Chapter 1097 - Storming the Insect Nest

Han Wu returned to the battlefield after a brief rest.

The Battle Dragon Emperor was still fighting at the front lines, channeling her fury against Han Wu and the Jade Dragon Emperor into the insects instead.

The Colossal Centipede’s death caused the insects to lose their momentum, allowing the Great Dragon forces to push forward steadily, driving the battlefield all the way to the entrance of the insect nest.

Han Wu gazed into the distance. The massive insect nest was practically a world of its own. It already looked enormous from the outside, and it was likely that the space within the nest had been spatially expanded as well. There was no way to determine how many insects hid within.

The Battle Dragon Emperor had already lost herself in the heat of combat. Two Subcosm insects were obviously luring her toward the nest, and she fell for it without a second thought, charging straight after them. It was as if she had left her brain somewhere else.

Han Wu watched with a pounding headache. The brain of the Battle Dragon Emperor... If she’s not using it, she should donate it to a Great Dragon in need! We could advertise it as guaranteed ninety-nine percent unused and practically brand new. Doesn’t she realize that the nest is almost certainly a trap?

Despite disdaining such reckless behavior, as the Defiant Dragon Emperor, he was obligated to do something about it. He couldn’t just sit back and watch the Battle Dragon Emperor die inside the nest.

After leaving a message for the Jade Dragon Emperor, he flew toward the nest and plunged through the opening the Battle Dragon Emperor had left in her wake.

Han Wu instantly felt a suppression targeting Great Dragons pressing down on him the moment he entered. The sealed space prevented him from opening either his Microcosm or his divine realm.

When he glanced back, he noticed that the opening had vanished. Han Wu tried blasting the wall behind him to no avail. Any damage he dealt was distributed across the entire nest. The only way to break out was to destroy the whole nest in a single strike.

I was right. The insects designed the nest as a trap to catch any Great Dragons stupid enough to charge in.

Han Wu had no choice but to proceed in his humanoid form. Fortunately, he had the foresight to grab both his Divine Weapons before entering, so at least he wasn’t unarmed.

He gripped Peerless in one hand with the Divine Authority greatsword layered on top of it, ensuring every slash carried a significant Deathblow chance. In his other hand, he held Black Wheel Tyrant with the Divine Authority Mirror Shield attached to amplify its power.

Fully armed, he could hold his own against a Macrocosm insect for a short time at the very least. He studied his surroundings after his preparations were complete. Behind him was a vast expanse of milky-white walls. The walls were uneven and covered in dense clusters of insect eggs that were constantly hatching tiny insects.

Han Wu easily ignored the stomach-churning sight, having grown desensitized after years of raising insects of his own. It seemed his only option was to press forward in search of the Battle Dragon Emperor while looking for a way out. In his humanoid form, he projected overwhelming pressure outward, and for several kilometers, he encountered no attacks.

Even so, he didn’t let his guard down. He knew the insects weren’t staying away because they feared him. Some hidden commander was keeping them back to avoid pointless losses.

A peculiar scent drifted through the air. Based on his knowledge of insects, he identified it as a pheromone used to relay information. It also carried a potent toxin.

Han Wu’s constitution made him immune to this level of poison, but the hidden commander probably didn’t know that. After walking for a while, he feigned signs of poisoning, acting weak and unsteady.

The hidden commander noticed his condition but didn’t make a move. Instead, it sent weak fodder insects forward to test him.

This commander is way too cautious, Han Wu mentally cursed, activating his Slaughter Jurisdiction.

The Slaughter Barrier covered a wide area around him. Mountains of corpses and seas of blood appeared. The corpses rose to their feet in preparation to fight the fodder insects pouring in.

Han Wu sat high on his throne, doing his best to maintain the appearance of a man weakened by poison. Growing increasingly convinced that Han Wu was poisoned, the hidden commander dispatched more insects to exhaust his remaining energy and leave him incapacitated.

More insects flooded in. The Slaughter Barrier became filled with the shadows of the fodder. Han Wu shielded himself with his Divine Authority while the corpses inside the Slaughter Barrier fought to exterminate the swarms.

The situation was unfolding exactly as the hidden commander hoped. Han Wu’s energy was rapidly depleting under the fodder’s relentless harassment and wouldn’t last much longer like this. The sealed space prevented him from summoning his Microcosm for energy.

An ordinary Great Dragon, even a Dragon Emperor, couldn’t endure this level of sustained consumption. Thankfully, Han Wu wasn’t ordinary and had prepared countermeasures for exactly this kind of scenario.

Putting on an exhausted act, he swung Peerless. “Sky Eater Slash!”

A massive wave of insects was engulfed and devoured, converted into energy for Han Wu, though he feigned further weakness afterward.

Five consecutive uses of Sky Eater Slash were all it took to fully recover Han Wu’s energy. Outwardly, however, he looked weaker than ever, like he could barely stand.

The insects kept coming, numbers increasing with every passing moment. Han Wu started feeling restless.

Is myacting really that bad? Or is the hidden commander just impossibly patient?I’ve practically collapsed on the ground, yet it still won’t come out to finish me off. Does it really intend to let these fodder insects gnaw me to death?

Han Wu devised a new strategy to eliminate that option for the commander. He ordered the corpses to rush toward him and build a fortress of bodies around him for protection. The fodder insects couldn’t breach the corpses’ defenses. Only a stronger insect could break through.

The plan worked. Han Wu soon sensed large numbers of Subcosm insects entering the Slaughter Barrier and attacking the corpses.

Their attacks were effective, but the corpses were numerous and didn’t fear death, so the insects still failed to reach Han Wu.

The hidden commander couldn’t afford to wait any longer. It finally revealed itself, charging into the Slaughter Barrier and tearing the corpses shielding Han Wu apart. Once it finished Han Wu off, it would claim his head as a trophy.

Han Wu had been ready for this. The instant the commander ripped a hole through the corpses, Peerless swung out with a dragon’s roar.

“Dragon Slayer and Heaven-Earth Severance!”

The devastating strike slashed upward from below and split the commander’s face in two.

Despite the severe injury, the commander didn’t die. Its spider-like body leaped off the corpses and tried to flee into the darkness to resume directing the swarms.

But Han Wu’s Slaughter Barrier prohibited anyone from leaving. The commander slammed headfirst into the barrier, failing to break through.

Han Wu emerged from the corpses. Sensing that the commander was a Mesocosm life form, he nodded. This one’s not going to be a problem.