In the end, Su Nu and the Insect King unanimously decided to send the spawned Qi-Eating Insects into the valley to scout the way. There were plenty of them anyway, so there was no need to worry about casualties.
Yet before long, both the woman and the insect were stunned.
For the very second the Qi-Eating Insects flooded into the valley, a wisp of smoke descended upon them. It slipped through mouths and noses, impossible to block, and swept across them—
Nothing happened.
Not only were Su Nu and the Insect King dumbfounded, even the smoke seemed caught off guard. It swept down again, yet the result remained the same.
".Souls."
Outside Gourd Island, Lu Yang had seen through the crux of it. "The offspring of the Qi-Eating Insects have no souls. They possess only instinct; the consciousness of the entire Qi-Eating Insect Swarm is actually concentrated in the Insect King. That smoke being ineffective against the Qi-Eating Insects means it does little to the fleshly body. It mainly affects the soul?"
Just then, a voice suddenly rang out:
"You True Person, you have no shame at all!"
The voice came from the heart of Gourd Island, crisp and pleasant, with a trace of childishness. Though it carried anger, it sounded almost like a spoiled pout.
Then came an explosive boom.
Within Gourd Island's valley, the red light split apart, revealing the valley's true appearance: an altar, upon which rested a broken sword scarlet as blood.
The red glow filling the valley was the reflection of the radiance of sun and moon falling upon the sword. Merely lying across that altar, it exuded boundless killing intent, as though there was nothing beneath heaven it could not cut down. An illustration of hell was engraved upon its blade.
The next instant,