# Chapter 348: The Surging Aberrant Beasts

Nuxing departed quickly. Unlike Lu Yuan, he had far more on his plate.

Though Lu Yuan was technically a leader too, he had zero experience coordinating Gene Warriors on this scale, so the organizational burden naturally fell to Nuxing.

He was simply a War God-level powerhouse serving as heavy support.

The warriors of the four races — Human, Cat-kin, Elf, and Nightshade — had all heard Nuxing's words. After he left, they began forming squads with their closest companions, preparing to watch each other's backs when the time came.

Li Qinghe and her group, naturally, stuck together.

Aside from Li Qinghe and Si Tingyu, everyone in the group had already received Transcendent Gene inscriptions from Lu Yuan. Each of them had at least one Sovereign Grade Transcendent Gene, and while their Spirit Power and base attributes might lag slightly behind, they were roughly equivalent to Battle Emperor-level warriors.

Some among them even possessed Saint Grade genes, making them formidable by any measure.

Having fought together for so long, their coordination was seamless. Even against Saint Grade Aberration Feral Beasts, they wouldn't be in any real danger.

Lu Yuan had no worries about them.

Half a day passed in the blink of an eye.

More Gene Warriors poured into the plaza. Every one of them was at least Battle King Rank, with the majority being Battle Sovereign or Battle Emperor-level powerhouses. There was even a considerable number of Battle Saints among them.

At that point, Nuxing found Lu Yuan again, a faint smile on his face.

"Yuan, it's almost time. The spatial gate is about to open — we need to take the lead."

Lu Yuan nodded with a smile.

"No problem."

As he spoke, the spatial gate hovering at the highest level suddenly blazed with silvery-white radiance. The light pulsed across the metal gate, forming a hazy membrane of silvery-white luminescence.

The membrane fluctuated violently at first, then gradually stabilized.

Lu Yuan could sense the spatial fabric around it shifting, bending in a way that resembled a Spatial Rift — connecting this location to somewhere impossibly distant.

Nuxing gave him a nod, and the two rose into the air, hovering above the plaza.

Nuxing's expression shed the warmth he showed around Lu Yuan, replaced by a stern, commanding edge.

His voice rang out:

"You've already been briefed on the specifics of this expedition, so I won't repeat them. Just remember this — we carry a burden unlike any before. If we fail to retake the boundary breach, the entire universe will be at risk. Total annihilation becomes a real possibility. I won't ask you to fight for every living thing in the cosmos. Think of your families. Fight for them." He paused, then continued. "And one more thing — the Merits earned on this campaign will far surpass what you'd gain hunting Aberration Feral Beasts in the Upper Layer of the Land of Origin. Those of you hungry for resources — give it everything you've got."

For Gene Warriors who had lived for centuries, weighing costs and benefits was second nature. But any being with a heart still had people and things they cared about.

Nuxing's words stirred something in them. Emotions flickered across their faces, resolve slowly hardening in their eyes.

Nuxing surveyed them, then cracked a grin.

"Alright! Move out!"

He and Lu Yuan turned and flew toward the spatial gate. Nuxing's Yaoxing forces and Li Qinghe's group from the four allied races followed close behind, with a vast sea of Gene Warriors surging after them.

Millions strong, the army plunged one after another into the silvery-white membrane of light.

Central region of the Mechanical Kingdom — Genesis Star.

Much like Sky-Mending Star corresponded to Sky-Mending City, Genesis Star was the real-world counterpart to Genesis City, the Mechanical Kingdom's capital in the Upper Layer of the Land of Origin.

It was a colossal planet built entirely from machinery, its surface covered in structures. The most imposing were the energy cannons standing tens of kilometers tall and the spaceports that bustled with even more traffic than Sky-Mending Star's.

And of course, there was the teleportation plaza.

Every spatial gate on it was active. The highest portal shimmered with silvery-white light as squads of Gene Warriors streamed out. Among them were warriors of the Human Race, the Beast Race, and the Elf Race.

Lu Yuan and Nuxing emerged from the gate with their contingent of Human warriors.

The sprawling mechanical city spread out before them, its sheer scale drawing wide-eyed stares and awed expressions from everyone present. The architectural style was strikingly different from any Human city — sleek, alien, and dazzling.

Lu Yuan quickly pulled his gaze back and scanned his surroundings. He spotted a number of Feral Beasts with unmistakably intelligent eyes, as well as beings composed entirely of elemental energy.

His eyebrows rose in surprise.

Nuxing noticed and smiled.

"Those are the Beast Race and Elf Race. You're still young — you probably haven't interacted with them before. Within Human territory, quite a few Spatial Rifts lead to the Beast Domain and the Elf Domain. That's why you'll sometimes find Feral Beasts and Elves crossing through Spatial Rifts into our territory."

Lu Yuan's thoughts immediately turned to the Spatial Rifts within the Endless Mountain Range. *The Feral Beasts there were remarkably intelligent. Could they have been Beast Race members who crossed over from the Beast Domain?*

He didn't know enough about the Endless Mountain Range to say for certain, and he'd never ventured through those rifts to see the other side.

"The Beast Race and Elf Race are no weaker than us Humans," Nuxing continued. "The strongest of the four major races is the Mechanical Race. The Elf Race edges us out slightly. The Beast Race is roughly on our level — maybe a touch weaker. But with the losses the Mechanical Race has suffered, their strength has likely taken a serious hit."

Lu Yuan nodded. "I see."

While they were talking, a streak of light flashed across the sky. A towering, powerfully built figure with a dinosaur-like head flew over and landed before them. He bared his sharp white teeth in a grin, sizing Lu Yuan up.

"So you're Lu Yuan?"

Lu Yuan could feel the immense energy surging within the dinosaur-headed man and recognized him instantly as a War God — one of humanity's own. He smiled and nodded.

"That's me. It's an honor, Senior."

Kro threw his head back in a booming laugh and clapped Lu Yuan on the shoulder.

"I'm Kro. Ruoshui told me about it — you were the one who led the charge to rip out the Heavenly Calamity Cult root and stem? Damn fine work! I've been itching to put those traitors down for years. If we'd found their headquarters sooner, I'd have been the first one through the door. You did the Human Race a hell of a service."

Lu Yuan smiled. "You flatter me, Senior Kro. I just did what needed doing."

Kro flashed another toothy grin. "That's not flattery..."

He glanced at the Mechanical Lifeforms bustling about with reception duties nearby and curled his lip. "You know why the Mechanical Kingdom's boundary breach fell so suddenly? They had an organization inside their ranks just like our Heavenly Calamity Cult. Without those traitors, a breach would never have fallen that easily — not with the Mechanical Kingdom's strength."

Kro let out a sigh, a hint of regret in his voice. "Shame I wasn't there. Getting to personally destroy the Heavenly Calamity Cult — that would've been something."

Lu Yuan couldn't help but smile. Senior Kro was clearly a man who wore his heart on his sleeve — bold and refreshingly straightforward. His impression of the War God was decidedly favorable.

Beside them, Nuxing raised an eyebrow and chuckled. "Well, *I* was there. And I have to say, watching Heavenly Calamity Star burn was pretty exhilarating."

Kro rolled his eyes at him.

Then he surveyed the Human warriors around them and said, "Alright, the Mechanical Race will handle briefing everyone here on the details. But the situation isn't great. You two need to come with me — the other War Gods are gathering to discuss our next moves."

"Fine by me," Nuxing said with a smile.

Lu Yuan thought for a moment. "Let me take care of a few things first."

"No problem. We'll wait here," Kro said with a grin.

Lu Yuan nodded, then flew over to where Li Qinghe and the others were watching him. The Tianming Sage and Gladys, both Battle Saint-level powerhouses, served as the leading representatives among the four allied races' forces.

The Tianming Sage looked at Lu Yuan. "Yuan, what's the situation?"

"Nothing to worry about," Lu Yuan answered with an easy smile. "The Mechanical Race will send someone to brief you shortly — Merits, battlefield intel, task assignments, that sort of thing. Just assess the situation and decide what works best. I need to go meet with the other War Gods first."

The Tianming Sage and Gladys both nodded. As Battle Saint-level powerhouses who held the highest standing among their respective peoples, they had seen their share of campaigns and knew how to handle things.

Gladys smiled. "No problem. We'll handle things as they come."

Lu Yuan nodded, then added with a grin, "And if anyone gives you trouble, let me know."

Both the Tianming Sage and Gladys looked up at him.

Gladys covered her mouth, stifling a delicate laugh. "My, I'm starting to envy that girl Anastasia."

Lu Yuan: "..."

He immediately felt a barrage of cold, pointed stares boring into him from all directions. The corner of his mouth twitched.

*What kind of thing is that to say?*

Even the Tianming Sage was giving Lu Yuan a strange look, glancing between him and Gladys.

Lu Yuan cleared his throat. "I'm going to go talk to Yeye and the others."

The Tianming Sage snapped out of it and nodded with a smile. "Sure, go ahead."

Lu Yuan flew over to where Yeye and the others had been eavesdropping nearby. Anastasia was staring at him with a peculiar expression.

His mouth twitched, and he shot her a glare. "Why are you looking at me like that?"

Anastasia swept back her dark crimson hair with a light laugh. "I was just wondering how you felt when Lady Gladys said that."

Lu Yuan rolled his eyes. "Don't read into it."

He looked over Li Qinghe and the rest of the group. "Stay with old man Tianming and the others. With your strength, you'll be fine as long as you don't push too deep into dangerous territory. And even if things do go south, your Life Spirits are still with me — so there's nothing to worry about."

Li Qinghe and the others smiled at that.

Shuangyue chuckled softly. "Relax. I'll take good care of them."

She had already reached Battle Emperor level and had a Saint Grade gene inscribed, making her the strongest among the group.

Si Tingyu and Li Qinghe glanced at Shuangyue, a flicker of envy passing through their eyes. Neither of them had broken through yet, leaving them among the weakest in the group — an ironic position for the two of them.

Still, both were on the cusp of their breakthroughs. There was no rush.

After a few more parting words with Li Qinghe and the others, Lu Yuan departed with Nuxing, following Kro.

Once they left, several Mechanical Race powerhouses flew over, scanning the assembled Human warriors before beginning to arrange their accommodations.

Lu Yuan had assumed they'd be meeting the other War Gods back at Sky-Mending City. He was wrong.

They tore through space, following Kro to a stretch of vacuum that throbbed with terrifying energy fluctuations.

Lu Yuan looked toward the source and quickly spotted brilliant flashes of Spirit Power blazing across the void — a kaleidoscope of colors as beautiful as it was deadly.

Alongside the Spirit Power, he could feel something else — the dark, twisted presence of Aberration energy.

Vast numbers of Mechanical Race warriors were locked in battle with grotesque monsters. Some of the creatures had a multitude of legs. Others were nothing but a gaping maw with no eyes at all, while still others were covered head to tail in staring eyes. Some bristled with writhing tentacles.

"Those are the Aberrant Beasts?" Lu Yuan transmitted telepathically.

Nuxing and Kro glanced over, their expressions hardening. Both nodded.

"That's right," Kro said slowly. "This is the front line of the counteroffensive... though calling it a counteroffensive is generous at this point. We're just trying to contain them — keep them from flooding out of this star sector and spreading to other regions."

Nuxing frowned, taking in the carnage of the battlefield. "...It's worse than I expected."

Kro gave a cold snort and transmitted: "The Aberrant Beasts finally found a way in — they're throwing everything they have at this breach. What you're seeing now? I suspect it's just the vanguard. There are probably far more on the way. When we first arrived, there weren't nearly this many. The more we fight, the more keep coming."

Lu Yuan glanced at Kro and could sense the weariness beneath his bravado. His heart sank. If even a War God felt worn down, the threat these Aberrant Beasts posed was beyond anything he'd imagined.

A weight settled over him.

After a heavy silence, Nuxing transmitted: "Take us to meet the others. We need to understand the full picture."

Kro nodded, his face grim.

Lu Yuan took one last look at the raging battlefield, then followed Kro as they tore through space once more, leaving the carnage behind.

When they emerged, an enormous mechanical fortress filled his vision. It was the size of a planet, bristling with countless mechanical Spirit Cannons. Warships swarmed in and out like bees around a hive.

Kro turned to Lu Yuan and Nuxing.

"That's the counteroffensive command center."