After several hours of busy preparations, the entire tribe was finally ready to depart.
A long procession snaked through the valley, with Elite Lizardmen riding mounts leading the way.
In the middle was a team of ordinary Lizardmen transporting supplies, and bringing up the rear were experienced warriors. Occasionally, the cries of Lizardmen children and the sounds of livestock could be heard, but they were quickly drowned out by the adults' comforting and urging voices.
Along the way, the Lizardmen were all silent, their emotions complex. Fear of the unknown, reluctance to leave their homeland, and anticipation for the future intertwined within them.
They did not know what awaited them at the Geocentric Base, but for the survival of their tribe, they could only choose to trust Goro, and to trust that great Dominator whom they had never met.
On the other side, Zhou Qi had the Bug Clan Family release all the Ironblood Bugmen that had been parasitized from the dungeon.
Looking at the strongest parasitized Nine-Tailed Ironblood Insect Men among them, his eyes revealed curiosity and scrutiny. The Nine-Tailed Ironblood Insect Men felt Zhou Qi's gaze and respectfully lowered their heads, not daring to show the slightest negligence.
Zhou Qi spoke, asking, "First, tell me, how do the Ironblood Bugmen survive and develop in that world?"
The Nine-Tailed Ironblood Insect Men trembled slightly and replied, "Great Dominator, in our world, the insect nest is the core of our lives. We build cities around a huge insect nest, and different areas have different functions."
"Some places are factories, manufacturing various tools and weapons; some places are breeding grounds, cultivating the creatures we eat; and some places are research centers, used to explore the mysteries of various technologies and powers."
It paused, then continued, "We have created many powerful weapons. Those weapons that can fire steel-needle-like arrows are driven by energy refined from a special Ore."
"Moreover, in our world, different Ironblood Bugmen have different divisions of labor. Those with more tails, like me, are usually responsible for combat and leadership, while those with fewer tails perform some basic tasks, such as gathering resources and caring for larvae."
Zhou Qi frowned slightly and continued to ask, "Then how did you discover this spatial passage, and why did you come here through it?"
The Nine-Tailed Ironblood Insect Men hesitated for a moment and said, "Great Dominator, this spatial passage was accidentally discovered by our clansmen in our world during an experiment. They found that this passage connected different worlds, so they began to study it."
"Later, our leaders believed that through this passage, we could expand our living space and obtain more resources, so they dispatched a portion of our clansmen to come here through the passage. We originally thought it would be easy to conquer here, but we didn't expect to encounter you and your powerful Family."
After a moment of thought, Zhou Qi said to the Nine-Tailed Ironblood Insect Men, "How do you reproduce? Why do you have such a large number?" Zhou Qi was very curious about the Ironblood Bugmen's continuous explosive growth in numbers.
The Nine-Tailed Ironblood Insect Men nodded repeatedly and said, "Great Dominator, we were originally reproduced by the Ironblood Queen. Those reproduced by the Ironblood Queen are called the First Generation Ironblood Bugmen."
"The First Generation can also mate and reproduce with each other, and the reproduction cycle is very fast, about every few months, producing more than a dozen offspring at a time. Therefore, our demand for territory and resources is enormous. Currently, the world we are in has been completely occupied by the Ironblood Bugmen."
......
Zhou Qi nodded, gaining a clearer understanding of the Ironblood Bugmen's world. Only now did he realize how troublesome these Ironblood Bugmen were; he was facing an Ironblood Bugman civilization that had integrated the power of an entire world!
If it weren't for the fact that they would fall into a state of weakness when teleporting through the spatial passage, his current Bug Clan Family would really not be able to take them down.
However, Zhou Qi felt no fear internally; instead, he was attracted by the 'Ironblood Queen' that was mentioned. This Ironblood Queen was probably a more powerful queen-level life form than the Army Ant Queen, and the First Generation Family she reproduced could even reproduce with each other. This alone showed her advanced nature, and she had even unified an entire world with her original body.
Zhou Qi couldn't help but feel tempted and immediately decided to send ten thousand Eighth-Order Four Fiends Insect Soldiers and five hundred Eighth-Order Spiked Horned Tyrant Bugs to the insect nest to strengthen the Bug Clan Family's defenses within the insect nest.
After all, currently, there were only twenty Sixth-Order Spiritmorph Demons and several thousand Sixth-Order Spiked Horned Tyrant Bugs inside the insect nest. At present, the Spiritmorph Demons were taking down the weakened Ironblood Bugmen that teleported over one by one, and then the Spiked Horned Tyrant Bugs would capture them.
This was too much trouble, so Zhou Qi decided to grant spatial teleportation permission to one of the elite Four Fiends Insect Soldiers among the Bug Clan Family sent as reinforcement.
It could travel back and forth to the White Snake Mountain Underground Base daily to directly bring the Mind Control Demon Bug to the insect nest, where they could parasitize these newly emerged Ironblood Bugmen on the spot, saving the trouble of injuring them first and then bringing them to the Geocentric Base for parasitization.
Zhou Qi arrived at the White Snake Mountain Underground Base without stopping. The Twelfth-Order Army Ant Queen was quietly coiled in the center of the base. Its massive body was like a small mountain, radiating a powerful biological Qi field. Around it, the Bug Clan Family members, like busy Army Ants, performed their respective duties, moving through the area in an orderly fashion.
Zhou Qi stood before the Army Ant Queen and transmitted instructions to her through a mental link, his tone carrying an unquestionable resolve: "Reproduce ten thousand Eighth-Order Four Fiends Insect Soldiers and five hundred Eighth-Order Zhu Yan Demon Insects as quickly as possible!"
The Twelfth-Order Army Ant Queen understood Zhou Qi's command, and her enormous abdomen began to wriggle rapidly, emitting a low hum.
Under the effects of the Super Body Reproduction and Rapid Growth talents, large insect eggs were rapidly born.
These insect eggs were several times larger than ordinary cocoons, their surfaces shimmering with a mysterious luster. In a short while, the insect eggs burst open, and one by one, Eighth-Order Four Fiends Insect Soldiers and Eighth-Order Zhu Yan Demon Insects emerged from their shells.
The Eighth-Order Four Fiends Insect Soldiers were larger than a small calf, their bodies exuding a dense, almost materialized black Evil Qi. Their four pairs of jointed legs were thick and powerful, glinting with a cold metallic luster.
As soon as they were born, they instinctively let out low, intimidating hisses, their sounds echoing through the Underground Base.
The Eighth-Order Zhu Yan Demon Insects spread their huge wings, which were two meters long. The veins on their wings were clearly visible, shimmering with an eerie light.
Their compound eyes glowed with a blood-red light, revealing strong aggression and a desire for battle. Each Zhu Yan Demon Insect was like a meticulously crafted killing machine, always ready to plunge into combat.
