Perfect coordination

The vast square felt rather empty. Apart from the White Jade Sword Butterfly statue, there was nothing else at all, which was rather strange.

Moreover, having sensed that terrifying sword aura, Heavenly Insect and Demon Butterfly did not dare approach for the moment and could only remain where they were.

Just as the two were racking their brains for a way to pass this trial, a clamor of footsteps emerged from the darkness at the edge of the square...

A few breaths later, the previously empty square suddenly became somewhat crowded.

"Flying Scorpion Inkstone, Qingyan..."

Heavenly Insect and Demon Butterfly were both startled. When they saw Flying Scorpion Inkstone and the three commanders of the Flying Spirit Army among the arrivals, their expressions darkened slightly.

"Oh, Brother Heavenly Insect, I never expected you to get here ahead of us!" Flying Scorpion Inkstone paused briefly upon seeing Heavenly Insect and Demon Butterfly together, but he quickly put on a smile and walked over.

Beside him was Gongyang Huo, one of the original eight members of their alliance...

Heavenly Insect's expression remained unchanged, but his mind raced.

If he had not been mistaken earlier, Gongyang Huo had chosen a direction completely opposite to Flying Scorpion Inkstone's. Their chances of meeting should have been the lowest.

Yet old Gongyang Huo always acted and spoke so timidly, without the slightest imposing air of a Heaven Fusion Realm expert, that everyone tended to overlook him, whether intentionally or otherwise.

Who would have thought that such a man could successfully reach this place, and even be traveling with Flying Scorpion Inkstone? That certainly gave one food for thought.

Exchanging a quick glance with Demon Butterfly, Heavenly Insect soon walked toward Flying Scorpion Inkstone with a smile as well. "Brother Flying Scorpion, you're finally here! We're at our wits' end. We have no idea what to do next..."

"Besides, brother, Qingyan and those other two actually made it here too. I'm afraid we're going to be in trouble."

At those last words, Flying Scorpion Inkstone's smile stiffened slightly. He nodded at Heavenly Insect. "Indeed. Those three are powerful, and Mantis Peach and the others on our side are nowhere to be found. If a clash breaks out, we'll be at an overwhelming disadvantage. From here on, the four of us must work together!"

Heavenly Insect nodded repeatedly, looking thoroughly convinced by Flying Scorpion Inkstone's words.

Beside him, Demon Butterfly smiled alluringly and voiced her agreement. As for Gongyang Huo, who always wore a fawning expression, his agreement went without saying.

Across from them, Qingyan and the other two merely sneered at the four conspirators.

They had not feared Flying Scorpion Inkstone's alliance even when it numbered eight, much less now that there were only four...

"Big brother, is this the Ancient Sword Butterfly that belonged to the Spirit Butterfly Fairy? Why is it a statue?" Black Jade, the third of the three commanders, ignored the four opposite them and focused directly on the solitary statue at the center of the square.

Clearly, the City Lord's Estate knew far more about this Insect Prison Site than outsiders imagined. City Lord Flying Locust's apparent disdain for the place this time had largely been an act for outside eyes.

If people learned that this Insect Prison Site actually contained the ruins of the Spirit Butterfly Fairy, who had dominated the tens of thousands of miles of the Flying Salamander Domain five hundred years ago, the factions appearing here would hardly have been limited to those of Flying Spirit City. Even more distant powers such as Ten Thousand Poisons Valley and the Golden Silkworm Sect would have dispatched experts.

At that point, Flying Spirit City, which ranked near the bottom of the Flying Salamander Domain in strength, would have had no hope of competing. Flying Locust could only have watched others feast on the meat without getting so much as a sip of the broth!

With his three great generals taking action, Flying Locust was not worried that any of Flying Spirit City's factions could snatch food from the tiger's jaws.

This scheme of "secretly crossing into Chencang" had cost Flying Locust a great many brain cells to devise. He was probably still in his City Lord's Estate, congratulating himself on his "quick thinking."

Qingyan glanced at the White Jade Sword Butterfly statue.

He said calmly, "The Spirit Butterfly Fairy was a Ninth Grade Sovereign. How could obtaining her inheritance possibly be easy? What stands before us is merely a trial she left behind. Only by passing it will we qualify to proceed..." At these words, Black Jade and the habitually taciturn Second, Red Bee, both grew solemn. When they looked at the white jade statue again, their gazes were wary.

On the other side, Heavenly Insect and his companions also quickly concluded that this was a trial deliberately left behind by the Spirit Butterfly Fairy. To pass, they would likely need to uncover the statue's true secret.

Both sides remained on guard against each other, though Qingyan's trio was more composed overall. After observing for a while, an impatient Qingyan spoke directly to Red Bee beside him. "We'll attack this jade statue together in a moment. I want to see just what trickery is at work here!"

As his words fell, Qingyan acted first, releasing his Heaven-grade Spirit Insect, the Azurefire Heavenly Scorpion...

Looking at the enormous Azurefire Heavenly Scorpion beside Qingyan, Flying Scorpion Inkstone immediately revealed a covetous expression, while a glimmer of hatred flashed in his eyes.

Damn it, that Azurefire Heavenly Scorpion should have belonged to my Flying Scorpion Family, but that bastard Flying Locust forcibly seized it to buy someone's loyalty...

It was not only Flying Scorpion Inkstone who bore a grudge over this matter; the entire Flying Scorpion Family did. But faced with Flying Locust, their powerful city lord, they did not even dare show their hatred.

It was precisely with this Azurefire Heavenly Scorpion that Flying Locust had thoroughly won Qingyan over, securing his unwavering loyalty for more than a decade.

Yet every time the Flying Scorpion Family saw Qingyan slaughter his way through his enemies with the Azurefire Heavenly Scorpion, their hatred deepened...

Heavenly Insect, meanwhile, was surprised that Qingyan's Heaven-grade Spirit Insect was such a vicious creature as an Azurefire Heavenly Scorpion. Paired with Qingyan, a late-stage Heaven Transformation Realm Spirit Insect Master, their combined fighting strength would certainly be greater than the sum of its parts. They could even contend with a Heaven-reaching Realm expert.

Of course, Heavenly Insect's surprises were not over. After seeing Qingyan act, Second Commander Red Bee and Third Commander Black Jade also released their Spirit Insects.

Red Bee's Heaven-grade Spirit Insect was an Eight-Winged Spirit Bee. Though not particularly large, this Spirit Insect possessed terrifying speed. Its entire body was as tough as metal, and even its seemingly fragile, thin wings were as sharp as a High-grade Spirit Artifact.

Its truly lethal weapon, however, was the jet-black stinger at its tail. Not only was it extremely poisonous, but it was also a natural bane to all manner of defensive spiritual arts, always capable of delivering a fatal blow before an enemy noticed!

As for Black Jade, things were simpler. His Spirit Insect was an ordinary Black Jade Insect, though no one knew what method he had used to strengthen it to Heaven grade...

Reaching Heaven grade had greatly enhanced the Black Jade Insect's already formidable defenses!

After all, black jade was an exceptionally sturdy artifact-refining material in the Great Thousand World, and the Black Jade Insect fed exclusively on it, giving it defenses comparable to a Spirit Artifact.

This was Heavenly Insect's first time seeing a Heaven-grade Black Jade Insect. To be honest, without witnessing its strength firsthand, he could not guess just how powerful it would be.

Close combat, ranged attacks, and defense... These three are practically a perfect combination!

Heavenly Insect muttered inwardly, finally understanding why City Lord Flying Locust had sent these three to explore the Spirit Butterfly Fairy's ruins.

Looking back at his own side, only Flying Scorpion Inkstone measured up enough to contend with any one of them. Against all three working together, however, he would be reduced to a beating.

As for Heavenly Insect and the others, they probably did not even qualify to intervene in such a battle, did they?

Of course, this assessment was based solely on the strength the three had displayed thus far.

"Big brother, let's get started. With my Black Jade Insect blocking the front, that sword aura won't hurt us at all. Once we tear down this damned statue, let's see what other tricks she has!" Third Commander Black Jade declared, supremely confident in his Black Jade Insect's defenses.

The Second Commander, however, spoke in a gloomy voice. "Don't be hasty, third brother. There are still outsiders here. It wouldn't do for us three brothers to exhaust ourselves breaking through this trial, only to let those petty scoundrels reap the benefits..."

As he finished, all three turned their gazes toward Heavenly Insect, Flying Scorpion Inkstone, and their two companions, giving them a fright.

Fuck, are these bastards going to attack us?!

Seeing the situation take a turn for the worse, Heavenly Insect's heart jolted. He quietly shifted his feet and moved behind Flying Scorpion Inkstone.

Without any prior agreement, the other two made the same move.

Flying Scorpion Inkstone: "???"

Heavenly Insect: "..."

Demon Butterfly: "..."

Gongyang Huo: "..."

Drawing a deep breath, Flying Scorpion Inkstone struggled to suppress his anger. Looking at these three shameless fellows, he said coldly, "You three, isn't this... a little inappropriate?"

Damn it, what happened to our alliance? What happened to advancing and retreating together? You're just selling me out without a second thought?

Flying Scorpion Inkstone swept his gaze over their faces and saw three completely different expressions: honest bewilderment, pitiful helplessness, and meek ingratiation.

"Stop fucking pretending! The blade's already at our throats! If you don't want to die, fight with everything you've got!" Flying Scorpion Inkstone finally lost his composure, his restraint cracking.

"Ahem. Yes, Brother Flying Scorpion is right. You two, no more hiding your abilities!" Heavenly Insect coughed lightly and spoke gravely.

Unfortunately, his words earned him nothing but two pairs of rolling eyes.

"Hmph, still fighting among yourselves with death at your door. I really did overestimate you!"

Watching the four continue to pursue their own little schemes even now, Qingyan sneered.

"Azurefire Heavenly Scorpion, trap them!"

"Hiss!!"

With a hiss, the Azurefire Heavenly Scorpion obeyed its master's command and instantly spat out a strand of azure flame. It rapidly spread into an enormous fiery net that descended upon Heavenly Insect and the other three.

"Watch out for that azure fire! If it gets on you, you won't be able to withstand it with your Heaven Fusion Realm strength!" Flying Scorpion Inkstone's expression was exceptionally grave, but he still shouted a warning to his three companions.

It was not that he was truly so loyal. Rather, Flying Scorpion Inkstone knew perfectly well that without those three supporting him, he had no chance of surviving against Qingyan's trio!

"Hehe, Patriarch Flying Scorpion, and you other two, leave this Azurefire Heavenly Scorpion to this old man. You handle the rest..."

Contrary to everyone's expectations, the first of the four to act was Gongyang Huo, who had always seemed timid and afraid of trouble!

"Whoa, old man, don't throw your life away!" At Gongyang Huo's words, Heavenly Insect and the other two could not help turning to look, only to see the old man plunge headfirst into the fiery net.

Heavenly Insect was startled, as were Flying Scorpion Inkstone and Demon Butterfly beside him. Yet instead of the charred corpse they had imagined, they saw Gongyang Huo's transformation...

"Geometer Moth Transformation!"

With an angry shout, Gongyang Huo, already wrapped in scorching azure flames, split open along his back as though breaking out of a cocoon. A completely new body leaped from the shell, shedding the flames that had clung to him just like that...

"Take this old man's fist!"

Having broken through the great fiery net, the renewed Gongyang Huo roared. Spiritual energy surged wildly within him, his entire body swelling larger, before he smashed a fist down at the Azurefire Heavenly Scorpion's forehead.

"Hmph, a Spirit Insect's body-shedding technique? I didn't expect that old fool to have such a trick, but you're not facing merely an Azurefire Heavenly Scorpion!"

Although the Azurefire Heavenly Scorpion was somewhat lacking in close combat, it still possessed Heaven Transformation Realm strength. Even after using his secret technique, Gongyang Huo was only at the late stage of the Heaven Fusion Realm. An insurmountable gulf lay between them.

Besides, Qingyan would never let his Spirit Insect fight alone...

"Hey, you three, stop just standing there watching! I can't hold off Qingyan and the Azurefire Heavenly Scorpion together!" Seeing that he was about to be surrounded, the renewed Gongyang Huo could not help shouting.

"Hmph! Qingyan, your opponent is me!" Knowing this was no time to undermine his ally, Flying Scorpion Inkstone immediately roared and charged toward Qingyan.

His Heaven-Grade Flying Scorpion followed its master, preparing to attack their enemy together.

"Flying Scorpion Inkstone, if you want to reach our big brother, you'll have to get past me first!" Second Commander Red Bee shouted angrily and charged forward with his Eight-Winged Spirit Bee.

In an instant, a chaotic battle erupted!

Demon Butterfly and Heavenly Insect exchanged a tacit glance. Then she rose into the air, a sharp cry escaping her lips. "Spirit Butterfly Dance!"

Multicolored Spirit Butterflies danced swiftly through the air. At their center was Demon Butterfly, who had once again transformed into a seven-colored Spirit Butterfly...

So this move is called Spirit Butterfly Dance...

Heavenly Insect mused inwardly. He had always thought it should be called "Butterfly Demon."

Enhanced by Demon Butterfly's secret art, the Soul-Bewitching Butterfly, which had previously been unable to affect Heaven-grade Spirit Insects, instantly became countless times stronger. Its invisible, intangible hallucinatory aura then enveloped the battlefield.

At that moment, everyone, including Flying Scorpion Inkstone and Gongyang Huo, was affected. Second Commander Red Bee's Eight-Winged Spirit Bee, which Demon Butterfly had singled out as her primary target, suffered the most and nearly lost its senses.

"Hehe, a perfect opening..."

A smile curled at Heavenly Insect's lips. The Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito, which had long been poised to strike, seized the opportunity and plunged its mouthparts straight into the Eight-Winged Spirit Bee's body!