The Swarm That Grew Weaker Against Weaker Foes

When his vision returned to normal, Jingxing smelled an earthy odor.

It's quite different from the riverbank outside Starskiff. The riverbank in Fanghu has been soaked in the smoke of battle for a long time, giving it a sweet, bloody smell, while the soil here is dry and salty, as if someone had dried up an entire sea.

Jingxing opened his eyes and saw a grayish-white Saline-Alkali Land. In the distance stood several dead trees, their trunks black as charred bones.

The clouds in the sky pressed down, their color a vague grayish-white.

The wind came from the plains, bringing with it a sharp whistling sound, and it never stopped.

"Where is this?" Fu Xuan stood next to him, raised his hand to shield himself from the wind, and looked around.

After leaving Starskiff, the two lost contact with everyone else; now they can only rely on each other.

Jingxing did not answer immediately.

He took two steps forward, looked around, and noticed the mountain ridge stretching across the horizon in the distance.

"Looks familiar," Jingxing muttered to himself, "Like Priva II."

Fu Xuan stood behind him, peeking out. "Priva II? That desolate planet you destroyed?"

"Yes, I didn't expect we'd land here... But was this a barren planet during the Swarm Disaster?" Jingxing pulled his hand back from the wind. "Then how do we leave this place?"

While traversing planets isn't difficult for the Pathstrider, crossing galaxies requires Emanator- level strength. Jingxing himself doesn't mind, but Fu Xuan...

Suddenly, however, the two noticed that the sound carried by the wind had become a little clearer.

Jingxing looked up and saw that what he had initially thought was a cloud was moving on the horizon—a dark, gray mass pushing forward along the horizon, with tiny specks scattered around its edges, like a layer of ash stirred up by the wind.

At first, he mistook it for a cloud; but upon closer inspection, he realized he was mistaken.

It was an overwhelming Swarm.

"They are remnants of the Ancestor of the Locust Calamity." Fu Xuan's voice lowered. "Indeed, this place is also affected by the Swarm Disaster."

However, upon closer observation, Jingxing noticed several plumes of smoke rising from beneath the path of the Swarm. It seemed someone was burning something there, the smoke from damp grass rising straight towards the Swarm.

Using his Path Energy to scan the area, he saw a camp enclosed by a wooden fence beneath the column of smoke. A trench had been dug outside the fence, filled with sharpened wooden spikes. Dozens of people were crammed onto the fence, holding spears and slingshots.

"They're coming," he said. "There seem to be indigenous people on the road."

"Then let's go help them," Fu Xuan said without hesitation. "Otherwise, with the indigenous people's technological level, they're no match for these guys."

When the two rushed to the railing on the east side of the town, Jingxing's fingers instinctively pressed down on his waist—the sachet was gone, and so was Cloud-Washing Ink-Tracer. His hand grasped at empty air.

Someone on the railing glanced back at him. Although they were wary, the insects posed a greater threat to them than strangers, so the natives chose to turn back to guard against the Swarm.

"Thirty paces to the east, that's the weakest point in the natives' defenses," Fu Xuan said to Jingxing after calculating with his fingers.

Unable to use the Jade Abacus, Fu Xuan simply relied on himself and the divine eye on his forehead to perform divination.

"Thirty paces to the edge of the ditch, only two planks remained of the broken plank. They tore at that spot first, then squeezed in, and once they were in, there was no stopping them."

"Then how do we block it?"

"I'll seal the breach. You deal with these insects." She rolled up her sleeves twice. "No need to wipe them all out, just drive them away."

"No problem," Jingxing readily agreed.

"Can you use your abilities normally without a paintbrush?" Fu Xuan asked with some concern. She worried that Jingxing, like herself, wouldn't be able to fully utilize his abilities without a suitable tool.

"Don't worry," Jingxing smiled and shook his head. "I used to think it was cool. I even learned a technique at school where you paint landscapes with your fingers dipped in ink from other teachers."

This is what is known as "Finger Ink Painting".

The ability to Cloud-Washing Ink-Tracer allows Jingxing to mobilize Imaginary Energy more freely, but even without it, it is not difficult for Jingxing to transform Beauty Energy.

Just as the Swarm was about to crash into the position, Jingxing put his index and middle fingers together and then swept them horizontally, and the Path Energy constructed an invisible wall.

The first wave of Swarm crashed straight into them.

Fu Xuan raised his hand and pressed it against the gap in the fence. The Swarm crashed into it, and the carapaces of the first row shattered, splattering green sap everywhere. The insects behind were blocked a foot away, densely packed together, their wings scraping against the fence with a sawing sound.

"I'll finish it right away!" Fu Xuan shouted as he turned around.

Jingxing frowned slightly. It wasn't that these insects were difficult to deal with; he was simply surprised by their frailty. The natives' methods seemed to be effective against them as well.

"Could it be that the strength of the Swarm is related to the planet they are currently on?" Jingxing couldn't help but wonder.

If he can figure this out, he estimates he can get a PhD in history when he returns to his alma mater.

The natives behind the railings also joined in, throwing stones from slings into the Swarm like sand being thrown into water; a few spears were thrust out, and the insects that were swept off fell down, but the rest continued to squeeze towards the gap along the edge of the ditch.

Seeing everyone working hard, Jingxing decided to put in even more effort. A dark, angular shape emerged from his fingertips, then folded downwards, bypassing the ditch and encompassing the insects on the east side of the town.

The insects in the cage stopped moving. They weren't dead, but were held in place by Jingxing's power. Instinct urged them to expand, reproduce, and devour everything they encountered, but these desires were far removed from the requirements of Beauty. So the caged insects could only desperately await their fate here—if they could even understand the emotion of "despair."

Screams erupted throughout the town.

Those people couldn't understand Fu Xuan and Jingxing's actions. They only saw the Swarm they couldn't stop crashing into an invisible wall, falling in swathes and crashing into the ditch like a black rain. A woman holding a child collapsed to the ground, kowtowing repeatedly in the direction of the two men.

After Fu Xuan repaired all the gaps in the fence with his energy, he joined Jingxing in the extermination of the Swarm.

She had no time to look at the people kowtowing; she simply rolled her sleeves back down.

When Fu Xuan turned to look at Jingxing, he saw him standing there, casually waving his fingers, like a conductor leading an orchestra. With each wave, a swarm of Swarm would burst open.

"Looks like you're doing it easily," Fu Xuan said.

"Yes," Jingxing said cheerfully, "I don't feel any pressure at all."