Swallowed Star 2: Origin Continent: Volume 8: Chapter 11 (316): [The King]

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Swallowed Star 2: Origin Continent
Volume 8: [The Battle of Yulan City]
Chapter (316): [The King]
(11th of Volume 8)
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In the outer city area of Yulan City, inside a secluded cave dwelling-

"Not good! One of my worm clones has been discovered!" A practitioner inside the cave suddenly felt it and was a little confused. "How could my worm clone be exposed?"

The The Heart-Bewitching Worm Clan has a strong ability to disguise itself and can infiltrate the souls of practitioners. The many defence systems of Yulan City are not able to detect it either. Even if one of their worm clones is discovered, the others usually remained undetected.

"It seems I need to be even more careful," the practitioner thought, staying hidden in the cave.

But before he could react-

Boom!

A blood-red beam of energy instantly pierced through the protective formation around his cave and swept through his body like a blade of pure destruction.

His eyes widened in disbelief as life drained from him.

The blood light condensed into the figure of Luo Feng, holding a young Heart-Bewitching Worm in his hand.

"These Heart-bewitching worms are very cunning... Only the young ones enters the city, while the adult ones hide outside." Luo Feng frowned.

The "Heart-Bewitching Worm Clan" and the "Soul Devouring Serpent Clan" are among the most feared enemies of practitioners due to their ability to operate undetected.

The "Void Realm Wanderer Clan" on the other hand, appeared so rarely in the Nine Rivers Holy Realm that their threat is minimal in comparison.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

Luo Feng's clone, using the Bionic Eye of Destruction, tracked the causal lines leading to the remaining Heart-Bewitching worm clones.

The practitioner hiding nearby felt his heart tremble.

"Damn it! That practitioner can track my worm clones?!"

As more clones were hunted down one after another, the other worm clones also began to panic!

"Each Heart-Bewitching Worm can only produce nineteen clones- losing even one is a big loss!"

The Heart-Bewitching Worm Clan practitioner made his decision instantly-

"Hurry up, We have to leave the city immediately!"

At a secret gathering of practitioners, two individuals exchanged glances before abruptly standing up to leave without hesitation.

"Brother Xike, why are you two leaving so soon?"

Other practitioners at the gathering also asked and looked at them curiously.

"We have some urgent matters to handle," they responded casually, attempting to leave unnoticed.

But at that very moment-

Boom!

A blood-red streak sliced through the protective array at the entrance, striking the two practitioners before they could escape. Their bodies collapsed lifelessly to the ground.

The red light condensed into Luo Feng's figure once again.

Silence filled the room.

The other practitioners also saw the Heart-Bewitching Worm in Luo Feng's hand and stared in shock at the fallen practitioners-

"Brother Xike and the other one... they were actually controlled by the Heart-Bewitching Worm?!"

"Were they planning to infiltrate and control us next?!"

The group of practitioners were terrified!

"Thank you, Senior Luo Feng!"

Most of the present practitioners at this gathering were Early-Stage Enlightened God Emperors. They had all heard of Luo Feng- the man who crushed Elder Tianhe and disregarded the Insect Nest entirely.

One woman stepped forward. "Senior Luo Feng, I am Nan Fengyu. Thank you for saving our lives!"

Luo Feng's gaze briefly fell on her- she was one of the official members in charge of the Dan Building's sales department, someone he had encountered a few times before.

He gave her a slight nod before-

Whoosh!

In an instant, he transformed into a streak of blood-red light and vanished.

Nan Fengyu was quite excited!

The gathered practitioners remained in shock.

"The Heart-Bewitching Worms are notoriously hard to track in Yulan City. Yet Senior Luo Feng is able to hunt them down!"

The practitioners present were somewhat shocked. They had been face-to-face with the worms yet they were so weak that they failed to sense their presence.

They understood one thing clearly-

Against the Heart-Bewitching secret technique of the Heart-Bewitching Worm Clan, only those with an strong spiritual will could resist.

This is why practitioners placed immense importance on spiritual will.

The stronger one's spiritual will, the greater the chance of resisting the Heart-Bewitching Worm's control.

In a secluded cave dwelling, deep within the outer district of Yulan City.

A thin practitioner sat cross-legged in the darkness... waiting.

"What's going on?"

The thin practitioner instantly connected with his companions one by one through a spiritual link.

"Our Heart-Bewitching Worm Clan has twenty-five branches in the Nine Rivers Holy Realm. We've all gathered in Yulan City for this mission- we cannot afford failure. So why has a lower-ranking member suddenly launched an attack? Which branch did he belong to?"

"They were from my branch," a voice replied.

"According to the king's orders, everything below the leaders must remain secret. I only brought my core subordinates to Yulan City, keeping them restrained. As for the mid- and lower-level clans, I simply advised them to act cautiously and gave no strict orders."

"Jiuyu! The closer we get to the critical moment, the more we must remain hidden and refrain from reckless actions."

"Small-scale attacks from mid- and lower-ranking members are common in any cultivator city. If Yulan City hadn't been attacked by hidden forces, that would be far more suspicious." A leader within the group known as jiuyin responded with a firm tone.

"Forget it!" The thin practitioner sighed and telepathically transmitted: "Everyone must remember- if any ordinary members are exposed, abandon them. Do not attempt a rescue, or you risk exposing even more of us."

"Understood!"

"Yes!"

"The king's orders are our top priority!"

The leaders of the Heart-Bewitching Worm Clan acknowledged the order one by one.

The Low-level Hunyuan lifeforms of Heart-Bewitching Worm Clan usually live in Nine Rivers Holy Realm.

In order to hunt practitioners, they had always operated in scattered branches, each controlling territory across the Thirty-Five Cities of the Nine Rivers Holy Realm.

Normally, these branches remained distant, avoiding unnecessary contact.

But this time, under the direct summons of their King, every single branch had responded. Each had dispatched at least half of its core forces, gathering in Yulan City under complete secrecy.

The thin practitioner looked up as an elderly practitioner approached.

"I got the news that a member of your Heart-Bewitching Worm Clan has taken action on his own?" the elder asked with a sharp gaze.

"It was an unauthorized action from the lower ranks." The thin practitioner replied telepathically.

The elder frowned.

"The closer we get to the decisive moment, the less room we have for mistakes. Our entire "Soul Devouring Serpent Clan" has committed over half of its forces to this mission! And each one of the 'Kings' are also ready to unite internally and externally, sparing no effort, just to completely destroy Yulan City!" The elderly practitioner transmitted his voice telepathically!

"We have invested too much- failure is not an option!"

The thin practitioner remained composed.

"This was only a minor assassination, nothing significant. Small-scale attacks are expected in Yulan City. If we completely cease activity, the three lords governing the city might grow suspicious."

The elder nodded. "Fair enough. But when exactly will the King arrive?"

The thin practitioner's eyes narrowed.

"Be ready at all times. That's all you need to know."

The elder practitioner did not press further.

*******

A red-robed practitioner stood silently, observing as a streak of blood light descended from the sky, striking a hidden cave before vanishing.

Luo Feng had just executed another Heart-Bewitching Worm clone.

Standing nearby, the red-robed cultivator remained unnoticed. Luo Feng had not sensed anything unusual about him.

"So this practitioner is Luo Feng? According to intelligence, he should rank among the top twenty powerhouses in Yulan City. But there is only one person in this city who truly matters- Palace Master Wei Yang." The red-robed man muttered to himself!

He shifted his gaze toward the city's core.

"The Lord of the Yuanxiang Hall is growing weaker- he likely won't dare to act anymore. Lord Gaitao? That one is entirely focused on refining weapons, selfish to the core. If a large-scale attack happens, he will probably flee without hesitation." the red-robed practitioner thought.

His eyes gleamed coldly. "But Lord Wei Yang... He is different. Ruthless and self-serving, yes, but he has poured too much effort into Yulan City. He sees it as his personal domain- he will not abandon it easily."

"My first target is this Palace Master Wei Yang!"

"Eliminate this Palace Master Wei Yang first!"

"Once this Palace Master Wei Yang is dead, the rest will be much easier!"

With a relaxed stride, the red-robed practitioner moved through the city's bustling streets, blending effortlessly into the crowd.

High above the city, Luo Feng floated in the sky, his multiple clones merging back into his body.

He exhaled. "I've eliminated fifteen Heart-Bewitching clones so far."

He analyzed the situation.

"These fifteen were all offspring clones... They likely originated from two different Heart-Bewitching Worms."

A smirk crossed his lips. "By eliminating these worm clones, their original hosts should now be significantly weakened."

Luo Feng is also having headache facing so many worm clones!

Just as it is difficult to completely kill the powerful beings from the Origin World.

Luo Feng now faces a similar challenge.

Suddenly-

"Buzz~~ Buzz~~"

A wave of energy fluctuations swept across the battlefield, covering the areas where Luo Feng had previously struck. Patrol teams from Yulan City swiftly arrived, launching a large-scale operation to capture any suspicious practitioners!

"As per the regulations of Yulan City- low-level Hunyuan beings lurking and attacking must be thoroughly investigated! All surrounding cave dwellings will be inspected to prevent their infiltration!"

"During the infiltration period, all known practitioners must submit to screening. Resistance will be met with immediate execution!"

A wave of confusion and unease spread among the city's practitioners, but upon hearing the patrol team's decree, they had no choice but to comply.

The patrol teams systematically detained practitioners one by one, conducting strict inspections. Most of them were confused but they dared not resist!

The entire city was now under a full-scale raid.

From a distant vantage point, Luo Feng watched the scene unfold.

"It's terrible!" he muttered.

The so-called "screening process" was just a pretext. Unless those detained bribed their way out with large sums of Hunyuan Crystals, they would likely be held indefinitely!

Nearby practitioners whispered amongst themselves-

"Who told them to associate with those lurking low-level Hunyuan lifeforms? Once they're caught up in this mess, they deserve to be squeezed dry!"

This is also normal in Yulan City. Every time a low-level Hunyuan lifeform is discovered, countless innocent practitioners would be detained and exploited.

As the patrol team swept through the city, a squad approached Luo Feng's location. Their leader, Chang Feng, respectfully saluted him.

"Many thanks, God Emperor Luo Feng! Thanks to you, we've discovered fifteen Heart-Bewitching Worm clones and saved countless practitioners!"

Just then-

"Senior Luo Feng!"

A familiar female voice called out from the crowd.

Luo Feng turned to see a captive female cultivator struggling against the guards. It was Nan Fengyu!

Chang Feng glanced at Luo Feng. "God Emperor Luo Feng, do you know her?"

Luo Feng nodded.

"She is a member of my Dan Tower. I can personally guarantee she has not been possessed."

Upon hearing this, the patrol team leader immediately ordered her release.

"With God Emperor Luo Feng's assurance, there is no issue. Let her go!"

Nan Fengyu hurriedly stepped forward, bowing deeply.

"Thank you, Senior Luo Feng!"

Luo Feng merely nodded, his expression unreadable.

His mood, however, was far from good.

Luo Feng had set out to eliminate the low-level Hunyuan lifeform known as the Heart-Bewitching Worms, yet his actions had indirectly led to tens of thousands of practitioners being detained and extorted.

"These people... It's already hard enough for ordinary practitioners to earn a living, and now they're being exploited for their meager Hunyuan Crystals."

The thought left a bitter taste in his mouth.

Without hesitation, Luo Feng sent a direct transmission to one of Yulan City's rulers-

"Lord of the Yuanxiang Hall!"

A few moments later, a response came through.

"Hahaha, Luo Feng! How did you uncover the Heart-Bewitching Worm Clan- and even destroy fifteen of its clones?"

The Yuanxiang Hall Lord's voice was filled with surprise and amusement.

But for Luo Feng, there was nothing amusing about this situation.

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END OF CHAPTER

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