Apocalypse Gachapon

Chapter 2320: Red Threadʼs Secret (2)

Ye Zhongming could have forcefully invaded the commanderʼs consciousness to extract what he wanted.

But after all, the commander was a level-nine lifeform. Though his mental strength was far inferior to Ye Zhongmingʼs, if he resisted stubbornly, it would inevitably cause many obstacles, and that delay would reduce the amount of information Ye Zhongming could ”see.” If it didnʼt contain what he was looking for, it would be quite frustrating.

The commanderʼs face was flushed red, his eyes filled with awe and terror.

He knew well how capable he was. Yet this being, much shorter than him, had subdued him in midair with a single move.

He could be certain that any extra movement on his part would result in his neck being snapped.

But... surrender, and let him probe his consciousness?

After several seconds of deliberation, the beastman commander opened his mouth with difficulty.

Ye Zhongming sensed he had something to say and slightly relaxed his grip. The commander then spat out a very short sentence.

Hearing it, the surrounding beastmen let out distorted howls.

Ye Zhongmingʼs eyes narrowed. ”Then die.”

With those words, a surge of mental energy flooded into the commanderʼs mind, an overwhelming force that uncontrollably ravaged his consciousness.

Ye Zhongming could see many things at that moment, but the commander could only feel the sky growing darker, his body growing more numb. When his last wisp of consciousness faded entirely, he was left dazed and vacant-eyed, dropped to the ground by Ye Zhongming—a nine-star powerhouse, utterly ruined.

Though not dead yet, without care, he wouldnʼt survive many days.

Ye Zhongming pressed his slightly aching head, realizing he should use this method sparingly. Not because it was inhumane, but because the strain on his own mind was considerable—there was no guarantee he wouldnʼt slip up one day, causing permanent mental damage.

For the moment, he couldnʼt reorganize the information heʼd gained, because the surrounding beastmen were charging at him like mad. The Cloud Peak King had no choice but to rejoin the slaughter.

By the time the fighting fully ceased over an hour later, the camp had no survivors—even the mindless commander had been kicked into a beastman lightning ball and electrocuted.

Even with over eighty thousand Furelai, killing all the beastmen and their mounts had left him exhausted. He scavenged the town, gathering firewood, grain, straw mats, and other combustibles, piling them around the wooden watchtowers and buildings before setting the whole place ablaze.

Ye Zhongming stood on a nearby giant tree, holding a small blue crystal bottle in his hand.

He had found ten such bottles on the commander.

From the commanderʼs memories, he learned that these beastmen called their planet ”Mother Star”—not particularly meaningful; even if Earth werenʼt called Earth, it would still be humanityʼs mother star.

What was significant was the information about the faction heʼd obtained from the commanderʼs mind.

”Pangcheng Divine Race.” Ye Zhongming found it amusing that these beastmen were so narcissistic. Among the cosmic races, only one or two dared to include ”divine” in their race name, and those were mostly translation artifacts—no one had ever dared to add such a character later.

He also learned that there were thirteen factions on this planet, all beastmen, though of different kinds. The Pangcheng Divine Race was a mid-tier faction; the others also called themselves something-something Divine Race, usually named after their core settlement.

Naturally, this information wasnʼt comprehensive—the commander, despite being a nine-star powerhouse, was just a border town commander within the Pangcheng Divine Race.

Under their four-tier command system—capital commander, major city commander, border town commander, and minor town commander—he was only third tier. This didnʼt even include their king, queen, and princes, who were clearly of higher status.

As for the little bottles in his hand, they werenʼt the answer to the combination technique he sought. Instead, they were rewards given by the Pangcheng Divine Race to those of high rank or great merit.

Indeed, they could be consumed directly to increase strength. The beastmen called them ”Divine Favor.”

Ye Zhongming felt the crystalʼs smooth stillness and sensed the immense energy within the liquid, highly suspicious of its origins—so out of place with the crude beastmen and this Titan Secret Realm.

When something was out of the ordinary, there was bound to be something amiss—that principle applied everywhere.

Reviewing everything about the Pangcheng Divine Race from the commanderʼs memory, Ye Zhongming concluded that though its overall strength was less than Cloud Peakʼs, it was still far beyond what Bai Fengʼs peripheral battalions could handle.

Moreover, those currently clashing with Bai Fengʼs forces werenʼt from the Pangcheng Divine Race, but from a faction called the ”Echeng Divine Race.”

The Cloud Peak King realized that the Titan Secret Realm needed serious attention. The thirteen factions combined would likely surpass Cloud Peakʼs total strength, and his upcoming departure with several people and war beasts would widen that gap.

With this in mind, Ye Zhongming immediately returned to Cloud Peakʼs base.

When he arrived, a battle had just ended—the Echeng Divine Race had left behind several hundred corpses and retreated into the forest.

Having learned the basics of this secret realm, Ye Zhongming knew that the forces here were only Echengʼs frontier troops—not even a border town commander like the one heʼd killed—yet they had already inflicted such heavy losses on the peripheral battalions. For the first time, he realized that taking this secret realm would be extremely difficult.

”I know itʼs difficult, but we must take this place!”

Ye Zhongming looked at the gathered Cloud Peak high-level members and spoke with conviction.

It was true that this secret realmʼs forces were strong, but its resources were equally enviable. In the directions heʼd scouted, he had found an overwhelming array of materials, surface mines, and medicinal herbs.

”Resources are one reason. This place is also well-suited for human survival.” Ye Zhongming looked at his trusted confidants. ”If... we still canʼt find a way to deal with the Slave Race, and Earth gradually decays and collapses from being drained... then this will be our refuge—our second home.”

”Even if we drive the Slave Race away and save Earth, this place must become a foothold for us in the universe—it concerns Cloud Peakʼs status among the myriad races, and even the status of all Earthlings. So please, give it your all!”

”Also, I want to know about the combination technique—and the secret of this thing.”

The Cloud Peak King placed the crystal bottle on the table.