The other people somehow felt pressured when they looked at him. It was even more shocking when they—including the usually proud Supreme Great Ancestors- lowered their heads as they dared not look him in the eye.
After the mental power battle against the insect’s clone, Ou Yangming’s understanding of mental power improved.
It was worth noting that the experience from such a life-or-death battle could not be mentioned on equal terms with normal fights.
In a way, though Ou Yangming had not gotten past the world’s limit and had not arrived at a spirit beast’s standard, he could imitate a bit of the unique oppression from that level.
He might seem like a fool if he used it against a real spirit beast, but it was more than enough to ward off a great ancestor.
Ou Yangming turned to look gently at the two ladies beside him.
The ladies were willing to risk their lives to enter his sea of consciousness. What more could he say?
Perhaps the only thing that troubled him was there were two of them. “Brother Ou, how are they?” A soft voice was heard.
Ou Yangming looked up and answered with a smile, “They’re fine, don’t worry.” Bai Shixue sighed and expressed, “It’s a pity that I’m not a mental power cultivator; I couldn’t help at all.”
Ou Yangming tensed up a little, and he twitched his mouth before he responded with a bitter smile, “Young Pavilion Master, I appreciate your kindness.”
“Do you really appreciate it?” Bai Shixue grinned.
The young fellow was stunned, and he was lost for words.
Bai Shixue smiled, but it made her seem lonely. Given her beautiful looks, many people were captivated when she acted that way.
“Elder Brother, Elder Sister Bai was actually very worried about you too…” Jiang Jiumei uttered softly as she could not hold it in anymore.
Ou Yangming cleared his throat and put on a straight face as he spoke like an elder brother, “You’re just a little girl, what do you know? Don’t speak nonsense!”
Jiang Jiumei pouted her lips as she felt wronged. At this point, she did not look like a dignified Supreme Great Ancestor at all. However, this made her seem more alive and less untouchable. As abundant mental power entered their seas of consciousness, Wu Hanning and Ni Yinghong’s spiritual worlds underwent drastic changes. The changes did not happen progressively, they occurred abruptly like a rocket.
There were pros and cons to this method, but everything was worth it for the two ladies, who desperately needed more powers.
Yu Jinshuang and Lao Boyi stared nervously at Her Royal Highness because they were afraid that a mishap might happen; they would regret this for life. They both knew how important the princess was in the imperial family. His Majesty the Emperor would likely rather lose a few sons than see the gifted princess, who would possibly become the Humans’ next best powerhouse, get hurt.
At last, Wu Hanning opened her eyes after an hour. Her eyes gleamed like stars. The other Supreme Great Ancestors looked at each other as they were relieved. They no longer needed to worry about the princess.
Wu Hanning slowly stood up and nodded at Ou Yangming, then she waited without saying a word.
Yu Jinshuang and the others were about to extend their greetings to her when she waved her hand and fixed her gaze on Ni Yinghong.
In terms of mental power, Ni Yinghong was evidently far from her. As such, while the princess could quickly transform the immeasurable power for her own use, Ni Yinghong needed more time.
Since Her Highness was willing to wait, the other people could only wait as well. The atmosphere on the wall became exceptionally strange, so much so that nobody even handled Dong Haoxian’s corpse. After another hour, Ni Yinghong’s eyelids began to twitch. Ou Yangming and Wu Hanning looked grave, but they were elated because they sensed that the young lady had successfully converted the power.
Sure enough, Ni Yinghong’s energy, essence, and spirit underwent significant changes the instant she opened her eyes.
The three of them exchanged glances because they had a feeling that they became tied up to each other in a certain way. It was an everlasting connection that originated from their hearts.
Chapter 445 - Finding Spies
Wu Hanning’s and Ni Yinghong’s eyes glowed. Their auras underwent enormous changes.
Ou Yangming was not surprised. It would only be strange if nothing changed after they absorbed plenty of mental power.
Nonetheless, Yu Jinshuang and the other people were confused. They were not mental power cultivators, but they could sense the disparity between their powers. According to their senses, Her Highness and the weak lady seemed to have become on par with them after just a few hours.
Yu Jinshuang and the others had only found out because the young ladies had just experienced a huge improvement and could not curb their overflowing auras. If the ladies were given enough time to cultivate, they could completely curb their mental powers, such that other people would not be able to notice.
Honestly, Yu Jinshuang and the other people would not find it strange if the change only happened to the princess.
After all, Her Highness was already known as a legendary figure, and they had never perceived her real cultivation base before this. They were extremely puzzled because Ni Yinghong improved as well. Yu Jinshuang and the others looked at Ou Yangming and the two ladies, but they forced themselves to not act on their curiosity.
It would be better to not know about some things!
“Master Ou, thank you.” Yu Jinshuang took a deep breath before he cupped his hands at Ou Yangming. Ou Yangming dodged it and asked, “Governor Yu, what’s this for?”
“I never thought Dong Haoxian was attached by a parasite, so I thought you were provoking him for no reason.” Yu Jinshuang sighed and kowtowed at the young fellow. “Please forgive me, Master Ou.”
“Governor Yu, you’re being too polite. We’re resisting the disaster together, so don’t regard me as an outsider.” Ou Yangming waved his hand.
Lao Boyi stepped forward as well and stated seriously, “The legend about parasites has been told since ancient times, but we neglected it because we never witnessed it before. Ah, if it wasn’t because of Master Ou’s great insight, the Insects would’ve found out about our plans, and we’d end up losing our city.”
Parasitic insects were unique to the Insects.
A formidable spirit insect could generate clones but apart from illusion clones, there were also incredibly small clones with peculiar powers. If the spirit insect found an opportunity to make a tiny insect a parasite in a powerful living being, once the tiny insect hatched out, it would flow into the host’s brain through the veins. Following that, it would devour the living being’s brain to obtain memories so that it could replace that being.
The ability was fearsome, but it could not be done by local insects; it was only possible when the disaster happened.
For the Humans, this was a story from at least a century ago, thus not many people reacted fast enough.
“The one that noticed the parasite wasn’t me, but it.” Ou Yangming smiled and pointed at the sky. With that, everyone else recalled the goshawk’s frightening act earlier.
Several Supreme Great Ancestors could not help but flush.
“Since a parasite was found, it’s probably not the only one,” Wu Hanning remarked.
Everyone including Yu Jinshuang turned slightly pale. They looked at each other and became wary of even the people they were familiar with.
Wu Hanning sighed. The Humans’ eight counties would face beast tides once in every century, but in the past disasters, Huangsha and Yongxiang had failed the most times as compared to the other counties.
The Insects were mighty but it would be absurd to say they were superior to the three other races. In terms of strength only, the Insects were definitely at the bottom.
Nevertheless, the Insects had weird and unpredictable tricks indeed. In particular, the parasites would fluster the people, ca
using their morale to decline. At the end of the day, nobody could guarantee if one’s comrade was still a human or had been taken over by an insect.
Anyone could be stabbed from the side or behind at any time, so the more the people thought about it, the more they were afraid.
As expected, the people began to doubt each other. As such, it seemed impossible for them to unite and work together anymore.
Ou Yangming looked around and suddenly laughed. “Gentlemen, since the goshawk found the first parasite, it’ll surely find out if another one appears. At the very least, none of you have been taken over by a parasite.
The other people were stunned, and they became relieved almost at the same time.
Yu Jinshuang laughed out loud. “Master Ou, your… Hero Goshawk is simply divine. Uhm, do you think it can take a look in the city? If it finds any parasites, it can kill it right away.”
“Governor Yu, you don’t mind it causing a disorder anymore?” Ou Yangming smiled faintly.
“I’m ashamed. Please forgive me, Master Ou.” Yu Jinshuang’s face reddened.
Afterward, Ou Yangming looked up and communicated with the goshawk through his consciousness. “Governor Yu, the goshawk could find the parasite because the parasite was stimulated by its shriek and caused a spiritual fluctuation. Under normal circumstances, even the goshawk can’t sense a parasite’s presence.”
In actuality, Ou Yangming only spoke half of the truth.
When the parasite’s spiritual fluctuation was released, not only did the goshawk sense it, but he also sensed it too. Despite that, he and the goshawk had different thoughts, hence one chose to wait patiently while the other made a move.
Yu Jinshuang furrowed his eyebrows. “If that’s the case, it’ll be a tricky problem.”
Ou Yangming chuckled. “Governor Yu, there are around 10,000 people in the city. The spirit insect is powerful, but it can’t attach parasites to every single person.”
‘You don’t say,’ Yu Jinshuang thought and twitched his mouth, but he forced a smile and replied to the young fellow, “Yes. If the spirit insect’s so capable, we no longer need to fight; we might as well clean our necks and hang ourselves.”
If the people knew their brains would end up being eaten by parasites, most of them would rather kill themselves than get replaced by those insects. Ou Yangming noted, “If I were the spirit insect, I wouldn’t waste the precious parasites on ordinary people, so even if there are other parasites in the city, there won’t be many of them.”
Yu Jinshuang’s eyes lit up. “I get it now. Master Ou, you’re saying we should gather the important figures in a place then ask Hero Goshawk to shriek, so we can identify if there are other parasites here.”
“You’re right. As long as the internal is in order, it won’t matter if the parasites managed to secure unimportant positions.” Ou Yangming nodded.
“Master Ou, that’s very wise of you.” Yu Jinshuang nodded. “I’ll prepare a list now. Regardless of the clan and the position, everyone on the list must head to the martial arts field to be tested.”
Lao Boyi said in a deep voice, “I’ll prepare another list and send it straight to the field. Please take good care of us, Hero Goshawk.”
They initially did not favor the goshawk and were rather hostile toward it, but they were now willing to address it as a hero. Not to mention the goshawk’s remarkable combat power, the mere fact that it could spot parasites was enough to make the people worship it. A Supreme Great Ancestor went forward and saluted Ou Yangming with his fists. “Master Ou, a few pillars from my clan have been quite involved in the fight against the Insects. May I ask them to come?”
“Yes, my clan has a few too! Please make some exceptions, Master Ou.”
Subsequently, several more people made the same request. After all, many people in the city had close relatives and friends. Who would want to live in the fear of not knowing if their closed ones were still humans or not?
Therefore, even the Supreme Great Ancestors that had never spoken to Ou Yangming could not help but express themselves.
Ou Yangming smiled at the people. He did not refuse them at all. In actual fact, he would want to check everyone in the city if it was possible instead of just a group of them.
Needless to say, it was an impractical wish. The goshawk was capable, but it would be impossible for it to do that.
Once the people decided, they quickly got moving It was evident that they were immensely fearful of the parasites. As soon as the order was given, everyone on the list was obliged to go to the martial arts field. The martial arts field was the largest space in the city. It would not seem packed even if it was occupied by 10,000 people, let alone 1,000 people.
One after another, the people on the list were ordered to enter the field. They looked at each other as they were confused.
However, seeing as the people present were powerhouses from the city, everyone became more at ease. Perhaps the governor was going to make an announcement, which might be related to the princess, or… The martial arts field was soon filled with noises as the people secretly discussed, but nobody figured out the exact problem.
By the time Ou Yangming and the others arrived, the field was filled with people.
Ou Yangming glanced at the people and asked, “Governor Yu, is everyone on the list here?”
Yu Jinshuang answered after a moment of hesitation, “Other than some with duties, a few of them aren’t here.”
The other people looked fierce when they heard the governor. Regardless of their excuses, given that those people were absent, they would not hold important positions in the city anymore in the future. Ou Yangming nodded and uttered, “Okay, let’s begin.”
With that, the well-prepared goshawk in the sky shrieked.
Its cry was loud and carried a mysterious power.
The people in the martial art field were startled. Some of them even covered their ears as they could not stand the sound.
Before long, Ou Yangming and the goshawk fixed their gazes on a person.
Chapter 446 - Rune Attacks
Chapter 446 Rune Attacks
The person Ou Yangming and the goshawk were staring at was a man that was roughly 30 years old. Like everybody else, the man seemed to be in pain as he held his head and groaned. He was not loud, but the way he gritted his teeth was not suspicious at all so it did not seem strange.
Nonetheless, Ou Yangming and the goshawk in the sky were not observing through their eyes.
The Military Fire in Ou Yangming’s sea of consciousness was triggered, and it perfectly outlined the man’s true form, hence he was able to identify him right away.
On the other hand, the goshawk was able to recognize the man due to its incomprehensible instinct. In actuality, according to Ou Yangming’s understanding, the goshawk regarded powerful insects as its food. It was worth noting that any living being would be attracted and became eager when they stumbled upon food.
In particular, the insects from the upper realm were unquestionably the best nourishments in the upper realm, which did not have abundant spiritual Qi, thus the goshawk could locate its prey accurately. Nevertheless, Ou Yangming did not act rashly. He turned to let Wu Hanning and Ni Yinghong know about his plan.
The two young ladies smiled and nodded to give their consent.
Every parasite represented great mental power, which would be quite a pity if wasted. Since Ou Yangming had the Devouring ability to convert the power, why not share it with his closed ones?
Besides, the three of them were bound together by a subtle and wonderful connection ever since the two ladies accepted the mental power. If their mental powers continued to grow, the connection would certainly become stronger.
Ou Yangming was eager to find out what would happen if they became as capable as him. After receiving a message from Ou Yangming’s conception, the goshawk in the mid-air let out another long cry. Its cry was supposedly extremely oppressive, but it controlled it on purpose so the effect on S
upreme Great Ancestors would not be too obvious. Moreover, the people in the martial arts field would only suffer mental shocks and would recover after some rest. If that was not the case, Yu Jinshuang and the others would not have allowed the goshawk to do this on a large scale.
The goshawk’s shriek was much louder this time, which was also more effective than before.
Almost half of the people collapsed to the ground.
It was then when Ou Yangming, Ni Yinghong, and Wu Hanning made their move. They moved as fast as lightning, by which they arrived beside their target almost immediately after they jumped onto the field.
This time, they were facing a parasite. Although the parasite was not attached to a Supreme Great Ancestor, none of them dared to treat it lightly. After all, the Insects had countless odd tricks, which could catch one off guard. Ou Yangming instantly grabbed the man’s arm and stared at him.
At this point, he was certain that he was not mistaken.
The man appeared to be in pain and was afraid, but the depths of his eyes were ice-cold. The chillness seemed to have come from hell, and it could freeze one’s consciousness.
Only the Insects possessed such a fearsome and unfeeling consciousness.
The parasite did not struggle at all when his eyes met Ou Yangming’s, but a contemptuous look could be seen through its eyes.
‘So what if you found me? You’re the one that’s going to die…’
Its mental power surged into Ou Yangming’s sea of consciousness through its eyes, and it carried such a crushing force that it could not be resisted at all.
Ou Yangming’s eyelids twitched. He had initially thought about numerous ways to lure the parasite’s consciousness into his sea of consciousness because it was the only place he could unleash the Military Fire and the Devouring power without being noticed by the other people. He did not want to expose his secret to the public, so if the parasite refused to enter, he would be forced to kill it at once.
Who knew, the parasite entered his sea of consciousness before he could even bait it, hence he was surprised yet overjoyed.
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