“Brother Qiu, shall we make a move? It seems there’s only one person here,” the fierce-looking man asked, his voice tinged with nervousness.
The hook-nosed old man stared downward, a trace of doubt flickering across his face. He did not respond immediately.
Only when he saw the blue-robed young man take out a black bowl and begin extracting the Glazed Beast’s soul did his expression change drastically, a flash of fear appearing in his eyes.
“This person seems a bit odd. Perhaps we should let it go. There’s no need to provoke someone whose background we don’t know,” said the cultivator surnamed Min, slightly taken aback by the old man’s reaction. He frowned and posed the question tentatively.
The three of them had managed to roam freely in the Outer Star Seas precisely because they were all extremely cautious individuals. The current situation felt indescribably eerie, making Min consider retreating.
“Let it go? This is no longer about whether we should make a move, but whether we can even leave here alive,” the hook-nosed old man said after a long moment of hesitation, his eyes flickering uncertainly. He let out a bitter laugh and spoke words that seemed to make little sense.
His words stunned the fierce-looking man and Min. Both knew the old man’s temperament well and understood he would not say such things without reason. Their faces soon showed traces of astonishment.
“Haven’t you two noticed that this person bears a striking resemblance to a certain demon recently spoken of in rumors?” the hook-nosed old man pursed his lips and whispered bitterly.
“A demon? You mean…”
“What? That person!” The other two were initially stunned but soon gasped in shock, their faces filled with terror.
“Most likely. Look at him—he appears young, can control multiple flying swords, and the sword light is cyan. All of it matches the rumors perfectly!” the hook-nosed old man muttered cautiously, as if analyzing the situation for himself.
“But isn’t that person famous for commanding swarms of insects? This guy here hasn’t used any insect-controlling techniques from start to finish. Could it just be a coincidence?” The fierce-looking man paled, his voice trembling slightly, as if the person mentioned by the old man was an utterly terrifying existence.
“Brother Qiu is probably right. That demon usually shows the cultivation level of early Core Formation and also enjoys extracting the souls of demon beasts. As for not releasing insects earlier, he likely didn’t deem it necessary,” Min said, his pale golden face now tinged with green. His voice automatically dropped to a whisper.
“So, this guy might really be the rumored ‘Insect Demon’? Shouldn’t we flee immediately? If this demon catches us, none of us will survive,” the fierce-looking man said in a panic.
“Don’t panic! If it really is him, he was focused on the Glazed Beast when we arrived, which is why he didn’t notice us. Now that he’s slain the beast, any rash movement might expose us,” the hook-nosed old man said calmly, maintaining his composure.
Hearing this, the other two exchanged glances, seeing the logic in his words, and refrained from acting recklessly.
However, after staring at the youth performing the soul extraction for a moment, the fierce-looking man surnamed Xuan seemed to remember something and whispered doubtfully, “I heard that four years ago, this Insect Demon clashed with a group of cultivators over a grade-seven demon beast. He single-handedly killed seven or eight Core Formation cultivators, with only one late Core Formation cultivator surviving. Are these rumors true?”
“Most likely! The survivor was an expert from the Biyun Sect, and those killed were his fellow disciples. In this one battle, the Biyun Sect, one of the five major powers of Qiyuan Island, lost nearly a third of its members, drastically reducing its strength. The sect’s Elder Miaoche was so enraged that he ventured out alone multiple times to hunt the Insect Demon but returned empty-handed each time. Many suspect that even if Elder Miaoche found him, he might not be able to do much. After all, given his abilities, the Insect Demon is likely a newly emerged Nascent Soul expert. I’ve heard other forces on Qiyuan Island are also keeping an eye on him, seemingly trying to recruit him,” Min explained softly, swallowing hard.
“Nascent Soul stage? Not necessarily. I’ve heard another version—that the Insect Demon’s cultivation isn’t remarkable at all. His power comes entirely from those strange insects. Rumor has it that during that battle, he didn’t use any other magical treasures. He simply released countless insects that devoured the Core Formation cultivators alive without him lifting a finger. That’s how he earned the name Insect Demon,” the hook-nosed old man said after a moment of silence, shaking his head in disagreement.
“But you saw it yourself, Brother Qiu. This person didn’t use any insects and killed the Glazed Beast with a single sword strike. Even a late Core Formation cultivator might not achieve that. He must be a Nascent Soul old monster in disguise,” Min insisted.
The hook-nosed old man looked unconvinced and was about to say more when the fierce-looking man interrupted helplessly, “Whether the Insect Demon is a Nascent Soul cultivator makes no difference to us. He could easily wipe us out, and that’s what matters. What worries me is his notorious reputation. I’ve heard that almost every cultivator who encounters him ends up fed to his insects. He’s killed over a hundred cultivators so far. In recent years, everyone has grown terrified at the mere mention of him.”
Hearing this, Min’s expression grew even grimmer. He stared at the blue-robed youth below and sighed deeply. “The Insect Demon is ruthless and bloodthirsty—that much seems true. Many cases of cultivators being killed and robbed in recent years have been attributed to him. And here we are, delivering ourselves right to his doorstep!” His voice was full of regret.
The hook-nosed old man’s face also darkened, and he pursed his lips without saying a word. He, too, was deeply fearful of the Insect Demon’s fearsome reputation.
From then on, the three of them stopped communicating via voice transmission and instead watched the youth’s every move intently, hoping he would finish with the demon beast and leave quickly.
At the same time, the youth in blue had already extracted the Glazed Beast’s soul and stored it in the black bowl. He also retrieved a white demon core from the beast’s corpse and placed it into the storage pouch at his waist.
Suddenly, the youth looked up and scanned his surroundings.
The three hidden cultivators held their breaths, not daring to move a muscle.
But things did not go as they hoped.
The youth’s gaze stopped at the spot where the three were hiding. A mocking smile appeared at the corner of his mouth as he coldly said, “Fellow Daoists, you’ve been watching for quite some time. Have you seen enough? Would you care to show yourselves and have a chat?”
Hearing this, the three felt a chill run down their spines.
“Run!” one of them shouted.
Without another word, the three transformed into three streaks of light and fled in three different directions.
“I haven’t finished speaking. Why are you in such a hurry? Are you afraid I’ll eat you?” the blue-robed youth murmured with a slight frown, a trace of doubt crossing his face.
Then, his expression darkened. With a wave of his hands, three spirit beast pouches flew into the air one after another, releasing a overwhelming swarm of tricolored beetles.
This blue-robed youth was none other than Han Li, who had just returned from the deep sea!
The hook-nosed old man and his companions glanced back and paled at the sight, instinctively speeding up their escape.
But at that moment, a soft chant flowed from Han Li’s mouth.
The swarm of tricolored beetles gathered in mid-air, instantly forming three giant spears about ten feet long. With a sharp screech, the spears transformed into tricolored beams of light and shot away in an instant, their speed astonishing.
The sound of tearing air echoed as the spears vanished in pursuit of the three fugitives.
Han Li had no intention of personally pursuing them. Instead, he leisurely used a cyan light to effortlessly slice off the Glazed Beast’s crystalline hide—a top-tier material for crafting armor that he had no intention of abandoning. After reducing the beast’s remains to ashes, he collected his array tools and the Nebula Grass from the coral island.
Just as he finished, streaks of light appeared in the distant sky from three directions. As they drew closer, it became clear that the hook-nosed old man and his companions were flying back under duress, heading straight for Han Li. Their faces were ashen, and each wore a tricolored collar around their neck, looking utterly defeated.
Seeing this, Han Li stroked his chin and smirked coldly.
As the three landed obediently before him, Han Li smiled amiably and asked in a friendly tone, “Fellow Daoists, could you tell me why you ran away in such a panic at the sight of me? Do you know who I am?”
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