Chapter 2249: Mimic Insects

Above a swamp filled with putrid mud in the Demon Realm, a black, cavernous hole pulsed. A golden light shot out from it, then dimmed, revealing several figures beneath the large hole. It was Han Li and his two companions, who had once again entered the Demon Realm.

Han Li swept his gaze around, his brows furrowing slightly. The area was deserted; not a single figure was in sight. After a moment's thought, he immediately released his spiritual sense, casting it over the surroundings. He quickly discovered a large cluster of stone buildings on the edge of the nearby swamp. There were hundreds of houses of varying heights, and several protective formations were set up around their perimeter. However, the formations were currently wide open, showing no signs of activation. When his spiritual sense swept through the houses, he found them in disarray, with no trace of any demons.

“Let’s go,” Han Li said, a hint of surprise in his voice, but quickly making a decision. “We’ll find the nearest demon city and figure out where we are in the Demon Realm.” Unlike his previous visit, with his current Grand Ascension stage cultivation and the assistance of Daoist Crab, he felt no fear, even against one of the Demon Realm’s Three Ancestors.

The three figures shot out of the swamp together, heading west. After flying for only half a day, Han Li’s expression subtly shifted. His escape light abruptly halted, and he stopped first in mid-air. Daoist Crab also stopped after glancing into the distance. Yin Yue, seeing nothing but empty sky ahead, was puzzled. She couldn't help but ask, “Brother Han, what’s wrong? Have you and Brother Crab discovered something?”

“Yes, something is approaching,” Han Li replied calmly, his expression unchanged. Yin Yue was startled by his words. She turned her beautiful eyes and urgently gazed into the distance. After a short while, a strange buzzing sound echoed from the horizon, growing louder and closer. Yin Yue couldn't help but show a look of surprise. However, Han Li and Daoist Crab remained motionless, their faces betraying no unusual emotions.

Moments later, a flash of spiritual light suddenly appeared on the horizon, followed by hundreds of streaks of escape light. They rapidly shot towards Han Li’s group. These were hundreds of demons and demon beasts, of varying cultivation levels, fleeing desperately as if pursued by something utterly terrifying. Yin Yue blinked her beautiful eyes, wondering what could be chasing these demons and demon beasts. Just then, the buzzing from the horizon intensified, and a large, grey cloud surged into view, relentlessly pursuing the fleeing figures.

Yin Yue quickly gathered her spiritual energy into her eyes and peered closely at the grey cloud. The next moment, her face, that of an Integration stage cultivator, turned stark white. The murky grey cloud was, in fact, composed of countless bizarre and monstrous insects. The smallest of these insects were fist-sized, while the largest were as big as an adult. Some were covered in barbs, others had mouths full of fangs; each one was ferociously grotesque and unlike ordinary demon insects. Demonic energy swirled within the grey cloud, and the insects were densely packed, innumerable. It was impossible to tell their exact count. With such a terrifying insect cloud and the horrifying appearance of these creatures, it was no wonder Yin Yue’s expression changed so drastically.

The strange insects within the cloud varied significantly in their flight speed; some of the larger ones were noticeably faster than the others. In an instant, some of the lagging demons and demon beasts were overtaken and entangled by these larger insects from behind. With no other option, these demon beasts and demons could only fight and flee simultaneously. Roars, screams, and booming sounds erupted in the sky. However, as soon as their escape speed slowed even slightly, they were immediately caught by other insects from behind and submerged into the grey cloud. After a series of desperate cries, both the snarling demon beasts and the demons frantically activating their demonic artifacts for defense instantly vanished into the sea of insects, like ripples on water.

Witnessing all of this, Han Li’s expression finally stirred slightly. He suddenly turned to Daoist Crab and asked, “Brother Crab, do you notice anything unusual about these insects compared to other demon insects in the Demon Realm?” “Their aura is a bit different, and the demonic energy they carry seems impure. They don’t appear to be native to the Demon Realm,” Daoist Crab replied expressionlessly after a glance at the insect cloud. “Just as I thought! It seems these strange insects are related to the Mother of Blight,” Han Li said with a sigh. “The Mother of Blight? The one who caused the great calamity in the Demon Realm and forced my grandfather and Senior Mo to enter it?” Yin Yue gasped, inhaling sharply at his words.

“Exactly, I’m referring to that very Mother of Blight!” Han Li said with a wry smile. “If these strange insects are connected to the Mother of Blight and are appearing so openly in the Demon Realm, does that mean the Mother of Blight has already broken free?” Yin Yue asked, her face extremely grim. “Not necessarily,” Han Li replied, shaking his head after a moment’s contemplation. “Perhaps they are just some of the Mother of Blight’s offspring that managed to escape the seal.”

Yin Yue wanted to ask more questions, but during this brief delay, more than half of the hundred or so escaping lights in the distance had been consumed by the grey insect cloud. Only a dozen or so streaks remained, fleeing frantically and now approaching their position. All the figures within these escape lights were high-ranking demons with considerable magic power, yet they were utterly disheveled and exceptionally terrified. Han Li could even clearly see the faces of the foremost demons with his naked eye.

Upon seeing Han Li and his companions calmly suspended in mid-air, seemingly oblivious to the distant insect cloud, these demons were momentarily stunned. One of them, a demoness appearing to be in her twenties, instinctively shouted at Han Li and the others, “What are you still doing standing there? The blight insects are here! Hurry up and run for your lives!” No sooner had she spoken than the escape lights flashed past Han Li’s group, too desperate to ponder, and continued to shoot further into the distance.

Seeing this, Han Li smiled faintly. After another glance at the distant insect cloud, he suddenly flicked his sleeve. With a roar, three miniature mountains instantly appeared before him. They swayed once, then, amidst dazzling light, transformed into colossal peaks thousands of feet tall. They soared upwards, directly confronting the approaching insect cloud. At the same time, the grey insect cloud surged forward, completely enveloping the three massive mountains.

Han Li raised an eyebrow and pointed a finger through the air. With a rumble, the three mountain peaks began to spin rapidly. From the black peak, swirling grey misty light immediately erupted. Wherever the misty light swept, the grey, strange insects blurred and vanished into thin air, group after group. The green peak let out a sharp hum, unleashing countless invisible sword qi! The strange insects from all directions shuddered and were instantly cut into countless pieces, large amounts of green blood raining down from the sky. Meanwhile, the mountain with rolling five-colored flames emitted a brilliant glow from its surface, and rings of five-colored halos surged outwards. Any strange insect that came into contact with these halos instantly screamed and was crushed into a pulpy mess, unable to withstand even a single attack.

In the blink of an eye, three enormous holes suddenly appeared in the vast grey sea of insects, centered around the three colossal peaks. No matter how many strange insects surged in frantically, they were completely devoured by the three giant peaks. In just a few moments, the grey insect cloud visibly thinned.

The remaining grey insects sensed danger. One two-headed giant insect suddenly let out a piercing shriek. All the strange insects turned around and swarmed back the way they came, fleeing. Seeing this, Han Li’s eyes lit up. He suddenly pointed a finger towards the distant black giant peak again. The black mountain peak immediately swayed, then blurred amidst layers of grey misty light, vanishing from sight. The next moment, a ripple appeared above the head of the two-headed giant insect. Without any warning, the black giant peak materialized, and a wave of grey misty light swept down from its base. The giant insect only managed a whimper before it disappeared in a flash of grey light, just like the other strange insects.

By this time, the other remaining strange insects had fled rapidly to a great distance, then scattered, vanishing from sight individually. Han Li seemed to have no intention of pursuing the remaining insects further. He simply waved a hand casually towards the distance. The three giant peaks rumbled, rapidly shrinking back to about a foot in size, then blurred and vanished. The next moment, a faint ripple appeared in Han Li’s sleeve, and the three miniature mountain peaks, an inch high, materialized within it before disappearing completely with another flash.

From the moment Han Li released the three immense mountains to their re-collection after annihilating most of the strange insects, only a few blinks of an eye had passed. The demoness who had been desperately fleeing backwards happened to glance back. Her escape light trembled in shock, and she almost plummeted from the sky. “How is this possible!” the rather attractive demoness shrieked sharply.

The other fleeing demons, seeing her lose her composure, were stunned for a moment before looking back themselves, naturally turning pale with alarm. The terrifying insect cloud, which had driven them to flee in terror, had inexplicably vanished without a trace. Their escape lights slowed, and they all stopped flying, looking at Han Li and his two companions with bewildered expressions. Everyone clearly understood that the sudden disappearance of the insect cloud must have been connected to these three individuals.

The demoness in her twenties was the first to regain her composure. She steadied herself in mid-air and looked at Han Li’s group again, her face changing between expressions as she secretly wondered whether to approach them. Just then, Han Li’s calm voice resonated in the ears of all the demons: “Fellow Daoists, please come over. I have some questions for you.” The demoness’s heart tightened. After a brief hesitation, she obediently flew closer. After a moment of whispered discussions, the other demons also flew back, not daring to disobey. Given the opponents’ immense power, capable of easily destroying the insect cloud, they naturally wouldn't be foolish enough to provoke them.