Han Li’s expression was grave as he waved both hands. Several spirit beast pouches flew up from his body, hovering in mid-air. He then formed a hand seal, and the pouches opened wide simultaneously. Countless Gold Devouring Beetles surged out, transforming into a dazzling cloud of gold and silver that circled above, radiant and magnificent.
“Go!” Han Li glanced at the gold and silver insect cloud above, feeling a surge of confidence. He pointed into the distance and uttered the command softly.
In terms of sheer numbers, the Gold Devouring Beetles far surpassed the previous Ironfire Ants. With a loud hum, the brilliant cloud swiftly drifted forward, descending upon the ground like an overwhelming shroud.
But before they could land, a black insect cloud suddenly soared upward, meeting the Gold Devouring Beetle army head-on.
At the moment of contact, a flash of black light erupted between the two clouds. Dark flames shot out from the ant swarm, mercilessly engulfing the Gold Devouring Beetles. Clearly, the ants were aware of the beetles’ fearsome reputation and had preemptively used their innate fire-manipulating ability.
Had it been any other type of insect, such eerie flames would have inflicted severe casualties, if not total annihilation. Yet the Gold Devouring Beetles remained unscathed within the black flames, swiftly devouring the fire before humming aggressively and charging toward the ant swarm.
The two torrents of different colors collided violently, intertwining and tearing into each other with piercing screeches. Insect corpses fell from the sky in droves, most of them black, with only a sparse few gold and silver ones.
From the very beginning, the Gold Devouring Beetles held the upper hand. Within moments, they were on the verge of completely annihilating their opponents.
Sensing the dire situation, the remaining Ironfire Ants let out faint hums before suddenly gathering together and forming a jet-black arrow. They then shot through the Gold Devouring Beetle blockade, attempting to flee.
But at that very moment, a dazzling green sword light descended from the sky like a rainbow, striking the arrow shaft in a flash. The arrow trembled violently, its speed drastically reduced.
In that brief moment of delay, the Gold Devouring Beetles swarmed forward, trapping the arrow completely. In the blink of an eye, the black arrow was submerged in a sea of gold and silver. By the time the beetle cloud slowly dispersed, the arrow had vanished without a trace.
Only then did Han Li approach calmly. He glanced indifferently at the insect corpses on the ground, stroked his chin, and fell into silent contemplation.
The number of dead Gold Devouring Beetles was small, only around a hundred or so—a loss he could easily overlook. It seemed the Gold Devouring Beetles were indeed slightly superior to the Ironfire Ants, and their numerical advantage had played a decisive role in the battle. With ten times the number of ants, they had naturally gained a significant edge.
After a moment of analysis, Han Li’s expression relaxed. It seemed traversing the Black Desert with the Gold Devouring Beetles would not be a problem.
He glanced once more at the insect corpses littering the ground, a strange glint flashing in his eyes. A low whistle escaped his lips, and the gold and silver insect cloud descended with a whoosh, devouring the corpses on the ground like autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves. Then, obediently, they flew back into the spirit beast pouches Han Li had summoned once more.
Han Li stored the pouches and gazed into the depths of the Black Desert before striding forward without hesitation.
…
Han Li stood in the distance, his expression impassive as he stared fixedly at the sky, his body completely still.
Above him unfolded the largest insect battle since he had entered the desert. Over a hundred thousand Gold Devouring Beetles and Ironfire Ants clashed fiercely in the low air not far ahead, tearing into each other desperately. Insect corpses fell like rain from high above, covering the ground in a thin, densely packed layer—a truly horrifying sight.
A trace of grimness flickered imperceptibly between Han Li’s brows. In just a single day, he had lost nearly ten thousand Gold Devouring Beetles. Almost every stretch of his journey had brought him into contact with a swarm of Ironfire Ants, their numbers ranging from two or three thousand to over ten thousand.
This time, he had encountered an ultra-large Ironfire Ant swarm of about fifty to sixty thousand. He estimated that after this battle, his Gold Devouring Beetles would suffer another seven to eight thousand casualties.
No wonder Han Li felt a pang of heartache. Breeding a new batch of Gold Devouring Beetles was an extremely time-consuming process. Who knew when he would be able to replenish their numbers?
After another incense stick’s worth of time, the black ant swarm finally began to retreat. Aside from a few thousand remnants that broke through and fled, the rest of the flying ants became a feast for the Gold Devouring Beetles, devoured completely.
Han Li couldn’t be bothered to chase the fleeing Ironfire Ants. Instead, he blew a breath of vital energy onto the Ice Pearl above his head, enhancing its Yin cold aura. Refreshed, he continued on his way.
According to his estimates, he had now reached the central region of the desert, which explained why he had encountered such a massive flying ant swarm. He needed to hurry; merely sustaining the two fire-repelling treasures was already draining his magic power immensely.
But this time, Han Li had only traveled twenty or thirty li when he paused, narrowing his eyes to peer intently toward the right. After a moment, a trace of doubt appeared on his face. Suddenly, he changed direction and headed toward a certain sand dune he had been observing.
When Han Li reached the top of the sand dune, his brows furrowed slightly. Within his line of sight was yet another swarm of Ironfire Ants.
This swarm wasn’t particularly large, but it still numbered nearly ten thousand. They were frantically attacking a faint blue light barrier, which flickered unsteadily as if on the verge of collapse. A figure moved within it, clearly struggling to hold on.
Han Li watched coldly, his face devoid of expression.
Just then, the Ironfire Ants transformed into a sharp longsword wreathed in black flames, slashing fiercely toward the light barrier.
Just as Han Li thought the person inside was surely doomed, an unremarkable green pellet shot out from within the barrier. Upon hitting the black sword, it *poofed* into a fist-sized deep green spark that blazed fiercely. The part of the sword enveloped by the green fire rapidly disintegrated, and nearly a hundred Ironfire Ants fell to the ground.
Han Li was inwardly shocked. What kind of treasure was that green pellet? It was incredibly powerful—even the naturally fire-resistant Ironfire Ants couldn’t withstand the green flames. Truly unbelievable! It seemed the world of cultivation was filled with countless rare treasures, and he was still far too ignorant.
The appearance of the green flames seemed to enrage the flying ant swarm even further. They scattered once more and launched a frenzied assault on the light barrier, refusing to retreat any further.
As for the cultivator inside the barrier, it appeared that they had very few of those pellets left. After dispersing the ant transformation, they delayed firing a second shot, continuing to endure the onslaught with great difficulty. However, they seemed to have noticed Han Li’s presence and were gradually shifting toward the sand dune where Han Li stood, all while under the ants’ attack.
Han Li watched indifferently for a few moments before turning to leave, intending to ignore this person and continue on his way. He had neither the desire to covet the other’s treasures nor the interest in wasting his Gold Devouring Beetles to save a stranger. In this treacherous desert, his beetles were far more valuable than ordinary treasures, and he had no intention of pointlessly sacrificing more of them.
But just as he took two steps, a somewhat familiar woman’s hoarse voice came from within the light barrier.
“Fellow Daoist Han, please wait! I am Yuan Yao! I beg you to lend a hand! This humble woman will surely repay you handsomely afterward!” Yuan Yao’s voice was filled with anxiety and panic.
“Yuan Yao?” Upon hearing this, Han Li’s body stiffened. After a moment of hesitation, he slowly turned back.
This world truly was small! To think he would run into this barely acquainted female cultivator on such a vast Molten Rock Path—it was almost absurd.
Since she could be considered half an acquaintance, Han Li wasn’t cold-blooded enough to abandon her to certain death. Moreover, after some consideration some time ago, he had actually intended to seek her out secretly for a matter. Now, he could kill two birds with one stone.
He glanced at the now dimmer light barrier, pondered for a moment, and then reached for the spirit beast pouch at his waist. Countless Gold Devouring Beetles swarmed out, putting on a spectacular show of an insect battle right before Yuan Yao’s eyes.
The female cultivator inside the barrier was stunned speechless. The Gold Devouring Beetles had annihilated the entire Ironfire Ant swarm at the cost of only a little over a thousand beetles, leaving her utterly horrified and unable to speak for a long time.
It wasn’t until Han Li calmly recalled his beetles that she snapped back to reality and hurriedly withdrew her protective blue light barrier.
Yuan Yao’s face was pale from excessive mana consumption, making her appear somewhat fragile yet even more enchantingly beautiful.
She had long since discarded her black robe, now wearing thin, form-fitting clothing that accentuated her graceful and alluring figure. Beads of fragrant sweat covered her body, emitting a subtle, captivating scent that was irresistibly tempting.
Han Li was momentarily dazed but quickly regained his composure.
“Thank you for saving me, Fellow Daoist Han! Yuan Yao is eternally grateful!” Yuan Yao smiled coyly and bowed gracefully to Han Li, her voice sweet and charming.
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