8mi Chapter 552 Stopping the Insect Plague
Chapter 552 Stopping the Insect Plague
Chapter 552 Stopping the Insect Plague
Lu Zheng was well aware of the harm caused by locust plagues, and the natural disasters caused by these locusts, which were comparable in size to ordinary birds, were even more severe.
Yun Xiao casually grabbed a locust that swooped down and pointed at its body with his finger.
The fist-sized locust burst into a cloud of mist in the blink of an eye, from which a few wisps of air were drawn.
Yun Xiao carefully examined the wisps of energy and said, "They have fused with the bloodline of other Gu worms, which could not have been conceived by human power... Moreover, these worms are bloodthirsty, and they are more sensitive to flesh and blood than ordinary plants."
"I heard that when the Shu army was conquering the southern border, they encountered a swarm of insects bred by some powerful Gu cultivators, which caused the deaths of many soldiers and local people."
"After the Shu Kingdom conquered the southern border, it strictly prohibited the local barbarians from cultivating certain insects, and locusts, which could wreak havoc on the region, were especially forbidden."
Lu Zheng looked at the swarm of locusts that blotted out the sky, and then at the land that had been ravaged by the swarms, and his expression turned somewhat grim.
Lu Zheng couldn't help but ask, "Does the Taoist priest have any quick and effective methods?"
Yun Xiao said, "There are too many locusts, and they must have left a lot of eggs in their wake. It won't be easy to wipe them out completely!"
"I wonder if the Zhennan Army has any countermeasures. They've been stationed here for years, so they should have some..."
Yun Xiao raised his hand, took out a talisman, and quickly sketched something on it.
The talisman immediately transformed into a bird and flew towards the distant royal city.
Yun Xiao said, "Alright, you young people should get moving. We can't let these locusts get to the capital, or they'll cause a huge mess."
The royal city has millions of ordinary citizens, as well as heavily guarded criminals. If the insect swarm were to enter the city, it would surely cause great chaos.
Yun Xiao raised his sleeve and waved it, sending out talismans that flew straight into the dark swarm of insects.
In just a few breaths, clusters of fireballs appeared out of thin air, blasting locusts into charred remains.
However, the number of locusts was countless, and they quickly engulfed and extinguished the fireballs. Even the remains of their kind were eaten clean by the passing insects.
With a thought, Lu Zheng put away the spirit boat.
The four stood in the air, facing the swarm of locusts that surged towards them like a giant ocean wave.
With a swift movement, Qingyi's entire body radiated a scorching heat, and she transformed into a fiery meteor as she plunged into the swarm of insects.
As Qingyi charged violently, the nearby locusts were killed by the heatwave.
Her figure was quickly obscured by the swarm of insects.
Qingyi stood there, surrounded by layers of locusts that enveloped her, forming a huge sphere.
Locusts kept swarming in, trying to devour the creature that had rushed into the swarm.
Qingyi remained unmoved, but in an instant, her whole being became bright.
A dazzling, intense light shone forth, as if a sun had appeared among the insects.
Tens of thousands of giant locusts around them turned into mist.
The scorching heat was still rapidly expanding outwards.
The ground below quickly dried out, with wisps of flame flickering—the burning of countless insect eggs attached to the ground.
On the other side, Qingwan scattered handfuls of beans.
One by one, the bean soldiers materialized and charged towards the locusts, engaging them in fierce combat.
These bean soldiers, being made of grass and trees, could only hold off the endless swarm of locusts for a short while, using their bodies to block the swarm's path.
Each bean soldier desperately tried to delay the swarm of insects, only to be quickly devoured by the locusts, a truly heroic act.
Lu Zheng took out his writing implements, each one radiating righteous energy and transforming into an invisible barrier to block the swarm of insects. He then conjured lightning in his palm, continuously bombarding the insect swarm.
Under the attack of Lu Zheng and his group of four, the movement speed of the swarm was slightly hindered.
"There are so many bugs!"
Qingwan frowned as she watched the endless stream of large locusts flying in, each one difficult to kill.
She turned to Yun Xiao, who was standing not far away, and asked, "Taoist Master, is it possible to summon the gods?"
Upon hearing this, Yun Xiao shook his head slightly, "This is the Southern Frontier, there aren't even any Taoist temples nearby, so summoning a god out of thin air like this won't bring down much divine power..."
Yun Xiao thought for a moment and said, "Give me the Dragon Vein Mystic Pearl from before."
Upon hearing this, Lu Zheng and the others quickly tossed the Xuanzhu to Yun Xiao.
Yun Xiao held four beads, formed a hand seal, and manipulated the Xuan Pearls to fly into the sky, placing them in four different positions.
He took out another array plate and activated the Mystic Pearl in the sky.
Suddenly, a large array appeared and disappeared.
Within the range of the formation, the movements of countless locusts slowed down and came to a standstill.
Some large locusts fell directly downwards, creating a rain of insects that covered the ground in a thick layer.
However, after a short while, some of the locusts on the ground struggled again and gradually recovered.
Seeing this, Lu Zheng couldn't help but ask, "Can't you kill them?"
Yun Xiao frowned. "The origin of these locusts is not in the Southern Frontier. Although some of the insects lay their eggs here, their bloodline is not from the Southern Frontier. And given their sheer numbers, it's impossible to completely eradicate them with the local dragon vein energy..."
Yun Xiao's gaze turned deep, and he said, "It seems these insects have some unusual origins!"
……
Within the royal city, Luo Chong quickly received the news.
They had actually seen a patch of gray-black sky in the distance while they were in the city, and thought it was raining in that area. They never expected that it was actually a swarm of locusts passing through.
Luo Chong made a quick decision and first sent several Taoist priests and cultivators skilled in Gu techniques to investigate.
He then ordered the city's defenses to be strengthened and personally oversaw the royal palace to prevent anyone from taking this opportunity to cause trouble again.
When everyone arrived at the location of the locust plague, they were all horrified to see the dense swarms of locusts.
They had dealt with some insect infestations in southern Xinjiang before, but they had never seen such a large swarm of locusts, and the locusts were also too big.
Seeing Lu Zheng and the others using their respective methods to kill the locusts, the others quickly went over to inquire about the situation and then joined the battle.
A Gu cultivator took out a bag of insects and released tiny Gu worms, each as small as dust.
The small flying insects silently entered the body of the large locust and then controlled the locust to turn against other locusts.
Some cultivators even summoned pangolin-like insect-eating beasts. These beasts pounced into the swarm of locusts, devouring them relentlessly. They couldn't possibly eat them all.
Upon seeing this, a Taoist priest in the army took out a scroll and began chanting incantations, from which a mysterious aura emanated.
The Taoist priest, holding a scroll, leaped into a swarm of locusts, and his aura quickly spread outwards.
Wherever the breath reached, the large locusts instantly lost their life force, falling to the ground, utterly dead.
(End of this chapter)