Chapter 418

Chapter 418: Mother of the Nest Worms, Endless Insect Disaster

"……"

Mu Lin hadn’t anticipated his role to be so crucial.

Yet he remained calm, trusting his own capability to revitalize the Agricultural and Martial Corps. But clearly, he alone held such confidence – the other cultivators aboard wore heavy frowns.

At least everyone "knew" their legion commander Zhang Hetian was grooming Mu Lin as his official successor. No one dared antagonize their future leader unless completely foolish.

None resented this arrangement either.

In this disaster-ridden land where death loomed constantly, people cared little for power. They craved a hero who could ensure survival and stability.

Mu Lin undeniably carried such heroic potential.

……

Time fled as Mu Lin journeyed. Within hours, the Earth Immortal’s vast spiritual energy had carried him tens of thousands of miles to the Agricultural and Martial Corps’ territory.

Endless black earth stretched before them. Through his senses, Mu Lin detected rich fertility in the soil, faint spiritual energy permeating the ground.

"Fine land indeed. Could plant Spirit Rice and spirit herbs straightaway."

Zhang Hemiao’s face darkened at his remark. "This cursed place was barren wasteland before my grandfather came. A farmer’s son, he nourished this soil grain by grain while walking his cultivation path, ultimately becoming a Master."

"His dream was fertile fields for all – land so rich even the harshest wastes could feed people."

"Grandfather nurtured this earth for millennia. Our enemies ruined it in under ten years!" Her fists whitened with suppressed rage.

Mu Lin now saw only the soil’s edges retained fertility.

Corrupted zones dominated – no crops, no plow marks, not even stubborn weeds grew where dark forces held sway. Some areas festered as stinking marshes. Others became caves exuding Death Energy or graveyards. But most horrifying were the insect eggs.

Countless eggs pulsed beneath the earth while mature insects scuttled above.

"What are these?" Mu Lin grimaced.

"Offspring of the Mother of Nest Worms." Zhang Hemiao spat. "That evil god’s our main foe. Though the True Lords block its descent, its apostles already infest the North Wilderness."

"These vile abominations bring endless swarms and plagues."

"Buzz……"

As they spoke, a swarm of insects blocked their flying boat.

The glowing moths shimmered with phosphorescent light, appearing beautiful at first.

But Mu Lin soon narrowed his eyes, sensing illusions attacking his mind.

He discovered these glowing moths resembled his Other Shore Flower – weak alone, but forming collective consciousness when gathered. A mere hundred thousand moths already approached Transformation-level power. Millions could rival True Lords.

"Boom!"

While Mu Lin studied them, Zhang Hemiao acted.

The plain-looking woman summoned two massive golden palms.

"Crash!"

One sweep turned countless moths to dust.

Neither showed pride, knowing this meant little.

……

After escaping, Zhang Hemiao kept warning about insect swarm dangers.

"Never underestimate them. Their numbers are endless. Enough gathered could kill Earth Immortals."

"Special breeds exist too. A single Six-Winged Golden Centipede matches Transformation. Others parasite humans, controlling bodies… causing huge problems."

"They adapt. We first burned swarms with fire."

"But many grew fire-resistant after few burnings."

"Some evolved spine-shooting or invisibility…"

Mu Lin understood how terrifying these insects were. They could’ve destroyed his previous world swiftly.

Fortunately, human magic held strong.

Also, the invasive evil gods fought each other without human threats.

Mu Lin saw countless alien races engaged in Killing below.

As the boat flew on, green fertile lands finally appeared with farming humans.

All guarded by patrol soldiers.

"Our last remaining land," she said. "Feeds millions. Ahead lies Agricultural and Martial Corps’ Tian Shi City."

They soon reached it, but first saw refugees.

A million starved souls wandered outside Tian Shi’s walls. Their misery made Mu Lin truly feel the apocalypse.

His resolve to kill monsters and reclaim land burned fiercely.

"All those monsters must die!"

"We’ll drive them out completely!"

As Mu Lin’s eyes revealed killing intent, they landed in Tian Shi City.

Upon entering the gates, Mu Lin didn’t bother greeting anyone and immediately addressed Zhang Hemiao: "Take me to the spiritual veins’ formation core first. I need control over them."

"…Agreed."

Since this had been prearranged, Zhang Hemiao offered no resistance.

Yet after leading Mu Lin to the heavily guarded formation core, she couldn’t resist warning: "Be cautious. This formation protects our city from insect tides and safeguards the populace. If it fails, the million refugees outside these walls – and all of us – perish."

"Also, our spiritual veins store limited energy since most spiritual grounds got seized and corrupted. Conserve whatever you do here."

"Understood."

Mu Lin then expelled everyone from the chamber, claiming solitary control.

The ejected guards exchanged uneasy glances. Finally, one man confronted Zhang Hemiao: "Eldest Sister, is this truly Mu Lin? The unparalleled genius who crushed East Sea Kingdom’s forces, slaughtered a True dragon offspring, and made the Demon Race tremble? He seems… ordinary. Barely any spiritual energy inside his body."

A pragmatic Master who treated disciples like family, Zhang Hetian had cultivated many followers. His students addressed each other as siblings regardless of blood ties. Though not the strongest, Zhang Hemiao held seniority as Zhang Hetian’s longest-living direct offspring.

The doubting speaker was Sheng Cang – nineteenth-ranked Earth Immortal under Zhang Hetian’s tutelage. The numbering reflected generations lost over time, leaving Sheng Cang as Tian Shi City’s fourth-in-command.

Murmurs of agreement rippled through the crowd. Mu Lin’s unremarkable aura indeed sparked suspicion.

A contemplative voice cut through the whispers. "That’s not his true body."

Ji Mao spoke – a Transformation-stage cultivator once groomed as Zhang Hetian’s successor before suffering injuries. "The Yin Eight Sect and the paper folders specialize in Paper Figure Secret Techniques. They rarely appear personally when paper proxies suffice."

"Given Mu Lin’s bloodstained reputation and countless enemies, traveling north through a paper figure makes tactical sense."

The logic held, yet deepened their gloom. "A proxy can’t aid us properly," someone protested. "We’ve already forfeited two years’ resource shares for his sake. If he holds back, we’re doomed!"

Before more complaints arose, urgent shouts interrupted:

"Generals! Emergency! Tian Shi City’s energy reserves just plummeted!"

"What?!"

…

Ji Mao had guessed half-truth. The northbound Mu Lin was indeed a paper figure.

Fortunately, for the present Mu Lin, wherever his paper figure arrived, his true body could also reach.

The moment he arrived at the spiritual vein core of Tian Shi City, Mu Lin focused his will and used the power of the spiritual veins to create the Yin Soil and the Cycle of Life and Death.

His figure abruptly vanished from the mortal realm and reappeared within the Cycle of Life and Death.

At the same time, endless streams of Black Water oozed from Mu Lin’s body, dripping onto the Yin Soil and forming a murky puddle.

The puddle soon expanded into a pond, then swelled into a lake. In moments, a vast lake of corrosive Black Water dominated the Yin Soil.

This lake wasn’t forged by Mu Lin’s power or Tian Shi City’s spiritual veins, but by channeling energy from the black river’s depths.

Though convenient, this uncontrolled Black Water threatened to erode even Mu Lin himself and corrupt his Yin Soil domain.

Left unchecked, this forbidden power would eventually spill into the mortal world, tainting both the spiritual veins and Tian Shi City.

Such was the terror of forbidden power.

Fortunately, Mu Lin had prepared countermeasures.

"ROAR!"

With a bestial cry, Mu Lin’s paper figure transformed into the Sky-High Technique Spell: River Deity. Harnessing the water-controlling powers of the River Deity and flood dragon forms, he contained the black river water’s spread.

BOOM!

A colossal black ship materialized through the interconnected black river waters – the ultimate spiritual weapon, Sky Ferry.

The privileges of being a legitimate daughter showed clearly here. While Yan Yunyu and Chu Lingluo struggled to obtain spiritual weapons, Prince Liang had immediately sent the Sky Ferry when his sole legitimate daughter Ling Sha pledged herself to Mu Lin.

Officially, Ji Ling Sha remained the treasure ship’s controller. Mu Lin didn’t object – after refining it into his True Spirit Domain Chart, he’d still let her command it.

Combining the ship’s spatial traversal abilities with his own space manipulation, Mu Lin’s true body instantly crossed hundreds of thousands of miles from southern lands to the north.

"Time for decisive action."

…

As Mu Lin’s forces assembled, Sheng Cang in Tian Shi City winced at the draining spiritual veins. Though the Sky Ferry’s arrival consumed little energy, maintaining the Yin Soil demanded constant power.

The city’s multiple defenses against monster attacks and refugee protections already strained the spiritual veins. Not knowing how long this crisis would last, every drop of energy counted.

Mu Lin’s lavish consumption upon arrival infuriated Sheng Cang. "Elder Sister!" he urged Zhang Hemiao. "Reason with him! We can’t sustain this!"

Zhang Hemiao hesitated. Confronting their new ally immediately risked damaging relations. As she wavered, urgent shouts interrupted:

"Commander! Soldiers and refugees are collapsing in agony!"

All thoughts of energy conservation vanished. Zhang Hemiao, Sheng Cang, and Ji Mao raced outside.

This was Tian Shi City – heart of the Agricultural and Martial Corps. If enemies had penetrated here…

They found crowds of twitching victims. "Has the Mother of Nest Worms spawned new parasites?" Sheng Cang began, then froze. "Wait, this is…"