Chapter 2236: The Girl Child

With a phoenix’s cry, a burst of five-colored radiance suddenly erupted from the shattered jade plaque, enveloping Baohua within it.

A spatial fluctuation rippled nearby, and Baohua’s figure blurred as she was about to vanish into the void.

But at that moment, a cold, delicate voice rang out from below:

“Since you’ve already come here, there’s no need to rush away.”

As the words fell, the water surface below abruptly split, and a shadowy figure flickered into existence.

With a thunderous *boom*, Baohua’s delicate frame shuddered as an unstoppable force sent her flying. The five-colored radiance surrounding her shattered instantly.

She was flung back forty to fifty zhang before barely steadying herself, her face flushing unnaturally red as she spat out a mouthful of bright red essence blood.

She had suffered damage to her vitality from that single strike.

Had she not been exceptionally quick-witted, channeling all her spiritual power into her protective aura the moment the force struck, she might not have survived the blow—or at the very least, the injury would have been far worse than just a mouthful of blood.

The others witnessing this were naturally horrified.

Han Li’s gaze sharpened as he spotted a short, shadowy figure standing where Baohua had been moments before.

A girl who appeared no older than eleven or twelve was slowly retracting a tiny fist, her lips curled in a mocking smile as she surveyed the assembled Great Ascension cultivators.

The girl’s skin was slightly dark, clad in an ordinary black tight-fitting garment. Her features were plain, but her eyes were entirely gray-white, as if born blind. Yet embedded between her brows was a pitch-black, gleaming crystal, eerily similar to the one left behind after the giant insect vanished in the sky—only darker, as if capable of swallowing all light, and much smaller in size.

Baohua had been sent flying by a single punch from this girl.

When the girl’s gaze swept toward Han Li, a chill shot up his spine, and his eyes instinctively narrowed.

The other Great Ascension cultivators also stiffened under her gray-eyed scrutiny.

Though the girl had not declared her identity, her sudden appearance in the void and her ability to send Baohua—a former Sacred Ancestor—flying with a single strike left little doubt: she was almost certainly the true Mother of the Parasitic Insects.

As for the vanished giant insect, no one cared anymore. All eyes were locked onto the girl, not daring to waver for even a moment.

After all, none of them—including Han Li—had been able to clearly perceive the punch that sent Baohua flying.

The girl’s movements were unnaturally swift and elusive.

Among those present, the only one who showed no reaction was Crab Daoist.

Yet even as he stared blankly at the girl in the sky, thunderous rumbles echoed from his body, and arcs of silver lightning spontaneously surged forth, weaving into a lightning robe that encased him.

“A puppet of the Immortal Realm? How intriguing. I never thought I’d see such a thing in the lower realm after all these years,” the girl mused, her gaze lingering on Crab Daoist with faint interest before sweeping over the others.

“So, you are the true Mother of the Parasitic Insects?” Baohua finally suppressed the blood surging in her chest and spoke calmly to the girl.

“Hmph, what do you mean by ‘true’? What you destroyed earlier was merely a shell I shed a hundred thousand years ago—one that still had great use. Now that you’ve ruined it, how do you intend to compensate me?” The girl arched an eyebrow and snorted, her voice deceptively sweet.

“A shell? So your true body was hidden underwater all along. A clever trick—shedding the cicada’s shell! But what surprises me more is that you could disrupt the teleportation power of the Phoenix Spirit Treasure Plate. That is the true power of a Heavenly Phoenix!” Baohua’s expression shifted before she sighed.

“The Phoenix Spirit Treasure Plate? That trinket containing a wisp of the Heavenly Phoenix’s law? A mere dead object, no matter how it manipulates spatial force, is laughable in my presence. Though I never fought a true Heavenly Phoenix, I’ve devoured no fewer than seven or eight of their kin,” the girl sneered, her disdain palpable.

Her words sent a chill through the hearts of those who had secretly gripped their own Phoenix Spirit Plates, including the black-robed woman. Though they doubted her claims, none dared act rashly now.

Han Li’s heart sank slightly.

Yet one among them refused to believe her—a red-faced man who stood far from her and held unwavering faith in the plate’s power.

With a flash of determination in his eyes, he flicked his sleeve, summoning a Phoenix Spirit Plate into his palm. It shattered instantly, releasing a five-colored radiance that enveloped him as spatial fluctuations surged around him.

The girl’s face darkened. In a blur, she shot toward him like a shadow.

The red-faced man had anticipated this. With a roar, he swung his bone blade in a devastating slash.

A deafening explosion followed as a mountain-like blade storm engulfed the shadow, tearing it to shreds.

“Hahaha—!” The man laughed wildly, not bothering to confirm whether his strike had landed. The five-colored radiance around him solidified as his body blurred, preparing to teleport away.

He had every reason to gloat.

While the others had been cowed by the Mother of the Parasitic Insects’ threats, he alone had dared to activate the plate.

And now, he alone might escape with his life.

But his laughter was abruptly cut short by a scream.

A slender arm pierced through his protective aura and armor as if they were nothing, emerging from his chest. The girl had appeared right behind him, her movements ghostly.

Her arm was like an unstoppable divine weapon—even the five-colored radiance of the Phoenix Spirit Plate had failed to hinder her.

With a tinkling laugh, the girl flipped her palm, revealing a half-chi-tall crimson figure—the red-faced man’s Great Ascension Nascent Soul, writhing desperately in her grasp.

She opened her mouth, and a black thread shot out, striking the man’s lifeless body.

With a *pfft*, his flesh withered and decayed in an instant, turning to ash before vanishing entirely.

“No! That’s the Law of Time! Fellow Daoists, save me—!” The Nascent Soul shrieked in terror, thrashing wildly in the girl’s grip.

Baohua’s face paled at the mention of the Law of Time, her disbelief evident.

The elderly man and the black-robed woman, who had been on the verge of intervening, exchanged horrified glances and froze.

Han Li, however, merely frowned, lost in thought.

The girl licked her lips, eyeing the Nascent Soul with ravenous hunger. Without hesitation, she bit down, devouring half of it in a single gulp, chewing with relish.

The Nascent Soul let out a bloodcurdling scream before falling unconscious. Though its form flickered back to wholeness, its glow dimmed drastically, its aura nearly extinguished.

Baohua’s expression darkened. She raised a hand as if to act, but it was too late.

The girl giggled again and swiftly devoured the rest of the Nascent Soul, licking her lips with satisfaction.

What might have been an adorable expression on a child now struck the Great Ascension cultivators as the visage of a demon.

The elderly man and the black-robed woman turned deathly pale, while Baohua’s face cycled through emotions before settling into grim silence.

Han Li maintained his composure, but inwardly, he was shaken. He signaled Crab Daoist, who instantly teleported to his side. His mind raced as he studied the girl.

The situation was dire.

The Mother of the Parasitic Insects was far more formidable than anticipated—injuring Baohua with ease, slaying a fellow Great Ascension cultivator, and consuming his Nascent Soul without effort.

But something didn’t add up.

If this creature had just awakened, how had it regained such terrifying power so quickly?

Hadn’t the Seal Spirit devoted its full strength to suppressing it?

If the Mother of the Parasitic Insects could effortlessly slaughter Great Ascension cultivators even under the seal’s suppression, how had the ancient immortals managed to imprison it in the first place?

Han Li, ever sharp-minded, immediately sensed something amiss.

Before he could confer with the others, however, Baohua’s voice suddenly echoed in his ear through a secret transmission:

“Brother Han, this is not the Mother of the Parasitic Insects’ true body—only a manifestation of her primordial spirit. Aside from Profound Heaven treasures, nothing can harm her. Her grasp of the Law of Time is superficial; each use weakens her spirit. If we guard ourselves with Profound Heaven treasures, we need not fear her threats.”

“How do you know all this?” Han Li asked, startled.

“The Seal Spirit secretly informed me just now. If we work together to distract her, the others can destroy her true body underwater. Without it, her primordial spirit alone will be powerless,” Baohua replied bitterly.