Forty Millenniums of Cultivation, page 596
"However, the most important task for us is yet to be finished and requires our joint effort!
"We must find the sacred body of God Chaos!"
Li Yao was greatly surprised. He had been thinking that 'Chaos' was a name for an organization and that this place was a secret base of the organization. But according to the Fire Ant King, was 'Chaos' really an individual buried in this place?
What kind of secrets were concealed in the 'sacred body' of Chaos?
The antennae of the Fire Ant King slightly moved. Li Yao immediately sensed that a torrent of information was transmitted to the receptors on his forehead.
Clicking sounds were echoing inside his brain. On the biochemical chips that he was wearing, information, data, and images were raining down like a storm.
They were the maps of the Mausoleum of Chaos, which were at least three times more detailed than those Li Yao had received a moment ago. Countless dense, interconnected roads were leading to the center of the underground.
I didn't know that the Fire Ant King's exploration on the Mausoleum of Chaos was so thorough!
Huh. Weird. A minor space is hidden thousands of meters below the research institute of the Mausoleum of Chaos. What is that?
Li Yao was in deep thought, but he put on an astonished and bewildered expression.
Similarly deep in thought, the Fire Ant King casually said, "I came to this place at great risk. Now that you've run into me, for the sake of confidentiality, you are not getting out of my sight easily.
"I've just read your files, and I can say that you are a rather excellent talent. So, you can follow me and look for the sacred body of God Chaos together with us!"
The Fire Ant King raised his arms high, with devotion and earnestness all over his face. "God Chaos is the ancestor of all demons. He is the creator of the demon race. If we can sort out all the secrets hidden inside the sacred body of God Chaos and receive his legacy, our organization will most certainly—"
Before he concluded his declaration, an abrupt change took place!
The earth was suddenly trembled violently, as if a series of shooting stars had hit the Star Swallowing Sea and raised an intense earthquake.
The trembling did not end until more than half a minute later, succeeded by messy, dull noises.
The antennae on the Fire Ant King's forehead were cramping crazily, and his face turned extremely hideous, his killing intent soaring like the sharp edges of a saber. Not having time to explain anything to Li Yao, he simply led most of his subordinates into the darkness and rushed to the upper level of the temple while leaving Li Yao and several elites behind!
Intruders!
Li Yao recognized the source of the quakes keenly.
After countless battles against the demon race in the Heaven's Origin Sector, and through the simulations of head-on clashes with the devilish warships in the Grand Illusionary Land, Li Yao could not have been more familiar with such quakes. They were a result of the bombardment of the acid cannons of the large devilish warships!
Judging from the intensity of the quakes, the caliber of the acid cannons was appallingly huge, and the devilish warships that accommodated them were certainly the main force models.
The Blade of Chaos was an underground organization. It was impossible, and unnecessary, for them to be equipped with such main force warships.
In the Blood Demon Sector, only the four major demon kingdoms had such capabilities!
Li Yao thought quickly as what to do next. The Fire Ant King seemed to have realized the formidability of the intruders and brought away all the demon kings. All that was left were simply a few demon generals.
Pondering for a moment, Li Yao risked scratching his ear and taking off one of his Cosmos Rings before he released Neltharion quietly.
Shua!
Neltharion entered stealth mode instantly, and its spiritual waves were constricted to the minimum. Normal Cultivators and demons would not be able to notice anything wrong.
Driving Neltharion, Li Yao followed the Fire Ant King from a distance.
The Fire Ant King was rushing forward anxiously and did not notice that a haunting shadow was closely tailing him from hundreds of meters away.
The second floor of the underground was already a mess. Nobody expected attacks from the sky. The warriors were in a hurry to wake up their biochemical beasts and ascend to the temple through the lifts.
Steering Neltharion, Li Yao chose a good moment to dash into a lift and hide beside everybody's legs.
Those crammed in the lift were all demon soldiers and demon generals. Naturally, nobody noticed Neltharion at all.
On the first floor, inside the temple, the shocking view made Li Yao unable to stop himself from clicking his tongue.
The dome of the temple was already on the brink of destruction due to the corrosion of the acid cannons from the shell of the earth.
At this moment, dozens of enormous worms, which were more than ten meters in diameter and emitting metal colors all over their body, drilled through the dome toward the temple!
The enormous worms were similar to the 'Iron Ore Sandworm' on Iron Plateau. They had a circle of dense, sharp thorns around their head and rings of sharp teeth inside their mouthpart, which made them look like the 'tunnel boring machine' that was used to dig tunnels in the Star Glory Federation!
Li Yao knew that such demon beasts could often secrete super corrosive acids that could melt rocks and metals alike. They were most suitable to dig holes below the ground.
Under the bombardment of the acid cannons and the enormous worms, the dome of the temple was soon riddled with holes.
Demon beasts flooded into the underground world like a tide. They were the Ghost Face Silver Mosquitoes and the Colorful Flying Locusts, Li Yao's 'old friends'. Both kinds of demon beasts would sweep across everything they met and leave nothing behind!
Countless fully-armed warriors descended to the underground temple under the cover of the Ghost Face Silver Mosquitoes and the Colorful Flying Locusts!
The warriors were completely different from the demons that Li Yao had seen before. Most of them carried the distinctive features of the Insect Clan, but they were taller and stronger than the clan's general members.
They were all more than three meters tall. With their bone armor that was as thick as a tortoise shell and the dense thorns and lumps on it, they were essentially heavy tanks that were standing on their feet!
What was weirder was that round, brilliant gems had been embedded to their forehead, chest, abdomen, elbows, and knees.
The gems seemed to be alive and were emitting intense spiritual waves, providing incessant energy for them and allowing them to raise a storm of blood among the members of the Blade of Chaos.
The members of the Blade of Chaos were no match for the intruders at all. They were like dry leaves in a blowing wind—the only outcome was to be shattered into pieces!
Li Yao saw that Electric Boa, the leopard tutor who trained him, rode the lightning serpent almost a hundred meters long and dashed at two intruders. Hundreds of electric arcs were spurting out of the mouth of the serpent and condensed into a hurricane of electricity!
However, one of the intruders formed a spluttering shield of energy on his left side with nothing except the bright yellow gems embedded on his left arm, blocking the hurricane of electricity effortlessly!
A series of smaller gems were embedded to the finger joints on the right hand of the other intruder. They were now activated in midair, releasing hideous threads of energy that were condensed into a sharp blade and pierced through the head of the lightning serpent!
Electric Boa screamed miserably and lost connection to the lightning boa, falling off from midair!
What kind of strength is this?
Li Yao secretly clicked his tongue. The capability of the intruders was certainly high, but it was not high enough for them to conduct a one-sided slaughter. It was the gems embedded in their bodies that had multiplied their combat ability!
Weird brilliance flashed deep inside a gem, giving Li Yao a hint as to what it was.
The demon cores!
The demon core was the most valuable part of a demon beast. Every strong demon beast would naturally generate a demon core inside their body after they swallowed enough Heavenly Materials and Earthly Treasures and absorbed sufficient natural energy.
The energy contained inside the demon cores was even more immense than that inside the marrow crystals. They were the ultimate treasures that many Cultivators dreamed to get.
Before Li Yao entered the Building Foundation Stage, he had once been hunted by Wang Ji, a prince of the Kingdom of Lion Butchers, in the Thunderous Sound Mountain. He had only narrowly escaped the disaster by refining a demon core into a powerful bomb and blowing more than half of his pursuers into smithereens.
The mysterious intruders have gathered so many demon cores and embedded them into their own body through a certain secret technique!
They can borrow the strength of the demon cores every moment. They are essentially enhanced by the strength of dozens of demon beasts!
Li Yao was greatly shocked.
He calculated quickly. Judging from the velocity, strength, and frequency of the activation of the demon cores, most of the intruders were able to wield the capability of a demon king. Some of the intruders, who were embedded with dozens of demon cores and looked like captains, could even trigger the combat ability close to that of a demon emperor for a moment!
This is rather a great show!
In the shadows of the second floor, Li Yao's eyes were cold and blinking like the indicators of the crystal processors that were functioning at the highest performance. He analyzed the routes and patterns of the attacks of all the enemies and evaluated their overall capability.
A hundred mysterious warriors with demon cores embedded into their bodies, with at least three enormous main-force devilish warships, as well as—
A slender shadow suddenly revealed its full appearance from the overwhelming mist of blood and dust.
He boasted a face that was even more handsome than many movie stars in the Star Glory Federation. It was so impeccable that it seemed to have been carved out of an entire piece of green jade. His body was covered in shells that seemed to be from insects, but they were perfectly melded with his body and did not give the slightest feeling of ugliness. On the contrary, the integration was simply natural and immaculate.
Dark golden brilliance was mixed in the green and black shells, making it look like the most glamorous armor that was built by the best craftsmen of the entire Blood Demon Sector!
After he showed up, the entire battlefield was eclipsed. The gory battles seemed to have been frozen into a dull background for him.
Chapter 898: Hidden Blood and Hidden Stories! |
"Nether Spring!"
Thunderous roars echoed inside the empty temple.
A red shooting star suddenly rose up and circled around several intruders, who were all blown backwards after a series of miserable screams.
The shadow covered in flames came to an abrupt halt right in front of the exceptionally handsome newcomer. The flames gradually faded away, revealing the outraged face of the Fire Ant King.
The antennae on his forehead had both been extended to the maximum and turned deep purple, tied up by veins. His body significantly expanded, and the shells that were stuck to his body closely all stood up like the unfolded flow stabilizers before a supersonic shuttle took off.
However, Li Yao had a feeling that his fury was more of a cover for his fear.
It was because standing in midair across him was Elder Nether Spring, who was one of the twelve demon emperors of the Pantheon of Demons, the ruler of the Nether Spring Kingdom, and one of the four giants of the Blood Demon Sector!
Li Yao had asked Jin Xinyue to draw vivid portraits of all the important figures of the Blood Demon Sector. But however deft Jin Xinyue's hands were, she was not able to depict the real dominating aura of the unparalleled expert.
Although Li Yao was merely watching him through the image sent back by Neltharion, Li Yao could still sense overwhelming pressure from Elder Nether Spring, as if he was standing right behind and breathing quietly.
As expected of one of the four giants of the Blood Demon Sector!
He is certainly in the high level of the demon emperor stage, if not above it!
Li Yao was greatly alarmed and could not have been more vigilant. It was an enemy of the same level as Xiao Xuance or even stronger than him!
The Fire Ant King and Elder Nether Spring were blood brothers with the same parents. Except for the main colors of their shells, one being red and the other being green, their appearances were very similar to each other.
However, when the two of them stood together, one could not help but have a weird feeling that the Fire Ant King was just a 'larva' that was still growing, and Elder Nether Spring was the real 'matured' one!
The Fire Ant King and Elder Nether Spring, two demon emperors, confronted each other coldly.
Invisible air crashed, produces screeching gales, like ten thousand pressure cookers that were screaming at the same time.
The air was swirling in the vast temple, making the shadow of the two demon emperors somewhat warped.
"Nether Spring!"
His face twisted, the Fire Ant King gnashed his teeth. "How did you find this place?"
Elder Nether Spring smiled. His voice was much gentler and at ease than the Fire Ant King's. "I've studied the Mausoleum of Chaos for decades. Naturally, I knew its rough location. Although I didn't know the specific coordinates, I simply monitored your activities in Void Turmoil City and followed you to this place!"
The Fire Ant King's pupils shrank violently, as if he had just understood everything. Blood seemed to be dropping from the ends of his antennae.
His voice turned extremely coarse. "You've long been suspecting me?"
"No. I never suspected you."
Elder Nether Spring shook his head and said peacefully, "I have been very sure since the very beginning that such an enormous organization like the Blade of Chaos could not be established by a random guy. Also, my beloved brother, the Fire Ant King, was certainly not the type of demons who would abandon the Nether Spring Kingdom just because of familial bonds.
"Since you abandoned control over the Nether Spring Kingdom at your own will, there must've been something that attracted you more. In the meantime, the establishment of Void Turmoil City and the sudden rise of the Blade of Chaos were too coincidental. The few leading rebels in the Riot of Bloody Blade were all connected to Void Turmoil City one way or another. All things considered, isn't the answer obvious?"
The Fire Ant King took a long breath. "Why didn't you stop me?"
"Why would I?" Elder Nether Spring was amused. "What you were doing was exactly what I was interested in. Explore the origin of the demon race and discover the secrets of Chaos!
"However, as the controller of the Nether Spring Kingdom and one of the twelve demon emperors, it was not convenient for me to do a lot of things. Even if I did, a lot of traces would have been left, which would have raised the suspicion of the other demon emperors, especially the other three giants.
"Since my beloved brother was willing to do everything promptly, why shouldn't I just sit and watch? As it turned out, you were more distinguished than I expected. Not only did you establish such a huge enterprise in Void Turmoil City, you also managed to find and open the Mausoleum of Chaos based on the incomplete files!"
"So, the files in Bone Sand City were leaked to me intentionally?" the Fire Ant King mumbled.
"You had some files about the Mausoleum of Chaos; I also had some files about the Mausoleum of Chaos," Elder Nether Spring said casually. "Since I had no access to yours, I gave mine to you. Naturally, you tried your best to see that everything was done properly. I was saved a lot of trouble.
"Although something went wrong during the process, it is a happy ending after all, isn't it?"
"Happy ending?"
The Fire Ant King glanced through Elder Nether Spring's subordinates, with a face that was more and more hideous and crazy. He said, one word after another, "Nether Spring, it seems that I've been manipulated by you all this time. However, are you not curious as to why I joined the Blade of Chaos and even became its leader after decades?"
"Many silver-blood demons have joined the Blade of Chaos," Elder Nether Spring replied. "For power, for strength, for revenge, for all kinds of weird reasons. What's wrong with your decision?"
The Fire Ant King sneered, "If you think that I joined and made use of the Blade of Chaos only because I meant to taste the feeling to supreme power, then you are terribly mistaken!
"I am a real believer of Chaos!
"Why, you ask? The reason is simple!"
The Fire Ant King's aura suddenly burst out, with glamorous flames surrounding him. After a while of rattling noises, a barrier that locked his body seemed to be detonated, and a long tail suddenly jerked out of his back.
The tail was more than one meter long and very elastic, which was clearly not a feature of the Insect Clan but one of the Horn Clan or the Claw Clan!
The Fire Ant King took a long breath in relief, as if he had freed himself from all the boundaries, and chuckled. "Do you see? A tail! A tail that does not belong to the Insect Clan!
"This is not a change that I achieved with the force of genes. It was awakened when I was fifteen and a half years old!
"The tail meant that I was not a pure silver-blood demon but a chaotic-blood demon that was mixed with the features of the Insect Clan and the Claw Clan!
"Haha. Hahahaha. At that time, I was truly devastated and almost killed myself many times.
"But after I browsed through a lot of ancient books, I learned that such things had happened a lot in history. Many silver-blood demons or even saint-blood demons who claimed that their bloodlines were pure had in fact been corrupted several generations before them. However, the genes that belonged to a different species had been hibernating the whole time.
