Chapter 298: Heaven's Mandate Silkworms

Tan Tianwei stood off to the side, his face filled with disbelief and confusion.

The once-fallen prodigy of the Tan family, the mayor of Liuhe Base City, had somehow become a high-ranking leader in an organization deemed the most ruthless and dangerous terrorist group by the Star Council? How could this be?

"Tan Zhenwei, how dare you betray the family teachings and join a terrorist organization?!" Tan Tianwei shouted instinctively, his voice full of anger.

Across from him, the eyes beneath the mask revealed only a faint indifference, mixed with a touch of pity.

"You wouldn’t understand," Tan Zhenwei replied, his words simple but dripping with sarcasm.

He gently curled his fingers and pale green threads began to rise from the bodies of the fallen power armor pilots. The threads gathered into Tan Zhenwei’s hand like swallows returning to their nest. Looking closer, one could see two tiny green silkworms resting in his palm, their translucent bodies wriggling slightly. They gleamed like jade sculptures and glittered with a mysterious light.

These were Heaven's Mandate Silkworms, Grade Six growth-type star beasts. It was said that they possessed immortal, undying bodies. The silk they produced could silently infiltrate a living organism without being noticed. Once the Heaven's Mandate Silkworms activated their silk, they could control an infected life form like a puppet.

The reason the power armors had suddenly turned on each other was because the pilots inside had long been infected by the silken threads of the Heaven’s Mandate Silkworms. Tan Zhenwei had a deep connection with the silkworms, so he only needed a single thought to manipulate the infected pilots like puppets on strings.

“Master Tan, this is all a misunderstanding,” Kuramaki Kazuki quickly forced a smile on his face as he saw the situation take a dangerous turn. “Haven’t we always worked well together?”

"Worked together?" Tan Zhenwei replied coldly, "Or was it just exploitation?"

Kuramaki Kazuki swallowed his anger and humiliation. “Yes, yes, Master Tan was merely using us. That means we still have value. Please, don’t kill us. You can continue to use us."

Tan Zhenwei asked, "Do you even know what my true purpose is?"

Kuramaki Kazuki froze for a moment. Tan Zhenwei had held the position of city leader in Liuhe Base City for over a decade, while also secretly being the branch leader of the Wilderness Free Sect. What was the goal behind all this elaborate planning?

“Let’s go. Take me to the Eye of the Northwest,” Tan Zhenwei commanded.

Kuramaki Kazuki asked, "What do you plan to do there?"

"Destroy it, of course," Tan Zhenwei replied calmly. "The sacred land of Great Xia will never allow filthy, lowly scum like you Jiepeng dogs to lay a hand on it. Once the Eye of the Northwest is gone, your Empire’s plans to invade the Northwest will be finished."

"What?" Kuramaki Kazuki was shocked. "Master Tan, you’re a wanted fugitive who’s being hunted by the Great Xia government with a bounty on your head. The moment you show your face, you'll be dead! And yet, you're still willing to do their bidding?"

"You don’t understand," Tan Zhenwei said once again.

𝒇𝒓𝙚𝒆𝔀𝓮𝓫𝒏𝓸𝙫𝓮𝓵.𝓬𝙤𝙢

"I won’t take you there," Kuramaki Kazuki gritted his teeth. "Even if you are in the Golden Body Realm, even if you are the leader of the Wilderness Free Sect, I will not help you damage the interests of the Empire. Moreover, the spatial passage at the Eye of the Northwest is now stable, unless a Saint intervenes. It can’t be destroyed. Give up your foolish plan."

"We’ll see when we get there," Tan Zhenwei replied calmly.

"Jiepeng warriors die in battle; there are no cowards who surrender," Kuramaki Kazuki's expression grew fierce.

He unleashed his starforce qi, revealing his cultivation at the first stage of the Five Spirits Realm. He drew the narrow katana from his waist with a swift motion and pressed a button on the hilt.

Bzzz.

The blade began to vibrate at high frequency, covered in a layer of crackling electricity. A power blade, or more precisely, a replica of one. Still, its power was undeniable.

"Kill!" Kuramaki Kazuki roared as he swung his sword, appearing to charge directly at Tan Zhenwei.

He resembled a warrior ready to meet death head-on. But in the next moment, instead of moving forward, he vanished like a wisp of smoke as he darted toward the giant mech’s head. Only a fool would charge into certain death. A smart man never misses an opportunity to survive.

Once he was safely back inside the power mech, even if he couldn’t kill Tan Zhenwei, he could at least escape and fight another day. Mechs were far more fearsome than power armor.

But just as Kuramaki Kazuki was about to reach the entrance to the mech’s head, Tan Tianwei, standing nearby, drew his sword in silence. Without warning, he thrust his blade straight at Kuramaki Kazuki’s back.

Clang!

A sharp metallic sound rang out. The legendary sword in Tan Tianwei’s hand was sliced cleanly in two.

“No, it wasn’t me!” He cried out in terror, his body convulsing as he struggled. "I was infected by the Heaven’s Mandate Silkworms, I’m being controlled! I didn’t mean to—"

Swish!

Kuramaki Kazuki didn’t hesitate as his power katana cut Tan Tianwei into five or six pieces. Blood sprayed through the air. The severed body parts tumbled off the mech’s shoulder platform and fell to the ground below.

Kuramaki Kazuki scrambled into the head compartment of the power mech like a desperate dog fleeing for its life.

Zzzzzz.

The entrance to the mech’s head sealed shut in an instant. Kuramaki Kazuki exhaled deeply; it felt like he had just been granted a reprieve from certain death. He immediately sat in the pilot’s seat, and countless mechanical tendrils extended and connected to the metal ports on his body.

As a mech pilot who had passed the Empire’s rigorous training and exams, Kuramaki Kazuki was fully capable of piloting a Titan VIII humanoid mech solo. The giant mech, which had previously moved like a puppet, suddenly became nimble and lifelike, its massive form filled with newfound agility.

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh!

Dozens of small missiles launched from its back. The missiles traced arcs through the sky as they shot toward Tan Zhenwei.

Tan Zhenwei calmly stood there. He raised his hand, and every single missile froze mid-air, held in his grasp as if by invisible strings. Tan Zhenwei gently closed his hand, and the missiles crumpled in unison.

Boom!

The missiles unleashed a terrifying wave of energy as they exploded, turning into a blinding fireball that engulfed Tan Zhenwei. But the destructive force parted when it reached within a meter of his body. It didn’t even make him budge.

Inside the mech, Kuramaki Kazuki’s heart filled with terror. He knew he couldn't stay and fight. He immediately turned the mech around and fled. He had to deliver the news that Tan Zhenwei was, in fact, the Tree Demon.

Once he activated the anti-gravity foot apparatus, the mech could cover five to six hundred meters with each leap. It looked clumsy, but its speed was remarkable.

A slight smile of satisfaction appeared on Tan Zhenwei’s face. Under the shielding of the Mother of Fissures, Kuramaki Kazuki wouldn’t be able to transmit any messages until he arrived at his headquarters near the Eye of the Northwest.

But Tan Zhenwei didn’t move to pursue him immediately. Instead, he turned his gaze northwest. The battle there was growing more intense.

Softly, Tan Zhenwei murmured, "Let him through."

As if obeying a divine command, the tide of star beasts, which had surged like an unstoppable ocean, suddenly parted, creating a clear path. It was like a scene from a myth, where a god-king’s staff split the sea.

Boom!

Moments later, a blood-soaked figure landed heavily onto the shattered battlefield. It was Li Xiaofei, his eyes burning with a ferocious rage. He was panting heavily, his entire body drenched in the blood of the star beasts he had fought. He looked like a demon king emerging from a mountain of corpses and a sea of blood.

However, he couldn’t understand why the star beast horde, which had fought him so fiercely, had suddenly parted and allowed him passage. So he remained on high alert.

He stared at the familiar yet unfamiliar figure before him.

"Old Tan?" Li Xiaofei called out, testing the waters.

Tan Zhenwei sighed and replied, "You shouldn’t be here."