The monster that rounded the corner was a massive centipede. It is black with dark red streaks going across its shell. The thing was massive about the size of a Doberman and crawled across the ceiling. I could swear my skin crawled when I saw the ugly thing. I didn't give it a chance to react to my presence before three imbued psychic blades slammed into its head. The creepy thing took the attack straight on and kept coming.

"Fuck no, fuck no" I unleashed blade after blade until I received the wonderous kill energy. I wasn't even interested in the actual power but there was no way in this world or any other that I was going to sit here and fight that ugly thing. I collected the corpse and kept it moving. The subterranean world was fascinating in its own dark and creepy way. The lack of light made it feel like there could be danger around every corner.

The different colored stones made me think of an art piece. It wasn't all good though. I was forced into several more fights with creepy crawly things. Fortunately for me, the monsters here were better than the surface. They provided more energy and the danger wasn't much higher. Of course, that was because I was freakish.

I pushed further until the tunnel opened up. I stepped into a chamber that was the size of a gymnasium and reminded me of somewhere you would do a boss battle in a video game. When nothing came crawling out of a tunnel or erupted out of the ground. I let out a sigh of relief. "This spot could probably act as a slight base of operations."

Before I got comfortable I unleashed my aura at full blast. Once again the world around me transformed into a blood-drenched battlefield. I could swear everything gained a heat mirage-like effect. If my hunch was right this should act like kicking a hornet's nest. When the chamber started to tremble I laughed. The beasts didn't keep me waiting for very long. The wall opposite me erupted and an unholy abomination of a creature appeared. It was the size of a large dog and made it sound that was a cross between a hiss and clicking. It had four sharp pointy limbs and a face that was just a mouth. Its body was covered in thick grey chitinous plates.

I had no idea what creature it had been nor did I care. Before I could begin my attack another two creatures clawed their way out of the hole. They all paused as if sniffing the air before orienting on me. "You are some ugly mother fuckers."

Almost as if they could hear me, the trio rushed forward. I grinned and rushed forward to meet them. I ducked a pair of blade-like limbs aimed to take my head off. I slammed an empowered fist into the lead creature's chest. A wave of fresh agony shot up my arm and into my shoulder. It felt like I just punched a mountain. A scream of danger forced me to retreat nearly ten feet.

My eyes widened when I passed my inner eye over my arm. I broke my wrist. I conjured three psychic blades and shot them at the beasts. One each. I summoned a healing pill from my ring and swallowed just as the blades arrived. Once again I was stunned. The shells somehow defended them from the psychic attack. They weren't enough to destroy it, more like changed into a shallow wound.

I chuckled to myself and activated Realm of Consciousness. My first real battle and I was already forced to activate a spell. The grey mist bellowed out from me as my laughter filled the chamber. The ugly creatures searched for me but I might as well have been invisible. Another round of blades found their targets this time they were imbued with Tao. The compressed blade faired the best in terms of outright damage. It still wasn't enough to kill it outright.

My sword fared even worse than my hand. The blade shattered as soon as I swung it. I abandoned physical combat in favor of an all-out psychic offensive. I wasn't sure if I would be attacked after this so I held back the rest of my spells. Instead, I conjured one sword the size of a small car. I then compressed it down until it was the size of a bastard sword.

My soul strained as I launched it as the largest beast. It felt like I was trying to lift a car with my mind. This time the creature felt it. The blade shot straight through it and into the wall behind it. The monster froze for a second before falling into two pieces. There was something about the cut that made the hair on the back of my neck stand up. "It cut its soul in half along with its body."

I chuckled and turned my attention to the other two. The beast must have sensed that they were in danger because they tried to flee. Only with my domain spell up it was impossible. They were more likely to hurt themselves. Once I knew what to do dealing with both of them was child's play. I let Realm of Consciousness fade away as soon as the battle was done. If it weren't for the mental energy supplied by my domain I might have been in trouble.

I stretched my shoulders and took a seat in the middle of the room. My mind went back to that first spatial cut. I couldn't help but feel like there was something there. I was pretty sure I could go after a Strand for that. Maybe Sharpness or rifts or something but now wasn't the best time. The next one should be related to Time assuming I could even do that. Either way, it would be something for me to worry about in the future. I rested for ten minutes before I headed back the way I came.

Once I was back within range of my spell I reached out to everyone. Once they confirmed it was all good I returned to my cave. I pulled out a bit of the cooked beast meat and began eating. I did my best to not think about whatever creature it came from. It was tough but reminded me a bit of chicken. When I finished my meal I stepped through the whole and followed the path.

I was forced to crawl at several points before I entered a tunnel filled with body parts. Most of them were bugs and other monsters but a few were human. I had assumed the System sent everyone to the surface but was that the case? Was there any reason that cultivators couldn't have been sent down here? If they were then they would likely be dead. Especially since I had met most of the top ten already.

I did my best to not step on any of the human bodies but after all the parts became mush. I ignored the horrid smell of everything around me until the cave ended. The chamber that I found myself in was massive. It was probably the same size as a city before the System. Only it was mostly vertical. My eyes widened when I realized what I was looking at. "A hive. A big ass hive."

Pathways crisscrossed the large shaft like some kind of highway. The whole thing was a work of art. Art that was filled with horrible bugs. Before I could decide what to do I received a notification from the System.

Evolutionary Predator(Unique, Limited): Stop the Stone Crawler Queen from Ascending to the 2nd Realm. Reward: Prismroot Vine, Space Attuned Spell(4:10:10:30)

I chuckled as I read the prompt. The System was a son of a bitch. I was willing to bet just about anything that whatever the "Prismroot Vine" was would finish what the Divine Fruit started. If that wasn't enough to convince me the spell would. I wasn't sure how it would be determined but I didn't care. A spatial ability would be clutch. Hell if it was just another teleport it would be worth it. Lastly, I had four days to get it done.

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"You know just how to talk to me System." I shook my head and started to plot how I would get down. Apportation should be able to take me down but I had no idea what would be there. As strong as I was I didn't think I could fight this queen and an army of monsters. It would be better for me to travel through the hive and exterminate everything. That way I would maximize the energy in the nub.

The closest bridge was about ten feet beneath me and from what I could tell there were no creatures near here. I shrugged and leaped on down. As soon as I hit the ground I heard a whooshing sound. I spun around expecting a flame or something but what I found was worse. The entrance was sealed. I sighed. I didn't plan on retreating so this felt more petty than anything else. Either way, I didn't care.

No sooner had I picked a direction did more of the ugly things come after me. I conjured another blade and compressed it in front of me. Only this time I didn't release it. It took me a couple of tries to get it right, tries where I was forced to dodge several slashes before I saw success. Instead of creating a projectile, I created a hovering weapon.

It felt a bit like controlling a high-pressure water hose with my bare hands but it was effective. Bugs died by the pair. Not only that but it made me impossible to ignore. At that point, I unleashed my aura in its entirety. Unfortunately, my new sword wasn't enough. Rather by the third bridge, they came at such a rate that I had to activate Psychic Blast. It felt a bit like I was playing a video game as indigo flashes illuminated the area and monsters hissed seemingly from all directions.

I couldn't help but laugh. I was literally in horde mode. I pushed myself as hard as I could but after five hours I was forced to retreat. Their numbers made it nearly impossible for me to keep going. Fortunately, the area in front of the System's barrier was a kind of safe zone. No matter what happened the beast wouldn't go there. It wasn't very comfortable but I was able to recover. I tossed back a healing pill and let it work. My head felt like someone had taken a jackhammer to it. I gave myself two hours of rest before I got back to it.

It had taken me nearly two days to reach the midpoint of the hive. Even going all out didn't make much of a difference. If these things were a hive mind then the queen had chosen to go with wave tactics. Despite that, I was making amazing progress. Even that spot in my head had reached its limit. My dantian started to fill with a speed comparable to the tutorial. I wiped out the middle floor of its bugs and took a seat against the wall.

My gut wanted to just jump straight down and fight the boss but my mind said that was too risky. There was another reason not to rush forward. In two days I had gone from level 38 to level 39. I was pretty sure if I kept going like this level 40 or 41 was within reach. I pulled out two spirit stones and started to drain them. Once I had topped myself off and my spells were off cool down I leaped down to the next bridge.

Psychic blades met the horde head on and the battle was renewed. The mists of Realm of Consciousness flooded the tunnels. Despite my domain, it was nearly impossible to avoid all of the attacks as they came. I was forced to infuse my body with spiritual energy and the Tao of Adamance to avoid being split in two. Despite all of that I had never felt more alive. It was like I had gone back to the version of me in the tutorial.

There was nothing for me to worry about. No greater consequences, no people relying on me just my power and the need to prove myself. I slipped into a trance where my mind went blank. Where nothing mattered except for the battle. The bug in front of me and the energy needed for my attack. It was pure bliss. I didn't stop until my energy rained dry and I was forced to retreat. I didn't go back to my safe place, instead choosing to go up a bridge. So far none of the beasts would go up a level. I wasn't sure if that was because they feared me or if the queen only wanted them to buy her time

Either way, it worked to my benefit. I closed my eyes and focused on recovery. My spiritual energy was fine the problem was the mental. My mind felt like a sponge that had been wrung out over and over again. That did nothing to ruin my mood. My rampage had taken a bit more than a day and a half. During that time I finally reached level 40. The four free points went into Strength bringing it to 199. Which meant almost all my attributes were at 200 or more. Not counting luck.

It was the new spell quest that drew my attention. When I read it I couldn't help but laugh which one I was going to pick was a foregone conclusion.

Psionic Supremacy(Class) Kill 1,000 Peak 1st-realm beings without taking a single attack OR Kill 10 Peak 1st-realm beings with a single attack. Reward: Manifestation of Perfection OR Scorn of Perfection

Both of them sounded amazing but Manifestation of Perfection sounded like the better choice. One it sounded like it would either summon something or transform me into something which would be cool. Scorn sounded like it would be an attack. Perhaps a wide area of effect one but the real kicker was the quest. The first option simply sounded more fun to me.

There were several other improvements including both Realm of Consciousness and Psychic Mastery reaching their next stages. I wanted to spend some time exploring the Mastery spell but there was no time. If I wanted to complete the first quest I needed to get to the bottom ASAP. I got to my feet and jumped down to the previous bridge. "Alright, ready or not here I come."

I noticed the difference when I conjured my blades. Six blades each more dense than my previous maximum formed all around me. I flooded all of them with the Tao of compression until they shrunk. They were also slightly more malleable. I could "sharpen" the points. Still wasn't sure if that would actually make a difference but it made me feel better.

I pulled my focus back to the hive just as more bugs appeared. This time I refused to slow. Each blade found a different target, each one aimed at one of the few soft spots on the creature. Of the first six two died instantly while two more froze. I leaped into the air to avoid the scythe blade of the next closest and activated Psychic Aegis to block the next. Six more psychic blades formed as adrenaline surged.

I resisted the urge to slam a fist into the closest monster not sure if that would count as receiving an attack. If I hurt myself. Instead, I activated Psychic Blast. The cave was bathed in indigo light and another monster fell. I lost count of how many I attacked and how many were still alive. Not that it mattered. Cracks spread across Psychic Aegis by the dozen and its collapse was imminent.

I brought both hands together and formed a sphere of psychic energy. I watched as my shield began to break. As bladed limbs forced their way in. A familiar caress filled my mind as my worries faded. It was as if my success was guaranteed. As if these creatures were already dead, they just didn't know it. The shield shattered just as I raised my hands. The sphere I had been forming exploded in a wave of psychic power. For a moment it felt like the world was consumed by indigo light.

In the next, my dantian surged with energy. I laughed as I resumed my rush. I blurred past bridges as the hive exploded into activity. I had less than five hours to deal with the queen. I could almost feel her will as more and more of her beasts rushed me. I was forced to activate Apportation when a wall fell away and I was nearly drowned in enemies.

The portal spit me out just in time for the horde to let out a hiss that shook my bones. I activated a condensed Psychic Rain as the monsters rained down on me. Time seemed to slow to a crawl as an innumerable amount of blades met an innumerable enemy. I felt like a general at the head of an unbreakable army. There was something in that moment something powerful. Something that if I could grab it would make me a god.

The two sides slammed into each other and the world shattered. The sensation left and the world felt muted by comparison. I watched beasts fall out of the sky. Some were still alive as I conjured blade after blade. When the bodies finally stopped moving I dropped to my knees. I was low on psychic energy but chalked full of spiritual. A new sigil had settled into my channels. A new weapon just in time to face down the queen.