“Ah—!” Louis screamed in agony as the black insect horde, fearless and relentless, swooped down in waves. Despite the cauldron’s blockade, some still managed to break through.
The sheer numbers were overwhelming—the sky was dotted with black specks, nearly half of them at the Divine Flame Realm, akin to being hunted by an entire divine army!
“We need to go faster!” Lan Yichen swung his metallic arms, sparks flying as he acted as a human shield. Even so, the pressure was unbearable.
They fled the divine fruit grove, crossing fields of white bones and scaling blood-stained cliffs, yet the Black Divine Insects only multiplied, pursuing them relentlessly.
Lightning crackled across the sky, weaving a net of thunderous might!
The cauldron glowed, no larger than a fist yet radiant as a drop of dew, unleashing a cascade of silver-like water and thunderous curses.
But the insects, undeterred, continued their assault. Though many fell, charred to cinders, they refused to relent, their wings buzzing like a deafening storm as they crashed down.
Without the treasure cauldron, Luo Dao and Louis would have perished, and even Shi Hao would have been in grave danger. Though small, these insects were all “divine-level experts,” and their sheer numbers made them lethal to anyone.
“Trouble—those two Heavenly Deity-level insects are heading this way!” Lan Yichen’s metallic eyes nearly bulged out in terror.
The foot-long Black Divine Insects surged like black dragons, tearing through the void with terrifying might, annihilating everything in their path.
The insect horde scattered to make way for them—these were two frenzied insects, their bodies radiating dark light that twisted the sky. Any Black Divine Insect too slow to dodge exploded midair, raining down in pieces.
This was the pressure of a Heavenly Deity—their dark light obliterated all resistance!
Even True God-level insects shattered upon impact, splattering black blood as their corpses littered the ground.
Shi Hao took a deep breath, his divine power partially restored. His protective cave reappeared, enveloping the group as he accelerated once more, shaking off the pursuing horde.
The earlier exertion had been immense. Even with Lan Yichen, Luo Dao, and Louis briefly holding the line, the three had barely survived.
*Crack!*
Louis spat out half a crushed insect, biting it in two.
“Disgusting bugs! That’s the tenth one I’ve coughed up—I’m done for!” Louis wailed, now fighting for his life.
Luo Dao, too, shook off several insects from his body.
“Ahhh—!” Even the God-Slaying Stone joined the fray, shrieking as it smashed any Black Divine Insect that got too close.
Regrettably, the Imperial Butterfly was cocooned in slumber, or it might have influenced the Black Divine Insects.
“Just hold on a little longer,” Shi Hao urged. His recovery was astonishing—even after depleting his energy against the endless divine-level swarm, a brief rest restored him to full vigor.
Luo Dao and Lan Yichen were stunned. They had barely bought him a moment’s respite, yet he had already regained formidable strength.
“Incredible!” they marveled. Such resilience was monstrous, especially in the face of an insect horde.
In a one-on-one fight, he’d never falter—always at his peak, his vitality surging like an ocean!
*Whoosh!*
Shi Hao flapped his Kun Peng wings, shifting directions to evade the two Heavenly Deity-level insects, pushing his speed to the limit as he skimmed the ground in a desperate escape.
The real danger lay in the area’s restrictive rules—flight was often disrupted, occasionally causing sudden loss of power and forced landings.
Unlike the insects, which relied on their transparent wings, Shi Hao’s Kun Peng wings were formed from divine power and bone inscriptions, making them vulnerable to interference.
*Boom!*
One of the Heavenly Deity-level insects struck, its forearm-length body glowing like a black sun as it unleashed a divine beam. Mountains shattered, rivers evaporated, and forests turned to ash—the landscape was reshaped in an instant.
Shi Hao’s expression darkened. He leaped thousands of feet away, narrowly dodging the blast.
“Void-breaking talismans won’t work here!”
The area was sealed—no spatial rifts could be torn open.
Their only saving grace was the distance they’d covered, and the fact that the two Heavenly Deity-level insects were frenzied, their senses dulled.
*Sizzle!*
The foot-long black Heavenly Deity insect attacked again, its beam splitting the earth and spewing magma that dyed half the sky red.
Finally, silence fell. Shi Hao and the others collapsed, gasping for breath, utterly spent.
They had barely escaped, their blood and energy nearly drained.
The ordeal had been harrowing—they had almost been swallowed by the insect tide.
Thankfully, Shi Hao’s speed had saved them, leaving the Heavenly Deity-level insects behind.
The Black Divine Insects had a limited range; once they reached the horizon, they turned back, including the two frenzied Heavenly Deity-level ones.
“I’m dying…” Louis groaned weakly, his body riddled with holes.
Luo Dao, who had borne the brunt of the fight, was worse off—covered in blood, too weak to speak.
Lan Yichen fared slightly better, though his metallic body was dim and nearly broken, painstakingly reattaching a severed arm.
Shi Hao, though exhausted, had only minor injuries—save for a True God-level insect that had nearly burrowed into his heart.
But the rewards were immense. Shi Hao retrieved the medicine basket, filled with glistening half-ginseng fruits—human-shaped, radiant, and fragrant enough to carry for miles.
Everyone’s eyes gleamed with greed. Against all odds, they had harvested a basketful—an unimaginable haul, surpassing even the value of true divine herbs!
“So many,” they murmured, swallowing hard.
Shi Hao set the basket down. “Eat.”
He grabbed one and bit into it, juices flowing like sacred nectar, bathing the area in divine light.
“Such extravagance!”
The others couldn’t resist. Each took a fruit, savoring it carefully. Instantly, the air filled with fragrance and auspicious mist.
The effects were miraculous—Louis, on death’s door; Luo Dao, grievously wounded; and Lan Yichen, dried up—all began to glow, rapidly healing.
Shi Hao recovered instantly, his wounds vanishing, his body radiant with vitality.
He examined several black insects, probing their minds with his divine sense.
But to his surprise, he found only brutality and madness—no secrets, just half-demonic, deranged minds.
“Can these insects really nurture Ghost Demons? Are we just feed to them?” Shi Hao frowned.
*Pop!*
The insects’ heads burst under his mental pressure, dying instantly.
“These insects must have been warped by long exposure in the Immortal Ancient—like those two frenzied Heavenly Deities, just less severe,” Luo Dao observed.
“This Immortal Ancient land is too sinister. Outsiders always end up twisted over time,” Lan Yichen added.
Shi Hao distributed more fruits to the three.
“This… is for me?!” Louis stammered, overwhelmed. Such treasures were beyond rare.
Luo Dao and Lan Yichen were equally shocked. Despite their roles as “servants,” Shi Hao had shared with them.
“Wait for me farther ahead.”
“You’re not going back in, are you?” they asked gravely.
“Of course. I need a full basket,” Shi Hao replied firmly.
“It’s too dangerous—we barely escaped!” they protested.
“No matter. These fruits are crucial for my path,” he insisted, vanishing in a streak of light.
He lingered outside the formation, confirming the grove was calm before slipping back in.
Swiftly, he harvested more fruits.
*Buzz!*
But the Black Divine Insects noticed, enraged. They swarmed like a black storm, attacking relentlessly.
Ghost Demons joined the fray, howling as they charged.
Another life-or-death battle erupted. Shi Hao darted through the grove, risking everything for the fruits.
This time, he avoided the treetops—just glancing at them sent chills down his spine. At least three Heavenly Deity-level Black Divine Insects lurked there, along with two Ghost Demons of the same rank.
But they were dormant, only stirring if disturbed.
“Hmm?”
As he fought deeper into the grove, he noticed missing fruits—someone else had been here.
“Who else could harvest these?” he wondered.
Soon, he found traces—a residue on a tree that repelled the insects.
“Someone who understands these creatures?” Shi Hao was stunned.
Then it hit him—Ghost Demons required intervention to form. Were the insects truly acting alone?
No time to ponder. He fought fiercely, filling his basket before exhaustion forced him to retreat.
Bloodied and battered, he fled, dozens of divine-level insects clinging to him, horrifying his companions.
“Kill them!”
They eradicated the pests and fled the area.
“A full basket!” Shi Hao grinned, admiring the radiant, fragrant fruits.
He was certain—this would ignite countless divine flames, propelling him beyond ancient limits toward supreme enlightenment.
Meanwhile, more experts gathered at the Fierce Nest, drawn by its legend.
“So this is the lair of one of the Ten Fiends,” Qin Hao murmured, stepping into the ancient grounds.
Elsewhere, the Double-Pupiled One rode a silver path into a secluded zone.
“Is that… Six Crown King Ning Chuan?” someone whispered in the ghostly woods.
Clad in white, Ning Chuan stood amidst the mist, gazing at the nest where chaos swirled beneath thirty-three blood moons, his eyes fathomless.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage