The words had barely fallen when a trace of fear flashed in the eyes of this peak Da Luo-level insect. Pointing at the stern face of the Lord of Hell, it stammered, "You... you you you... was Ancestor Lan Chongchong killed by you?"
The death of Ancestor Lan Chongchong had caused a huge stir within the insect race. However, because Lan Chong had died in the Demon Domain, other insect race powerhouses from different domains could not trace who had killed Lan Chong across the vast distances. Due to Lan Chong's death, the insect race had dispatched elite troops to re-enter the Nine Ring Domain to investigate the matter.
Years ago, they had captured powerhouses from various domains to nourish their larvae for rapid growth. Lan Chong's death led them to suspect that a Hunyuan-level powerhouse had reappeared in the Nine Ring Domain. In the eyes of the insect race's higher echelons, such a powerhouse had to be captured and used as food for their larvae.
The insect before them was one of the vanguard units dispatched for this mission. Its task was not to fight, but to scout and lure out the suspected Hunyuan-level powerhouse behind the scenes. However, it couldn't resist acting. Not long after, it smelled blood – the scent of a fierce battle, the scent of fresh blood. Their kind was exceptionally sensitive to such odors. Thus, it had come here. To its surprise, it was met by a powerhouse who had killed Lord Lan Chong.
Anyone capable of killing Lord Lan Chong would possess at least Hunyuan-level strength. It showed a look of terror.
"You you you you..."
The Lord of Hell snorted and said, "Let me examine your memories!" With that, he thrust out his hand. Before the insect could react, its head was touched.
"Soul Search!"
Suddenly, the insect's face contorted into a ferocious expression.
"No..."
With a rumble, the insect's head exploded, splattering green ichor everywhere. Seeing this, the Lord of Hell's expression turned grim. He quickly understood. "I thought I would gain some intelligence, but unexpectedly, a restriction was set within the insect's sea of consciousness!"
"Forget it. Take this worm nest to Lin Wu for research."
"However, before that, I must first exterminate all the insects within this worm nest." He had taken a brief glance and realized the reason why countless insects had swarmed out of the worm nest was simple: the interior of the nest was an unimaginably vast space.
"There are countless weak insects inside this worm nest, not even at the God-level. But even small sacrifices add up. Let's kill them." With a flicker of thought, all the countless weak insects within the worm nest had their souls shattered and died. At his current level, killing such beings was effortless.
After collecting the worm nest, he turned back to Ming Kun. Ming Kun smiled, "No Hunyuan-level insects have appeared. In that case, let's go all out and exterminate the remaining insects."
"Mn." The two exchanged a look and unleashed their full power.
The Lord of Hell murmured, "Hell, descend!" With a thunderous roar, a projection of hell descended from the sky. Insects were dragged into hell by ghostly apparitions and tortured to death.
Ming Kun was not to be outdone. As the Son of the Underworld, he possessed innate control over souls. "Souls of all realms, heed my command, awaken!"
Boom! Souls, from where they had been, crawled out and joined the fray. Kill, kill, kill!!! These souls were once mighty beings, now awakened by him to embark on a path of slaughter. Insects were killed one by one, transforming into upgrade points.
The two permanent clones felt an immense surge of exhilaration. It had been a long time since they had experienced such a satisfying slaughter.
"Charge, charge, charge!!!"
"Kill, kill, kill!!!"
"Die, die, die!!!"
The sounds of battle shook the heavens and earth. Even the warriors were stunned. They ceased their attacks, watching the spectacle of the two figures on the battlefield. Many let out exclamations of awe.
"They are so strong?"
"One is the Lord of Hell's Palace from the netherworld, the other is the rising star Ming Kun. Their strength is probably no weaker than the Lord of Reincarnation."
"Who would have thought that a great battle would reveal two super powerhouses."
"With the two of them taking action, it seems we don't need to do anything."
"..."
At this moment, a wondrous scene unfolded on the battlefield. The warriors from the Blue Star void and the Netherworld void stood on opposite sides, the smoke of battle having cleared. They all watched the performance of the Lord of Hell and Ming Kun.
The Lord of Reincarnation also stopped. She watched the two, her pupils contracting slightly. After a long while, she sighed. "I didn't expect them to be so powerful! They are no weaker than I was in my prime," she lamented.
Lin Rong appeared at some point and chuckled, "You are too modest!" The Lord of Reincarnation smiled and shook her head, remaining silent.
Finally, the two concluded their performance. Not a single insect remained; all were annihilated.
Simultaneously, Lin Yu also received a system notification. "More upgrade points have been gained. This worm nest is a good thing; we cannot let it go."
"Clones, listen to my command: do not wait passively. If the insects don't come to us, we will go find them!"
As the command was issued, the expressions of the Lord of Hell and Ming Kun changed. The Lord of Hell turned to face all the warriors and said earnestly, "Esteemed warriors, the insects that came this time are mere minions. We cannot simply wait for them. If they don't come to us, we will find them!"
The crowd showed hesitation. While these two were incredibly powerful, they had heard that the enemy possessed Hunyuan-level powerhouses. Could they defeat them?
The Lord of Reincarnation also looked worried. But Lin Rong scoffed, "If you're afraid, stay here. You don't have to go!"
Hearing this, the Lord of Reincarnation retorted angrily, "Hmph, who's afraid? I'll go!"
"In that case, you and I will form a team. We will search for the insects together and make sure to exterminate every last one."
"I can go with you!"
Lin Rong was surprised but thought nothing of it. The two stood up and flew off in a random direction.
Where were the insects hiding? Everyone was baffled. However, the Lord of Reincarnation possessed a method for finding them. She materialized a phantom of the Samsara Disk in her palm. With a gentle sweep of the Samsara Disk across the souls of the insects, it indicated a direction.
"Found them!"
"How did you find them?"
"Hmph, this Samsara divine ability of mine can trace roots and seek causes. I am using the insects' souls as the cause, so naturally, I can find their origin."
Lin Rong listened, envy filling his heart. Although this was a Samsara divine ability, it possessed the power of karma. Such abilities were incredibly rare, as he himself did not possess any of them. He stared at the Lord of Reincarnation for a moment, his mind racing with the thought of acquiring this divine ability if the opportunity arose.
The Lord of Reincarnation felt an unsettling sensation from his gaze. "What are you doing?" she asked, frowning. "You're not having improper thoughts about me, are you?"
Lin Rong's forehead showed a hint of a black line. "You're overthinking things. I'm simply interested in your divine ability!" He did not hide his intentions, stating his purpose directly.