Chapter 406 - 378: Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle
"What is this?"
Qin Ziwen narrowed his eyes, staring at the tide of insects swarming toward them. With a slight twitch of his fingertips, he silently activated Insight.
[Abdomen Aphid Spider: ☆☆]
Mogu flicked his wrist. The blade of his giant sword hummed as it extended outwards, activating Hunting Exhibition.
He swept the sword horizontally. Wherever the blade passed, the fist-sized insects were tossed backward in droves, like dead leaves caught in a fierce wind.
With a light leap, he shot up from the ground, flipped his shield over, and smashed it viciously against the cavern ceiling.
"BANG—"
The cave trembled violently. Large chunks of rock broke off and crashed into the swarm of insects.
Qin Ziwen’s eyelid twitched. He squeezed his legs, and Red Hare, understanding the signal, took a few steps back.
Mogu landed back on the ground and raised his shield again.
The uneven surface of the shield was coated in a sticky paste of insect carcasses, which was now dripping down the edges.
Within a radius of several dozen yards from where he landed, the Abdomen Aphid Spiders that had just been blown away tumbled a few times on the ground, wobbled back to their feet, turned around, and swarmed toward him once more.
Qin Ziwen saw the problem. "These insects are very light. They’re a bit hard to kill."
It was like trying to punch willow catkins floating in the spring air; the catkins would scatter, but as soon as the wind stopped, they would gather together again.
The Beaked Eagle flapped its wings, stirring up a powerful gust of air from beneath them.
The gale swept forward along the ground, making the bushes rustle loudly. Large swaths of Abdomen Aphid Spiders were sent tumbling into the surrounding rock walls, like dust scattered by a broom.
But before long, they got up again.
Even those with broken legs, cracked carapaces, or half-crushed bodies were still inching toward them.
There were no cries of pain, no retreat, just a horde of puppets seemingly devoid of fear.
"Mindless and fearless." Qin Ziwen narrowed his eyes. ’There must be a mastermind. A queen?’
Mogu’s heavy sword continued its sweeping attacks, each one kicking up a storm of blood and gore.
But a few always slipped through, crawling up his legs.
They couldn’t bite through his skin, but they latched on like countless hooks, covering his legs.
Mogu frowned and stomped his right foot hard on the ground.
"THUD—!"
A shockwave blasted out, shaking the insects off his leg. A few of them had their fangs shattered by the impact and fell to the ground, flailing their six legs in the air.
Mogu paid them no mind, instead lifting his head to gaze into the deepest part of the Underground Forest.
"It’s in there. I can hear it."
He took a step forward.
That single step seemed to flip a switch. The surrounding Abdomen Aphid Spiders went berserk, surging toward him in layers, nearly burying him alive.
Mogu’s expression darkened. "They’re trying to stop me."
"The more the enemy tries to stop us, the more it proves we’re on the right path." Qin Ziwen, still on horseback, grinned. "Beaked Eagle, stir up a wind."
The Beaked Eagle threw its head back, its sharp cry tearing through the dead silence of the cave.
The next moment, in the usually calm underground cavern, a wind began to blow.
The Beaked Eagle gave a mighty flap of its wings, and a gale plowed forward across the ground.
The Abdomen Aphid Spiders clinging to the vines, rock walls, and the ground were flung away in droves, smacking against the cavern walls with a series of CRACKS.
In the brief moment the gale subsided, Mogu moved.
He became a blur, charging straight into the eye of the storm with a low sonic boom!
He raised his giant sword high and brought it down in a vertical slash!
Wherever the blade passed, vines snapped and bushes exploded, sending debris flying everywhere.
He charged straight forward, carving a path.
Deep within the Underground Forest, a massive black shadow lay crouched in the bushes.
Sensing Mogu’s approach, the colossal figure shifted its body slightly.
A large number of Abdomen Aphid Spiders formed a circle around it, trapping Mogu in the center.
"Well, well. Look at this." Qin Ziwen rode up behind Mogu on Red Hare.
He tilted his head back, sizing up the giant insect before him.
[Extraordinary Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle: ☆☆☆☆★]Level 1 Stonemelia, Level 2 Beguiling Demonic Sound
This was a gigantic insect that resembled a beetle but was the size of a large bus.
It wasn’t just big; it was powerfully built.
Many juvenile Abdomen Aphid Spiders, only the size of a fingernail, were crawling on its back, feeding on a spherical sap that oozed from the cracks in its shell.
From this Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle, Qin Ziwen sensed an emotion he could only describe as "motherly love."
He quickly shook his head to dispel the bizarre feeling.
’This is insane. I’m actually sensing affection from an insect.’
Sensing their arrival, the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle didn’t react much. It remained lying lazily on the ground, even curling its antennae downward, the tips clenched like fists, as if beckoning to him.
Come on over.
"These don’t look like the same species," Mogu said, glancing around before striding forward.
The tide of insects in his path was pushed back by the force of his steps.
Mogu went behind the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle. Obscured by its body was a dust-covered altar.
Floating above the altar was a deep blue metal Card.
As Mogu walked toward the altar, the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle, which had been lying there with a zen-like calm, finally moved. A bizarre sound emanated from its throat.
The sound was low and penetrating, lingering like a haunting melody.
Qin Ziwen frowned. He felt a sensation like a centipede crawling out from deep inside his ear.
His whole body tingled, and it felt as if an ant were crawling through every one of his blood vessels.
His blood began to race uncontrollably.
"QUIET!!!"
Mogu spun around and smacked the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle on the head with the flat of his sword.
The Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle’s body shuddered, and the sound stopped abruptly.
The tingling sensation in Qin Ziwen’s ears vanished instantly.
He looked at the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle again, his gaze unfriendly.
The creature had actually tried a sneak attack. It was the first time he had ever encountered an animal that attacked with sound.
He narrowed his eyes, sizing up the creature before him.
"Master, this is the Card from the altar." Mogu handed a Card over.
Qin Ziwen took the Card.
[Advanced Building Card]Level 1 Insect Taming Hall
Qin Ziwen’s expression shifted slightly as he narrowed his eyes to examine the Card in his hand.
He could guess the building’s function from its name alone.
’It must be a special building for this map.’
’An Insect Taming Hall... I just wonder how the taming works.’
"Master, what should we do?" Mogu asked with a frown, stomping his foot.
He shook off all the Abdomen Aphid Spiders that had swarmed around him.
The insects were fearless, surging forward wave after wave.
"Make them stop, or you die. I know you understand me." Mogu pressed his sword against the Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle’s neck.
The Giant Aphid Rhinoceros Beetle looked at them with its innocent eyes, then let out a low hum.
A short while later, the Abdomen Aphid Spiders gradually grew quiet.
"Master, your orders?" Mogu looked at Qin Ziwen.
Qin Ziwen glanced around and saw that they were completely surrounded by the insects.
There were Abdomen Aphid Spiders in every direction—a dense, writhing sea of grayish-green insects as far as the eye could see.
The Beaked Eagle folded its wings and perched on Red Hare’s rump; there was nowhere else for it to land.
Qin Ziwen said, "I’m going to head back and use this Card. We’ll decide what to do next after I see its function. You keep an eye on these insects."
"Yes, Master."
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