Chapter 228: Locust Demon Crown Prince
“Hahaha!” The Locust Demon Crown Prince threw his head back and laughed, his voice dripping with scorn. “A mere Third Realm old Daoist dares to criticize my plans?”
Before he could finish, the golden locust on the left side of his chest suddenly vibrated its wings, letting out a sharp screech.
The sound wasn’t loud, but it pierced right through to the soul. A few of the prodigies with weaker cultivation turned pale, their bodies swaying.
“Careful!” Yan Liyuan shouted, waving his disciplinary ruler. A golden curtain of light unfurled before them, blocking the sound wave.
The Wood Daoist’s expression didn’t change, but his hand gripping the walking staff tightened.
“Everyone!!!” Zhu Ge’s voice drifted up from below. It wasn’t loud, but it reached every person’s ears clearly. “The Locust Demon Crown Prince has the combat power of three Great Ones—himself, and the two locusts on his chest.”
“But in the end, he’s still just a Great One! There are over a dozen Third Realm prodigies here. If we work together, we might just be able to fight him.”
Zhu Ge knew these prodigies were proud and arrogant; he couldn’t let the Locust Demon Crown Prince escape.
If an ordinary enemy escaped, it wouldn’t be a big deal.
But from what the Wood Daoist had said, this Locust Demon Crown Prince was no simple powerhouse.
An enemy this cunning was the most terrifying kind.
“Easy for you to say!” Su Feibai snorted. “Do you think all Great Ones are the same? He’s of the Royal Family!”
“So what if he’s Royal Family?” Guan Julan rolled her eyes. “Which one of us isn’t a prodigy? If we can’t beat him, can’t we outrun him? Besides, it’s not like we have to face him head-on. Doesn’t Zhu Ge have an Array?”
All eyes snapped down to Zhu Ge below.
Zhu Ge stood at the entrance of the valley, his Purgatory Star Rod propped on the ground, his robes fluttering noisily in the wind.
His face was a little pale, but his gaze remained sharp.
“The Fungus God Destruction Array can be used one more time,” Zhu Ge announced loudly.
One more time?
Who would believe him?
Everyone knew perfectly well that Zhu Ge was bluffing.
It could be once, three times, or even a countless number of times.
They all knew this, to say nothing of the Locust Demon Crown Prince.
But this was a classic bluff—making the real seem false, and the false seem real.
As long as Zhu Ge didn’t use the Array after making his claim, the Locust Demon Crown Prince would remain wary and wouldn’t dare get too close to Six Paths Valley.
Just then, Yan Liyuan took a step forward, the golden light on his disciplinary ruler flaring. “Everyone, what are you waiting for?”
“What are we waiting for? Let’s fight!” Guan Julan was the first to charge out.
With a wave of her hand, a sky full of Water Needles materialized from thin air, pouring down on the Locust Demon Crown Prince like a torrential rain.
Su Feibai followed close behind, his Jade Long Saber slashing out a beam of blade energy dozens of yards long. The air itself seemed to tear wherever the beam passed.
The other prodigies also attacked one after another.
A scholar-like prodigy waved his brush, and large golden characters materialized in the air, transforming into chains that coiled toward the Locust Demon Crown Prince.
The Wood Daoist slammed his staff down, and an Ink Green Vine erupted from the ground, snaking toward the Locust Demon Crown Prince’s legs like a giant python.
More than a dozen Third Realm prodigies attacked simultaneously, the resulting spectacle shaking the heavens and earth.
The Locust Demon Crown Prince, however, merely sneered.
The locust on the left side of his chest vibrated its wings, and a golden curtain of light unfurled before him.
The Water Needles, the beam of blade energy, the golden chains, the Ink Green Vine… all of the attacks slammed into the curtain of light and vanished without a trace, like a clay ox sinking into the sea.
“Is that all you’ve got?” The Locust Demon Crown Prince extended his right hand and flicked his index finger.
A streak of golden light shot from his fingertip, heading straight for Guan Julan.
Guan Julan’s expression changed, and she retreated hastily. But the golden light was astonishingly fast, and in an instant, it was about to strike the spot between her eyebrows.
“CLANG!”
A disciplinary ruler flew through the air to block the golden light. Yan Liyuan recalled his ruler, the web of his thumb split open and bleeding freely.
“Be careful. His power far surpasses that of an ordinary Great One,” Yan Liyuan said in a low, serious voice.
At the same time, the Locust Demon Crown Prince pressed his palms together. The two locusts on his chest vibrated their wings in unison, emitting a piercing buzz.
The swarm of insects behind him surged out like a tide, blanketing the sky as it rushed toward the prodigies.
“Insignificant tricks,” the Wood Daoist snorted, slamming his staff on the ground.
An ink-green shield of light rose from the ground, enveloping everyone within.
The Gu Insects slammed against the shield and fell, but their numbers were too great. The shield was soon covered in them, and cracks began to appear.
“It won’t hold for long,” the Wood Daoist said with a frown.
“That’s enough,” Zhu Ge’s voice rang out once more.
Everyone looked down to see Zhu Ge sitting cross-legged at the entrance to the valley, his hands forming an incantation seal.
Behind him, within the Six Paths Valley, countless white mycelial threads surged from the ground like giant pythons, coiling toward the swarm of insects in the sky.
Wherever the mycelial threads passed, the Gu Insects were entangled and shredded.
The Fungus God Destruction Array activated once again!
This time, Zhu Ge didn’t use it to trap an enemy, but to clear the field.
The white mycelial threads danced in the sky, resembling a blooming white lotus or a giant spiderweb.
Each thread precisely ensnared a single Gu Insect, then shredded it.
The corpses of the Gu Insects rained down, covering the ground in a thick layer.
After killing a wave of Gu Insects, the Fungus God Destruction Array went dormant.
Zhu Ge’s face was pale. He took a deep breath, sat down cross-legged, his Martial Arts Heart thumping wildly. He looked completely drained.
The “one time” was used up!
Seeing this, the prodigies all attacked again, unleashing their full power against the Locust Demon Crown Prince.
The Locust Demon Crown Prince’s eyes were filled with disdain. He paid no mind to Zhu Ge, simply waving aside the others’ attacks and lunging for Yan Liyuan with a sneer.
Yan Liyuan threw out an inkstone, which still held a trace of ink.
High-grade Spirit Level!
“CRACK!”
In just an instant, however, the Locust Demon Crown Prince shattered the inkstone with a single swipe of his claw.
Yan Liyuan was the strongest person present, so it was obvious the Locust Demon Crown Prince intended to kill him first.
But just then, Zhu Ge opened his eyes. A single mycelial thread shot upwards, positioning itself between Yan Liyuan and the Locust Demon Crown Prince.
“PFFT.”
The thread shattered, but Yan Liyuan used the opportunity to escape.
“That was the last one!” Zhu Ge cried out pitifully, blood trickling from his mouth. He appeared to be gravely injured.
The Locust Demon Crown Prince glanced down impassively from a distance, then immediately withdrew his gaze and looked for his next target.
However, just as he was about to kill his next target, another mycelial thread coincidentally appeared to block the way.
At the same time, the prodigies all turned in unison to look at Zhu Ge, who was sitting cross-legged in the middle of Six Paths Valley. Their expressions were strange.
“I can’t go on! I’m really all wrung out!”
Zhu Ge shrieked, then fell backward, looking as if he was on the verge of collapsing from his grievous injuries and falling into a coma.
But this time, no one was fooled.
‘So cunning!’ Su Feibai withdrew his gaze, a hint of anticipation in his heart.
‘So cunning. I like it!’ Guan Julan licked her lips.
‘The rites have collapsed, and people’s hearts are not what they used to be!’ Yan Liyuan thought with a smile.
The prodigies shared a tacit understanding, while the Locust Demon Crown Prince’s expression grew dark.
“You insolent peasant, you dare to trick me?” the Locust Demon Crown Prince snorted. The Spiritual Qi in the sky began to fluctuate wildly.
“If that’s how it is, then I’ll just bury all of you here!”