Chapter 677: The Fall

BOOM! BOOM! A pair of muffled, titanic explosions rang out.

As two Incarnations self-destructed, a blinding flash instantly swept across the battlefield.

A massive shockwave surged skyward, tearing through the lead-gray clouds and revealing a gigantic hole.

The shield around the Inverted Giant Peak took the brunt of the force. Already heavily damaged after being struck by the Meteor, it finally failed to hold. After a series of violent flickers, it shattered into countless fragments with a deafening crash.

For a moment, a continuous roar of explosions sounded, like rolling thunder pouring out in every direction.

Even though he had witnessed this technique several times, Chen Naigu’s heart still pounded with fear. Ziyuan, beside him, was completely stunned. The world-destroying scene had already seared a nearly indelible impression upon her still-developing mind.

Just then, a clear cry rang out.

Amidst a blinding flash of light, a soul-shaking aura descended. It was Lü Zhong. To utterly destroy the giant peak, he had not only summoned the Giant Spirit Mask but also unleashed the Flood Dragon Transformation Technique. In an instant, he transformed into a Hundred Feet Giant Flood Dragon. He raised his draconic head and unleashed a torrent of breath at the fortress before him.

The Purple Gold Extreme Fire surged forth, blanketing every part of the giant peak.

Wherever it passed, both solid rock and bizarre insects were incinerated in the inferno.

Lü Zhong’s display perfectly demonstrated the decisive impact a High-level cultivator could have on a battle. Unleashing his full strength, he used his unparalleled power to push the once-dominant strange insects to the brink of annihilation in just a hundred breaths’ time.

Perhaps sensing the crisis, or maybe just unwilling to accept defeat, an astonishing aura suddenly poured out from the other side of the Void Channel. A thirty-three-foot-tall, ferocious giant insect appeared, its aura unfathomably deep. Even when Lü Zhong probed it with his Celestial Net Eye, all he could see was a blinding green light, making it impossible to gauge the giant insect’s true strength.

Seeing it rapidly solidify as it prepared to force its way across the border, Lü Zhong flashed like lightning and appeared near the Void Channel. Gritting his teeth, he summoned the Cangwu Bead and slapped a Jia Yuan Heavenly Talisman onto it. The bead produced a shield to protect his Incarnation, preventing him from losing his best play to an attack from the giant insect.

Just as expected, as the Incarnation flew forward, the giant insect’s body erupted with green light. The light gathered in the orifices covering its body before shooting out as hundreds of rays. Most of them slammed into the Cangwu Shield, causing it to ripple like water.

But it was too late.

BOOM! A muffled thunderclap erupted.

In Lü Zhong’s perception, it was as if a giant boulder had been dropped into a calm lake. Under the influence of the massive energy ripples, the once-stable space began to tremble. The already unstable Void Channel started to collapse. The massive vortex of clouds rapidly dissipated, and with a final, unwilling roar, the channel slammed shut.

‘Phew! It’s finally over.’

Lü Zhong let out a huge sigh of relief, thinking how lucky he’d been. ‘If I hadn’t brought enough Incarnations to destroy that fortress with brute force, I would have been in real trouble.’

As motes of light dispersed through the air, Lü Zhong slowly reverted to his human form and glanced at the battlefield, where the fighting was winding down. Without the Inverted Giant Peak, the strange insects, no matter how ferocious, were a spent force. He didn’t intervene further, flying directly toward the Mountain Shaking Ship instead.

What should have been a simple raid had nearly escalated into a full-blown cross-border war.

Having learned his lesson, Lü Zhong didn’t quite trust his luck. He decided to first regulate his breathing and calm his spirit to recover the nearly half of his Magical Power he had expended, just in case any other surprises were in store.

With the combined forces of the Skeleton Insect Swarm and the Bihai Sect cultivators, the battlefield was sealed as tight as a drum. Whether the strange insects chose to fight to the death or attempt to flee, there was no possibility of escape. They were soon slaughtered to the last one.

「By dusk.」

The battlefield was finally cleared. The insect corpses, piled nearly ten feet high on the ground, were removed and burned, while all useful materials were collected. Sorting through the remains of the Inverted Giant Peak yielded a pleasant surprise: its main structure had been built with a large quantity of rare resources, including numerous spiritual materials required for refining Magical Treasures.

All in all, it had been a very profitable expedition.

Deep within the Skeleton Insect Nest, before a mountain of bones piled up over countless years, Lü Zhong finally obtained the Nether Corpse Emperor Insect Juice he desired. Even after leaving a portion for the Insect Queen Ziyuan to ensure her proper development, he still had a considerable amount of Emperor Insect Juice for himself—a full fifteen servings.

He made a rough calculation and found that it should be just enough to break through his bottleneck.

Satisfied, he put it away. Lü Zhong turned to Ziyuan and Chen Naigu and said coolly, “Since you have accepted the Bihai Sect as your master, you will conduct yourselves accordingly from this day forward. I can let the past be the past, but if you commit such massacres again, do not blame me for enforcing our agreement.”

“Yes!” Ziyuan nodded vigorously.

Having witnessed Lü Zhong’s might, she had long since abandoned any rebellious thoughts, and it was unlikely she would ever have them in the future.

Chen Naigu, standing beside her, also nodded again and again.

Seeing their respectful attitudes and assuming they now understood how to conduct themselves, Lü Zhong said no more. He took a few steps forward, and his figure vanished from the Insect Nest.

***

Back on the Mountain Shaking Ship, Lü Zhong sat cross-legged alone in his Quiet Chamber.

He brushed a hand over his Storage Ring and took out a serving of the Nether Corpse Emperor Insect Juice. After a moment of contemplation, he decided against consuming it immediately. Instead, he prepared to use the Gray Mist Space to carefully investigate the properties of the Insect Paste.

This was also a chance to check for any hidden traps.

A thorough examination proved his worries were unfounded.

He swallowed the Nether Corpse Emperor Insect Juice. The taste was absolutely vile—spicy, with a sour and astringent undertone, like drinking a glob of thousand-year-fermented corpse marrow. The sensation was utterly sickening.