Chapter 45: Chapter 45: Iron-Teeth Flying Locust
Wang Wu didn’t take part in this farce, even though at one point, he was at least ninety percent sure he could catch a wild pheasant.
But he didn’t want to make a move in broad daylight.
Just like that, the wild pheasant family achieved a great victory, while the Little Demon coalition suffered heavy losses. Even the Golden Saint Mantis and the Black Centipede King were eaten by the wild pheasants.
Thus, the valley quickly returned to its former quiet.
See, isn’t this much better?
Wang Wu stayed hidden, calculating his plans.
His current total Spiritual Qi was 78 points. If he made some extra tonight and absorbed another wave tomorrow morning, he could reach 100 points of Spiritual Qi. Either way, he planned to max out his Stealth Talent for this stage first.
According to the pattern, during this stage, his Stealth Talent could be upgraded to Level 10.
After maxing Stealth, he would then max out Danger Perception, followed by upgrading the Healing Talent as needed, and finally upgrading Basic Attributes.
Step by step, methodically, unless something unexpected happened, he hoped to achieve this goal by autumn this year, after which he would dig a cave residence, stockpile food, and when winter came, start collecting Ice Spiritual Qi.
Just as Wang Wu was calculating, he suddenly heard a giant eagle screeching in the sky, its cries urgent and piercing. Although he didn’t know what had happened, he instinctively felt something was wrong. He then heard a rustling sound, like a fierce wind or a dust storm, seemingly covering the sun above.
The next second, when Wang Wu looked up at the sky, he couldn’t help but curse!
It wasn’t wind, or a sandstorm, or dark clouds, but locusts, swarming locusts coming from the east.
A locust plague in spring, what a joke, this truly had the hallmark of the Cultivation Realm.
And this army of locusts was boundless, countless in number. Even the usually arrogant and mighty black giant eagle had no courage to fight back against this locust army, and it fled to a higher altitude with a flap of its wings.
On the ground, without thinking, Wang Wu leaped into a nearby crevice between the rocks. Just as he got in, a number of Gray Mouse Knights also squeezed in like they were fleeing for their lives.
Along with a Little Red Bird that had no other escape route.
This is the Cultivation Realm, right? A realm with Great Demons, and it got humbled by mere locusts?
No matter how endless the locusts, it just doesn’t make sense.
Unless, behind these locusts is a locust Great Demon!
With this thought, Wang Wu barely dared to breathe.
A locust could cultivate into a Great Demon, how inspiring.
Outside, it was completely dark now, countless locusts flying and devouring everything in their path, plants, creatures, nothing was spared.
Immediately, the crevice started echoing with the screeching of something in agony, as a multitude of locusts discovered this spot and began swarming in, tearing voraciously.
The Gray Mice at the front were gnawed to skeletons, could this really be locusts?
Or zombie locusts?
Wang Wu stayed still, barely daring to move. These weren’t like the Mazha Mountain Bandits he had seen before. These creatures were pitch black, of considerable size—about the length of an adult’s palm—with black wings and massive hind legs covered in sharp, serrated spines.
Wang Wu saw with his own eyes, an anxious Gray Mouse Knight bit into one, yet it didn’t even kill it.
A two-pound mouse can’t kill a single locust.
Instead, it was instantly torn apart by a swarm of locusts, more formidable than a Mantis Blade Master.
After witnessing this, Wang Wu wasted no time, immediately using 20 points of Spiritual Qi to raise his Defense to 15 points, hoping to continue upgrading, but he was notified that 100 points of Spiritual Qi were needed.
He had reached a bottleneck.
So Wang Wu then used 40 points of Spiritual Qi to raise his Life Value to 250 points, unsure if his Level 6 Stealth could fool these locusts, hoping to hold out a bit longer if it couldn’t.
Quickly, all the Gray Mouse Knights in the crevice were slaughtered, with the exception of the Little Red Bird. It managed to fly and nimbly hide in a smaller crevice behind Wang Wu.
The locusts, driven insane, hadn’t discovered Wang Wu yet, but weren’t willing to let the Little Red Bird go, buzzing as they swarmed in, because they too could fly.
In no time, Wang Wu was covered in those bizarre locusts; if they just used him as a stepping stone, it would be tolerable, but no, as they pushed in, they were also furiously tearing and slicing everything around them, including the rocks and Wang Wu, attacking indiscriminately.
Madder than zombies.
Their attack quickly revealed something was off.
Although Wang Wu’s Level 6 Stealth wasn’t detected, the sensation of being cut and bitten couldn’t feel the same as stone, could it?
The mimicry provided by Level 6 Passive Concealment was merely mimicry, not truly turning into stone.
In almost an instant, dozens of frenzied locusts started viciously biting and slicing into Wang Wu.
Messages began flooding before his eyes, showing up like a barrage!
"You have been detected by the Iron-toothed Flying Locust Legion, but your Level 6 Stealth status has not disappeared."
"You are being attacked, receiving 22 points of biting damage; thanks to your 15 points of Defense, you are immune to all damage."
"You are being attacked, receiving 44 points of cutting damage; thanks to your 15 points of Defense, you are immune to all damage."
"You are being attacked, receiving 46 points of critical cutting damage; thanks to your 15 points of Defense, you received 1 point of damage."
...
These damages are so high!
Wang Wu was shocked for a second, simultaneously mourning for all the Little Demons in the valley.
Then, he chose to remain absolutely still, allowing the dozens of Iron-teeth Flying Locusts to bite and slice him.
He was well aware that, at this stage, it was only these dozens of Iron-teeth Flying Locusts who had discovered him. If his Level 6 Stealth state were broken, not just more Iron-teeth Flying Locusts would find him, but perhaps higher-level Demons, or even the Great Demon behind this locust army.
And Wang Wu wasn’t aware that, although his speculation missed the mark, it wasn’t far off.
This overwhelming locust army sweeping past seemed like a catastrophe to the Little Demons in the forest below, but seen from thousands of meters up, or from the snow-covered peak of a high mountain, it was just a landslide across a three-kilometer breadth at most.
Heading north, it veered far away from the North Mountain Root.
Heading south, it stayed clear of that forest.
It was all quite orderly.
At this moment, several Great Demons who had taken human form were chatting leisurely on South Mountain deep in the forest. The atmosphere was cordial, with groups of lovely Female Demons presenting cheerful song and dance; hosts and guests alike were in delight.
Among them, a Great Demon with a Purple Gold Crown, adorned with two long golden phoenix-like antennae resembling a locust, appeared rather sentimental and somber.
"Fellow Daoists, we must plan ahead. A while back, I heard rumors of Human Race Cultivators wanting to expand into the West Wilderness. At first, I didn’t take it seriously, but I didn’t expect that the Humans are truly making moves. Though my cave dwelling is three thousand miles from Yun Ding City, who would dare to have Human Race Cultivators as neighbors? Can the lives of my family be risked?"
"Today, I am passing through with my family in a rush, disturbing you all, for which I deeply apologize!"
"This little trinket, as a token gift!"