Chapter 945: Annihilation and the Bug Tribe

The ladder was steeper than imagined; above the fourth level, an exit was covered by a shimmering membrane of multicolored light.

As Su Xiao approached the membrane, he clearly sensed spatial forces within it; when he tried to touch it, a powerful suction emerged.

Flashes of light and shadow swept before his eyes, and Su Xiao was forcibly pulled into the membrane.

Thud, thud, thud…

When Su Xiao’s vision cleared, the tapping sound returned.

His mind gradually adjusted to the dizziness after teleportation; he looked around and realized he was in a resting chamber.

The chamber was built entirely of brownish rock, with several benches fixed to the walls; a bloodstained rag lay discarded on the floor. The air was damp, carrying a faint metallic scent of blood.

Drip, drip…

Not far from Su Xiao, a creature covered in bluish-white carapace sat on a bench. It resembled a human in form, but its legs and head were fully encased in armor, its arms transformed into two carapace-blades, their edges visibly chipped.

Su Xiao studied the alien creature—it bore a striking resemblance to a bug tribe.

“Gak gak gak gak…” (unknown language)

The bug tribe creature rattled off a long string of sounds, but communication was impossible—not because of language, but because its method of communication wasn’t verbal at all; it transmitted information via specialized frequency waves.

“Gak gak gak gak gak!” (unknown language)

Judging from the pitch, the bug tribe creature seemed angry.

“Woof.”

Bubu barked, attempting to negotiate with the bug tribe creature using “Woof Language.”

“Gak gak gak! Gak gak gak!” (unknown language)

The bug tribe creature stood up, glaring at Bubu, who stared back with a dog’s confused expression.

“What did it say?”

Su Xiao frowned.

“Woof.”

Bubu’s eyes looked wounded—he’d merely greeted it, trying to show friendliness.

“Looks… like it’s not very friendly.”

Su Xiao sat on the bench, leaning against the wall. He’d just received a notification from the Lunhuileyuan : the fifth game was about to begin. In ten minutes, he’d need to collect his token, after which the Void Colosseum would open. Details and rules would be revealed then.

The bug tribe creature watched Su Xiao with predatory intensity, its eyes behind a transparent membrane filled with fury.

“It looks really angry?”

Su Xiao signaled Bubu to ignore it.

“Gak gak gak gak!”

As Su Xiao suspected, this Void bug tribe creature was indeed furious—but the reason remained unknown.

About ten seconds later, Su Xiao understood why: he had entered its resting chamber.

This Void bug tribe creature had previously clashed with another race, sustained injuries, and returned to the resting chamber provided by the organizers.

Then Su Xiao appeared suddenly, triggering panic in the already wounded bug tribe creature. More precisely, the creature hadn’t been angry—it had been terrified, trying to drive Su Xiao out of the room.

The language barrier led Su Xiao to mistakenly believe the Void bug tribe creature was angry.

Su Xiao sensed an opportunity: if he entered the Void Colosseum, his identity as the Annihilation Shadow would likely be exposed—even without using Qinggangying’s power. He could test it now: what exactly was the Annihilation Shadow’s reputation in the Void?

Su Xiao’s pupils turned pale blue—the color of Qinggangying, one of the Annihilation Shadow’s most distinctive traits.

Seeing Su Xiao’s pale blue eyes, the bug tribe elder froze, raised his blade-arm to scratch his head, as if trying to recall something.

Two seconds later, the bug tribe elder’s body stiffened.

Five seconds later, he sat bolt upright, pressed tightly against the wall.

Eight seconds later, his buttocks began sliding sideways, until he was huddled in the corner—no exaggeration, he was trembling in fear.

“The Annihilation Shadow’s reputation… seems… huge?”

Su Xiao casually tossed away his cigarette butt. The seemingly idle motion triggered the bug tribe elder’s nerves—he leapt to his feet, raising both blade-arms defensively, the blades trembling violently.

“What exactly did the Annihilation Shadow do in the Void?”

Watching the bug tribe creature’s reaction, Su Xiao felt a headache coming on. The creature’s behavior was clearly the instinctive response of a victim—deeply ingrained in its bloodline.

“Can you understand what I’m saying?”

Su Xiao attempted to communicate with the Void bug tribe creature.

The bug tribe elder tapped the tip of his blade-arm beneath his ear and nodded—signaling he understood Su Xiao’s language.

“Do you recognize me?”

The bug tribe elder shook his head, then nodded again. His body pulsed with bioenergy—this seemed to indicate he wasn’t a magic-user, but a biological evolution species.

Zzzzz…

The bug tribe creature emitted a buzzing sound, like a radio with poor reception.

“Bank… not… enemy of Annihilation… Bank is… biological evolution race.”

The bug tribe creature named Bank spoke—though haltingly, at least now communication was possible.

“You’re nervous?”

Su Xiao seized this chance to probe. He’d soon enter the Void Colosseum; understanding the Annihilation Shadow’s current status was critical.

“Bank… not nervous.”

The bug tribe elder’s claim was unconvincing—he stood on the wooden bench by the wall, his gaze fixed on the chamber’s iron door over a dozen times, ready to flee at any moment.

“Relax—I have no ill intent.”

The moment Su Xiao finished speaking, something unexpected happened.

The bug tribe elder, Bank, seemed to exhale deeply. He sat back on the bench, his blades no longer trembling. Su Xiao was puzzled by this sudden shift.

“You seem to trust the Annihilation Shadow?”

“Of course. Annihilation… never deceives bug tribes.”

Bank had adapted to the language now, speaking much more fluently.

The Annihilation Shadow never deceived bug tribes—there must be some hidden history, or perhaps an ancestral pact.

Su Xiao suddenly realized: the Annihilation Shadow was not universally hated in the Void. From what he knew, the Demon race and the Annihilation Shadow were allies—excellent ones.

Normally, to obtain something from demons, one had to become their servant or sacrifice one’s soul. Yet when Su Xiao obtained the [Demon Seal], he made no pact with any demon.

Worse still, upon learning Su Xiao possessed the [Demon Seal], a powerful demon immediately erased the original low-tier demonic energy within it and replaced it with high-tier demonic energy—without demanding any payment from Su Xiao.

It seemed that allowing Su Xiao to wield a low-tier [Demon Seal] was considered shameful by the demon race—this act was clearly a display of goodwill, a boast of how potent their demonic energy truly was.

Su Xiao didn’t know exactly how advanced the demonic energy within the [Demon Seal] had become, but during the War World, it had completely suppressed and effortlessly consumed the alien demonic energy within Carlos’s body—indicating the demonic energy clinging to Su Xiao’s body was of high rank.

Most humans who wield demonic energy suffer some degree of corruption, but Su Xiao felt none. To him, demonic energy was pure, easily controlled.

Now, the relationship between the Annihilation Shadow and the bug tribe confirmed one thing: the Annihilation Shadow was not surrounded by enemies. He had many foes—but also many allies.

Take this bug tribe elder—he relaxed completely once he realized Su Xiao meant no harm, even lying back on the bench, though his eyes kept glancing at Su Xiao, as if staring at some rare phenomenon.