Chapter Thirty-Six: Preparations Before Growth
The fallen leaves were dense, the mud was all over the ground, except for a dim and gloomy scene, there was only a string of bubbles with a strange smell rising from the depths of the muddy water. Occasionally, one or two unusual scenes could be seen, which were either the decaying corpses of magical beasts or huge, rough skeletons. As soon as they appeared, they were rolled up by the monsters in the mud and quickly sank again.
Here is another vast swamp in the middle of Gaya, far larger than the one destroyed by Old Liu. According to the High Priest's analysis, this swamp is likely home to a true high-ranking magical beast. Moreover, it is a magical beast that has reached the pinnacle of high-ranking and is advancing towards an even higher rank. Once it completes its transformation, it can shed its physical body and become an existence between mortal creatures and magical beings, leaping to the highest stage of evolution that mortal life can achieve. It will be on the same level as the High Priest in his prime and the Nightless King Elvira, belonging to the strongest powers that can appear in this world! Admired and worshiped by countless living beings. Of course, if they can further break through their own secrets and touch the void barrier in their lifetime, they may also ascend to the throne of the gods and gain immortality! However, just look at how many magical insects there are, but only four evil gods like the Spider Queen have appeared in a thousand years, and you'll know how difficult it is to take this step. For these high-ranking magical beasts and insects, their luck and talent are actually far inferior to those of human strongmen of the same level. Even if they are only one step away from that step, nine out of ten will not be able to pass. In the end, after exhausting all means, they can only watch as their lifespan is exhausted, dying alone in regret, turning into a handful of yellow dust.
As for why the high priests came here, it dates back to a battle with the Black Bear tribe a month ago. After the war, although the high priest's side won a great victory, they undoubtedly exposed too many of their cards, making it easy to provoke the Black Bear tribe and bring about even more frenzied pursuit. Don't think that just because the high priests performed strongly in that battle, they can withstand the Black Bear tribe. In fact, that was already the strongest lineup they could muster. They won by catching them off guard. If they were to fight again with mutual understanding, even if the high priests' cunning and strategy could secure a final victory, it would not be possible to achieve total victory without paying an extremely heavy price.
To take a step back, what Xiongshan said wasn't wrong either. The High Priest is no longer the Mu Ta of years ago who could rival the Nightless King in prestige. Now he's just an old man with one foot in the grave, and even speaking a few words requires him to cough for half a day. The boundless magical powers that once made him renowned in Gaia have now dwindled to only two or three layers, and can't suppress the increasingly severe internal injuries. If it weren't for the fact that he had already become a Super Strong back when he was still the High Priest, with his current condition, he wouldn't have been able to hold on until today. Even so, with his current physical state, he probably won't live past a hundred years old, and these next few years will be his limit.
With this weak power, the high priest and his party could not resist the powerful Black Bear tribe. So after that, they had to withdraw hastily and hide in a place with sparse population, according to the memory of the high priest's travels when he was young. However, the news of the birth of the insect god had already been spread, and on their way, the high priest brought old Liu to meet seven or eight savage tribes, letting them witness the divine power of the three-system magic bug. With these people as witnesses, the news spread like wildfire among the various tribes of savages, and even if the Black Bear tribe wanted to hide it, they couldn't. Even those super powerful magical beasts that had been hiding in a corner of Gaya for thousands of years had heard about it and were eager to come and see the legendary insect god's demeanor! Of course, they weren't just idle people who liked to watch the excitement, but each had their own purpose. The participation of these guys made the already chaotic situation in Gaya even more turbulent, with many contradictions surfacing. Many people also harbored the same idea as the high priest, wanting to take advantage of the chaos to fish in troubled waters. They used every possible means to make the current situation even more chaotic.
"The human heart can make things very interesting." The high priest said with a cold smile.
Before the high priest could finish his sighs, Old Liu was already crying and complaining somewhere: "Old man, this thing is for humans to eat. Isn't that enough for today?"
"Of course not enough." The high priest turned around, grabbed another handful of dark brown plant roots, mashed them into a pulp, and placed it in front of Old Liu, saying: "This magical plant is very effective in refining the lava power inside your body. Eating more has benefits."
Lao Liu, who had been eating this strange thing for two days in a row, still felt some rejection towards it, but not as strongly as before. Moreover, through his understanding of the Lava Giant Turtle, he knew that what the High Priest said was indeed true, and he could only endure it. However, he found it difficult to tolerate the High Priest feeding him like a pig, watching him serve himself an increasingly absurd amount, basically trying to feed him to death. This ultimately made Lao Liu feel some psychological resistance.
What made Old Liu even more depressed was his personal bodyguard and follower, Old Hei. This terrifying ghost-faced spider followed him everywhere, bringing with it over a hundred small spiders to roam around in the swamp as if they were walking on flat ground. As soon as they discovered this dark brown root, they would pounce on it and devour it with relish, seemingly enjoying themselves immensely. Looking at their behavior, it was clear that they were addicted, like they had taken opium. This made Old Liu feel not only depressed but also somewhat doubtful as he gazed at these things in front of him that made his stomach turn. He thought to himself in distress: Could it be that there's something wrong with my sense of taste? Is this thing really that delicious?
The high priest did not notice Old Liu's complicated emotions, and quietly looked at the endless swamp in front of him with the support of two barbarian warriors by his side, saying lightly: "You should have undergone your second growth half a month ago."
Lao Liu nodded and said, "That's right. It seems that because the energy inside my body is too massive, the cores of the three abilities cannot perfectly merge with the genes in my body to become my own thing. That's why it took twice as long for me to grow up for the second time." After finishing speaking, Lao Liu said worriedly, "It's been delayed for so long, I don't know if it will have any impact on my growth."
"There will certainly be an impact. It's like a pregnant woman who has difficulty giving birth, the longer the fetus stays in her belly, the more dangerous the situation becomes. If you don't handle it well at that time, you might even have the possibility of being killed by your own abilities. Moreover, you've also overlooked one problem." The High Priest chuckled and said slowly.
"What? What?" Old Liu was perplexed and asked stupidly.
The high priest looked at him and said lightly: "Your growth has been delayed, actually it was prolonged by me."
Lao Liu surprisingly didn't get angry or pretend to be stupid and muddle through. He knew he was on the same rope as the High Priest, and under current circumstances, he wouldn't harm himself either. However, regarding his own evolution plans, there were many things he still needed to figure out, and couldn't let this old man mess things up, so he furrowed his brow and asked: "Why?"
