Chapter 428 - 421: Imminent

Chapter 428: Chapter 421: Imminent

Whatever the Insect Man named Yakrodoth was thinking, Qin Xiaoxia figured he wouldn’t dare be a careless guide anymore.

Many parts of the satellite wreckage had been incinerated. The only part truly worth taking was the large core section, which contained the core components of the Quantum Realm and the bonded White Crystal Magic Pattern Array, covered in a fine powder of Magic Energy Crystals.

Including the solar silicon panels still attached to the main body, the only valuable wreckage left was a piece about the size of a person.

The Insect Man returned to the small crater where the satellite had fallen, shouldered the wreckage, picked up a few more fragments of the silicon panels, and then set off again toward the plateau he called home.

Qin Xiaoxia’s Thought Body followed closely behind, just like a regular person, striking up a conversation with him from time to time.

After they had traveled what he estimated to be over a hundred kilometers, the Insect Man grew cautious again. This time, however, it wasn’t because of the Thought Body, but to avoid some potential danger native to this world.

The ground started to become muddy, and the stench of decay intensified. When Yakrodoth stepped on the sodden earth, he only created faint ripples; his insectoid feet didn’t break the surface of the water.

He took a long detour from his straight path, slowly approaching a small hill. He glanced at the Thought Body beside him and instinctively explained.

"Your Excellency, a monster sleeps in this region. I don’t know what it once was, but now it has completely succumbed to corruption and is extremely dangerous. I’d rather not provoke it unless absolutely necessary."

Qin Xiaoxia glanced in the direction the Insect Man indicated. It was the same place where he had previously spotted the giant corpse.

"You don’t know what it is either? I was actually quite interested in taking a look."

"..."

The Insect Man was silent for a moment.

"If Your Excellency insists, we can go back!"

"Haha, no need. I told you, you have your freedom."

’Looks like this Insect Man is still afraid of things like that,’ Qin Xiaoxia thought. ’He’s probably seen his share of horrific sights.’

"The Sleepers are dangerous, but I... I can also..."

"I said, it’s not necessary."

"Yes... We’ll get moving right away!"

Qin Xiaoxia’s tone hadn’t changed in the slightest, yet the Insect Man, Yakrodoth, felt a sudden, inexplicable sense of dread.

He didn’t dare talk back, but... ’You were the one who said you wanted to see it...’

He took deep breaths. Normally, one had to be cautious even about breathing in such a heavily corrupted region, but being watched by this bizarre entity gave him the feeling a normal human might have when being followed by a ghost.

The journey out had taken several cautious days, but the return trip was shorter—not only because the path was more familiar, but also because he was afraid of being hurried along.

After a little over a day, the Insect Man Yakrodoth reported that they had covered more than half the distance.

This was much faster than the Thought Body could have managed wandering on its own. As long as the Insect Man moved quickly, the Thought Body could effortlessly keep pace.

Considering the Insect Man’s considerable speed, this distance would have been a long-haul trek on Earth. On Caslopa, however, it was likely just the equivalent of a stroll around one’s home.

The farther they walked, the heavier Qin Xiaoxia’s heart grew.

The surroundings were shrouded in gloom, and the dark red hue of the ground was oppressive.

Over a trek of a thousand kilometers, the number of Demons they encountered varied, but there was almost no plant life to be seen. Occasionally, he would spot some giant, jet-black, semi-decomposed mushroom-like structures, some as tall as a two-story building.

They didn’t exude the earthy smell of terrestrial fungi; instead, the stench was overpowering. For a human, just getting near one would be nauseating enough.

And yet, countless Demons fought over them, slaughtering each other for those decaying mushrooms and devouring the weaker ones nearby, forming a grotesquely warped hunting ground and food chain.

Noticing the Insect Man frequently glancing toward those areas, Qin Xiaoxia asked with some interest.

"Yakrodoth, is this how the creatures of Caslopa manage to eke out a meager existence? What about you? And the other beings you know of?"

Hearing the question from the unknown entity, Yakrodoth, for once, did not answer immediately. Qin Xiaoxia didn’t press him. Only after more than ten seconds did he finally speak.

"A few of my friends and I rely on our own Magic Power to sustain several fragile Secret Realms. These Secret Realms were passed down from our ancestors, and within them, we have a slim hope of survival..."

"I see."

Qin Xiaoxia said no more. It was clear that life here was incredibly difficult.

There was practically nothing here. Not only was food scarce, but light was also at a premium. This gloom was different from the energy-filled darkness of the Dark Realm. The Dark Realm, where Mumu had originally grown, was vast, but its sky was filled with countless small stars. The patches of light they cast weren’t large, and they were constantly moving.

The light seemed to migrate, and the Tree Shepherds would often guide their plants to follow it. Even in that gloomy world, the elements necessary for life could be found.

Caslopa, on the other hand, was utterly desolate. The only light was the dim, red glow emanating from the ground.

It was no wonder the Demons from Caslopa went berserk when they reached Earth.

However, whether it was him or anyone else, while they could sympathize, forgiveness was out of the question.

As they were passing a vast swamp, Yakrodoth stopped in his tracks.

He pointed to a towering silhouette in the distance, which looked like a massive mountain in the dim light.

"Great One, that is the plateau where I live."

The plateau looked like a tectonic fault line that had jutted straight up from the ground, lacking any gradual incline. It was no wonder Qin Xiaoxia had mistaken it for a mountain.

Of course, while some areas looked treacherous, ascending it wouldn’t be an issue. Even an ordinary person could find plenty of places to get a foothold.

Both of them, however, only spared the plateau a single glance before turning their attention to the depths of the swamp on the other side.

Swamps were the most common feature on Caslopa now, but this particular one held something Qin Xiaoxia was eager to see.

There, a ceaseless tide of Demons—large and small, in the sky and on the ground—was converging. More were constantly arriving from all directions.

In the distance, Qin Xiaoxia could even make out figures resembling the corrupted giant corpse, along with other dim, blurry, and bizarre shapes, all wandering and roaring.

After traveling all this way, he had finally found an invasive contact point with Earth, and the number of Demons gathered there was beyond his imagination.

It was as if the Demon Tide around the contact point was swelling by the second. Many Demons, unable to cross over, were fighting and devouring each other in the vicinity, while some of the weaker ones charged recklessly into the breach.

The entire swamp, as vast as a plain, had become a massive congregation point for Demons. It was the most densely populated place Qin Xiaoxia had seen on all of Caslopa.

Because the terrain was flat, with no obstacles besides the distant plateau, and because Caslopa—while curved—was much larger than Earth and not a perfect sphere, the extraordinarily powerful Insect Man and Thought Body could see for an immense distance.

Even so, it was difficult to determine the true scale of the Demon Tide by sight alone.

Even though they were at least tens of kilometers from the tide’s edge, they could still hear the earth-shaking roars and agonizing screams, and the number of Demons within was simply impossible to estimate.

The Thought Body remained impassive, but far away, in the Secret Realm on Earth, Qin Xiaoxia clenched his fists.

The scale of this force was far greater than what they had faced in the battle on the Hua Country border. If this horde managed to get to Earth, the consequences would be unimaginable.

Even if they couldn’t all cross at once, even with Earth’s tight military blockade...

Even though the Dawn Association had powerful trump cards, and Qin Xiaoxia himself wasn’t afraid of Caslopa’s bizarre undead or its Sleepers, he had to wonder—no matter how strong Jilian, Demon Eye, and the other powerhouses were, how much ground could they possibly defend?

’Oh, Mother of the World... you really know how to pick tough jobs for me!’

The key issue now was that the rift was being continuously torn wider by Earth’s Power of the World, like a starving, sheltered little girl who had fallen into a mountain of candy.

’But given the density of contact points on Earth, it’s unlikely they are this far apart. It must be that the points are scattered all across Caslopa, and because Earth is so much smaller in comparison, the points *seem* denser from its perspective.’

"Your Excellency, that is the contact point between the two worlds. Countless Demons yearn to cross over. Some succeed, some die in the attempt, and others still cannot pass. They are waiting for the rift to grow larger. Those dangerous creatures... they possess no reason."

"And the most dangerous of them, the truly bizarre monstrosities, have mostly not yet awakened. But sooner or later, the rift will draw them out."

The Insect Man, seeing that the Thought Body was silent, felt he ought to say something.

Qin Xiaoxia glanced at him, his expression still unreadable.

"Heh, so you’re saying the number of Demons getting to Earth is only at its current level because we have those things camping the entrance to thank?"

The Insect Man didn’t dare to respond to that and could only remain silent.

But now that he had seen this side of the contact point, Qin Xiaoxia was no longer in the mood for a leisurely stroll.

"Yakrodoth, go to your plateau. Gather every being you know—friend or foe. As long as they still possess their sanity, have them all come. My real body needs to rest for a while. I will reappear when you have gathered them."

Yakrodoth dared not show any obvious joy or relief, maintaining a solemn expression.

"Yes, Your Excellency. I will do as you command. You can rest assured."

"Good. You’ve been a fine guide. I will remember that."

With those words, the Thought Body turned ethereal and vanished.

The Insect Man, Yakrodoth, waited for about five minutes.

"Your Excellency? Great Unknown One? Are you still there?"

After another moment passed, the Insect Man’s entire body finally relaxed. Shaken, he slumped to the ground to rest.

His body wasn’t tired, but his mind was completely drained!

After he had recovered a bit, he shouldered the satellite wreckage and tore off toward the plateau like a madman.

...

「Earth. Qingzhen Secret Base, Dawn Association Headquarters.」

Qin Xiaoxia snapped back to his senses. Lingering fear still pulsed through his living, breathing body. The Demon Tide on the other side of that contact point was far too great a threat to Earth.

And that was just one of them.

A new Sheepskin Scroll unfurled on his desk. Magic Power gathered at his fingertips as he quickly inscribed a command in Magic Patterns.

"In the name of the Dawn Sage, I request the World Alliance convene an emergency meeting of its core nations. Immediately! This is of the utmost urgency!"

The newly formed Magic Pattern Scroll shot into a picture frame on his desk. At that same moment, in the Editorial Department—responsible for compiling intelligence—the picture frame on Cui Ying’s desk glowed faintly and ejected the very same Magic Pattern Scroll.