Chapter 0491 – Empty

Many powerful beings had gone to investigate the insect nest, but among them was a dog—Green Emperor, that outrageous freak. Wasn't this just asking for trouble? If it suddenly ran ahead and howled, the damage might be worse than an actual Zerg wave. People might not even die to the bugs, but be slain by Green Emperor's singing—now that would be the real tragedy.

At the mere thought of Green Emperor's nightmarish songs, many alien races began to shiver uncontrollably.

Don't ask them why.

It was purely a bodily instinctive reaction.

"I can't control myself!"

Countless alien cultivators screamed in their hearts.

They wanted to control themselves, but their bodies had formed a conditioned reflex. Just thinking about Green Emperor's singing made their limbs twitch involuntarily. That damned dog was entirely to blame.

At the sight of Green Emperor, many alien powerhouses in Rock City, who were originally eager to join the exploration of the nest, immediately abandoned the idea without hesitation.

With a walking disaster like that around, no one wanted to get close.

...

The alien cultivators took the lead, swiftly crossing the Evergreen River and heading directly toward the Zerg nest.

There was no need to search for it—just follow the path the Zerg carved out. Wherever they passed, they left only devastation, erasing every plant, every living creature. The land was barren and desolate.

This path left no doubt.

"The destructive power of the Zerg really is immense. If left unchecked, the surrounding regions will become completely lifeless. Every Zerg that participates in the swarm must die."

Yi Tianxing stood on the wasteland, face stern, and spoke decisively.

If the Zerg breached human territory, every lifeform—flora and fauna—would be annihilated. They were indiscriminate, living only to destroy. Such beings should not exist.

The only good Zerg is a dead Zerg.

"Wherever the Zerg go, not even grass remains. These footprints are proof they've passed through. Follow them and we'll find the nest soon enough," said Fu Hongxue, his tone calm.

He was a man of experience.

"The scent here is very chaotic. There are too many types of insects, and they've scattered in all directions. Even with my nose, I can't pick anything specific out,"sniffed Green Emperor.

He could tell the area had been crawling with Zerg earlier, and many had dispersed toward the surrounding mountains and forests—consistent with the scene they'd previously observed.

Yi Tianxing and Fu Hongxue, both at the Life Aperture realm, could already fly through the air, treading on empty space. A single thought allowed them to move like swallows, fast and graceful.

In the martial world of old, light movement techniques channeled true qi to lighten the body, enabling one to move swiftly. When paired with the ability to fly, these techniques were practically as effective as soaring through the air.

In mere moments, they caught up with the alien cultivators.

"Humans."

"That's the Lord of Xuanhuang City. They're here too."

"Damn it—it's that dog! Green Emperor! Why the hell is that wretched dog here!?"

The alien powerhouses instantly noticed Yi Tianxing and his party's arrival. Their expressions changed drastically, and they instinctively veered off course, their eyes filled with dread as they stared at Green Emperor—as though staring at a venomous snake.

Their fear of Green Emperor had reached its peak.

None of them wanted to talk to Yi Tianxing. One exception, however, was Hu Li, the young lady of the Foxkin race. Her gaze flickered oddly when she saw him, seemingly wishing to speak—but then she too backed off when she noticed Green Emperor. That dog's presence was simply too intimidating.

Although most of the aliens would've loved to kill Green Emperor on the spot, none dared to try. Rumor had it that this dog was inauspicious—if you couldn't kill it outright, you might be doomed to unending misery.

Just the thought of Green Emperor singing by your ear daily was enough to make life worse than death.

Best to stay far away.

Focused on their journey, they soon arrived before a massive mountain.

"This is where the Zerg nest lies. The intel from the Winged Ones was accurate. The entire mountain is riddled with bug holes—it looks like a giant hive. The surrounding area is completely barren. The Zerg really are cursed destroyers,"Hu Li said, frowning.

From the mountain's base to its summit, countless insect tunnels perforated the landscape, interconnected and varied in size. Strange winds howled from within the tunnels, their eerie whistling echoing nonstop.

Clearly, the tunnels were all connected.

One wrong step inside, and you might never find your way out.

A heavy Zerg aura permeated the air.

"Something's off. With how sensitive the Zerg are, there's no way they wouldn't know we're here. Based on their nature, they should either attack or at least issue a warning. But there's nothing."

An alien cultivator murmured in doubt.

It didn't make sense. No creature would ignore a threat to its home.

There weren't even breathing sounds or screeches. It was as if the nest were... empty.

"Let me take a look,"said a young alien with a noble air, stepping forward.

He appeared very similar to a human, but with one striking difference—a third eye on his forehead, standing vertically. It exuded a mysterious pressure.

He was from the Three-Eyed Clan.

They called themselves the Three-Eyed Divine Clan, believing themselves to be of divine descent. Their pride was unmatched.

And to some extent, it was justified.

Their third eye was their pride and power. From birth, it began nurturing a natural divine ability, an innate Eye Technique. Once their cultivation reached a certain level, their divine eye awakened, unlocking a unique Life Aperture ability.

The ability varied per individual, and required a constant supply of blood essence from birth to maturity. That also explained why most of them were physically weak—but exceptionally handsome. If the third eye were covered, they looked indistinguishable from humans.

Once awakened, however, the divine eye transformed them entirely.

This young man was Tong Tiexin, son of the Three-Eyed Clan's patriarch—their young master.

He stepped forward confidently. As his third eye opened, a beam of golden light shot out, illuminating the Zerg nest. The light seemed capable of penetrating all barriers, revealing the truths within.

"There's a spatial Dao aura in that light. This eye isn't simple—it must have awakened a spatial attribute. Its power is definitely extraordinary,"Yi Tianxing muttered, eyes narrowing.

As someone who controlled the Gate of Space, he was intimately familiar with spatial power—there was no mistaking that subtle fluctuation in the light.

Any Eye Technique related to space was far from ordinary.

"I can't see clearly. The nest is filled with some mysterious aura that even my divine eye cannot fully penetrate. But I can confirm this: within my range of vision, there isn't a single Zerg present—not even larvae."Tong Tiexin said firmly.

He closed his Divine Eye, not letting anyone peek.

"He's right. I have a keen sense for life auras. But here—I feel nothing. No living presence inside. This nest... is empty,"said a Tigerkin powerhouse, stepping forward.

No sign of life at all.

It was unnerving.

"Could this really be an empty nest? But where did all the Zerg go? They couldn't have all died in yesterday's battle. What we saw yesterday was just a fraction. The real swarm must be much larger. This whole thing feels off. Is the Zerg disaster... just gone?"

A Werewolf clan member muttered skeptically.

If the nest was empty, then this massive operation—gathering all the surrounding alien races—would end anticlimactically.

"Let's go in and find out."

A Minotaur powerhouse said decisively, stepping toward the nest.