Chapter 80 - 77: The Karmic Cycle, Retribution Never Fails!

Chapter 80: Chapter 77: The Karmic Cycle, Retribution Never Fails!

"Great!

"Here comes another one!

"That idiot Yao Shiba still couldn’t escape this disaster after all!"

In Liu Zimo’s Sea of Consciousness Space, Yao Lingling sensed the aura of its kin and couldn’t help but shake its head with a sigh.

It originally thought Yao Shiba, who had chosen to hide its tracks from the very beginning, was a smart and cautious fellow. However, it hadn’t expected it to ultimately suffer the same fate as its companions. Once trapped in Liu Zimo’s Sea of Consciousness Space, it was like a mouse falling into a cat’s jaws. How could there possibly be a good ending?

The Spirit Control techniques that their Soul-Devouring Insect Race excelled at the most were completely useless in this boundless Sea of Consciousness! If even the most basic Spirit Silk couldn’t take root, how could it fight against Liu Zimo?

"Ahhh!! So annoying!

"Is this freakish human the natural enemy of our Soul-Devouring Insect Race?!

"Why do so many of our kin keep falling into his hands one after another?!

"Forefather, when exactly will you descend to this realm?

"Your good grandchildren are still waiting for you to save our lives!"

Yao Lingling howled at the sky, starting to complain to itself once again. It now seriously suspected that this Liu Zimo was the natural predator and absolute bane of their Soul-Devouring Insect Race! If the Forefather didn’t descend soon to subjugate him, all the larvae of its kin that had come to Earth this time would likely be wiped out by this freak!

Liu Zimo paid no mind to Yao Lingling’s chaotic thoughts. After successfully luring Yao Shiba into his Sea of Consciousness Space, he didn’t hesitate in the slightest. With a wave of his hand, he extracted the Spirit Crystal from the abdomen of the Soul-Devouring Insect.

In the blink of an eye, before Yao Shiba could even figure out what was happening, it let out a miserable shriek. Its chubby body turned into specks of starlight and completely merged into the Spiritual Sea of Consciousness beneath.

BOOM!

Liu Zimo’s Sea of Consciousness Space rippled once more, expanding outward by several hundred meters. Seeing this, Yao Lingling’s tail trembled uncontrollably.

Although it wasn’t the first time it had seen Liu Zimo slaughtering its kin, every time it witnessed a companion die—its Spirit Crystal extracted and Spirit Body melted—a wave of sorrow would inevitably wash over its heart.

This was already the fourth one!

Every time Liu Zimo killed one of its kin, his own Spiritual Power Cultivation would experience a massive boost. This freakish human was treating their Soul-Devouring Insect Race entirely like EXP monsters, constantly killing them to level up!

"Is this what humans call karma?

"In the past, it was always us Soul-Devouring Insects who parasitized the Sea of Consciousness of humans, constantly absorbing their Spiritual Power and Divine Soul Origin to upgrade and evolve ourselves.

"Look at us now. A freak has actually appeared among the humans, raising his Cultivation Realm by slaughtering our Soul-Devouring Insect Race. If this isn’t the cycle of karma and poetic justice, then what is it?

"I can’t beat a freak like this at all..."

Yao Lingling became incredibly pessimistic once again. The stronger Liu Zimo became, the slimmer its hopes of breaking free and reverse-controlling him grew.

It didn’t know why Liu Zimo treated it differently and had never struck the killing blow against it. However, the humiliation of being imprisoned like livestock, the daily anxiety, and the horror of occasionally being forced to watch its kin brutally slaughtered was not one bit better than being killed outright.

If it wasn’t holding its breath, waiting for a chance to reverse-control Liu Zimo and refine his Sea of Consciousness Space, it would have chosen to end its own life or enter eternal slumber a long time ago!

"Ahhh!! So annoying!!

"Can anyone tell me when these days will finally come to an end?!"

Yao Lingling thrashed its head and whipped its tail in the confined space, agitated and depressed.

SWISH!

A rich burst of Spiritual Power suddenly surged in from a crack.

The wildly restless Yao Lingling froze, then instantly lunged forward like a lapdog seeing a meaty bone, gorging itself on the feast! All its previous agitation, annoyance, and complaints were instantly tossed out the window!

Seeing this, Liu Zimo couldn’t help but smile and nod. Whenever this Soul-Devouring Insect was on the verge of breaking down, he would feed it just in time, giving it a tiny glimmer of hope to survive and perhaps even break free. This prevented the little bug from actually giving up and committing suicide or falling into an eternal slumber.

"Another Spirit Crystal secured!" Liu Zimo whispered to himself as his Divine Sense returned, looking down at the blue Spirit Crystal in his hand.

"It’s just a pity that these Soul-Devouring Insects are all ridiculously stubborn. They would rather die than surrender, making them incredibly difficult to tame!

"Otherwise, I would really like to domesticate a batch of these Soul-Devouring Insects. I could use their Spirit Nets and Spiritual Power to cultivate more human Spirit Cultivators!" Liu Zimo sighed softly.

Even now, he hadn’t forgotten his plan to use Soul-Devouring Insects to foster a group of human Spirit Cultivators. The four human Martial Artists who had previously been attacked and controlled by Soul-Devouring Insects, including Lou Yuchen, had all successfully opened their Sea of Consciousness and given birth to Spiritual Essence. This proved that the Spirit Silk and Spirit Nets spat out by the Soul-Devouring Insects possessed extraordinary effects in helping humans unlock the path of a Spirit Cultivator.

It was just that, up until now, Liu Zimo still hadn’t found a method to tame or completely control the Soul-Devouring Insects. Once these little bugs left his Spiritual Sea of Consciousness, they instantly became incredibly bizarre and uncontrollable.

Just like Yao Shiba moments ago—it had been overwhelmingly arrogant inside Hu Xianzong’s Sea of Consciousness. Not only was its speed like lightning, but it could also ignore all mental restraints. Even someone at the Spirit Sea Realm like Liu Zimo had no confidence in successfully killing the little bug while ensuring Hu Xianzong’s life and safety. Otherwise, Liu Zimo wouldn’t have gone through the trouble of luring them into his own Sea of Consciousness Space before striking them down.

[Your Good Brother, Hu Xianzong, has encountered a series of fortuitous opportunities. He has refined one Soul-Devouring Spirit Net. His Divine Soul has solidified, his path as a Spirit Cultivator has succeeded, and his Sea of Consciousness has greatly expanded!

[The ’Heaven-Stealing’ Talent Attribute has been triggered. Opportunities are shared equally, receiving half of his cultivation boost: Spiritual Power +20, Divine Soul Strength +10, Sea of Consciousness Space +50.]

Along with the prompt’s sound, Hu Xianzong, who had been sitting opposite Liu Zimo in Meditation with his eyes closed, instantly woke up. He slowly opened his eyes, and a sharp glint burst forth from his pupils, though he quickly concealed it.

Cautious by nature, he was already used to hiding his cultivation and laying low in the shadows. Even though he had now found fortune within misfortune—with his Spiritual Power surging and his Superpower strength greatly increasing along with it—he still forcibly suppressed and concealed this explosive aura right away, ensuring his surrounding colleagues wouldn’t notice a thing.

"This kid is truly cautious down to his bones!" A flash of admiration crossed Liu Zimo’s eyes.

This was for the best; the more careful and cautious a person was, the longer they could survive in the Post-Apocalypse. For a guy like Wu Xianzong, who had strength, potential, and an extremely steady temperament, as long as he didn’t die prematurely, his future achievements would be limitless.

"Advisor Liu, about what happened just now... thank you!" Looking up and meeting Liu Zimo’s sweeping gaze, Hu Xianzong’s heart jolted. He hurriedly bowed in gratitude. "From now on, my life belongs to you, Advisor Liu! Whatever orders you may have in the future, just give the word!"

The surrounding colleagues were completely unaware of what had just happened in Hu Xianzong’s Sea of Consciousness.

They thought, "Holy crap!

"This kid looks so honest and shy, but he didn’t hesitate at all when it came to clinging to a powerful backer!

"He just met Advisor Liu and hasn’t even said two words, yet he couldn’t wait to pledge his loyalty. How shameless!

"No, we can’t let this kid beat us to the punch and steal all the glory. We have to cling to Advisor Liu too!"

Seeing that Hu Xianzong had actually pledged his loyalty to Advisor Liu a step ahead of them, the rest of the group immediately grew anxious. They also wanted to toss aside their pride and reserve to cling to Liu Zimo.

However, before they could make a move, his father, Liu Yi, who had been busy in the kitchen, suddenly poked his head out and called out loudly, "Alright! Everyone, clear the table. It’s time to eat!"

Only then did the crowd gather their thoughts. Casting contemptuous sideways glances at Hu Xianzong, they stood up to help tidy up or went into the kitchen to carry out the food and drinks.

Hu Xianzong scratched his head awkwardly, giving a goofy smile, and naturally stood up to join in the busywork.

"What just happened was a mere piece of cake for me, so you don’t need to take it to heart."

At that moment, Liu Zimo’s Divine Thought transmission quietly rang out in his ears.

"If you truly feel indebted, just work hard by my father’s side from now on. If the opportunity arises, just help me protect his safety!"

Hu Xianzong’s spirits lifted, and he quickly nodded with vigor.