Breaking the Spirit
Inner Region the Frost Forest, the light completely faded.
Ancient trees, towering and intertwined, their dense canopies obscuring the sky. Dim slivers of sunlight struggle to penetrate the branches and leaves, falling onto the thick layer of decaying leaves, creating a mottled and dim effect.
The entire woodland was lifeless.
The wind is still, birds and beasts have vanished, and only a faint, pungent, putrid smell lingers deep in the soil—the traces left by Insect Nest that have long inhabited the area.
All the wild beasts that had gathered earlier stopped at the outer perimeter.
The Wolf Pack, Giant-Horned Deer, Tusked Boar, Ghost Tiger, and Dark-Spotted Leopard each took their positions, forming a huge encirclement.
They are clearly distinguished.
The ordinary Insect Swarm that fled to the periphery were all swept away by them.
The true underground nest and the core of the Insect Mother will be left to Lu Heng and the Bone Demon to deal with.
Lu Heng took a step and continued walking deeper into the area.
The Bone Demon followed closely behind him, its tall, skeletal body stepping over Withered Branch, occasionally emitting a faint grinding sound from its joints. There were no superfluous movements, no agitation; the entire body was calm and imposing.
The deeper you go into the center, the more hard and compacted the soil becomes.
The ground was sparsely covered with weeds, with almost no normal vegetation growing. The entire area looked as if it had been deliberately hollowed out and suppressed, and was eerily desolate.
Lu Heng released his senses and sank his mind into the ground.
The next second, a faint yet clear pulse of life entered my mind.
It was hidden very well.
Lurking beneath several meters of hard soil, its presence was almost deathly still. Had it not been for his keen senses, ordinary investigations would have been utterly incapable of detecting a single trace.
Lu Heng pondered to himself.
No wonder these remaining Insect Mother have managed to survive until now.
Its location is secluded, its aura is sealed, it does not actively expand, nor does it produce large-scale Insect Tide; it simply lies dormant and reproduces silently underground. No matter how much the wild beasts in the forest try to exterminate it, they cannot find the true source.
But hiding it any deeper is pointless.
His purpose for this trip was very clear.
The Blood-Devouring Vine has been nurtured too gently by the Star Force, and has long lost its bloodthirsty nature. Ordinary Zombie and corpses are simply not qualified to fully awaken its ferocity.
Only the fresh body and pure blood essence of a high-level Insect Mother can fully stimulate its original revival.
There was no probing, no maneuvering.
Lu Heng raised his hand, gathered power in his palm, and slammed it directly into the ground.
A dull, resounding boom erupted.
The hard, compacted soil layer collapsed with a roar, and rubble and soil tumbled down, suddenly revealing the entrance to a dark and deep nest.
A strong, pungent smell of insects wafted out.
The entrance to the hole was densely packed with tiny larvae, which frantically scurried and crawled when startled, their tiny shells rubbing together in a dense, incessant sound that made one's eardrums tighten.
The wild beasts waiting on the perimeter immediately pressed forward.
With fangs, claws, and horns all thrust out, they instantly blocked all escape routes and cleanly eliminated the overflowing insects, giving them no chance to interfere with the main battlefield.
From deep within the lair, the disturbed commotion quickly spread.
From deep within the passage came the rapid, heavy scraping sound of carapaces.
Unlike the subtle, restless buzzing of insects, this sound was deep, rhythmic, and carried the imposing pressure of an advancing military force.
Several tall, dark figures rushed out from the shadowy ground.
It is Insect Armor Warrior.
With a tall and straight figure, covered in black armor, and with sharp limbs, its appearance is almost identical to the standard units under the Insect Queen's command.
But Lu Heng saw through the deception with just a glance.
This batch of Insect Armor Warrior was an emergency product forced out by the dying Insect Mother.
Sensing an impending foe and impending death, it forcibly overdraws its own essence, frantically cultivating temporary combat power.
It looks impressive, but it's actually superficial.
The carapace is not hard enough, the torso and flesh are hastily formed, and the tendons and bones are not stably connected. The movements are stiff and explosive power is lacking. From head to toe, it is a batch of hastily made defective products.
These are completely different from the orthodox Insect Armor Warrior, which were carefully hatched, selected, and steadily cultivated during the Insect Queen's prime.
The quantity hastily produced cannot make up for the fundamental difference.
Several flawed Insect Armor Warrior bared their jaws and hissed, their sharp claws whipping through the air, as they pounced straight at Lu Heng.
The Bone Demon moved in the next instant.
Silently, he stepped forward.
The giant skeletal hand suddenly reached out and precisely gripped the torso of the foremost Insect Armor Warrior.
The hardened insect armor was as fragile as thin tree bark in front of the Bone Demon's king-level body.
A crisp snapping sound.
The insect's shell shattered, its body torn in half, and foul-smelling fluid dripped onto the ground from between its skeletal bones.
The remaining few Insect Armor Warrior didn't even have time to complete their attack.
The Bone Demon moved with incredible speed, crushing his opponents in close combat; every attack was a pure display of overwhelming power.
Tear, crush, smash.
In just a few breaths, all the hastily created Insect Armor Warrior were annihilated, their corpses scattered at the cave entrance.
The outcome was completely predictable.
Deep within the lair, an extremely frenzied surge of energy suddenly erupted.
The true Insect Mother was utterly enraged.
It had been lying dormant underground for a long time, cautiously clinging to life, hoping to slowly rebuild its clan's power. But it never expected that its nest would be destroyed, its offspring wiped out, and its hastily trained troops instantly slaughtered.
But what truly broke its mentality was not the death crisis.
It's the Bone Demon.
The instinctual imprint deeply buried in the bloodline genes of the Insect Swarm is frantically assaulting its consciousness.
The aura, the pressure, the primal frequency of this skeletal body.
Absolutely not wrong.
It's the Insect Queen.
They are the supreme king to whom their Insect Swarm have submitted for generations, etched into their very blood.
In the minds of all Insect Swarm, the Insect Queen is the creator of the swarm, the sole source of faith, and the supreme ruler who will never overthrow or betray the swarm.
But the scene that appeared before the Insect Mother's eyes at this moment completely overturned her entire understanding of the world.
Their supreme kings stood beside the invaders.
They personally slaughtered its offspring, crushed the soldiers it cultivated, and ruthlessly trampled on the very foundations of its people.
betray.
A complete, incomprehensible, and utterly upside-down betrayal.
A piercing, ear-piercing scream came from underground.
The Insect Mother's consciousness was completely chaotic. Rage, fear, despair, and confusion intertwined and clashed, utterly shattering her reason.
It could not understand why the supreme Insect Queen would transform into an executioner who slaughtered her own kind.
Lu Heng stood at the cave entrance, coldly watching the massive shadow churning wildly deep within the lair, a faint, cold smile flickering across his mind.
Only he knows the truth.
The Bone Demon was forged from the complete corpse of the Insect Queen.
It is the dead king, the highest form of the Insect Swarm that remains in the world.
The Insect Mother is loyal to the queen Insect Queen her entire life, and her bloodline faith is deeply rooted.
Now it has to watch as its own god-king destroys it and slaughters its people.
No complex tactics or terrifying offensives are needed.
This single scene is the ultimate example of killing someone by destroying their spirit.
We must completely destroy everything about it, from its faith, spirit, and ethnic roots.
Seeing the Insect Mother underground completely out of control and in disarray, Lu Heng decided to stop watching.
The time has come.
This lurking queen Insect Mother is the final source of the Frost Forest insect infestation.
At the same time, it is also the most perfect high-level nutrient to awaken the ferocity of the Blood-Devouring Vine.
Today's battle.
Eliminate hidden dangers in forests and address shortcomings in forestry and planting efforts.
Killing two birds with one stone.
Lu Heng stepped forward, facing the dark and deep interior of the Insect Nest.