Chapter 2025 - 2018: I Plan to Use Incentives
"Boom!"
A crimson torrent swept through a forest, leaving a trail of lava in its wake.
The mass migration of hundreds of millions of Ghost Flame Demon Worms was nothing short of a catastrophic disaster for the ordinary Warcraft on this land!
Many Warcraft were stronger than the Ghost Flame Demon Worms, but such a large-scale migration was exceedingly rare; even some Emperor Level Warcraft fled the moment they saw it.
Of course, there were also some human Martial Artists who hid themselves immediately upon seeing it and relayed the information back to their survival bases.
Such a massive Ghost Flame Demon Worm army might be too much for even hundreds of survival bases to withstand!
However, this was merely the first Insect Clan army. After Zhang Menglong left the lair of the Ghost Flame Demon Worms, he immediately set off for the next destination.
This was a plain covered with plants resembling rice. On this plain lived an Insect Clan that looked strikingly similar to mantises. Their numbers were merely in the tens of millions, a tenth of the Ghost Flame Demon Worms, but their individual strength was far greater.
This Insect Clan was called the Phantom Demon Worms, born children of space, adept at lurking in the void to ambush prey, favoring a one-hit-kill combat style!
Their speed was swift. If they missed an attack, they would already be hiding elsewhere by the time their prey started to search for them, lying in wait for the next assault.
When Zhang Menglong left this plain, his Insect Clan army had increased by tens of millions of members.
Of course, Zhang Menglong’s path avoided the Giant Cities of other races, as he didn’t want his Insect Clan army to reach the Ice King City weakened; he needed to preserve as much combat power as possible and bypass survival bases whenever possible.
By the time Zhang Menglong had crossed the 17th race’s territory, his Insect Clan army had surpassed 10 billion! This terrifying number exceeded the populations of many Adventurer races.
This 10 billion-strong army was composed of 21 Insect Clan tribes. To control these Insect Clan leaders, Zhang Menglong had been frantically using various treasures on Jin Kela, which had grown to King Level and could control up to 50 Insect Clan leaders.
Now, they had arrived at a race’s territory called the Magic Spirit Clan.
The Magic Spirit Clan was a race comparable in size to humans, with a population of around 80 million. They were of a semi-energy structured Life Form, possessing formidable combat strength and far superior energy manipulation abilities compared to humans.
"Oh, is that their Wind Demon Giant City ahead?" Zhang Menglong glanced at the map.
[Dean, should we bypass it?]
Zhang Menglong glanced back at the massive Insect Clan army behind him, "I’m thinking about a problem. I feel that relying solely on the Azure Dragon and the Super Divine Cannon might not be enough to deal with the Ice Wing Dragon Bat?"
Though this Insect Clan army was vast, it might trouble the Ice Demon Race, but against the Ice Wing Dragon Bat, it would definitely be a suicide mission. "I think we need some help! Best if we can find more Guardian Beasts to assist!"
...
Wind Demon Giant City.
A group of warriors in Wind Demon Giant City was patrolling around the city walls.
Their height was similar to humans, but their bodies were a semi-transparent blue-black. They were born Mages, typically fighting without physical contact, using relentless energy attacks to prevent enemies from closing in.
"What is that?" Suddenly, a Magic Spirit Clan warrior was looking into the distance, "It looks like something is approaching Wind Demon City."
"Run!"
"Help!"
Just then, a bone-chilling scream echoed, as a group of Magic Spirit Clan warriors rushed towards Wind Demon City. Their faces were marked by worry and fear as if they had witnessed something horrifying.
Only then did they see clearly that the dark mass was indeed a massive swarm of Insect Clan!
Some of these insects were gigantic, clad in tank-like armor, others spewed streams of high-temperature air, resembling demons from hell, while others flickered in the sky, and some even sported a pair of horns with blue-purple currents arcing between them.
"Over 10 billion life forms detected!" A Magic Spirit Clan warrior exclaimed in terror, "Quick, this information must be reported to the City Lord!"
The entire Magic Spirit Clan’s population was only about 80 million, and including key individuals, it wouldn’t surpass 200 million. 200 million against 10 billion was an overwhelming disparity. If anything went wrong, the entire Magic Spirit Clan might be erased from existence!
...
"What? A swarm of Insect Clan is headed for my Wind Demon Giant City?"
The City Lord of Wind Demon City was stunned.
As the Main City of the Magic Spirit Clan, Wind Demon City naturally faced occasional Warcraft attacks. However, these usually numbered only in the hundreds, with several thousand being impressive enough. These Warcraft also generally had their own territories and wouldn’t easily provoke hostilities with the Magic Spirit Clan.
Moreover, the City Lord had never heard of any Insect Clan warbands with a horrifying number reaching over 10 billion within the Magic Spirit Clan’s territory.
"Mobilize all Wind Demon City warriors, prepare for the highest level of combat readiness!"
The City Lord himself, a powerful Dao Realm Limit warrior, immediately went to the city walls of Wind Demon City.
Once the Insect Clan became visible, they would reach Wind Demon City almost instantly, but as the City Lord reached the frontlines, the Insect Clan actually halted about 10 kilometers from Wind Demon City.
It felt like a siege, waiting for negotiations.
As the City Lord was pondering where these Insect Clan beasts came from and their intentions, a young man emerged from within the swarm, hovering right in front of Wind Demon City.
"Human?" The City Lord of Wind Demon City immediately recognized Zhang Menglong’s race.
"You must be the City Lord of Wind Demon City? I am Zhang Menglong. There’s no need to be too afraid; these Insect Clan beasts are all under my control."
"Under your control?" The City Lord exclaimed in surprise. Someone capable of controlling such a massive beast army—if not for the guardian beast anchoring Wind Demon City, he could easily decimate the Magic Spirit Clan with this Insect Clan army.
"Yes, I happened to be passing Wind Demon City and have a matter to discuss with you. As long as you agree, I’ll leave right away."
"Does this seem like you’re here for cooperation?" The City Lord had a serious expression. "What, if I refuse, will you unleash these Insect Clan on my Wind Demon City?"
"Haha, don’t misunderstand, my lord. I’ve encountered something quite troublesome!" Zhang Menglong explained his task and why he assembled such an army, omitting any mention of Jin Kela’s abilities, only stating he had a way to control some Insect Clan leaders.
"I see." After hearing Zhang Menglong’s explanation, the City Lord’s expression softened slightly, realizing he wasn’t targeting the Magic Spirit Clan. "What sort of cooperation do you propose?"
"I would like to request the assistance of Magic Spirit City’s Guardian Beast!" Zhang Menglong stated his intentions clearly. "Of course, I don’t need it to fight desperately, just to help me escape if my life is threatened by the Ice Demon Race’s Guardian Beast!"
"Why should I help you?" The City Lord asked. "What, are you relying on this Insect Clan army? If you try to force me with strength, believe me, the Wind Demon Clan, even at a great cost, will ensure your Insect Clan army is completely obliterated."
"No, no, no, I have no intention to coerce," Zhang Menglong shook his head, "I intend to entice!"