Ice Age Apocalypse: I Hoard Billions of Supplies

Zhang Yi’s steady temperament earned Zong Yue’s approval.

He also said, ”Indeed, we need to prepare for the King Worm, and there’s no need for all four of us to act together against the Broodmother.”

Han Shanzuo’s eyebrows knitted together. ”If that’s the case, you two stay here on guard! I’m going down first!”

After saying this, he spread his wings and swiftly dove downward.

Li Changgong took a step ahead, saying, ”You two stay. I’ll go with him to deal with the Broodmother. Two people are enough!”

He flickered several times, catching up to Han Shanzuo, and the two of them charged towards the underground nest where the Broodmother resided.

They seemed almost afraid someone else would steal their credit.

Zhang Yi showed no reaction, remaining in place as before.

Seeing this, Zong Yue clicked his tongue in amazement.

”That’s the origin of an Epsilon-level Mutated Creature. Don’t you want to obtain it?”

Yet Zhang Yi calmly stated, ”A shrewd merchant only seeks limited profits. They are gamblers, but I am not.”

He actually hoped these two would succeed in killing the Broodmother.

After all, for Zhang Yi, completing this mission and ensuring the smooth mining of the Elemental Stone vein was his primary goal.

Even if he couldn’t obtain the Epsilon origin, he could still get an extra ten percent share of the Elemental Stone vein. It was a no-lose situation.

Zong Yue looked at the young man beside him and couldn’t help but ask:

”But, you have a conflict with Gouchen. If he obtains the Epsilon origin and becomes stronger, given his temperament, he will surely challenge you again.”

Zhang Yi smiled dismissively, then said in a light yet confident tone:

”No matter how much stronger he gets, he still can’t beat me.”

Zhang Yi already understood Li Changgong’s abilities. Unless Li Changgong’s power received a massive boost, he would be unable to do anything to Zhang Yi.

If he couldn’t win, he could simply run away.

Looking at Zhang Yi, a trace of an appreciative smile appeared at the corner of Zong Yue’s mouth, and he nodded slightly to himself.

He greatly admired Zhang Yi’s temperament.

The two of them watched the battle below, with no intention of intervening.

This rare mission was an excellent opportunity for them to hunt powerful Mutated Creatures and obtain their origins.

Zhang Yi and Zong Yue weren’t so desperate as to fight them for those things.

If the two of them intervened even slightly, they might just pulverize those Ground Centipedes.

They merely stood guard on the sidelines, both guarding against the appearance of the King Worm and maintaining communication with Han Shanzuo and Li Changgong to prevent any unexpected situations on their end.

Meanwhile, on the other side, Han Shanzuo shrunk his body size, and he and Li Changgong rapidly advanced along the underground tunnel towards the Broodmother’s nest.

The Ground Centipedes they encountered along the way desperately tried to block them, but they couldn’t pose any threat at all.

A few minutes later, the two passed through a long tunnel and dropped into a vast underground space.

It seemed like a natural underground cavern, immense in scale. Stalactites of hundreds of millions of years grew beside the surrounding rock walls, and large quantities of blue ore protruded from the walls, like scattered stars.

This was the central location of the Elemental Stone vein. The surrounding area was littered with gnawed ore.

The entire underground cavern was now covered in a blanket of white. Those were tens of thousands of Ground Centipede eggs, tangled and stuck together by viscous white fluid.

The massive Broodmother coiled in the very center of the nest, which was a low hill. The foot of the hill was piled high with Ground Centipede eggs.

Upon discovering the intruders, the Broodmother immediately let out a furious roar from its mouth.

Its massive body, coiled around the low hill, slowly straightened up. Its flat body rose like a huge, billowing sail. This terrifying monster was actually several hundred meters long!

”What a huge thing!”

Even Han Shanzuo couldn’t help but exclaim. ”An insect bigger than a bird! But just being big is useless. Let’s see how tough you really are!”

Black energy swirled around him, the cawing of crows resounding throughout the entire underground space as he transformed into a giant Calamity Crow.

Li Changgong placed his hands on his sword hilts. He said to Han Shanzuo, ”You engage it head-on and keep it occupied. I’ll attack from the side. If I can land just one slash, it’s dead for sure!”

Han Shanzuo nodded in agreement. ”Alright!”

The Ground Centipede’s defense was extremely formidable. The carapace on its body could slice through rock ten thousand meters underground as easily as cutting tofu.

It would be very difficult for Han Shanzuo alone to deal with it.

But Li Changgong’s [I Am Heaven’s Will] was specifically designed to counter such high-defense targets.

The two of them hit it off immediately.

Han Shanzuo stomped his feet on the ground, creating violent rumbling sounds.

He spread his black wings, over two hundred meters wide, and let out a skyward cry, ”Caw! Caw!”

Countless black feathers suddenly began to drift down from the sky. The entire underground cavern was enveloped in an ominous aura, a strange crimson hue staining the entire cave.

Black smoke suddenly began to coil around the Broodmother’s body. It grew restless and agitated, but that black smoke was like chains. No matter how it writhed, it couldn’t break free.

This was Han Shanzuo’s ability, [Omen of Calamity], an unavoidable locking ability. Once enveloped, the target would be plagued by misfortune, and its own actions would be severely restricted.

”Crackle, crackle—”

The Broodmother twisted its massive body, its carapace emitting crisp, clattering sounds.

It gave a violent shake. As its carapace plates rubbed and collided, an invisible shockwave erupted from its body, instantly spreading towards Han Shanzuo and Li Changgong!

The invisible shockwave avoided the insect eggs. Wherever it passed, the hard ground was instantly pulverized into dust.

Han Shanzuo and Li Changgong’s expressions changed instantly. The two immediately soared into the air. Looking back, they saw the rock wall behind them had already turned to fragments like falling snow.

”Gouchen, watch closely!”

Han Shanzuo flapped his wings, charging straight at the Broodmother from the air. He let out the shrill cry of a raven, his sharp iron claws aimed directly at the Broodmother’s back.

The Broodmother, utterly fearless, shot upwards. Its massive maw opened wide, revealing densely packed sharp teeth.

”BOOM!!”

The crow and the Broodmother collided. The impact between the two giant creatures stirred up terrifying winds, shattering large swathes of the surrounding insect eggs.

This enraged the Broodmother, making it roar in fury. Its body twisted like a spring, then it launched itself with a powerful burst towards the crow in mid-air. Its huge, long mouth shot forward like a spear!

Han Shanzuo didn’t dare to be the slightest bit careless. Relying on his aerial advantage, he dodged the Broodmother’s attack.

”Caw, caw, caw! Can’t hit me, can’t hit me! How can a ground-dwelling insect catch an airborne bird? Caw, caw, caw!”

Han Shanzuo taunted cheekily.

The Broodmother was thoroughly enraged by him. It opened its giant maw, and a powerful energy rapidly condensed in its throat.

A sharp glint flashed in Han Shanzuo’s eyes. He also opened his bird beak, and a blood-red energy began to take shape.

”Demon Crow Wave!”

”Screech—!”

The two terrifying forces collided directly in mid-air. The power was so immense that the resulting shockwaves made the entire cavern tremble. Countless insect eggs were shattered, sticky egg fluid splattering everywhere. Even some unformed Ground Centipede corpses were flung all over the place.

At this moment, Li Changgong, who had been waiting for the right moment to strike, continuously activated [No Distance Within the Six Realms]. Taking advantage of the Broodmother being distracted by Han Shanzuo, he appeared behind it.

Author’s Note