Qi Ze had become the backbone of the entire team. Whatever he chose to do, others wouldn't dare to hinder him, but they still had to ask their questions.
"Master Qi, what are you digging this hole for?" Wolf Fang looked around nervously.
Qi Ze raised his right hand, signaling for him to be quiet. Right at that moment, the smooth sandy ground suddenly sprouted many protrusions, which swarmed from every direction, rapidly darting into the sandpit and lunging towards the octagonal crystal. Everyone looked closely and immediately felt their scalps tingle. The pit was filled with layers of insect beasts, countless slimy tentacles entangled together, mauling and devouring one another. They struggled to envelop the crystal; one insect beast would swallow it, and the others would launch an attack. The crystal changed hands several times as it was swallowed and spat out, until in the end, countless insect beasts had formed a massive ball weighing hundreds of pounds, with the tentacles becoming even thicker and denser.
But this wasn't the end. After the juvenile beasts were consumed, dozens of adult beasts finally arrived from the depths of the forest, squealing and wailing as they rushed into the sandpit to engage in another bout of combat. The flesh ball grew larger, and the number of tentacles increased, gradually sprouting bark-like substances on their smooth, slimy surfaces and sprouting several tender green shoots.
From insect to beast, and from beast to plant, this seemed to be the three stages of growth for these monsters.
Qi Ze observed this process carefully, filling in the gaps in his speculation with various details. But the others didn't possess such mental fortitude and were already terrified to their core.
"Master Qi, this thing keeps growing larger. It'll swallow our entire camp, right?" Wolf Fang retreated several steps, pointing at the monster that had already filled the sandpit and yelling, "Regardless of what you're trying to accomplish, please stop immediately!" These scientists were really goddamn crazy, daring to conduct any dangerous experiment they wanted!
"Quiet, Xiao Ze knows what he's doing," Yan Junyu warned in a low voice. He had faced death, endured the agony of living, so how could he be moved by this minor spectacle?
"If you dare not watch, hide inside the capsule. No one will mock you," Li Ziqian said, equally unperturbed. Ouyang Ye hugged Ming Rui tightly, trying to convey, "Laozi isn't scared at all."
"Who's afraid to watch? I'm just worried about things getting out of control," Wolf Fang tried to steady his trembling legs, preventing himself from collapsing or fleeing. His brothers huddled together in twos and threes, like soaked quails, scared and pitiful.
Qi Ze remained silent, waiting until the flesh ball had eaten two of its kind and its body, bloated to twice its size, was bound by the innermost restraining array, leaving deep indentations. Only then did he activate the outermost isolation array. The scent of the crystal instantly disappeared from the noses of the insect beasts that had hurriedly come, circling in confusion, fighting and swallowing each other. Some scattered into juveniles that burrowed into the sand, while others transformed into larger insect beasts, crawling away into the forest.
Wolf Fang exhaled quietly, his eyes fixated on the giant beast left alone in the sandpit. It was restrained by an invisible force, with many deep imprints appearing on its body surfaceâlines and characters arranged in a mysterious pattern. It attempted to crawl out of the sandpit but couldn't move even a step. Wanting to burrow into the sand, it was equally futile. After struggling for a moment, it suddenly started making a strange noise, its belly bouncing up and down as if something was about to burst out.
"Move back," Qi Ze pulled Yan Junyu and retreated five to six meters.
Everyone backed away in unison, their expressions filled with terror.
A loud bang echoed. The insect beast unexpectedly exploded without any warning. Large clumps of dark green mucus shot into the air like a fountain, raining down and emitting an unbearable stench. The sandpit around it got soaked, and the camp was splattered too, but fortunately, Qi Ze was prepared. He used his spirit power to shield them, sparing them from the mess.
"Eugh~" Several people covered their noses, retching. Their faces turned green, not much better than the mucus.
"Xiaohei, pick up the inner core and use this box to store it," Qi Ze handed the black crystal box to Xiaohei, but it didn't take it, flying directly into the sandpit instead. It fished out an octagonal crystal, which was now about twice as big, from the bubbling mucus and swallowed it in one bite.
"Ah, Xiaohei ate it! Will it explode?" Ming Rui exclaimed anxiously.
Qi Ze was both angry and amused. He told Yan Junyu to quickly put on his protective suit. Finally, he extended his fingers and snatched Xiaohei out of the air as it tried to fly back to the forest, hanging it upside down in midair by its tiny legs. Xiaohei's cultivation was too shallow to digest the inner core in time, so it quickly choked it back up before Qi Ze could scold it, burrowing into Ming Rui's arms and showing only its little butt, crying softly.
"Stop crying. If you're greedy, go catch insects in the forest yourself. I have use for this inner core," Qi Ze said helplessly. He was always particularly lenient with the spirit weapons he had created. If Ouyang Ye dared to do the same, Qi Ze would have already broken both his legs.
"Xiaohei, you have to be good. You can't eat Qi Ze gege's things randomly," Ming Rui's tone was like a mother lecturing her daughter, but she was only four years old, making the scene somewhat comical.
Li Ziqian couldn't hold back his laughter. He clapped his hands together and filled up the sandpit that was continuously emitting a foul smell, waving his hand and saying, "Alright, let's return to the camp. You've seen it for yourselvesâthe sand below is hiding many insect beasts, but there's a protective barrier around the camp set up by Master Qi. As long as you don't step out, you won't encounter danger."
Everyone agreed, their faces still showing the lingering fear.
Sitting in front of his capsule tent, Qi Ze lit a solar-powered lamp, carefully examining the inner core before passing it to Li Ziqian. Ouyang Ye and Yan Junyu, dressed in heavy protective suits, watched by his side. Ming Rui, protected by Xiaohei, wasn't the least bit afraid of radiation contamination.
"See anything?" Qi Ze asked.
"It's a bit bigger, and the color is deeper," Li Ziqian placed the inner core into the black crystal box, sealing off the radiation.
"Xiao Ze, are you planning to use that method from before to cultivate this inner core and then have me absorb it?" Although Yan Junyu asked this, he was already certain of the answer. He took off his protective suit, walked over to the teenager's side, and sat down, not showing any disgust or fear on his face.
"That's right. I discovered that these insects can rapidly absorb their kind's inner cores and convert them into their own strength, so I had this idea. Using the inner core as bait, they will fight among themselves in their group. The process might be dangerous, but as long as we're fully prepared like today, there shouldn't be anything to worry about. You just need to swallow the final inner core, avoiding all the suffering in the middle."
"Are you trying to minimize my suffering with this method?" Yan Junyu tried to suppress his pounding heart.
"Of course. You are the vessel for the gu worm. Refining the gu worm means refining you, I can't bring myself to do it," Qi Ze stared at his palm, his eyes filled with unwillingness.
Yan Junyu chuckled softly, grasping the teenager's wrist and planting a kiss, two kisses, three kisses... on his outstretched palm.
Ouyang Ye picked up a stick and slapped it on him, cursing, "Are you ever going to stop this bullshit! If it were me, Young Master Qi would be equally unwilling."
"Not so," Qi Ze immediately added his two cents, pulling his hand back and rubbing it inside his sleeve.
Ouyang Ye clasped his chest, infuriated almost to the point of vomiting blood, but Li Ziqian brushed him aside with a palm, "How do you plan to cultivate this inner core? The insect beasts grow extremely fast. A small sandpit won't do. We'll have to find a more suitable location."
"Of course, until they develop immunity to radiation," Qi Ze shook his head, "I won't leave such a huge weakness for Yan Junyu."
Yan Junyu chuckled softly again, firmly grasping the teenager's hand hidden inside the sleeve, unwilling to let go no matter how he struggled. Qi Ze felt a little deflated and slightly embarrassed, continuing, "Finding a new location will have to rely on you. It's best to be a vast sinkhole or something of the sort. Because no one knows how large these insect beasts can grow."
"I understand. I'll organize a team to investigate the environment tomorrow," Li Ziqian glanced at Yan Junyu and suggested, "It's getting late. Junior and I will leave together, so as not to disturb Young Master Qi's rest."
Yan Junyu knew the teenager didn't need sleep, but he didn't contradict him, walking with Li Ziqian to a corner and saying, "Before you arrived, I had been parasitized by these insects for nine days. Each day, I endured the pain of being skinned and broken. Before me, many had chosen to commit suicide by gun because they couldn't bear the intense pain. Senior, do you know how I managed to persevere?"
"How did you persevere?" Li Ziqian had an inkling of the answer.
"Through this." Yan Junyu activated his smartbrain, showing a video file. Every fragment of Qi Ze's life, every moment online, had been carefully preserved by him. It was through these fragmented, broken images that he had endured one agonizing night after another.
He played a specific video file. It was a scene of him piloting Kaiyang in a joint military exercise. In this exercise, he was attacked by Mu Feixing, resulting in the loss of his special ability. This should have been the most unbearable experience, but after discovering this video, it became his most powerful source of mental support.
In the instant Kaiyang plummeted, Qi Ze jumped out from behind the seats, stepping on the heads and shoulders of the VIPs, rushing in his direction. His eyes were filled with anxiety and terror, and when he sprang into the sky, he displayed an expression of having cheated death. Perhaps even he himself didn't realize how much emotion he exposed in that moment, what kind of message he conveyed.
"When I saw this video, I knew Xiao Ze's feelings for me hadn't disappeared," Yan Junyu stared at Li Ziqian, speaking slowly, "He said he no longer liked me, but deep down, he still cared. So I endured the maddening pain again and again, just to meet him again alive. Senior, have you ever been in love with someone? Can you understand this willingness to offer your life for someone?"
"I understand, which is why I'm now sacrificing my life. Otherwise, do you think I would have come to save you?" Li Ziqian sneered. He disliked this topic and understood why his junior had sought him out for a heart-to-heart. Perhaps he had caught a glimpse of something, coming forward to declare his territory, but what did it matter?
"So Senior's love for me is why you came to save me without hesitation?" Yan Junyu feigned surprise.
"WTF?" Li Ziqian stared at him in shock.
"Don't be nervous, I'm joking with you, Senior," Yan Junyu chuckled softly, saying sincerely, "Regardless of the reason, I'm grateful that Senior came to save me. I have the right to love someone, and so do you. We compete fairly."
Before he entered the tent, he spoke again, "Senior, thank you."
"You're welcome." Li Ziqian rubbed his face, slowly walking away.
The next day, they woke up early, preparing to lead the team to survey the terrain. Wolf Fang had to muster the troops to follow for the sake of a full stomach. Xiaohei and the small mech could fly in the sky, naturally taking on this important task as well.
Qi Ze took out a bronze mirror, observing the forest through the eyes of the small mech. Before cultivating the inner core, he first had to understand the habits of these insect beasts, including their abilities, weaknesses, sizes, lifespans, etc. He would then formulate a refinement plan based on the actual circumstances.
The sky above the forest was shrouded in black fog, forcing the small mech to fly low, nearly caught by a thick vine. Fortunately, its speed was extremely fast, and its movements were agile. It dodged left and right, finally escaping the danger. Through the mirror, Qi Ze watched this scene carefully, his expression shifting from surprise to seriousness, then slowly becoming excited.
It was a several-ton insect beast, moving its mountain-like body through the forest. Trees fell as it passed, and the grass withered. A few minutes later, another insect beast of the same size crawled over, engaging in a battle with it. Countless vines writhed in the air, sweeping everything in their path.
The small mech flew high, taking in the intense scene. After waiting for over an hour, the two insect beasts merged into a larger one, continuing to crawl forward. The plants and animals touched by their tentacles turned to ashes, as if their internal moisture had been instantly sucked dry. Their consumption and growth seemed endless, making Qi Ze suspect that one day, the insect beasts on the entire planet would merge into one, potentially causing the core to collapse.
Cultivating an inner core in this environment posed a great risk. If he wasn't careful, Qi Ze could raise a galactic behemoth, risking his own life and causing ME219 to disappear completely. But risk went hand in hand with opportunity. The greater the potential of these insect beasts, the more energy the inner core contained. After complete absorption, one could potentially advance to a great ability above the integration period.
The Black Eye Galaxy had never seen such a powerful being, but now one was about to be born in his hands. How could it not be exciting? Qi Ze had a wild, adventurous spirit in his bones. What others dared not do, he would; what others were unwilling to try, he was willing. He held the bronze mirror, pacing at the edge of the camp. Seeing Yan Junyu returning with the team, he immediately went to meet him.
"Any findings?"
"Yes, this is a sinkhole covering ten thousand square meters, not far from the camp, a half-day's journey away," The electromagnetic waves hadn't disrupted the smartbrain's recording function, and Yan Junyu showed the photos he had taken to the teenager.
"Ten thousand square meters is too small." Qi Ze shook his head.
"Still small?" Wolf Fang felt a chill. "Then how big a place are you looking for?" The larger the area, the bigger the monsters they would raise. He was completely at a loss.
"Wait a bit longer. Xiaohei and Number One haven't returned yet." Qi Ze stared at the bronze mirror and said solemnly, "When these insect beasts reach adulthood, the toxins on the vines diminish, but they can instantly drain the moisture from plants and animals, turning them into ashes. If you encounter adult insect beasts, avoid them if you can, don't resist head-on."
"Is that so?" Wolf Fang grew more and more frightened as he listened. Due to their limited speed, they hadn't entered the heart of the forest and thus hadn't encountered adult insect beasts yet.
"You can see for yourselves. The next scouting mission will be handled by Number One and Xiaohei. You don't need to go. Once we find a suitable location, we'll set out." Qi Ze handed the bronze mirror to Yan Junyu, which was currently displaying two adult insect beasts. They collided like two hills, the vines shooting into the sky, entangling and strangling each other, cutting off chunks of flesh. The chunks that fell to the ground turned into new insect beasts, either dashing forward to continue the battle or burrowing underground to hide. The plants and animals touched by the vines turned into ashes, spreading out to form a large death zone.
"Just a brief touch turns them into ashes. What's the principle behind this?" Li Ziqian asked with a serious expression.
"Every cell on the vines has a powerful suction force, capable of instantly draining the moisture from living organisms," Yan Junyu speculated.
"If we encounter an adult insect beast and are touched by it, we'll turn to ashes?" Wolf Fang threw away his gun, cursing, "Shit, how are we going to escape from here? This forest will sooner or later be destroyed by these insects, right? No, this planet will be destroyed by them!"
"That's why we have to fight for survival by risking everything." Qi Ze took back the bronze mirror and said calmly.
Number One was still circling in the air, while Xiaohei had already dived into the forest to hunt for poisonous insects. This forest was vast, and no matter how high they flew, they couldn't see the end. Their field of vision continuously pushed forward, discovering many death zones along the way. They were like patches of baldness on the scalp, shocking in their numbers and sizes, with a moving pile of flesh nearby each patch.
Finally, a shockingly vast empty area appeared in Qi Ze's field of view. Number One flew for twenty minutes before reaching the other side of its boundary. It was a dried-up lake, with many aquatic animal skeletons left in the deeply sunken ground.
"This is it." Qi Ze ordered Number One to survey the area several times, making the final decision.
"Young Master Qi, I won't ask why this mirror can show scenes in the forest, I'll only ask you, are you really going to raise insect beasts here?" Wolf Fang asked in a trembling voice.
"You can stay in the camp if you're scared." Ouyang Ye gave him a disdainful glance, but his heart was secretly trembling as well.
"Let's do it." Yan Junyu's tone was remarkably calm, "At least we have a way to kill them instead of letting them grow unchecked."
"That's right. The more insect beasts we kill, the less threat they pose to us." Li Ziqian removed his military cap, determinedly saying, "We'll go to this lakebed tomorrow."
"How do we get there?" Wolf Fang argued fiercely, "There are so many insect beasts along the way. How do we pass through?"
"Fly over." Qi Ze took out a disc-shaped object from his Qiankun Bag and threw it on the ground. The disc rapidly expanded, engraved with numerous talismans and patterns, faintly emitting a glow. "This is the Yin-Yang Five Elements Disc. With my current strength, I can't fully control it. I can only carry ten people at a time. Who wants to go, raise your hand." The Yin-Yang Five Elements Disc was a sect's treasured artifact. With Qi Ze's peak foundation establishment period strength, it was already arduous to make it fly, let alone carry everyone.
The Yan family soldiers all raised their hands, while the Red Phantom Star Pirates all turned into timid turtles. Wolf Fang felt extremely embarrassed, guessing that Qi Ze would only choose the people he trusted the most, so he raised his hand as well, just to join in. Moreover, he didn't think this flying disc was useful. The electromagnetic interference was so strong; it would be a miracle if it could find the right direction. But Qi Ze specifically picked him, praising him for his courage. His quirky sense of humor was too obvious.
After resting for a night, the ten selected people rode the Yin-Yang Five Elements Disc to the sky above the lakebed. After landing, the ten-meter-wide disc shrank to the size of a palm, which Qi Ze kept in his hand as a compass. He spent the entire day pacing around the lakebed, constantly measuring something with his feet, then taking out black flags and planting them in many places.
Adult insect beasts, busy with their battles, didn't appear near the lakebed.
After planting a dense array of hundreds of small flags, he took out a pile of fist-sized white crystals from his Qiankun Bag and instructed, "Please help me bury these white crystals directly below each small flag. Bury one and remove one flag, but don't miss any and certainly don't bury them in the wrong place."
Everyone didn't ask too many questions and got to work.
Qi Ze took advantage of their busyness to begin calculating directions again with the Yin-Yang Five Elements Disc. He measured inch by inch with his feet, inserting white flags again and pouring out black crystals, burying them directly below each flag. He repeated this process nine times, alternately burying black and white crystals. In this way, he set up nine layers of arrays around the lakebed, nesting yin and yang arrays together, with the inner core at the focal point.
This was a massive project, taking six consecutive days to finally complete. The outer perimeter of the lakebed had long been sealed off by Qi Ze with a massive isolation array to prevent the smell of black crystals from leaking out and attracting a swarm of insects. Alchemists were all-round geniuses, proficient in array formations, talismans, and casting. As long as they had a concept in their minds, they could find ways to make it a reality. This "Yin-Yang Nine Revolutions Cultivation Spirit Array" had been practiced by Qi Ze countless times on a sand table. When actually setting it up, he had the sect's treasured artifact, the Yin-Yang Five Elements Disc, to assist him, so there was no chance of any mistakes.
But Wolf Fang and others were baffled by him, they would have gone on strike long ago if not for Yan Junyu and Li Ziqian reigning them in.
After personally burying the last white crystal, Qi Ze had everyone board the Yin-Yang Five Elements Disc to fly up high and declared, "We can start now."
"What's starting now?" Wolf Fang was as confused as a monk trying to measure a two-meter-long abacus, about to ask when he saw Qi Ze point with his fingers, using his spiritual energy to activate the first crystal stone of the outer array. The crystal stone burst into light, igniting the second crystal stone, followed by the third, fourth, fifth... one after another, crystal stones lit up, forming a massive circular pattern. Then came the second layer of the array, the third layer...
Black light and white light alternated. Yin and yang arrays overlapped and rotated, transforming the vast lakebed into a miniature universe. Countless crystals were like countless stars, following their own orbits. The scene was magnificent, vast, and mesmerizing.
Wolf Fang and the others were stunned.