Such lofty, indifferent aloofness was like a dragon soaring through the Nine Heavens looking down upon ants, as if a casual puff of hot breath could annihilate this human youth before it a thousand times over.
Ye Chen looked at it calmly, meeting its gaze. He appeared ordinary and plain, yet his eyes were unfathomably deep, within them roiled a boundless Chaos Sea capable of evolving all phenomena of the myriad heavens, scenes of world creation and destruction so terrifying they could make even ancient Great Sages tremble.
Abenue's eyes flickered, her coldness quickly dissolving, soon replaced by calmness and then reverence. A gentle voice emerged: "Abenue pays her respects to the Master!"
Ye Chen nodded slightly. If Abenue rebelled, he wouldn't mind killing her directly. For any living being that betrayed him, no matter how much potential for growth it possessed, he would not care; he could kill it outright.
Abenue seemed to sense the sharp, fleeting killing intent from Ye Chen. Her massive, colossal body coiled slightly as she lowered her head respectfully. "What are your commands, Master?"
"Can you control these Insect Warriors?" Ye Chen's gaze swept towards the vast, overwhelming sea of Insect Warriors in the distant Star Sky.
"In reply to Master, I can!"
Simultaneously, Abenue let out a long, piercing cry, her voice carrying the dense majesty of a Mother Queen and an imposing, lofty pressure. The massive horde of Insect Warriors that had been rampaging throughout the Star Sky suddenly halted—more than half of them—and began charging towards Ye Chen's location, clearly now under Abenue's control.
This was astonishing. The Insect Warriors spread across the Star Sky numbered far beyond mere thousands; saying there were hundreds of thousands was no exaggeration. Among them were no less than several hundred Heavenly King-level Insect Warriors—the most terrifying soldiers, feeling no pain, no fear, attacking fearlessly under the Mother Queen's command.
Even among the numerous Ancient Path Talents, several dozen had already fallen under the assault. One must remember that those who could reach the 39th checkpoint were the elite among elites of the Ancient Path Talents. Yet dozens had been slain, enough to demonstrate the horror of this insect swarm tactic. Now, over half were controlled—unbelievable.
One by one, the Ancient Path Talents felt their hearts tremble with awe and fear. The Battle Saint King was terrifying enough, yet the Insect Race Mother Queen under his command was equally formidable, capable of controlling so many Insect Warriors, including over a hundred Insect Race Heavenly King Warriors. This was an excessively powerful force, one that even Heaven's Pride at the Great Power level would view with caution.
However, from the eighteen Star Nests, a series of long, piercing cries rang out, vast and mighty, propagating through the Star Sky. They came from the other Insect Race Mother Queens, all crying out to summon back these controlled Insect Warriors.
In an instant, those Insect Warriors originally controlled by Abenue showed signs of confusion.
Abenue issued her own series of piercing cries, releasing the Dragon Origin power within her body. Her majesty surpassed that of the Mother Queens within the Star Nests. The confused Insect Warriors immediately charged towards Abenue, willingly submitting, forming layer upon layer of encirclement around Ye Chen and his group, becoming their most loyal warriors.
"Seeking death! How dare you steal this one's Insect Warriors!"
From one of the Star Nests, a terrifying roar erupted. A figure manifested—an Insect Race Mother Queen—wielding an Immortal Ancient Weapon as it launched a direct attack towards Abenue.
However, before Abenue could act, the Nine-headed Great Serpent spewed nine beams of Great Dao light to intercept the attack.
Naturally, from the other seventeen Star Nests, powerful figures emerged one after another—all Great Powers, formidable beings. Some took human form, others were primordial exotic beasts or other living beings, but without exception, they were all Great Power-level entities.
This raised suspicions. Were these the true bodies of the Insect Race Mother Queens?
Yet Ye Chen stated, "These Insect Race Mother Queens are very cunning. Their true bodies remain hidden within the Star Nests, not emerging. They use the fleshly bodies of slain Great Power-level beings to appear, their divine senses inhabiting them."
Who was he? He saw through it at a glance. Yet one had to admit that the eighteen Insect Race Mother Queens, controlling Great Power-level fleshly bodies, were no different from true Great Powers, posing a significant threat to the numerous Ancient Path Talents.
"Originally, we only intended to use these Insect Warriors to hinder you all, making the trial not too difficult. But we never expected an Insect Race Mother Queen from another universe to arrive, even attempting to seize our Insect Warriors. This is simply suicidal behavior, enraging us all. Now we shall change our decision. We will all emerge together. Let's see how many of you can truly pass."
The eighteen Great Powers stood tall in the Star Sky, emanating boundless, mighty Great Dao auras that swept across the cosmos. They gazed towards Abenue's direction, their voices icy and sinister, resounding through the vast Star Sky, causing everyone's expressions to change.
Clearly, this would increase the difficulty of the Star Sky trial manyfold.
The eighteen Insect Race Mother Queens primarily targeted Abenue, as she posed the greatest threat to them, capable of seizing their Insect Warriors for her own use. She needed to be utterly eliminated; otherwise, reclaiming the lost Insect Warriors would be difficult.
The other Ancient Path Talents naturally kept their distance, unwilling to provoke trouble, content to watch from the sidelines.
The Nine-headed Great Serpent's nine heads spewed nine beams of Great Power light, immensely powerful, actually managing to block three of the Great Power-level figures. After all, these figures were merely fleshly bodies occupied by Insect Race Mother Queens, not flawless, complete true Great Powers. Moreover, the serpent itself was sufficiently powerful, being an exotic beast king.
Abenue also confronted one Great Power-level figure.
Ye Chen asked, "Abenue, can you advance by devouring other Insect Race Mother Queens?"
Abenue was momentarily stunned, then quickly understood, nodding urgently. "As long as I devour other Insect Race Mother Queens, I can advance and elevate more quickly."
The Insect Race was a unique species. They could cultivate step by step, but they could also continuously devour to advance rapidly.
"Good. In that case, I shall act for you, slaying all the Insect Race Mother Queens to provide you with sufficient source for advancement."
Ye Chen spoke lightly, as if stating an ordinary matter. Yet the moment his words fell, they exploded like thunder across this star sector, leaving everyone dumbfounded.
What!?
The Battle Saint King intended to kill all the Insect Race Mother Queens to provide for his subordinate Abenue's advancement? Was he mad?
Boom—
The entire Star Sky trembled violently, rumbling with intense vibrations.
Ye Chen shot forth like a meteor, charging forward alone to face the remaining fourteen Great Power-level figures.
"Brat, you have quite the nerve! A mere first-level Great Power dares to provoke us? Seeking death!"
One of the Great Power-level figures roared, charging to kill Ye Chen.
Boom—
A lightning-fast collision, yet blood light soon erupted. The Great Power-level figure controlled by the Insect Race Mother Queen was torn in two as Ye Chen flashed past.
Instant kill!