CHAPTER 323: CHAPTER 323 THE HIDDEN SECRET OF THE SHEN FAMILY (5)_1

"Junior or senior, what does it matter? If I don’t like the look of someone, I’ll beat them up. I don’t care what they are, human or not!" Shangguan You roared furiously, hitting even harder. Damn it! How dare you insult my mother? I’ll beat you to death today!

"Shen Cheng, get out of here!" Shen Po shouted at the dazed Shen Cheng, urging him to leave quickly, all while fending off Shangguan You’s attacks.

"No one’s leaving today!" Shangguan You bellowed angrily. Damn it! If I don’t teach them a lesson, they won’t know how formidable I am. With both hands, Shangguan You brutally struck Shen Po’s chest. With a THUD, Shen Po was sent flying, spitting out several mouthfuls of blood.

"Grandpa, are you okay?" Shen Cheng cried, rushing to stand in front of Shen Po, glaring coldly at Shangguan You.

"A senior expert bullying an old man. What kind of skill is that? If you have guts, fight me!" Shen Cheng challenged coldly, kicking towards Shangguan You.

"Old man? I’m much older than him, and I haven’t even said he’s bullying me. Do you have the nerve to say that?" Shangguan You retorted angrily, retracting the Spiritual Energy from within her body and starting to brawl with Shen Cheng. Though she wasn’t using Spiritual Energy, her body was agile, and her every move aimed directly at Shen Cheng’s vital points.

After just a few exchanges, Shen Cheng was beaten to the ground, unable to get up, cold sweat drenching his body from the pain. He glared venomously at Shangguan You, who was cloaked in black.

"This is your so-called integrity? Your supposed skill? Hmph, overestimating yourself," Shangguan You cursed angrily, stomping hard on Shen Cheng’s chest. Blood sprayed from his mouth.

"Senior, please spare him! This has nothing to do with him," Shen Po pleaded continuously with Shangguan You; this was his only grandson.

"Hmph, what I love most is watching people slaughter each other. I’ll only spare one of you. You choose: who lives and who dies," Shangguan You said coldly, settling back onto her throne made of Water Elements. She really wanted to see how filial Shen Cheng actually was.

"I am already old. Kill me," Shen Po said grimly, looking at Shen Cheng, who lay on the ground spitting blood.

"No, Grandpa, you’re my only family! You can’t die!" Shen Cheng scrambled up from the ground and clung to Shen Po, preventing him from moving forward.

"Since Shen Po can’t die, then you die," Shangguan You stated coldly, her Water Element wrapping around Shen Cheng and lifting him into midair.

"No, you can’t kill him!" Shen Po shouted as he watched Shen Cheng being hoisted up, the Water Element constricting tighter and tighter, Shen Cheng’s face turning blue.

"Then die together," Shangguan You sneered, and Shen Po’s body was also bound and lifted.

"You said you would spare one of us!"

"And you believed what I said?" Shangguan You laughed coldly. However, the Water Elements binding them loosened somewhat. Suddenly, a CHITTERING sound filled her ears, approaching from all directions, seeming to trap them in the secret chamber. Shangguan You’s expression cooled. She waved her hands, and the Water Elements retreated; at the same time, Shen Po and Shen Cheng smashed heavily onto the ground.

Shen Po’s face paled as he quickly helped Shen Cheng up. "What is that noise?" That sound...

"I don’t know. If you’re not capable enough to survive and end up dying here, it has nothing to do with me," Shangguan You scoffed. Two Medicinal Pills then swiftly flew into their bodies; it was medicine for internal injuries.

"What are those things?" Shen Cheng yelled.

A flicker of unease crossed Shangguan You’s face as she watched the things approaching from all directions. Her body shivered involuntarily. She had lived in this house for over twenty years, and all this time, such a swarm of creatures had been living right beneath it! Did it have to be this stimulating, this heart-pounding?

Shangguan You floated in midair. Shen Po, shielding Shen Cheng, also rose into the air with a solemn expression. Where they had just been standing, the blood they had coughed up was already being swarmed by beetles, spiders, and ants crawling out from underground; the bloodstains on the ground were instantly devoured.

The spacious secret chamber was now teeming with a dense, pitch-black mass of beetles, spiders, and ants covering the ground, walls, and ceiling—a swarm that kept growing. Shangguan You’s expression turned grim. Is this for real? How could there be so many insects underground? And where did these insects crawl out from?

Shen Po and his grandson had been here dozens of times and always left safely. Why had these creatures suddenly appeared now? Could the blood have lured them out? Shangguan You furrowed her brow, deep in thought.

"How can there be so many bugs?" Shen Cheng’s voice trembled as he looked at the ever-increasing number of insects on the ground, his face pale. These bugs... he had only seen them on TV. He never imagined they could exist in reality, and right beneath the house he’d lived in for years.

If they crawled out from underground and into his room, he would be the first to die. The mere thought made Shen Cheng gasp, a chill running down his spine.

"The blood attracted them," Shen Po said quickly, observing the insects below. He swept his hand, his Spiritual Energy felling a large swath of them. Shangguan You’s eyes widened again as she watched the insects killed by Shen Po being swiftly consumed by their kin. The small bugs that devoured the corpses of their kin rapidly grew larger. These enlarged bugs then began to devour other living insects.

Eating their kin to evolve?

With every insect they swallowed, their bodies grew larger. The few bugs that had initially fed on the bloodstains had now grown to the size of a human palm and were busy devouring their kin whole.

"Gods, they’re cannibalizing each other!" Shen Cheng exclaimed, clutching Shen Po tightly, terrified of accidentally falling and being devoured by the bugs.

"They’re not just cannibalizing each other," Shangguan You said gravely. "Their bodies are constantly growing. The more they eat, the bigger they get."

Shen Po’s brow furrowed. He swept his palm out again, and countless more bugs were flung aside, only to be devoured by their brethren.