Chapter 123: Qi-Eating Insect

"Senior Cultivator, spare my life! It's me, it's me!"

When Qin Tianhe brought Guangming before Lu Yang for the second time, before Qin Tianhe could even speak, Guangming impatiently shouted loudly:

"Senior Cultivator, this little monk is still useful!"

"Over a dozen Buddhist cultivators from the Pure Land remain in the rear; this little monk can deal with them. Besides that, there is the Dao Court; this little monk can help you deal with the Dao Court."

Fearing Lu Yang had already killed in a frenzy and might chop him down on a whim, Guangming spoke with such speed that he displayed the pace at which he usually chanted sutras and spells, desperately demonstrating his value. However, Lu Yang ignored him, instead looking at him with some impatience:

"Shut up."

Before Lu Yang's words had even faded, Guangming suddenly covered his mouth. He dared not speak a word, and even held his breath, fearing to anger this great demon before him.

On the other side, Lu Yang gazed toward the distance.

Almost simultaneously, the True Disciple known as the Serpent Daoist seemed to sense something, raised his deformed dragon head, and his massive dragon eyes looked directly at the ground.

"Something is coming."

Upon hearing this, the other True Disciples immediately became alert. The next second, the ground cracked open, and a figure with distinct shell armor slowly crawled out.

It was a demon insect.

Its size was comparable to a human, its entire body as black as if splashed with ink, its mouthparts sharp, and a pair of compound eyes densely packed, radiating a cold, chilling light.

"What is this... a Demon Race?"

Several Holy Sect True Disciples showed expressions of curiosity. Zhong Ming's first reaction was to consider the bloodline of this demon insect and whether it could be used for alchemy and medicine.

Xu Xin carefully observed the demon insect, judging its strength.

The Serpent Daoist was thinking about whether the demon insect's sharp mouthparts could be transplanted onto his own body, and if so, where would be the most suitable place.

As for Bi Feiyuan, her line of thinking was rather unique. She deliberately posed and coquettishly acted before the demon insect, then observed changes in her own divine abilities, seemingly wanting to see if the demon insect would react to her. She even became quite interested, as if wanting to paint a portrait of the demon insect.

As for the other Holy Sect disciples, they were even pointing and talking about the demon insect.

Facing the crowd's murmurs, the black demon insect tilted its head, then opened its mouthparts, and surprisingly, a voice slowly emerged from its mouth.

The initial sound was quite chaotic.

However, soon, its voice became clear and low: "People from beyond the heavens... get out! Mother does not welcome you to this world!"

Upon hearing this, the previously overlapping voices suddenly ceased.

All the Holy Sect disciples, including the five True Disciples, almost simultaneously stopped speaking. Nearly a hundred pairs of eyes turned together, landing on the black demon insect.

On the vast wilderness, not a bird chirped. The eerie silence made the speaking black demon insect uneasily twist its limbs and instinctively take a few steps back.

The next second, Xu Xin laughed:

"I thought it was a spirit pet of some insect-controlling cultivator from the Dao Court. Turns out I was mistaken... it's a native of this Boundary Heaven. I just wasted my breath."

"Don't waste time."

On the other side, the Serpent Daoist also showed an impatient expression: "Hurry up and dissect it to see what special abilities this native possesses."

Bi Feiyuan licked her red lips: "No need to make it so troublesome. Let me surpass it, and I'll know."

Only Zhong Ming put on an expression of being a normal person, disdainful of associating with the other Holy Sect disciples, and then distanced himself from the demon insect with disgust.

Seeing himself in the enemies' eyes as if he had become a piece of meat on a cutting board, ready to be slaughtered at any moment, the black demon insect's voice gained a bit more anger. It immediately wanted to speak again, but just then, Lu Yang, who had remained silent, suddenly shifted his gaze and looked at it.

"Hiss hiss hiss!?"

The next second, the black demon insect, which had previously been full of momentum, seemed to see something extremely terrifying. After a sharp cry, it suddenly exploded with a boom!

However, the demon insect did not die there; instead, it turned into a red cloud.

As the red cloud surged up and down, a piercing buzzing sound immediately roared forth. Upon closer inspection, the crowd realized it was actually over a thousand demon insects, each only the size of a grain of rice!

Immediately, the demon insects swarmed forward!

Almost instinctively, the Serpent Daoist raised his dragon head and spat a stream of demonic fire from his mouth, engulfing dozens of the demon insects, intending to burn them to ash.

However, soon, the Serpent Daoist frowned.

"Something is not right..."

Before his words finished, the demonic fire seemed to be eaten away, rapidly dimming and extinguishing. Then the demon insects roared out, their numbers having increased several times compared to before!

In an instant, the other True Disciples, and even the Holy Sect disciples, acted one after another, either unleashing divine abilities or throwing out magical treasures. Surprisingly, although these attacks killed some of the demon insects, after the demon insects swallowed them, they re-differentiated into even greater numbers!

In a moment, the demon insects fought their way all the way to Lu Yang's front.

"... Interesting."

Seeing this, Lu Yang finally raised an eyebrow. With a sweep of his gaze, in the blink of an eye, the demon insects that had just been filled with ferocious might all lost their vitality.

They fell like rain, clattering down.

Lu Yang casually picked one up, gently rubbing it between his fingertips as he examined it: "This insect... it actually has a status? No, it doesn't seem to be something it cultivated."

The next second, Lu Yang looked up again at the sky above. Perhaps because Ting You the Ancestor had improved the Yanmo Hall, allowing the Protective Deity Su Nu to draw upon the power of the Buddhist cultivators within the Ten Thousand Spirits Banner to restore her to peak state, under her blessing, Lu Yang keenly sensed a thick malice.

This malice did not come from others, but from this realm of heaven and earth itself.

Flowers, birds, fish, insects, and even the spiritual qi within this realm all harbored great malice toward him, and even toward the Holy Sect disciples around him.

However, at present, this malice was suppressed by three greater forces.

Otherwise, they, these "outsiders," would not even be able to refine the spiritual qi in this world; rashly inhaling and exhaling spiritual qi would even cause poisoning.

"True Lord..."

Without a doubt, the culprits who, despite this realm's clear disgust, could only sit and watch outsiders enter and leave at will, were the three Jin Dan True Lords.

However, even so, this realm still possessed some power of resistance.

The result was the status currently imposed upon the demon insects; this was only a part of it. The true Child of Destiny should be the Insect King among the demon insects.

"This is... a Qi-Eating Insect?"

Just then, the voice of Ting You the Ancestor suddenly rang out: "I thought this insect had long since become extinct. I did not expect to see it again today."

Hearing this, Lu Yang said in surprise: "Ancestor, you recognize it?"

"Of course."

There was a note of reproach in Ancestor Tingyou's tone: "As the alternate-generation inheritor of my Wugui Dao, surely you have read the Daoist canon passed down to you?"

"Di Shi Tian — as the name suggests, it can devour the Qi of Heaven and Earth. It is an ancient extraterrestrial species that once fell into the seas beyond. A great True Person in the late Foundation Establishment stage from those seas beyond obtained it, cultivated it, and ultimately refined 1.29 billion demonic worms. With a single surge of Qi, they blotted out the sky — no Foundation Establishment cultivator could stand against them!"

"At the time, that great True Person from the seas beyond caused quite a stir."

"1.29 billion Di Shi Tian, and he even sacrificed and refined a formation diagram to coordinate with them, boasting he would do the unthinkable — a Foundation Establishment cultivator challenging a True Monarch."

Speaking to this point, Ancestor Tingyou could not help but show a look of admiration: "I have to admit, the seas beyond are barren — the cultivators there truly have no sense."

Lu Yang, hearing this, also showed a look of curiosity: "Then what? Did he really go?"

"He really went."

Ancestor Tingyou shook his head: "He went to Jiangxi, and a Bodhisattva of the Pure Land found his sea of worms too noisy, and with one palm strike killed him along with all his worms."

There was no suspense whatsoever.

Even so, Lu Yang now understood the terror of these Di Shi Tian.

Although they were slapped dead by a True Monarch with one palm — put another way, the fact that it took a True Monarch's intervention to kill them proves their worth on its own.

(End of chapter)