43: Chapter 43 Root Cavern and Sea of ​​Pus, Corrupting the Mother Nest

The return of Zhang Hao and Lin Wan was like casting two brilliant stars into a dark abyss on the verge of suffocation.

The [Hymn of Life] aura and [Order Barrier] force field emanating from them intertwined, forming an absolute purification Domain over ten meters in diameter.

This Domain was like a mobile sanctuary; wherever it passed, the dense Power of Corruption would let out "hissing" wails as if encountering its nemesis, rapidly dissolving and retreating.

The viscous, nauseatingly sweet, and rotten stench was completely driven away, replaced by a refreshing vitality that brought peace to the mind.

The writhing, dark red corrupted tumors on the walls, upon touching the edge of the Domain, would twitch and shrink violently as if grease thrown into a blazing fire, eventually dissipating into wisps of black smoke to reveal the original wood beneath, which was riddled with holes from erosion but temporarily freed from the torment of corruption.

"Follow them closely!" Chaoyang's voice carried irrepressible excitement and determination.

The four queens quickly adjusted their formation, taking Zhang Hao and Lin Wan as the core, with the four Host squads following closely behind, piercing into the deeper darkness like a sharp sword.

Their speed of advance increased abruptly! The passages that previously required bitter fighting to pass through, filled with elite Corrupted Termite workers, now became "unobstructed."

It was not that there were no enemies, but rather that the surging Corrupted Termites, once rushing into the purification Domain, were like moths to a flame.

Their carapaces quickly lost their luster and became brittle under the brushing of the light of life; their scarlet compound eyes dimmed and fell into chaos under the suppression of the Order force field; the corrosive liquid they spat could not even reach the team, being neutralized and evaporated at the edge of the Domain.

Occasionally, a particularly strong elite worker would struggle to rush close, only to be significantly weakened by the Domain and then easily dispatched by the four queens or the Host squads.

During this high-intensity purification process, Zhang Hao and Lin Wan keenly sensed subtle changes in their own power.

"Silver Star report: Detected the release of trace amounts of high-purity Order/Life Origin fragments upon the annihilation of purification energy and the Power of Corruption. These fragments are being spontaneously captured and absorbed by the [Order Barrier]/[Hymn of Life] Talent structures." Zhang Hao analyzed calmly through the team communication, "Effect: Temporarily increases current Talent activity and energy output limit by approximately 15.3%. The process can be repeated for cumulative effects, but there is a clear attenuation curve, and it is speculated that there is an absorption limit. The vast majority of the dissipated energy cannot be captured and will return to the world."

Lin Wan also felt a similar change; the light of life around her became more solid and active, and the effects of healing and purification seemed to slowly strengthen as the purification proceeded. "It's like... the more we dispel the darkness, the more our own light is stimulated and tempered?" she responded softly.

This discovery greatly boosted their spirits. Although this was only a temporary buff, and the vast majority of the energy generated by the purification was wasted, it was enough to support them in maintaining this pure land for longer and more efficiently, and to accumulate more power for the final battle.

With the purification Domain clearing the way, the team was unstoppable, moving downward, and further downward, along the direction with the strongest scent of corruption guided by the tree spirit Airo's consciousness.

The temperature around them began to rise, and the air became scorching and stuffy. The wooden structure of the passage walls was almost completely replaced by a dark red corrupted tissue that resembled living muscle fibers; they wriggled anxiously at the edge of the Domain, emitting a more intense malice.

Finally, after defeating the last wave of interception forces composed of dozens of elite worker ants and several exceptionally large Corrupted Guard ants, the path ahead opened up, and a scene of indescribable vastness and evil shocked everyone present.

They had arrived at the deepest part of the World Tree's root system, a colossal underground space formed by forced erosion and expansion.

Here, it was as if it were the heart of the world being eroded by corruption.

Beneath their feet was no longer solid wood or soil, but a boundless, viscous sea of dark red pus that constantly bubbled!

The extremely intense stench of rot was almost tangible, and even with the existence of the purification Domain, it still made people feel dizzy.

In the sea of pus, countless pale, undigested tree remains and other unrecognizable organic matter floated, along with dense swarms of Corrupted Termite larvae rolling about like maggots!

In the center of the space, the core where the sea of pus converged, a behemoth was coiled.

It was a Corrupted Ant Queen of unimaginable size!

Its main body was a bloated, nearly transparent, pale sac that occupied almost half of the space. Through the thin body wall, one could clearly see countless egg follicles and thick, dark red energy flows rolling and writhing inside.

The surface of the sac was covered with thick, twisted, dark red energy conduits resembling blood vessels. These conduits were deeply embedded into the sea of pus below and the surrounding corrupted barriers, frantically absorbing nutrients and the Power of Corruption.

In terrifying contrast to this ugly, bloated body was its head. It was a head that still faintly retained some features of an ant queen, yet was twisted and deformed, resembling a demon.

Its compound eyes were huge and hollow, flashing with a dark red light that devoured everything. Its mouthparts were no longer simple gnawing structures, but had transformed into several tentacle-like corrupted mouthparts with suckers and sharp teeth at the tips, waving unconsciously in the air and dripping with highly corrosive mucus.

And most heart-stopping of all was the end of its abdomen, which constantly bulged and contracted. With every contraction, hundreds or thousands of ant eggs wrapped in dark red energy were expelled, falling into the sea of pus below; with every expansion, massive amounts of the Power of Corruption were injected into its body through the conduits on its surface, maintaining this terrifying cycle of production and erosion.

It was the source of corruption, the Corrupted Heart that had hollowed out the World Tree!

Around the Ant Queen's massive body, within the sea of pus, stood dozens of thick, pulsating energy conduits. They were like umbilical cords, connecting the Ant Queen to the entire corrupted root system, converting the vitality it absorbed into endless corruption and destruction.

"Found you... Corrupted Nest!" Chaoyang's voice trembled with extreme rage, and the solar dual swords in her hands erupted with an unprecedented, blazing light.

However, the moment they stepped onto the platform at the edge of the sea of pus, the Corrupted Ant Queen, which had been immersed in frantic production, seemed to finally notice these uninvited guests, as well as the aura of purification that made it instinctively feel extreme disgust and threat.

Its hollow, dark red compound eyes suddenly turned toward the direction of the team! A mental shock originating from the level of the Soul, mixed with endless greed, violence, and pure malice, crashed down like a tangible tsunami! The sea of pus boiled because of it, and the entire space trembled!