Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension Chapter 1400: 752: Void Fortress Beneath the Dead Star's Core
Previously on Cultivating for a hundred lifetimes to ascension...
His concern wasn't centered on locating the B2 Virtual Realm Fortress, but rather on alerting the other two without sparking any doubts.
Right then, Zhao Sheng abruptly lifted an eyebrow; a scheme had already taken shape in his mind.
“Ah, I recall running into a swarm of Void Worms earlier. Perfect!”
Even as the words left his mouth, he had vanished, teleporting two Constant Years distant.
Deep inside the churning Chaos storm, a vast blanket of gray-black sinister mist emerged abruptly, racing forward with speed.
This sinister mist blanketed the heavens, surging with unstoppable force like a piercing rainbow, carrying an icy murderous vibe.
Through the scan of Divine Thought, the mist's real nature came into view: endless gray-black bugs.
These bugs looked like wriggling worms, each roughly a foot long on average, their forms plump like silkworms, but spiked with dark bone barbs along their backs, sending shivers down the spine.
“Good thing this swarm of Void Worms totals less than a billion. The Insect Emperor's strength probably hasn't reached Returning to Void yet, so it shouldn't pose much trouble.” As Zhao Sheng observed the onrushing bug cloud, he stepped lightly ahead.
The instant after, he materialized right in the heart of the swarm.
The Void Worms in this spot were enormous, their lengths typically spanning seven or eight zhang, radiating a formidable presence, with strengths varying from Nascent Soul to Divinity Transformation.
Void Worms form tight-knit groups, and the bigger the horde, the greater their combined might, enabling them to withstand the brutal “conditions” of the Dark Sky through unified effort.
“A billion worms unite as one!”
That's the key to how Void Worms endure in the Dark Sky!
The swarm of Void Worms sensed Zhao Sheng's entry right away, and immediately, they released a flood of psychic signals, merging into an immense, ocean-like awareness that crashed against him.
“Your response is sluggish! Far too delayed!” Zhao Sheng chuckled while shaking his head, then faded from sight.
Bam!
In a heartbeat, he rematerialized, crashing down fiercely on the skull of a colossal worm almost a hundred zhang in size, his form partially buried in the tough hide.
“Stay still, or face death!”
Zhao Sheng abruptly released the crushing aura of the Returning to Void Realm, while delivering a lethal warning to the Insect Emperor below.
The Insect Emperor, seething with rage and surprise, prepared to muster the full power of its kind to eliminate the “Human Clan Cultivator” perched atop it.
But an unstoppable energy pierced through from above its head, smashing much of its brain into pulp in a flash.
Next, the Insect Emperor endured a storm of thunderous blows
until its mind grew foggy, hanging onto existence by a thread amid the brutal barrage. Only then did Zhao Sheng halt and inquire, “Will you yield?”
“I yield!” the Insect Emperor replied at once in a pathetic psychic transmission.
“I question, you reply. To which Alien Demon group do you belong?”
“I come from the Zhe Luo Demon Group. From the moment my awareness awoke until now, 37,503 years have passed, and I oversee the herding of this Void Worm swarm.”
Zhao Sheng gave a nod, detecting no falsehoods from the entity, and pressed further, “What task do you have?”
“I’ve been ‘patrolling’ the boundary, yet I never meant to cross paths with you, lord.” The Insect Emperor proved clever indeed, adopting the sycophantic style of Human Clan speech.
Zhao Sheng deemed this Alien Demon rather pleasing and posed a few more queries.
Sure enough, the Alien Demon possessing the Insect Emperor's form remained ignorant of B2 Virtual Realm Fortress's location or the fact that their forces had seized it.
It ranked as a mere low-grade Demon Monster in the Alien Demon ranks, denied access to “elite secrets.”
Yet Zhao Sheng sought no intel from it; his aim was instead…
Bam!
The Insect Emperor's skull burst open without warning, showering chunks of gray-white brain tissue that the Space-Time Storm wiped away instantly.
With a casual flick of his wrist, Zhao Sheng summoned bolts of Purple Cloud Divine Thunder from the void, all slamming into a shadowy black Demon form. The shadow dissolved without a chance to cry out.
He extended his hand, drawing forth an egg-sized, many-sided crystal from beneath, which settled into his grasp.
In that instant, the swarm descended into pandemonium, erupting into wild disorder.
Yet soon, the horde divided into seven or eight separate clusters, scattering hastily every which way.
Scattered Demon Thought Subbodies hid within the various packs, managing to flee unscathed.
Zhao Sheng made no effort to pursue, letting them slip away.
He promptly retrieved the Nine Divine Gu and dispatched a summons to Hundred Birds Taoist and Ji Tian.
After biding time for the better part of the day, Hundred Birds Taoist showed up first.
“Taoist Yan, have you truly uncovered the location of B2 Virtual Realm Fortress?” Hundred Birds Taoist asked eagerly right upon arrival, seeking confirmation.
“Yan got lucky! Not long into my search, I stumbled upon a bunch of Void Worms under demon control. To my surprise, the Insect Emperor revealed that the Alien Demons had moved B2 Virtual Realm Fortress into this world's Star Domain, prompting my hasty call to you.”
With those words, Zhao Sheng gestured toward the enormous worm remains at his feet and revealed the alien crystal in his possession.
This alien crystal featured three hundred and seventy-six sides, qualifying it as a Primordial Spirit Demon type.
Hundred Birds Taoist lit up with joy at the mere glimpse, harboring no suspicions of Zhao Sheng fabricating the tale.
In essence, such a deception would bring no gain or purpose!
“Haha! Taoist Yan truly excels! This puts us well ahead of the Demon-slaying Team. They could never guess the Alien Demons relocated B2 Virtual Realm Fortress to our current world's Star Domain.”
“Merely a stroke of fortune for me!” Zhao Sheng replied modestly, playing the part.
…
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(The update couldn’t be finished in time, apologies! Refresh again in an hour.)
These Void Worms in the area boast impressive sizes, typically measuring seventy to eighty feet, and they project a potent aura, with strengths spanning Nascent Soul to Divinity Transformation.
Void Worms thrive in colonies; the more numerous the colony, the mightier their shared force, letting them counter the intensely unforgiving “setting” of the Dark Sky via group synergy.
“Millions merge into a single worm!”
That's the core mystery behind Void Worms thriving in the Dark Sky!
The Void Worm collective picked up on Zhao Sheng's breach and promptly unleashed a torrent of mental pulses, fusing into a grand, forceful mind that barreled toward him.
“Way too sluggish! You've missed the mark!” Zhao Sheng grinned while shaking his head, his form suddenly blinking out of existence.
Bang!
Within moments, he was back, pounding down on the crown of a gigantic worm exceeding a hundred feet, his body embedding deeply into the dense skin.
“Hold still, or perish!”
Zhao Sheng unleashed the intense pressure of the Returning to Void Realm in a surge, while voicing a deadly ultimatum to the Insect Emperor underneath.
The Insect Emperor, blending fury with astonishment, geared up to channel the whole clan's energy to slay the “Human Clan Cultivator” atop its form.
But a dominant, unyielding power drilled in from overhead, pulverizing large portions of its brain matter right away.
Right on its heels, the Insect Emperor weathered a relentless series of lightning assaults.
Until confusion clouded its senses and it lay broken and barely breathing, Zhao Sheng ceased and demanded, “Do you yield?”
“I yield!” The Insect Emperor shot back a miserable psychic response without delay.
“I inquire, you respond. From which Alien Demon branch do you originate?”
“I originate from the Zhe Luo Demon Group, conscious for thirty-seven thousand five hundred and three years, currently tasked with managing this Void Worm collective.”
Zhao Sheng nodded, picking up no lies from the foe, and followed up, “What's your objective?”
“I'm ‘patrolling’ the perimeter, though I had no wish to encounter you, my lord.” The Insect Emperor displayed sharp wits, even echoing Human Clan bootlicking.
Zhao Sheng felt content with this Alien Demon and threw in additional questions.
As anticipated, the Alien Demon inhabiting the Insect Emperor's shell knew nothing of B2 Virtual Realm Fortress's position or its capture by their allies.
Within the Alien Demon hierarchy, it counted as a basic demon beast, barred from “top-level intel.”
Still, Zhao Sheng's intent lay elsewhere than extracting data from it, but…
Bang!
The Insect Emperor's cranium detonated out of nowhere, flinging globs of gray-white cerebral goo that a space-time storm obliterated on contact.
Zhao Sheng gestured offhandedly, calling down strands of Purple Cloud Divine Thunder from thin air, every one hitting a clump of dark demon silhouette, which scattered silently without a wail.
With a crook of his finger, he pulled an egg-sized, multifaceted crystal upward from the depths, securing it in his hand.
Right then, the worm swarm appeared to erupt—