The world has turned into Hell's Game, why should I stay human?
Chapter 421 - 358 The Cricket Clan Will Produce Another Genius_2

Chapter 421: Chapter 358 The Cricket Clan Will Produce Another Genius_2

Moreover, this numbing sensation was far from pleasant; he would even prefer if the opponent simply slashed him with a knife.

"If I just outlast it, will that count as passing the test?"

Liu Zheng asked tentatively.

"Then I’ll keep releasing crickets. If you have the skills, outlast them all, and then I’ll take over personally,"

the old man said, expressionless.

"Ahaha. Let’s not trouble your elder just yet. Turn it up a notch."

He laughed it off.

"Hmph. So young and always trying to be slick,"

the old man glared at him, then extended another finger.

A purple-headed cricket stretched its limbs and then plucked out its fangs, joining the red-headed cricket to strike the clay basin.

Compared to the red-headed cricket, the purple-headed one was obviously more composed, with a much more relaxed rhythm.

But, with every strike on the clay basin, a more powerful wave of sound burst forth.

"Pup-pup-pup-pup-pup!"

Liu Zheng’s body erupted continuously, with blood spurting out like fireworks blooming without cessation.

The two different rhythms of drumming were diametrically opposed, turning his body into a battleground.

Just the addition of one cricket dramatically increased the pressure on him.

Just moments ago, Liu Zheng had been composed, but now, a trace of pain appeared on his face.

"Blood and Flesh Rebirth" couldn’t even close the wounds fast enough, droplets of purplish-red blood fell to the floor and were vibrated into a Blood Fog.

"There’s something off about your Bloodline,"

Liu Zheng might have been shocked, but the old man was even more alarmed.

Over the years, there had been many who could withstand the second level, and not just a few.

But the old man had never seen someone like Liu Zheng, who relied on an ultra-high recovery ability to withstand it.

Moreover, Liu’s power shouldn’t have possibly reached such an extent.

"All I can say is, what big shots treat as mere shit, to the little guys, is precious treasure,"

Liu Zheng spread his hands and said.

The Black Mountain Goat youngling’s eyeballs were like snacks to Mr. Li.

And though the Gospel of the Evil God blew up one of Mr. Li’s avatars, that was all it did.

To truly harm Mr. Li, at the very least, a one-on-one communication with the Evil God would be necessary.

Yet her prank, for whatever purpose, became the foundation for Liu Zheng to establish himself in the Metropolis.

He didn’t know whether Mr. Li would be furious, laugh it off, or show a smile indicating everything was under control,

Liu Zheng suddenly shuddered.

"Being able to say that, taking you as my godson isn’t a loss. Shall we continue?"

the old man asked.

"Let’s continue."

He shook his head, casting aside those messy thoughts, and nodded.

"The third level you should still be able to handle, or should we go straight to the highest? Considering you’re my future son-in-law, I’ll stop if you can’t hold on,"

the old man said.

"Then I have to thank you, elder."

Liu Zheng bowed in thanks.

"Ordinarily, I let them perform impromptu, but today, I’ll make an exception and have them play the grand symphony. If you can endure it, it will benefit you."

The old man stretched both his hands into the clay basin, but as he was about to expand his fingers, he hesitated for a moment and slightly hooked his left thumb downward.

A cricket, whose tentacles had broken off at the base and with only a single fang, just poked its head out before quickly retreating, replaced by an entirely white cricket.

A grand symphony is difficult to start and even more difficult to stop; even as the master of crickets, he couldn’t completely control their actions.

And the one he almost released was the most stubborn of them all, the Eight Defeats.

The Eight Defeats, this insect was a total failure, one may find its absurdity one in ten thousand.

To those unfamiliar with crickets, it probably would seem like some kind of natural deformity.

And indeed, that was the case; from larva to adult, the Eight Defeats was always the weakest among the crickets, only slightly stronger than completely useless ones like the ’Dull Creatures’ that didn’t fight at all.

However, the Eight Defeats had the most tenacious will and the deepest potential. If it could continue fighting without dying, even in loss, it would grow stronger.

If it could evolve into a true King of the Eight Defeats, even an old man would not be able to handle it lightly.

In fact, he had gambled half his strength on this Eight Defeats.

If the Eight Defeats were to throw a tantrum, stopping it forcefully would surely cause damage.

For a typical challenger, the old man wouldn’t care, dead is dead.

After all, he was just working there; any trouble wouldn’t be his to shoulder.

But since it was a junior he admired, he needed to show some mercy.

So, the old man retracted the Eight Defeats and replaced it with True White.

Although Zhenbai is also a Cricket King, he still falls far short compared to Baibai.

"It’s about to start, kid. Light the incense, bathe, focus your mind, and listen intently to the ’Breaking Formation’ music!"

The old man had barely finished speaking when ten crickets eagerly raised their mandibles.

Playing the grand music was also a rare opportunity for them, and even a Cricket King would greatly benefit from it.

"Dong dong dong!"

At the first beat of the drum, Liu Zheng’s hair stood on end.

The sound of iron hooves and golden armor was chilling, as waves of murderous aura swept in like polar winds, making his entire body icy cold.

He raised a limb to look, and the once ruddy and gleaming flesh had turned into a dismal failure, and his joints felt as if they had frozen stiff, unable to move freely.

And this was just the beginning. As the grand music reached its climax, the murderous aura merged directly into the sound waves.

Countless crickets, fully armed, wielding knives, spears, swords, halberds, axes, spades, hooks, and forks, charged at Liu Zheng.

There were also crossbow brigades and bow formations in the rear, poised to strike, their large teeth akin to arrows.

"Kill!"

Although the language the crickets used was not common in the Metropolis, Liu knew their intent perfectly well.

"Kid, how can there be music without song?"

The elder suddenly exclaimed.

"I can’t sing, is reciting poetry alright?"

He replied.

"There is no objection."

"Then when a king’s anger piles bodies high, I too must let a common man’s rage spill blood within ten steps."

Liu Zheng took a deep breath to warm his body that was about to freeze.

"Zhao’s guests are meticulous with their Hu plumes, Wu hooks glint frosty and clear. Silver saddles shine on white horses, swift as shooting stars..."

As he recited the verses, he walked toward the oncoming army of crickets.

The yellow Legendary Armor had somehow become a white robe, and the four limbs had turned into four treasured swords.

With just a step forward, the two armies clashed at close quarters.

Dozens of long weapons thrust at Liu Zheng, who only had four arms, and didn’t even know how to use a sword.

But since it was his hands that had transformed, naturally he could use them however he wished.

How could a double-edged blade not be a knife?

"Come!"

Liu Zheng let out a roar and swung all four sword limbs at once, chopping towards the forest of spears before him.

The sword light cut through the spear shadows as easily as a great axe through bamboo.

"What a murderous aura!"

The elder’s eyes brightened.

Such youth, such murderous intent, and yet his body lacked the kind of malevolence that sees everything as killable, where all onlookers could be slain.

How could such a fine talent and handsome figure not bring him joy?

If allowed to rise to greatness then fall, to reincarnate into Baibai, to fight his way back up and return to human form, his future would be boundless.

"Could it be that my clan of crickets will once again produce a paragon of this era?"

The elder watched Liu Zheng moving effortlessly through the cricket army, his heart surging with excitement.

Slashing to the left and right, uppercuts and lower chops, all the techniques like swinging, dragging, lifting, jabbing, poking, and bursting, Liu Zheng knew none.

He used all four sword limbs as if they were knives, or even not knives but rather staves with blades on both sides.

Yet with such skills, he still managed to lay the crickets low, scattering them wildly.

Because, countless grotesque and disfigured faces, neither human nor non-human, were growing from his sword limbs.

Their numbers were so great that they crowded against each other.

Some managed to form a single misshapen but complete face, while more often they became indescribable patterns.

Whenever the sword limbs collided with the weapons and bodies of the cricket army, those faces gnashed fiercely at the enemy.

In front of the sharp teeth of these faces, the weapons of the cricket army were no different from those made of tofu.

And every time a face tore apart a weapon or an enemy, another face would leap out to bite at Liu Zheng, covering him in blood.

"Within ten steps, one dies, leaving no trace for thousands of miles..."

Liu Zheng merely walked forward, seemingly oblivious to everything happening around him, including to himself.

In the midst of the battle, he seemed to enter that state of meditation that is neither thought nor non-thought.

"Not good!"

The elder cried out in alarm.

Although he was not deeply versed in the path of killing, he had read of such things in his sect’s secret texts.

To control killing with humanity is right; to let killing control humanity is evil.

Under the stimulation of the "Breaking Formation" music, Liu Zheng was moving towards the evil path of letting killing control him.