VESSEL - Extinction Countdown 914: Eighteen Thousand Aspects

“Sister Yi Qing’s all mushy, ugh…”

At some point, the black cat Hong Lin poked her head out from Ye Shisan’s backpack. She barely got half a sentence out before retching violently.

Yi Qing stifled a laugh. “So this little ghost girl’s scared of heights and throws up.”

Hong Lin wiped her mouth, hissing at Yi Qing before rushing to explain:

“Look, I kept quiet ‘cause I didn’t want Daddy mixed up in this. People die—it’s just how it is. You Long’er and Vanilla are no exception… But since you’ve entered the Weeping Valley, it’s a whole different story.”

No wonder Hong Lin stayed silent in the pack—she had sensed something was off about the Weeping Valley from the very beginning!

She’d hoped Ye Shisan and Yi Qing would recognize the danger and give up their search for You Long’er and Vanilla. But Array Spirit: Evil-Slayer’s meddling ruined her plan.

Ye Shisan’s temper flared. “Hong Lin, I’ll only say this once. You Long’er, Vanilla, Yi Qing are all my family. If you keep playing petty tricks, don’t call me father anymore!”

Hong Lin nuzzled his face, feigning pity. “If Daddy says so, I’ll behave! It’s just… I’m not used to sharing you with other women…”

Yi Qing felt this deeply. She murmured softly, “You’ll get used to it…”

Ye Shisan, meanwhile, stood to the side and muttered to himself:

A spiritual stream from heaven flows,

Realms break for green peaks and white cliffs.

Seek the immortals’ true realm afar,

To know it’s no mere mortal dust.

After a few recitations, he turned to Yi Qing. “Looks like we’ve cracked the first two lines. But we don’t have to chase after this so-called ‘immortals’ true realm.’ We’ve already stumbled into Weeping Valley’s secrets—and that’s scary enough. Once we find You Long’er and Vanilla, we’re gone. Not staying a second longer.”

Seeing Ye Shisan so earnest, Yi Qing gave a wry smile. “I wish we could… but luck’s not on our side. When I used Eye Technique: Azure Dust, I saw something heading toward the Green Peak. It’s the only clue we have right now, so no matter what it is, we’ve gotta check it out.”

“Exactly,” Ye Shisan nodded. “I was thinking the same. Let’s probe the Green Peak. We’ve seen the white cliffs’ illusion, but who knows what mysteries Green Peak holds? Grandpa mentioned both by name—he must’ve had a reason!”

The black cat Hong Lin grew visibly uneasy. “Father, this is no place to linger. We should press on quickly.”

Ye Shisan frowned. “We’re moving! This is dense jungle, not a paved trail—running’s not exactly an option. You seem more antsy than me. Did you sense something off?”

“Not sure yet,” Hong Lin said. “But maybe we should ask Array Spirit: Evil-Slayer. He might know what’s really going on.”

Yi Qing chuckled bitterly. “After he taught me how to use the Eye Technique: Azure Dust, he never appeared again…”

Ye Shisan was taken aback. “Wait—are you saying… he’s dead?”

Hong Lin fell silent for a beat. “That’s a shame…”

Yi Qing’s eyes widened in sudden realization. “No wonder you could tame Pseudo-Spirit Zhuqiu! It was Evil-Slayer who helped you!”

Ye Shisan shook his head. “No, I can’t fully control it yet. You only see one strange arm, but I can feel at least a dozen! Evil-Slayer only took care of one of them.”

Hong Lin cut in. “Father, you’ve got it wrong. This isn’t just a strange arm—it’s called the ‘Thousand Aspects.’ Back when Zhuqiu cultivated for three grand cycles, only to manifest eighteen of the Thousand Aspects! I saw it clearly. The one you’re controlling now is one of the prime Slayer Aspects. If I’m not mistaken, its original name was Slayer Blade!”

Yi Qing was genuinely astonished. “One cycle is twelve epochs, one epoch thirty revolutions, one revolution twelve generations, one generation thirty years—that’s hundreds of thousands of years for three cycles! Zhuqiu, a sapient being from earlier generations, spent all that time and only managed to cultivate eighteen of the Thousand Aspects? What kind of terrifying technique is this?”

The black cat let out a sinister chuckle—jeh jeh jeh—sending a chill down Ye Shisan’s spine. “He never truly focused on cultivation! With someone like Mother Xi Qing—such a peerless beauty—by his side, of course he was stirred daily and indulged nightly…hee hee hee!”

Yi Qing clenched her teeth in frustration. That Hong Lin—always flaunting this stuff!

Ye Shisan snapped, “Alright, enough! You’re veering off track!”

Hong Lin had gotten the upper hand and was about to say something when suddenly, every fur on its body stood on end!

“Father! Watch out!”

Ye Shisan halted mid-step. Yi Qing parted the brush ahead, took one look—and leapt back in fright.

They had unknowingly reached the fractured edge of a canyon. The gap to the opposite side stretched over ten meters, and the depths below were unfathomable. Yet from a distance, the area appeared to be covered in lush green grass. What was this?

Ye Shisan looked closer—and understood why Yi Qing had reacted so strongly. That wasn’t grass. It was a dense swarm of green ants, woven into a massive net suspended across the canyon!

Countless ants had woven themselves into a suspended green curtain—forming a bridge in midair. Even more ants scurried back and forth across the structure, tirelessly at work.

These green ants were massive, each as long as an adult’s forearm, with heads nearly the size of a pineapple. Their bodies gleamed emerald, and their powerful mandibles were so dark they appeared almost black—clearly not creatures to be trifled with.

What unsettled Ye Shisan most was the cargo they carried: the ants were dragging and clutching fragments of flesh—undeniably parts of some animal’s body.

It was clear now—somewhere ahead in the canyon lay the corpse of a colossal beast. Otherwise, with so many ants, they wouldn’t need to haul anything. One bite each would have devoured it clean.

A few passing ants paused to sniff at the two of them, then suddenly lunged forward with their massive mandibles. Yi Qing instinctively stepped back. “What now? Go around? I’m not messing with these ants…”

Indeed, the chasm stretched more than ten meters wide—far too vast to cross by human strength alone.

And the green ants? Their numbers were enough to blanket the entire chasm. Billions, perhaps. Even if they tried to fight, there was no way to kill them all.

Ye Shisan thought for a moment. “I’ve got a way—but Yi Qing, you gotta hold me tight.”

“You… rogue! Can you seriously get turned on anytime, anywhere?!”

Hong Lin poked her head out of the bag and giggled. “Not sure who’s in heat now… heh…”

Yi Qing glared. “I’ll kill you!”

Despite her words—“kill you,” “pervert,” and the like—her cheeks flushed red, and she obediently wrapped her arms around Ye Shisan’s neck.

Despite her “rogue” and “kill you” talk, she blushed, wrapping her arms around Ye Shisan’s neck.

Suddenly, a strange force surged downward. Yi Qing’s arms, wrapped around Ye Shisan’s neck, were jolted with tension— instinctively, she clung to him even tighter.

Ye Shisan activated Thousand Aspects: Slayer Blade, grabbing hold of a tree trunk and leaping high into the air. In an instant, the two of them—plus the black cat—burst through the canopy of towering shrubs, soaring above the canyon’s vast chasm.

Mere moments after they departed, a swarm of green ants flooded the area— but the “food” they sought had already vanished without a trace.

Suspended in midair, everyone saw it clearly— what lay ahead in the forest was no animal corpse, but a brutal, primal battle.

Countless green ants, like a disciplined human army, had formed dozens of endless battle lines.

And surging toward them like a tide, were blood-red tentacles erupting from holes in the forest floor.

These tendrils covered the jungle ground, shooting out like lightning, twisting and thrashing violently.

Each strike shattered swaths of green ants in an instant.

Across the battlefield, the ground, scattered tree limbs, and even the corpses of the blood-red tentacles had all been stained green by the remains of fallen ants.

Faced with such a horrifying sight, Yi Qing was truly frightened. She clung tightly to Ye Shisan, her arms locked around his neck— and instinctively, her legs wrapped around his waist, gripping with all her strength.

Ye Shisan had no time to worry about the ache in his hips. What he had to deal with was their landing point— and of all places, it was right in the middle of the blood-red tentacle formation.