Chapter 501 - Begging My Lord To Slaughter Them All

However, in no world did the two high-ranking Blood Race members expect the scene before their eyes.

It truly was a scarab swarm. Furthermore, it had erupted even more violently than any previous occurrence. The two who had just awakened from the blood pool had never once believed that the Ao Yin Ruins could collapse.

Until today.

What was more, the scarab swarm, which was bigger than any in the past, had been forcibly blockaded and slaughtered by a single individual!

The ten-meter-tall, armored Golem looked like the devil, gripping a scythe of death in its hand. Every so often, it swung the scythe down across the white stone plaza for another wave of harvesting.

They could not tell if the towering piles of scarab corpses in front of them, almost blocking the tall passage, had reached a million in number. They had all perished at the hands of that distant Golem.

It was well known in the Ao Yin Ruins that a scarab swarm could absolutely be termed a one-of-a-kind catastrophe, acting as the ruins' enforcer of order. All manner of aberrations or Blood Race would flee as far away as possible when the swarm descended. Those who failed to avoid it were utterly swept away and crushed. That included the slumbering high-ranking Blood Race in the blood pools of the Water Vortex Zone.

They lacked both the strength and courage to take on the swarm head-to-head. So, whenever the swarm descended, the high-ranking Blood Race simply remained in deep slumber within their blood pools. They would even fully mask their aura to avoid bringing disaster upon themselves.

However, the situation at the moment stood in complete contrast. Someone had triggered the scarab swarm to the point of an unprecedented eruption!

The two even saw, scattered among the countless corpses, some enormous insects three to four meters tall, which showed just how powerful the swarm truly was. Yet the ten-meter-tall Golem did not retreat in the slightest. Instead, it actively swung its scythe, quelling the swarm. It even appeared to be at an advantage, displaying the bearing of a butcher.

As the saying goes, only a monster could fight a monster, and only one catastrophe could challenge another. It was obvious that the Golem, which suppressed the scarab swarm, was an even more terrifying catastrophe.

Why had it shown up in the Ao Yin Ruins? Had it come from outside, or had it awakened from the depths of the ruins?

Of course, at the moment, none of these chaotic thoughts mattered. The most crucial task the two of them had was to flee the white stone plaza, reach the blood pool nest, and deliver the information.

The moment they felt the Golem's bloodthirsty gaze upon them, the idea of escape popped into their minds. They acted on it at once. They even regretted in their hearts ever recklessly rushing out of the passageway.

"Ka-ka-ka!"

"Ka-ka-ka!"

The two high-ranking Blood Race members instantly erupted with power in midair as they entered a formidable half-human, half-bat monster form. Their figures inflated in successive bursts like balloons, growing as large as grizzly bears.

However, they still paled in comparison to the black steel-like Golem. Thus, they held no intention of attacking to test the waters. The moment their transformation finished, they turned and fled.

Both pairs of blood-colored fleshy wings flapped frantically, stirring up a fierce gale. The veins on the wings bulged to a terrifying extent, as though the blood might burst forth at any second.

With a

whoosh

, both high-ranking Blood Race members dove back into the passageway they had come from. They streaked through the air as two elongated dark-red afterimages. Everything around them receded swiftly; the wind howled past their ears, while the gray walls blurred.

They sped along the entire corridor at incredible pace, using their sharp claws against the wall to abruptly change direction. Their thick thigh muscles tensed, ready to leap forward once more.

However, just then, a black figure appeared in the tunnel, blocking their path. It was a humanoid nearly three meters tall, with three pairs of arms spread out to the sides, overhead, and in front.

A massive wave of heat radiated across its body's surface, baking the air until it was faintly scorching. Its skin was covered in interwoven black totems, exuding a primal and savage aura.

The black markings glimmered like countless stars, shifting and twisting like snakes, leaving viewers dazed. One brilliant golden line stretched across its entire body, as though linking all the black designs. The markings formed a sinister, eerie bodysuit of armor on its skin.

𝘧𝓇ℯ𝑒𝓌𝑒𝑏𝓃𝘰𝘷𝘦𝘭.𝒸ℴ𝓂

A potent aura filled the entire tunnel like an expanding fluid, carrying a chilling, savage bloodlust. It was Evil Mother, who had silently followed Cassius in the shadows all along.

Whether it was the earlier assault on Bain's Manor or the subsequent hours spent traveling and exploring the Ao Yin Ruins, Evil Mother had always trailed in the dark shadows behind Cassius's group, like a lethal assassin unable to emerge into light.

One that only obeyed her master's orders!

This shadow guard who was approaching the level of an extreme combat artist had cut off the escape route of the two high-ranking Blood Race members. They wore expressions of terror, clearly sensing an overwhelming menace emanating from the figure.

Both whirled around abruptly, attempting to return by the way they came and slip back onto the white stone plaza. They planned to risk fleeing through a different passage leading elsewhere in the ruins. They had no other option but to trust in their speed.

Whoosh! Whoosh!

Two blood-red shadows flickered and vanished through the air, returning to the tunnel exit with astonishing speed. Just when they were nearing the white stone plaza...

Rumble...

A rumbling sound came from the movement of some massive entity, compressing the air. The light of the exit leading to the Water Vortex Zone suddenly dimmed.

In the next second, an enormous face obstructed the passage. It was a silent, frigid head resembling a snake in plated armor, exuding a vicious, bloody aura. Two extraordinarily scarlet lights lit up, shining into the tunnel like searchlights. It looked like a giant casually prying open the earth and peering at two ants within an anthill.

The contrast of immense to tiny, mighty to feeble, brutality to despair, created such suffocating pressure that it nearly robbed the two Blood Race members of the ability to breathe.

"We... we're finished..." The blond Blood Race member backed away step by step, hands trembling uncontrollably.

The other high-ranking Blood Race member felt despair. "Turns out, even though we have surpassed most of the Blood Race as high-rank powerful beings, in the face of an even more terrifying monster, we're still nothing but ants... Ants that could be crushed into pulp with a casual squeeze!"

Three seconds later...

Boom! Boom!

Two mangled figures were struck within the tunnel and sent flying backward. Immediately afterward, a powerful six-armed form dashed out.

"Ka, ka."

In the plaza, the giant Golem reached out and caught the two high-ranking Blood Race members. Its scarlet eyes scanned left and right, then hurled the blond Blood Race member in its left hand to the ground.

Next, it casually crushed the other high-ranking Blood Race member to death. The Blood Race member popped like a packet of tomato sauce, sending fluids of all kinds splattering everywhere.

Its Cataclysmic Spirit level life vibration energy was directly absorbed. The Golem slowly turned, the metal of its armor scraping the ground with an unsettling sound.

It looked to Evil Mother, who stood waiting. "Use your most powerful hypnosis on this Blood Race member, then have it act as our vanguard and lead us directly to where the high-ranking Blood Race members slumber..."

"Understood," Evil Mother replied, nodding as golden patterns flashed in her eyes.

Half a minute later, Cassius reverted to a human form about two meters in height.

He had strengthened the internal organs of his Golem body to their limit. In other words, Cassius no longer had to worry whether improving his Golem Covert Martial Arts would overwhelm his body from within.

Until his body completely broke through to become an Ultimate Dark Form, increasing his physical prowess and Covert Martial Arts realm would pose no hindrance.

Meanwhile, his powerful organs would, in turn, nourish his body's strength, defense, stamina, speed, and other attributes. If Cassius entered his Golem state now, he could definitely defeat the version of himself from an hour earlier.

He had taken yet another step forward regarding his body. Thus, his Qi, which had originally kept pace, now lagged as an urgent concern. His Qi had not yet reached that of an extreme combat artist, though it was quite close. However, his body had progressed further into the extreme combat artist realm, clearly widening the gap from his Qi.

Naturally, Cassius now turned his sights to the primary reason he had come into the Ao Yin Ruins. He intended to hunt the high-ranking Blood Race within the ruins. During his first entry into the Ao Yin Ruins, he had accidentally stumbled upon a high-ranking Blood Race blood pool nest alongside Duomo, a core disciple of the Three-Eyed Mad Lion Sect, which had led to a lethal pursuit.

When he entered the Ao Yin Ruins the second time, he had a clear objective, so he did not specifically seek out the high-ranking Blood Race nest. Hence, even though Cassius had once seen a map of the Ao Yin Ruins, he did not remember the path from the white stone plaza to the Blood Race nest by heart. He only knew the general direction of their lair.

He would likely find it if he spent time searching, but it would cost considerable effort and time to navigate the myriad twisting passages in the Ao Yin Ruins. However, if Evil Mother could hypnotize a high-ranking Blood Race member and make it their guide, that would clearly be the most efficient approach.

In the white stone plaza, Cassius stood by a pit six meters in diameter, continuing to suppress the scarab swarm that surged ceaselessly from the underground passage.

Meanwhile, Evil Mother's hypnosis had reached its final stage.

"Ah!!!" The blond Blood Race member let out a scream, as if mentally collapsing. Then he grew quiet, like a lifeless puppet. Faint golden patterns flickered in his eyes, and his expression turned blank.

"Alright. He has fallen under my hypnotic control and can act on his own to some extent. There will be no problem if it's simply leading the way..." Evil Mother slowly turned, speaking to Cassius's imposing back.

"Excellent, let's move out." Cassius abruptly punched down, and a piercing screech echoed across the plaza. It even rang down through the pit's entrance, reverberating along the underground passageway.

A fierce blood vulture, seemingly aflame from head to toe, swooped down and obliterated the swarm in an instant, reducing it to dust. The surging white tide flowing from the hole was wiped out as the swarm was momentarily contained.

Cassius and four others, plus a single Blood Race member, charged into the tunnel leading to the Water Vortex Zone. In a flash, they vanished without a trace.

***

Five minutes later, a series of rapid footsteps moved through the corridor. The blond Blood Race member led the way at the front, now showing a startlingly dedicated expression. A hint of resoluteness flashed in his eyes, as though he was utterly loyal.

Whenever he spoke with Cassius, he addressed him as "My lord" with a servile attitude.

When they reached another intersection, the blond Blood Race member fawned over Cassius again. "My lord, let us take the rightmost path. It is the shortest and quickest route."

Cassius frowned slightly and glanced at Evil Mother in the shadows, as if silently asking what was happening.

Didn't you say it would only be for leading the way? Why is he buttering me up?

He seemed less hypnotized and more completely brainwashed. Evil Mother looked somewhat puzzled in the shadows as well. Though she had been wielding her golden totem with increasing proficiency, it was still insufficient to wholly brainwash a Cataclysmic Spirit level being.

Unless the blond Blood Race member already possessed an extreme dread of Cassius, to the point of a Stockholm Syndrome-like condition. In other words, he may have developed a kind of twisted devotion to his abuser.

Of course, the blond Blood Race member certainly had not fallen in love with Cassius. He had simply been struck by overwhelming horror the moment he rushed into the white stone plaza and saw the Golem.

Then, that gigantic face blocking the tunnel exit instilled boundless terror in him. The blond Blood Race member had formed a powerful sense of submission deep within. After being hypnotized, his cognitive stance shifted. That submission impulse was fully unleashed, assuming complete obedience.

That was why the blond Blood Race member now acted so excessively toward Cassius. He would even glance at Cassius whenever they reached a fork, like a dog wanting praise from its master for a job well done.

When Evil Mother explained this, Cassius felt at a loss for words. Still, it hardly mattered. If he was eager, it only improved efficiency. Before long, they dashed through the final tunnel and entered a wide, gray cavern with a circular blood pool in the center.

At the moment, several coffins within the circular blood pool had already been opened, and a few high-ranking Blood Race members were adjusting to their newly awakened bodies. Apparently, the persistent swarm riot had roused more of the Blood Race from slumber.

When they heard noise from one of the cavern's exits, all the high-ranking Blood Race members turned to look. One of them, a middle-aged gentleman dressed like a count, emerged from the blood pool, and recognized a familiar figure leading the group: "Daxi? What is happening out there?"

"I thought you and Eddy had gone out first to investigate... Who are these humans behind you? What's going on? Did more overconfident prey stumble into the ruins?" Another Blood Race member asked.

The blond Blood Race member, Daxi, who had raced in from outside as their guide, came to a sudden stop, his face brimming with rage as he roared, "How dare you?! You foul insects, whose veins flow with filthy, worthless blood, dare to address my lord that way?!"

He whirled around and bowed respectfully to Cassius, who strode forward. "My lord, this is the place. This is the Blood Race's nest. As long as we block the exit, we can take them all in one swoop..."

Daxi wore an excited expression on his face, as though believing he had performed a tremendous feat. He radiated the fervor of a newly converted zealot.

"I humbly beg My lord to slaughter them all, leaving not a single one!!!"