The incubation chamber was a colossal space with a diameter of hundreds of meters, apparently modified from a natural cavern. In the center, there was a deep pit filled with crimson magma. Arrays of force runes were placed at the mouth of the pit, filtering out the majority of the intense heat, leaving only a gentle warmth for the spider eggs to hatch.
The walls, layered like terraces, held numerous spider eggs on each tier. The outer layers contained more eggs, but they were much smaller. With dozens of tiers, the outermost ten alone held thousands of eggs, though both their size and vitality were inferior, likely destined to become mere servant spiders.
Qian Ye glanced around and was startled to find over ten thousand spider eggs of various sizes, an unexpected number. Even Count Stuka’s incubation chamber would be hard-pressed to match this scale. What was going on?
His gaze fell upon the two innermost tiers. The second-to-last tier held five spider eggs, entirely black, distinct from the others, with three of them bearing vivid emerald green stripes.
These were viscount-level spider eggs!
Spider-demons’ reproduction differed fundamentally from other dark races. A female spider could lay tens or even hundreds of eggs in one go, but only a very few had the potential to grow into spider-demons.
In a way, the destiny of these spider eggs was largely predetermined before they hatched, subject to a survival law even harsher than that of humans. These viscount-level spider eggs, if hatched and nurtured without significant adversity or opportunity, would generally reach the rank of viscount.
The likelihood of higher-tier spider eggs diminished with their rank. A spider-demon viscount might sire thousands of eggs in a lifetime, yet those reaching the viscount level, even from different mothers, rarely exceeded a dozen. For spider-demons, only such eggs were considered true progeny.
And now, Qian Ye found five viscount-level spider eggs before him.
If he took these eggs back, they could be exchanged for military merits. A single egg could equate to a third-rank viscount. The Empire, like the dark races, conducted continuous biological research, highly valuing the descendants of high-ranking individuals and rewarding such contributions generously.
As Qian Ye approached the bottommost tier, he surprisingly spotted another egg behind a mist of green fog.
This egg was small, with a fainter presence than the viscount eggs, yet it was translucent black, with multiple emerald green stripes forming a natural rune. Though a simple ancient rune symbolizing poison, it set this egg apart from the others. The aura emitted by the egg felt familiar to Qian Ye. Using his True Sight, he scrutinized it and confirmed that the aura resembled that of Count Stuka.
Suddenly, Qian Ye realized that this must be a progeny of Stuka, a count-level descendant. Despite its weak aura and apparent congenital deficiency, it might barely reach the count level in the future, yet still held a qualitative difference from viscounts. The key distinction lay in the natural rune representing poison.
This revelation dawned on Qian Ye: Count Stuka had a count-level descendant, but it was inherently flawed. Perhaps until his death, this descendant hadn’t fully matured, which might explain his reluctance to relinquish power.
It made sense that Qian Ye faced fierce resistance upon entering; this was a shared incubation chamber between a first-rank viscount and an old count, explaining its grand scale. Stuka must have kept his count-level descendant here, while the incubation chamber in his own castle was merely a decoy. This level of strategy indicated Stuka was far from the mediocre figure he appeared to be.
With great care, Qian Ye sealed the count-level egg and the five viscount-level eggs, storing them in Andrua’s mystic space, now nearly full.
Qian Ye decided it was time to return to the Empire, report his military achievements, and resupply. The eggs couldn’t survive long outside the incubation chamber and needed prompt handling; otherwise, dead eggs were worthless.
Looking at the remaining eggs, Qian Ye sighed. Their combined value might equal that of a dark count, but it was impossible to take them all. He planted several force grenades on the array controlling the magma’s heat and set a simple timed mechanism, then left swiftly.
This time, Qian Ye chose the main entrance, the shortest and most direct path, though it meant encountering guards. After cutting down over twenty high-ranking dark warriors, he finally reached the main gate. Behind him, a rumbling like distant thunder shook the Black Nest, and a wave of scorching heat surged from the rear.
Sensing the magma, Qian Ye quickened his pace. With a swing of his sword, he killed an incoming baron and knocked two servant spiders aside, then dashed out of the Black Nest. As he ran along the stone path, glancing back, he saw the entire Black Nest trembling, with figures fleeing from every corridor, and flames erupting from some entrances.
It felt like an earthquake, a volcanic eruption.
Realizing the destruction of the force array that controlled the magma, Qian Ye understood the critical importance of its function. Now, the magma was unleashed, and not only the incubation chamber, but the core of the Black Nest, was doomed.
This was good news for future campaigns. Without looking back, Qian Ye raced towards the nearby mountains, preparing to return via Silver Stream Fjord.
Not far into his journey, he detected the rising dark force of Viscount Botu, heading back to the Black Nest. Yet, Botu’s aura seemed significantly weaker.
Was he injured? Intrigued, Qian Ye changed course and approached Botu.
Soon, Botu and his group emerged from a low hill several hundred meters away. Initially, Botu’s forces were formidable, but now, only about twenty wounded high-ranking warriors remained.
Botu himself was in a dire state. His armor was badly damaged, his giant axe blade chipped and twisted, with two of his eight spider legs broken. His face bore a terrifying wound, deep enough to see bone, and his left eye was missing.
Judging by the travel time, Botu had fought for less than half a day, yet he was in this state. The human team must have been exceptionally powerful, possibly a major family’s elite force.
This was a rare opportunity. Without hesitation, Qian Ye leaped up, unmasked, and charged at Botu at full speed.
Wounded and demoralized, Botu’s group relaxed their guard as they neared the Black Nest. Only when Botu felt the ground tremble did he turn, seeing Qian Ye sprinting towards him.
Within a hundred meters, Qian Ye increased his speed, each step causing the ground to ripple like water. Colliding with a baron, he cut down to within ten meters of Botu, and East Peak cleaved through the air.
Obliteration Slash!
Recognizing Qian Ye, Botu first sneered, then grew furious. No matter how injured he was, he shouldn’t be vulnerable to a weak human. But the Obliteration Slash brought an instinctive sense of deadly threat!
For his initial arrogance, Botu paid dearly. Roaring, he hurled his axe like a javelin, aiming to halt Qian Ye. His massive spider body twisted, using the four remaining legs to block the incoming sword energy.
A series of snaps echoed as one of Botu’s legs broke. The remaining force of the slash cut deeply into his spider abdomen, dissipating only then.
Qian Ye dodged the returning axe, leapt again, reaching viscount-level speed, closing in on Botu, poised to stomp on his body.
Seeing Qian Ye as a grave threat, Botu shrank back, his human upper body crackling with force, ready to deliver a fatal blow.
But Qian Ye halted mid-air, drawing Twin Blossoms. Unfurling luminous wings, he aimed the guns, a blinding light erupting, brightening the dim world.
The Radiant Dawn shot struck Botu, blazing like a new sun in the darkness.
The remaining dark warriors screamed, blinded by the sudden light. Even the powerful barons suffered, eyes burning and vision obscured.
Botu roared in agony, engulfed in dawn force flames, excruciatingly painful. His body crashed to the ground, rolling vainly to extinguish the fire.
Switching to True Vision, Qian Ye watched the overwhelming dawn force surge, engulfing the entire space.
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