Full health is the kill threshold, no matter if you're a god or a demon!

Liu Nian strode up the mountain.

The Fogborn was very light and did not leave any footprints on the creep, but the fine hairs on the creep kept trying to wrap around his fog-like ankles.

The insect nest is alive.

He could feel it—every pulse of the fungal carpet beneath his feet, every throbbing of the network of blood vessels on the dome, every wriggling of the larvae in the insect sacs—all were sending him a signal: You are being watched!

From the moment you step into this city, you have nowhere to hide.

Liu Nian walked at a leisurely pace, and the insectoid players along the way seemed to have received some kind of pheromone command, ignoring him and treating him as if he were air.

No one approached to speak. The name Nigellas wasn't unfamiliar in the Hive—although the last mission had failed, someone who could cooperate with the Great Devourer still held some status within the Hive.

After walking for about ten minutes, Liu Nian finally saw the Gorgon's lair city.

In Liu Nian's eyes, it was a huge insect sac growing on the mountainside, covered with a deep purple carapace. The surface of the carapace was covered with patterns that bulged and contracted like blood vessels.

In front of the insect hive stood two exceptionally tall insectoid guards, both level 499. Clearly, those who could guard this place were not ordinary insectoid players.

"Niejarras." His left forelimb, wielding a scythe, crossed over his chest. "My lord has been waiting for you. Enter."

Liu Nian nodded and stepped into the insect nest.

The chamber here was so large that he looked like an ant inside.

Countless translucent cocoons hung from the dome, each containing various creatures—insect people, orcs, elves, humans, and some races he couldn't name, as well as a large number of wild beasts, including some high-level monsters.

They were all wrapped in fine, dark purple threads, motionless, like specimens in amber.

Further on, a large number of insect eggs appeared. Some of the eggs were empty, with only a thin shell remaining. It was unclear whether they had hatched or been broken.

Some of the insect eggs were still wriggling slightly, and the things inside seemed to still be alive.

A large number of female insectoid players, dragging enormous bellies, were going in and out, constantly spitting out mucus with their mouthparts, seemingly building a nest...

Liu Nian walked on until he reached the deepest part of the chamber, where a creature of unimaginable size lay.

Its body resembles a small, purple, carapace-covered hill. Its tiny head has six pairs of compound eyes, and its mouthparts are razor-shaped, overlapping in layers, with dark green venom dripping from the edges.

Its lower body appears to have grown from the ground, with only its upper body exposed. Its forelimbs are two enormous biological scythes, and its back is made up of countless thick, black tubular structures...

Unlike the queen behemoth Mia, Gorgon is a male insect king with an extremely aggressive appearance.

It doesn't resemble a ruler; it's more like a killing machine born for war. Every inch of its carapace, every barb, every compound eye conveys the same message—I have a violent temper and I'm not to be trifled with!

But it has one thing in common with Mia'er—it is also tied to this city.

Apart from its lower body, the thick, arm-like blood vessels extending from its carapace are deeply embedded in the ground, connecting with the entire insect nest's fungal carpet and vascular network.

It cannot leave this place. Or rather, if it leaves, it will lose most of its power.

But similarly, here, it is almost one with the insect hive. As long as the insect hive is not destroyed, it is invincible!

Gorgon's six pairs of compound eyes were all focused on Liu Nian.

"Niezellas." Its voice was strangely cold and mechanical. "Your sudden visit... um? Why is your level 135?"

Gorgon's compound eyes narrowed, it immediately searched its friend list, and then its voice suddenly changed.

"Niegellas... is level 499!"

The air in the chamber seemed to freeze for a moment.

The fuzz on the fungal carpet stopped swaying, the cocoons on the dome stopped pulsating, and even the veins protruding from the Gorgon carapace seemed to pause for a moment.

Then, Gorgon suddenly became excited:

"Liu Nian, it's you!!"

Liu Nian frowned.

It's normal for the other party to realize something's wrong, but for them to call out my name right away... that's really strange!

After all, the last time they met, he fought the other party in the form of a fish-man, and before that, he was in the form of the centaur Thessal Saddle... He had never revealed himself to the other party before, so why did the other party call out his name accurately this time?

Since he had already been exposed, there was no point in denying it, so Liu Nian simply removed his disguise and reverted to his appearance as a descendant of the Divine Dragon.

(PS: I didn't carry the Deceptive Heart with me because I only need it when transforming, not when de-transforming.)

[Level 200 Liu Nian (Leader of the Divine Dragon Clan)]

When Gorgon saw the name, a glint flashed in his compound eyes.

"It really was you!!"

Its laughter echoed through the chamber once more, and its emotions seemed to affect the entire hive, causing the building to tremble with excitement.

"How dare you come to my lair alone!" Gorgon lowered his head, bringing his massive head close to Liu Nian's face, his six pairs of compound eyes staring intently at him. "A mere level 200? Hmph, even if you are an aberrant individual, do you know that on my territory, I am invincible!"

Liu Nian sensed that the other party was very arrogant. How could this be allowed?

So he said, "Of course I know, because the queen bee you wanted to capture before is now my servant and has become part of my city, so I do know something about you."

When Miya'er was mentioned, the other person naturally thought of their own failed experience.

The thought that it could have broken through the level 499 limit and become a more powerful Insect King, but not only was the operation to capture the Queen Bee ruined by Liu Nian, the Queen Bee also chose to pledge allegiance to Liu Nian, one can imagine how it felt!

Its tone turned cold, and the nest, like its mood, became gloomy.

"Hmph! You won't be able to keep jumping around for long! Although I didn't manage to capture the unformed queen bee, with you around now, I can definitely get even more rewards!"

Liu Nian frowned slightly: "You mean, I'm more valuable?"

"Of course!" Gorgon stared at Liu Nian, then suddenly sneered, "You don't naively think that your little tricks can really fool those great beings, do you?"

"Do you think they'll let you grow up easily? They will nip any potential threat in the bud!!"

"Hehehe, I'd like to know, has your ancestral land already been invaded?"