The Ancient Demon can be considered the ultimate form of all Gu worms; the previous Ancient Insect were essentially failed experiments on the Ancient Demon.
Chen Qing from Cloud Capital whispered to Shen Qi, recounting the history of the Ancient Demon: "They are the progenitors of parasitism, possessing the most terrifying parasitic abilities. They can not only steal all the potential and abilities of their hosts, but also push them beyond their own potential limits, making them nourishment for themselves. They are a race hated by gods and demons."
"That sounds too incredible," Shen Qi said doubtfully. "If what you say is true, Master, such a terrifying race existed in ancient times, so why is there no record of it at all? Shouldn't such a terrifying race have left behind some terrifying legends?"
"It is precisely because they were so terrifying that their traces were erased. The genes of humanity are ingrained in them, fearing such monsters, yet their existence has been completely wiped clean. You guessed it, this terrifying race did indeed leave a deep mark on history. Their terrifying talents even made them the rulers of the world at one time, dominating everything. At their peak, all races avoided them, and even the great demons became their parasitic blood slaves."
"If it was so terrifying, how could it have been allowed to grow so powerful? How did such a formidable Demon Dynasty collapse?" Shen Qi became increasingly curious.
According to Chen Qing, such a terrifying demon should be targeted from the outset to prevent it from growing too powerful; otherwise, who in this world could stand against it?
"It collapsed from within," Chen Qing laughed. "Everything in the world has its advantages and disadvantages. These Ancient Demon' talents are indeed terrifying, but they are not without weaknesses. On the contrary, their weaknesses are quite fatal."
What weaknesses?
"Unrestrained evolution will destroy the Ancient Demon's brain, turning it into a mindless monster that only knows how to plunder, including devouring its own kind!"
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"You mean, without any intervention, they'll kill each other?"
Ghost Temple in the Imperial Palace of the capital, Xiao Ping was completely dumbfounded when faced with the intelligence brought by Wei Gongxing. He had considered many possibilities for the intelligence, but he had never thought of this one.
"Are you kidding me?" Marquis of Baoqing was standing nearby, also in surprise.
"How could I possibly joke about something like this?" Wei Gongxing said weakly with a smile. "If there were no chance of winning, I would have joined the bandits in the first place. Why would I commit suicide to gamble on this last sliver of hope?"
"What exactly happened?" The old patriarch of the Yuchi family frowned. He believed that Wei Gongxing wouldn't talk nonsense, but this statement was indeed a bit unbelievable.
"Those red-eyed guys are infested with a parasite. The origin of this parasite may even be traced back to the Warlock Dynasty or even further. Specific information is unknown, but one thing is certain: the more of this parasite there is, the more uncontrollable it becomes."
"While these insects can allow mortals to evolve to incredible levels in a short period, pushing them too far will also cost the parasites dearly. This isn't unlimited; to strengthen the host's body, they need to consume something. The more of this thing they consume, the more likely they are to fall into a state of deficiency if they don't see a return in a short time. This deficiency will produce a terrifying hunger that will drive them to madness and cause them to devour their own kind!"
"Devour its own kind?" Everyone gasped. Really?
"Are you sure?" Xiao Ping asked, sounding somewhat incredulous.
"I saw it with my own eyes!" Wei Gongxing said with certainty, "When they attacked the temple in the north, several red-eyed monsters suddenly went berserk due to their excessive growth. After killing their enemies, they began to attack their own kind, and they even turned against the priests and guards in the North Temple!"
"At that time, I knew that these monsters not only lose their minds, but also that once they lose their minds, they will prioritize attacking their own kind."
"Why is that?" Everyone felt somewhat incredulous.
"I don't know. Perhaps this is a fatal flaw that heaven left for these terrifying monsters," Wei Gongxing said weakly. "Otherwise, if these monsters were allowed to fully utilize their talents, where would other species find a place to survive in this world?"
"Hmm, that makes sense." Liu Yu stroked his beard and nodded. "Nothing in the world is perfect. The stronger the talent, the more fatal the flaw. This is the law of the world. If these monsters really didn't have any flaws, they would have unified the Central Plains long ago."
"If I'm not mistaken, allowing a mortal at the Fifth Rank to combine with the potential of their Martial Soul to rapidly enhance the strength of their mortal body would greatly deplete the abilities of those insects. And now, after taking down the North Temple, they've reached their limit!"
"Then since we have reached the limit, why don't we attack?" Xiao Ping wondered, "If we just wait like this, will they collapse on their own?"
"Highly unlikely," Wei Gongxing shook his head. "I was there when they attacked North Temple. I saw with my own eyes that nearly half of the people had started to lose control. Muye was controlling my body, and every time he saw someone about to lose control, he would kill them in advance. That's when I found the opportunity to commit suicide."
"I originally thought that after Muye's death, the North Temple wouldn't be so easy to take down, but as it turns out, they still managed to. It seems that although they've reached their limit, they haven't collapsed yet. If we were to walk right into their trap now, especially inside their Ghost Temple, we might be wiped out in one fell swoop."
"So we just wait for them to collapse on their own?"
"That won't work either," Wei Gongxing shook his head. "At night, things might be different. I've seen it with my own eyes. Monsters that are at their limit will become cautious and stop moving after barely suppressing themselves, trying their best to control themselves. But at night, the power of the ghost spirit will increase greatly, exerting a strong suppressive force on the worm inside their bodies. At that time, they will find a balance. That's why the North Temple attacked at midnight, and the reason why nearly half of them collapsed was because they didn't take down the North Temple before dawn!"
"If that's the case, then we should take the initiative!"
Hearing this, Xiao Ping felt immense regret. Last night, he had the opportunity to support the North Temple, but in order to protect the palace, he hadn't taken the initiative. If he had, and joined forces with the guards of the North Temple, wouldn't they have already defeated the enemy army?
"Exactly! According to you, wouldn't they be even harder to defeat at night?"
"It depends on their condition," Wei Gongxing calmly analyzed. "What if—I mean, what if—those monsters in the North Temple are actually already in a state of collapse?"
"Huh?" Everyone, including Liu Yu, was taken aback. Liu Yu was the first to react. "You mean, the monsters currently occupying the North Temple are all out-of-control?"
"I mean, it's possible," Wei Gongxing said in a low voice. "There are two possibilities. First, if the enemy is on the verge of collapse, then they are definitely entrenched in the North Temple, waiting for nightfall so that the ghost spirits can suppress the insects within them before attacking us. Second, their army has actually gone completely out of control in the North Temple, but for some reason, they are being contained within the North Ghost Temple, which is why they haven't attacked us yet. Because those out-of-control creatures prioritize attacking their own kind. Perhaps the enemy is dealing with those hidden dangers and is too busy to attack us directly, so they haven't taken the initiative to attack us yet."
"In the first scenario, we naturally have to take the initiative. But in the second scenario, we need to plan carefully!"