Although Hu Xiaotian did not recognize the beetles, he could guess that they were deadly poisonous insects. He planted the tip of Wind-Slayer against the ground. The blade bent beneath his weight, then snapped straight again thanks to its excellent resilience.
Using the long saber's rebound, Hu Xiaotian launched himself into the air once more and swept over the densely packed Black Beetles. No sooner had his feet touched down than another swarm surged toward him from ahead. The beetles rolled in like a tide, covering the surrounding tunnel walls without leaving a single gap. They closed in from both front and rear, until barely ten feet of space remained unoccupied.
Thinking quickly in the crisis, Hu Xiaotian raised his fist, gathered all his strength, and punched the ground. This was the God-Demon World-Ending Fist his maternal grandfather, Xu Lingkong, had taught him. The technique was immensely powerful; once it struck its target, its force rapidly spread outward. After Hu Xiaotian hit the ground, his internal power expanded along the tunnel walls, shaking beetles loose wherever it reached. This left the ground even more thickly carpeted with insects, but those on the sides and ceiling rained down, unable to withstand the vibrations of his punch. The beetles on the ground continued spreading like a tide. With only two feet of standing room left, Hu Xiaotian sprang into motion, whirling Wind-Slayer to guard his whole body as he charged forward at full speed.
His feet kicked back and forth against patches of wall free of beetles, and at last he flew clear of the densely packed insect formation.
Looking back, he saw the beetles regroup and swarm toward him again. Hu Xiaotian inwardly cursed the trouble. Not daring to pause for an instant, he raced deeper into the earthen tunnel.
Seeing