Astral Sand Locust

……

The cliffs are steep and precipitous, the peaks are rugged and craggy, all neatly arranged, layer upon layer, descending downwards.

Below, wave after wave crashed rhythmically against the cliffs.

The locust tree stood at the highest point of the cliff, and its rumbling sound could be clearly heard.

Look ahead,

It was an endless expanse of azure, a stark contrast to the crimson wasteland behind it.

It's like two different worlds, with the cliff with a drop of a thousand meters serving as a natural dividing line.

The sand locust tree stood on high and gazed into the distance. After a long, long time, it gently pushed off with its legs, leaped into the air, spread its wings, and glided.

It hovered, then landed on a dark green reef on the coast, bent its tentacles, gently dipped them into the seawater, and then tasted a little of it.

Salty and bitter.

It was indeed seawater.

It is completely consistent with the description of the ocean in the inheritance of memories.

For Zerg warriors, the ocean and the desert are no different; neither is suitable for plants to take root and cannot provide a habitat for Zerg warriors to survive and thrive.

A wave crashed against the rocks.

The sand locust leaped and nimbly dodged, then flapped its wings and took off, calculating its stamina and attempting to fly towards the depths of the ocean.

Ahead lay a vast, endless expanse of deep blue.

Half a day later, Sha Huai turned around and returned to the cliff before exhausting his strength.

Eat and rest.

Listening to the surging sound of the tide, the sound of the waves crashing against the shore, and smelling the salty, fishy scent, Sha Huai felt an unprecedented sense of peace.

I lay on the cliff top, gazing at the sea, silently watching for a whole day and night.

We set off on our return journey.

...

...

"Sand locust tree? We can see the sea?"

"I saw it."

"Very far? Even if you go all out and fly, it will still take 8 days round trip?"

"About right. I've estimated it; the straight-line distance is approximately 2500 kilometers."

"Uh...far...ah~"

"That's not important. Mudou, as long as it's confirmed to be the sea, that's all that matters."

"Yes. You will then fly over the sea, bypassing the dangerous areas inhabited by the rock beasts."

"Yes."

"For safety's sake, let's consider this after we reach the advanced warrior level."

"That's right."

"Shahuai, shouldn't you return to your territory and prepare to break through to the intermediate warrior level?"

"Yes. Preparing early and using Force-based foods regularly and in measured amounts, while strengthening and enhancing at a steady pace, will minimize the risk of failure in breaking through."

As Sha Huai spoke, his gaze and mental focus were simultaneously concentrated on the giant Aristolochia seeds, a gift from heaven, on the lush green vines.

"Mudou, the fruit is changing color; the divinely given seeds will soon be ready."

"A slight change just appeared last night. The ripening period for the pods is quite long, probably at least half a month."

"Shall I return to my territory and send over a batch of rough stones?"

"That would be perfect. We really need raw stones right now."

"..."

It was midday.

Sha Huai ate something, rested quietly for a while, and then set off, traveling late into the night to return to the Green Tree Mountain Range territory.

Resting in the middle of the night,

The next morning, he carried 10 rough stones and traveled day and night to deliver them to the Windbell Basin.

After finishing,

Upon returning to his territory, Sha Huai began to formally plan, prepare, and work towards breaking through to become an intermediate warrior.

For a 9-year-old beginner warrior to break through to the intermediate warrior level, the resource consumption is already quite large.

The sand locust tree needs to eat 100 to 120 white thorn seeds every day, in batches at dusk, midnight, and dawn.

They rested in a storage warehouse inside the mountain at night.

During the daytime, it can also travel long distances, flying in all directions to search, with the Green Tree Mountains as the center.

While growing and evolving, they also continue to search for divinely bestowed seeds.

Half a month later,

Mu Dou traveled through the night and returned in a gallop, arriving directly at the sand locust tree.

"Sand locust! The seeds of the giant Aristolochia debilis have been successfully harvested and I have stored them in my life pouch as my life seed."

"Let me see!"

"it is good."

Without saying a word, Mu Dou buried her head and spat out a brownish-red, oval-shaped seed with greenish-blue spots.

Giant Aristolochia: A Gift from Heaven!

The color is quite different from that of common Aristolochia deliciosa seeds, although the shape is the same and the size is much larger.

The green spots on the seed's surface slowly absorb the natural primal force, while simultaneously releasing a faint aura of the system's primal energy.

The enhancement effect of the Aristolochia macrophylla seeds produced by the Giant Flower is to greatly increase the upper limit of the body's capacity to store Force energy.

"Mudou, you have the life seed for the intermediate warrior stage. Now you should grow and evolve quickly."

"Of course!"

"There's a little over a jar of white thorn seeds left, they're all yours, hurry up and eat them."

"no problem!"

Mu Dou buried his head, put the divinely bestowed seeds of the giant Aristolochia back into his life pouch, and asked:

"Shahuai, how are your preparations going? When are you going to break through to the intermediate warrior level?"

"Everything went smoothly. In 6 or 7 days, I will begin my slumber evolution."

"I understand. It seems I've returned just in time."

"..."

Six days later,

Midnight,

Storage warehouse

The mugwort tip is used to cut the shells, and the shelled kernels are neatly arranged one by one in front of the sand locust tree.

The sand locust tree slowly plucked the locust seeds with its toes, swallowing them one after another, silently digesting and absorbing them.

Finally, after eating more than 50 pills in a row, I suddenly felt mentally exhausted, my mind was hazy, and I was inexplicably sleepy.

Signs of age-related evolution!

"Mudou, that's enough."

The image shows the waving antennae of the sand locust tree.

"oh!"

Mudou decisively stopped clawing, stared at the sand acacia for a couple of seconds, and after confirming that there was no problem, got up and left the nest, lying sideways with its antennae hanging straight down, blocking the entrance to the cave.

"..."

The sand locust quickened its pace, finishing off all the white thorn kernels on the ground. It tried its best to stay clear-headed, enduring the pressure, and made a final sprint to absorb and strengthen itself.

The insect could no longer hold on; its antennae retracted, its six legs folded together, and it entered a state of deep sleep.

……

Waking up from a deep sleep.

His groggy consciousness awoke.

A flood of brand-new, miscellaneous, and bizarre knowledge and memories came rushing in.

--who I am?

—I am the Desert Locust Warrior, Sha Huai!

Where am I? What am I doing?

—I'm currently breaking through to Intermediate Warrior level in the Territory Nest!

Sha Huai quickly regained consciousness and swiftly shed her old shell.

Breaking free from the constraints of the old shell, its body expands rapidly, and the newly formed shell comes into contact with the air, slowly oxidizing and hardening.

The color gradually deepens from pinkish-white to a deep crimson base, interspersed with reddish-yellow and earthy-yellow spots. The head, legs, and wing veins are black, while the wing membrane is grass-green with grass-yellow spots and eye patterns.

The expansion of the body has ended, and the shell has hardened.

He completed the breakthrough relatively easily.

A first-instar intermediate-level locust warrior!

The sand locust tree unleashed its spiritual power, extending in a straight line.

The detection range of mental power has increased dramatically, exceeding 40 meters!

With a thought, he gathered his mental energy and scanned himself.

This evolution represents a breakthrough to a higher realm, resulting in a tremendous improvement.

Its body length suddenly increased from 24 centimeters to over 30 centimeters, its body became much larger, and the size of the insect increased by one-third.

And the biggest upgrade: awakening of the Force talent!

Sha Huai buried himself in his senses and soon gained a profound understanding that came from the depths of his soul and bloodline.

Earth-type talent!

He broke through to become an intermediate warrior and successfully awakened his Force talent.

There should also be a special ability of the Desert Locust tribe...

Sha Huai buried his head, calmed his mind, and deeply contemplated, soon gaining new insights.

With a thought, the primal energy within the body is mobilized, and in that instant, the whole world becomes intimate, clear, and bright.

The Desert Locust's racial ability: [Earth Rhythm]

This is a seventh sense, surpassing sight, smell, taste, hearing, touch, and mental perception.

It can be considered a more concrete and enhanced version of "perception".

By making physical contact with the earth, using the soil, gravel, and rocks beneath one's feet as a medium, it becomes a more sensitive way of perceiving beyond the range of mental power.

Successfully awakened the Earth element talent and successfully comprehended the racial ability.

Sha Huai composed himself, his gaze falling on a pebble in the corner of the wall. He focused his mind, and his inner energy surged.

The stone leaped into the air, hovered, and slowly spun under the control of Sha Huai's will. Suddenly, it was propelled into the air and struck the stone wall, shattering with a crack.

Awakening the Earth element talent also grants a basic ability to control soil and gravel.

Strictly speaking, it can't be considered a Force ability...

"Although it's not exactly an ability, it's very practical. From now on, I can use my mental power to manipulate the pottery jar, fetch water, and irrigate the plants without having to laboriously use my clumsy claws to scoop them up."

"Upgrading to intermediate warrior only brings this much improvement. But I still have my divine kingdom..."

As Sha Huai's thoughts raced, a blue screen flashed, and a large number of black characters were replaced.

Name: Sha Huai

Race: Desert Locust (Nature God)

Title: None

Rank: Intermediate Warrior (Age 1)

Divine Kingdom: Sand Locust

Divine power: 0/100

Life Seed: Sand Locust

Ability: Earth Rhythm

……

Information on individual insects of the sand locust tree is updated synchronously.

The most important change: [Divine Power: 0/100]

The maximum power level has been increased from 10 points to 100 points.

This improvement is completely useless.

Within the realm of the gods, there are countless places where divine power is needed and can be used; divine power is never enough, never nearly enough.

The sand locust tree has always used up to 1 point immediately, and has never used up to 2 points.

10 points is out of reach, and 100 points is something I wouldn't even dare to dream of.

"With the maximum divine power increased significantly, the scope of that divine kingdom..."

Sha Huai's gaze and mental energy simultaneously locked onto [Divine Kingdom: Sand Locust].

The blue light flashes, switching to an overhead map.

Zoom in and out of the map.

Mental energy and consciousness swept past.

Sha Huai was overjoyed, his eyes sparkling.

As expected, the territory of the divine kingdom expanded significantly, more than doubling in size.

Examine carefully.

The divine realm's influence extends northward beyond the Green Tree Mountains...

Check the surrounding area

It expands in a circle from the hill where he first traveled through time, became a locust, awakened the Force, and became a Force Warrior.

The radius of the divine kingdom has increased dramatically from the original 3000 meters to more than 4000 meters, possibly even reaching 4500 meters!

"Sand locust?"

Mu Dou stealthily crept into the cave, stood at the entrance and looked around, suppressing his mental energy and calling out in his mind.

"oh--"

Sha Huai responded, coming to his senses.

It must have been that controlling the stones to strike the stone wall activated the primal force, which made a sound and alerted Mu Dou who was guarding outside.

With a thought, Sha Huai turned off the blue screen and said naturally, "Mu Dou, I've successfully broken through. Now I'm an intermediate warrior."

"I saw it."

Mu Dou asked, "Where is the life seed?"

The sand locust tree buries its head and spits out its seeds.

The primal force is powerful, and the life force is vigorous.

"Excellent! The destiny seed is fine!"

Mu Dou then asked, "What about your Force talent? Were you testing your Force abilities just now?"

Sha Huai replied, "I have successfully awakened my earth-elemental talent and comprehended the desert locust clan's innate ability, 'Earth Rhythm.' In addition, the earth-elemental talent comes with the ability to manipulate soil and rocks, which I just tested."

"oh--"

Mu Dou asked, "So now you can manipulate the clay pot to draw and fill it with water?"

Sha Huai: "..."

The sand acacia tree buried its head and put the seeds back into its life sac, then waved its antennae, beckoning, "Let's go! Give it a try!"

……

Although I have never seen the white thorn, some artifacts suggest that it was a very intelligent insect.

White Thorn designed and made this water-carrying earthenware jar for Mudou. It has a thick bottom, a large belly, a slender neck, and an open duck-beak. The neck of the jar also has two earrings, which make it easy for claws to pass through and hold the jar steadily.

Anticipating that the Beans would evolve and grow, two sizes were also made: a large one and a small one.

The large water tank is over half a meter tall.

The small water jug ​​is only 20 centimeters tall.

It's difficult to avoid accidental breakage during use, so ten of each type of white thorn are provided.

White Thorn is a wise and considerate elder of the ground beetle tribe.

The locust and bean were watered with small earthenware pots and sown during the dry season, which successfully kept the bean seedlings alive.

The seedlings of the sand locust tree have now been successfully cultivated and are ready for sowing.

……

The locust and the bean tree glided and landed directly under the bean tree.

There was a small ceramic pot for watering the tree.

Sha Huai locked onto the pottery jar with both his gaze and mental power, his primal force surging within him, and with a thought, he lifted the jar off the ground and hovered in mid-air.

The acacia tree's tendrils swayed gently, and the earthenware pot floated steadily forward with a clanging sound.

"Sand locust tree!"

Mudou waved its antennae and pointed to a deep well about fifty meters away, which was dug out specifically for watering Mudou's seedlings.

The meaning is clear: try fetching water.

"good!"

Sha Huai understood immediately and controlled the pottery jar to float and move sideways.

The sand locust also ran, stopping 40 meters from the Bean Seedling and 10 meters from the wellhead.

Using mental scanning and detection, combined with the earth's rhythm to sense the underground conditions, and manipulated by thought, the pottery jar floated down from the cave entrance, directly to the wellhead.

With a gurgling sound, it flipped over and splashed water.

It wobbled and swayed, then drifted away.

Under the mental control of the sand locust, the pottery jar moved horizontally to the foot of the Bean-planting tree, hovered about 5 meters away from the trunk, descended, flipped, and tipped over.

"Is it strenuous to work with the sand acacia tree?"

"It's alright. It doesn't consume physical strength or much Origin Force, but it does deplete mental energy, and you'll feel mentally exhausted after a while."

"That's for sure. Since it's work, there must be some expenditure."

Mu Dou followed up with a question:

"Shahuai, how about trying a larger earthenware pot?"

"No need. The smaller one is just right for me, not too much or too little. The larger one definitely won't work; the soul power isn't strong enough."

"Alright. Then hurry up and plant the seed?"

"Yes. Plant it now, immediately, right away!"

"there!"

Mudou pointed with its paw while running ahead to lead the way.

The sand locust tree followed closely behind.

The location that Mudou helped choose was about 100 meters south of Mudou's seed.

The distance is just right; it's also about 50 meters away from existing deep wells, which is very close and makes it convenient to draw water for irrigation.

The sand locust tree initiates the earth's rhythm, sensing and checking the soil conditions below.

It's alright. At a depth of about ten meters, it's mainly mud and sand with some gravel, but no particularly large rocks.

The gravel is not a problem; plant roots will secrete acidic substances to break it down.

"no problem!"

"This is it!"

The sand locust tree selected a precise spot and began to dig with its claws.

Simply dig a shallow pit about three centimeters deep.

It buried its head and spat out the life-giving seeds of the sand locust tree.

Excavate and backfill.

The seed-planting process was completed simply and easily.

Mu Dou carried the earthenware pot, ran to the deep well, drew water, and rushed over to help irrigate the plants.