Spirit Butterfly Fairy

The butterfly demon's dance overhead was enchanting beyond compare, yet it did nothing to lift Heavenly Insect's spirits.

There was no helping it. Nobody could be happy after losing six high-level spirit insects in one stroke...

He had thought that once Demon Butterfly intervened, his spirit insects would be safe from the Soul-Bewitching Butterflies' influence. Instead, this butterfly demon's dance amplified the bewildering mist released by the Soul-Bewitching Butterflies without limit, rendering the potions on his spirit insects useless. They began attacking one another, leaving the ground strewn with mangled corpses!

At this point, Heavenly Insect was not merely grieving over his spirit insects. He also had to watch out for any ill intentions the woman who had transformed into a butterfly might harbor toward him...

Buzz!

A buzzing sound rang out, and the newly unsealed Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito appeared directly above Heavenly Insect's head. This terrifying spirit insect, which had been sealed for who knew how many years, revealed its bloodthirsty nature the moment it appeared, constantly conveying its desire to devour the swarm of Soul-Bewitching Butterflies before it.

"Easy, easy. You'll have a chance to replenish yourself properly soon..."

The newly unsealed Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito was still far too weak, its strength at most equivalent to the early Heaven Fusion Realm. Only by consuming vast quantities of blood could it recover more quickly.

This "butterfly demon's dance" lasted nearly two hours. Just as Heavenly Insect was growing impatient, the largest Seven-Colored Flying Butterfly in the swarm transformed back into human form amid a glow of light, then descended gracefully before him.

"My apologies. These Soul-Bewitching Butterflies are rather unusual, so subduing them takes some time. Sorry for the wait..."

Surrounded by fluttering, colorful butterflies, Demon Butterfly looked even more dazzling. She gave Heavenly Insect a radiant smile and apologized.

Heavenly Insect glanced at her impassively and said quietly, "Miss Demon Butterfly, this seems rather different from what you told me earlier. My spirit insects fell under these Soul-Bewitching Butterflies' influence before even ten minutes had passed. That cost me quite a lot..."

Demon Butterfly glanced at the bloody scene in the valley, but she showed no surprise.

"You're mistaken, Young Master Heavenly Insect. Didn't we agree on this beforehand? Although you lost six high-level spirit insects this time, I imagine the natural treasures in this valley will do far more than compensate for your losses, won't they?"

"Of course, I did take advantage of you this time. How about this? I can offer you some information as compensation. Then you won't hold this against me anymore, all right?"

Watching the woman suddenly adopt a pitiful, captivating expression, Heavenly Insect's eyes flashed coldly. He did not lash out, however, and merely said in a chilly voice, "That depends on whether your compensation carries enough weight..."

As his words fell, the Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito above his head darted forward. One became two, two became four... In just a few breaths, its numbers grew exponentially into a dense black swarm.

This was one of the Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito's innate abilities: Division!

Of course, not every mosquito in that dense black swarm was physically real. Otherwise, the Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito would not be a Heaven-grade spirit insect, but a primordial fiendish insect every bit the equal of the Six-Winged Golden Cicada!

Only one of these duplicates was real, but even a Supreme expert could not distinguish the real one from the illusions.

And with the Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito's terrifying abilities, once it closed in and surrounded this woman, it could devour her completely in a single breath!

"A Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito?! You actually possess something so terrifying!" Gazing at the black cloud overhead, Demon Butterfly's exquisite face changed dramatically.

The Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito was renowned. Even Spirit Insect Masters in the Supreme Realm found it immensely enticing!

"Please don't be angry, Young Master Heavenly Insect. My information will definitely satisfy you!"

Seeing signs that Heavenly Insect was about to attack, Demon Butterfly hastily reined herself in and spoke urgently.

She had no choice.

Her Soul-Bewitching Butterflies could do nothing against the Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito and might even become its food. She had only just managed to subdue this swarm. If they ended up as blood food for his Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito, all her effort would be like scooping water with a bamboo basket... At that thought, she had no choice but to back down.

"I'm all ears!" Heavenly Insect said gravely, looking straight into her eyes.

"I know where the most precious treasure in this Insect Prison Site lies. It's an Ancient Sword Butterfly, with strength comparable to a Supreme-level Divine Beast!"

Heavenly Insect's expression sharpened, his gaze locking onto Demon Butterfly's lovely face. "How did you learn this?"

Seeing his reaction, Demon Butterfly inwardly breathed a slight sigh of relief.

It was enough that she had piqued his interest. She had genuinely feared that this fellow would attack her without a second thought. If that happened, she, who was not adept at combat, truly would not be able to handle him.

Most importantly, he had actually managed to raise even a Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito. Who knew what other trump cards he held? This was someone who bore the Main Branch's surname...

By her own principles, she had to do everything possible to avoid such potential dangers.

"There's something you don't know, Young Master Heavenly Insect. For certain special reasons, I know a little about this Insect Prison Site. If my information is correct, these are the ruins left behind by Spirit Butterfly Fairy five hundred years ago..."

"According to the rumors, Spirit Butterfly Fairy was a powerful Spirit Insect Master at the perfected Ninth Grade Sovereign level. She adored all sorts of butterfly spirit insects throughout her life and raised many powerful varieties. The strongest among them was an Ancient Sword Butterfly!"

Heavenly Insect's eyes lit up. He had never imagined that this place, believed to be a Heaven Grade Insect Prison, would actually be a Supreme's ruins!

And a perfected Ninth Grade Sovereign at that-an existence second only to an Earthly Sovereign. Even within the Spirit Insect Tribe, she would have ranked among the foremost experts of a region.

What was more...

An Ancient Sword Butterfly? If I could obtain that spirit insect, even just an egg, it would benefit me enormously!

Heavenly Insect's heart burned with excitement.

Yet when he saw Demon Butterfly's exquisite, alluring face opposite him, he gradually calmed down.

"Miss Demon Butterfly, you've shared such important information with me without holding anything back. Surely this isn't merely about 'compensation'?

"Tell me your real objective. If circumstances permit, I wouldn't mind working with you again..."

Demon Butterfly's eyes lit up at Heavenly Insect's declaration.

"Hehe, thank you for your generosity, Young Master Heavenly Insect!"

"I know plenty of people must have their eyes on that Ancient Sword Butterfly. With the Flying Spirit Army's three commanders and Flying Scorpion Inkstone here, someone with my meager strength has no right to compete with them..."

Making full use of her advantages as a woman, Demon Butterfly first cast herself as the weaker party with a pitiful expression, then continued.

"All I want are the methods Spirit Butterfly Fairy left behind for raising butterfly spirit insects. Of course, I don't intend to keep this inheritance all to myself. If we get the chance to obtain it, I'm willing to share it with you...

"And although I'm not skilled in combat, I do have a few tricks. Now that I have the Soul-Bewitching Butterflies as well, I imagine I could still be of some help to you."

Heavenly Insect raised an eyebrow. Her final words did tempt him somewhat.

After all, if it came down to a head-on clash, he had no confidence in seizing the ultimate treasure from four Heaven Transformation Realm experts. But with Demon Butterfly assisting him and his Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito, the outcome might be another matter...

First, I need to find a way to help my Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito recover...

With that thought, Heavenly Insect looked toward the spirit valley-more precisely, toward the corpses of his six high-level spirit insects within it.

Well, they're dead anyway. They might as well serve one final purpose.

Under Heavenly Insect's control, the black cloud in the sky plunged into the spirit valley and enveloped the mangled remains. In the blink of an eye, nothing remained of the six high-level spirit insects but empty shells. Every last bit of flesh-and-blood essence within their bodies had been devoured by the Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito.

Watching from opposite him, Demon Butterfly's eyes twitched. This was the first time she had witnessed the Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito's terrifying devouring ability.

Previously, she had only read descriptions of it in scrolls. Compared with witnessing it firsthand, those written accounts could not begin to convey the same shock.

After consuming all the flesh-and-blood essence of six high-level spirit insects, much of the Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito's weakened aura had faded, and it felt even more terrifying...

With just a few more high-level spirit insects to provide flesh and blood, this Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito would likely reach the Heaven Transformation Realm in an extremely short time!

This filled Heavenly Insect with excitement as well. If he wanted to obtain that Ancient Sword Butterfly, then naturally, the stronger the power at his disposal, the better!

"Do you know where the Ancient Sword Butterfly is?" After recalling the Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito, Heavenly Insect turned his gaze back to Demon Butterfly and asked.

Having witnessed the Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito's terror, Demon Butterfly gave Heavenly Insect a complicated look. Still, she answered his question readily.

"I have a rough idea. As Spirit Butterfly Fairy's strongest spirit insect, the Ancient Sword Butterfly would surely have been left in the most important place by its master. That place is probably where Spirit Butterfly Fairy's inheritance lies..."

"I should be able to find its approximate location."

Demon Butterfly spoke earnestly. At this point, she no longer intended to play any little games with Heavenly Insect. After all, if she wanted to obtain Spirit Butterfly Fairy's inheritance successfully, she could not do without his help. At a time like this, she would not arouse his suspicions again over trivial matters...

"Then let's go!"

With Demon Butterfly guiding him, Heavenly Insect spent quite some time traveling before the two of them arrived in another valley.

Compared with the spirit valley where Heavenly Insect had obtained the Golden Crystal Jade Lotus, this valley was much larger. Exotic flowers and unusual plants grew all around, filling the air with strange floral fragrances.

"Is this where Spirit Butterfly Fairy's cave dwelling is? There won't be more Soul-Bewitching Butterflies in that sea of flowers, will there?"

Heavenly Insect surveyed the sea of flowers below and could not help asking.

Demon Butterfly smiled softly and carefully examined their surroundings before saying, "This should be where Spirit Butterfly Fairy's cave dwelling is. But there aren't any Soul-Bewitching Butterflies in this sea of flowers. It's a great array!"

Heavenly Insect raised an eyebrow at her words and immediately released his spiritual sense to examine their surroundings closely. When it touched the sea of flowers, he did indeed detect faint, concealed fluctuations of spiritual energy.

Unfortunately, he knew nothing about spirit arrays. He could only tell that this sea of flowers was the outward manifestation of one. As for what lay within, he was completely in the dark.

Heavenly Insect looked at Demon Butterfly again. He was now certain that this woman had some connection to Spirit Butterfly Fairy. Otherwise, she could not possibly know so much about this place.

Of course, that did not matter right now. What mattered was how they could get inside...

"Can you break this great array, Miss Demon Butterfly?"

Demon Butterfly shook her head slightly.

"I can't break this great array myself, but I can try to open a small gap in it so we can slip through..."

"Please wait a moment, Young Master Heavenly Insect!"

With that, she began circling above the sea of flowers. After roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, Demon Butterfly suddenly stopped at one spot. Her hands rapidly formed a succession of seals, and pale yellow petals swirled up from the ground with the changing gestures before drifting on the wind toward a certain point within the sea of flowers...

Pop!

A soft sound suddenly rang through the air. Then Heavenly Insect saw the sea of flowers below begin to ripple, like a still lake into which a stone had been cast, stirring its clear waters...

"Now! Let's get inside!"

The instant ripples spread through the space, Demon Butterfly cried out and rushed into them with Heavenly Insect.

When his vision cleared again, Heavenly Insect found that they had entered a passage.

The passage looked as though it had been excavated by hand, and green fluorescent lamps lined the surrounding walls, providing illumination.

Heavenly Insect stepped closer for a look and discovered that the light inside these lamps did not come from flames. Instead, each contained a plump white spirit insect the size of an egg, its abdomen emitting a green glow like a firefly's.

"They're Green Lantern Insects, a type of spirit insect commonly used for lighting by many major factions. Supposedly, they can absorb the ambient spiritual energy around them to sustain their lives and their glow, shining for ten thousand years without going out!"

Demon Butterfly quietly explained them to Heavenly Insect, then took the lead and continued down the passage.

Heavenly Insect glanced at the Green Lantern Insects. He truly had never seen them before. After all, they were only common within major factions. Independent cultivators would not be willing to spend effort raising such useless creatures...

After following the passage for about a quarter of an hour, the two suddenly emerged before a vast plaza. The first thing they saw upon stepping onto it was an enormous jade sculpture roughly a hundred feet tall.

It was a butterfly statue carved entirely from a single block of white jade. Its wings, however, were highly unusual, resembling two sharp swords thrust toward the heavens...

Even standing where he was, Heavenly Insect could feel sword energy crisscrossing the surroundings, giving him the chilling sense that anyone who dared approach would be sliced straight into pieces.