Chapter 419 – The Parasite Problem Solved; Zhang Hemiao's Lingering Fear

Upon first hearing that something unusual had occurred in Tianshi City, Zhang Hemiao’s expression was one of anxiety.

However, after rushing over and witnessing the situation of those affected, her expression shifted from anxiety to astonishment.

Equally astonished were Sheng Cang, Ji Mao, and the others.

Beyond surprise, their faces also bore a sense of joy.

The reason for this shift in their emotions was primarily due to the following:

“This is… the Parasitic Worms, the Parasitic Worms spread by the Mother of Nest Worms have been dealt with!”

As an Evil God, the Mother of Nest Worms had bred many types of insects, among which were powerful entities equivalent to Celestial Masters, such as Apostles, or aberrant insect minions with strength comparable to Earth Immortals.

Yet among this vast swarm of nest worms, the most detested were not the powerful Insect Apostles or aberrant insect minions—though formidable, these were tangible and could be dealt with by Cultivators.

Even if they died at the hands of these insects, Cultivators would only blame their own lack of strength.

But Parasitic Worms were different. They used living water, food, and even air as mediums. With the slightest carelessness, countless Parasitic Worms would burrow into human bodies through these mediums.

Such sneak attacks were undoubtedly loathsome.

Beyond their insidious methods of attack, the tactics of Parasitic Worms were also disgustingly vile.

Some worms would use the human body as a nest, rapidly breeding offspring.

Others manipulated humans through pheromones, causing them to turn on one another and wreak havoc.

The existence of Parasitic Worms had left almost everyone in the Agricultural Militia on edge, wasting countless resources of grain and polluting vast amounts of water.

What was even more distressing was that these Parasitic Worms hid within human bodies, making them difficult to detect—and even when detected, they were hard to eradicate because they used the human body as their nest.

Essentially, those parasitized by these worms were almost always doomed to death, suffering immense pain and torment before their demise.

Zhang Hemiao, Sheng Cang, and Ji Mao all had relatives, friends, or comrades who had been parasitized by these worms. They could only watch helplessly as their loved ones died in agony.

They had grown weary of such scenes, even numb to them—it was difficult for them to detect the worms in time and resolve the situation quickly.

Just when they thought things would remain this way forever, an unexpected change occurred.

Right before their eyes, the worms that had parasitized humans stopped causing destruction and obediently crawled out of their hosts’ bodies.

Once these worms emerged, they died immediately.

Of course, in the process, many humans also perished—their bodies had already been hollowed out by the worms, and when the worms left, it was their time to die.

Yet, despite the deaths, the eradication of the Parasitic Worms was still a significant victory.

What excited Zhang Hemiao, Ji Mao, Sheng Cang, and the others even more was that this phenomenon was not limited to what they witnessed. Throughout Tianshi City, Parasitic Worms were rapidly dying under the influence of some unknown force.

“Excellent! The threat of the Parasitic Worms has been eliminated! Sigh… without them, we no longer have to worry about the rear and can focus on fighting these scoundrels properly.”

While many rejoiced at the sight of countless Parasitic Worms dying, others began to ponder the reason behind this sudden change.

“What’s going on? Why have these Parasitic Worms suddenly emerged and obediently died… Could it be that the Apostle controlling the Parasitic Worms was eliminated?”

“Impossible. Not only are Apostle-level insects difficult to kill, but even if they died, those bastards wouldn’t kindly let the Parasitic Worms die obediently. Given their nature, they’d go on a final rampage before death, ordering their subordinates to wreak havoc.”

“…You’re right. Rampaging destruction before death is indeed their style. But if it’s not because of that, then why? Could this be some scheme by the insects?”

At the mention of a scheme, Zhang Hemiao and the others tensed up.

Previously, the insects had employed tactics that caused significant damage. If they were to do so again now, it was entirely possible.

Just as everyone frowned in thought, Ji Mao suddenly recalled something and spoke hesitantly.

“Wait, what if this isn’t a scheme by the insects, but… something done by Young Master Mu Lin?”

“Mu Lin?” This conjecture stunned Zhang Hemiao, and she instinctively shook her head. “That’s too far-fetched. He just arrived less than an hour ago, while the Parasitic Worm problem has plagued us for years. No matter how talented he is, he couldn’t possibly solve it the moment he arrives…”

Upon first hearing that Mu Lin might have resolved this, Sheng Cang and Zhang Hemiao were reluctant to believe it.

Yet, as they spoke, their voices grew softer and softer until they were barely audible.

They knew all too well that even if the master of the Parasitic Worms died, it wouldn’t make these worms obediently crawl out of human bodies.

And even if the Insect Apostles were to employ some scheme, it wouldn’t be this crude.

After careful consideration, they realized that the only variable in Tianshi City was Mu Lin.

And once all other possibilities were ruled out, no matter how unbelievable the remaining answer seemed, it had to be correct.

However, after deducing this, Zhang Hemiao, Sheng Cang, and the others fell into silence.

After a long while, a dry voice finally broke the quiet.

“It can’t really be Mu Lin, can it? Solving a problem that’s troubled us for years the moment he arrives… It makes me feel so useless in comparison.”

“Ahem…”

  These words deepened the awkwardness in the room.

But soon, Zhang Hemiao spoke again, her tone complex and tinged with a hint of lingering fear. “Useless or not, we’ve long known we can’t bear the burden of Tianshi City or uphold the banner of the Agricultural Militia… Now, I’m just grateful I listened to my great-grandfather’s instructions back then and didn’t make the decision to push Mu Lin away on my own. Otherwise, I’d regret it for the rest of my life.”

She sighed, and Sheng Cang and Ji Mao felt the same.

“To solve such a major problem for us right after arriving—truly worthy of being the world’s number one unparalleled Prodigy. If he can keep this up, maybe we can survive the next two years without struggling so much.”

Ji Mao added, “I knew Lord Hetian wouldn’t put us in a disadvantageous position. He went to great lengths to invite Mu Lin here because Mu Lin is worth it.”

The mass extermination of the Parasitic Worms hadn’t completely resolved Tianshi City’s crisis, but it had made their burden significantly lighter.

More importantly, Mu Lin’s exaggerated performance was like a beam of light, piercing through the despair that shrouded Tianshi City, giving them a glimmer of hope.

However, because the demonic fiends were too terrifying and the Evil God’s minions too powerful, even with hope in their hearts, their greatest expectation for the future was merely to hold on. As for fighting back, that was never in their thoughts.

After feeling uplifted for a while, Zhang Hemiao immediately instructed the others, “Spread the news that the parasitic worms have been dealt with. Spread it far and wide. I want everyone in the Agricultural Militia to know that Mu Lin has resolved the parasitic worm issue.”

“Yes, Lady Hemiao.”

Under siege by demonic fiends, the Agricultural Militia’s sphere of influence had shrunk repeatedly, and countless cultivators and civilians had perished. In such circumstances, the morale of the Agricultural Militia was extremely low.

In this world, morale was crucial.

High morale not only allowed cultivators to fight with 120% of their strength but also provided them with mental fortification when resisting the corruption of the Evil God.

At this moment, Zhang Hemiao’s widespread dissemination of this news was precisely to boost the morale of the Agricultural Militia.

This approach was naturally sound, but Sheng Cang, being cautious by nature, thought for a moment before speaking up, “Should we consult Mu Lin first before announcing it widely… What if it wasn’t him, and there’s truly a conspiracy…”

Sheng Cang’s words held some merit, but before he could finish, he abruptly stopped.

A cold, clear voice suddenly echoed in their souls.

“This was indeed my doing. If you wish to boost morale, go ahead and spread the news. However, there’s one thing: when informing the civilians, do not mention my name. Say that all of this was King Yama punishing the wicked… Never mind, come down and discuss it in person.”

With these words, Mu Lin focused his will and pulled the souls of Zhang Hemiao, Sheng Cang, Ji Mao, and the others into the Netherworld.

—The reason they hadn’t sensed the Netherworld earlier was because Tianshi City was filled with arrays and mana fluctuations everywhere.

To prevent enemies from teleporting in for surprise attacks, spatial restrictions here were also extremely tight.

Mu Lin was able to open the Netherworld only because he controlled the Formation Core.

Such defenses also prevented Zhang Hemiao and the others from noticing anything unusual.

However, when Mu Lin actively reached out to them, they instantly sensed something amiss and instinctively allowed their consciousness to sink…

“Hum!”

As if emerging from water, Zhang Hemiao and the others felt their consciousness rapidly descending. After sinking to a certain depth, they realized their consciousness had lightened, as if freed from constraints, and they had left Tianshi City, arriving in a strange new realm.

This world was shrouded in gray mist, with no sun… Wait, no—a black sun, crimson to the point of darkness and brimming with resentment and deathly aura, hung high in the sky of this strange realm.

From that great sun, Ji Mao, at the Mortal Shedding Stage, sensed a lethal threat.

Even Zhang Hemiao and Sheng Cang, at the Earth Immortal level, tensed up instantly… They too perceived danger emanating from that black sun.

Especially when the three of them realized that the great sun harbored intense killing intent toward them.

Fortunately, in the next moment, as Mu Lin looked up, the great sun trembled violently as if provoked.

Its hostility toward all things vanished without a trace.

“I apologize. This child has just been born and is a bit unruly.”

Since the Vengeful Wraith Golden Crow was his subordinate, and it had shown hostility toward the guests, Mu Lin, as its master, naturally had to apologize on its behalf.

However, even as he apologized, neither Ji Mao, Sheng Cang, nor Zhang Hemiao were in the mood to listen.

Their attention was completely captivated by the scenery within the Netherworld.

And the longer they looked, the more astonished their expressions became.

As the opposite of the Yang World, the gray and misty Netherworld shared many similarities with the Yang World, which was nothing particularly noteworthy.

Well, it was still novel. Initially, Zhang Hemiao and the others were drawn in by these contrasting landscapes.

But soon, their attention was involuntarily drawn elsewhere.

Zhang Hemiao, Sheng Cang… ever since they arrived in the Netherworld, they had sensed deadly threats emanating from several locations.

And it must be remembered—they were Earth Immortals!

(End of Chapter)