NOVEL WEB CHAPTER 173
The alliance between the Mother Tree and the Insect and Giant Clans was akin to a drop of ink falling into a pristine pond within the Black Mist Zone.
Initially, it merely caused a slight ripple – the early stages of their cooperation did not drastically disrupt the entire Black Mist Zone.
However, the future implications were uncertain.
As a minor subplot in this grand narrative, Ma's demise was even less significant.
The Queen of Blades, the one responsible for his death, had no knowledge of the zombie she had slain.
The Mother Tree paid little attention to Ma.
But a grain of sand in the tides of time can become a mountain to an individual.
Yamamoto and the others in the Blood Flame Sect were utterly heartbroken...
Location: Ma's residence
Gazing at the shattered crystal ball, Yamamoto and the other three exchanged solemn glances.
"Leader?"
"Leader?"
They softly called out to the crystal ball, as if attempting to summon a spirit.
Until one of them approached the shattered crystal ball, their expression turning grim.
"The leader is dead!!"
The leader of the Blood Flame Sect, Minister Ma, was a Level 2 Spirit Realm expert.
As the pillar and strongest expert of the Blood Flame Sect, Ma's death undoubtedly caused a massive upheaval within the organization.
Several Level 9 Physique Realm zombies engaged in a heated debate.
Some wanted to investigate the cause of Ma's demise.
Others insisted on reporting the incident to their superiors.
And a few saw this as an opportunity to seize the position of the Blood Flame Sect's leader.
In short, the thought processes of intelligent beings were often alike. Many engaged in chaotic arguments that wasted time rather than solving problems.
Yamamoto, Hachima An, and the other Tokyo ghouls, despite their brilliance, lacked the power to intervene in such a situation.
These chaotic arguments persisted within the Blood Flame Sect for three days.
Day 112 of the Black Mist Calendar
A Level 9 Physique Realm Undead named Qi ascended to the leadership of the Blood Flame Sect and reported Ma's death to the Undead Clan's higher-ups.
However, Qi was unaware that just a few days' journey away, the Insect Clan's army was already on the move.
Day 115 of the Black Mist Calendar
Led by three Spirit Realm Insect Clan members, the insect army launched an assault on the Blood Flame Sect.
With Ma gone, the Blood Flame Sect lacked any Spirit Realm experts.
In the absence of high-level combatants, the Blood Flame Sect's downfall was swift.
Day 117 of the Black Mist Calendar
The Blood Flame Sect was obliterated.
The Blade Edge Insect Nest first eliminated the Barbarian Tribe and then the Blood Flame Sect. This effectively marked the Insect Clan's official declaration of war against the Undead Clan.
Of course, these events would only come to light later.
Location: The former site of the Blood Flame Sect
A multitude of workers hauled away corpses and collected blood from the blood pool and even the wooden structures. These were all biomass required by the Mother Tree, and the Insect Clan would not let any of it go to waste.
Inside Ma's former residence, the three Spirit Realm Insect Clan members deliberated on their next move.
"Should we continue to advance towards Bear Mountain?"
"No need. There's little to gain there. It's a remote area with few spoils of war. Instead of venturing that way, we'd be better off joining forces with the Queen and launching a major offensive against the undead!"
The Insect Clan excelled in combat and was unafraid of casualties. Even before their alliance with the Mother Tree, the Insect Clan was proficient at initiating wars. Now, with the Mother Tree on their side, war was essentially a guaranteed profit for them.
The more enemies, the better.
The larger the scale of the war, the better.
However, there were no significant hostile clans in the direction of Bear Mountain. Having secured their rear by eliminating the Blood Flame Sect, there was no need to expend excessive effort there.
Another Spirit Realm Insect Clan member suddenly spoke, "Earlier, a group of individuals seemed to have escaped from the Blood Flame Sect. Shouldn't we pursue them?"
The other two insect creatures shook their heads. "There's no need. I observed that the undead who escaped are not powerful. The strongest is only at Level 5 of the Physique Realm. It's not worth wasting energy on them."
Weak strength equated to low energy.
It meant being unable to extract much blood essence.
Whether they were Tribulation Transcenders was no longer relevant.
And so, the brief meeting concluded.
After thoroughly cleaning up the Blood Flame Sect, the Insect Clan slowly retreated with their spoils of war, leaving behind a scene of utter devastation.
Location: Near the original landing point of the Tribulation Transcenders in Tokyo
Hachima An, Yamamoto Yuichiro, and a group of Tokyo Ghouls trudged through the wilderness, their faces etched with fear and worry.
A few days ago, when the Insect Clan attacked, the Blood Flame Sect had fiercely fought back, resisting until the end.
However, the significance of those who had undergone the tribulation was paramount. These Tokyo ghouls, who had only recently joined the Blood Flame Sect, lacked a strong sense of attachment to it. They certainly didn't possess the courage to face death alongside it.
Therefore, Keiyi, along with Hachima An and Yamamoto Yuichiro, had facilitated the escape of the Tokyo ghouls led by Hachima An and Yamamoto Yuichiro from the Blood Flame Sect.
They possessed maps and knew the locations of nearby Undead Clan strongholds.
Unfortunately, the Blood Flame Sect was located in a remote area. With the Insect Clan blocking one side and the only other route requiring a long journey through Bear Mountain to reach the Chaotic Domain, this was their sole means of escape.
To accommodate the weaker members of the group, Yamamoto and the others maintained a slow pace.
Fortunately, the journey presented minimal danger—Physique Realm experts were considered weak among the major clans, but they were far from powerless in the wilderness.
On Day 126 of the Black Mist Calendar, Yamamoto noticed smoke billowing in the distance.
He raised his hand, pointing towards the rising smoke.
"That's where the Nanxiang people are!"
His tone was laced with complex emotions.
The last time he had attempted to prey on the Nanxiang people, he had been soundly defeated by Lu Ming.
Initially, Yamamoto had planned to request assistance from the experts of the Blood Flame Sect to crush Nanxiang. However, to his surprise, while Nanxiang remained unscathed, the Blood Flame Sect had been destroyed.
Now, as Yamamoto found himself once again in the vicinity of the Nanxiang gathering place, he was unsure how to react.
His emotions were a tangled mess.
Beside him, Hachima An whispered discreetly, "Let's not cause any trouble. We should pass through Nanxiang and head directly towards the Chaotic Domain."
However, his suggestion was met with resistance.
Kanzaki Asao glared at him. "Hachima An, are you afraid?!"
Hachima An was taken aback.
What did fear have to do with avoiding unnecessary conflict?
Before Hachima An could respond, Yamanaka Hitomi rubbed her belly, licked her lips, and softly said, "Uncle Hachima, never mind whether you're scared or not, right now our stomachs are really growling..."
They hadn't brought many supplies when they fled.
And because the group was sizable, the blood food they hunted along the way was insufficient to feed everyone adequately.
Although zombies could endure hunger much better than humans, prolonged inadequate feeding significantly impacted their combat abilities.
Hachima An frowned, acknowledging the validity of Yamanaka Hitomi's words.
After a moment of thought, he said, "Yamamoto, didn't you encounter a very powerful Awakened here before? Do you think the four of us are a match for him?"
Teraoka Chaoyi pointed at Hachima An and laughed. "See, I told you you were scared."
Hachima An ignored the taunt.
Until Yamamoto Yuichiro casually nodded. "I believe the four of us should be able to handle him if we work together."
"Moreover... I'm quite eager to taste his flesh and blood."
Zombies with intelligence typically advanced through the Devourer path, retaining some of the Devourer's characteristics.
Putting aside Lu Ming's strength, the energy contained in his flesh and blood alone was extraordinary.
Even his Body Transformation superpower alone was enough to make Yamamoto Yuichiro incredibly envious.
This caused Hachima An to sigh softly.
He glanced at the large group of zombies behind him.
Hunger had turned their eyes red.
Without a satisfying meal, they couldn't guarantee their combat capabilities after entering the Chaotic Domain, where they would face even greater dangers.
Considering this, a hearty meal in Nanxiang seemed like a reasonable choice.
With this in mind, Hachima An looked at Teraoka Chaoyi. Teraoka Chaoyi snorted coldly and headed alone towards the Nanxiang gathering place.