Chapter 235: Chapter 235: Sect Powerhouse
The expressions of Wei Hong and the others at his side all changed. If Master Lv Hao took this Ye Xuan as his disciple, what would become of the Wei family?
Wei Hong said anxiously, "Master Lv Hao, this boy’s methods for breaking Arrays are so brilliant, how could he not have a teacher? Perhaps a powerful Array Master is guiding him from behind the scenes. Moreover, he’s from the Royal City and highly regarded by His Majesty. That doesn’t align with your desire to live as a recluse."
"Indeed," Fang Tianhong chimed in. "I wonder when you plan to make your move, Master? If you don’t act soon, that boy and his men will reach the deepest part of the mansion."
Lv Hao snorted and shot Wei Hong and the others a cool glance. "Governor Wei Hong, look at you getting so worked up," he said coldly. "I was just making an offhand comment. I have too much on my plate right now. Even if I wanted a disciple, I don’t have the leisure to teach one."
However, he also felt there was some truth to Wei Hong’s words. For Ye Xuan to be so young yet so adept at breaking Arrays, it was simply impossible that he didn’t have a skilled Array Master guiding him.
"A pity." Lv Hao shook his head, a green glint flashing in his eyes. He suddenly gave an eerie smile. "Watch closely. My little treasures have been deployed."
「Within the Array.」
Ye Xuan and his group were pressing forward.
As he took in the horrifying scenes around him, Ye Xuan’s expression grew increasingly grim. Suddenly, his footsteps came to an abrupt halt.
Faint presences wafted in from all directions, growing stronger and more numerous. SKITTER SKITTER... His gaze darkened, and his expression turned cold. "This is bad. It’s them, just as I feared."
Ouyang Xiaoshan and the others looked around in horror. A piercing BUZZING sound suddenly erupted from the surrounding flowerbeds and buildings. Faint black glints began to appear, growing in number. All over the ground, hideous insects resembling cockroaches emerged, completely surrounding everyone in the blink of an eye.
These insects were hideous and savage. Wherever they went, they swarmed over countless shriveled corpses, frantically burrowing in and out of their orifices in a gruesome, skin-crawling display.
"Young Lord Xuan, what are these bizarre things?"
"These insects are disgusting!"
Everyone felt their skin crawl. The aura emanating from every single one of these tens of thousands of Demon Insects was at least at the Tier One Spirit Martial Realm. A small portion had reached the Tier Two Xuanwu Realm, and there were even a few at the Tier Three Earth Martial Realm and Tier Four Celestial Martial Realm.
Ye Xuan’s expression was grave. "Corpse-eating Insects. They’re a type of insectoid Demon Beast that grows by absorbing nutrients from corpses. These creatures are extremely difficult to deal with, and their numbers are vast. The more corpses they devour, the more they multiply, and the faster they grow."
Ye Xuan watched the Corpse-eating Insects burrowing in and out of the desiccated corpses, then said in a cold voice, "No wonder all the servants here are dead. It was all to cultivate these Corpse-eating Insects. That Wei Hong is truly vicious, feeding his own subordinates to these things just to trap us and increase their power."
Their skin crawling, they asked, "Young Lord Xuan, what do we do now?"
"Look out, they’re coming!"
Suddenly, as if answering some silent summons, the Corpse-eating Insects at the forefront lunged. The startled Imperial Guards on the outer perimeter swung their weapons. Profound Power flared, and a barrage of attacks crashed into the swarm. With a series of thunderous booms, hundreds of Corpse-eating Insects were instantly blasted to pieces.
’They’re that easy to kill?’
The men paused, stunned. But in the next moment, they all froze. Their surrounding kin immediately devoured the dead Corpse-eating Insects, leaving not a single trace behind. And the insects that had consumed the corpses of their brethren now emanated noticeably stronger auras.
Ye Xuan’s grave voice rang out, "Corpse-eating Insects grow not only by devouring human corpses but also the corpses of their own kind. The ones you kill will become nutrients for the others, which then allows them to multiply. The only way to deal with them is to use Fire Element Profound Power to incinerate their bodies completely. Only then will the necrotic energy within their corpses be thoroughly purged."
Everyone’s skin crawled. ’These Corpse-eating Insects can essentially reproduce even after being killed? They’re practically invincible!’
"All Imperial Guards with Fire Element affinity, to the perimeter!"
Ouyang Xiaoshan reorganized the formation as a massive wave of Corpse-eating Insects surged forward, heedless of their own lives.
BOOM! BOOM! BOOM!
Continuous explosions erupted around their shrinking perimeter. Many Corpse-eating Insects were blasted to bits, and some were incinerated into nothingness by Fire Element Profound Power. However, there were far too few Imperial Guards with an affinity for the Fire Element. The number of insects they truly managed to kill was negligible. For the most part, their attacks were just providing more food for the rest of the swarm.
No matter how they attacked, the Corpse-eating Insects charged on, fearless of death, their numbers showing no sign of dwindling.
The relentless assault severely drained the Profound Power of many Imperial Guards. After only the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, those wielding Fire Element Profound Power were already panting for breath, their faces pale and covered in cold sweat.
"Heh heh heh... My precious Corpse-eating Insects are endless and inexhaustible. Their resistance is futile. This group seems quite strong... but that’s even better. The stronger they are, the richer the nutrients. Once my precious pets devour their corpses, I might even get a few Tier Five Corpse-eating Insects out of it! Heh heh heh!"
In a room deep within the mansion, the rainbow-robed man watched the scene on the projection with a savage sneer. A chill ran down the spines of Wei Hong and the others beside him.
’Master Lv Hao arrived in Tianxu Province a few months ago. He’s said to be from outside the Thirteen Nations Alliance, and his power is terrifying. He stumbled upon the ancient grand Array in our Wei family mansion and has been studying it ever since.’
’Wei Hong had always been extremely deferential toward Lv Hao. It was thanks to him, really. Otherwise, when Ye Xuan and his men came storming in, his only choice would have been to pack his bags and flee.’
Within the grand Array, Ouyang Xiaoshan and his men were doing their utmost to hold the line, but Ye Xuan remained expressionless, his brow furrowed as he carefully examined something.
’These Corpse-eating Insects are too methodical,’ he thought. ’They aren’t attacking randomly. Every wave is precisely targeted, keeping the Imperial Guards scrambling.’
’An activated ancient grand Array, a swarm of controlled Corpse-eating Insects... it all points to one thing: there’s an Array expert in this City Lord’s Mansion. And this person is also a Soul Refiner.’
’I’m not afraid of the Corpse-eating Insects. The only thing I’m wary of is this mysterious Soul Refiner.’
’But who in the Liuyun Kingdom could possibly possess such abilities? Thinking it over, it definitely isn’t a native Soul Refiner from the Liuyun Kingdom. After all, even Elder Kuchun, the Vice President of the Royal Soul Refiner Association and a Fourth Grade Soul Refiner, is completely incapable of this.’
As he was deep in thought, a presence within his Storage Ring suddenly stirred.
A cold smile suddenly touched the corners of Ye Xuan’s perpetually icy lips.
’You’ve been on the attack this whole time. Now, it’s my turn. Let’s see just who this master is, daring to run amok in my Tianxu Province.’
"Rise!"
With a flash in his eyes, Ye Xuan, who had been standing still, suddenly threw out several array flags that plunged into the empty air before him.
POP!
Deep within the mansion, the image in front of the rainbow-robed man abruptly vanished.
"Master Lv Hao, what happened?"
"That brat... He actually discovered my surveillance Array and cut the feed." Lv Hao’s face was a mask of savagery, a cold light glinting in his eerie green eyes. "But if he thinks that’s enough to save his life, he’s far too naive. My little treasures don’t even need my control to annihilate any Martial Artist below Tier Six. Those fools are merely delaying their own demise..."
Before Lv Hao could finish speaking, his expression suddenly changed, and his voice died in his throat.
He was horrified to discover that the moment the image vanished, he had instantly lost his connection to huge swaths of his precious pets. This had never happened before.
’This is bad! What’s happening to my pets?’ Lv Hao’s expression was grim, his heart burning with anxiety. But the projection was blank, and he had no idea what was happening inside the Array.
Seeing the drastic change in Master Lv Hao’s expression, Wei Hong and the others grew anxious as well. They had never seen him look like this. Had something gone wrong in the Array? They questioned him repeatedly but received no answer.
In truth, it wasn’t that Lv Hao didn’t want to answer; he was simply unable to. He was currently using every ounce of his strength to try and recall his precious Corpse-eating Insects.
’These Corpse-eating Insects were a treasure he had obtained from his sect. He had offended a master within his sect to get them, which led to his expulsion, turning him into a renegade disciple. He absolutely could not allow his precious pets to be lost here.’
But to his dismay, no matter how desperately he used his Soul Power to summon his Corpse-eating Insects, he received no response. All he could feel were vast swaths of them vanishing from his perception.
Moreover, from the disappearing insects, he could sense one thing: fear. It seemed something had appeared that struck terror into their very being. It was this fear that made them completely ignore his commands.
’Impossible.’ His first reaction was that this was impossible. ’My Corpse-eating Insects may be low-tier, but they are an exceptionally special breed of Demon Beast. As long as they have enough corpses, they can upgrade indefinitely. Frankly, if they were to devour a large number of Tier Nine Emperor Level Demon Beast corpses, it wouldn’t be out of the question to produce a Tier Nine Corpse-eating Insect. Therefore, there are very few things on this continent that could make them feel such fear and dread.’
