Chapter 655: Chapter 653: Abyssal Primalid
The Abyssal Primalids arrived quickly.
At a glance, they were a dark, oppressive mass. From a distance, they looked like a writhing black shadow. These creatures could ignore Barriers, traveling completely unimpeded into the territories of the Twin Realms.
After passing through the black hole to this side, the creatures were like long-parched fish finally reaching the ocean. Their purpose was to eat, and then to breed.
Eat, eat, eat...
Once sated, the Abyssal Primalids reproduced at an astonishing rate. A single creature could lay tens of thousands of eggs in one day, and they would hatch within two to three months.
After the Abyssal Primalids arrived, the Primalid King began to lead them in seizing territory.
The Primalids split their forces. One contingent pushed into the territory of the Immortal Realm, while the other entered the Demon Realm. They gorged themselves wherever they went, then began to multiply in the soil, among the rocks, in the trees, and in the water, preparing to leverage these rich resources to expand their swarm.
The Primalid King issued a command.
"My children, eat your fill and lay your eggs. From now on, this place will be the domain of our Ancient Abyssal Brood! Devour everything in this world, leave nothing behind. The resources here are abundant—everything you see is edible."
The Primalid King’s command was met with the support and cheers of countless members of the swarm.
"CHITTER CHITTER... DEVOUR! DEVOUR!"
"DEVOUR... CHITTER CHITTER, DEVOUR IT ALL... LONG LIVE OUR KING! KREE KREE!"
"DEVOUR IT ALL..."
...
The sudden appearance of the Ancient Abyssal Brood.
Neither the Celestria nor the Demon Realm were the least bit prepared.
As they watched the black shadows sweep toward them.
They cried out in alarm one by one.
"My gods, what are these things?"
"They look like... insects."
"They’re insects! So many of them! And their bodies... they have upper torsos that look almost human. They’re so bizarre."
"These creatures have no trace of Spiritual Energy. They’re filled with an aura of darkness, decay, and death. There’s also a heavy stench of rust. They aren’t any Demonic Beast we know of."
Before they could figure out what these bizarre creatures were, the black shadows had already descended upon them.
Across the lands of the Celestria, countless warriors battled the Primalids. In the Demon Realm, countless Demon Soldiers were similarly engaged, wiping out and slaughtering the invaders.
A dazzling display of Arrays and Magic filled the battlefield.
The creatures’ attacks were powerful, and they could spit various kinds of venom. They wouldn’t have been a problem in small numbers, but a dense, overwhelming swarm was incredibly difficult to handle.
It wasn’t just the Immortal Realm and the Demon Realm that encountered these creatures. Even the Demonic Domain, where Celeste Grant resided, was paid a visit by the Primalids.
「It was an afternoon after the rain.」
The air was thick with moisture, and the sun had peeked out, making the water droplets on the leaves glitter as if they were glowing.
Celeste Grant was just preparing to have afternoon tea when she heard her daughter exclaim from outside, "Whoa! Mother, come quick! What is that?"
Hearing her daughter’s voice, Celeste Grant grumbled to herself as she walked into the courtyard.
"Elise Sinclair, what are you getting up to now?" She stopped mid-sentence, stunned.
Her gaze shot to the sky as she gasped. "What in the world? Did it suddenly get dark?" The sky before her seemed to darken in an instant.
Celeste Grant narrowed her eyes, getting a clearer look at the flying things. There were meter-long mosquitoes, gray moths, and various other bizarre insects. Their lower bodies were purely insectoid, but their upper halves had evolved to be vaguely humanoid. ’A failed evolution, clearly,’ she thought.
’Demonic Beasts? No, Demonic Beasts don’t look like this.’
It was the first time even she had seen such strange creatures. "They’re insects... but why do they look so bizarre?"
"What on earth is this invasive species?"
"There are too many of them."
The young girl beside her shaded her eyes with a hand and looked up at the sky, letting out a little gasp. "Mother, look at all the creepy-crawlies in the sky." The girl’s face was a mask of disgust. "They’re so ugly, and they smell awful."
Celeste Grant nodded slightly.
"They really do."
Even from a great distance, she could smell the foul stench of rust and rot. Though she didn’t know what these things were, a fight was clearly unavoidable.
The Demonic Domain was too vast. Even if she used the Sound Transmission Technique, some places would be out of range. So she took out a special Token and simply crushed it. In that instant, the Token flared, sending a beam of light shooting straight into the heavens.
Celeste Grant’s voice rang out. "Unknown creatures are attacking! All disciples of the Demonic Domain, enter Level 1 combat readiness! All cities within the domain, activate your City Defense Arrays and offensive formations!"
Her voice instantly traveled through that pillar of light, spreading throughout the entire Demonic Domain.
Voices echoed in reply.
"Yes, My Lady."
"Yes, My Lady."
"Understood, My Lady."
As the voices faded, City Defense Arrays activated in unison across the Demonic Domain, with Ashkaron at their epicenter. Activating these arrays burned through resources, but money and Spirit Stones could always be earned again. She was not willing to see a single one of her disciples sacrificed.
’At a time like this, I have no interest in figuring out what these flying things are. It’s better to just kill them all.’ ℯ
’Insects mean plague.’
’I remember the locust plagues I’ve seen before... when they passed through, not a single blade of grass was left. A swarm this massive is a catastrophe. In the mortal world, insects can devour entire harvests, leaving nothing behind. The insects of the Cultivation World... they can only be far more terrifying.’
Looking at that dark, oppressive mass.
In the blink of an eye, Celeste Grant’s figure appeared in the sky.
She held out her hands, and currents of water began to swirl around her.
As she looked up, a blue light flared in her eyes. Simultaneously, the water swirling around her body morphed into innumerable Water Arrows. With a single wave of her hand, the arrows shot forth, a volley that seemed to fill the sky.
Countless bizarre creatures were incinerated by her attack. But even so, she couldn’t kill them all; there were simply too many, wave after endless wave. The space around her remained clear only because her magical assault was relentless.
’Kill... kill...’
KILL, KILL, KILL...
Celeste Grant wasn’t the only one clearing out the invaders. At that very moment, disciples all across the Demonic Domain were locked in battle with the swarm.
Cries rose from the disciples below.
"Ah... my hand..."
"My leg..."
「In the thick of the battle.」
An elder shouted a warning.
"Everyone, be careful! These creatures spit venom, and it’s highly corrosive!"
They had already seen it.
They had already seen proof. One disciple’s hand was splashed by the venom, and it instantly corroded away, leaving not even bone behind. He only survived because he decisively sliced off his own arm and swallowed an Elixir Pill.