Countless tiny bees flew back, transforming into a ball of energy that merged into the palm of the hand.
Xu Long opened his eyes, and an eerie aura began to emanate from his body.
The closer they got to Dadu, the stronger the twisted and frenzied aura became. These bees were too weak to resist being affected.
However, it's still a long way from being corrupted into a monster; one would need to be at least at the Nascent Soul Stage to achieve that.
"How's the situation?"
Zhang Sanfeng asked.
"The situation is dire. Ordinary soldiers are simply unable to enter the battlefield. Furthermore, as the distance closes, those with lower cultivation levels will be gradually eliminated. Ultimately, only a small number of experts will be able to enter and fight face-to-face with what's inside."
Xu Long thought for a moment, then said, "Let's go back first. This battle won't end anytime soon; we need to plan this carefully."
"Okay, that's fine!"
Dong Tianbao nodded, agreeing with Xu Long's statement.
The three returned to the Ming Cult camp in a spaceship, where a group of people immediately came to greet them.
"Master!"
"Master!"
"The leaders of all the sects, please come in for a meeting."
After Xu Long finished speaking, Yang Xiao, Abbess Miejue, the Five Elders of Kongtong, He Taichong, Ban Shuxian, Xianyu Tong and others came into the tent.
"The situation is getting bad. The upcoming battle is beyond the capabilities of ordinary soldiers. All experts above the Innate Stage should gather and wait for the right opportunity to enter."
In the western camp, the Nether Emperor, Maitreya, Black Bear, along with Chen Youliang, the commander of the Western Allied Army, Shi Huolong, the leader of the Beggars' Sect' Sect, and Sangedan, the leader of the Western Regions Rakshasa Sect, stood around the sand table, all with grim expressions.
Although they rudely rejected Xu Long's request for cooperation, all three of them knew that it was just showing off.
Zhang Shicheng's Southern Allied Army...
Oh, to be precise, the monsters from the south have begun their northward advance.
The Central Secretariat Province, where Dadu was located, included Shandong and Hebei. It faced the sea to the east, the Ming Cult Allied Army led by Zhu Yuanzhang to the north, Chen Youliang and the powerful figures of the other three Divine Hall to the west, and that god to the south.
The Ming Cult Allied Army and the gods were separated by the Central Secretariat Province, and they would not meet before the decisive battle. However, the Nether Emperor and Maitreya had already experienced the power of those gods.
Bizarre, twisted, insane.
They hadn't even met; the mere lingering scent was enough to cause ordinary soldiers to mutate.
"What to do?"
Black Bear was completely bewildered. The powerful figures of the Mad Beast Temple were known for being physically strong but intellectually weak; their intellectual shortcomings were exposed whenever they encountered something that required thought.
"Make it cold!"
Maitreya plopped down in the chair, looking somewhat regretful.
"That guy may be a bad character, but he's got some skills. He just sent the spaceship flying, unleashed a volley, and killed all those gods and demons."
"You're overthinking it. If that were really possible, he wouldn't have come looking for us."
Nether Emperor chuckled twice. "The power of the Cthulhu gods is known for its unpredictability and madness; their dissipated soul energy can interfere with the movement of electrons. Once his spaceship gets inside, it won't be able to get out before it kills the enemy."
"Even the energy shield can't stop it?"
The Black Bear suddenly asked.
"Soul energy and elemental energy are two completely different systems, with the latter being far more advanced. To resist the interference of soul energy using elemental energy, one must convert it through formations or other means. If he could do that, he would have already forcibly destroyed this world."
The Nether Emperor snorted, seemingly mocking Xu Long, but actually mocking himself.
Mechanical technology was completely rejected; if they had mastered energy technology, they wouldn't need to cooperate with them at all.
"By the way, how do you know all this? Do you happen to have information on energy technology?"
Suddenly, an idea popped into the Black Bear's mind.
As the saying goes, even the wisest person can make a mistake, and even the most foolish person can have a stroke of genius. Black Bear does occasionally come up with something.
"I have a weakness! I've only seen related theories before..."
Nether Emperor cursed inwardly; energy technology wasn't so easy to research.
Besides requiring a certain level of mechanical technology, one also needs systematic energy technology and research materials.
As for Mind Stone technology, which is above energy technology...
Go wash up and go to bed; that already involves the rules.
"Actually, I have two..."
The Black Bear muttered something under its breath, and suddenly uttered a strange phrase.
Nether Emperor: "???"
Maitreya: "???"
The atmosphere suddenly became awkward, but fortunately there were no women present, otherwise the battle situation would have been impossible to discuss.
"Ordinary people will be distorted and deformed simply by getting close, and as the concentration of soul energy increases, even cultivators will be affected."
After a moment's thought, the Nether Emperor made the same decision as Xu Long.
"Gather all personnel of S-rank and above, and advance towards Dadu."
Unlike Xu Long Xu Long, who had already completed his main quest and could easily retreat unscathed, their mission was to kill that god; they had no other choice.
In the southern region, Xu Long's figure suddenly appeared after the spaceship had left.
This is made of blood and energy, essentially a somewhat unstable clone.
In terms of ability, I can probably unleash about 30% of it.
Xu Long didn't really trust Zhang Sanfeng and Dong Tianbao, just as the two of them didn't trust him.
They came together purely because they shared a common enemy.
Therefore, Xu Long decided to stay and continue his investigation. He had many secrets that he couldn't let others know easily, not even his allies.
Without saying hello to the Nether Emperor and his group, Xu Long headed towards Dadu at top speed.
Not much time had passed, and Xu Long flew for a while before he saw the object.
A dozen or so seemingly ordinary people wandered aimlessly, their faces expressionless, the smell of the sea nauseating.
Upon seeing Xu Long, the dozen or so humans immediately returned to normal and began to get busy.
"Sir, please have some tea..."
puff!
"This young man..."
puff!
"..."
puff!
Xu Long casually killed all these people, leaving only a little girl alive.
It wasn't that he intended to have a romance between a human and a monster; he just needed one.
Pfft!
Pfft!
The sight of more than a dozen companions turning to ashes forced the little girl to stop hiding her true feelings.
Suddenly, its round, watery eyes rolled down, replaced by two tentacles resembling those of an octopus.
It was thick, large, and long, with irregular bumps covering its surface, much like some strange thing meant to soothe a lonely soul.
After two tendrils replaced the eyes, several others followed suit and emerged.
Ears, nose, mouth, and three tails below.
"Gibberish gibberish..."
The strange language emanated from the soul, carrying an indescribable twisting and madness.
Those cultivators below D-rank will experience physical and spiritual distortion the moment they hear it.