Astral Sand Locust

A 1-year-old intermediate-level giant flat armored warrior!

Mudou's body length suddenly increased to over half a meter, the entire insect became thicker, appearing exceptionally strong and full of explosive power.

"Mu Dou? An awakened talent system?"

"certainly!"

"What about your abilities? Have you mastered any power-type abilities?"

"I've realized something."

As Mu Dou spoke, the primal energy within his body surged, and his insect aura suddenly intensified, his momentum rising accordingly.

"This is the innate ability of our giant flat armor, 'Supernatural Power'. Once activated, my power is greatly enhanced and can be activated continuously, but it will also continuously consume primal energy."

"oh--"

"Impressive ability!"

The sand locust's eyes gleamed, and it raised its claws, pointing south, its meaning clear: Can you move that black lotus at the bottom of the pit now?

Mu Dou understood instantly. He concealed his aura, swiftly flicked his antennae, and called out, "Let's go! Give it a try!"

Mu Dou galloped off, with Sha Huai flying swiftly to follow.

I hunted a shiny lizard along the way to replenish the energy I lost after my dormant evolution.

The two insects arrived at the sinkhole in the center of the divine kingdom.

Mu Dou activated her [Extraordinary Power] ability, her strength surged, and with the help of her jaws and forelegs, she lifted the metallic black lotus object.

He used his middle and hind legs to propel himself forward, running and carrying the black lotus artifact, and ran out of the sinkhole in one breath.

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Whoosh!

Mu Dou dropped the black lotus object, her pores wide open, and gasped for breath.

"I wonder what this thing is made of, it's so heavy!"

"What falls from the sky is mostly divine-level materials, and might even be a divine artifact whose purpose we haven't figured out yet."

"A divine artifact?"

"I suspect so."

"..."

After resting, Mu Dou pushed the black lotus container towards the mountains. When it encountered slopes and bumps, it activated its ability, using its jaws and forelegs to lift the black lotus container over the obstacles.

They stopped and rested along the way, and finally moved back to their cave dwelling around noon.

It appears to be a container used to store precious plant seeds, but neither locust nor bean has seeds that need to be stored...

The two insects channeled their primal force into each other, and the lotus flower repeatedly bloomed and closed, closed and bloomed, playing for quite a while before finally being pushed into the mountainside warehouse for storage.

"..."

"Mudou, where is your seed of life? Is it ready?"

"It's ready! I checked and confirmed it immediately after the breakthrough."

"Then...sharing the seeds?"

"No rush. White Thorn taught me that the correct order is to dig a deep well first."

"Oh~ wow?"

"Okay~ Let's go!"

"..."

Mudou had already scouted and selected the planting location for the seed.

To the south of the White Thorn Life Seed and the Golden Tortoise Divine Gift Seed, maintain a distance of 100 meters from the White Thorn Life Seed and 500 meters from the Golden Tortoise Divine Gift Seed, leaving enough space for growth.

Near the selected sowing location, at intervals of about 50 meters, the antennae tap the ground to sense and find a spot with relatively high humidity.

Using all six legs, Mudou tilted downwards and dug into the soil. Soon, the entire insect burrowed into the mud, constantly digging out mud, sand, and gravel.

Sha Huai stood guard outside, promptly clearing away the sand and gravel that Mu Dou had dug up.

A massive project.

It took two days to dig a spiraling downward tunnel, and they found underground water seepage six or seven meters underground.

Dig vertically to a depth of ten meters.

They selected stones and piled them up to build a simple deep well.

...

Before Baici, a large number of pottery pieces of various shapes and sizes, covering all kinds of uses, were specially designed and made for Mudou. He also dug a cave at the foot of the mountain and stored a warehouse there.

This includes containers used for drawing water.

The small earthenware water jug ​​is about 20 centimeters high and 10 centimeters in diameter. It has earrings on the neck and mouth, through which the tips of the front paws can be inserted. There are also two earrings through which the antennae can pass.

This product is specially designed and made for intermediate-level warriors, making it very easy to pick up.

...

Preparations are complete.

The bean sprouts its fertilized seeds and buries them shallowly in a hole.

Sha Huai stood aside to help keep watch.

Mu Dou held a water-drawing pottery utensil and drew water from a deep well to irrigate the plants.

They made dozens of trips back and forth, irrigating a large area thoroughly in one go.

The sowing work is complete.

The vitality of the Force Seed far surpasses that of ordinary plant seeds. After watering, just one night later, the tender white stems, topped with cotyledons, break through the soil in the morning light.

The two cotyledons slowly unfolded, and under the light, they quickly turned green, beginning to absorb the primal force and light energy.

Before long, a tender bud emerged from between the two cotyledons, drawing on the primal force, energy, and nutrients stored in the cotyledons, and the bud grew rapidly.

The sand locust flew back to the cave and retrieved two raw stones.

One insect, one in the south and one in the north, lay beside the seedling of the Bean Seedling. Its front paws held the raw stone, and its toes gently scraped off layers of crystal powder, slowly releasing its primal force to replenish the seedling's primal force.

The two insects remained silent, quietly watching the seedling grow little by little, in a peaceful and serene atmosphere.

...

At noon,

The first true leaf of the Bean Sprout slowly unfolds, greedily absorbing the Force and sunlight.

The seedlings are growing faster.

In the late afternoon, the second true leaf unfolded, and the third true leaf was rapidly forming.

In the evening,

The two cotyledons that come with the seed are dried out, withered, and fall off.

In just one day, the seedlings grew four true leaves and reached a height of fifteen or sixteen centimeters.

This is a young and weak seedling of the Bean Cultivation Technique.

Since the lifeblood of the Zerg warriors was tied to their own, Sha Huai and Mu Dou dared not be careless and guarded them around the clock.

...

The planting season for the Bean Cultivator was not ideal.

It has been a month and a half since the rainy season ended.

The air in the wilderness is getting drier and drier, and the sunlight is particularly harsh.

Faced with harsh climate conditions, seedlings need to be carefully cared for, and there are some techniques and considerations involved.

Mu Dou goes to bed early every evening.

As the wilderness cools at night, when the soil temperature drops to near the groundwater temperature around midnight, Mu Dou wakes up to work, drawing water from the deep well to irrigate the fields.

Every day, they need to make dozens of round trips, watering the entire area of ​​land thoroughly around the seedlings.

Under the scorching sunlight during the day, the evaporation of water vapor carries away heat, lowering the temperature around the seedlings.

Appropriate cooling is more conducive to seedling development.

Every morning and evening, Sha Huai uses one or two raw stones to replenish his primal energy.

Under conditions of strong sunlight, moderate moisture, abundant primal energy, and suitable temperature, the seedlings of the life-giving species change every day.

Only five days after sowing,

The tree has grown to a height of over one meter, and its side branches have sprouted and taken on a tree-like shape, growing from a seedling into a sapling.

Ten days later,

The tree trunk is over two meters tall.

Another half month later,

The tree trunk is over three meters tall.

The vitality of the Primal Force Plant far exceeds that of ordinary plants of the same type.

The plants grow exceptionally fast.

In just one month, the seedling grew into a "small tree" that was over 3 meters tall, with a trunk diameter of four or five centimeters, an underground root system that was over ten meters deep, and a width of four or five meters.

At this size, virtually no animal in this wasteland can harm it. Its root system draws water from deep underground, eliminating the need for irrigation.

night,

Sha Huai and Mu Dou discussed it and decided to set off early the next morning to travel further afield, hoping to try their luck and find the divinely bestowed seed.

They also familiarized themselves with the geographical environment of the distant lands and looked around to see if there were any other Zerg warriors in the wilderness.

Mu Dou lay under the Life-Giving Tree, its antennae drooping, breathing in and out, and within two seconds it fell asleep.

Sha Huai habitually turns on the blue screen to take a peek before going to bed.

My gaze swept across the screen and settled on the column for [Divine Power: 1/10].

This time, it took 36 days to accumulate 1 point of divine power.

Four months have passed since the start of the rainy season, and more than two months have passed since the end of the rainy season. The wasteland environment has become extremely harsh. Most plants have completed their reproductive cycle of flowering, fruiting, and fruit growth and maturation, and have entered a semi-dormant state of slow growth.

Worst of all, more than 90% of the plants that germinated and grew from seeds during the rainy season withered and died under the double strangulation of drought and scorching sun.

Almost all the saplings of locust and bean trees that were sown and cultivated died of drought.

The rate at which the divine power is produced has been reduced to a minimum.

How did I accumulate 1 point of divine power in just 36 days?

Sha Huai turned slightly to the side, looking at the bean tree seedlings in front of him.

After long periods of observation and contemplation, Sha Huai has gained some insights: [Divine power is a wondrous force generated by the operation of certain rules within the divine realm.]

The sand locust also observed that plants could significantly increase the rate of divine power production, while animals were less effective.

The most obvious manifestation is that, whether Sha Huai and Mu Dou were within the divine realm or not, the rate at which the divine power was produced by the divine realm remained completely unchanged.

Recently, there have been few changes in the increase or decrease of plants in the country. The only one that can be described as a major change is the species of bean.

Sha Huai's mind raced, and after much deliberation, he was absolutely certain that the Mu Dou Life Seed had significantly increased the rate at which the divine power was produced in the divine realm.

The Bean Seedling is different from the White Thorn Seedling and the Golden Tortoise Divine Gift Seedling.

It is fresh, whole, and healthy; it is a thriving primal plant.

The insectoid warriors who formed the pact between the White Thorn Life Seed and the Golden Tortoise God-given Seed are dead. The souls of these two trees have dissipated, leaving them as empty shells. They are only temporarily not completely dead due to the unique physiological structure of plants.

The White Thorn Life Seed and the Golden Tortoise Divine Gift Seed cannot accelerate the rate at which the divine realm produces divine power.

The Mudou species is completely different.

"Based on the original pattern, it should take 46 to 48 days to produce 1 point of divine power."

"It actually only took 36 days..."

"One seed of the Bean Tree can make the Divine Kingdom produce 1 point of divine power more than 10 days earlier? If there are four more such seeds, wouldn't they produce 1 point of divine power per day?"

"What conditions affect the rate at which Force Plants produce divine power? Is it the size of the tree? Or its growth rate?"

"This divine power is clearly closely related to the reproduction and growth of living beings..."

Sha Huai turned his gaze to the blue light screen, locked onto the [Divine Kingdom: Sand Locust] section, and switched to the overhead map page with a thought.

Close the line of sight and lock onto the Mudou species.

"What would happen if I used this 1 unit of divine power on the Bean Seed?"

"Rapid growth? Won't that scare Mudou?"

Sha Huai pondered for a moment, then abandoned his plan to give it a try. He turned his attention to the Golden Tortoise Divine Seed beside him.

Instead, they dutifully allocated this precious bit of divine power to extend the life of the golden tortoise-given seed.

Turn off the screen and get some rest.

……

"Sand locust tree!"

"Sand locust! Sand locust!"

Early in the morning, Sha Huai was awakened by Mu Dou's intense, startled, and exclaiming mental energy.

"Shahuai, wake up!"

"Look!"

"A divinely bestowed seed from the Golden Tortoise!"

"..."

When Sha Huai woke up and focused his attention, Mu Dou had already run far away, rushing towards the direction of the Golden Tortoise God-given Seed, leaving only a wisp of fleeting, suggestive mental energy.

"???"

Sha Huai turned around and looked, instinctively startled, jumped up, and straightened his antennae.

In the distance, the Golden Tortoise God's Seed, which had long since lost all its leaves and had half-withered branches, suddenly sprouted a large number of green shoots overnight.

Sha Huai instantly understood that it must be because of that little bit of divine power from last night.

One point of divine power can extend the life of the Golden Tortoise God-given Seed for 40 days, but since the rainy season, the rate of divine power production has been slightly greater than the rate of consumption.

The primal force and vitality stored within the branches of the Golden Tortoise God-given Seed had been increasing until last night, when it broke through a certain critical value, prompting the branches to sprout anew.

"!!!"

The sand locust tree was also surprised and delighted. It pushed off with its hind legs, leaped into the air, spread its wings and flew swiftly, landing on a branch near the top of the Golden Tortoise God-given Seed. It examined a cluster of leaf buds up close with its spiritual power.

"Sand locust tree!"

"Wow! Could it have come back to life?"

"He's alive!"

Mu Dou swiftly climbed up the tree trunk, reaching the top, and exclaimed with a burst of spiritual energy, "The Golden Tortoise God-given Seed has come to life!"

Sha Huai: "..."

Sha Huai knew the reason behind it all too well, and suddenly felt a little worried.

There is a very important, crucial, and potentially fatal question: [Will the re-growth of the Golden Tortoise Seed accelerate the consumption of Origin Energy and Life Force? Or will it slow down the loss of Origin Energy and Life Force? Or will it have no effect at all?]

If consumption and loss are accelerated, it could be fatal.

If the divine power output of the divine kingdom cannot keep up, the Golden Tortoise God-given Seed may soon wither and fall again due to insufficient primal force and vitality.

Can the already critically ill golden tortoise, a divinely bestowed seed, withstand any more torment?

It could very well backfire and lead to a sudden death!

"..."

Sha Huai looked solemn.

Mudou was overjoyed. She perched on a side branch at the top of the tree, her antennae erect, swaying in the wind, constantly turning her body to observe her surroundings.

After a careful inspection, it opened its elytra, the folded membrane wings snapped open with a whoosh, and with a roar, it glided towards its cave.

"..."

The locust tree remained silent.

The white thorn was long dead; its original energy had dissipated, and its muscles had dehydrated in the dry environment, leaving it entirely supported by its carapace.

You can see it by scanning through the gaps in the nodules with your mental power; the inside of the remains is empty, and the whole thing has turned into a dried corpse.

Given the current situation, how could he possibly come back to life?

As expected, a short while later, Mu Dou emerged from the cave again, its antennae drooping and head hanging low. It stood there blankly at the cave entrance, staring at the seed bestowed by the golden tortoise god.

Coming to his senses, he looked at the White Thorn Life Seed again, ran down the mountain, and scanned and checked the condition of the White Thorn Life Seed up close.

Finally, it ran back to the Golden Tortoise Tree, the tree given by the God, and climbed up the trunk.

"That's strange..."

Mu Dou suddenly became rational, muttering and analyzing, "Bai Ci is still the same as before, showing no signs of waking up at all."

"The white thorn seed is still the same as before. Overall, its life force is still vigorous, but it is slowly and continuously weakening."

"But it's a seed bestowed by the Golden Tortoise God; its primal force and vitality surge abnormally every so often. Why is that? Is it truly the true god of nature saving it? Why doesn't it revive it all at once?"

Sha Huai: "..."

It's impossible to truly save him.

Divine power can only prolong his life; once the divine power is cut off, he will die soon.

The sand locust tree knew the reason, but couldn't explain it to it.

Sha Huai simply replied, "I don't know. I don't understand."

Sha Huai changed the subject, asking, "Mu Dou, we don't have enough of our divinely bestowed golden beetles, do we?"

Mu Dou gently tapped its antennae without saying a word.

Sha Huai said, "The seed bestowed by the Golden Tortoise God has sprouted again and is about to grow branches and leaves. Mu Dou, do you think that if this continues, it will be able to flower and bear fruit?"

Mu Dou fell into deep thought...

After much deep thought, Mu Dou's eyes were filled with complex emotions, her mood was low, her antennae drooped, and she said dejectedly:

"Perhaps the true God of Nature is not saving the golden tortoise seed, much less the white thorn. Maybe the true God of Nature is saving the sand acacia and the bean."

Mudou raised its paw and pointed north to the Green Tree Mountains, adding, "It must have been that giant pillar that fell from the sky that startled the Nature God and attracted its attention. The Nature God noticed the Sand Acacia and Mudou who had been stranded in the wilderness."

"Forehead--"

"Is that another way to explain it?" Sha Huai asked earnestly, twitching his antennae in agreement. "Mu Dou! You make a very good point! That's definitely it! That's exactly it!"

"Why--"

Mu Dou sighed sadly and waved its paw, calling out, "Sha Huai, let's proceed according to plan and set off to find the divinely bestowed seed."