Chapter 351: The Intelligence Eater
The Rock King told Hai Zhe.
The Abyss Fifth Layer was vast and chaotic. Aside from the Demigods and monster lords who carved out their own territories, some infiltrating Curse Insects also roamed within.
The Intelligent Insect was one of them.
Despite being a Curse Insect, the Intelligent Insect enjoyed interacting with Demigods. It was a rare practitioner of Order among the Curse Insects. It would even fight other Curse Insects alongside Demigods, as long as the price was right.
However, it had a peculiar hobby.
It liked to gnaw on brains.
The Intelligent Insect’s craving for Wisdom was bone-deep. It was like the scholar and coexistence advocate of the Curse Insects, always dedicated to collecting the Wisdom of other life forms and integrating it into itself, unconcerned with coexisting with other Demigods.
The higher a Demigod’s intelligence, the more the Intelligent Insect liked them.
Ultimately, everything it did was to increase its own intelligence faster. The Intelligent Insect’s ability was to collect the Wisdom of other living species and use it to improve itself.
Its craving for Wisdom even overrode its instinct for Hunting and collecting the Fire of Faith.
“As long as you feed it brains, it will take action.”
The Mountain Golem said, “The Intelligent Insect is just that strange.”
A question mark appeared over Hai Zhe’s head. “Are you saying the two Demigods that attacked the Four-Direction Kingdom had their brains eaten by the Intelligent Insect?”
“Definitely.”
The Rock King was certain. “They usually run rampant on the Fifth Layer. I don’t know why both of them rushed to the Fourth Layer this time. Normal Demigods come to the Four-Direction Kingdom to find troops, resupply their armies, or make some trades.”
“You mean the Intelligent Insect attacked the two Demigods and ate their brains, but didn’t Devour them?” A second question mark popped up over Hai Zhe’s head.
“The Intelligent Insect only eats Demigod brains.”
The Rock King stated, “It’s a very picky Curse Insect. But since I don’t have a brain, it’s very safe here. The Intelligent Insect poses no threat to the Four-Direction Kingdom. This is my advantage.”
A smiley face appeared over its head, looking very proud.
Hai Zhe: “…”
Luh Yao rubbed his face with both hands.
The Rock King was once one of the valiant Gods who fought countless campaigns, but now the Dark God had reduced him to this state… ‘Dark God, you’ve done it again, committing all sorts of evil!’
After this attack came to an end, the Sinful Corps officially stationed themselves on the Eastern Route of the Four-Direction Kingdom. The Rock King also leased the kingdom’s graveyard to Hai Zhe. With a large supply of corpses, the replenishment and creation speed of the Clay Corpse Demon Soldiers increased further, and they arrived at the front lines from the rear one by one.
The Corpse Demon losses from the Godslayer battle were effectively replenished, maintaining a force of 300.
In addition, two Corpse Hunters in the rear used the remains of the Sub-Dragon Demi-God to create a special monster.
From Luh Yao’s perspective, this behemoth looked a bit like a zombie mech from Plants vs. Zombies.
It was missing the top half of its skull and couldn’t move on its own. Someone had to sit inside its head and act as a Ghoul brain to command its movements.
Commander Hai Zhe took on the role of its brain.
…
[Brainless Ghoul Prince LV63]Wai Bi
Life Value: 5690/5690
Mana Value: 833/833
Damage: 102
Defense: 140
Speed: 15
[Decaying Food]
[Blood and Flesh Refining]
[Nobles]
[Self-Destruction LV10]
[Brainless]
Lacks innate Wisdom and requires an external brain to be able to move.
…
The Ghoul Prince reminded Luh Yao of Withered Count Selti.
Both were part of the Ghoul lineage, and Selti and Wai Bi were similar in many abilities and Traits. Both were Nobles, but Wai Bi’s rank of Prince should be higher. It also retained the traditional art of Self-Destruction.
The Brainless Trait, however, left Luh Yao speechless. Still, it was sufficient as a Ghoul Mecha.
If there was a flaw, it was that Wai Bi couldn’t be converted into a Clay Corpse Demon. The remains of a Demigod had a strong Deterrence effect on the Clay Race, preventing them from fusing with it in a balanced way.
Hai Zhe sat inside Wai Bi’s head, reviewing the Sinful Corps’ training and construction. He had the artillerymen drive their gun carriages and practice coordinating with the Corpse Demon Soldiers.
The temporary camp on the Eastern Route was continuously fortified and expanded, gradually turning into a fortress outside the Four-Direction Kingdom.
One day, a Messenger Bird arrived with an urgent report.
“The mad Demigods from before have appeared again! Requesting General Hai’s support!”
Hai Zhe quickly rallied his men and rushed to the front.
Luh Yao also moved his mouse, his view shifting to the Western Route on the other side of the Four-Direction Kingdom.
Soldiers were already deployed there. They were numerous, and their opponents were only two, yet fearful expressions appeared over each soldier’s head.
The newcomers were a pair, one large and one small.
The large one was a four-armed Silver Statue. It had four round, bulging eyes on its face and a mouth full of fangs. The Silver Statue was humanoid, floated above the ground, and had a ring of red, fluorescent runes shimmering behind it.
The small one was an upright little animal. It had round eyes, a small mouth, short, thick limbs, and a round, plump body with yellow and white stripes, looking like a little red panda carrying a backpack.
“Long time no see, master of this city. I am Intelligent Insect Xiaozhi. I’ve come especially to apologize.”
The little red panda bowed to the towering Rock King before it.
It tugged the rope in its hand, the other end of which was tied around the neck of the Silver Statue next to it. “This is my Hound, Silver Yaksha Silver Divination. It doesn’t hurt people, so please don’t worry.”
Luh Yao clicked on the little red panda, and a data panel appeared on the screen.
…
[Curse Insect LV93]Intelligent Insect · Xiaozhi
Life Value: 65233/65233
Mana Value: 4199/14501
Damage: 187
Defense: 183
Speed: 18
[Wisdom LV15]
[Intelligence Eating]
Increases its own intelligence by hunting and eating the [Wisdom] of other life forms.
[Enslavement Suppression LV3]
Can enslave and control individuals without [Wisdom]. The effect and number of suppressed individuals are related to this level (1/3).
[Intelligence Mystery LV15]
Awakens intelligence to control instincts and change its way of life.
[Life Mystery LV40]
[Curse Insect]
…
[Divine Format]: None.
[Divinity]: As lowly as an ant (89773).
[Divine Body]: Gods Tier.
…
‘So it’s a pet-class build.’
Luh Yao carefully read through the related ability descriptions and formed a basic understanding.
The Intelligent Insect’s core skill was actually [Intelligence Eating]. By continuously increasing its Wisdom Level, it could then enslave Demigods that had lost their Wisdom.
The reason the Rock King wasn’t afraid was due to his [Magic Insulator] Trait.
Intelligence Mystery distinguished the Intelligent Insect from other Curse Insects. It could suppress its physiological desires, using its self-awareness to override instinct. From this perspective, it had already taken the first step in evolving from an insect to a sapient being.
Luh Yao then looked at the Silver Yaksha next to it.
…
[Silver Yaksha LV98]Silver Divination
Life Value: 88140/88140
Mana Value: 2992/5080
Damage: 232
Defense: 131
Speed: 18
[Yaksha]
The Yaksha Race is naturally swift and robust, possessing both speed and strength.
[Silver Radiance Treasure LV15]
Possesses a tempered and strengthened Silver Body. Can release Silver Qi to inflict wide-area damage on enemies.
[Potential Power LV5]
Increases damage by continuously building up power. Remains in a state of Stiffness, unable to move, while charging. Upon release, deals damage within the attack range. The charging effect is related to this ability’s level and the number of charge stacks.
[Divine Format]
…
[Divine Format]: None
[Divinity]: On the verge of collapse (0).
[Divine Body]: Gods Tier
…
Judging by its Attributes panel, the Silver Yaksha was already a top-tier fighter.
Luh Yao shifted his gaze back to the little red panda, observing its every move.
“Here’s what happened… I was attacked on the Fifth Layer. This enemy caused me a lot of trouble, especially since it was constantly coveting my Hounds, wanting to steal and eat them.”
A sighing emoji appeared over Xiaozhi’s head. “In the end, the enemy used a trick. It used a Secret Technique to lure away my Sub-Dragon Basin, causing it to lose control and run amok.”
“So, I ordered Silver Divination to chase after it.”
“But while Silver Divination was lured away, the enemy took the opportunity to snatch and eat the Three-Headed Naga I had just tamed… Violence and Chaos are ever-present on the Fifth Layer. It’s full of robbers and thieves. It’s infuriating.”
The Intelligent Insect suddenly turned its head to look at the Sinful Corps, which had just arrived.
“According to Silver Divination, you are the group of warriors who killed Basin, is that correct?”
Mountain Golem Rock King immediately declared, “They are friends of the Four-Direction Kingdom, and its allies.”
Hai Zhe said, “That’s right. Is there a problem?”
“Please, don’t mind that. A pet like Basin is no big deal… What I wanted to ask was, would you be interested in cooperating with me to go Hunting a Curse Insect?”
“Not interested.”
The Intelligent Insect spoke again. “Then, what if I wanted to hire you? Whatever price the Four-Direction Kingdom is paying, I think I can double it.”
Hai Zhe stated, “You can’t afford it.”
A smiling emoji lit up over the Intelligent Insect’s head. “We can take our time and talk. Everything is negotiable.”