Digimon: I really didn't want to be the Digimon Emperor!

Chapter 641 The Other Shore Flower, Red Mist, X Virus

"In the deepest part of the Spider Tower, a supreme being lies dormant."

"It's called Parasite. Every so often, it awakens. Then every Akeli spider lord in the Spider Tower has the chance to be chosen by it to become its new vessel, to bear its power, and to become the next generation of ultimate beings."

"But by then, that being will no longer be the Spider Lord himself, because even his body and consciousness will have been taken over."

Cheng Yuan stopped and turned to look at her.

Red Spider bit her lip, lowered her gaze, and landed on her bare feet, which were covered in mud and blood.

"My older sister pushed me up there. She wanted me to find a husband so that I could give birth to the next generation of Digi-Eggs and become the next host of a Parasyte, turning into an obedient puppet that carries its power."

She looked up at Cheng Yuan.

"Its previous vessel was another Archiri that gave birth to me. My mother, whom I never met."

Cheng Yuan didn't speak. The Fire God Beast stood beside him, intending to interject, but seeing Cheng Yuan's expression, it kept quiet.

A marriage contest to find a potential son-in-law.

Evolve the son-in-law to his perfect form.

It absorbs the son-in-law's data and energy to give birth to a digital egg with data inheritance.

It becomes a new container for parasites.

The digital egg becomes the next Spider Lord, waiting for the parasite to awaken in the next round before choosing the next container.

Cheng Yuan finally understood the route of the leadership changes in the Pan Si Tower.

There are many ways in which digital eggs can be created.

Some are created by recombining the Digicores of dead Digimon in Genesis Village, some are born by chance from the aggregation of a large amount of data, some are created by artificial data compilation, some are created by pairing and fusing data between a pair of Digimon, and some are born from the shedding of life essence by high-level beings. In short, there are many different methods, and humanity has not been able to master them all.

Cheng Yuan paused for a moment.

"You came to the Dark Flower Sea not because you were being hunted down..." he began, "but because you were running away from an arranged marriage? To escape becoming a vessel? To find a way to bypass the parasites?"

Red Spider shook its head, its gaze shifting towards the sea of ​​flowers.

"No one can get around Master Parasite. I'm just extending that timeframe a little."

She didn't elaborate further, and Cheng Yuan didn't press her for details.

This matter involves the survival methods of her entire tribe, and it cannot be explained in just a few words.

He glanced at her feet, which were still bleeding, and sighed inwardly.

“Come with us first,” he said, “but I can’t guarantee I can protect you.”

Red Spider paused for a moment, then his eyes lit up.

She wasn't stupid; she could understand the subtext of those words.

"Mmm!" She nodded vigorously, but the movement was so big that her foot stepped on a piece of loose rock, causing her to hiss in pain and sway to the side.

"Tsk." Cheng Yuan turned to look at Bastimon, "Spray some repair medicine."

Basddy jumped down from the branch, its cat ears twitched, and a small bottle of pale green spray curled from the tip of its tail, which it sprayed twice onto the red spider's legs.

It felt cool, and the edges of the wound began to shrink and heal. The red spider looked down at its feet and wiggled its toes with a hint of curiosity.

"This is so cool and refreshing, it feels so good."

"Enough talk, let's go."

The team resumed their journey.

Cheng Yuan had the Soundbird Beast lead the way, while the Fire God Beast brought up the rear.

This area has entered the depths of the Ten Thousand Insect Poison Ridge. The tree trunks are twisted, the ground is uneven and pitted, and dark shadows flash past from the bushes from time to time.

Cheng Yuan released several sound-eating birds and beasts, setting up a monitoring network overhead and on both sides.

After walking for about half an hour, a rapid rustling sound suddenly came from ahead.

Three Homo sapiens emerged from behind, their eyes glowing crimson, their wrists parasitized by BladeGugamon, whose long, dagger-like blades were already extended.

When they saw Cheng Yuan and his group, they paused for a moment, then let out a piercing screech and charged towards them.

Vulcanmon sighed.

With a flick of her wrist, flames exploded from her palm, condensing into two arc-shaped fire blades, which she then casually swung.

Flames swept across the ground, instantly scorching the moss and pebbles in their path. The three Homo sapiens were thrown back by the wave of fire before they could even get close, crashing into two dead trees. The Blade Guga beast detached from their wrists, bounced a few times on the ground, and then fell silent, turning into fragments and dissipating.

The red spider stared, its eyes practically glued to the screen.

"You're amazing," she said to Firegirlmon. "Are you really just a Champion-level monster?"

The Fire God Princess Beast glanced back at her; a badass life needs no explanation.

Cheng Yuan ignored them and continued walking forward.

The images transmitted back by the Soundbirdmon showed that the road ahead was relatively calm, with no large groups of Digimon, but there were scattered wisps of red mist drifting in the low sky.

He slowed his pace and looked back at the red spider.

How much do you know about the Dark Flower Sea?

Red Spider hesitated for a moment, then his expression turned serious.

“It’s very dangerous there,” she said. “It’s one of the forbidden zones within the Spider Tower’s territory, and even our lord doesn’t usually go there.”

Cheng Yuan noticed that when she mentioned the "dark flower sea," her tone became noticeably softer, indicating that she was very cautious about this place.

Are you scared?

“It would be a lie to say I’m not afraid,” Red Spider honestly admitted. “Although I am in my complete form, that place… even if there is a riot, we only suppress it at the edge of the flower field; the legion will never venture deep inside.”

"Why be afraid? Is it that scary there?"

Red Spider didn't answer directly, but asked, "What are you going to do in the Dark Flower Sea?"

Cheng Yuan thought about it and felt that there was no need to hide some things from her, since she would find out when they got there anyway.

"We need to find the Illusionary Blade Beast."

"Phantom Blade Beast?" Red Spider paused, then asked, "You're looking for that?"

"Yes. And we need a lot of them."

Red Spider tilted her head, a thoughtful glint in the human girl's eyes.

"Phantommon is a Digimon group that has come from abroad in recent years. When they are in their Rookie stage, their combat power is indeed not very good. But those that follow the mechanical route evolve into Hornetmon when they reach the Champion stage. Their potential is unleashed, and they are not easy to deal with when there are many of them. Further up, the Ultimate-level CannonBeemon has achieved a qualitative leap in combat power and can be called an aerial fortress. Fortunately, there are very few of them."

She paused for a moment: "The most distinctive feature of the Phantom Blade Beasts is their large number."

Cheng Yuan glanced at her.

"You know quite a lot."

Red Spider puffed out his chest, unable to hide the little bit of pride in his human form. "After all, I grew up in the Spider Tower. The Illusionary Blade Beasts are considered outsiders in the Spider Tower's forces. One day, they suddenly descended from the sky and occupied a large area of ​​flower fields."

The lords sent men to drive them away several times, but all attempts failed. There were quite a few of them, and they moved freely within the Dark Flower Sea. When the legions attacked, they would simply disappear into the Dark Flower Sea, leaving the legions helpless.

She sighed, "My older sister said that once the Parasite Lord wakes up, he can handle it. But until then... that area is basically lost."

The more Cheng Yuan listened, the more he felt that bringing Red Spider along on this trip was a lucky accident.

“Let’s quicken our pace,” Cheng Yuan said.

"But, but..." Red Spider was anxious. Although her foot injury hadn't fully healed, she was a little faster than before. However, compared to the other Digimon in the team, she was still slow.

After enduring for about ten minutes, the Fire God Princess Beast finally couldn't take it anymore.

"If you keep walking like this, you won't even reach the end before dark."

She bent down, scooped up the red spider, and carried it horizontally in her arms like a sack of rice. The red spider froze, unsure of what to do with its hands and feet.

"You...you put me down."

"You're too slow." Firegod Princess Beast strode forward without turning her head. "I'll put you down when we get there."

The red spider struggled a couple of times, but when it realized it couldn't break free, it resigned itself to its fate.

"I've heard that your Honesty City is ruled by humans, who are also called Beast Tamers. Do you all have to listen to the Beast Tamers?" Red Spider asked, raising his head.

Cheng Yuan, who was walking to the side, couldn't help but laugh when he heard this. Red Spider didn't know his human identity and only thought that he was also a Digimon.

Here, the most human-like creature is actually the red spider.

"Not all humans are tamers. Moreover, tamers and Digimon are partners, interdependent and trusting of each other. No one absolutely obeys the other."

Red Spider tilted her head: "Is that so? I thought..."

"You can perfectly mimic a human, so how come you don't understand humans at all?" Cheng Yuan asked.

Red Spider pouted, "I'm just not familiar with it. I've never left the Spider Cave underground city. All my information about humans comes from listening to others."

Moreover, this mimicry ability is inherited from the Digicore; I don't know why it's engraved in the Digicores of us Eastern Akebonomon. But..."

Her voice was a little softer.

"Humans are really good-looking, they fit my aesthetic. I don't like the monster form of Arkemamon, and neither do my sisters. In the dungeon, everyone is used to staying in human form."

Cheng Yuan's heart skipped a beat. An Eastern Akeribon? The inherited mimicry ability? The remaining data of an ancient humanoid Digimon... He increasingly felt that the history of the Eastern Digital World hidden within the Pansita forces was far more extensive than what was visible on the surface.

As they were speaking, the view ahead suddenly opened up.

Cheng Yuan paused in his steps.

The entire forest stretches from our feet into the distance, its colors ranging from dark green and grayish-brown, with occasional wisps of red mist rising up, beneath which bloom red flowers.

The petals were as thin as cicada wings, shimmering with a crystalline red light in the dim light, making them exceptionally alluring.

A breeze blew from the depths of the flower field, carrying a slightly sweet, yet somewhat cloying, scent.

Red Spider's expression changed.

"We've arrived. The Dark Flower Sea."

She struggled off the Vulcan Beast's arms, landed on her feet, and without even noticing the pain, first raised her hand to cover her nose.

"Everyone, please be careful not to inhale large amounts of that red mist. Otherwise, it may cause physical mutations."

Cheng Yuan squinted and looked over. Deep within the sea of ​​flowers, there were indeed several wisps of faint red mist drifting slowly among the blossoms, flowing along the surface of the flower crowns as if they were alive.

"This flower is called the Spider Lily, a specialty of the Dark Flower Sea," said Red Spider. "It releases red mist spores, which are deadly poisonous. If a Digimon ingests a certain amount, its Digicore will disintegrate from the inside, causing it to die in a short time, with a mortality rate of over 98%."

Cheng Yuan didn't speak.

Over 98%? The remaining 2%? One in fifty? This number seems familiar.

Red Spider continued, "But there are also a very small number of people with extremely strong physiques who can unleash their potential in dire situations, withstand the erosion of the toxins, and develop red crystals on the surface of their digital cores. Their bodies produce antibodies that neutralize the Red Mist Virus, and their bodies are further developed, undergoing a special transformation that often makes them even more powerful."

Red Spider's voice lowered: "But because of this, they became dependent on the Red Mist and became extremely addicted to it."

Because they need to continuously move within the red mist, hunting other survivors and devouring the antibody crystals on the surface of their digital cores.

Otherwise, when the body's antibodies are insufficient to fight off the accumulated virus, the body will still be killed by the virus.

Hearing this, another piece of the Digital World puzzle in Cheng Yuan's mind came together.

Red Spider dutifully acted as the guide, continuing, "In the land of the Dark Flower Sea, there are buried a large number of Digimon skeletons that have lost their Digicores. These skeletons have not dissipated, but have settled in the soil of the Dark Flower Sea, turning into flower mud, which nourishes the patches of spider lilies in the Dark Flower Sea."

Legend has it that the bones buried beneath the flowers will be corrupted and transformed, potentially turning into twisted, berserk zombies devouring living Digimon to survive.

At this point, Red Spider couldn't help but shudder.

"The other shore flower?" Cheng Yuan listened silently. He was almost certain that the red mist virus that the red spider mentioned was the X virus.

But what about these spider lilies? Are they the red mist "spores" they produce?

How did these spider lilies appear?

Red Spider recounted: "According to the oral tradition of generations of Spider Lords, it is said that during the ancient war, the Western Digital Continent invaded, bringing not only slaughter but also this Lycoris radiata flower. Using the Digimon from the Eastern Continent, they nurtured vast fields of flowers, turning them into desolate wastelands."

It turned out to be the case.

The information about this Argenta was extremely useful, and Cheng Yuan's thoughts were once again confirmed.

So, is this collapsed Digital World really the same as the original Eastern Digital World, the "Primordial Continent" that the little monster mentioned?

Cheng Yuan recalled that during the ancient East-West War, the Bull Demon King Beast was infected with the Death X Virus and became a zombie, which was inextricably linked to this large area of ​​Red Mist Virus.

One can imagine that back then, the West used Eastern Digimon for experiments. They planted seas of spider lilies, drove large numbers of Digimon into the seas, and then harvested the X-crystals from the Digicores of the mutated Digimon. They used the lives of the Eastern Digimon to create X-antibody crystals—a complete and cold-blooded harvesting chain.