Chapter Seventy-Two: "Sonic Boom"

The Red Nun retorted indignantly, “What good is admiration? Zhang Liaoyuan intends to make slaves of all under heaven, to use them as bricks and mortar for his earthly divine kingdom.”

Those endowed with the Leech Vein could easily absorb the Qi from others. Though the Qi thus gained was often too varied and chaotic to make their own, with the right method, one could rapidly increase their power—one absorption equaled years of arduous cultivation. The temptation of this was a hundredfold stronger than that of any drug.

The cultivation of those with the Vein was true torment for both body and spirit. Trekking across deserts on foot, swimming naked through boundless oceans—these were but their basic training. Some would even self-mutilate to hone their will, and the most extreme would bury themselves twenty meters underground, sealing themselves off from the world in pursuit of a breakthrough.

On the martial path, only those with utmost sincerity and dedication could reach the end. The pain and bitterness along the way were unimaginable to ordinary folk.

It was precisely by enduring such suffering that those with the Vein attained strength beyond the mundane, standing at the very apex of all beings.

Yet Zhang Liaoyuan, despite possessing the shortcut of the Leech Vein, resisted the temptation of instant ascension. He advanced step by step, cultivating diligently until he became unrivaled beneath the heavens.

But then, it was exactly this purity of martial conviction that made him the greatest of all.

Why, then, had he now broken his own principles, beginning to devour veins and Qi without restraint? Would this not corrode his very core, the heart of his Dao?

Weng Dongqi looked back at the enforcers behind him. These prodigies, both young and old, were all shaken and furious at the mention of the Leech Vein, their faces twisted with unconcealed disgust.

The Qi Vein was the source of a practitioner’s strength, but the Leech Vein was its nemesis. Few could remain calm in the face of such a thing.

“Let’s go.” Qi Qiuchan stood, stepped over a fallen comrade’s body, and walked forward without hesitation.

The Scarlet-Sleeved Lady followed without pause.

Under their example, the others steadied their wavering hearts and pressed on resolutely.

Weng Dongqi gazed deeply at the endless road ahead, feeling the chilling aura that wound around them grow ever more oppressive. The sense of danger in his heart only intensified.

The Black Death Emperor—a tyrant and demon who could contend with all the practitioners of Shenzhou single-handedly—where it fell, abnormalities and horrors were bound to emerge.

Weng Dongqi could feel keenly the hungry eyes lurking deep within the forest; the creatures here were fiercer and cleverer than those outside, utterly unafraid of the practitioners’ presence.

One enforcer, quick as lightning, turned and struck with his palm, smashing a fist-sized mosquito to pieces. Another seized a green viper, nimbly dodging the venom it spat.

It was clear that as they ventured deeper, the attacks from these fearsome beasts would only become more frequent.

Though the practitioners’ skills made them unconcerned about ordinary claws, fangs, or insects, who could say what was truly waiting for them within the Black Death Emperor’s tomb?

Weng Dongqi had another worry—Adonsa.

He too longed to see Adonsa destroyed, but lacked the power to do so. Convincing Adonsa to join this campaign was not without ulterior motive: perhaps it would end in mutual destruction between Adonsa and Zhang Liaoyuan.

He steeled his resolve and declared in a loud voice, “We must stop Zhang Liaoyuan before he enters the Black Death Emperor’s tomb. If we fail, we execute the scorched earth plan at once.”

If they could wipe out Zhang Liaoyuan and most of Adonsa’s forces here, it would be the best possible outcome for the Heavenly Capital.

The practitioners shuddered, then pressed on in silence.

If they failed, then the ultimate human weapon—capable of annihilation—would descend upon this land, reducing everything to ashes, enforcers included.

At the front, Qi Qiuchan caught a unique fragrance and, without betraying her intent, turned her right ear in a certain direction, receiving an encrypted soundwave and nodding almost imperceptibly.

In the forest, a leaf shivered though no wind blew.

————————————————————

Real-time surveillance data transmission—

Source: Amest Federation Fourth Generation Reconnaissance Satellite “Turtledove”.

Location: Undeveloped forests in the southeast of the Heavenly Capital, vicinity of the Wushui Basin.

Judas scuttled nimbly across the ground on six articulated limbs, his antennae twitching in irritation. “I always feel like we’re being watched. It’s so annoying.”

The boyish form of Adonsa sat astride Judas’s back and replied casually, “It’s the latest spy satellite from Amest. Don’t worry, they won’t see anything important.”

Lin Jicang, beside them, felt a chill in his heart. “I thought spy satellites could read license plates…”

Judas said, “Even if their resolution was that precise, do you know how much dust is in the atmosphere? How much scattering occurs in uneven air layers? Still, I don’t like this feeling.”

Adonsa looked up at the sky, flashing piranha-like fangs. “The electromagnetic waves here are unusual… Don’t be impatient. Soon, very soon, we’ll be able to control even the atmosphere and beyond.”

Space technology had always been central to Adonsa’s evolutionary strategy. Even before conquering the surface, Adonsa was already considering how to reach the vast cosmos.

But the universe was cold, merciless.

To traverse the empty, lonely darkness of space in a body of flesh and blood—Adonsa still had a long, long way to go.

As for this expedition to the Black Death Emperor’s tomb, the number of followers mattered little to Adonsa. It could evolve any creature it wanted at any time, so long as there was enough protein. Bringing Judas and Lin Jicang along was more about stress-testing.

Judas was Adonsa’s first retainer-type split entity, possessing an independent personality and suitable biological traits. While not as formidable as those Adonsa controlled directly, Judas was invaluable for exploring new evolutionary paths.

Lin Jicang, a one-in-a-million mutant, was also of extraordinary research value—a perfect subject for Adonsa to observe and steal from the ancient genetic repository of super-life.

Moreover, the mutation in Lin Jicang’s body might be closely linked to the Black Death Emperor, making his presence doubly beneficial.

Adonsa flicked out a frog-like tongue, snagged a fist-sized green grub, and extended dozens of tiny tendrils from its palm to probe it.

As the grub convulsed under a jolt, Adonsa remarked, “All the creatures here have an identical gene sequence inserted into their DNA. It urges rapid growth while preventing ecological collapse—a truly perfect genetic program.”

Beneath, Judas lifted his cockroach-like head. “How does it compare to Lin Jicang’s sequence?”

Adonsa shook his head. “This sequence uses quantum gene encryption unique to third-stage evolved life—a living code. Ordinary decryption methods wouldn’t succeed in a million years. All I can say is, Lin Jicang, your mutation is indeed connected to the Black Death Emperor, at least to some extent.”