Chapter 834: Giant Demon Chrysalis
Xia Fei followed the Lionheart warriors into the Dark s.p.a.ce, and by the time his war armor’s visual systems started to work, Xia Fei realized that he was looking at a humongous creature!
It was no exaggeration to call it humongous. The length of this creature spanned well over a hundred miles! A thick and heavily looking carapace covered its entire body, and with a rounded head and two pointed ends, it looked conical in shape.
Countless little eyes, almost several thousands of them in fact, were growing on its head. At this very moment, this strange creature was using its numerous eyes to gaze at Xia Fei coldly!
“What is this?!” Xia Fei asked anxiously, his eyes widening in disbelief.
Oro laughed loudly. “Why, that’s a Demon Chrysalis. I remember you once saying that you fought with one when you first came to the Law Realm. Why don’t you recognize it now?”
“Demon Chrysalis?! One that’s over a hundred miles long!” Xia Fei was bemused as he sputtered in disbelief. “T-This… is far too large! The one I killed was just five miles long, yet this one is at least twenty times its size!”
Xia Fei was indeed very shocked. This Demon Chrysalis looked very similar to the one he had seen before, but the difference in size was too great! Its size was no different from that of a superwars.h.i.+p!
Oro continued to laugh. “No matter the size, be it a hundred miles or a thousand, it’s still just a Demon Chrysalis. There’s no need to be so surprised by it.
“We of the Demon Race love to rear such a creature because there’s an inevitable relations.h.i.+p between s.p.a.ce and Dark s.p.a.ce. If enemies arrive openly, clans will naturally have defenses against them, but if they sneak their way in through the Dark s.p.a.ce, Demon Chrysalises can intercept them and provide early warning as well.”
Xia Fei pursed his lips. “By letting the Demon Chrysalises roam free, they can not only wreak havoc within the Dark s.p.a.ce, they can even venture to the enemies’ homecourt and cause trouble there.”
Oro smiled. “That’s right. It’s also another function that the Demon Chrysalises serve.”
Though this Demon Chrysalis was humungous, Xia Fei did not feel fear toward it. After all, Xia Fei was no longer the beginner he was back then; now, he had the combat prowess of a Law Overlord!
Furball seemed to really hate the Demon Chrysalis, baring its fangs at it as he let out a low growl.
He had always been someone who would take revenge on anyone that wronged him. He still remembered that tough battle with the Demon Chrysalis back then as if it were just yesterday, and now that he had seen someone of the same species before him, he instantly turned hostile.
Xia Fei quickly suppressed Furball, getting him to remain calm.
The Demon Chrysalis was no longer his enemy this time but an a.s.sistant, instead, and Xia Fei did not want Furball to harm it.
This Demon Chrysalis’s body first retracted and then extended, this one motion sending it thousands of miles forward!
“This Demon Chrysalis appear to be very obedient, most likely one that Heathfield has reared for many years. The s.p.a.ce is very close to True s.p.a.ce, so normal warriors will have a hard time moving forward. Using a Demon Chrysalis as transport is a very clever choice.
“Besides, the Dark s.p.a.ce is very safe. Akin to the blood vessels in the human body, this s.p.a.ce is made up of many strands of channels that twist and turn freely. Without any directions or coordinates to rely on, anyone who isn’t familiar with the Dark s.p.a.ce’s unique characteristics will very easily find themselves lost. Meanwhile, the Demon Chrysalises are biological creatures native to the Dark s.p.a.ce, so they know their way around and also can travel at the right pace. With them acting as guides, we can traverse through the place with half the effort,” Oro explained to Xia Fei.
Xia Fei accepted this explanation. Upon entering the Dark s.p.a.ce, both the compa.s.s and radar systems no longer worked, so they would have to rely solely on their instincts for directions. Having a Demon Chrysalis lead the way would therefore be the logical choice when in this place.
Actually, Xia Fei was not particularly sensitive toward things like the different races or species. As long as they were not his enemy, Xia Fei was more than happy to befriend other intelligent lifeforms. This was unlike Furball, who deemed the Demon Chrysalis as a hated enemy after having fought against one once.
However, there was a benefit to Furball’s personality; ever since he accepted Xia Fei as his master, he had always believed that everything Xia Fei did was right and would never rebel against him for any reason. Furball was unnaturally crafty, but compared to Xia Fei, he was a little less flexible, and that was most probably a weakness of exotic beasts. In fact, even the most cunning exotic beast would remain stubborn until the very end.
*Boom!*
The Demon Chrysalis was like a huge wars.h.i.+p, carrying this powerful platoon of elites as it advanced at great speeds deeper into the Dark s.p.a.ce. There was trash floating all around them, and plenty were things the Demon Chrysalis had dragged inside from the outside.
“Now that we’re here, surely you can tell me about the Secluded Springs and just what’s going on with Secluded Well, right?” Xia Fei asked.
The atmosphere of slaughter around them became more and more intense; Xia Fei could easily tell from the sharp gazes these Lionhearts held that a huge battle would soon be upon them!
It was as the saying went: ‘Know your enemy as well as you know yourself, and you won’t lose in a hundred battles.’ Xia Fei was hoping to learn who he would be up against and why they were living in this desolate Dark s.p.a.ce.
Oro heavily narrated, “There are plenty of sapient lifeforms in the Law Realm, being a society where the strong gather, but any society is subject to change and metabolism. After being ejected from the Law Realm, some choose to leave the place and live far away, while others choose to head over to the Exiled Grounds. There are also some who choose to stay in the Dark s.p.a.ce. The Secluded Springs happens to be the settlement of the Secluded Clan, which has been banished from the Law Realm.”
Xia Fei was surprised. He looked all around. How could the Dark s.p.a.ce be a place for life to thrive? Why would anyone choose to live here? Even the barren Exiled Grounds provided a far better environment than this place.
The demon lord saw the skepticism in Xia Fei’s eyes, and he chuckled. “Actually, the Dark s.p.a.ce has its own ecosystem; you’ll find out later that Secluded Springs is actually a very magical place.”
“What about Secluded Well?” Xia Fei asked once more.
“Secluded Well is the clairvoyant of the Secluded Clan and has even once been considered the most versatile and multi-talented individual of the Demon Race. It’s rumored that he had been exiled because he became privy to the Divine Secret, and that’s taboo in both peak races. Aside from the Secluded Springs, nowhere else dares to have him in residence, which is why he went there to live a long time ago.
“Honestly, I don’t trust the records kept by my colleagues and the history books of the Demon Race, so I brought you to meet Secluded Well,” Oro simply admitted.
Xia Fei nodded. “That makes sense. History is written by people, and the people of the two peak races have their own stance. Someone like Secluded Well no longer belongs to either race, so he shouldn’t have any scruples, making it easier to learn the truth.”
Oro smiled, agreeing with Xia Fei’s view. Xia Fei knitted his eyebrows and asked, “You seem to be very pa.s.sionate about matters pertaining to the Cosmic Gate. Why didn’t you join either the Guardian or the Rebel camp all those years back? Wouldn’t you be able to learn more about it?”
Oro pouted as he unhappily responded, “Do you think that everyone’s like you, able to do whatever you want to do, never once needing to obey the rules? Don’t forget that I’m the emperor of the Lionhearts. If I left and joined the Guardians back then, the rest of the Lionhearts would be implicated, and that’s as good as betraying the entire clan!”
Xia Fei promptly understood what he meant. He was an insignificant individual in the grand scheme of things, so of course he was not constrained by too many rules. As for Oro, he was completely different due to the fact that he represented the entire Lionheart Clan. He needed to be careful with every move that he made. If the emperor of the Lionhearts held no regard for his clan and really got banished from the Law Realm just because of his desire to study the Cosmic Gate, he would become everyone’s laughingstock.
This was why Oro would rather be ostracized by the Demon Race than implicate his clan as a result of his actions. Thus, this old demon lord was actually quite the upright character.
Xia Fei shook his head, seemingly discarding all these wayward thoughts filling his head.
Since Oro felt that the clairvoyant who had been exiled from the Demon Race could help them understanding the Cosmic Gate, Xia Fei decided to join him along for the ride!
He would soon know just what sort of place the Secluded Spring was!
The atmosphere got more and more tense, and the trash in the Dark s.p.a.ce got lesser and lesser as they traveled further, making everything around them dark and empty.
The Demon Chrysalis slowed its pace, nimbly shuttling along the sealed s.p.a.ce. The Lionheart warriors all wore masks, so Xia Fei could not make out the expressions on their faces, though it was not hard to guess how they were feeling from their breathing, which was getting shorter and more hurried. These elite warriors were like nocked arrows on taut bowstrings, ready to fight at any moment.
*Whoosh*
A strange shadow, which glowed red, suddenly appeared from amid the darkness before quickly retreating far away.
Heathfield was about to act and slay this strange creature when Xia Fei stopped him. “That’s Secluded Springs’ lookout. Ignore that.
“Here’s the plan: You all will escort me to the entrance of Secluded Springs while coordinating with the Demon Chrysalis to lure away their guards, allowing me to sneak in amid the ensuing chaos.” Xia Fei instructed Heathfield in accordance to what Oro said.
“What about afterward? Don’t you need us to accompany you in?” Heathfield asked, astonished.
Xia Fei shook his head. “No need. It’s inconvenient for me to move about with so many people. All of you will immediately retreat after I make it in. Don’t ever engage in battle with the guards. Just await my signal.”
Heathfield nodded dutifully. Xia Fei was their emperor’s herald, after all, so obviously there was no way he would oppose Xia Fei’s orders.
However, he had not expected Xia Fei to enter Secluded Springs all by himself. The elite Lionheart warriors he had brought with him were very powerful, and though he did not dare to claim being capable of sweeping through Secluded Springs with them, the power of one hundred three Law Emperors and two Law Overlords should not be something anyone could resist. Conversely, having Xia Fei go in alone may not result in an optimistic outcome.
About a dozen or so minutes pa.s.sed, and a large swarm of Demon Chrysalises suddenly appeared from within the Dark s.p.a.ce! There were several hundreds of them!
All different sizes of these monsters began roaming aimlessly in the Dark s.p.a.ce. Though these chrysalises were large, with the largest among them being twenty miles long, nothing could compare to the hundred-mile long Demon Chrysalis Heathfield and the rest were riding.
Xia Fei was stunned!
This reaction was due to the sight of a strange region behind this swarm of Demon Chrysalises!
It looked similar to a gigantic heart from afar, with green veins covering its dark red appearance. It was hollow in the center, which featured a dark and deep channel leading to G.o.d knew where.
*Badump*
It was as if Xia Fei could feel this heart in the Dark s.p.a.ce beating steadily, shrinking and expanding!
“The time to act is now!” the old demon lord shouted. “That channel in the center of the heart is connected directly to the Secluded Springs. Hide yourself for now. Use the chaos later to make a break for it, and don’t hesitate in doing so for even a moment!
At this time, Heathfield gave the order to attack. The Demon Chrysalis charged forward, its humungous frame hurtling in Dark s.p.a.ce like a tower wave!
These warriors were even more courageous! They began attacking in their squads, making short work of the several hundred Demon Chrysalises, leaving just their severed carca.s.ses all around.
“Breath Control!”
Xia Fei suddenly gave off no sound or presence, using the many bits of carca.s.ses all around as cover as he quietly closed in on the entrance to the Secluded Springs. Meanwhile, those Lionheart warriors had formed a wall, aligning as they awaited the Secluded Springs’ locals to mount a counterattack.
Xia Fei carefully hid himself. The moment the skirmish between both sides broke out, it would be the perfect time for him to make a break for it.
This was when a black creature the size of a ping-pong ball flew out in front of him. Xia Fei steadied his gaze and saw that it was just a young Demon Chrysalis with a very small body.
It looked like it had just been born and was affected by the battle, so it was now slowly dying.
Xia Fei felt very curious, so he reached out to grab it.