Chapter 504 - Second Evolution of Golem Covert Martial Arts (2)

Boom!

The ground quaked, the air vibrated, and the entire cavern shook. An array of runes lit up on the ground, forming a dense, gigantic red pattern resembling a terrifying bat. The entire blood nest glowed as well as its waters started to roil. Suddenly, the scorching, magma-like energy within surged upward and erupted!

Ding! Ding ding ding ding!

It sounded like thousands upon thousands of blacksmiths hammering iron, or like a train car scraping and colliding off its rails. Two forces clashed within the cavern, unleashing violent gusts that slammed fiercely against the walls.

Shockwaves exploded outward, crashing into the nearby Blood Race and humans. It caused them all to sway violently and nearly fall over.

Crack, crack, crack...

Within the blood pool, one black coffin after another fractured from the inside out. The high-ranking Blood Race were forced awake from their slumber, sensing that the blood nest was under heavy attack.

The blow had triggered the blood nest's full defensive mode and even begun actively siphoning its power reserves.

"The blood nest's defensive state has been triggered! It's the first time in a thousand years!"

"What is happening? Is it the scarab swarm? But the swarm never actively attacks the original structures within the Ao Yin Ruins—they can't possibly be assaulting us..."

𝒇𝙧𝙚𝓮𝙬𝙚𝓫𝒏𝓸𝓿𝓮𝒍.𝓬𝙤𝓶

The high-ranking Blood Race roused one after another, their minds still muddled. Some had slept for over a decade, some for several decades, and some for even a century or more. Hence, it was not so easy for them to grasp the situation right away.

Yet in that brief time, Cassius had already achieved his goal.

Ding! Crack crack crack!

A series of shattering sounds reverberated throughout the cavern. He had pinpointed the weak spot and used the Southern Dipper Red Falcon Fist's ultimate secret move, the Blood Vulture's Beak, famed for its singular penetrative and explosive force.

Though it did not completely destroy the nest's defenses, it tore open a wound roughly the size of half a person.

The rich aura that many high-ranking Blood Race had accumulated over hundreds or even thousands of years gushed out, suffused with such a cloying, nauseating stench of blood. There was even an eerie, decaying smell like rotting wood.

Zhi—zhi—zhi! Zhi—zhi—zhi! Zhi—zhi—zhi!

Right at that moment, the swarm of scarabs came rushing through the passageway. They immediately caught a whiff of that maddening scent in the air. It might not merely have driven them insane, but downright delirious. The previously chaotic swarm instantly worked as one, their horrific mouthparts aimed directly at the blood nest as their limbs scratched the ground in a frenzy.

Boom! Rumble rumble!

They came like a stream of off-white sludge, carrying an instinctual desire.

Ding ding ding... ding ding ding...

As the blood nest withstood a tremendous impact, the blood-colored membrane on its surface blinked on and off, wavering between illusion and solidity.

The high-ranking Blood Race within were horrified to find the nest's stored energy depleting at a rapid pace. It seemed that they would soon have to expend their own energy to maintain stability. Worse yet, if it continued for too long, they might even have to tap into the Blood of Immortality at the bottom—part of their heritage and power reserves!

Swoosh...

All at once, the pool of the blood nest became a dark red. Many Blood Race members suddenly saw what lay above the surface. In the distant tunnel, off-white torrents of scarabs surged forward violently, with a momentum like a raging sea crashing against the shore.

The scale of this scarab swarm was unprecedented, since it was at least two full tiers stronger than any previous one. That explosive momentum seemed unstoppable. A multitude of scarabs swarmed madly against the blood nest.

Soon, some Blood Race noticed that a black figure stood quietly amid the scarab swarm in a nearby corner of the nest, as rigid and cold as a statue. A mysterious energy emanated from him, causing every scarab that came within a meter of him to die on the spot, freezing where they stood. That unknown, enigmatic figure stood with arms folded across his chest, quietly observing them. He seemed to be waiting for the nest to be smashed and crumble.

Some high-ranking Blood Race realized that matters were not so simple.

"It's because of him?! Who is he?!"

They had just been attacked, causing their aura to leak and lure in the insect swarm. In fact, the human before them was likely the instigator of it all.

"Damn it!" The high-ranking Blood Race were furious, yet helpless.

Their nest was being hammered by the swarm of scarabs, so defending it was paramount. Moreover, the swarm outside was of an unprecedented size, and even if large numbers of high-ranking Blood Race rushed out, they would only likely end up fleeing in disarray.

Scarabs were a species that severely restrained the Blood Race. Additionally, that human outside who appeared to be sitting back and watching was no easy foe. His previous strike that breached the blood nest's defenses had been exceedingly fearsome, proving he possessed formidable power. Unless many high-ranking Blood Race attacked him together, they could not handle him.

Nevertheless, the presence of the swarm closed off that possibility. Therefore, they could only rage helplessly. They watched in frustration as the nest's internal reserves were continuously consumed. As time passed, the black figure standing quietly to the side began to stir, hinting that he might strike again.

The high-ranking Blood Race in the nest instantly grew extremely tense. Several of the oldest among them exchanged glances and activated methods passed down from ancient times. Wave after wave of dangerous auras erupted, each well of power held in readiness, faintly targeting the slowly advancing Cassius.

Cassius felt no fear within the swarm; the aura emanating from him grew heavier and heavier. His Qi erupted, suppressing the many ancient techniques the high-ranking Blood Race had prepared.

Since the human seemed to be about to strike their blood nest, the high-ranking Blood Race had no choice but to use their second-to-last trump card. The Blood of Immortality accumulated at the bottom of the pool condensed and coiled, gradually forming a blood-red statue in the form of a massive, feral bat.

It was an image of Yumila, the True Progenitor of Blood. A terrifying aura from the Ultimate Dark Form blasted outward and suppressed Cassius, yet it did not exceed him by much and remained within the same level.

The high-ranking Blood Race within the blood nest felt a jolt of alarm, realizing that even this had not fully overpowered the human, which was a very bad sign. After all, their very last trump card was to make that divine blood bat self-destruct.

Based on the current situation, the divine blood bat formed by the Blood of Immortality could indeed suppress the enemy, but it would still be difficult to kill him, and he could still retreat if he wished.

If it self-destructed, it would cost at least half, if not more, of the Blood of Immortality that had accumulated in the pool for thousands of years. The nourishment effects of the blood nest would dramatically diminish afterward. It might even lose all effect, requiring centuries to recover.

If that happened, certain older and more decrepit high-ranking Blood Race members present would likely not survive, wiping out at least half of them gone. For a moment, the Blood Race in the blood nest were caught in a dilemma.

Cassius certainly would not have allowed his Blood Race friends to feel so torn. He had already gained a rough understanding of their trump cards. Having grasped the situation, he acted all the calmer with every word and gesture.

"I believe you wouldn't wish for your old nest to be destroyed right? Your methods aren't enough to force me back. If I wanted to leave, you wouldn't be able to keep me! Right now, the scarab swarm is incessantly battering your blood nest, while I hold the upper hand..."

"So, amuse me! Give me something good. Something that would make me turn and leave right now! I believe you definitely won't disappoint me, would you?"