Shennong Dao Master
Chapter 339 - 15: Changes in the Creation Plate, Taking the Initiative_2

Chapter 339: Chapter 15: Changes in the Creation Plate, Taking the Initiative_2

"Whoosh~"

Zhao Xing and Xia Jing descended from the sky on an Arrowfish Flying Boat.

"Mr. Ling, what’s going on?"

Seeing the two of them come down, Ling Yuan immediately ran over to greet them, "Mr. Zhao, Lord Xia, I received a report from the night duty officer that the Water Clearing Origin Array in Mei River showed unusual activity at 1:45 AM, so I rushed over right away."

"The Magic Array Cage captured some strange objects, but I couldn’t identify what they are."

"Let me take a look," Zhao Xing said as he walked forward about ten meters.

At this moment, a black cage was lifted out.

Two pieces of dry wood were constantly crashing around in the black cage.

However, the interior foundation of the Water Clearing Origin Array was a complete maze; once inside, there was no way out.

No matter how much it crashed, it couldn’t break through the confinement.

Seeing this piece of dry wood, Zhao Xing’s expression became serious, "Be careful when you open it."

Xia Jing asked upon seeing this, "What is this?"

He had never seen the means of the Insect Witch.

Zhao Xing pointed at the dry wood, "It’s the Mother Insect Magic Nest of the Insect Witch, made from Fourth-rank Kite Mulberry Wood, with at least ten mother insects inside! We can’t tell what type yet."

"What?!" Xia Jing was startled, "That many?"

During the breakout exercise, Xia Jing had a deep impression of the Insect Witch techniques used by the Southern Barbarian Tribe, with countless fist-sized insects flying densely in the air—killing them seemed endless, like a nightmare.

But he had only seen the swarms after they had formed, never a mother insect.

"Crack, crack, crack~"

As soon as the two pieces of wood were released, they immediately exploded.

"Whoosh~"

Two droplets of water formed at Zhao Xing’s fingertips, rapidly enlarging, and at the moment the dry wood exploded, enveloped all its fragments.

"Freeze!"

Two water masses floated in the air, holding everything within them still.

"These are Blood-sucking Mother Locusts," Xia Jing said, taking a deep breath, "and there are ten of them."

"Sir, what are these insects?" Ling Yuan asked, puzzled as he observed the strange insects writhing within the water masses.

Their heads had a pair of filamentous antennae, compound eyes, and sharp mouthparts.

Near the antennae on the head, there were three more eyes arranged in an inverted triangle.

Zhao Xing pointed at one of the mother insects, "These are Blood-sucking Mother Locusts. The thorax is divided into three sections, with eight legs. The middle thorax and hind thorax each have a pair of wings. On the second and third thoracic segments, there are spiracles that can absorb Heaven and Earth Primordial Qi."

"The abdomen, like the head and thorax, is segmented and very tough; a typical Third-rank Divine Weapon can’t cut through it."

"This is the mother insect. The protrusion at the end of its abdomen is the ovipositor."

"A single Blood-sucking Mother Locust can produce millions of blood-sucking locusts in a very short time."

"They feed on livestock blood, their mouthparts are poisonous, and mature blood-sucking locusts have toxins that can easily paralyze a low-rank martial artist."

The surrounding officials turned pale, and Ling Yuan cautiously asked, "Do they eat humans?"

Zhao Xing calmly replied, "For blood-sucking locusts, humans are certainly tastier than livestock."

Everyone couldn’t help but shiver.

"Don’t panic. Your earlier overtime has paid off; the capture of these mother locusts is proof."

"As long as they don’t swarm, individual blood-sucking locusts are still easy to kill."

Zhao Xing lightly waved his hand, and the nest and mother insects within the water masses were crushed into pieces.

At this moment, another flying boat arrived to report an anomaly at another tributary entrance.

Zhao Xing and Xia Jing took the Arrowfish Flying Boat to investigate.

Soon they discovered the second type of mother insect.

"These are Sword Poison Mother Locusts," Zhao Xing said.

"It appears an Insect Witch is attempting to launch a natural disaster attack on Cloud City."

"It must be the Ten Plague of Locusts," Xia Jing said, looking at the mother insects with some fear, "If it weren’t for your foresight, if these things infiltrated Cloud City, all our prior efforts would have been in vain."

Zhao Xing shook his head, "This is far from over. Only two types of the Ten Plague of Locusts have appeared so far. We’ve intercepted them, but the witch will not give up easily."

"What do you mean?" Xia Jing asked.

"To control the mother locusts, the witch cannot be too far away," Zhao Xing said, looking at the sky, "Waiting passively is not an option. Brother Xia, immediately deploy all personnel from the military department, have them hide in my clouds aboard the flying boat."

"Follow my clouds to find him and kill him!"

Xia Jing nodded, "Alright, I’ll go call for reinforcements. When do we depart?"

Zhao Xing pondered, "In two quarters. Brother Xia, after returning to the city, we must do one more thing."

"The Southern Barbarians won’t send only one tribe to train their soldiers."

"It’s not enough for just Cloud City to be prepared. We need to notify other commanderies, or we’ll be caught off guard when the Insect Witch launches a full-scale attack."

"Let’s jointly report to the Prefecture City, detailing the threat of the Insect Witch."

"Moreover, we should inform the counties and commanderies surrounding Cloud City."

"You have broader connections and more credibility."

"Even if the higher-ups don’t believe us, as long as those from Ten Suns Cave Heaven take precautions, the losses can be minimized."

"Very well," Xia Jing nodded, immediately boarding a flying boat and departing.

Zhao Xing left and took out his Earth Mirror, sending messages to all the Ministers of Agriculture he knew in Ten Suns Cave Heaven.

Shi Yong, Zhuang Ziqing, Feng Qi, Cai Jin, Jiang Tianming... everyone on his friends list received one.

Although they were competitors, informing them of countermeasures would benefit his own actions.

If Cloud City were secure but other places fell, it would still affect him.

"Sending this private message at the first encounter with the Insect Witch is the perfect timing."

"Leading by just one step is enough."

Zhao Xing put away the Earth Mirror, glanced at the sky, and quickly left.

...

In the Military Realm, inside a high tower.

At this moment, an Earth Mirror was displaying the actions of Zhao Xing and Xia Jing by the river.

In front of the Earth Mirror, King Heavenly Destiny, Luo Hou King, and Lingde King watched the scene.

Two Commandery Princes and a Prince, this was the lineup for monitoring the performance of the new recruits in the Military Realm.

Only such weighty figures could ensure fair selection. King Heavenly Destiny, Luo Hou King, and Lingde King did not directly participate in this Jiutian Yingyuan Mansion campaign, removing any conflicts of interest and resisting any influence-peddling.

Lingde King pointed at the Earth Mirror, "The Insect Witch’s natural disaster attack on Cloud City was detected by him, and he even alerted others. Zhao Xing is highly vigilant. Not only did he have the Heavenly Workshop set up an array to counter the Insect Witch, but he also prepared defenses for other types of disasters."

Luo Hou King shook his head, "It’s not just that. He completed his first two tasks quickly, arriving at Cloud City ahead of time and swiftly clearing hidden dangers, giving him ample time to gather all his forces for the city’s defense."

"The tasks in the Military Realm are simulated through the Creation Plate. His lead has already given him an advantage, not only over Shi Yong and Zhuang Ziqing from Ten Suns Cave Heaven but also over the reservists from the other Four Grotto Heavens."

"Hmm?" King Heavenly Destiny suddenly made a puzzled sound.

"King Heavenly Destiny, what’s wrong?" Luo Hou King and Lingde King both looked over.

King Heavenly Destiny pondered, "There’s been a slight shift in the war simulation’s progression on the Creation Plate."

"For a brief moment, the term Insect Witch started appearing frequently in the Barbarian War, reaching a pre-war peak."

Luo Hou King’s eyes narrowed, "Do you mean that this change is related to Zhao Xing and Xia Jing’s report and their private messages sent via the Earth Mirror?"

King Heavenly Destiny shook his head, "Not necessarily. It only peaked for a moment, and we’ve always been wary of the Insect Witch in the Military Realm... let the people of Heavenly Mechanism Hall worry about this. Trying to understand the source of creation is not my job."

Luo Hou King and Lingde King nodded. Great Zhou had restricted practices related to such predictions but retained a group of people known as Fate Officers. This mysterious group had an institute in the Military Realm called the Heavenly Mechanism Hall.

"Look, Zhao Xing and Xia Jing have already set out," King Heavenly Destiny noted, his gaze fixed on the Earth Mirror, "They are now only twenty miles away from the Southern Barbarian Tribe’s Insect Witch."