“General Jin!”

“You don’t need to shout, I can see it…”

Zhang Jin's expression darkened as he witnessed the Goliath's colossal hand gripping one of their ships. Fortunately, it wasn't the one containing the spiritual energy destabilizer, but their armada was still sustaining damage. Thankfully, the people on board the affected ships managed to evacuate, thanks to teleportation technology on the other vessels and the arrival of an army of angelic puppets that reinforced their ranks.

Since the group of elders, along with Zhang Dong, had entered the Goliath, only about fifteen minutes had passed. In this brief span, they had already suffered losses amounting to nearly ten percent of their forces. It was evident that they couldn't hold out for much longer, and the relentless behemoth showed no signs of stopping. Its colossal form unleashed peculiar rocky projectiles that transformed into flying scarabs, voraciously seeking to destroy and consume anything in their path.

Zhang Jin was acutely aware of their dire circumstances. The Goliath proved to be not only formidable but also relentless, adapting and growing in power with each passing moment. When its massive limbs couldn't land a hit, it began to innovate. Initially, it created missiles from its own body, but these were thwarted by their ship's defensive formation. However, the Goliath quickly evolved its tactics, transforming those missiles into strange bugs that could shred their shields and inflict direct damage. It was akin to witnessing a newborn child rapidly maturing in the midst of this intense battle.

“Firing on its chest and head has proven ineffective… I think the only thing we can do is prolong this battle…”

He pondered the idea of launching a combined attack on the Goliath's head but quickly dismissed it. The monster's shields were at their strongest around the head and chest, where the main city was located. Breaking through these formidable defenses seemed beyond their current capabilities, especially given the heightened level of spiritual energy radiating from the creature. Instead, it made more sense to concentrate on stalling and prolonging the battle. With their group of elders and Zhang Dong inside the Goliath, they needed to have faith in their abilities to weaken the creature before launching a full-fledged counteroffensive.

"Notify the ships and our allies to fall back. Our primary focus will be containment rather than suppression. Target its lower limbs to limit its mobility!"

Zhang Jin commanded, emphasizing their new strategy. As Zhang Jin's orders echoed through the command center, the airships repositioned themselves, targeting the Goliath's massive, rocky legs with relentless firepower. Energy beams and projectiles rained down upon the behemoth's lower limbs, causing violent eruptions of dark energy and debris.

The Goliath, now under concentrated assault on its legs, roared in frustration. It attempted to retaliate, but the constant barrage of attacks made it difficult for the construct to focus on offense. Its movements became less coordinated, and its steps grew increasingly frantic. With every ship dispersing to the sides it found it hard to do anything with the ever-growing space between its enemies.

“General, it’s working, the beast is slowing down and confused!”

“Good… Wait, did you feel that?”

“General, our scanners are picking up a massive surge of energy from within the beast’s body!”

“It’s trying to do something, warn the other ships to make space!”

They were not alone in this battle. Numerous ships from other clans and sects had joined forces to assist in defeating this final enemy of the Empire. Fortunately, their communication network allowed them to issue warnings to everyone to retreat. Despite appearances, the Goliath wasn't faltering, something was amiss.

The colossal creature, a fusion of stone and spiritual energy, began to lean forward. Its massive arms collided with the ground as it supported its body with all four limbs. Initially, this might have appeared to be a reaction to the bombardment of its hind legs. However, in reality, it was executing a peculiar technique. With its back now facing the sky, it released a powerful burst of energy upward.

It was a torrent of azure energy, intermingled with hints of black. Ascending like a watery geyser, at its zenith, it fragmented into millions of tiny threads of the same color. The entire sequence of events unfolded with such rapidity that no one had a chance to react. This wasn't a technique intended to harm or attack; rather, it was designed to ensnare and imprison them within this place.

"What is this? A colossal net? Or perhaps a spider's web?"

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Zhang Jin exclaimed, his astonishment evident. The burst of energy into the heavens spread out from the top like an immense azure net, ensnaring the entire armada of ships. They now found themselves enclosed within a colossal cage crafted from spiritual energy. This energy was intricately linked to the Goliath's back and its massive form. It was apparent that the creature had realized it couldn't catch up to the evading ships, so instead of pursuing them, it had devised a strategy to trap them within its own confines.

As the azure net closed around the fleet of airships, panic and confusion spread among the crews. The spiritual energy cage was unlike anything they had encountered before, and their attempts to break free were futile. Energy beams fired at the net were absorbed and dissipated harmlessly, leaving them trapped in an area of around ten kilometers from the giant monster that was as tall as a mountain. Inside the Golden Palace's command center, Zhang Jin assessed the situation with a grim expression.

"This is bad… Someone analyze that net, we need to break it!”

His subordinates scrambled to find a solution, but the combination of the Goliath's dark energy and the cage's mysterious properties made it nearly impenetrable. Outside, the Goliath itself seemed to gloat, its rocky form pulsating with dark energy as it held the airships captive. It seemed that their plan of prolonging the battle by avoiding it would be now impossible. Instead, they would need to prepare themselves for the worst as the number of flying bugs increased.

“I guess it’s all up to you Dong’er…”

Zhang Jin clenched his fist as he studied the holographic projection before him. Escaping from this net appeared to be an insurmountable challenge, or at the very least, an extremely difficult one. They couldn't afford to turn their backs on the monster while attempting an escape. Their best course of action was to maintain their focus on weakening the Goliath's body. This colossal creature required a significant amount of energy to function, and that energy source was not limitless. If they could diminish it to the point where their team inside the Goliath could proceed with their intended mission, it would suffice.

Amid the chaos and uncertainty within the spiritual energy net, Zhang Dong continued his journey within the labyrinthine depths of the Azure Palace. The wisp of Long Qing's soul that he had encapsulated remained safely protected within his spiritual energy. While his primary mission was to cleanse the corrupted crystals, he couldn't help but wonder about his brother's fate.

Was he merely a victim of the system, or had he genuinely made these choices of his own accord? It would certainly make the decision to confront and battle him easier if he were simply an evil monster hell-bent on world domination. Although Zhang Dong and Long Qing hadn't known each other for an extended period, Zhang Dong still harbored doubts about whether killing was the only option available. The soul wisp he carried served as a constant reminder that perhaps there was a path to saving Long Qing and concluding this ordeal with a happier outcome than the impending bloodshed.

As he ventured deeper into the palace, the corrupted crystals grew more numerous and sinister in appearance. They pulsated with an eerie azure light, and the malevolent energy they emitted sent shivers down his spine. Bob's analytical abilities worked tirelessly, trying to identify a method to cleanse these crystals at a higher rate. While he was attempting to do that, he was stuck being chased by lanky tentacle monsters.

Reminiscent of eldritch horrors, slithered through the darkened corridors of the Azure Palace. Despite their grotesque appearance, Zhang Dong couldn't help but be reminded of the trials he had faced in the trial tower. These monsters seemed to be a manifestation of the same malevolent energy that had corrupted the palace. Perhaps somewhere in the background the Overseer was sitting somewhere in a hidden control chamber and monitoring the situation.

If it weren't for this enigmatic adversary, Zhang Dong might have assigned Bob to investigate whether such an area already existed within the Azure Palace. There was often some sort of fail-safe or hidden entrance to places like this. However, taking such an action would risk exposing his knowledge to his primary adversary. Therefore, it was undoubtedly a wiser choice to proceed with a more conventional approach and defeat these monsters through force.

‘I need to hurry up, it doesn’t look good for my people…’

As he continued to evade danger, the entire surroundings began to tremble. With the aid of his system and sect interface, Zhang Dong could monitor the events transpiring outside. The Goliath was in the midst of enveloping his entire fleet within some form of energy cage. While the power source resided somewhere inside the chest area, it was likely that the construct could be controlled through the Azure Palace. All he needed to do was handle these corrupt crystals and then confront the ultimate adversary, presumably his brother, Long Qing.

‘I need to get rid of these guys first though…’

Zhang Dong nodded, his eyes scanning the area for nearby corrupted crystals. He spotted one embedded in the wall nearby, its pulsating energy source evident. With a swift and precise strike, he unleashed a burst of spiritual energy, shattering the crystal into fragments. As the crystal shattered, the tentacle monsters let out an agonized shriek and tossed themselves at him as if possessed by something.

It became evident that the corrupted crystals were the key to confronting these abominations, and by destroying them, he could gain the upper hand. Not all but some contained soul fragments belonging to the Azure Emperor and the more of them he gathered the better his chances at a softer resolution. However, it was also clear that the more he gathered the more ferocious his enemies would become.

Soon he was speeding around this labyrinth, destroying the corrupted sources of energy and slaughtering the tentacle friends everywhere. However, before he would have his victory a new foe needed to be defeated. In the last chamber that probably led to a safe haven, a massive mass of tentacles was already waiting for him and it took on the form of something that he recognized.

“So, they were some type of lesser spawns…”