I told you to plant peas, and you summon Mordekaiser?

The drizzle was silent, yet it seemed like a cold veil covering this desolate ruin.

This was the first rain they had experienced since arriving in this mountain range.

Chen Yang stood about 70 or 80 meters away from the steel spikes, his gaze sharp as a knife, fixed on the steel forest in the center of the ruins.

Rainwater slid down the hood of his tactical uniform, and the cool air made his mind incredibly clear.

They've been planning this for so long, all for this moment.

From a distance, the steel spikes seemed to have become even more powerful, and their core, nestled among the ruins, had become even larger.

Chi Zigao gritted his teeth and muttered, "This monster, it seems to have gotten much stronger in just a few days."

“We underestimated its growth rate,” Huangfu Qinghe said.

"It doesn't matter, as long as he can't move, he'll always just be a sitting duck."

The rain pattered.

Chen Yang placed machine gunners outside the area of ​​steel spikes.

For this operation to eliminate the Steel Spikes, they brought all their firepower.

Yuumi, the little wizard sitting on a pumpkin head, agave, sunflower, and doom mushroom archer are all ready for battle.

From beneath the surface came the deep hum of Rek'Sai.

"Do it!"

At Chen Yang's command, the machine gunners opened fire, and a dense barrage of bullets poured down on the center of the ruins like a torrential rain.

Immediately following, the bombardment from the Destroyer Mushroom Shooter came in quick succession, the explosions tearing through the rain and shaking the entire ruins.

The ground, covered with steel spikes, began to tremble, and shattered iron filings and dirt were thrown up like sandstorms.

The seventh-tier steel spike was awakened from its slumber.

The entire ruins came to life instantly.

The steel spikes that were originally still began to writhe as if they were alive, and sharp metallic wails echoed in the rain, carrying a suffocating pressure.

Huge steel spikes sprouted up like mushrooms after rain, forming an iron wall that blocked all attacks!

At the same time, the iron-blue color on the ground spread outwards wildly like sharp blades.

His territory had spread to a distance of fifty meters and was continuing to expand!

"Go back!"

With a low growl and aided by Youmi, Chen Yang pulled Chi Zigao and Huangfu Qinghe back rapidly.

They didn't stop until they were a hundred meters away.

The territory of the steel spikes has stopped expanding.

The machine gunners within the territory were all pierced by the iron spikes that emerged from the ground.

Fortunately, their plants were able to move on their own, which saved them from disaster.

Chen Yang stared at the scene before him, his fists clenched, his heart pounding.

In just a few days, its territory has expanded by almost double!

"Damn, that scared the hell out of me!" Chi Zigao clutched his heart, still shaken.

"This guy is growing faster than expected... He can even use spikes as a shield, and our attacks can't penetrate his defenses."

Rainwater slid down Huangfu Qinghe's cheeks, mingling with his sweat.

At the same time, Rek'Sai's low growl came from underground.

While the Steel Spurs were distracted on defense, Rek'Sai's massive figure disappeared from the rain, like a spear piercing through the dark clouds, heading straight for the center of the ruins.

At this moment, he is about to approach the core from underground.

But the opponent is also a ground spike, and has the means to fight underground.

The ruins trembled again, and countless steel spikes spread wildly into the ground, trying to stop Rek'Sai's attack.

Countless deafening clangs of metal clashing echoed from underground.

Just by feeling the ground tremors, one can imagine how fierce the battle beneath the surface must have been.

Immediately afterwards, Rek'Sai charged out, covered in wounds, her carapace torn in countless cracks, blood dripping down with the rain, staining the ground red.

Its body was still robust, but its steps seemed unsteady.

Chen Yang frowned.

"Even underground isn't okay...?"

The other plants continued their attack on the core from outside the spikes' territory.

But those iron spikes remained unmoved, protecting its core.

Even though the explosive impact of the Destroyer Mushroom Shooter is astonishing and can break through the iron spikes, the next moment, a continuous stream of iron spikes will pierce through and fill the original gap.

Those spikes, like the shield of this alien steel spikes, were flawless.

"It can't move, but we can't get close either."

Huangfu Qinghe's tone was low, and his brows were furrowed.

"Unless we find a breakthrough, we'll just be stuck here doing nothing."

“Yumi is still here,” Chen Yang suddenly said.

The other two looked up at the sky.

There, Yuumi hovered above the core of the Earth Spikes, firing tail spikes that accurately struck the core of the Steel Spikes.

The steel spikes emitted a piercing metallic wail.

"It's afraid of Yuumi!"

A glimmer of hope rekindled in Chi Zigao's eyes, "These spikes can't defend against attacks from directly above!"

“There’s hope. Yuumi can really wear this guy down,” Huangfu Qinghe said.

The tail spikes kept shooting out.

The steel spikes could only take the beating, but they were, after all, a seventh-tier alien creature. Yuumi managed to grind them down for almost five minutes, barely managing to drill a few small holes in the core of the spikes.

Within its core, a constant metallic hum reverberated, like a plea for mercy emanating from steel spikes.

"Just wait, at this rate, it'll probably be completely dead in about half an hour."

Chen Yang felt a slight sense of relief, as if victory was within reach.

"It won't last much longer!"

With a face full of excitement, Chizi Gao ordered the Destruction Mushroom Archer to fire a few shots at the empty ground to add to the excitement.

"Hang in there a little longer." Huangfu Qinghe's tone was unusually expectant.

This is a seventh-tier creature!

They were about to cut him down!

However, at this moment, a sudden change occurred.

The core of the steel spikes, which had already been locked by Yuumi, suddenly began to wriggle.

Then, it surged and burrowed downwards like a living thing.

The steel-like spikes rapidly retracted and were buried underground!

Chizi Gao stared in disbelief: "What the hell? Wasn't it supposed to be immovable?"

Huangfu Qinghe and Chen Yang immediately went on alert.

The core of the earth spikes vanished instantly; this was not a good sign.

"He broke through the barrier in the heat of battle?"

Chen Yang guessed.

Rek'Sai burrowed into the ground and used Earth Hearing Technique.

The subsequent results put everyone at ease.

The spike core wasn't moved; it simply buried itself in the ground.

If we were to make a comparison, it might resemble an ostrich more.

At the critical moment of life and death, the steel spike suddenly realized a new move: burying its core.

Perhaps because its past life was too comfortable, it only needed to absorb energy from these ruins without the worries of survival, which is why it placed its core on the surface to bask in the sun.

Now, the core has gone underground.

Yuumi's thrusts struck the steel-like ground in vain.

The small holes pierced will be repaired and smoothed out by the steel spikes in the next moment.

Now, Chen Yang and his two companions were completely helpless against this steel spike.

Everything falls silent.

Only the rain pattering against the ruins, drowning out all other sounds.

The three of them stood there, speechless for a long time.

Chen Yang took a deep breath, feeling that this ending was somewhat strange.

"withdraw."

Chi Zigao kicked a pebble on the ground in frustration: "This ostrich thorn escaped its fate just like that."

"After all, it's a seventh-tier item."

Huangfu Qinghe shook his head, his expression calm, but he couldn't hide the disappointment between his brows. "They won't be hunted down by us so easily."

"It's alright, it can't escape," Chen Yang said in a low voice, his eyes fixed on the ground where the core of the earth spikes had disappeared.

Rainwater slid down his face, mixed with sweat.

Exhausted, the three walked silently toward the cave where they were hiding, braving the light rain.

.......

......

When they returned to the cave, it was already dark, and the nut guards at the cave entrance were dutifully watching over the house.

Silence has become their daily routine.

Initially, everyone would talk about their past.

But after a month, everything that needed to be said had been said.

Chi Zigao, a man who couldn't stand loneliness, also got used to sitting alone in a corner for half a day without saying a word.

The sound of raindrops echoed inside the cave.

"What a pity... just one step away?"

Huangfu Qinghe unusually brought up the topic.

Chen Yang did not answer, but lowered his head in thought, his gaze fixed on the ground, his expression inscrutable.

"Hey, it's no big deal. At least we can steadily improve our strength without killing that guy. That thing is just icing on the cake."

Chi Zigao spoke with a smile.

"Do not."

Chen Yang rejected the theory of the "Chizi Gao" (a type of ancient Chinese pole).

"Over the past month, Rex has hunted a large number of fourth-tier plants, but its tier seems to be stuck by something, and its strength has not improved at all."

“I suspect that at least a Tier 6 creature is needed for Rek’Sai to advance to the next Tier; ordinary prey is no longer of any use.”

Chen Yang stated his deduction.