Chapter 123
Chapter 123
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Translator: Ace
Chapter: 123
Chapter Title: Qi-Devouring Insects
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"Spare my life, Senior! It's me, it's still me!"
When Qin Tianhe dragged Guang Ming before Lu Yang for the second time, Guang Ming blurted out the words before Qin Tianhe could even speak.
"Senior, this little monk still has his uses!"
"There are still over a dozen Buddhist cultivators from the Pure Land left in the rear. This little monk can deal with them. Beyond that, there's the Dao Court. This little monk can help you against the Dao Court."
Guang Ming feared Lu Yang had already killed too many and would simply cleave him down on the spot. His mouth moved at lightning speed, reciting his value faster than he chanted sutras or incantations on a normal day.
But Lu Yang ignored him entirely, shooting him an impatient glance instead.
"Shut up."
The moment the words left Lu Yang's mouth, Guang Ming clamped it shut tight. He didn't just stop talking—he even held his breath, terrified of angering the great fiend before him.
Meanwhile, Lu Yang gazed off into the distance.
At almost the same moment, the Flood Dragon Daoist among the true transmissions seemed to sense something as well. He raised his mutated dragon head, his massive dragon eyes fixing straight down at the ground.
"Something's coming."
His words instantly put the other true transmissions on high alert. The next second, the earth cracked open, and a figure with distinct chitinous armor slowly crawled out.
It was a demonic insect.
Its body was roughly human-sized, pitch-black all over as if dipped in ink. Its mouthparts were razor-sharp, and its compound eyes were densely packed, gleaming with eerie cold light.
"What is that thing... a demon clan member?"
The Saint Sect true transmissions all showed curiosity. Chongming's first thought was how this insect's bloodline might be used for pill refining or medicine.
Xu Xin carefully assessed the insect's strength.
The Flood Dragon Daoist pondered whether that sharp mouthpart could be transplanted onto his own body—and if so, where it would fit best.
As for Bi Feiyuan, her line of thinking was rather unique. She struck a provocative pose toward the insect, observing the changes in her own divine abilities, as if testing for a reaction. Her interest even grew, and she seemed tempted to sketch a portrait of it.
The other Saint Sect disciples pointed and chattered about the insect.
In the face of their murmurs, the pitch-black demonic insect tilted its head. Then it parted its mouthparts and slowly uttered a sound.
The initial noise was garbled.
But soon, its voice cleared, growing deep and resonant. "Outsiders from beyond the heavens... Get out. Mother says this world does not welcome you!"
The words fell, and the overlapping voices cut off abruptly.
Every Saint Sect disciple, including the five true transmissions, fell silent at once. Nearly a hundred pairs of eyes turned as one, landing on the pitch-black demonic insect.
In the vast wilderness, silence reigned. The eerie stillness made the speaking insect twitch its limbs uneasily, instinctively retreating a few steps.
The next second, Xu Xin laughed.
"I thought it was some Dao Court insect-tamer's spirit pet. Turns out we were wrong... It's just a native of this realm. What a waste of breath earlier."
"No more wasting time."
On the other side, the Flood Dragon Daoist also grew impatient. "Dissect it quickly. Let's see what special abilities these natives have this time."
Bi Feiyuan licked her red lips. "No need for the hassle. Let me handle it, and I'll know right away."
Only Chongming adopted an expression of "I'm a normal person, not associating with you other Saint Sect disciples," pulling away from the insect in disdain.
Seeing itself reduced to meat on the chopping block in the eyes of its enemies, ready to be carved up at any moment, the pitch-black demonic insect's voice gained a note of fury. It opened its mouthparts to speak again—but at that instant, the ever-silent Lu Yang suddenly shifted his gaze toward it.
"Hiss hiss hiss!?"
In the next breath, the previously aggressive pitch-black demonic insect seemed to behold something utterly terrifying. With a shrill cry, it exploded with a boom!
Yet the insect did not die. Instead, it transformed into a crimson cloud.
The red cloud churned up and down, unleashing a piercing buzz that howled forth. Upon closer inspection, the crowd realized it was thousands of tiny, rice-grain-sized insects!
The insects surged forward in a swarm!
Almost on reflex, the Flood Dragon Daoist reared his dragon head and spat a jet of demonic fire, engulfing dozens of them in an attempt to burn them to ash.
But soon, the Flood Dragon Daoist frowned.
"Something's not right..."
Before he finished speaking, the demonic fire dimmed rapidly as if being gnawed away, then extinguished. The insects burst free, their numbers now several times greater than before!
In an instant, the other true transmissions—even the Saint Sect disciples—struck out, unleashing divine abilities or hurling treasures. Strangely, though these attacks killed some insects, the survivors devoured the remnants and split into even more of their kind!
In moments, the insect swarm broke through to Lu Yang's position.
"...Interesting."
Seeing this, Lu Yang finally raised a brow. With a single sweeping glance, the insects that had been rampaging with ferocious might lost all vitality in an instant.
They fell like rain with a patter.
Lu Yang casually pinched one between his fingers, rubbing it lightly as he examined it. "This insect... actually possesses a status? No, it doesn't seem cultivated by the insect itself."
The next moment, Lu Yang looked up at the sky overhead. Perhaps because Tingyou Ancestor had refined the [Hall of Yama], allowing the guardian deity Su Nü to draw on the Buddhist cultivators' power within the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner to restore her peak state—under her enhancement, Lu Yang keenly sensed a thick malice.
This malice came not from any individual, but from this entire heaven and earth.
Flowers, birds, fish, insects—even the spiritual energy of this realm—all harbored immense malice toward him and the surrounding Saint Sect disciples.
Only now, that malice was suppressed by three even greater forces.
Otherwise, we "outsiders" wouldn't be able to refine the spiritual energy here at all. Rashly drawing it in would even poison us.
"True Lord..."
Without question, the culprits enabling outsiders to enter and exit this hostile heaven and earth at will were the three Golden Core True Lords.
Even so, this heaven and earth retained some power of resistance.
The result was the status now imposed on these demonic insects—a mere fraction of it. The true Child of Heaven's Mandate should be the insect king among them.
"These are... Qi-Devouring Insects?"
At that moment, Tingyou Ancestor's voice suddenly rang out. "I thought this species had gone extinct long ago. Never imagined I'd see one again today."
Lu Yang responded in surprise. "Ancestor recognizes them?"
"Of course."
There was a hint of reproach in Tingyou Ancestor's tone. "As the lineage successor of our Witch Ghost Dao, have you not read the inherited Daoist scriptures?"
"Qi-Devouring Insects—as the name implies, they devour heaven and earth's qi. They are ancient heterodox species from beyond the heavens. One once fell into overseas lands, obtained by a late Foundation Establishment great expert there. He nurtured it until it multiplied to one billion two hundred ninety million insects. With a stir of qi, they blotted out the sky and eclipsed the sun—unrivaled among Foundation Establishment!"
"That overseas great expert caused quite a stir back then."
"One billion two hundred ninety million Qi-Devouring Insects—he even refined a formation diagram to pair with them, proclaiming he would defy the heavens and challenge a True Lord at Foundation Establishment..."
Here, even Tingyou Ancestor showed admiration. "Must admit, overseas lands are barren. The cultivators there truly lack vision."
Lu Yang's curiosity stirred. "And then? Did he actually go?"
"He did."
Tingyou Ancestor shook his head. "He went to Jiangxi. Then a Bodhisattva from the Pure Land found his insect swarm too noisy and slapped him dead—man and insects alike—with one palm."
No suspense at all.
Even so, Lu Yang grasped the terror of these Qi-Devouring Insects.
Though slain by a True Lord's single palm, the very fact that it required a True Lord to do so proved their worth.
(This chapter is finished)