Chapter 1534: Bug King (4k)

He had encountered many poisonous insects, but this was the first time the Fuzzy Silkworm exhibited such unusual behavior.

Qin Sang suddenly fell silent, gazing out of the cave.

Zhou Jin and Ruan Yu, not understanding why, dared not make a sound, fearing they would disturb him.

Outside the cave.

The swarm of insects drew closer.

An eerie hum permeated everywhere, an unsettling sound that was either the cries of the Phosphorescent Fireflies or the beating of their wings. Even hidden inside the cave, it was clearly audible and deeply unsettling.

The strange sounds continued incessantly. Zhou and Ruan realized they were surrounded by countless ghost insects, and they inexplicably recalled the gruesome image of being devoured by thousands of insects. A tingling itch seemed to seep from their very bones, spreading throughout their bodies, making them tremble and barely dare to breathe.

The poisonous cloud was kept at bay by the Fuzzy Silkworm.

The swarm hadn't detected their presence either.

Zhou and Ruan initially believed they could escape this peril.

Just then, the sound of the swarm suddenly changed, causing their hearts to tighten and almost making them cry out in alarm.

"Buzz... buzz..."

The buzzing suddenly became more rapid, like metal grinding, sharp and piercing.

Moreover, the swarm seemed to have stopped directly overhead, the sound lingering right beside their ears.

Zhou and Ruan's faces turned pale.

Qin Sang tilted his head, listening to the increasingly chaotic sounds, and sensed the situation outside. "The two insect clouds are actually not from the same clan; they are fighting, and they've chosen this spot as their battlefield. Heaven-Rift Valley is vast, so territory isn't an issue. Yet they're fighting each other. Is it their inherently bloodthirsty nature, or is this how this type of spiritual insect grows...?"

The Fuzzy Silkworm squirmed in Qin Sang's hand, eager to get out.

Whatever piqued its interest was inside the insect cloud.

Qin Sang did not act rashly.

In mid-air.

The two insect clouds collided, appearing indistinguishable to an outside observer.

The yellow poisonous cloud billowed and pressed against the sky, as if countless out-of-control beasts were within, surging towards the center from all directions with wild force.

Inside the poisonous cloud, faint specks of yellow light could be vaguely seen, gathered together. Each speck was a Phosphorescent Firefly. The lights flickered, seemingly insubstantial and very weak, like will-o'-the-wisps.

No wonder the local cultivators called them 'ghost insects'.

The sounds of the swarming insects fighting were like the howling of the poisonous cloud itself.

The poisonous cloud spread everywhere, above and below, accumulating in layers, growing thicker and more oppressive.

Wherever the poisonous cloud covered, all life perished.

Plants remained, and the bodies of birds and beasts showed no external injuries, but they had been corroded by the poisonous cloud. All their life force, from within and without, had been plundered by the insect cloud. A strong gust of wind would reduce them to dust.

The buzzing of the insect cloud initially erupted rapidly, quickly reaching a peak before entering a stalemate, and then gradually fading. This indicated that a victor had emerged between the two insect clouds, and the weaker side was likely being consumed.

Finally, the buzzing subsided, and the battle drew to a close.

Yet, the size of the poisonous cloud showed no reduction.

The swarm began to move, continuing its plunder elsewhere, and the poisonous cloud rapidly drifted away.

Qin Sang then suddenly moved, flashing out of the cave and appearing on the mountaintop.

As far as the eye could see, there was only desolation and decay.

Qin Sang gazed in the direction the insect cloud had departed. What the Fuzzy Silkworm had sensed was indeed within the insect cloud. He couldn't help but wonder if the swarm's earlier bloodthirst was due to them contending for something.

After a brief ponder, Qin Sang voluntarily pursued the ghost fire insect cloud, which others dreaded, and soon neared the poisonous cloud.

The yellow poisonous cloud looked like a sandstorm.

Qin Sang instructed the Fuzzy Silkworm to cloak him with its Toxin-Dispelling Armor, suppressing his aura and blending into the poisonous cloud.

The Fuzzy Silkworm swayed its plump body on Qin Sang's shoulder, showing its current excitement. Similar situations always occurred when it found delicious food.

With the poisonous cloud blocked by the Toxin-Dispelling Armor, it posed no threat to Qin Sang.

Through the thick poisonous cloud, his Sky-Eye Butterfly could already see the surging swarm within. Countless Phosphorescent Fireflies moved in groups, all identical, like a long river of converging lights.

Besides the Phosphorescent Fireflies, there was nothing else.

Following the Fuzzy Silkworm's sensation, Qin Sang looked at the target. There were only dense Phosphorescent Fireflies. Could it be inside one of them?

Just then, the surging swarm suddenly halted, emitting a familiar buzzing sound.

Qin Sang sensed an inexplicable pressure, his heart sinking, knowing he had been detected by the swarm.

At this moment, the Fuzzy Silkworm locked onto a single Phosphorescent Firefly.

This Phosphorescent Firefly was indistinguishable from the others. Qin Sang was still puzzled, unable to understand what was special about it that attracted the Fuzzy Silkworm.

However, this did not affect his actions.

Qin Sang no longer concealed himself and decisively launched a strong attack. His figure moved like lightning, instantly rushing close to the insect cloud. He wielded his Golden-Sinking Sword, unleashing an extremely sharp sword qi with a flick of his hand.

The sword qi pierced through the swarm, as if an ice sword had plunged into a sea of fire. The flames surged, creating a ring of ethereal fire.

The Phosphorescent Fireflies struck down by the Golden-Sinking Sword released lingering glows, breathtakingly beautiful.

The Golden-Sinking Sword swept through like a hot knife through butter, carving a path through the swarm with a single strike, directly towards that special Phosphorescent Firefly.

The swarm seemed to only now react, their angry buzzing shaking the heavens and assailing Qin Sang's ears.

Qin Sang remained unfazed. Seeing how easily he had torn through the swarm, he naturally wouldn't miss this opportunity. Without hesitation, he rushed into the swarm and easily captured that Phosphorescent Firefly.

Before he could examine it closely, the Fuzzy Silkworm arched its body and sprang onto Qin Sang's fingertip, as if fearing someone else would snatch it. It opened its mouth and swallowed it whole, then rolled contentedly.

Qin Sang suspected this Phosphorescent Firefly might be the swarm's Insect King, which was why it attracted the Fuzzy Silkworm.

If so, it was too easy to obtain.

The moment this thought crossed his mind, Qin Sang felt something was off with the swarm.

The next moment, the surroundings suddenly fell silent, and the buzzing ceased abruptly.

The swarm underwent a strange transformation.

Before, all the Phosphorescent Fireflies in the swarm moved together, shared a common goal, and might even live and die together, but Qin Sang could clearly sense them as individual entities, each Phosphorescent Firefly existing independently.

Now, it was different.

All the Phosphorescent Fireflies had merged into a single entity.

Qin Sang had a feeling that he was no longer facing a group of spiritual insects, but a single, massive monster.

Each Phosphorescent Firefly was like a node in the monster's consciousness, woven into a vast, fully connected network.

The swarm collectively formed the monster, seamlessly integrated.

The monster surrounded Qin Sang, glaring at him menacingly.

Qin Sang sensed an emotion emanating from the swarm: a greedy desire.

Not only did it possess clear emotions, but these individually very weak Phosphorescent Fireflies, transformed into a colossal, flame-bodied creature at this moment, posed a direct threat to him.

This threat wasn't solely from the poisonous cloud.

Qin Sang's eyes narrowed slightly, glancing at the Fuzzy Silkworm, which had gone stiff.

The swarm's target was clearly it!

Under the swarm's gaze, the Fuzzy Silkworm's previous arrogance vanished. It tried to curl up, head tucked, belly pulled in, shrinking into Qin Sang's fingers.

It had considered that Phosphorescent Firefly a delicacy, never expecting that it, too, possessed something the swarm coveted. The hunter had become the hunted.

The swarm began to stir.

Facing this sight, Qin Sang showed no fear. He shook his sleeve, and demonic flames surged out, instantly forming a ring of fire around him.

The aura of the demonic flames emanated forth.

This was one of the world's most powerful spiritual fires.

The swarm stirred uneasily. Qin Sang again sensed emotions of fear and hesitation. The swarm could indeed think, but it was still naive, openly displaying its changing emotions.

But this was not enough to deter them.

Qin Sang sneered, activating the Solar Divine Tree, and released a wisp of the Southern Bright Lihuo's aura.

As expected, the tiny ghost-lights within the swarm began to tremble violently. All Phosphorescent Fireflies flapped their wings in unison, and their buzzing once again reverberated through the heavens and earth.

This time, the buzzing wasn't as sharp and piercing as before, but it was incredibly chaotic.

Qin Sang couldn't help but frown. He completely failed to understand the swarm's intentions. Unwilling to engage in a pointless battle with the swarm, he was about to leave the area, when he saw the Fuzzy Silkworm sneakily peeking out from between his fingers, its head poking out with a surprised expression, and then it began to shriek wildly at the swarm.

"Are they communicating?"

Qin Sang noticed the Fuzzy Silkworm's shifty eyes, and a thought struck him.

The sounds had no clear meaning. This communication was clearly not auditory; perhaps it was direct communication at the mental level.

He remained silent, quietly cooperating with his Sky-Eye Butterfly to observe the swarm.

His gaze swept over each individual Phosphorescent Firefly.

Finally, Qin Sang locked onto a Phosphorescent Firefly hidden within the swarm. Its form was ethereal, more fleeting than the other Phosphorescent Fireflies, yet it seemed to be the focal point of the entire swarm.

"As expected, there is an Insect King!"

Qin Sang understood the reason.

The swarm had given birth to a true Insect King, which was why it had undergone this transformation!

Qin Sang remained outwardly calm, his mind racing with thoughts. He secretly observed the Phosphorescent Firefly's movement patterns, seizing an opportunity.

Without any warning, the demonic flames suddenly burst forth!

"Boom!"

A fiery demonic dragon lunged into the swarm.

A jarring black void appeared in the swarm, as if a large chunk of its flesh had been forcibly gnawed away. The buzzing became rapid and piercing once more, but this time it carried an emotion of pain.

Qin Sang's figure moved with the demonic flames.

He was still when still, but when he moved, he was like thunder!

"Whoosh!"

The demonic flames' momentum did not wane, instantly engulfing a large area of Phosphorescent Fireflies.

Immediately after, a dazzling sword light flared at the forefront of the fiery demonic dragon. The Golden-Sinking Sword flew out with the momentum, forming a sword array the moment it appeared.

That Phosphorescent Firefly sensed danger. Its form immediately turned illusory, but it was still a step too slow. Before it could escape, the surrounding space dimmed, and it was trapped within the sword array.

"Jiji..."

Seeing Qin Sang succeed with one strike, the Fuzzy Silkworm shrieked triumphantly, wagging its tail and shaking its head.

Qin Sang's expression, however, showed little joy. The swarm had not become agitated or panicked because their Insect King was trapped; their buzzing continued as before.

He stared at the Insect King within the sword array.

The next moment, a strange change indeed occurred in the Insect King. Forced to reveal itself, its aura changed, becoming identical to that of any ordinary Phosphorescent Firefly.

"This..."

Qin Sang was slightly stunned.

The Fuzzy Silkworm's triumphant chirping abruptly ceased, and it looked utterly bewildered.

"The Insect King can freely inhabit the bodies of its kin, or rather, the Insect King isn't within the swarm but hidden elsewhere, controlling it..."

Confirming that there was indeed nothing unusual about that Phosphorescent Firefly, Qin Sang considered various possibilities. He had his Sky-Eye Butterfly search again, and sure enough, it found another Phosphorescent Firefly elsewhere undergoing the same transformation, becoming the new 'Insect King'.

Just then, the swarm's buzzing began to quicken, as if urging or threatening something.

Startled by the buzzing, the Fuzzy Silkworm let out a furious shriek, but adamantly refused to leave, while gazing at Qin Sang with hopeful eyes.

Qin Sang pushed his divine sense and Sky-Eye abilities to their limit, but still couldn't find any trace of the true Insect King. He had no choice but to try the same trick again.

This time, his calculations were even more precise. He unleashed demonic flames, sword arrays, and even Soul-Seizing Incantations, in a seamless combination.

That 'Insect King' indeed had nowhere to escape and was captured by Qin Sang.

However, the same scene unfolded.

Right before Qin Sang's eyes, the 'Insect King's' aura completely vanished, leaving no trace. Though Qin Sang had kept it locked with his divine sense, he couldn't perceive its origin.

At the same time, a brand new 'Insect King' appeared within the swarm.

Qin Sang shook his head helplessly at the Fuzzy Silkworm. He could only find the true Insect King by slaughtering the entire swarm, but the Fuzzy Silkworm was unwilling for him to do so.

He wasn't confident either. The swarm was eager to trade something with the Fuzzy Silkworm and hadn't launched a real attack on them. It was still unclear what strange divine abilities the swarm possessed.

Furthermore, if the Insect King was hidden elsewhere, controlling the swarm from a distance, it would be nearly impossible to ferret it out, even by activating the Solar Divine Tree.

He even suspected that the earlier battle between the two insect clouds might have been orchestrated by the true Insect King from behind the scenes.

The Fuzzy Silkworm looked utterly disappointed, its eyes mournful.

Then, the Fuzzy Silkworm turned its head and chirped at the swarm.

It raised its head high, its body tensing and stretching to nearly double its original length. It let out a whimpering sound, faintly tinged with pain, and with difficulty, exhaled a ball of seven-colored aura.

It looked somewhat similar to the seven-colored glow that formed the Toxin-Dispelling Armor, but it was more solidified, appearing to be the Fuzzy Silkworm's innate vital force.

After exhaling the seven-colored aura ball, the Fuzzy Silkworm visibly weakened. It listlessly pushed out a crystal, letting it hover in mid-air.

The buzzing paused momentarily, then the swarm rippled, and the 'Insect King' emerged from the crowd, approaching the seven-colored aura ball.

The Fuzzy Silkworm bared its fangs and let out a warning cry.

The 'Insect King' stopped, facing Qin Sang and the Fuzzy Silkworm from a distance. Its fiery body began to swell, becoming fist-sized. Then, the fiery glow split down the middle, spitting out a golden-yellow crystal which it flung towards the Fuzzy Silkworm, while simultaneously darting towards the seven-colored aura ball.

The crystal was translucent, like amber.

Qin Sang had never seen such an amber insect crystal.

The amber insect crystal seemed to have appeared out of thin air. The entire process unfolded before their eyes, yet Qin Sang could not discern the crystal's origin at all.

"I've actually witnessed a trade between spiritual insects with my own eyes."

Although Qin Sang had traveled extensively and was well-informed, this was the first time he had seen such a spectacle, and it felt truly wondrous.

The world was vast and full of wonders!

Upon seeing the crystal, the Fuzzy Silkworm's spirits lifted. Its eyes gleamed, its body sprang up, and it wrapped itself around the crystal as if it were a priceless treasure.

It was clearly unscrupulous. With the crystal in hand, it immediately reneged, shrieking repeatedly, seemingly urging Qin Sang to act and snatch back the seven-colored aura ball.

In fact, Qin Sang did act.

The sword array didn't miss, easily trapping that 'Insect King', but the familiar scene reappeared.

All the extraordinary characteristics on the 'Insect King' faded away, and it reverted to an ordinary Phosphorescent Firefly. Simultaneously, the seven-colored aura ball also vanished.

The seven-colored aura ball disappeared right before their eyes, without a trace.

Then, the swarm's imposing aura receded like a tide, reverting to its previous ghost-fire insect cloud form. Ignoring Qin Sang and the frustrated Fuzzy Silkworm, it rapidly drifted away, disappearing into the depths of Heaven-Rift Valley.