Chapter 938: Awakening of Insects

Boundless void.

The crystal stone star body suddenly stalled, an extremely long crystal needle extended tens of thousands of zhang, and then a seven-colored torrent a hundred miles wide roared forth.

Within the seven-colored torrent, faintly visible were thousands of tall figures.

The great divine clans, for the first time in ten thousand years, launched a massive descent.

After the seven-colored torrent spewed out, the crystal stone star body, like a discovered thief, sneaked about in the void, left and right, rapidly shifting its orbit and position.

Every two hours, the crystal stone star body would pause for a moment.

Inside the crystal stone star body, a brilliant divine light would ignite, accompanied by a low chant, and countless fist-sized divine-light-formed runes would spray from the crystal stone star body, then swiftly attach to the crystal needle.

One after another, crystal lights of different attributes and varying strength, encompassing all manner of extraordinary great dao principles, continuously spewed from the crystal needle.

One after another, extremely fine crystal lights lightly dotted the heavenly dome above Mu Dalu, and thus, on the extremely distant heavenly dome, one could see vast seven-colored vortices above Mu Dalu rapidly spreading outward in all directions.

Wuguo, Green Willow Commandery.

Eight thousand li outside the commandery capital lay a small town; outside the town, in a huge old residence, a white-haired old man, withered to the extreme, lay on a bed, surrounded by nearly a hundred men and women, each with sorrowful faces.

Outside the old man's bedroom, in the courtyard, hundreds of sturdy men and women gathered, each wearing an expression of resentment, and some hot-blooded youths had murderous, bloodthirsty light flickering in their eyes.

Yet, inside and outside the courtyard, only the old man's panting and coughing could be heard; no one dared to speak.

The Wang Clan of Green Willow Commandery, originally the commandery's foremost great clan, known as 'Half of Green Willow Commandery,' meaning half of Green Willow Commandery's property belonged to the Wang Clan.

The Wang Clan's patriarch, Wang De, was furthermore the foremost expert of Green Willow Commandery, having comprehended the Wind and Fire Great Dao, stepped into the peak of the Fetal Storage Realm, and had been so for over a thousand years.

Wang De's generation also had eighteen fellow Fetal Storage Realm cultivators; the Wang Clan relied on these nineteen Fetal Storage Realm experts to dominate the entire commandery, suppressing dozens of great clans, big and small, so they could not lift their heads.

Half a month ago, Wang De held a wedding for his favorite great-great-grandson, inviting many great clans of Green Willow Commandery as guests, and also receiving distinguished visitors from other commanderies who came afar to celebrate.

At the wedding, the Grand Elder of the Hou Clan, the third-ranked great clan of Green Willow Commandery, Hou Mi, suddenly launched an attack; having somehow obtained an immensely powerful innate spiritual treasure, he struck a heavy blow that gravely wounded Wang De.

The forty-seven great clans of Green Willow Commandery joined forces in a surprise assault; in a fierce fire-raid, twelve of the Wang Clan's nineteen Fetal Storage Realm patriarchs fell, leaving only Wang De and six other brothers, who barely protected a portion of the clan as they escaped with their lives.

In that battle, Hou Mi was likewise heavily wounded by Wang De's desperate counterattack, and the forty-seven great clans also lost many patriarchs, clan heads, and numerous clan elites.

Furthermore, visitors from other commanderies who saw an opportunity directly sent word back, urging their own forces to invade Green Willow Commandery and seize its many benefits.

At this moment, Green Willow Commandery is tempestuous and chaotic; Hou Mi and his associates are busy negotiating and dividing profits with external great clans, leaving no time to pursue the fleeing Wang Clan members.

Thus, the Wang Clan could only linger in the ancestral manor of the small town where their founder first established themselves, barely surviving, watching helplessly as the gravely wounded Wang De day by day slid toward the abyss of death.

Countless spiritual pills and marvelous medicines were consumed, but Wang De, whose divine fetus was gravely wounded, suffered a great depletion of vital energy; to protect the elders and children fleeing, he suffered multiple further grave wounds on the escape route.

Now Wang De has reached the point of exhausted oil and wick; taking more spiritual pills and marvelous medicines is merely like forcibly pouring oil into a broken lamp, barely lighting a flicker, yet fundamentally it does no good.

"Remember, after I die, you shall scatter to the four directions according to each branch and lineage, change your names and surnames, and lie low in hiding."

Wang De, panting and coughing, whispered to the nearest children and grandchildren gathered by his bedside: "Be careful, be vigilant, be meticulous… and let your hearts be ruthless and vicious."

"Guard your concealment, restore your vital energy."

"Each branch and lineage shall contact once every sixty years, merely tallying the numbers of experts and their cultivation realms; all other information is forbidden to exchange."

"When, after some years, the total number of Fetal Storage Realm cultivators of all Wang Clan branches reaches twice that of our enemies' households… we shall gather the clan, strike with thunderous force, and exterminate them to the last, to avenge me and redress the clan's grievances."

Wang De coughed up a mouthful of blood.

He mustered his spirit, pointing out and distributing the resources and wealth accumulated by the clan over the years near the ancestral manor, assigning each to the heads of the respective branches and lineages.

Then he had these descendants kneel before his bed, each swearing the most vicious blood oath.

They swore they would never forget their origins, never forget this blood-deep enmity, never fight among brothers, never let internal clan strife arise—they would hide their blades and bide their time, stay low and cautious, accumulate strength, and take revenge to wipe away hatred.

Wang De smiled with satisfaction.

The clan had been devastated, yet its cohesion grew ever stronger; the Wang Clan still had hope.

Although I myself will not see it, as long as my descendants prove themselves…

Suddenly, Wang De's body shuddered.

He suddenly felt that the tremendous, terrifying threat of imminent calamity that had weighed upon his divine fetus for over a thousand years had vanished, disappeared, completely evaporated.

Rolling heavenly and earthly primordial energy converged upon him; his body inexplicably became light yet empty, like a vast black hole, beginning to draw in primordial energy on its own.

In the void, certain strange changes arose.

"What about that Grand Dao Treasure Flame Nirvana Pill I was reluctant to consume?" Wang De mustered the last trace of his vital energy, his eyes shining bright as he fixed his gaze on his eldest son.

Wang De's eldest son, Wang Youde, shuddered, quickly pulled from his sleeve a one-foot-square jade box, swiftly opened it, took out the pill bottle, and tipped out a thumb-sized pill, its whole body ablaze with roaring flames, faintly showing a phoenix illusion flickering within the fire—a Grand Dao Treasure Pill.

Wang De opened his mouth and swallowed that Grand Dao Treasure Pill.

A massive medicinal power surged forth; although it did nothing for his wounds, the sheer force of the medicine propped up Wang De, allowing him to spontaneously recover a considerable amount of vital essence.

He leapt up from the bed in a single bound and strode out of the bedroom.

Outside in the courtyard, the Wang Clan's descendants stared wide-eyed at each other, pointing in astonishment at the sky.

High above, extremely high—so high that even ordinary Divine Realm experts could not imagine—at the utmost reaches of the heavenly dome, colossal seven-colored vortices spun rapidly, wave after wave of vast heavenly dao principle ripples spreading outward, causing the heavens and earth to tremble slightly.

Everyone felt that some kind of shackle on themselves had vanished, leaving their minds utterly light.

Body Tempering, Sensing the Mystery, Chonglou, and Life Pool Realm cultivators could not yet perceive it too clearly, but Fetal Storage Realm cultivators, especially those at the peak of the Fetal Storage Realm, all felt tremendous changes occurring in their bodies and divine fetuses.

"This is…" Wang De roared hoarsely: "This is the heavens and earth bestowing grace!"

Wang De, excited, shouted loudly; on his divine fetus, riddled with cracks and gaping wounds everywhere, two Great Dao shackles suddenly blazed to life.

The Wind and Fire Great Dao transformed into two dragon-like light-shadows, which slowly flew out from his divine fetus and wound around his body.

When the first Great Dao rune was branded onto his body, riddled with hidden wounds and near collapse, his body momentarily blurred; then within a thousand-li radius, wave after wave of heavenly and earthly primordial energy surged in like a tide, swiftly pouring into his physique.

Wang De raised his head and let out a long whistle; the whistle sounded like a dragon's roar, shattering patches of white clouds in the void.

In the high heavens, the dao ripples emitted by the seven-colored vortices collided, producing peal after peal of tremendous thunder. In the void, thunderous sounds filled everywhere, and visible bolts of lightning crisscrossed the void, rolling like dragons across the heavenly dome.

The thunder startled all sentient beings on Mu Dalu, all cultivating life, feeling that some kind of shackle had suddenly vanished.

Wang De let out a hoarse, wild laugh.

As one Great Dao rune after another was branded onto his body, the hidden wounds in his near‑collapsed physique vanished instantly, his bodily state restored to peak. A surge of vigorous life force welled up from within him, turning into waves of scorching torrents that swept through his entire body.

Endless life energy sprang forth; from the Fetal Storage Realm he leapt straight to the Divine Realm—this is an evolution of life's level, a leap of life's level, and more can be said, this is a tremendous 'mutation' of life's level!

Blue wind, red fire, wind and fire giving birth to each other, behind Wang De they transformed into a pair of huge wind-and-fire wings.

The immense pressure made the Wang clan's descendants in the residence unable to stand firm, one by one they knelt on the ground, excitedly lifting their heads, staring fixedly at their own ancestor.

"This, this is…… the ancestor wants…… wants to become a god!"

Wang Youde screamed hoarsely: "Heaven open your eyes…… Father, you must succeed!"

Even though Green Willow Commandery is such a rural backwater, the senior members of those great aristocratic families have all heard of the terror of the Divine Tribulation. Unless one obtains the Heavenly God's Order, those who personally undergo the Divine Tribulation basically have death and no life.

But the Heavenly God's Order was something that the high-ranking officials of the Three Kingdoms in the past would exhaust all scheming to contend for.

And Green Willow Commandery, one is a rural backwater, and indeed their resources are not abundant; even if they wanted to gather resources to offer sacrifices to the gods, they neither knew how to construct an altar, nor could they gather enough sacrificial offerings.

Therefore, Green Willow Commandery has had no Divine Realm cultivator for the past hundreds of thousands of years.

Not a single one!

Not to mention Green Willow Commandery, among the dozens of prefectural seats in the surrounding areas, not a single one has one.

Hmm, among the dozens of prefectural seats in the surrounding areas, there is not a single Divine Realm cultivator either; the strongest are merely those at the peak of the Embryonic Storage Realm.

If Wang De could become a god!

A loud "Ha!" shout.

Within the newborn divine body, the immense life energy fed back into the almost shattered divine fetus; the divine fetus immediately emitted brilliant spiritual light, wind-and-fire power flourished, and in a moment the divine fetus gradually healed; Wang De felt within himself a newborn, immense power utterly different from the Embryonic Storage Realm's mana.

"Divine power?" Wang De suddenly lowered his head and roared at his descendants: "You lot, attack me together!"

The Wang clan members were stunned; after a moment, urged by Wang De, they all rose into the air and launched a frantic attack on him with all their might.

The Wang clan's cultivation techniques are all wind and fire attributes.

For a time, the sky was filled with wind blades cutting wildly and fireballs flying wildly.

But when the wind blades and fireballs touched Wang De's body, they vanished silently—how could mortals possibly harm a god?

Wang De raised his head and howled wildly: "Children, follow me in a counterattack on Green Willow Commandery City! Those who harmed my clansmen shall suffer the extermination of nine clans; those who dare to obstruct shall be killed without mercy!"

After howling a few times, Wang De couldn't help but burst out cursing: "Damn it, no Divine Tribulation, no Divine Tribulation…… which heartless scoundrel said that stepping from the peak of the Embryonic Storage Realm into the Divine Realm is definitely a dead end? Who said that, get out here for me!"

After jumping and stomping his feet while cursing a few times, Wang De whipped up a gust of wind, leading tens of thousands of clansmen from inside and outside the ancestral residence, and mightily marched to attack Green Willow Commandery City.

After a quarter hour, corpses littered the fields of Green Willow Commandery City and blood flowed like rivers.

Apart from the Wang clan, all the great families of Green Willow Commandery were wiped out; all able-bodied men, the elderly, and the weak were slaughtered to the last; all beautiful women and concubines became the Wang clan's private possessions.

In the void, multicolored vortices kept expanding; within each multicolored vortex, clear and powerful Heavenly Dao undulations spread out in circles.

A tremendous thunderclap shook heaven and earth, making the ground tremble incessantly.

Just as at the time of the Awakening of Insects, this heavenly and earthly anomaly immediately startled countless living beings.

Not far from Green Willow Commandery, in the wilderness mountains, inside an ancient cave whose seal age is unknown, a heavy bronze coffin was shattered by a single punch.

A figure over ten feet tall, his whole body deathly still, with only a faint spark of life at his chest, his emaciated, skin-and-bones body struggled out of the coffin, shrieking hysterically: "Heaven's creation…… Heaven's grace…… I, at last, shall return to the mortal world!"

"My wife, my sons, my later descendants…… my enemies!"

"I…… have returned!"

Inside the cave, heavenly and earthly elemental energy surged wildly; elemental energies of different attributes rubbed against each other, countless thumb-thick bolts of electricity crackled and flashed within the cave; when the electricity struck his body, instantly one could see the layer of dust-covered old skin on him peel off and crumble, and on his withered physique, chunks of plump, tender muscle rapidly grew.

The feeble spark of life-fire instantly expanded a trillionfold.

The body that had painfully crawled out of the coffin bore upon it thirty-six lines of Great Dao markings winding and wandering.

Having entered the Dao through the thirty-six Great Dao gates, in the Fire-driller Dynasty he would also be a capable hand among the Heavenly Gods' ranks, sufficient to serve as the lord of a prefecture.

"I have returned…… how many years have passed? Ten thousand? Or a hundred thousand? Is my home still there?"

The wilderness mountain where the cave lay collapsed completely; a tall, stalwart figure let out a long howl and shot up into the sky.

Such a howl echoed throughout the Three Kingdoms Continent, throughout the Fire-driller Dynasty Continent, and in the wild mountains and wilderness of Mu Dalu.

Mountains collapsed, rivers ruptured, lakes dried up, the sea was overturned…… towering figures with mighty aura appeared out of nowhere, each laughing with utter madness.

These are those old ghosts from the past; knowing they could not survive the Divine Tribulation, they simply sealed themselves away to prolong their lives.

And in the northern snowfield secret realm of the Three Kingdoms Continent, within the imperial guard troops under Sima Wuyou's command, mighty surges of aura shot up into the sky.

In just a quarter hour, when the first thunderclap rang in the sky, within Sima Wuyou's imperial guard troops, thirty thousand officers rose into the air and all at once transformed from mortals to gods!

In the territorial domains of the Fuxi God State under Xi Wule's control, over one hundred thousand experts at the peak of the Embryonic Storage Realm simultaneously rose into the air.

In the territories originally controlled by Wu Tie of the Great Wei and Great Wu, moreover more than five hundred thousand leaders of various clans, generals, and tribes simultaneously absorbed heaven and earth, becoming gods in place.