Chapter 2016: You Are That Person!

Zu An's expression was strange: "The one in the capital..."Could this creature be talking about me?But I've never seen it before.

The demonic insect buzzed, "Hmph, the War Priest insisted on being reckless, directly descending near the capital. He ended up being killed by a powerful native, which also caused the human nations to mobilize and defend against our infiltration everywhere, forcing us to operate in the shadows."

"Originally, I didn't want to show myself so soon, fearing I'd attract that great harbinger of doom. But those two good-for-nothings, Lu Sanyuan and Chi Fuzi, couldn't even manage this simple task, forcing me to appear."

Qiu Honglei glanced at Zu An, a faint smile on her face, then looked at the demonic insect: "Aren't you afraid your appearance this time will draw that great harbinger of doom?"

"Hmph, that person is far away in the capital. How would they know what's happening here? As for information leaks," the demonic insect revealed a sinister smile, "that's simple too. Kill everyone present and transform them into demonic insects; then no one will leak any information."

Hearing it speak so casually, as if killing everyone present was a simple matter, sent shivers down the spines of the remaining cult members.

Many of them were actually brave and fierce individuals; after all, those who survived in the Demonic Cult and made it to the main altar were no pushovers.

But the demonic insect before them far exceeded their imagination; it seemed to exert a natural bloodline suppression that chilled their courage, preventing any thought of resistance.

"Looking at you, it seems many companions similar to yourself have infiltrated this world, haven't they?" Zu An wanted to seize the opportunity to gather more information.

To his surprise, the demonic insect grew wary: "Are you trying to stall for time? You'll know once I transform you all into demonic insects."

Zu An's heart stirred. This was the second time it had mentioned "transformation." What exactly did transformation mean?

At that moment, a buzzing sound of insects filled the air. Its abdomen suddenly spat out two fleshy orbs. The two orbs floated to its left and right, rapidly expanding and growing, then transforming into two demonic insects identical to itself!

Their size was slightly smaller, but still much larger than the demonic insects that the soldiers had transformed into earlier.

The demonic insect on the right moved its head, emitting a series of strange sounds from its mouth: "Is this a higher level of life? It certainly feels better than before, hahahaha..."

Everyone was horrified because, although the voice was distorted, they could faintly recognize it as Chi Fuzi's.

If this was Chi Fuzi, then the other one must be...

The demonic insect on the left moved its limbs, letting out a long sigh: "So, I was merely a frog in a well before. The sensation of demonification is so wonderful. Everyone, don't resist any longer; come with me and embrace a new form of life."

He called out to his former subordinates and confidantes, but unfortunately, they all recoiled from him as if he were a viper. What kind of joke was this? Who would want to become such a monstrosity instead of remaining human?

Zu An frowned slightly. So, this was what it meant by "transformation": it could consume people and turn them into creatures of its own kind.

If given enough time, wouldn't it be able to transform everyone in the world into demonic insects?

This kind of monster might not be as powerful as the previous War Priest, but its threat to this world surpassed that of ten War Priests combined.

At this point, the Chi Fuzi demonic insect and the Lu Sanyuan demonic insect emitted strange tremors, then each spat out an egg from their abdomens, and two new demonic insects immediately appeared in the air.

This time, the demonic insects were a size smaller than their parents.

Zu An mused that if they kept getting smaller, it would be easier to deal with.

To his surprise, just as this thought crossed his mind, the two new demonic insects twitched again and directly split into two identical demonic insects each.

Zu An was speechless.

Why didn't this thing obey the law of conservation of energy? Wouldn't it be able to split endlessly like this?

At that moment, the smaller demonic insects moved, spraying a handful of green mist directly at the crowd.

Zu An swung his palm, dispersing the mist aimed at him, while loudly warning: "Everyone be careful! Do not inhale this mist; they likely use these spores for infection and parasitism."

The people at the Demonic Cult's main altar were all elites, and many had already activated their defensive skills.

However, to their surprise, the corpses of the previously slain demonic insects suddenly exploded, releasing clouds of green mist that spread everywhere.

Everyone cried out in alarm and scattered, but they had not anticipated that the insect corpses would undergo such a transformation.

Many unfortunate individuals were a few steps too slow and accidentally inhaled some of the green mist. Their faces began to turn green, and they frantically clawed at their faces and throats.

Within a few breaths, bony spikes erupted from their backs and limbs, and they began to transform into demonic insects, just like Lu Sanyuan's soldiers before them.

Zu An observed carefully for a moment. These demonic insects were even smaller than the previous ones, indicating they were likely the lowest-tier demonic insects.

It seemed only demonic insects of a higher rank possessed the ability to split.

At that moment, a frantic voice echoed in his mind: "This is the Womb Demonic Insect. It can devour all living creatures and transform them into demonic insect forms. If left unchecked, their offspring can easily take over a world."

"Is there a limit to their reproduction?" Zu An was pleasantly surprised by her sudden awakening. Even after her spirit had been repaired and she had regained some memories, she had remained in a long slumber, seemingly accumulating something.

"No limit!" Mi Li's voice was filled with dread. "Furthermore, you must quickly eliminate its offspring. Otherwise, once these descendant demonic insects accumulate enough energy, the Womb Demonic Insect can become enraged and many, many times more powerful than it is now."

"How many 'many, many times' are we talking about?"

"In terms of this world's power hierarchy, it could instantly kill an Earth Immortal."

"Why aren't you acting yet?" Seeing his continued composure, Mi Li was puzzled.

"I want to test its power level after it enrages, so I'll have sufficient understanding if I encounter a Womb Demonic Insect in another world in the future." Zu An knew that the current Womb Demonic Insect was restricted by this world's barrier, lacking its original power, but how long could this world barrier hold?

Moreover, he had a premonition that he would likely face its full form in the future, so he had to take this opportunity to understand every aspect of it.

"You're playing with fire!" Mi Li understood his thoughts but couldn't help but worry.

"You know this is the rational choice, don't you?" Zu An smiled. The Tai'e Sword also emerged from the void. Despite his words, he dared not show the slightest carelessness.

"If you die, everything will be over." Mi Li fell silent.

"I won't die," Zu An said with a hint of calm in his tone.

Of course, he couldn't stand by and watch these demonic insects slaughter and infect the living. As he spoke, the new moon symbol moved, drawing a beautiful arc and striking down the smallest demonic insects one by one.

After each kill, a flame ignited on the insect's body, quickly reducing it to ash and ensuring no lingering spores on the corpses could spread further.

Many within the cult were puzzled, wondering when their leader had mastered fire-element cultivation techniques, and it clearly wasn't ordinary fire.

But now, their hearts were filled with more joy. With his help, they finally began to stabilize their footing, unleashing attacks to eradicate the remaining low-level demonic insects.

At that moment, the Womb Demonic Insect stared intently at Zu An: "You are stronger than I imagined, but it's useless."

After speaking, its twin wings emitted a shrill buzz. The other demonic insects also vibrated their wings in response, and an eerie buzzing sound resonated throughout the entire scene.

Almost everyone painfully clutched their heads, but the sound seemed to directly affect their souls; no matter how they covered their ears, the sound still pierced directly into their minds.

Just then, a massive golden bell materialized in the void.

A silent chime resonated, and countless invisible sound waves spread outwards, directly dispersing the piercing and harsh buzzing of the insects.

"Isn't that the Pure Brahma Bell of Wuyou Temple?" Revered Xiaoyao seemed momentarily lost.

Revered Tiandi looked around: "Could it be those bald monks from Wuyou Temple? How is that possible!"

Unfortunately, there wasn't a single shadow of a Wuyou Temple disciple anywhere.

This was, of course, not the true Pure Brahma Bell, but rather a manifestation conjured by Zu An using the Divine Rune Armament Manual. He had witnessed the bell's power in Purple Mountain before, making it perfectly suited to counter the demonic insect's sonic attacks.

"Oh, how do you have so many tricks up your sleeve?" The Womb Demonic Insect naturally realized it was his doing and finally sensed something amiss. "Hmph, I can't give you any more chances."

It raised its head, its wings fully spread, and its entire body instantly doubled in size. Then, the remaining large demonic insects, including Chi Fuzi and Lu Sanyuan, transformed into streaks of green light and were instantly absorbed into its body.

Immediately, the entire world seemed to be shrouded in a sickly green hue.

The next second, it vanished without a trace.

Zu An's expression changed, and he instantly teleported dozens of feet away, holding Qiu Honglei.

Almost simultaneously, two rows of sharp teeth suddenly appeared in the void where he had just stood—it was the massive maw on the Womb Demonic Insect's chest.

The space, dozens of feet in circumference, seemed to be corroded by an inexplicable force, and even a tens-of-meters-wide hole appeared on the ground.

Had he not dodged in time, his fate would have been self-evident.

A hint of surprise flickered across the Womb Demonic Insect's face; it clearly hadn't expected its assured strike to be dodged by its opponent.

However, it didn't hesitate in the slightest. With a flap of its wings, it instantly transformed into a bolt of lightning and attacked its opponent.

Due to its incredible speed, countless demonic insects seemed to appear in the air at once, all attacking the central target simultaneously.

The previously beautiful new moon wheel turned dim under this onslaught, and the next moment, it was shattered by the powerful attack.

Witnessing this, countless cult members' hearts shattered. The Cloud Cult Leader's weapon was broken; it seemed a grim fate awaited him.

The next moment, a series of urgent bell chimes rang out.

A transparent, golden-yellow bell enveloped Zu An in the void. Countless demonic insects crashed against it, and soon cracks appeared around the bell, clearly indicating it couldn't withstand the overwhelming murderous intent.

At this point, Zu An sighed: "I already know your limits after you become enraged."

After speaking, he drew the Tai'e Sword. A dazzling sword light illuminated the entire world, and the green space was directly cleaved in two.

The Womb Demonic Insect shrieked in terror: "You... you're *that* person!"

It attempted to flee, but how could it outpace the sword light? Its body was quickly pierced by a beam of light, and then, as if repeatedly ground away by countless destructive sword qi, it ultimately dissipated entirely between heaven and earth.