“Greetings, esteemed seniors. Thank you for saving our lives.” The demon woman was the first to fly near Han Li, stopping about seven or eight zhang away, not daring to approach further, and hastily bowed in respect.
With a quick sweep of her spiritual sense, she detected that the auras of Han Li and his companions were unfathomably profound, which made her demeanor even more deferential.
“Who are you, and where is the nearest city?” Han Li asked expressionlessly, his words brief.
“We are crystal gatherers from the Chaotic Cloud Mountains. The nearest city is Black Gourd City to the north. If you wish to go there, I would be honored to guide you personally,” the demon woman replied without hesitation.
“Black Gourd City? I haven’t heard of it before. No need for a guide, but I’ll take a map of this region,” Han Li commanded bluntly.
“I happen to have the most detailed map of the area. It would be my honor to offer it to you, Senior.” The demon woman immediately retrieved a dark stone slab from her person and presented it with both hands.
Han Li nodded slightly, flicking a finger. With a *whoosh*, the slab flew into his grasp. After scanning it with his spiritual sense, a satisfied expression crossed his face.
By then, the other demons had also flown to the woman’s side, standing obediently with their hands at their sides, not daring to breathe too loudly.
“Good. Now, who can tell me about these so-called ‘Ming Insects’? I don’t recall ever seeing such swarms in the Sacred Realm before. Their auras also differ from ordinary demon insects,” Han Li said, tucking away the stone slab and sweeping his gaze over the group.
“Ah, Senior doesn’t know about the Ming Insects?” The demon woman blinked in surprise, her face betraying hesitation. The other demons exchanged uneasy glances, none daring to speak up.
“I’ve been in seclusion for centuries. Is it strange that I don’t recognize these insects?” Han Li replied indifferently, his expression unchanging.
“Ah, so you’re a reclusive Senior who has been cultivating in isolation. No wonder you’re unaware. These vile insects only appeared in the last century. Rumor has it they were once ordinary demon insects of the Sacred Realm, but for some reason, they underwent mutations and transformed into these ferocious creatures. Now, the entire Sacred Realm is plagued by them. In some regions with excessive swarms, entire towns have been besieged and massacred. The entire realm is in turmoil, and fear runs rampant,” the demon woman explained swiftly after a quick mental calculation.
“Massacres? Heh, with such chaos in the Sacred Realm, haven’t the Three Ancestors and other Sacred Lords intervened? These Ming Insects may be stronger than ordinary demon insects, but they’d be no match for the Sacred Lords,” Han Li mused before asking slowly.
“With my lowly cultivation, I know little of the affairs of the Ancestors and Sacred Lords. All I’ve heard is that since the Ming Insects appeared, aside from a few instances where Sacred Lords exterminated swarms in severely affected areas, most of the Sacred Lords and the Three Ancestors seem to have vanished simultaneously,” the demon woman answered cautiously after a moment’s hesitation.
“All Sacred Lords vanished? When did this happen?” Han Li’s eyes flashed as he pressed for details.
“I can’t say for certain, but it seems to have coincided with the emergence of the Ming Insects,” the demon woman replied respectfully.
“Good. Your answers satisfy me. You may leave now,” Han Li said dismissively, his tone indifferent.
“Yes, we shall take our leave then.” The demon woman exhaled in relief, bowing deeply before retreating a few steps and flying away.
The other demons hastily bowed before scrambling after her.
In moments, only Han Li and his two companions remained in the void.
“Brother Han, it seems the great beings of the Demon Realm and our Spirit Realm have indeed encountered trouble. Otherwise, the Demon Realm wouldn’t be in such disarray,” Silvermoon sighed once the demons were out of earshot.
“Indeed, the situation here is dire. But we’ll need more detailed information. Black Gourd City likely has a Demon Venerable overseeing it. Given their status, they should know more about the Sacred Lords and the Spirit Realm’s great beings,” Han Li said, his expression growing solemn.
“Your reasoning is sound. Then let us visit Black Gourd City,” Silvermoon replied with a radiant smile.
“Before we go, there’s one more thing to attend to.” Han Li chuckled, flicking his sleeve to release a gray mist.
As the light dissipated, a ten-foot-long gray insect appeared on the ground—the twin-headed Ming Insect he had captured earlier.
This insect’s aura was formidable, roughly equivalent to a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator, indicating a high rank within the swarm.
The moment it appeared, its wings buzzed frantically as it attempted to flee.
But in the next instant, a terrifying aura erupted from Han Li. The twin-headed insect felt the air around it solidify as an invisible force slammed it back to the ground.
Its two heads thrashed wildly, but its body remained immobilized, emitting only muffled whimpers.
Silvermoon’s face lit up with realization upon seeing the insect.
Han Li’s eyes gleamed as he extended a hand, pressing it toward one of the insect’s heads.
With a *hiss*, five crystalline threads shot from his fingertips, piercing the insect’s skull.
The violently struggling insect shuddered before collapsing limply.
Meanwhile, Han Li closed his eyes, faint golden light swirling around him as he performed a soul-searching technique on the creature.
Time passed slowly. After the time it took to brew a cup of tea, Han Li’s eyes snapped open. The crystalline threads retracted from the insect’s head, dissolving into motes of light.
With a *pop*, the insect’s head swelled before exploding.
Han Li flicked his sleeve, sending a fireball that engulfed the corpse, reducing it to ashes in moments.
“Brother Han, did you learn anything?” Silvermoon couldn’t help but ask.
“Nothing. These insects lack true intelligence, possessing only the most basic instincts. My efforts were wasted,” Han Li replied with a strange expression, shaking his head.
“That’s not surprising. While these Ming Insects have become vicious due to mutation, intelligence isn’t something that develops overnight. For us, this isn’t entirely bad news,” Silvermoon said with a smile.
“True. If they rely solely on instinct, no matter how numerous they are, they pose little threat to great beings. Let’s head to Black Gourd City now. I suspect we’ll find the answers we seek there,” Han Li replied with a faint smile.
With that, the trio’s escape light flared as they shot northward.
A day later, they entered a highland covered in black soil. After several hours of flight, a sprawling black city, roughly three to four hundred li in size, appeared hazily in the distance—Black Gourd City, as mentioned by the demon woman.
However, the city was now engulfed in deafening battle cries, surrounded by an endless gray sea of insects on all sides.
The swarm was so vast that wherever one looked, the sky and ground were blanketed with overlapping gray insect silhouettes.
The swarm Han Li had encountered earlier was immense, but compared to this ocean of insects, it paled into insignificance.
Black Gourd City was encased in a shallow black light barrier, shaped like an inverted bowl.
Upon this barrier, whether high in the air or along the walls, layer upon layer of gray Ming Insects clung, slashing with claws or gnashing fangs as they frenziedly assaulted the shield.
Inside the barrier, atop the walls and in the air, countless demon figures wielded various demonic artifacts or unleashed demonic techniques, slaughtering the attacking insects.
The attacking insects were evidently of low rank, unable to withstand even a single strike—either exploding into bloody mist or being sliced apart and plummeting from the sky.
From within the city, dense volleys of arrows rained down, piercing and killing swathes of insects.
At the city’s center, hundreds of towering spires flickered with lightning, their thunderous roars unceasing as hundreds of black arcs erupted skyward, dispersing into countless black threads that incinerated countless insects outside the barrier.
On the surface, the demons seemed to hold the upper hand, safely attacking from behind their barrier.
But Han Li’s sharp eyes, glowing faintly blue, saw the truth. The black barrier had already dimmed slightly, and the demons on the walls were pale and panting, their mana clearly depleted.
Suddenly, the thunderous attacks from the city’s spires ceased. The black lightning vanished, and the towers fell silent.
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