Chapter 1230: Centipede Legion

Once the earthquake subsided and silence returned to the laboratory, Teacher Ye slowly set down the liquid he was holding.

He changed out of his lab coat, put on a teacher's shirt, and after writing a few lines on the day's experimental results, he walked down the stairs towards the first level of the Mother Tree.

"Teacher Ye, there was an earthquake outside!"

Outside the laboratory, several young students were waiting anxiously. As soon as they saw Teacher Ye emerge, they immediately described everything that had just happened with vivid detail.

Earthquakes were rare in the Gray Realm, so Teacher Ye understood the children's unease. He gently patted a few of their heads and spoke softly:

"Don't be afraid, the Mother Tree is very safe."

At his words, most of the tension on the children's faces dissipated. After Teacher Ye comforted them further, they completely relaxed and skipped off into the distance.

As Teacher Ye walked out, he asked, "Has Zhao Yi returned?"

"No, Saint Child Old Wolf and the others haven't come back yet."

"How many days have they been gone?"

"It must be half a month now..."

Teacher Ye's brow furrowed almost imperceptibly, but he quickly resumed joking with the children.

As he gradually ascended the stairs, a large red theatrical robe caught his attention under the gray sky outside the tree hollow.

Chen Ling walked out of the Mother Tree's gate, heading straight towards the distant gray land.

This area was outside the Mother Tree's canopy. The once solid ground was now riddled with numerous holes, hundreds of them as far as the eye could see. The smallest were over ten meters wide, while the largest were as wide as buildings, incredibly deep, as if leading directly to the underworld.

If someone were to jump into one of these holes, they would discover that a vast underground kingdom had been excavated beneath this area.

The large red theatrical robe moved along the edges of these holes.

When he reached the largest hole, he gently lifted his foot and stomped on the ground!

"Come out."

One second, two seconds...

BOOM—!!

The next moment, a colossal, entirely red centipede emerged from the hole. Its luminous carapace gleamed with a deadly cold light, and each of its legs resembled a dark blade. It towered above the opening, like a magnificent crimson mountain.

Around it, more and more centipedes also crawled out of the holes. They were slightly smaller than the colossal centipede but still hundreds of meters tall. In addition, there were numerous tiny centipedes, appearing like their offspring, wiggling their bodies like puppies towards Chen Ling's back, filled with immense joy. The once silent, sieve-like ground instantly transformed into a forest of centipedes.

In the past six months, the centipedes that had shared Chen Ling's Red Star power had seen their auras advance by leaps and bounds. Especially the largest, super centipede; Chen Ling estimated its combat power was already at the peak of the sixth tier. If a real fight broke out, it could even challenge a seventh-tier being by leveraging its nature as a calamity.

There were also quite a few other fifth- and sixth-tier centipedes, and behind them followed a swarm of small, red-glowing centipedes. In time, these too would grow into high-tier combat forces.

If the centipede army Chen Ling haphazardly assembled six months ago was just a rudimentary form, then what stood before him now could truly be called a "legion"!

Who could have imagined that an actor, whose own strength was still at the peak of the fifth tier, had managed to cultivate a terrifying calamity legion in the Gray Realm?

"Wu Yi, did you sense the origin of that earthquake just now?" Chen Ling asked the colossal centipede before him, his tone calm.

Wu Yi coiled its body, its sharp mandibles constantly opening and closing, as if relaying something.

After listening, Chen Ling's brow furrowed more deeply.

Just as he had guessed, the earthquake was not a natural phenomenon. Instead, mountain ranges were shifting within the earth's crust due to some force. Undoubtedly, this was a Destroyer moving its entire calamity domain.

Fortunately, its path was far from the Mother Tree, so the tremors were not severe. According to Wu Yi, all geological structures along that path had been overturned, and many weaker calamities had been crushed.

"I understand."

Chen Ling was about to leave when his peripheral vision caught something, causing him to pause slightly.

At the far end of the Gray Realm's land, a colossal skeletal wolf was galloping rapidly towards them. As it drew closer, deep, faint scars could be seen on its bones, as if it had been severely wounded. Behind it, several figures hung limply, seemingly unconscious.

"Old Wolf?"

Chen Ling's heart sank. He immediately transformed into an afterimage and rushed towards them!

Old Wolf was not weak in strength, and after its transformation into a Calamity, its speed was incredibly fast. Even when it forced its way into the Limitless Domain, its injuries were not too severe. Yet now, it seemed almost completely exhausted, its massive body swaying precariously.

Seeing the silhouette of the Mother Tree in the distance, Old Wolf's body had reached its limit. It stumbled, and its massive body tumbled to the ground. The few people previously hanging onto it were thrown off, falling awkwardly in various directions, but even then, they did not regain consciousness.

Chen Ling was the first to arrive. The first sight that met his eyes was Zhao Yi, covered in blood.

Zhao Yi's injuries were relatively minor compared to the others. Chen Ling's gaze swept past, revealing two more people who were barely clinging to life nearby. Without a moment's hesitation, he immediately hoisted them onto his back and sprinted towards the Mother Tree!

At this point, people within the Mother Tree also noticed the anomaly. More and more figures rushed towards the scene. Upon seeing the sight, they were all startled. They quickly picked up the wounded and followed behind Chen Ling.

"Teacher Ye!"

"Teacher Ye! Help them, quickly!"

The group, carrying the severely wounded Zhao Yi and others, rushed into the Mother Tree, startling the students who were just about to go to class. Seeing the blood-soaked figures, they all gasped, momentarily stunned and at a loss.

"It's the Saint Child!"

"Didn't the Saint Child and the others go to the Human Realm to procure supplies? How could they..."

"Quick! Stretchers! Stretchers!"

Meanwhile, Teacher Ye appeared at the entrance. After clearly seeing their injuries, his expression immediately turned grave.

He adjusted his glasses and spoke calmly:

"Xiao Tao, take the hygiene team and care for Zhao Yi; his injuries are the lightest. The rest of you, carry the others to the laboratory, and be quick about it."

"Yes, Teacher Ye!!"

With Teacher Ye's presence, everyone seemed to take a calming pill and snapped back to their senses. They immediately began to orderly divide the wounded into two groups.

Chen Ling stood to the side, watching as Teacher Ye led Old Wolf and the others into the underground laboratory. As the large door slowly closed, the Harmonizers fell into a brief silence.