Led by Locust Awareness, the locust swarm used the ready-made farmland outside Crystal City to sow the remnants of the seed in anticipation of a good harvest. After waiting and watering, something did grow in the farmland as well.
But the harvest was basically weeds, which were spread over half of the planting area, completely crushing the growing space of the food species.
The bully locusts were so angry that they tore through the fields and ate these weeds viciously.
After a series of trial and error, they finally got shoots to grow in the land.
The long wait again made the locusts a little impatient, and before the harvest, they could not help but eat the wheat seedlings.
Locust Jue was furious enough to immediately expel a large group of locusts that had led the way in stealing food.
By the time they sowed again with little seed, the foreign bully locusts swarmed in. The lack of food made the locusts hunt each other within the swarm, and when extremely hungry, their own kind was the best food.
From this point on there was no longer any chance of peaceful planting.
While Locust Awareness can lead a part of the swarm, hunger can bring the locusts back to their purest ferocity.
The locusts are driven by the [Eclipse], and they kill each other, with the losers being reduced to ingredients and the winners feasting on the food……. Everywhere, there are piles of worms twisted into a ball, and pieces of limbs are scattered all over the place.
Locust Jue stood alone on the city wall and watched his kind below, controlled by appetite, gnawing at each other.
Because of its belief in the Yao God, it was sheltered by the totem.
Locusts that tried to cross the high wall would be scorched by the flames spat out by the totem, turning into black charcoal in crimson agony.
On the other hand, the locust swarms in the city were born from the eggs underground, and they swallowed all the remaining wood, leather, grass, and other edible materials in the city. The entire city was in shambles as the locust swarms fed, with more than half of the buildings collapsed or in the process of being reduced to rubble.
The worms in the city want to get out, the worms outside want to get in.
They all thought that there was a huge amount of food on the other side.
Seeing all this, Locust Jue felt inexplicably hard inside.
There was no food, so other kindred were food, which was a matter of course for the locust swarm.
However, witnessing the scene of their own kind eating each other, Locust Jue still felt bad.
In this moment, everyone is just a poor puppet manipulated by the appetite.
Is there any way to reverse this fate?
Locust Jue fell into a long contemplation.
It prayed towards the gods, hoping that the god who created it would give guidance.
Time passed.
The internal killing inside and outside the city did not diminish because of the smaller numbers, instead, because those who survived were the strongest, the hunting game within the swarm became more intense and cold.
Tens of thousands of bully locusts were eaten and digested …… The best ones left behind took the initiative to strike at potential threats to avoid being attacked.
The killing and hunting continued for another reason.
The Locust Consciousness awoke from its long contemplation.
It finally came up with an idea.
When it looked down at the city, all it saw were dozens of strong bully locusts fighting in a ball.
“You guys need to stop fighting!”
“You are not hungry.”
Locust Jue flew down below, its powerful rank and strength shocking the surrounding.
The locusts, who gradually regained their senses, separated from each other.
Locust Jue continued, “We need to leave this place to find the other followers of the gods and go to the New World.”
“Our clan was born too short a time ago, there are too many things we cannot understand, and do not understand how to cultivate and plant, we only know how to eat and hunt. We need to go and learn and change, to integrate and communicate.”
“Those who are willing, follow me, those who are unwilling, not forced.”
A few Hegemonic Locusts chose to follow Locust Jue.
Locust Jue took 12 strong bully locusts and flew all the way to the homeland they came from. Crossing the desolate and cold hills and avoiding the swarms of locusts along the way, they arrived at the far end of the Wuzhi Kingdom.
In the sky, a giant black dragon hovered in the air, causing all creatures to tremble in fear.
The ground was patrolled by numerous black water striders.
To the bully locusts, these high-ranking god-favoured creatures were natural enemies that were difficult to fight. They opened their mouths and spat out tongue spikes that could easily pierce and lock a locust in place before swallowing it.
Any bully locusts that tried to approach were eaten by the black water striders.
This was a no-go area for the locust swarm.
As the leader, Locust Jue bravely stepped forward and even said, “We are followers of Lord Yao God, can we please be allowed to pass?”
No one responded.
The Black Water Striders continued to patrol the ground mechanically.
Locust Jue told the bully locusts to all rest in place as a sign of their devotion and friendliness.
Time passed day by day.
Hunger began to torment the locusts.
Locust Jue kept encouraging everyone: “Brothers, we have to control the desire to overeat.”
“Otherwise the stronger we get and the more eager we are to hunt each other, the more we will not be able to jump out of this strange circle until the entire population is extinct.”
“We must do this.”
“This will prove that we have the power to change the status quo of the Bully Locust clan!”
“We have unrivalled stamina, and we can do it! We can fight the past and our instincts!”
“If you can’t stand it, sleep, brothers.”
“Slumber and you will not feel hunger, and I will stay by your side until hope arrives.”
The bully locusts were incredibly annoyed and leered at each other.
Eventually seven of the locusts left, and the remaining five struggled to restrain their instincts and urge to kill. They closed their eyes, their bodies curled up, and one after another they fell into a deep sleep, choosing to try.
Locust Jue buried one of its kind into the ground and guarded next to them to keep them safe.
Although it was of a higher rank, it was also getting weaker and weaker from hunger, gradually becoming blurred in vision and muddled in mind.
Locust Consciousness was still holding on.
The protracted contemplation on the walls of Crystal City led him to a realisation.
If God Yao felt that the Bully Locust clan was redundant, then with His omnipotent power, He would surely be able to easily obliterate the race.
Although the gods had restricted the locust swarm’s range of movement, they had not sentenced the group to death.
This was perhaps a test given by the gods to the bully locust clan.
If they could break free from their obscurantist savagery, could learn to control their beast-like instincts, and ignite the fire of faith, they would have a glimmer of a chance to be guided.
If they can’t, they will sink in this hunting hell until they become beasts that only know how to feed. Together with this ruined land, it would eventually turn into the remnants of the old days.
It was by relying on the sense of faith that Locust Jue had come to the border of this old world, and it could clearly sense that behind the line of defence formed by the black water striders, the new world over there was dotted with warm flames of faith.
Even the black dragon in the air with its terrifying aura had the scent of Lord Yao Shen.
Of course, all of this could just be a figment of one’s imagination, a lie constructed in search of a non-existent hope.
The Lord God might not care at all, even if He no longer paid attention to this barren world.
But the Locust Consciousness had no regrets or uncertainties.
It was as if it never believed that the Locust Clan was wrong to try to grow food. It was only because the timing was not right, and the whole chaotic old world did not give them the time or environment to grow it.
Without a bold attempt there would be no change, and hope would not appear out of thin air on its own.
The chance to enter the new world was right here on the border of the forbidden zone.
Just as it was blurring in consciousness, a huge power was suddenly poured into its body, and its weak body suddenly became full of strength.
It immediately realised.
It was the gods!
Locust Jue excitedly fell to the ground, “Great Creator, omnipotent God, your humble servants and believers, with devotion and awe, send you sincere thanks ……”
……
In front of the computer screen, Lu Yao clicked on Locust Jue’s personal panel.
Its title changed to Prophet, and it also had more of its own history, one of which caught Lu Yao’s attention.
……
At the age of 1, he comprehended [Wisdom] due to devouring the corpse of Apostle Soter.
……
No wonder.
Locust Jue happened to be present when Sarina killed Imperial Emperor Soter, and it was only after it ate the Apostle’s corpse that this series of changes occurred.
The courage and perseverance that Locust Jue had shown made Lu Yao temporarily give up on deleting this race and give it a chance, as well as giving the entire Bully Locust a chance.
Lu Yao kept an eye on this Locust Chief.
Reason told him that it was a bit of a waste of time.
The two abilities of [Overeating] and [Rapid Reproduction] would only turn the Bully Locust into an ecological destroyer, becoming a public enemy detested by the vast majority of humans and Transcendents.
But emotionally, he hoped that Locust Jue would find another answer.
At the same time, this was also a test of the Yao world’s inclusiveness and integration, to see if today’s Yao civilisation could absorb and transform a species with great destructive power.
Unlike the Black Water Strider, the Bully Locusts already had a wisdom initiator like Locust Jue, and once they started to think for themselves, the subsequent evolution would be difficult to predict with precision.
Lu Yao continued to observe.
