Under the blood moon, demonic shadows loomed, and roars shook the heavens!
Shi Hao and his companions fled the Perished Immortal Ridge, leaving behind countless cultivators wailing in agony as they were overtaken by the ghostly demonic gods, their screams tearing through the air.
A sea of over ten thousand ghostly demonic gods devoured flesh and blood, a scene too gruesome to behold.
The danger was far from over. Thousands more ghostly demonic gods pursued them. Though they couldn’t match Shi Hao’s group in speed, they spelled doom for the fleeing cultivators along the way.
In the ancient lands, beings of various races unleashed their powers. Treasure light surged into the sky, glyphs shot through the air, and battles shattered mountains and split the earth.
The Dragon Fairy, Shi Yi, and others moved swiftly, sticking together as they fought their way out. They encountered small groups of ghostly demonic gods emerging from nowhere and swiftly annihilated them.
“Are we finally leaving this cursed place?” Qin Hao muttered, his voice filled with loathing. He longed to escape immediately.
They were now far from the Sinister Nest, distant from the most perilous zones. At the very least, they no longer had to fear triggering unknown formations and facing sudden calamities.
In this region, figures were sparse. Aside from them, scattered survivors fled through the mountainous terrain.
“Woo…”
Suddenly, the flute’s melody ceased. After a brief silence, a horn’s blast erupted, carrying an ominous and terrifying demonic aura.
Qin Hao staggered, nearly collapsing to the ground. With a cough, he spat out blood. Visible ripples spread outward, tearing through mountains and rivers.
Ancient trees exploded, and massive boulders crumbled into dust.
The ripples descended from the sky, enveloping the earth.
The mysterious figure reappeared, soaring under the blood moon, his battle robes fluttering. He had put away the pristine bone flute and now blew into a plain, ancient horn—none other than the Heavenly Glyph Conch.
This was a weapon of mass destruction, its power overwhelming. Even deities would shatter upon contact with its ripples.
“Boom!”
Shi Yi acted, summoning a broken stone seal wreathed in wisps of chaotic energy. With a forceful shake, he dispersed the incoming ripples.
Clearly, this stone seal was extraordinary, its mysteries profound.
Others nearby weren’t as fortunate, lacking powerful ancient treasures to resist.
“Pfft!”
A powerful deity, one who had ignited his divine flame, burst apart, reduced to a mist of blood, his form and spirit obliterated.
This was only the beginning. The sounds of bodies bursting echoed endlessly across the mountains. Survivors who had fled this far screamed, clutching their ears and howling at the sky.
The divine sound pierced their ears. The light and ripples from the Heavenly Glyph Conch shattered them one by one, leaving no chance for resistance.
Even those wielding secret treasures couldn’t endure. Their weapons shattered instantly, and their spells dissipated rapidly—utterly outmatched.
“Demon! You are a heartless, cruel fiend!” someone shrieked, but no response came. The mysterious figure in the void stood alone, ethereal as an immortal, coldly blowing the conch.
In these mountains, aside from Shi Hao’s group, almost no life remained. The land had been bathed in blood.
“Swoosh!”
At that moment, the Dragon Fairy brandished an ancient horn, slashing through the void and sending a blinding blade of light toward the mysterious figure in the sky.
“Let’s charge and kill him!” Qin Hao clenched his fists. This man had pursued them far from the Sinister Nest—unforgivable. Moreover, this might be their best chance.
Indeed, all of them wanted to strike, to end this pursuer.
Who were they? Masters who roamed the world unchallenged, peerless in their era. The Dragon Fairy and Chang Gongyan had reigned supreme for multiple lifetimes. Yet today, they were the ones being hunted.
Still, they restrained themselves.
Shi Yi’s eyes flickered. “He dares to chase us alone—he must have a trump card. Trouble is likely brewing.”
In an instant, Shi Hao’s brows furrowed. “Damn it, the insect tide is coming!”
He realized the truth. The mysterious man’s horn wasn’t just slaughtering the masses—it was summoning an insect army to exterminate them.
The Dragon Fairy and Shi Yi paled as they heard the buzzing of wings, like metal scraping, sending chills down their spines.
Soon, the blood moon vanished, replaced by a black cloud sweeping across the sky.
“What kind of insects are these?” Even the composed Chang Gongyan gasped. There were too many—dense, endless, an overwhelming tide.
The group fled without looking back.
The insects ranged from fingernail-sized to thumb-length, blanketing the sky as they surged forward.
“Boom!”
The forests behind them shattered instantly. Ancient trees vanished, and mountain peaks were flattened—all from a single dive of the insect tide.
“Black Divine Insects!” Shi Hao’s eyes blazed.
He had encountered these before. The weakest were at the Venerable One (Respecter) realm, with a significant portion having ignited their divine flames. Against such numbers, no mortal force could prevail.
The insects were pitch-black and glossy, their forms grotesque, with transparent wings. They tore through everything in their path.
Mountains crumbled under their pursuit, collapsing into rubble with a single impact.
The group grew desperate. A few hundred would’ve been manageable, but this was tens of thousands, many at the Divine Flame (Divine Flame) realm. How could they fight? Prolonged battle meant certain death.
Worse, this ancient land forbade the use of void-piercing talismans. Even if they could tear through space, they couldn’t traverse it—a bizarre restriction.
“Clang! Clang! Clang!”
Sparks flew as swarms of Black Divine Insects dove, clashing against their treasures, the metallic clashes deafening.
“Bang!”
Shi Yi shook his seal, and countless insects fell dead—proof of the broken stone seal’s terrifying power.
The Dragon Fairy channeled her ancient horn, releasing radiant light. Insects in the sky crackled and turned to dust, equally devastating.
Chang Gongyan drew his black bow, firing a dark arrow skyward. It pierced through the insect tide, exploding a leader and killing a swath of Black Divine Insects around it.
This wasn’t Shi Hao’s first encounter with these insects, but the numbers now dwarfed those in the Divine Fruit Forest.
“He bred them all—and not just one nest!” Shi Hao glared at the void. For the first time, he felt true dread. This man had schemed for six or seven lifetimes in the Sinister Nest, raising Black Divine Insects and ghostly demonic gods. Who in this land could oppose him?
If this man emerged, even the Immortal Ancient Era would face calamity.
“Crack!”
Shi Hao summoned his alchemy cauldron, unleashing a deluge of heavenly river water. Lightning crackled, striking down countless insects.
Qin Hao activated his Everlasting Battle Armor, slaughtering the tide.
Yet the insects were endless. Half were at the Divine Flame (Divine Flame) realm—an army of “deities.” Who could withstand such numbers?
Even with powerful ancient treasures, prolonged battle would drain them dry, leaving them to die here.
“Almost there. Once we break free, we can traverse the void. The insect tide won’t catch us—we might even turn and kill that man,” Shi Yi said.
His eyes gleamed, beams piercing the sky as he gazed into the distance. A little longer, and they’d survive.
This was a life-or-death crisis, rare even for beings like them.
The Heavenly Glyph Conch’s mournful wails continued. The man followed, driving the insect tide after them.
“King of Ten Thousand Insects?” Shi Hao spotted a luminous insect on the man’s shoulder, emitting waves to command the swarm.
“An Insect Emperor! He raised one!” The Dragon Fairy’s expression darkened. If this man emerged, he might summon even more insect tides.
“Not quite an emperor yet, but close,” Chang Gongyan said.
Shi Hao felt a stir in his hair—the dormant Imperial Butterfly in its cocoon twitched, as if sensing something.
“This man is shrouded in immortal mist. Even I can’t see through him,” Shi Yi said. As a Double Pupils (Dual-Pupil) bearer, he could pierce all illusions, yet this man eluded him.
“True immortal mist!” The Dragon Fairy’s face paled. As she fought the insect tide, she glanced back. “He… has taken that step.”
“Surpassed the ancients?” Qin Hao gasped.
“This era is doomed. He’s not the first, nor the last. The strongest are preparing, secluding themselves. This is the lifetime where they’ll succeed,” the Dragon Fairy murmured.
“If we survive, I’ll begin my final breakthrough,” Chang Gongyan said, feeling the pressure.
Shi Yi mused, “So taking that step manifests immortal mist? Is this the mark of the ultimate sovereign?”
“See if he has just one wisp,” the Dragon Fairy said.
“There are multiples?” Shi Hao asked, surprised.
“Each additional wisp boosts power exponentially,” Chang Gongyan explained. Ancient freaks knew this—transcending limits, stepping beyond, cultivating immortal mist defined the ultimate.
“Can’t tell. The mist obscures him,” Shi Yi said.
“He’s hiding it. But even among ancient freaks, achieving one wisp is a monumental feat.”
“We’re almost out,” Qin Hao gasped. He was nearing his limit, his face pale despite aid.
“Pfft!”
A Black Divine Insect broke through, piercing Qin Hao’s body.
“Bang!”
Shi Hao slapped it out, then stored Qin Hao in his cauldron. He’d endured enough.
Now, even Shi Hao, the Dragon Fairy, and the others were faltering. Against thousands of “deities,” even their might couldn’t hold.
“Only by cultivating immortal mist, surpassing the ancients, can we prevail,” Chang Gongyan said.
“I’ll seclude myself after this, surpassing all predecessors,” Shi Yi vowed.
“How many wisps will I manifest when my path is complete?” Shi Hao wondered.
Exhausted and bloodied, they fought on, their bodies battered.
“Is he arrogant or cautious? He won’t descend, only sends insects,” Shi Yi said.
“Because he fears your stone seal, my horn,” the Dragon Fairy said, eyeing Chang Gongyan’s black bow.
She also glanced at Shi Hao’s Ten Thousand Spirit Diagram. “That bone is special. Why not use it?”
“It only defends passively,” Shi Hao said bitterly.
Coughing blood, they finally broke free, escaping the Misty Ghost Forest.
The insect tide halted, refusing to pursue.
“Farewell,” the man said gently, his robes fluttering like an immortal’s under the blood moon.
He turned, lifting a pristine bone flute to his lips. This time, the melody was soft, accompanying the moonlight as he faded away.
Silent, they watched his retreating figure and the vanishing insect tide.
Over a hundred thousand lives had perished near the Sinister Nest—an unimaginable toll.
Worse, blood light now rose from the ground, converging toward the man. Glyphs shimmered within the blood, radiant and divine.
The glyphs encircled him, while the blood flowed toward the Sinister Nest.
“Let’s go. Post his likeness in every city—see if we can uncover his identity!”
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage