Gates of the Myriad Realms Chapter 411

Chapter 394: Heart of the Swarm!

Unanimously approved!

The massive crimson vertical pupil hanging high in the 法界 (Law Realm) slowly rotated, fixing its gaze upon Shen Ye’s consciousness.

“Welcome to our ranks.”

A majestic voice resonated.

Almost at the same moment, dense runes emanated from the huge crimson vertical pupil.

These runes flew out, enveloping Shen Ye’s consciousness.

In an instant.

Inside the cave, Shen Ye opened his eyes, looking at his left hand.

On the back of his left hand, countless black lines quietly appeared, intertwining to form a black vertical pupil.

This vertical pupil stared into the void, exuding a will to end all things.

It was the representative 法相 (Dharma Aspect) of the Emperor Species:

“Destiny’s End”!

The vertical pupil remotely gazed into the void, establishing a subtle connection between Shen Ye and the 法界 (Law Realm).

Shen Ye instinctively understood how to use it.

He only needed to focus his consciousness on the back of his hand, and the power of the black vertical pupil would activate—

His thoughts would immediately project into that largest collective consciousness, allowing him to communicate with other Emperor Species.

As soon as his thoughts entered the collective, he immediately received many messages:

“Welcome!”

“Welcome, new bug!”

“Hurry up, let’s get the new bug initiation going.”

“Can’t wait, come on.”

Shen Ye was a bit bewildered.

“What does a new bug do?” he asked.

The majestic voice responded:

“In our collective consciousness, a new bug is level 0 and has no benefits.”

“To reach level 1, you must contribute some resources to everyone.”

“This step is the simplest.”

An empty bug egg passed through the 法界 (Law Realm) and landed in Shen Ye’s hand.

“I believe you’ve also accumulated some treasures and wealth. As long as you can fill this bug egg and contribute it to the collective consciousness, your level will reach 1, and you can use most of the functions of the collective consciousness.”

Shen Ye nodded.

This was understandable.

You join a group of powerful individuals as a newcomer, contributing nothing, and expect to receive benefits immediately—

Does such a good thing exist in the world?

“Okay, I can fill it right away.”

Shen Ye said.

A burst of laughter erupted.

Some bugs even whistled cheerfully.

Shen Ye was puzzled.

However, he could sense that everyone didn’t seem to have any ill intentions.

The majestic voice cleared its throat and spoke again:

“Your attitude is good, but this bug egg has its own consciousness.”

“It won’t accept things that aren’t valuable enough.”

“Filling it can be a bit challenging… you’ll probably have to work at it for a while.”

So that’s how it is.

It seemed that other bugs had also encountered awkward situations when joining.

—Does it require a lot of treasure?

Well, he’d have to try.

Shen Ye wiped his ring, then opened the empty bug egg and poured the treasures collected by Elder Wang into it.

It was full in no time.

Shen Ye was a little surprised.

—This amount isn’t too bad!

He patted the bug egg, which was about half the size of his palm.

The bug egg immediately drilled into the void, jumped to the 法界 (Law Realm), and swiftly settled into that enormous vertical pupil.

Waves of magnificent and powerful spiritual energy swept back and forth over the bug egg.

“Rich, indeed.”

“It seems to have been filled all at once.”

“Bugs like this joining us truly strengthen our entire collective.”

“Very good, very good.”

The bugs chattered away.

At the same time.

Shen Ye noticed that a bronze outline appeared around the vertical pupil on the back of his hand.

The majestic voice conveyed a sense of satisfaction:

“Your evaluation has been upgraded to level 1.”

“The first tier of the talent tree is now open to you. You can choose appropriate level 1 skills.”

“—These skills were left behind by the strongest bugs.”

“Mastering them will help you improve your strength.”

“Explore more functions yourself. Now, only one last thing remains—”

“Do you have any suggestions for our swarm?”

“Suggestions?” Shen Ye was startled.

“Yes, we highly value new members’ suggestions.”

The majestic voice continued:

“After all, this is your first contact with the collective consciousness, and you might see problems we don’t—if your suggestion is adopted, I will give you a corresponding reward.”

Suggestion…

Shen Ye pondered for a moment, recalling the many vertical pupils he had seen in the 法界 (Law Realm), and then spoke:

“Does our collective consciousness have any special ‘name’ or designation?”

“No, the 法界 (Law Realm) does not assign ‘names’ or entries to collective consciousnesses.” The majestic voice said.

“Is there any way to distinguish us from other collective consciousnesses?” Shen Ye asked.

“Because we are the strongest, we are at the highest position.” The majestic voice said.

Got it!

Shen Ye cleared his throat and spoke:

“Actually, when I first entered the 法界 (Law Realm) to find the organization, I almost just casually joined a collective consciousness.”

“—It wasn’t strong, but it was the first to appear before me.”

“I guess some bugs are also like this, accidentally joining other collective consciousnesses.”

“However, there’s only one chance to choose a collective consciousness.”

“So, in order to attract powerful and talented newcomers to join, and to avoid them mistaking us for others—”

“Our collective consciousness needs a highly recognizable name, so everyone can clearly know us and gravitate towards us.”

“Well said,” the majestic voice praised, “Do you have any good suggestions?”

“I suggest we give our collective consciousness a name.”

Name!

The consciousnesses of the other bugs emerged, speaking out:

“You’re right!”

“For a long time, we’ve been closing ourselves off, each managing our own consciousness. This is outdated—why not open up the situation?”

“It should have been like this long ago!”

“We are naturally the strongest, so we should have a unified designation.”

“A name! A name!”

The majestic voice sounded again, overriding all the other bugs’ voices:

“Alright, let’s start naming now. Does anyone have any opinions?”

The bugs immediately began to express their opinions:

“Emperor Bug Alliance!”

“Cosmic Bug Battle Squad!”

“Transformers!”

“Bug精灵 (Bug Spirit)!”

“Beautiful Bugs!”

“…”

They chattered on, each convinced their name was the best.

“Stop!”

The majestic voice roared.

The bugs gradually quieted down.

“All of your names are too ugly and completely fail to show our prestige—by the way, what should I call you? Level 1 new bug?”

“Paige—Baxter Paige.” Shen Ye said.

“Why are you called that name? Did your queen mother give it to you?” The majestic voice asked.

“No, it’s just because I once impersonated a human and a vampire, and at that time I took this name—the humans who know this name are likely my subordinates, please take care of them all.” Shen Ye said.

The majestic voice casually said:

“Impersonating humans? Good idea, humans and pandas are the species most likely to awaken door abilities, and door abilities represent the future.”

“More importantly, you didn’t lie once!”

“Baxter—”

“Now, you propose a name first, then other bugs will propose names, and finally, everyone will vote.” The majestic voice said.

“Heart of the Swarm.” Shen Ye said.

A moment of silence.

The bugs pondered the name.

It sounded ordinary, but on closer inspection, it seemed to represent the collective consciousness’s position among all Emperor Species.

“Why that name?” The majestic voice asked.

Shen Ye said:

“We are the kings of the swarm, and the core of the entire race. We determine the future of the swarm!”

“Excellent, I vote for you.” The majestic voice said.

“I think it’s good too.”

“Not bad.”

“That’s the name.”

The other bugs said in unison.

“Then let’s vote—” The majestic voice said.

The bugs communicated quickly with their consciousnesses and soon completed all the votes.

“Heart of the Swarm” surpassed the second-place “City of Fireworks Bugs” by eighteen votes!

The majestic voice boomed:

“Baxter, your suggestion today is excellent. From now on, we will have a unified name for our collective consciousness.”

“Your arrival makes us more advanced and powerful.”

“We hope every member can be like this.”

“Only then can we live up to the name ‘Heart of the Swarm’.”

“I, on behalf of the entire collective consciousness, reward you—”

In an instant.

The power of 法界 (Law Realm) descended from the void, directly flowing into Shen Ye’s heart, materializing into a skill exclusive to Emperor Species.

Tiny glowing words quickly appeared, detailing the reward:

“‘Heart of the Swarm’ has rewarded you, granting you the most powerful skill recognized in the first tier of the Emperor Species’s cosmic giant insect talent tree:”

“Thorns of Destiny.”

“Emperor Species innate skill, permanent passive ability.”

“Description: Any attack cast upon you by any target will simultaneously attack that target.”

“—Though it is on the first tier of the talent tree, this is indeed an extremely powerful Emperor Species talent, and also a core Emperor Species talent.”

“Perhaps with this talent alone, you can freely roam the universe.”

All the tiny words retracted.

Shen Ye’s entire body emitted a deep red light, and with a slight thought—

Translucent crimson thorns densely covered Shen Ye’s entire body.

This is a talent!

Just like a door ability.

—Generally speaking, talents are innate abilities, as natural as eating and sleeping, effortlessly wielded.

The so-called “permanent passive ability” means that this skill will always exist.

Unless you actively turn it off.

—It’s kind of like how an air conditioner works.

Shen Ye had experienced many battles and deeply understood how powerful this “Thorns of Destiny” talent was.

If the Emperor Species he had seen could master this talent—

Then why bother fighting?

It could almost be called invincible!

However, it did not acquire such a core talent.

Not even its Queen Mother had this talent!

—Yet I do!

The Heart of the Swarm indeed lived up to its name as the strongest collective consciousness of the Emperor Species. The rewards it offered were simply astounding.

Shen Ye gently exhaled, calming himself down.

At this moment, he felt he should say something.

“Thank you, great masters, for bestowing this talent upon me. I want to thank every brother who voted for me. I love you all, thank you!”

“In the future, I will work even harder to contribute more to the Heart of the Swarm.”

“Thank you again!”

Shen Ye’s speech was met with whistles and cheers.

“Not bad, Baxter. Keep up the good work.”

The majestic voice encouraged.

“I will!” Shen Ye said.

The matter was concluded.

Shen Ye disconnected from the Heart of the Swarm.

He was about to continue familiarizing himself with Thorns of Destiny, when he saw several lines of small text appear in the void:

“The dark gold keyword ‘Blood Sucking Kid’ has loosened.”

“As the former vampire ‘Baxter’, your name has begun to appear throughout the vast interwoven universes, and has become known to truly powerful beings.”

“Please do more to spread your reputation.”

“—’Blood Sucking Kid’ has the possibility of further evolution!”

All the small words retracted.

Alright.

All good news.

Shen Ye was somewhat exhilarated.

Suddenly, a voice rang in his ear:

“Oh? Is that Thorns of Destiny on you—so you really are an Emperor Species? I thought it was fake.”

Shen Ye suddenly turned his head to look.

A person was squatting in a tree in the courtyard, holding a blood-splattered human head.

“Saint? Nangong Wantu, a disciple of Xuanmen Peak, greets the Saint.”

Shen Ye was startled and quickly rose to bow.

The man in the tree was indeed the Saint.

…Carelessness.

His consciousness had been in the 法界 (Law Realm) just now, so he hadn’t been able to fully perceive everything in the courtyard.

“Your human name is Nangong Wantu? Why did you choose a human name, it’s really ugly, little bug of Emperor Species.”

The Saint squinted, looking down at Shen Ye with a scrutinizing gaze.

“Just a code name, no need for the Saint to mind.” Shen Ye said.

Shen Ye looked at the human head.

Dao Zhengyi!

It was Dao Zhengyi!

Why would the Saint kill him?

Perhaps sensing Shen Ye’s gaze, the Saint lifted the human head towards Shen Ye and said:

“You’ve met him?”

“More than just met, I entrusted him with many tasks.” Shen Ye said.

“Why did you entrust him?” The Saint asked.

Shen Ye spread his hands and said with a matter-of-fact tone:

“Do I have to handle those trivial matters myself?”

“He belongs to a hidden human organization, that organization specializes in exploring all human ruins and ancient forces, wanting to excavate and steal all treasures and legacies.” The Saint said.

“I really didn’t know that—I actually haven’t been in the Dao Palace for very long, Saint.” Shen Ye said.

The Saint looked at him, saying nothing. The human head in his hand suddenly exploded into a mist of blood with a “bang”.

“Great Saint, I apologize again. If there is anything I need to compensate for, I am willing to pay.” Shen Ye said.

The Saint grinned and said:

“Little bug, I’ve heard you have a powerful background. Now tell me about the force behind you—if you lie even once, or try to hide and bluff in front of me—I guarantee your fate will be no different from Dao Zhengyi’s.”

Shen Ye casually raised his left hand, allowing the other party to see the black vertical pupil on its back.

“I am from the Heart of the Swarm.”

He said.

The Saint’s gaze fell on the back of his hand, sweeping over it briefly, and his killing intent dissipated considerably.

“Heart of the Swarm… never heard of it, but what you have there is indeed a collective consciousness of Emperor Species.”

“How about this, I’ll take a look myself to be sure.”

No sooner had he spoken.

The Saint vanished from the tree, suddenly appearing before Shen Ye, pressing his hand onto Shen Ye’s backhand.

So fast!

Shen Ye’s pupils contracted sharply.

Even though he had already summoned the Invisible Celestial Demon, there was simply no time to react!

The next moment.

The Saint’s hand had already retracted.

He adopted a harmonious expression, and his tone became friendly:

“So you’re called the Heart of the Swarm now—I know you—of course, you are the strongest Emperor Species, about that, there is no doubt.”

“But why do you impersonate humans? Please allow me to ask this last question.”

Shen Ye was about to offer another reason, when a flash of inspiration suddenly struck his mind.

That’s right.

That majestic voice had once said something.

It seemed perfectly applicable here—

“Humans and pandas are the species most likely to awaken door abilities, and door abilities represent the future.”

Shen Ye repeated the sentence.

The Saint listened carefully, nodding subconsciously, and then said:

“Absolutely right.”

Shen Ye continued:

“—I must impersonate humans to experience their cultivation methods and see why they are more likely to awaken door abilities.”

“Of course, if my presence here causes trouble for the Saint, that is not my intention.”

“I can leave anytime.”

“One last word before I go:”

“If I cause any negative impact or loss to the Grand Dao Palace—”

“I can pay ten times the compensation!”

The Saint was slightly taken aback, then burst out laughing.

This Emperor Species came from the strongest Emperor Species organization in the multi-verse.

—Firstly, based on his identity, it can be confirmed that he is reliable.

He would never be on the human side.

And he has a bright future.

And he’s rich.

No.

He’s extremely rich.

What he said just now about door abilities was absolutely correct, a consensus among cosmic demon lords.

It was rare that he still thought about impersonating humans.

Indeed, they were the strongest group among the Emperor Species.

In addition.

He also declared that he could leave at any time.

This was absolutely not a lie—

He could tell that Shen Ye truly didn’t care.

“Hahahahaha, a misunderstanding, it’s all a misunderstanding!”

The Saint quickly said:

“Nangong Wantu, I must sincerely tell you, my inner demon previously messed up the sect, so I had to rush back to deal with this mess.”

“—Please don’t take offense.”

“You can stay here as long as you like.”

“Absolutely no problem.”

As the Saint spoke, he even patted Shen Ye’s shoulder affectionately.

Shen Ye was about to continue the conversation, but the door of the cave was pushed open.

Dantai Mingyue walked in with several men and women.

“Nangong Wantu!”

A female cultivator shouted.

“Greetings, senior brothers and sisters.” Shen Ye quickly bowed.

He looked back and saw the Saint waving his hand, saying, “They can’t see me, nor can they hear me.”

“—Senior brothers and sisters, what brings you here?”

Shen Ye had no choice but to continue asking.

Dantai Mingyue walked up, frowning, and said, “Chu Manshu said you were good, so I thought I’d give you a chance.”

“You claimed you could refine mid-grade pills, but the alchemy furnace exploded.”

“It was a pre-arranged gathering for discussion, yet you left without a word, and we were worried about you, searching for you everywhere.”

A male cultivator jumped out and stood in front of Dantai Mingyue, shouting:

“Enough!”

“Nangong Wantu, don’t ever contact us again, you’re not worthy!”

“Exactly,” another female cultivator also shouted, “you despicable, shameless, untalented, and unvirtuous fellow are not worthy of our Senior Sister Dantai!”

After saying this, everyone glared at Shen Ye.

Shen Ye scratched his head.

—Is it my turn to speak?

He glanced at the Saint.

The Saint seemed to recall something and transmitted, “Sorry, your alchemy furnace seems to have been messed up by my inner demon.”

“It’s fine, I’ll say something to send them away.” Shen Ye also transmitted.

What should I say?

Actually, he wasn’t very familiar with these people, so he might as well just send them away.

“Cough—well then, you actually look down on me.”

Shen Ye raised his voice and casually recited a line from his memory:

“Thirty years to the south, thirty years to the north, we’ll see!”

The several cultivators opposite him said in unison:

“We’ll see then, we’ll see!”

They crowded around Dantai Mingyue and walked out, disappearing from sight quickly.

The Saint observed Shen Ye’s expression, noting that although his voice was loud, there were no extraneous emotions on his face.

His entire body’s power fluctuations were also extremely calm.

This Nangong Wantu is so indifferent—

Indeed.

—As an extremely powerful Emperor Species in the universe, even impersonating a human, it’s difficult to have human emotions, let alone interact normally with humans.

He himself deeply felt this point!

That’s why he kept saying he wanted to find a Dao companion in a human sect.

This was all to experience the feeling of being human!

He also found a sect leader identity to experience the pros and cons of humans, wanting to find their path to cultivating the Immortal Kingdom’s three arts.

—Actually, Nangong Wantu was just like him!

Different paths, same destination.

It’s just that he was for the door ability, and he himself was for the Immortal Kingdom’s three arts!

The Saint mused:

“I seem to recall that the human saying should be ‘thirty years east of the river, thirty years west of the river’.”

“But south is down, north is up, which means that as time changes, I will eventually be above them—this is more direct than the human ‘east of the river, west of the river’, and better represents my meaning.” Shen Ye proudly said.

The Saint’s mouth opened slightly, momentarily unable to find words to refute.

Damn it.

That actually makes some sense.

As expected of a bug from the Heart of the Swarm.

However—

“East, south, west, north… it’s really just a matter of direction… but if you use the wrong idiom, humans will laugh at you.” The Saint said, his expression suddenly changing.

Indeed.

Those human cultivators outside were already laughing heartily.

This was the consequence of using the wrong idiom.

Back then.

When he was human, he had made many similar mistakes.

The Saint sighed.

Upon reflection—

His inner demon was a flawed, paranoid being, repeatedly making things difficult for this Emperor Species.

Wasn’t that sick?

But ultimately, the inner demon was also summoned by him.

That was his fault.

“Nangong Wantu.”

The Saint spoke.

“Please speak, Saint.” Shen Ye said.

“My inner demon once offered a drop of Emperor Species bone marrow essence, but did not give it to you.”

“—Now, take it.”

With a wave of the Saint’s hand, a drop of fresh blood quietly appeared.

This drop of blood emitted a heavy crimson glow, illuminating the entire courtyard.

Good stuff!

Especially for Emperor Species, this was an excellent treasure that could activate bloodlines and enhance strength!

“No reward without merit, Saint, that’s too kind.”

Shen Ye quickly said.

“It’s nothing,” the Saint said nonchalantly, “You’ve sent so much wealth and resources to my sect, am I really so petty? Just take it.”

“Then many thanks, Saint.”

Shen Ye accepted the drop of blood.

Seeing his straightforward actions, the Saint secretly nodded in approval.

They were both high-level cosmic beings.

There wasn’t so much unnecessary fuss.

“Alright, you can slowly cultivate human techniques. I’m busy and can’t stand still, we’ll talk again later.”

“Farewell, Saint.”

“Mm, if anything comes up, come find me directly.”

“Yes.”

The Saint’s figure flashed and disappeared.

Only Shen Ye remained standing in place.

After a long while.

He gently exhaled.

—That was really close.

Fortunately, in the past, he had the thought of finding the “Supreme Blood Demon Void Becoming Saint Refinement Method” to purify his bloodline.

And fortunately, he immediately began cultivating this technique, thereby purifying his bloodline and sensing the Emperor Species consciousness aggregate in the 法界 (Law Realm).

Even more fortunately—

He used his peak interview skills to successfully infiltrate the strongest Heart of the Swarm!

Everyone in there was a talent, spoke nicely, and had super powerful skills!

Becoming a member of the Heart of the Swarm—

This was the fundamental reason why the Saint was so polite to him!

Shen Ye reached out and tapped the array disc.

A series of multiple concealment, warning, and defense arrays were activated.

Now.

First, he would refine the drop of bone marrow essence given by the Saint.

However, to be safe—

Shen Ye held the suspended drop of true blood in his hand, silently activating the keyword “Tool of Destiny.”

Lines of faint glowing text then appeared in the void.