Chapter 68: Thunderstorm
Chapter 68: Chapter 68: Thunderstorm
Zhu Ge let out a cold snort and threw a piece of wood to block the bullet-like shadow.
The wood was instantly shattered by the impact, turning into splinters that scattered into the flames, providing more fuel.
But while the flames could stop ordinary insects, they couldn’t stop an Insect Demon.
The Insect Demon passed through the fire, still charging at an incredible speed.
Zhu Ge held his breath and focused, his hands forming the opening stance of the Vajra Palm.
"Hah!"
His movements looked slow, but in reality, they were extremely fast.
His palm, shimmering with golden light, thrust forward and collided with the attacker.
DONG!!!
The flying Insect Demon collided with Zhu Ge’s palm, creating a sound like a great temple bell. A shockwave erupted, causing the surrounding flames to flicker violently.
The golden light on Zhu Ge’s palm dimmed slightly, and the attacker fell to the ground.
’A black hornet?’
Zhu Ge narrowed his eyes, stepped forward with his right foot, and smashed his fist down on the black hornet on the ground.
The black hornet seemed disoriented and was killed instantly by Zhu Ge’s punch.
’A Spirit Realm black hornet, yet it hasn’t transformed?’
After smashing the black hornet to death, Zhu Ge immediately got to his feet, his guard raised.
’In a hive where ordinary worker bees are at the First Realm, the Spirit Realm... what about the Bee King?’
BUZZZZ!!!
Just as he thought.
A series of buzzing sounds came from the north. Zhu Ge couldn’t see them, but he could guess that a swarm of black hornets had turned around and was heading for him.
They were all First Realm Insect Demons!
However, these black hornets had a very low innate level, so individually, they were several times weaker than the bear Zhu Ge had killed previously.
But their numbers were terrifying!
’I’m done playing with you.’
Zhu Ge immediately ducked back into the cellar, letting the black hornets circle outside for a long while before they finally departed.
This, however, confirmed Zhu Ge’s suspicion: the insect tide was being deliberately orchestrated by someone.
Otherwise, when the black hornets sensed that one of their own had been killed, they should have swarmed out to kill him.
Instead, they only sent a small portion to deal with him, and then hastily left after failing to find him.
It was as if they were rushing to do something in the north.
"The north... That’s where Yuan Yang City is!"
Yu the Scholar walked over from the stone door, his expression grave. "Zhu Ge, Yuan Yang City is in trouble!"
"That’s not something we should be worrying about." Zhu Ge shook his head. "Yuan Yang City has many Third Realm beings, and even powerhouses beyond the Third Realm. We don’t need to worry too much."
"True." A corner of Yu the Scholar’s mouth curled up. "It would be best if that Raincoat Fisherman of yours also died in this insect tide."
"Hmph." Zhu Ge’s expression darkened, and he said no more.
The insect tide lasted for a day and a night. It wasn’t until noon the next day that the sound of insects from outside gradually faded.
The flames on the peak of Jianshan Mountain also gradually died down. When Zhu Ge emerged, all he could see was devastation all around.
The earth looked as if it had been gnawed clean.
The insect tide had moved on, and the leaves of all the trees and shrubs were gone. Everything was bare, with only a few specks of green remaining, resembling a barren, yellow landscape.
And as the flames died out, the billowing smoke seemed to have triggered a change in the weather.
RUMBLE...
A loud clap of thunder erupted.
But even now, Zhu Ge still felt that something was wrong.
’Just what is it that feels so wrong...’
Zhu Ge scanned his surroundings, recalling how things usually were.
RUMBLE...
The thunder rolled for miles, startling countless insects.
"Wait! This is..." Yu the Scholar was horrified. "Oh no, Zhu Ge, what came before wasn’t the real insect tide!"
Zhu Ge didn’t need Yu the Scholar to tell him; he had already realized it himself.
The previous insect tide had clearly come from south to north with a specific purpose.
That was not the natural Jingzhe.
Now, the insects swarming from all directions, stirred up by the thunder—this was the true insect tide.
’Not enough wood!’ Zhu Ge instantly realized that their remaining supply was insufficient.
If he wanted to stop the insects from getting in and eating their grain, he had to think of another way!
"I’m going down the mountain to cut firewood. You all wait here!"
Zhu Ge’s tone was urgent. "Start burning the rest of the firewood now! Otherwise, when those bloodsucking insects, flying mosquitoes, and leeches come out, we won’t be able to drive them away!"
"Be careful!" Yu the Scholar didn’t have time to say more, as some small black insects were already taking flight.
They hurried to get the bonfire going, feeding the flames once more.
But there wasn’t much firewood left, and the thunder in the sky heralded an impending downpour.
In a downpour, a fire couldn’t burn for long, unless it was very large.
If the fire grew large enough, the rain wouldn’t extinguish it.
But if the rain grew heavy enough, it would extinguish any fire.
RUMBLE...
Amidst the thunder, the rain was about to fall.
Zhu Ge moved swiftly. Arriving at the foot of the mountain, he directly used his Vajra Palm to snap three large trees.
In the process, several leeches had already crawled onto his legs from who knows where.
BANG!
He circulated his Blood Qi, and with a flex of his muscles, the leeches were sent flying.
SLAP!!
Zhu Ge slapped his own face, and when he looked down at his palm, he saw the corpse of a small black insect and his own blood.
’This won’t work. I have to hurry!’
Zhu Ge was alarmed.
He broke one more tree, then shouldered the trunks, circulated his Blood Qi, and sprinted toward the summit with all his might.
Normally, these green logs would be hard to burn; they weren’t dry and contained too much moisture.
But he couldn’t worry about that right now.
This kind of wood might not create a large fire, but it could generate high heat and smoke, which would also help repel insects to some extent.
POUR—
In the distance, the downpour had arrived.
Zhu Ge carried the logs to the bonfire, split them in half with his bare hands, and threw them directly into the flames.
’I need to build a simple shelter.’
Zhu Ge looked around, then went to a nearby house, knocked down several of its walls, and lifted the entire roof and beams, moving them over the cellar entrance to block the rain.
The flames blazed, and because of the incomplete combustion of the green wood, thick smoke billowed out.
SLAP!
"This will have to do for now."
Zhu Ge had no other ideas.
In his memory, every year during Jingzhe, besides the village-wide bonfire, every household would light small fires at their doors and windows to prevent insects from getting in.
But there would still be some that slipped through, like fleas, bloodsuckers, and leeches.
These creatures had starved all winter until the thunder woke them, and now they would emerge in a frenzy to feed.
’I wonder how Sui Niang is doing...’ After getting the fire situated, Zhu Ge entered the tunnel and blocked the entrance with a stone.
After entering the tunnel, he jolted his body with Blood Qi, and the crawling, tingling sensation on his back disappeared.
Looking back, he realized that seven or eight large leeches had been clinging to his back.
And that final exertion left Zhu Ge completely exhausted.
"Zhu Ge, are you alright?"
When Yu the Scholar and the others came over, they saw Zhu Ge sitting down to rest.
After all, even though he was an Anger Realm Martial Artist, his Blood Qi was still finite.
He had snapped several large trees and carried them back, then demolished a roof and moved that as well.
Under normal circumstances, a single large tree trunk would require several people to carry.
That was why Zhu Ge, having consumed all his Blood Qi in one go, was now collapsed on the ground in exhaustion.
"I’m fine. I just need to eat something and rest."
Zhu Ge grinned.
Just then, Hua Liusha’s voice suddenly spoke urgently in his mind:
"Oh no, Brother, be quiet!"
"Something big is coming!"