Astral Cockroach

Spring is always a busy season, but with the multitude of bamboo varieties cultivated on Reed Bamboo Peak, it was exceptionally hectic. Only by early March did I find a moment of respite.

Soon, the seedlings in the nursery would grow, and I would be busy selecting and transplanting them.

Taking advantage of this brief lull, Banbu hastened to undergo a molting evolution.

As an L8 Advanced Warrior, my body surged in size, reaching nearly 3 meters in length and exceeding 1 meter in width. While I gained immense strength and formidable frontal combat abilities, my massive frame lost some of its former agility, making delicate tasks particularly challenging.

The tips of my forelegs extended beyond 10 centimeters, sharp and pointed. I had to handle seed grains with utmost care, lest I fail to grasp them securely or crush them with excessive force.

My wing veins, six leg tibiae, head carapace, and dorsal carapace sprouted numerous fine barbs.

With the extensive consumption of Purple Gold Bamboo Rice and Tallowfruit, genes related to metal abilities began to manifest. A metallic sheen appeared on the matte black carapace, a precursor to awakening metal abilities.

Humans have conducted in-depth research on elemental abilities. With my wealth of knowledge and experience, I was one hundred percent certain that the metal ability I would awaken upon advancing to Mountain Lord was "Metal Enhancement," just like Big Bear.

…

Advancing from L7 to L8 Advanced Warrior in just one year was too hasty. Even after consuming various high-quality Origin Power foods to strengthen my basic physique, I still felt somewhat uncomfortable.

My physical energy was nearly depleted, my mind felt slightly muddled, my spirit was weary and weak, and my six legs felt somewhat feeble.

"Duzhu!" Banbu called out.

There was no response.

I had arranged for Duzhu to stay outside the cave and guard before I went to sleep. Was this fellow off playing again?

To dare neglect his duties like this, it seems he hasn't been beaten enough!

"Hongmi!"

Banbu called out. Unsurprisingly, Duzhu was gone, and Hongmi, the little rascal, had definitely run off with him.

"Datou?" Banbu continued to call.

Datou was also absent.

I'm molting and growing, which is very dangerous, you know? What if something disturbs me? Why isn't anyone here to protect me?

Banbu turned around to search.

The cave had been cleaned out, and all that remained were valuable goods such as Origin Stones, Origin Power food, Rain Bamboo, and Emerald Bamboo seeds.

The cave was too large and not suitable for further expansion, so all the dried meat inside had been cleared out by Datou, and a dry storage room had been created 10 meters away – an ant nest with an entrance diameter of only 20 centimeters and a hollow interior.

Several Datou soldier ants guarded the entrance. They possessed a bit of intelligence, recognized the members of the mountain, and were even more familiar with Banbu, greeting him warmly by waving their antennae.

"Bring me a piece of dried meat," Banbu instructed, feeling very weak and in need of food.

The Datou soldier ants guarding the warehouse understood a little, waving their antennae to issue commands. The surrounding ordinary worker ants immediately busied themselves, burrowing into the warehouse and dragging out strips of dried meat.

With food in his belly, his muddled brain felt somewhat better, and after resting for a while, his weary spirit also eased.

Something's not right!

The atmosphere on Reed Bamboo Peak felt a bit strange!

His mental power swept across the mountain, discovering that the three Mountain Lords, Huangwen, were not in their usual cave dwellings.

His mental power then sensed downwards, but there was no Origin Power fluctuation from Fengling. She was not within her territory either.

The ant colony still appeared calm, so it didn't seem like a battle had broken out.

Banbu quickened his eating pace, filling his stomach, flapping his wings, and ascending into the air, looking down from above.

In one glance, he saw a large number of warriors gathered near the Blood Thorn thicket on the south side of the mountain.

That location… Tallow Tea?

Banbu immediately thought of that stubborn Leopard Cat Warrior who had disappeared for nearly half a year.

She was fighting two Clouded Leopard Warriors.

She wasn't dead yet!

That must mean she was seriously injured again…

Could it be that she wouldn't survive this time?

Banbu's mind raced, various thoughts emerging, his heart filled with worry, and he accelerated his descent, landing down the mountain.

"Mountain Lord Huangwen, what happened?"

"Eh? Banbu, you're awake?"

Huangwen, who was watching the thicket with great interest, didn't react for a moment, stunned. He waved his antennae, pointing at the thicket, and said, "Banbu, take a look."

Duzhu rushed forward, extending his forelegs, pointing at the thicket, and excitedly shouted, "Banbu, look! Look! Little Warrior!"

Banbu scanned with his divine sense and immediately "saw" the specific situation clearly.

Tallow Tea had indeed returned, but strangely, she was not injured this time. For some reason, she was skin and bones, in very poor condition, but she seemed to be in a good mood, leisurely lying in the Blood Thorn thicket.

A small Reddish Brown Cockroach Warrior stood on her body, crawling back and forth.

Hongmi, the smallest of them all, squeezed into the thicket with great difficulty, clumsily using his forelegs to try to catch the small Reddish Brown Cockroach Warrior. The other foreleg was also pinching a Cypress seed, attempting to lure it with Origin Power food.

"Little one, come over here, come to me."

"I am an elder of your race, come quickly."

"This is Origin Power food, it's delicious. If you eat it, you can grow?"

…

The small Reddish Brown Cockroach Warrior completely ignored Hongmi, didn't even look at the Cypress seed, crawling back and forth on Tallow Tea's body, dodging capture, and constantly waving its antennae, releasing angry emotions towards Hongmi.

Banbu found it very strange: Was this little warrior stupid? Why was it clinging to a Leopard Cat Warrior? Could it be that it regarded Tallow Tea as a direct elder?

That made no sense!

Inherited memories were engraved in genes, and there would never be such a significant error as mistaking a species.

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Banbu watched for a while, unable to figure out what was going on.

Looking around, the other warriors were the same, clicking their tongues in amazement and enjoying themselves.

The days of farming were actually quite boring, and this kind of thing was fun to watch.

Banbu shouted, "Hongmi, stop catching it, come out!"

"Banbu, Little Warrior!" Hongmi was unwilling.

Banbu scolded, "Come out! Look at you, clumsy, don't hurt it."

"I'm afraid of hurting it, that's why I'm clumsy," Hongmi said, emerging from the Blood Thorn thicket, somewhat indignant, "This little fellow is too stupid, it doesn't even recognize warriors of the same race."

Banbu ignored Hongmi and continued to ask, "Tallow Tea, where did the little warrior come from?"

Tallow Tea flicked her tail, pointing towards the southwest direction of Jinping Mountains, and said, "I found it in the jungle when I came back, and brought it here along the way."

In the past two years, the number of ordinary small cockroaches on Reed Bamboo Peak had exploded, and they began to scatter into the jungle. The vast majority would be preyed upon by natural enemies, and only a small portion could survive. To think that this could give birth to a small warrior, and it was even picked up by Tallow Tea, this time we must thank the blessing of the God of Nature.

Tallow Tea didn't care about this little warrior at all, seeming to even dislike it a bit. She rolled over and stood up, shook her body, and the brown-red spotted round fruit that was pressed under her body shot towards Banbu.

Banbu waved his antennae, knocking the fruit to the ground, lowered his head to check, and then his expression tightened: A very weak Origin Power fluctuation! God-given seed! Tallow Tea Fruit!

The little warrior who had been clinging to Tallow Tea was overjoyed, and in a puff of smoke, darted out of the Blood Thorn thicket, rushing towards the Tallow Tea Fruit that had fallen to the ground.

So it wasn't stupid.

It recognized the God-given seed? You're quite clever! No wonder it kept clinging to Tallow Tea and refused to leave.

"God-given seed! Tallow Tea Fruit!"

"Tallow Tea Fruit God-given seed!"

…

The onlookers recognized it and reacted one after another, exclaiming in succession.

Banbu touched his antennae, stopping the little warrior who was pouncing on the Tallow Tea Fruit, extended his forelegs, controlled his strength, picked up the fruit, peeled open the brown-red outer shell, and inside was a slightly reddish spherical seed.

The little warrior was unwilling, quickly climbing along Banbu's antennae, climbing all the way to Banbu's head, desperately waving its antennae, conveying anxious, eager, and frantic pheromones.

This little fellow was very active!

How old are you? Less than 5 centimeters.

The Tallow Tea Fruit was about 2 centimeters in diameter.

If I gave it to you, could you swallow it?

Banbu didn't hesitate, spitting out a Rain Bamboo seed that had just finished gestating, swallowed the Tallow Tea Fruit God-given seed, and incorporated it into his life sac.

Seeing Banbu swallow the fruit, Tallow Tea slowly lay down in the Blood Thorn thicket, waved her tail, and said, "Banbu, I found this fruit, you help me plant it."

PS: On the 16th, 17th, and 18th of this month, I will take the train back to my hometown to attend a relative's wedding banquet, delaying 3 days. I must use the saved drafts to cover it. Therefore, I won't be able to post 10 chapters tomorrow.