Chapter 0492 – The Blood Pool
He wanted to enter the insect nest to see whether there were still any Zerg inside, to verify if it was truly empty. Had the Zerg really vanished? No matter what, since he was already here, there was no reason to retreat halfway. He had to get to the bottom of this.
A senseless battle broke out for no reason, and then ended just as inexplicably. This baffling war left every alien race with a smoldering fury. They had been ready to fight to the death, only for the enemy to suddenly disappear mid-battle.
What the hell was that?
Were they being toyed with?
It was a slap in the face to every alien clan—a loud, resounding slap. If this spread, all the alien races would become laughingstocks. Just think: they made such a grand show forging Rock City, gathering every alien clan for a full-scale confrontation—only to end with such a weak anticlimax. That result was even worse than a blood-soaked battle. At least dying in battle would have been more honorable than this bizarre start-and-stop fight.
"Hmph, let me do it!!"
The enormous Mountain Giant suddenly let out a thunderous roar and stomped forward. The massive ancient log slung over his shoulder swung with brutal force toward the mountain.
The mountain was several hundred zhang high, and the Mountain Giant himself was dozens of zhang tall. This blow landed heavily.
Boom!!
Bang!!
The giant log slammed into the mountain with deafening force. From the peak, the mountain began to crumble and collapse, unable to withstand the terrifying might. It exploded into countless fragments, flying in all directions.
"So strong! That's pure physical strength. That blow must have carried hundreds of thousands of jin in force," Fu Hongxue said, eyes narrowing.
The Mountain Giant, born of the giant race, had a naturally powerful physique. Their bodies were terrifyingly robust, and their strength increased as their bodies grew. The larger the body, the more horrifying the power. It was a natural talent of the giants—giant power that could shake heaven and earth.
Generally, the larger the body, the more qi and blood it could store. While not absolute, it was generally true. A thin man arm-wrestling a burly one? Nine times out of ten, the burly man would win. The remaining one is just chance.
The bigger the body, the more power it could contain.
In ancient times, Chaos Demons were tens of thousands of zhang tall—boundless and mighty. Their strength could shatter chaos and split the heavens and earth.
That the giant could unleash such strength was no surprise to Yi Tianxing.
"Body type and constitution greatly affect one's physical limits. A regular cultivator has a lower cap, while a genius can reach higher. My own physical limit—enhanced by gourmet cells, innate Yin-Yang Eyes, constant tempering, and a top-tier body refinement technique—reaches ten thousand jin per level in the Black Cauldron Realm of First Transformation. In the White Cauldron Realm of Second Transformation, it hits one hundred thousand jin per level. I wonder how I compare to this giant," Yi Tianxing thought silently.
The Mountain Giant's smash shattered the mountain's peak—a feat Yi Tianxing could also achieve. The mountain's interior had already been hollowed out by the Zerg, riddled with tunnels and weakened. There was no resistance within the nest, so it collapsed easily under the strike.
Boom! Boom! Boom!
The Mountain Giant didn't stop. He swung his log like mad, hammering the mountain over and over.
Thunderous crashes echoed continuously.
The mountain was soon reduced to rubble, broken apart by sheer brute force.
"It's empty—no Zerg left. Damn it, we've been played."
Someone grimaced, filled with indignation.
There wasn't a single sign of the Zerg. Not even half an insect. The nest was completely abandoned—no treasures, nothing. Just a few discarded Zerg carapaces, already devoid of essence, shattered during the collapse.
All that remained was trash—not even the Zerg cared for it.
With the nest now a ruin and dust rising in the air, the alien cultivators were filled with unspeakable emotion. No one had expected this outcome.
It made no sense. They were supposed to fight to the death, settle things with blood and steel. Why did the Zerg vanish without a trace?
"Are you kidding me? The Zerg just ran away? They didn't even bother to defend their lair? Cowards, the whole lot of them."
One alien scoffed bitterly.
"This isn't about cowardice. It was all premeditated," said Hu Li, the foxfolk lady, blinking her clever eyes. "The swarm that charged at us before was a distraction. The Zerg Empress was simply playing with us. In truth, most of the Zerg were already scattered and hidden long before the battle started. They never meant to fight us head-on. This was a planned retreat. The whole battle was a taunt."
Now that the nest was empty, it was clear this was all intentional.
They could've left quietly. Instead, they staged a massive battle, lured in the enemy, and left behind a hollow nest—proof that the Zerg never took the alien coalition seriously. They toyed with them completely.
It stung. Deeply.
"Damn it! What a humiliation!"
A minotaur roared in frustration.
It was like throwing a punch with all your strength—only to hit a pillow. The sense of powerlessness was suffocating.
"Indeed. The world is full of uncertainties. Nothing is ever truly fixed. Surprises lurk around every corner. It's this chaos that makes fate so mysterious and the future so unpredictable," Yi Tianxing exhaled deeply.
Though he had suspected this, seeing it confirmed brought a new wave of reflection. Just because the alien coalition wanted a war didn't mean the Zerg had to oblige. Why couldn't the Zerg leave, avoid conflict, or perhaps… never intended a full war to begin with?
Maybe the so-called insect apocalypse was never their goal at all.
Their prior rampage might have had another purpose altogether.
And now that they'd accomplished it, they abandoned the nest without hesitation.
"Damn it. If there's no other surprise, those Zerg are already dispersed throughout the wild. Every forest and mountain could now be their lair. Finding them again will be next to impossible," said Tong Tiexin of the Three-Eyed Clan, the divine eye on his forehead flickering ominously.
"Hmm?"
Suddenly, Tong Tiexin let out a startled sound. His gaze locked onto something within the ruins.
In the next instant, he darted forward like lightning and landed at the heart of the wreckage.
Bang!
He swept away the rubble—revealing a blood-red ancient pool.
"A blood pool!!"
The surrounding alien elites—keenly alert—instantly turned to look. When they saw the pool, their eyes widened in shock.
This was no ordinary pool.
It was a Blood Pool.
The soil around it was soaked in deep crimson—formed by uncountable corpses and blood sacrifices. To construct a blood pool like this, the number of slaughtered lives must have been unimaginable. Now it all made sense: the Zerg's frenzied raids on every living thing—they were using the carnage to build this pool.
No wonder no corpses were left behind.
Everything had been fed to the pool.
"No wonder they slaughtered everything in sight. It wasn't just wanton destruction—they were building this Blood Pool. But… what for?" Hu Li murmured, frowning in confusion.
Blood Pools are usually used to cultivate some kind of evil entity, conduct blood rituals, or fuel demonic cultivation techniques. Their construction always comes with mountains of corpses and oceans of blood. Whatever is being nurtured inside is never ordinary—it's always something terrifying.
"They were either refining a powerful treasure… or nurturing a dreadful abomination. Whatever it was, it must have been incredibly important to the Zerg. Too bad we arrived too late. All that's left is this dried-up pool, and we can't even tell what it was for," another alien said grimly.
With the Zerg long gone, what they left behind remained a mystery. Speculating further would be pointless.
"Damn it, and here I thought there'd be something valuable. Just a dried blood pool? Those Zerg bastards!" a minotaur shouted in rage.
He stomped the ground.
Boom!!
A ripple of force exploded outward—and the blood pool collapsed.
But just as it shattered…
A flash of blood-red light streaked from beneath it.