Returning to hometown to farm: The apocalypse system arrived ten years earlier?

Chapter 356 Earth Vein Gateway

In the Middle East, a black fog blankets everything, making it impossible to see one's hand in front of one's face. The former desert has long since turned into a frosty ice field.

The temperature is at least -90°C, and ice mounds tens of meters high stand silently, containing a nest of "Star Bone Rift Beasts".

Li Xiang came here specifically to see this nest of unusual space creatures.

He discovered that killing this strange beast had a high probability of yielding a space gem as a reward. And space gems are extremely rare and precious.

Correspondingly, these "Star Bone Rift Beasts" are relatively rare, both in terms of population size and the number of individuals within a single species.

However, their average strength is also relatively high.

Take this nest of "Star Bone Rift Beasts" for example. There are only thirty-seven of them, but four are Saint-level and sixteen are above level fifteen.

The carapace of this strange beast looks like it's carved from blue and white frost, and the nebula-like patterns at its joints even have sharp, icy bone spikes growing out of them. In terms of appearance, it's actually quite beautiful.

Li Xiang's earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magical energy) light created faint yellowish-brown ripples deep underground, while the Nine Netherworld Eyes pierced through tens of meters of ice, locking onto the locations of the four Saint-level beasts.

"It's a pity they live in ice caves instead of rock caves or earthen nests, otherwise the cave would collapse directly." Li Xiang's eyes flashed, and he sighed inwardly.

However, these beasts are incredibly powerful; even if the cave collapses, they won't be buried alive. Let's just launch a direct attack.

After all, Li Xiang is now at the 26th level, with abnormal attributes in all aspects, especially speed, which surpasses many god-level beings.

UI.

Fast, too fast! Li Xiang appeared above the head of one of the Saint-level beasts as if he had teleported. The sharp spear of his white jade golden hook staff, carrying 26th-level spiritual energy and a force of 150 million jin, stabbed fiercely into the weak point of its neck.

One strike and you're dead—that's how deadly it is!
Pale blue beast blood splattered on the ice, sending up corrosive steam.

"Roar!" The other three Saint-level beasts reacted and pounced on Li Xiang.

The aftershocks of the battle caused the ice cave to collapse, and the beasts below the Saint rank fled in all directions. Those that were a little slow were dealt with by the residual force of Li Xiang's White Jade Golden Hook Cudgel.

Those below the Saint rank will die upon touching or even brushing against each other.

The notifications of achievement points, elixirs, and extraordinary items kept popping up in Li Xiang's mind, but he had no time to pay attention to them. His exquisite staff technique combined strength and flexibility, and his figure moved left and right, up and down at a speed of Mach 80. Each "teleport" covered several hundred meters, making him seem as agile as if dozens of Li Xiangs were attacking at the same time.

About three minutes later, the three Saint-level beasts collapsed one after another with unwilling roars.

"If it weren't for the Space Stone, I wouldn't have killed you. It would have been so much better to take you as spirit beasts." Li Xiang's "Beast Taming - Azure Qilin Guide" still has many "imperial titles" to be bestowed, and he is eager to find talented people and has vacant positions waiting for them.

Li Xiang then launched an attack, killing off the remaining Starbone Rift Beasts that had not yet escaped far. This time, he obtained a total of three Space Gems. Not every Starbone Rift Beast would reward a Space Gem, but the probability was relatively higher.

Soon, the three bracelets were successfully crafted, with gleaming space gems embedded in them. Each bracelet contained an inner space of eight or nine hundred cubic meters. Li Xiang put the corpses of these strange beasts into them; some could be given to Jiang Cai'er for research, while the useless materials could be used as fertilizer.

As for eating it, it's really unacceptable. The meat of these alien creatures is rarely palatable; it's extremely sour, coarse, and inedible. Given a choice, no one would eat such a thing.

Although the taste of super rice is not good, it is an unparalleled delicacy compared to the meat of this alien space beast.

The corpse was icy cold to the bone, containing extremely rich icy spiritual energy. Li Xiang had an idea: "Perhaps, the corpse of this strange beast can be used to cultivate more cold-resistant crop varieties, or even ice-type spiritual seeds. This would require Xue Qing to make use of her strengths."

In the following days, Li Xiang searched the globe specifically for these Star Rift Beasts. If he encountered a large-scale attack on the dungeon by alien beasts, he would step forward to help. He would often carry out decapitation strikes, killing the Saint-level leaders and then moving freely among the alien beast armies as if they were nothing. Wherever he went, alien beasts would fly around like harvesters cutting rice, making the soldiers and civilians of the dungeon cheer: "Saint Li has come to support us!"

This greatly boosted morale.

Li Xiang is fast, and he also has the abilities of invisibility and earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magic that allows one to appear and disappear unpredictably, making him more than capable of protecting himself.)

Ten days later, he collected thirty-six space gems, which Li Xiang then refined into bracelets. The bracelets were engraved with numbers, namely "Earth Vein Access Envoy 01-36".

With the world frozen over and the surface overrun by alien space creatures, trade between countries and even between underground cities has been disrupted. However, it is still necessary to exchange goods and help each other. Therefore, Li Xiang plans to recruit superhumans with earth-遁 (earth-遁 is a type of magical ability) to form 36 transport teams to take on the responsibility of global logistics and trade again.

In addition, the high-yield crop seeds cultivated by Zhao Xueqing can also be sent to various underground cities for sharing.

Previously, we didn't have enough large space stones, so we put it on hold for the time being. Now that we've collected thirty-six, we can start working on this.

Shen Wenqian was in charge of reviewing the qualifications of those who had advanced to the next level. She was quite familiar with the database of those who had advanced to the next level, so Li Xiang decided to entrust her with the task of "recruiting talents".

Li Xiang flashed and arrived in France. Eileen's base was also under attack by alien space beasts.

From afar, Li Xiang saw black mist churning above Eileen's castle. Suddenly, this darkness was torn apart by three streams of purplish-red energy, and three giant beasts, their bodies sparkling like diamonds, descended from the rift.

Full of oppression.

They resemble a fusion of a scorpion and a bat, with a body length exceeding five hundred meters. Prism-shaped spatial crystals grow at the joints of their limbs, and their tail stingers constantly release shockwaves that distort the air—this is the Saint-level beast "Void Crystal Beast," whose carapace can refract energy attacks, and whose tail shockwaves can cause localized spatial collapse.

On his way there, Li Xiang also noticed that several French underground cities had been destroyed, and the residual energy was extremely similar to that of this strange beast.

Clearly, this is a highly skilled and experienced army.

However, Eileen's strength is also considerable.

On the surface, 100,000 alchemical golems attacked in three waves:
The first wave of heavily armored golems wielding alchemical tower shields formed a honeycomb formation, with a six-pointed star array appearing on the shields to neutralize the shockwaves; the second wave of magical golems hovering in the air fired "annihilation rays" from their eye sockets, the purplish-black beams scorching the carapaces of the crystal-cracked beasts; the third wave of self-destructing golems rushed towards the beast horde like a silver torrent, the exploding alchemical flames mixed with space-binding runes.

The 300-meter-long magical alchemy ship "Starlight Wings" unfolded its hull in mid-air, and the "Arcane Focusing Prism" at the bow gathered a 50-meter-diameter blazing white light sphere. This was a magic cannon developed by combining classical magical alchemy with modern technology, and its power was astonishing.

As Eileen pressed the crystal control panel in the command room, the light sphere exploded into tens of thousands of tracking beams, piercing dozens of fifteenth-tier crystal larvae that were trying to flank and ambush them into countless crystal fragments.

However, the three Saint-level Crystal Rift Beasts suddenly intertwined their tails, forming a triangular spatial barrier that deflected the second round of "Comet Burst Cannon" from the Alchemy Ship. The three heavily armored puppet formations were instantly melted into molten iron by their own fire.

At Eileen's base, several children were eager to help their mother, but Shen Wenqian stopped them. She hugged the children and told them not to be impulsive: "It's too terrible outside. You'll be in grave danger if you go out."

"I hope Mom can hold on."

"Where's Dad? Why isn't Dad here yet? Isn't he the strongest person on Earth?"

Shen Wenqian: "Your father is probably busy with other things. So many alien beasts and so many dungeons around the world are under attack. He's putting out fires everywhere..." "Putting out fires everywhere, shouldn't he be saving the family first?"

Just as Shen Wenqian was wondering how to answer, a powerful, mysterious armored figure appeared outside.

Li Xiang, clad in the Giant Whale Holy Armor and wielding his signature white jade golden hook staff, moved with incredible speed, reaching Mach 80, as if teleporting to the flank of the battlefield. There, a Crystal Rift Beast was tearing open the alchemy ship's shield with its claws.

Li Xiang kicked the Crystal Crack Beast away. His eyes blazed with golden light, and his Nine Netherworld Eyes pierced through the layers of black mist and the obscuration of the strange beasts, directly locking onto the core of the beast horde—the Crystal Crack Beast leader with a dark red star core embedded in its tail spikes.

"Boom~"

The white jade golden hook staff, imbued with twenty-sixth-tier spiritual energy, slashed down fiercely, its shadow splitting into countless fragments, shattering the leader's vital star core like a cascading galaxy. Before the other two crystal-splitting beasts could react, Li Xiang had already flashed onto their backs, pressing down with his palms to unleash the power of "Earth Vein Tremor," layer upon layer, eighty-one times, the surging, boundless earth-elemental tremor spiritual energy disintegrating their spatial crystal skeletons from within.

Without a leader, the beast horde descended into chaos. Eileen seized the opportunity to activate the alchemical ship's lower deck—three hundred assassin-type puppets equipped with "Phase Folding Blades" poured out, their silver blades weaving a death net that slicing the remaining beasts into neat crystal blocks.

When the last Crystal Beast was reduced to dust by the magic cannon fire of the alchemy ship, Li Xiang put down his staff and landed, stepping on the still writhing remains of the Crystal Beast as he walked toward the alloy gate of the ancient castle's underground city.

"Daddy's here!" Clemens jumped up, beaming with joy.

"Daddy is so brave!" Leocardi exclaimed dramatically, waving his little arms.

"Daddy, we love you!" Aurelia and Sonia's eyes were sparkling.

The children were overjoyed, their excitement beyond words. Shen Wenqian also smiled, thinking to herself, "You scumbag cousin, if you hadn't shown up soon, I wouldn't know how to explain this to the children."

As Li Xiang entered the castle, several children rushed over. Li Xiang opened his arms, hugging two children in each arm and kissing each one several times. Then, he smiled and walked towards Eileen and Shen Wenqian.

"Mr. Armor, you've finally arrived." Eileen breathed a sigh of relief. Just now, she truly felt she couldn't hold out. In this battle, she suffered heavy losses; at least 80% of her alchemical golems were destroyed—her arsenal, accumulated over a long period. She didn't know how long it would take to rebuild them.

Moreover, given the current unstable situation, she didn't dare to have children easily. Originally, she had planned to have six more, but she could only postpone that decision.

Shen Wenqian came over, took the children away, and left the space to the "couple" who hadn't seen each other for a long time. Well, they can only be a couple; neither of them is married.

Li Xiang picked up Eileen and disappeared into the depths of the ground; absence makes the heart grow fonder.

As for the mess, Shen Wenqian, along with the senior and middle managers under Eileen's management, will handle it.

Eileen's base operates under a group-like, corporate management system, with each department fulfilling its specific responsibilities. Even when the boss is temporarily absent, the business can function independently. This is because it's not a new company, but a family-run business. Most of the employees are long-term veterans with over 10 years of service, and many families have worked there for generations. The company's most valuable asset is these loyal and highly capable long-term employees.

It took a full six hours before Eileen finally let Li Xiang leave, completely satisfied. After their passionate encounter, she had leveled up again, now reaching level 22.

Of course, the reason for her upgrade was not entirely due to her dual cultivation with Li Xiang; it was also due to her own talent, as well as her usual hard work and accumulation.

"Wait for me, I'll be back soon." Li Xiang dressed, donned the Giant Whale Holy Armor, and departed once more.

Because Eileen's forces were weak, Li Xiang wanted to "seize" a few "puppet troops" for her.

He scoured and launched raids in France, Germany, Italy, and other parts of Europe. He was very experienced in doing such things. So, a day later, six armies of alien beasts returned to Eileen's base.

Inside the base, in front of the radar screens, the senior and middle managers of the Eileen Family Group felt as if they had fallen into an ice cave, sinking into despair. Previously, with only one army of alien beasts, numbering only fifty or sixty thousand, they had suffered heavy losses. Now, with eight or nine Saint-level beasts and an army of over three hundred thousand, how could they possibly withstand them?

Even if that Li Sheng were still alive, he probably wouldn't be able to withstand it. And it's said that Li Sheng has already left.

However, Eileen soon sent a message: "Don't worry, they are all our allies. From now on, they will protect us."

"what?"

"My God, what's going on?"

Executives, middle managers, and other employees were all shocked.

Inside the base, several children clung to Li Xiang like little ornaments, refusing to get down.

"Dad, is this your masterpiece?"

"Dad, how did you do that?" the children asked one after another.

Li Xiang chuckled and boasted to the children, "It's just a trivial trick. I only controlled the leader of the beasts. Don't worry, with this army of over 300,000 beasts protecting you, you don't need to worry about your safety."

"Daddy, can you stay here with us for a few more days?" Aurelia had bright blonde hair and delicate features; she was almost a miniature version of Eileen.

Li Xiang smiled helplessly and patted his eldest daughter's head: "The situation outside is chaotic, and Dad still has a lot to do."

Eileen laughed and said, "I should at least have dinner with the children before I leave."

Li Xiang nodded.

Soon, the alchemical servants filed in, serving up a variety of exquisite French delicacies.

Li Xiang ate with Eileen and the children, and also talked with his cousin Shen Wenqian about recruiting "Earth Vein Connectors".

Shen Wenqian pulled up the database of superhumans and showed it to Li Xiang: "There are quite a few earth-type superhumans, and many of them are skilled in earth escape techniques. I'll send them emails now."

Li Xiang nodded and then mentioned the number of people to be recruited, as well as the salary and benefits for the position. Shen Wenqian drafted a detailed recruitment letter, which was then sent to the target individuals after Li Xiang reviewed it.

Throughout the process, the children watched quietly, their blue eyes filled with admiration.

Although work was involved, the meal was still very warm and enjoyable.

After the meal, Li Xiang also took some time to play games with the children and give them some pointers on their cultivation.

Of course, my cousin also gave me some advice.

(End of this chapter)