Chapter 724 Steel Beetles
The members of Mapleton glared at Jared resentfully as Lyanna’s beauty was a source of pride for many of them. It was a great offense to them for an outsider to swoop in and claim her in such a dishonorable fashion.
“You can’t talk your way out of this one, Jared! Listen to yourself! Poison King raised Lyanna as his own. How dare you suggest something so disgusting?”
“Exactly. Lyanna is the one to have behaved indecently. She has broken every law we have.”
“Let’s kill them and be done with it!”
Soon, the cries for blood from the members of Mapleton grew to a deafening chant.
Lyanna wrapped Jared’s shirt tighter around her, resigned to the futility of trying to defend herself.
Jared suddenly began addressing the crowd with a satisfied smirk. “Fine. You got me. I took Lyanna’s virginity. And what a pleasure it was! What are you going to do about it?”
His provocation incensed the crowd further, though nobody dared to take the first step as the memory of him slaying a Martial Arts Grandmaster remained vividly in their minds. As angry as the mob was, they were hesitant about stepping forth only to be killed on the spot.
Jared turned his smug smile to Poison King. “Look at all you cowards. Does nobody dare step forth to defend her honor? How about you, old man?”
Poison King glowered at Jared as he grounded his teeth almost flat in anger. “Don’t imagine for a second that you’ve become invincible for having slain Xander! Although I have yet to achieve the rank of Martial Arts Grandmaster, I am still Poison King, and this is still my kingdom. This slight will not go unpunished.”
His anger materialized into a tangible aura around him. By this point, I am forced to act.
As the rage of a Senior Grandmaster burst forth in all directions, the trees in their vicinity creaked and groaned as they were bent from the shockwave.
With zero regard for Poison King’s rage, Jared said impatiently, “Oh, is that so? Why don’t you come at me with something more realistic than empty threats?”
“You will be regretting your words very soon. Don’t push your luck just because you have a tough body. You’re not invincible, as you shall soon learn.”
At those menacing words, Poison King began to emit a dense black gas that spiraled upward and over the top of the trees of the jungle all throughout the valley. A deafening rustle ensued like the discordant march of billions of insects.
In an instant, innumerable jet black beetles gathered in midair where the black gas was most concentrated in a swarm so dense that it blocked out the moonlight.
Jared was pleased to see the insects. Given his immunity against their venom, he was looking forward to consuming the essence of the beetles to enhance his own elixir field.
The members of Mapleton scurried out of the way at the sight of the swarm. Even the five leaders had their jaws hanging open in shock.
To Jared’s surprise, the insects did not attack him as he had expected them to. Instead, they swarmed all over Poison King with the frenzy of starving piranhas.
“Be careful, Jared!” Lyanna cried out behind him. “Those are steel beetles!”
Before long, Poison King’s body was completely covered. The beetles’ exoskeletons twinkled in the moonlight at every shift in gesture. With meticulous precision, the beetles rearranged themselves rapidly to adapt to their master’s posture like an organic, interactive suit of armor.
Comprehension dawned on Jared’s face as he understood that the arrival of the beetles served a more defensive purpose rather than an offensive one.
“Hmph! It doesn’t look very practical,” he remarked disdainfully before lunging forward and throwing a solid punch directly onto Poison King’s chest.
Thud!
Although the blow which reverberated like a gong was a testament to the raw power behind it, Poison King did not even lose his footing. The spot on his chest where Jared had struck revealed an empty patch as several dozen beetles fell to the ground, dead from having absorbed the impact of the strike. Almost immediately, more beetles scuttled upward to patch up the armor.
“Hah!” Poison King roared with maniacal glee. “I’ve spent my life perfecting this suit of armor, Jared. You won’t find a chink of weakness anywhere no matter which angle you strike from!”
Jared smirked at his adversary’s confidence. “No weaknesses, huh? We’ll see about that!”
