to the end alongside its defenders.

“Yeyu, use the Greenwood Gate to get those children out!” Yi Zheng shouted, though he knew the odds of her agreeing were slim.

“I’m not leaving!” Yi Yeyu glared back at him.

“If not for yourself, then for our family. In our generation, only you and I remain—we cannot both die here!” Yi Zheng pleaded. “And what about those young ones, especially Lin Huang? Can you bear to see him buried here? Give him enough time and he’ll surely become a powerful transcendent. We can’t let him die here in vain!”

Her brother’s words struck a tender spot. The Yi family had dwindled to just the two of them, and if both perished, their lineage would end. Besides, she genuinely admired Lin Huang and didn’t wish to see him fall here.

After a moment’s silence, she called out, “Brother, I’ll hand you the Greenwood Gate. Take Lin Huang and the others and go. I’ll stay behind!”

“Don’t be foolish! If anyone goes, it should be you. You’re my sister, you have to listen to me!” Yi Zheng shouted back.

“You told me to think of the family, its future. Your talent and strength surpass mine. If you survive, the family will be stronger—so it’s right that I stay behind.” Her words left Yi Zheng speechless.

And so, the siblings reached an impasse, while the shadow crow flock loomed ever closer in the western sky.

Within the triple-layered hunter defense lines, defeat spread like contagion. Some hunters’ faces were ashen with hopelessness—they swung their weapons mechanically, all will to live drained away.

As despair took root, the three-tiered gorge defense was finally breached. The second line, manned by several Silver Hunters, collapsed in unison, throwing the third line into chaos. Soon, the entire defense crumbled.

Lin Huang and his companions found themselves surrounded, forced to fight desperately within the beast horde. With no forward line to shield them, the group of over ten youths was quickly engulfed.

“Don’t panic—form a defensive formation! Don’t get separated!” Lin Huang shouted.

Zhou Le and the others, having fought alongside Lin Huang over the past two days, trusted him more than anyone else present; he had never once let them down. That trust enabled them to quickly organize a defensive formation and offer their last, stubborn resistance. They all knew that once the shadow crows descended, none would survive, but under Lin Huang’s leadership, their will to live remained fiercely intact.

Lin Huang’s heart hammered violently with each collision from the beast horde. Physically weaker than the others, any single monster’s attack could be fatal. Before, the defensive lines had limited the number of monsters he faced; now, they were surrounded on all sides. For the first time, he truly understood what it meant to dance on a knife’s edge—one misstep, and death awaited.

[Warning! Host is in an extremely dangerous environment. Probability of death within the next thirty minutes: 100%. Activate emergency measures?]

Suddenly, an alarm sounded in Lin Huang’s mind. It was the first time Little Black had ever spoken aloud.

“Yes! Tell me—what options do I have?” Lin Huang demanded.

[Searching for solutions using host’s existing cards... No current cards can help host escape this danger...]

At these words, Lin Huang’s heart sank. But a moment later, Little Black’s voice returned.

[Searching for secondary solutions...]

[Host possesses three monster cards, nine functional cards, and 3,657 fragments of Iron-level monster cards...]

“Wait—why do I only have nine functional cards? Even without counting Bai’s kills, I’ve slain at least five hundred monsters across higher levels these past two days. Doesn’t every cross-level kill yield a reward card? Why do I only have nine?”

[Host has killed too many monsters at higher levels while deliberately stalling advancement, suggesting an attempt to farm cross-level rewards. Therefore, a new restriction has been added: while remaining at one cultivation level, the host can only receive ten cross-level reward cards.]

“You can restrict me, Little Black, that’s fine! But let’s get something clear: I stayed at my current level because I need the right Life Seed to advance. To say I’m farming rewards is absurd!” Lin Huang was truly angry now. “This loophole is in your own rules, yet you’re blaming me and changing things without even consulting me. That’s simply unfair!”

His anger wasn’t over the lost cards, but rather the accusation of deliberately exploiting the system—a charge he felt was deeply unjust. He hadn’t stalled his advancement for the rewards; he’d simply been too busy to consider it at first, only realizing the cross-level bonus after many kills.

[Host did not lie. Reevaluating host’s actions... No fault found.]

[This issue was caused by a rules loophole. Due to the new restriction, the host will be compensated.]

[Given the current situation, host is awarded a Minor Annihilation Card!]

[Emergency solution detected: Minor Annihilation Card. Use now?]

“Will this card save me? What exactly does it do?” Lin Huang had no time to check his internal card list.

[Minor Annihilation Card: Can annihilate all specified creatures below Transcendent level within an area up to ten thousand square kilometers.]

“I choose to use the card—eliminate all species except for humans and Bai,” Lin Huang commanded without hesitation.

[Species specified. Please select the target area!]

A map appeared in Lin Huang’s mind, densely marked with the locations of nearby monsters.

He circled every last one. “I’ve made my selection.”

[Target area confirmed. Use Minor Annihilation Card?]

“Yes—let it be done!” Lin Huang nodded firmly.

In the next instant, a dazzling point of light, no bigger than a grain of rice, appeared on his forehead. In the predawn darkness, it seemed a tiny sun, slowly detaching and rising into the air, bathing the land in its glow.

Many people stared in astonishment at the sight.

In moments, the light erupted, sending a ring of white radiance rippling outward like a wave in the air. Wherever it passed, all monsters except Bai were instantly carbonized, reduced to dust and scattered on the wind.

Countless people watched the scene in shock.

As the luminous wave expanded into the distance, even the mighty shadow crow flock vanished like snow in sunlight.

“Is this divine magic?!” Yi Yeyu stood atop her boulder, gazing at Lin Huang with awe and wonder.

In little more than a moment, every monster in sight had vanished. The glowing point in the sky, its power spent, faded away.

After a stunned silence, the crowd erupted in jubilant cheers.