Astral Cockroach

Banbu lay prone at the bottom of the well, waiting. Half a day passed, and he faintly heard Baizhu's terrified cries: "Banbu! Banbu… …"

Then he heard the Rat King's curses: "Idiot! Climb faster!"

Knowing that both of them were safe and sound, Banbu was relieved, but also puzzled: What was happening underground that could scare the usually carefree Baizhu so badly?

Banbu stirred his divine sense and asked, "What's going on?"

"Divine power! The power of the insect race gods you told me about!" Baizhu frantically climbed upwards, shouting in terror, "Divine power! Blackness where you can't see anything… …"

The Rat King was relatively calm, explaining, "Deep underground is an empty space with the power of the gods, similar to a psychedelic maze, an endless blackness that will cause you to get lost if you enter it."

Baizhu's head emerged from the crack, his mouth half-open, still frightened, "I almost couldn't climb out… … Freezing… … Lost all sensation… …"

"Idiot, move faster!"

From behind, the Rat King exerted force and pushed Baizhu out of the crack.

Banbu scanned with his mental power, checking Baizhu's condition. His fur was dull, his body cold, and he was shivering. It wasn't just excessive fright, but another kind of injury; he had almost lost his life.

The Rat King followed, extending a paw and examining it before his eyes, saying, "It must be the divine ability left behind by the gods, a water element ability, similar to a psychedelic maze, but different… … A deadly corrosive force. The gods don't want us to pry into the secrets deep underground."

Banbu asked, "What happened to Baizhu?"

"I… …" Baizhu said, "We were climbing down, and I saw blackness ahead. I tentatively went down, planning to take a look… … As soon as I entered the area… … I felt… … nothing… …"

The Rat King said, "He got lost inside. I used sound waves by grinding my teeth to call him back. Another second, and he would have certainly died."

"Forget it, let's go back up first."

After climbing out of the crack, Baizhu was completely paralyzed, his limbs trembling, half-dead, unable to even stand.

Banbu put him in a silk bag and dragged him out of the deep well.

After eating some origin power food, Baizhu's condition improved slightly, and his life was probably no longer in danger.

Banbu then had Dongzhu drag him into the cave to rest.

"Rat King, you said it was a black mist similar to a psychedelic maze?"

"Similar… … It has a viscous, watery feel. Falling into it is like drowning… … Even more terrifying! I tried it with my paw, and it is indeed a mist, ice-cold with no temperature, and intensely corrosive."

"Banbu, look closely. My paws and fur are a bit duller. This is from being injured. Baizhu is the same. He was inside for about 17 seconds, and his injuries are very serious."

"I understand. Rat King, you should rest too." Banbu instructed, "Dongzhu, go get some food for the Rat King and Baizhu."

"Okay." Dongzhu agreed and flew away.

This continent didn't have bamboo, but near the riverbank, there was plenty of thatch. Thatch stalks were the bamboo rat's favorite delicacy.

Dongzhu brought back a few bundles and, along the way, hunted a black water python to bring back.

Origin power creatures had strong vitality. After eating and drinking their fill, and resting for a while, Baizhu was fully recovered.

Late at night.

Banbu lay resting beneath the wedge thorn god-bestowed seed.

Baizhu silently crept up the cliff, on all fours, tiptoeing, sneaking closer.

"Baizhu." Banbu found it both funny and annoying, and called out.

"Banbu… …" Baizhu glanced at Dongzhu lying not far from Banbu, trotted closer, turned his back to Dongzhu, and winked frantically at Banbu, hinting wildly.

"… …" Banbu said, "Dongzhu was born in the Snow Pear territory, and is considered a direct descendant of the Lizhu Peak. He's not an outsider. If you have something to say, just say it directly."

"Oh!" Baizhu shook his head, saying, "It's nothing! Nothing, nothing… … Banbu, I just came up to chat with you, just a casual chat. Or, would you like to start?"

Banbu waved his antennae and instructed, "Dongzhu, go hunt some food to bring back for tomorrow morning."

"Okay." Dongzhu agreed. He wasn't stupid and could tell that Baizhu had something important to say that he didn't want him to hear. He glared at Baizhu, flicked his antennae, and flew away.

Banbu asked, "Baizhu, what is it? Speak."

"Banbu, I have an important discovery." Baizhu turned his head, glanced in the direction of the cliff, confirmed that the Rat King hadn't noticed, and lowered his divine sense, asking, "Banbu, I heard Baba say that the 'Soul Capture Secret Technique' you taught us has a total of nine levels? You only know the first three?"

"Mm." Banbu's heart stirred, and he became serious. Baba must have been full and bored, teasing Baizhu, and inadvertently told him such an important secret.

Baizhu came to life, shaking his head and analyzing logically, "Baba came from beyond the sky, created by an evil race called 'Humans.' Why does Baba know the complete 'Soul Capture Secret Technique,' while you only know the first three levels? That means that this secret technique… …"

Banbu violently lashed out with his antennae, striking Baizhu's forehead, rudely interrupting his analysis, and shouted, "Get to the point."

Noticing that Banbu was truly angry, Baizhu didn't dare to continue being clever. He spoke quickly, saying, "The Rat King and I followed the crack, climbing down for a very long distance. Probably, when we were almost at the end, suddenly, there was pitch blackness ahead, and we couldn't see anything… …"

Baizhu paused for two seconds, organizing his words, and then continued, "Longzhu's heavy-eyed god-bestowed seed is still useful, enhancing eyesight. Seeing in the dark is almost no different from daylight. At the time, I was curious and sped up to check it out, and accidentally went inside."

"The black mist divine power is too powerful! When I entered it, in an instant, my soul consciousness was suppressed, and terrifying power corroded my body… … The most deadly thing was… … a hard-to-describe feeling, like drowning, very heavy, my soul seemed to be squeezed, and I couldn't tell up from down… …"

Baizhu then extended his left arm to demonstrate, tilting it at a 70-degree angle, and said, "At the time, the slope of the crack was tilted at this angle, but I couldn't even feel gravity, and I couldn't even distinguish up from down."

Banbu said again, "Get to the point."

Baizhu said, "That black mist was 'very heavy,' the key was the soul, as if it was being squeezed and imprisoned, so I lost my perception of the outside world. Fortunately, I was clever and subconsciously used the Soul Capture Secret Technique, and that feeling of the soul being squeezed and imprisoned immediately subsided a lot."

Baizhu disdainfully said, "That idiot Rat King, I lied to him, saying that it was the sound signal he released that awakened me, and he actually believed it, haha… … In reality, it was me who regained a bit of consciousness and distinguished up from down through gravity, and climbed out along the slope myself."

After finishing his experience, Baizhu continued to analyze, saying, "Banbu, I've carefully thought it over, that black mist underground is definitely the use of a higher level of the 'Soul Capture Secret Technique.'"

"But, the 'Soul Capture Secret Technique' was created by a race called 'Humans' from beyond the sky, doesn't that mean that the black mist is a divine power cast by 'Human Gods'?"

"Why are there traces of 'Human Gods' divine power deep underground on the planet where we live? Aren't the insect race gods taking care of it?"

"Also, the canyon is overflowing with origin power, but it's actually leaking out through the black mist. Deep inside, is there some 'Human' treasure hidden?"

"I have another guess, Banbu, do you think that the planet we live on might have been snatched from that tribe called 'Humans' by the insect race gods? I heard Baba say that the spaceship she was riding in that could fly outside the sky was suspected of being ambushed and destroyed by the insect race gods."

"Eh!" Banbu was astonished, and slapped Baizhu's head with his antennae, asking, "When did your mushy brain become so clever? Or did you accidentally get enlightened from being so frightened?"

"Hehe!" Baizhu protected his head with his paws, proudly saying, "I've always been this smart."

"The gods are a taboo, you idiot, don't mention them so easily." Banbu suddenly became stern, warning, "Don't be full and bored all day, thinking wildly, and even more, don't go around talking about it."

"I understand." Baizhu innocently said, "Otherwise, why would I avoid that little guy Dongzhu."

Banbu tapped his antennae and fell into thought.

Baizhu waited for a while and asked, "Banbu, are we going to continue digging that deep well?"

Banbu shook his antennae, then gently nodded.