Chapter 236 - 150: Mental Realm, Realm, the Advent of the Hive Will
Chapter 236: Chapter 150: Mental Realm, Realm, the Advent of the Hive Will
At this moment, Lin Feng’s waist and hands were bound by tentacles extended from Ling Yi. Unable to retrieve his weapons, he could only cough twice, spitting out the mixture of blood and mucus that clogged his throat.
Once his airway was clear, Lin Feng gasped desperately for air.
He drew oxygen into his entire body, restoring vitality to the tissues in his limbs.
That familiar Power finally began to surge back, and his Spiritual Attribute also started to recover now that the suppression was lifted.
Just then, on Mother Empress Ling Yi’s forehead, her female avatar materialized. The avatar’s upper body burst through a membrane from within a cluster of compound eyes and emerged, staring down at Lin Feng as she spoke:
"Never mention that word in the real world. Especially if, as you speak it, the memory of that eclipse also surfaces in your mind."
"That Being will notice it from the great unseen,"
"this familiar Spiritual Energy Wave."
Lin Feng looked up at Ling Yi. He could already sense that she had changed somehow; the spiritual fluctuations in the air were no longer as wild and frantic as before.
’Perhaps the Genetic Radiation worked.’
’It must have broken the Zerg Race Mother Empress’s Genetic Seal and awakened Ling Yi’s true nature.’
He spat out the mucus and blood, and was just about to ask a question when a bizarre, foul taste, a mix of rot and decay, suddenly flooded his mouth and throat.
It was the same deeply unsettling sensation he’d experienced from the bizarre sights and sounds when he’d first broken free and opened his eyes.
The woman on the Mother Empress’s forehead frowned slightly. The tentacles wrapped around his body writhed, and one of them swiped firmly across Lin Feng’s mouth.
As the familiar mucus coated his tongue and throat, the bizarre taste in his mouth finally vanished.
Still, holding the substance in his mouth felt strange in its own way.
"If you want to permanently lose your sense of taste and become a monster that spits up insects, then go ahead and keep spitting."
Ling Yi’s cold voice issued from the woman’s lips.
Lin Feng wisely refrained from coughing again and instead asked:
"What the hell is this place? The Spirit World of the Zerg Race? And why is it safe to say that word here?"
The woman slowly straightened, spreading her arms as if to support the colossal Divine Statue floating in the air behind her. In sync, the Mother Empress’s Zerg body also raised its head, rearing up to a height of a hundred meters.
Looking down at the tiny Lin Feng before her, Ling Yi said:
"This is the Divine Domain of the Zerg Race—the Hive Will."
"And we, as High-tier Mothers, also condense our own Mental Realm: Infinite Reproduction."
"O great Mother of Life, heed my call! Grant your Divine Realm’s descent upon this place, and by it, conceal the stain of your taboo transgression!"
Enduring the discomfort in his mouth, Lin Feng asked, his words slurred:
"So, in reality, you can’t actually control this bizarre Spiritual Domain?"
Ling Yi stared at the human male before her and nodded, her expression complex:
"The Hive Will belongs to the entire Zerg Race. I can only use my Mental Realm of reproduction to merge with it and access a portion of the Divine Realm’s control..."
"As for the spiritual assault you experienced, that is a natural property of the Divine Realm. Any Low-Tier Life will be gradually assimilated and become a part of it."
"Becoming one of the Zerg Race."
"My Mental Realm, however, can protect you from that fate."
The corner of Lin Feng’s mouth twitched. He asked the crucial question:
"So you’ve recovered your past memories?"
From her lofty position, Ling Yi looked down, her gaze profound as she stared at the tentacle-bound Lin Feng:
"That’s right."
Lin Feng clenched his fists and looked up at her:
"Then we can cooperate, awaken more Zerg Race Mother Empresses, or join forces to kill the Hai City Mother Empress #76. Having already entered the Tier Three Middle Stage, it poses the greatest threat to us!"
At his words, Ling Yi let out a cold laugh:
"Hah!"
"You want to kill a Tier Three Life? Especially a descendant of a Cosmic Life? Without the empowerment of a Realm Ability, a true kill is simply impossible!"
"And I have no intention of exposing my own free will just to help you advance to Tier Three!"
Lin Feng’s brow furrowed:
"Then what exactly are these Mental Realms and Realms?"
A faint smile touched Ling Yi’s lips:
"The Cosmos is dark and cold, a vast field of Energy. It feeds on the mediocre and the inferior, devouring all who are weak."
"To become a Cosmic Life, one must possess not only an extremely strong physical Life Force, but also the spiritual Willpower to fight against the endless darkness!"
"A Mental Realm is your Spiritual Power, condensed into your very reason for being. Only by obtaining it will you have the foundation to resist the darkness that surrounds you!"
"It keeps you from losing yourself in the vastness of the Cosmos."
"A Mental Realm is the embryonic form of a Realm. It is the concrete manifestation of Spiritual Power, and more importantly, it is a crucial method of combat between Cosmic Lifeforms in the future!"
"This is also why Tier Four, the stage above Tier Three, is considered unique, and why those who reach it are called Cosmic Life."
"To a Cosmic Life, any creature merely surviving in the cradle of a planet is like a larva in a Hatching Nest. Even one that has reached Tier Three is, at best, an ant that has just learned to fly..."
"Only when it finally looks up to the Cosmos will it understand its own frailty and insignificance!"
"So..."
"Do you now understand how laughable it is for a human to think they can completely kill a High-tier Mother Empress?!"
"You might be able to use external force, like a Nuclear Bomb, to obliterate a High-tier Mother Empress, but you could never defeat one of us on your own!"
"When facing life or death, a Tier Three Life will stop at nothing. Even an ant harbors the ambition to fly to the heavens!"
"For instance, this time, to prevent you from breaking that taboo and attracting the gaze of that Being, I had to sacrifice half of the Energy in my body to summon the descent of the Divine Realm!"
Lin Feng took a deep breath. ’It seems my preparations were far, far from enough.’
’As a direct lineage within the Zerg Race, the Mother Empress possesses an innate talent for perfect balance across all Attributes—Physique, Spirit, and Life Value...’
’Combined with their status as descendants of Cosmic Life, they could be called the strongest beings in Tier Three!’
Unwilling to give up, Lin Feng pressed on:
"What about the other Zerg Race species? If Tiger Spine Zergs continue to evolve, will they all become High-tier Mother Empresses?!"
Ling Yi shook her head:
"Only Mother Empresses are the fundamental lineage of the Zerg Race. All other Zerg are creations, born after we invade an Alien Star and combine our genes with those of the native lifeforms."
"The Spine Zergs, as descendants of the original Cosmic Life, naturally have their own Tier Three form. However, the conditions to unseal it won’t be triggered unless a High-tier Mother Empress is killed by humans."
"Maintaining a Tier Three King Spine Zerg consumes a massive amount of Biomass Energy. It would cut into the profits of all Mother Empresses on the planet, and it carries other unknown risks."
"So... if you want to advance to Tier Three, your only path is to kill a Mother Empress."
Lin Feng took a deep breath, trying to process all this information. After suppressing his shock, he looked at the Swarm holding Ling Yi aloft:
"Then how does one manifest such a Mental Realm?"
Ling Yi didn’t avoid the question. She needed to buy time for her main body to escape, so she continued her explanation:
"It’s different for every life form, depending on their experiences. There is no set method. It might be a sudden epiphany in a life-or-death moment, or an awakening from a state of utter confusion."
"We have the great Mother of Life to pave our path; these things are already etched into our genes. Upon reaching Tier Three, every Mother Empress receives the spiritual inheritance left by our ancestors. We simply need to follow the steps to comprehend it."
"As for you humans, you have no records of a Cosmic Life being born among your kind. You can only rely on yourself and figure it out on your own!"
"Also, the minimum Spiritual Attribute required to manifest a Mental Realm is the Tier Three level. Fortunately, your Spiritual Attribute has received multiple boosts from the parasitic mother, so you barely meet the requirement."
"Explore with caution. Without a powerful physical body, it is difficult to withstand the immense drain on your Spirit!"
Before Lin Feng could ask another question, the Zerg Mountain and Zerg Sea before him, along with Mother Empress Ling Yi, shattered like a broken mirror and instantly dissolved into nothing, vanishing without a trace.
All that remained was Lin Feng, floating blankly in mid-air, the Membrane Wings on his back still beating continuously.
The protective slime on his body was also gone.
It was as if everything he had just experienced had been an illusion.
But the bloody tears leaking from the corners of his eyes and the blood seeping from his ears were a stark reminder for Lin Feng.
The real battle had only just begun.
’That strange Spirit World during the Limit Break...’
’What on earth will my Mental Realm be?!’
Lin Feng clenched his fists. Suddenly, it hit him!
He quickly drew the Level 29 Electromagnetic Cannon slung at his waist and fired frantically toward the massive Sky Pit nearby.
At the same time, he drew the Tiger-toothed Chainsaw Sword with his right hand,
...and flew above the Sky Pit.
When the smoke and dust settled,
there was no trace of the Zerg Race Mother Empress’s enormous body.
"Damn it!"
’Forget it... my current State...’