Chapter 499: Bronze Beetle Race

“They’re here to back Di Zuo. Otherwise, the Ancestor Mountain of the Ten Thousand Bones Throne wouldn’t have come so easily.” Seeing the mountain from afar, countless people gasped.

“The Qianli River even brought their Elders. As a supreme power in the Netherworld, they definitely won’t show any weakness. This is a direct confrontation.” Someone murmured upon seeing the Ancestor Mountain.

It was common knowledge that Li Qiye and Di Zuo were now mortal enemies. Li Qiye had slaughtered tens of thousands of foes and soundly defeated the Shen Ran Phoenix Lady; there was no way Di Zuo could stomach this humiliation! No matter what, a battle between the two of them was inevitable.

Now, the Ten Thousand Bones Throne had even sent its Ancestor Mountain. The message couldn’t be clearer: if it was a one-on-one duel, they wouldn’t interfere. But if the Qianli River tried to use its numbers to bully a single opponent, the Ten Thousand Bones Throne would absolutely not hold back!

BUZZ—BUZZ—BUZZ— While many were still reeling from the Ancestor Mountain’s arrival, a droning sound suddenly filled the air. The entire sky darkened in an instant. Everyone looked up to see a dense, crawling mass overhead.

“Oh my god, it’s the Bronze Beetle Race! Run!” Seeing the teeming mass in the sky, countless people were scared out of their wits.

With a sharp BUZZ, countless flying insects swarmed together in an instant. The dense swarm coalesced into a humanoid Giant Peak, forming a Giant.

When all the insects retracted their bronze-like wings, the clear silhouette of a Giant appeared before everyone. It looked as if it were forged from bronze.

In truth, this was not a bronze giant, but a humanoid shape formed by innumerable insects. At this moment, however, it was nearly impossible for anyone to tell.

“Heh, heh, heh, no need to panic. My Bronze Beetle Race is here for the First Evil Tomb, not to go on a killing spree.” The Giant formed by countless insects opened its mouth and spoke with a sinister laugh.

Hearing this, many of the fleeing people stopped. However, even watching the Giant from a distance, many still felt their blood run cold.

The Bronze Beetle Race was a branch of the Ghost Race, and a terrifying one at that. In the Ghost Sacred Realm, the mere mention of their name was enough to make anyone’s skin crawl.

The Bronze Beetle Race had existed for an extremely long time; some even believed they originated before the Desolate Era. Although they had never produced an Immortal Emperor, legend had it that their ancestor once devoured a being on par with an Immortal Emperor in a distant age.

But that wasn’t their most terrifying aspect. The reproductive ability of the Bronze Beetle Race was horrifyingly powerful. If needed, they could reproduce instantly, meaning they could spawn millions of offspring in the shortest possible time!

Therefore, to go to war with the Bronze Beetle Race was to face an unkillable enemy. And it was true—in war, anywhere the Bronze Beetles passed was like a locust plague sweeping through, capable of devouring anything.

Moreover, their bodies were incredibly hard, making them difficult to kill. In other words, a member of the Bronze Beetle Race was like an unkillable cockroach. One cockroach might be manageable, but imagine millions upon millions of them that couldn’t be killed. The thought alone was terrifying.

There was a saying in the Ghost Sacred Realm: It is better to offend an Emperor Immortal Gate than to offend the Bronze Beetle Race!

With the arrival of such a terrifying Ghost Race clan, many felt a deep-seated fear. No one wanted to become a meal for these ghoulish things. Creatures like the Bronze Beetles ate anything, even dirt. If devoured by them, not even bones would remain.

The thought of becoming a tasty morsel for these locust-like creatures sent a shiver down everyone’s spine, so many kept a great distance.

“So, the Bronze Emperor didn’t hesitate to rush here all the way from Ze Di, hundreds of millions of miles away.” At this moment, a refined voice sounded out. Yin-Yang Qi filled the sky as over a thousand experts arrived, treading upon it.

When the Yin-Yang Qi descended outside the First Evil Tomb, it formed a massive Yin-Yang Painting. Only then could everyone clearly see a middle-aged man sitting on a soft palanquin atop the painting.

The man wore a Yin Yang Robe and had an elegant, scholarly air, like someone who had transcended the mortal world. One look at his features was enough to imagine he must have been a handsome man in his youth.

“So it is the Yin Yang Immortal Master. Forgive my lack of courtesy!” Upon seeing this middle-aged man, even the Bronze Emperor, the Clan Leader of the Bronze Beetle Race, didn’t dare to be neglectful and immediately offered his greetings.

“The Yin Yang Immortal Master, Chan Yang’s father, the Master of the Yin Yang Sect!” Hearing this name, everyone felt a chill in their hearts, regardless of who they were.

The Yin Yang Sect was a great heritage in the Netherworld. It was founded by the Yin Yang Immortal Emperor and was an Emperor Immortal Gate. In the current generation, two people from the Yin Yang Sect were absolutely noteworthy: the Yin Yang Immortal Master and Chan Yang.

Even more wonderfully, it was a well-known tale that the Yin Yang Immortal Master was Chan Yang’s father!

And who was Chan Yang? He was one of the Three Heroes of the Netherworld, his fame on par with Di Zuo’s. But that wasn’t what made people fear him most. Chan Yang had been chosen as the successor to the Ancestral Realm!

The Ancestral Realm was the most supreme existence in the Ghost Sacred Realm. For the Ghost Race, the Ancestral Realm was their place of origin, their most sacred and paramount land.

Legend said that the Ancestral Realm had been leading the Ghost Race to glory since a distant era. The ghosts of the Ghost Sacred Realm believed that without the Ancestral Realm, their race would not exist today.

In fact, over millions of years, many of the Ghost Race’s Immortal Emperors—such as the First Immortal Emperor, the Second Immortal Emperor, the Yin Yang Immortal Emperor, and the Insect Emperor Immortal Emperor—had countless ties to the Ancestral Realm.

Although the Ancestral Realm now remained aloof and rarely interfered in the world, its status throughout the Ghost Sacred Realm was utterly transcendent. In extraordinary times, the Ancestral Realm could even command all the Ghost Race clans in the world! Even an Emperor Immortal Gate like the Ten Thousand Bones Throne was extremely wary of it.

Chan Yang was the son of the Yin Yang Immortal Master and was once the successor of the Yin Yang Sect. He had gained great fame at a very young age. Later, when an Elder Ancestor from the Ancestral Realm descended to the Lower Realm to choose a successor, countless Ghost Race clans from the Ghost Sacred Realm sent their most outstanding and talented disciples for consideration. However, the Elder Ancestor looked down on all these geniuses.

Later, the Elder Ancestor visited the Ten Thousand Bones Throne, the Ten Thousand Ancient Country, and even some reclusive Ancient Races and Noble Families. But throughout this entire process, the Elder Ancestor still failed to choose a successor. Even Di Zuo and Tian Lunhui were not selected.

The moment the Elder Ancestor saw Chan Yang, who was in secluded cultivation, he immediately chose him and brought him back to the Ancestral Realm.

This event caused a huge sensation at the time. Becoming the successor of the Ancestral Realm was an earth-shattering matter. Once chosen, even if one didn’t become an Immortal Emperor in the future, as long as they became the master of the Ancestral Realm, they would become a supreme being in the Ghost Sacred Realm, the crownless king of all the Ghost Race.

Every Ghost Race member in the Ghost Sacred Realm knew what this meant. To become the successor of the Ancestral Realm signified a lifetime of glory and even the power to command the world.

Such a lineage, such a throne—it was coveted and envied by countless geniuses.

With Chan Yang becoming the successor of the Ancestral Realm, the status of the Yin Yang Sect, an Emperor Immortal Gate, rose dramatically in the Ghost Sacred Realm. Overnight, it seemed to have surpassed even the Ten Thousand Bones Throne in influence.

As a father, the Yin Yang Immortal Master was naturally proud of his son and considered him his greatest honor.

However, the Yin Yang Immortal Master was not someone who relied on his son’s fame. He himself had been an exceptionally brilliant talent who shook the world in his youth. He became an Ancient Saint at the age of twenty. One must understand, that was during the Tough Dao Era! To become an Ancient Saint at such an age was a horrifying feat. Some at the time had said that if the Yin Yang Immortal Master had not been born in the Tough Dao Era, he would have had a great chance to contend for the title of Immortal Emperor.

Later, because he had forced his way through a tribulation during the Tough Dao Era, the Yin Yang Immortal Master suffered a Dao injury, and his Dao Practice stagnated. Otherwise, at his current age and with his vast Blood Qi, he might have had a chance to compete with the younger generation for the Celestial Mandate!

The arrival of the Yin Yang Sect and the Yin Yang Immortal Master caused quite a stir. Even a power like the Bronze Beetle Race showed him a measure of respect. Because of this, his arrival drew many cultivators and sects to come and pay their respects.

“I wonder when the esteemed Chan Yang will return?” one of the Great Sect Leaders asked while exchanging pleasantries with the Yin Yang Immortal Master.

In truth, many people in the Ghost Sacred Realm were paying close attention to Chan Yang’s movements. One could even say that he garnered more attention than Di Zuo.

Although Di Zuo had limitless potential and a high chance of becoming an Immortal Emperor, and the Ten Thousand Bones Throne was a power that intimidated the world—a Daoist Lineage of Three Emperors that inspired immense reverence…

…Chan Yang was different. He was the successor of the Ancestral Realm. Even if he didn’t become an Immortal Emperor in the future, he would still become the supreme being who controlled the Ancestral Realm.

One must know, the Ancestral Realm could even represent the entire Ghost Race and command the world. This was something the Ten Thousand Bones Throne couldn’t compare to. It was true that the Ten Thousand Bones Throne intimidated the world; as a Daoist Lineage of Three Emperors, it had always been lofty and superior.

But compared to the Ancestral Realm, the origin of the Ghost Race, the Ten Thousand Bones Throne’s status in the Ghost Sacred Realm was still considerably lower.

For this very reason, more people and more Ghost Race clans in the Ghost Sacred Realm were more optimistic about Chan Yang. Di Zuo might not necessarily become an Immortal Emperor, but Chan Yang would definitely take control of the Ancestral Realm one day!

In response, the Yin Yang Immortal Master smiled and said, “My son cannot return from the Ancestral Realm for the time being. He has already reached Immortal Body Minor Achievement and has crossed a minor tribulation. He is now in secluded cultivation, aiming to reach Great Success.”

“Immortal Body Minor Achievement!” Hearing the Yin Yang Immortal Master’s words, many people gasped. Chan Yang’s talent was known throughout the world. As the successor chosen by the Ancestral Realm, the cultivation technique he practiced was undoubtedly unparalleled, no worse than that of any Emperor Immortal Gate. And now he had actually reached Immortal Body Minor Achievement? How could this not move everyone?