The jungle lay silent, the air heavy with the metallic tang of blood and the faint hum of retreating insects. Yang Kai crouched in the dense foliage of the ancient tree, his sharp eyes scanning the forest floor below. The mangled corpses of the mercenaries lay scattered, a grim testament to the demon insects' ferocity. His heart still pounded from the sight, but his voice remained steady as he signaled to the women hidden beside him. "We can't stay here," he whispered, his tone resolute despite the fear gnawing at his core. "Let's move—quietly."
Di Yalan nodded, her sword gripped tightly, her pragmatic resolve anchoring the group. Mu Yu Die clutched her zither, her delicate features pale but determined. Mo Yanyu, followed with a tense silence, her eyes flickering with a mix of resentment and reluctant reliance on Yang Kai's leadership.
They descended from the tree, their movements swift and cautious, the rustle of leaves barely audible. Yang Kai took point, his dagger gleaming in the dawn light, his senses attuned to every sound. The forest seemed to hold its breath, but the reprieve was fleeting.
Buzzzz…
A deafening hum shattered the stillness, the air vibrating with the approach of countless demon insects. Their glossy exoskeletons caught the sunlight as they surged from the underbrush, a black tide of clicking mandibles and beating wings. Yang Kai's face darkened, his True Yang Yuan Qi erupting in a blaze of crimson flames. The fire smashed into the nearest insects, charring their wings and grounding them in heaps of smoldering husks.
But the swarm was relentless. For every insect felled, two more took its place, their numbers swelling in an overwhelming, seemingly endless wave. Yang Kai's movements were precise, his dagger slashing through the air like a whip, but anxiety gnawed at him. I can't keep this up forever, he thought, his mind racing. His Dantian held ample Yang Liquid, enough to fuel this slaughter for hours, but his physical stamina had limits. If he exhausted himself, the women would be defenseless.
Di Yalan fought beside him, her sword carving arcs through the swarm, her Yuan Qi flaring with each strike. Mu Yu Die stood back, her zither at the ready, her fingers playing a calming melody . Mo Yanyu, despite her weakened state, wielded a short blade, her strikes fueled by a desperate need to survive.
"These insects must have a leader, like bees," Mo Yanyu said suddenly, her voice cutting through the chaos. Her eyes met Yang Kai's, a flicker of determination breaking through her usual guarded demeanor.
"What are you getting at?" Yang Kai asked, his tone sharp as he incinerated another cluster of insects.
"If you kill the insect king, the swarm might scatter," she replied, her breath ragged but her words clear. "It's their anchor."
"Do you know where it is?" he pressed, dodging a diving insect that grazed his shoulder.
She shook her head, frustration evident. "No… but it's likely nearby, directing them."
Yang Kai didn't blame her for the uncertainty—it wasn't her fault. The idea sparked a daring plan, one that could either save them or doom them all. He retracted his Yuan Qi, the flames around him fading as he took a deep breath. "I'm testing a theory," he said, stepping forward into the heart of the swarm.
"What are you doing?" Mu Yu Die cried, her voice trembling with panic. "You'll get yourself killed!"
"Testing my theory!" Yang Kai replied, his voice calm but resolute. He knew that fighting until exhaustion was a death sentence. Better to take a gamble now, while he still had strength. "Stay back, but be ready to run if this fails."
Di Yalan grabbed Mu Yu Die's arm, pulling her behind a tree. "Let him try," she said, her tone firm but laced with worry. Mo Yanyu hesitated, her blade still raised, but she nodded, trusting Yang Kai's judgment despite her doubts.
The insects buzzed furiously, their wings a blur as they enveloped Yang Kai. He stood still, his body tense like a drawn bowstring, ready to unleash his Yuan Qi at the first sign of attack. But to his relief, the insects didn't strike. Instead, dozens broke from the swarm, their mandibles nudging him, pushing and shoving him toward a specific direction.
Sure enough! Yang Kai's lips curled into a bold grin. Like worker bees delivering honey to their queen, these insects were guiding him—likely to their nest, where the insect king resided. "Follow me, but keep your distance," he called to the women. "If this works, we're free. If not, get out of here."
The insects led Yang Kai deeper into the jungle, the terrain growing darker as the canopy thickened. Vines tangled overhead, and the air grew humid, heavy with the scent of damp earth and decay. The buzzing never ceased, a constant reminder of the swarm's presence. Yang Kai's senses were on edge, his Yuan Qi simmering just beneath the surface, ready to erupt if the insects turned hostile.
The surrounding scene of tens of thousands of insects was a bit terrifying, but Yang Kai remained indifferent; staring towards the direction these bugs were pushing him.
Not long after, a pit appeared in front of him.
Inside this big pit was a dark cave, like the mouth of a great beast, grim and foreboding. A foul and unpleasant stench blew from inside the cave's nine paths and eighteen bends, all of which had been dug up by these insects, nothing like the Heaven's Cave.
As Yang Kai walked, he carefully remembered his path, secretly leaving some road marks behind.
In the corridor, from time to time he could see many insects scurrying about, and these insects weren't just bowl sized. There seemed to be many types of insects, some were nearly as big as a person, while some were the size of a large wash basin, others the size of a bucket, it all looked quite frightening.
[Fuck, taken prisoner by a bunch of bugs! Just wait till I find your king, I'll definitely make you regret this!] Yang Kai seethed with anger.
Captured by these insects, Yang Kai was forced down the corridors for a long time, eventually arriving at a fairly large room.
Calling this place a hole wasn't an exaggeration; however, it seemed like it was actually a food storage for this swarm, because they were all gathered here. The insects left Yang Kai here, but at the entrance to the hole, there were several bigger-than-people sized insects on guard, apparently to prevent these people from escaping. Yang Kai scanned the area; it was a very spacious cave, filled with an unpleasant stench. Looking around for a long while, Yang Kai did not see the insect king anywhere.
All that was around were a mountain of bones and corpses. "This insect king seems to have drained their vitality," Yang Kai said to the ladies. He asked them to stay here and if he didn't return then they are on their own. However, where was the king?
While Yang Kai was cautiously looking around, after walking in the cave for a long time, suddenly from one of the corpses a golden light rushed out, charging towards Yang Kai. Fortunately Yang Kai had been vigilant, and although things happened suddenly, he did not panic, quickly circulating his True Yang Yuan Qi, executing his movement skill, his body flashed, reappearing a few tens of feet away.
However, before he could stabilize his body, the golden light appeared next to him.
[So fast!] Yang Kai was shocked, flashing again.
But once again, just as he reappeared, the golden light had already caught up.
Yang Kai heard a slight buzzing noise coming from the golden light, and he could vaguely make out the figure similar to the other insects, but it was many times smaller.
Was this the insect king?
Yang Kai had thought that the insect king would certainly be large, he did not imagine it would be so small, and that it would possess such amazing speed; also, as the king of these insects, it would no doubt be even more cruel and vicious than the others.
Not relaxing, Yang Kai cast his movement skill again to avoid this insect king, waiting for an opportunity to attack.
After repeating this pattern fifteen times, consuming a massive amount of Yuan Qi, the insect king was still like maggots on rotting bones, and instead of opening the distance between them, it was getting closer.
With no way to escape, Yang Kai stopped dodging; steeling his will, he took a stance and punched toward the golden light.
True Yang Yuan Qi burst out!
A shocking scene followed, the golden light did not fly out after being hit by his punch; rather, Yang Kai felt a sharp pain coming from his fist, and the golden light had disappeared!
Hurrying to recover his fist, Yang Kai examined it, his face sinking into dismay; there was now a small bloody hole in his hand, and under his skin was a slight bulge, drilling into his flesh, quickly disappearing.
"What the hell IS this insect?" Yang Kai's soul collapsed, he had run over, planning to reign in this insect king, but instead he had suffered a big loss, actually letting it invade his body.
Hastily sitting cross-legged, carefully scanning, he could not find anything wrong with his body. It was as if after drilling into him the insect king had suddenly disappeared. He quickly focused his mind, thoroughly examining the arm the insect king had entered again.
After a long time, he finally found some traces.
This insect king had actually found its way into the Star Chart Space on the back of his hand.
This Star Chart Space had opened up when he cultivated his Star Mark martial skill. Usually this space accumulated Yuan Qi, until he activated it, sending out a single massive Yuan Qi explosion.
Yang Kai had relied on his Star Mark skill to finally deal a blow to kill Mo Chaoge in a surprise attack. This strange insect king could actually enter this space, and Yang Kai could clearly feel the Yuan Qi he had amassed inside these past few months was being rapidly consumed.
In just one minute, it had already consumed a quarter of the stored Yuan Qi.
Now that it was inside, Yang Kai could not get it out, unless he chopped off his hand.