Li Bufan continued, "Since you came from the Ten Thousand Insects Secret Realm, I'll give you a chance to acknowledge me as your master."
Chijin's compound eyes abruptly contracted. Only now did it realize that the Ten Thousand Insects Secret Realm lay in the Eastern Domain, countless millions of miles from this shore of the Eastern Sea.
Yet this human had revealed its origins at their very first meeting. It stared at Li Bufan for a long time before finally asking, "Human, how do you know about the Ten Thousand Insects Secret Realm? Did you come from the Eastern Domain too?"
Rather than answer directly, Li Bufan shifted slightly aside to clear its view and pointed at Small Cauldron, Unfixed, and the others standing nearby.
"Take a good look. Don't they seem familiar?"
Only upon hearing this did Chijin truly begin to scrutinize those spirit bodies.
After a long while, Chijin's voice trembled with disbelief. "Could it be... all four of them came from... the Ten Thousand Insects Secret Realm?"
Li Bufan nodded. "Of course. And they've all acknowledged me as their master. They're living perfectly well in this world."
"You said earlier that your Gold-Eating Ant clan lives beneath Stilltide City because this place has the ores you need. In that case, I can give you a chance."
"Small Cauldron, take us to the Spirit Gathering Cave. Once you've seen that place, you can decide for yourself whether to live or die."
Small Cauldron acknowledged him and formed hand seals. The scenery in the Blazing Sun Space abruptly changed, the reddish-gold ground beneath them turning into flowing light. The next instant, the two figures and the ant appeared in the Spirit Gathering Cave.
The place already looked vastly different from when Li Bufan had first seen it.
After the