An Unexpected Turn

After racing all the way there, Heavenly Insect and the others finally found the Spirit King deep within the basin.

Its immense body radiated wild spiritual energy, and five-colored spiritual light spread around it, staining half the sky.

"What a terrifying presence. This Spirit King is so powerful, it must be almost on par with a third-grade Sovereign, right?" Tian Yu quietly sidled up beside Heavenly Insect and whispered.

Heavenly Insect was somewhat surprised as well. He had never expected the first Spirit King they encountered to be so powerful. It seemed their luck was poor...

"Something isn't right. Why is there only one Spirit King here?" Heavenly Insect looked around, his brow furrowing.

Tian Que laughed at his words. "You wouldn't know this, Brother Heavenly Insect, but when our four teams charged into the depths earlier, we nearly killed this Spirit King. It only escaped by ordering every Spirit General under its command to trap us at the cost of their lives. So now it's all alone..."

Heavenly Insect nodded lightly at this explanation.

Inwardly, however, he remained on guard against any unforeseen turn beyond their control.

"All right, no more hesitation. We don't have much time now. Bring out everything you have and kill this Spirit King as quickly as possible!"

Tian Que spoke bluntly.

As he said this, however, his gaze lingered mostly on Heavenly Insect.

Tian Que knew very well that although Heavenly Insect had only shown the Six-Eyed Blade Mantis and the Nine Revolutions Black-Whiskered Mosquito thus far, anyone who came to participate in this contest would surely hold something in reserve. Those two spirit insects could not be his final trump cards.

Noticing Tian Que's gaze, Heavenly Insect curled his lips into a faint smile and said calmly, "Brother Tian Que, my trump card has been right here all along..."

The moment he finished speaking, the Six-Eyed Blade Mantis flew into the air and shrieked toward the heavens. A terrifying aura then spread out from its entire body!

"What?!"

"A sovereign spirit insect?"

Feeling the terrifying aura radiating from the Six-Eyed Blade Mantis, everyone except Tian Que turned pale with shock.

"Just as I thought!"

"I knew you were holding something back, Brother Heavenly Insect. I simply never expected your trump card to be this Six-Eyed Blade Mantis... To conceal a sovereign spirit insect so thoroughly right before our eyes, you must have used some special method?"

Heavenly Insect smiled faintly. "Just a little trick. I hope you won't laugh at me, Brother Tian Que."

The little trick Heavenly Insect spoke of was called the Silent Cicada Art, a secret aura-concealing technique recorded in the Golden Cicada Rebirth Art. It had been developed from the Six-Winged Golden Cicada's Silent Cicada divine ability.

According to Golden Cicada, the ancient Six-Winged Golden Cicada in its inherited memories had relied on this divine ability to escape pursuit by Heavenly Sovereign experts many times.

But Heavenly Insect had yet to learn even its rudiments. All he could do was use it to conceal his spirit insects' auras.

Watching the Six-Eyed Blade Mantis unleash its true strength in full, Tian Que laughed heartily. "Excellent, excellent! I knew I hadn't misjudged you. With your help, Brother Heavenly Insect, we'll certainly take down this Spirit King today!"

Tian Que's momentum soared like a rainbow, and he too released a terrifying spirit insect.

"A Soul-Eating Spider King?!"

Both Heavenly Insect and Tian Yu were startled by the enormous spirit insect, which measured dozens of zhang in length.

"A Soul-Eating Spider King... And a Sovereign-level one at that. Tian Que actually has such a vicious creature in his hands. He really is frightening!"

With a frightened expression, Tian Yu leaned close to Heavenly Insect and whispered.

Heavenly Insect nodded slightly. This Soul-Eating Spider King was a genuine sovereign spirit insect with a powerful bloodline. If it evolved into a Soul-Eating Spider Emperor, it would become a formidable existence comparable to the finest divine beasts.

"Tian Que hid something this terrifying. He clearly means us no good. We have to be careful he doesn't go back on his word afterward," Tian Yu continued murmuring in Heavenly Insect's ear.

Heavenly Insect glanced at the girl, somewhat speechless. He very much wanted to ask what right she had to say that about someone else when the two of them had only just met...

The appearance of two sovereign spirit insects immediately caused a tremendous stir. The previously quiet Spirit King was startled awake and instantly discovered Heavenly Insect and the others.

Roar!

Its roar thundered.

Visible sound waves swept outward with an overwhelming storm of spiritual energy, seemingly shaking space itself until it warped.

Tian Que's expression changed at once, and he shouted to the others, "Attack!"

The next instant, after a soundless roar, the immense Soul-Eating Spider King crossed several thousand meters in a single leap and landed beside the Spirit King.

The others had intended to send their spirit insects swarming in as well, but the spiritual energy storm blocked them. Even their numerous powerful heaven-grade spirit insects could not get close.

Of course, being unable to approach did not mean they could not attack. The spirit insects unleashed their ranged attacks one after another, and multicolored spiritual energy pierced the storm to bombard the Spirit King's immense body.

Boom! Boom! Boom!

The spiritual attacks exploded against the Spirit King's body, but everyone was horrified to discover that it had not budged at all. With a flicker of spiritual light around it, it even absorbed every attack.

The sight gave everyone a fright. The fighting strength it was displaying now seemed a little beyond the bounds... It had not been this monstrous when they had beaten it into fleeing earlier!

Boom!

After blocking everyone's attacks, the Spirit King shifted its gaze to the equally enormous Soul-Eating Spider King. It clenched its massive hand and sent a fist like a small mountain crashing down with terrifying power.

They could visibly see the air shattering beneath its punch, while the ground below caved in under that enormous fist.

Unable to dodge in time, the Soul-Eating Spider King took the Spirit King's punch squarely.

The seemingly indestructible shell atop the Soul-Eating Spider King's head burst apart beneath that punch. Green insect fluid sprayed from the wound, and the spider let out a pained shriek.

"Aren't you going to help?!"

Seeing his Soul-Eating Spider King injured the moment it entered the fight, Tian Que felt his heart ache and shouted angrily at Heavenly Insect.

Heavenly Insect had not expected the Spirit King to be this terrifying either. But even as Tian Que spoke, he was already moving...

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

The Six-Eyed Blade Mantis raised its wings and released six illusion-inducing rays.

This move was extremely effective against spirit bodies possessing only a true spirit. Even the powerful Spirit King could not avoid a momentary lapse of awareness.

Seizing the opening, the phantom of an Ancient Sword Butterfly flashed behind Heavenly Insect, and his figure vanished from where he stood.

Tian Que's and Tian Yu's eyes flickered at the sight, and both thought, What incredible speed!

The Flying Insect Art was no closely guarded secret among the Heavenly Meridian's main-surname lineage. Countless people cultivated it, so both immediately recognized the movement spiritual art Heavenly Insect had just used.

Swish!

While the two were still reeling in surprise, Heavenly Insect appeared beside the Spirit King's enormous head as swiftly as lightning. He then struck at its forehead with a sword wreathed in boundless killing intent.

Crack!

The sword struck the Spirit King squarely in the forehead.

The next instant, a violent surge of spiritual energy erupted from the Spirit King's forehead. Heavenly Insect's tiny figure was hurled nearly a thousand zhang away by the impact.

Yet his full-strength sword strike had also left a deep sword scar across the Spirit King's broad forehead.

Only because the Spirit King's body was not flesh and blood was its face not already drenched in blood.

Everything happened in the flash of a spark. The Spirit King, its face marred by Heavenly Insect's sword, snapped out of its daze. Feeling the pain in its forehead, it immediately unleashed a terrifying roar.

"Good!"

Tian Que was overjoyed at the sight.

The terrifying strength the Spirit King had shown had already filled him with fear. Now that Heavenly Insect had succeeded with a single strike, boundless confidence immediately surged within him.

"Everyone, seize this chance and attack the Spirit King with all your strength!"

Countless beams of spiritual energy converged and slammed straight into the Spirit King's massive body.

The Spirit King had been about to pursue Heavenly Insect, but the blow sent its immense body staggering several steps, nearly toppling it. Everyone's morale soared at the sight, and they continued attacking in a frenzy.

At last, under the combined assault of several Spirit Insect Masters, nearly twenty powerful spirit insects, and two sovereign spirit insects, cracks began to appear across the Spirit King's previously indestructible body.

"It's almost finished! Hurry, give it everything you have!" Tian Que roared in wild delight.

He would soon obtain a Spirit King's Spirit Core. He could almost see himself with one foot already planted inside the Insect World.

"Roar!!!"

Suddenly, realizing it could no longer fight, the Spirit King threw its head back and roared toward the sky. Its roar carried a hint of desolation and the twilight of a fading life.

"What's going on? Isn't this thing supposed to have no intelligence?" Heavenly Insect stood with his sword drawn, his brows knitting.

But he soon learned what the Spirit King's roar meant...

A hundred li away stood a small hill of black stone. It was only a few dozen meters high, but its winding contours resembled a black dragon lying upon the ground.

The instant the Spirit King's final roar rang out, the hill began shaking violently. Great quantities of rock slid down from its summit, and eventually the entire hill collapsed.

"Raaah!"

A gigantic centipede emerged from the rocks. Then, amid a burst of spiritual light, the pitch-black centipede transformed into the usual form of a spirit body.

"An Armored Back Dragon Centipede!"

Its name immediately surfaced in Heavenly Insect's mind. Even its appearance when it first emerged was identical to the Armored Back Dragon Centipede he had seen when he first arrived on the Spirit Insect Continent.

"What's going on? Why did it turn into this form immediately after emerging?"

What puzzled Heavenly Insect even more was that only spirit bodies should exist within the Flowing Moon Realm. Why had that dragon centipede still possessed its appearance from life just now...?

Of course, Heavenly Insect no longer had time to investigate these mysteries, because the spirit body formed from the Armored Back Dragon Centipede had already reached the battlefield.

What drove everyone to despair most was that this spirit body was also at the Spirit King level. Even the faint traces of aura leaking from it were no weaker than those of the humanoid Spirit King!

"Damn it! We were so close..."

Tian Que's eyes immediately turned bloodshot at the sight.

A single Spirit King had already forced them to reveal every trump card. Now another equally terrifying one had suddenly appeared. How the hell were they supposed to keep fighting?

Was he really supposed to watch the duck already in his grasp fly away?

Tian Que was deeply unwilling to accept it.

"Brother Heavenly Insect, stop that thing! I'll give you five thousand Spirit Cores afterward!"

Unable to give up in the end, Tian Que immediately promised a lavish reward to the only person present who might help him, hoping to make one final gamble.

Heavenly Insect glanced at him and replied, "Fine. Have your people support me!"

"Done!"

Seeing that Heavenly Insect had actually agreed, Tian Que was instantly overjoyed and accepted without hesitation.

Heavenly Insect watched the few men who charged forward without looking back after hearing Tian Que's orders, but no emotion showed on his face.

Faced with their attacks, the dragon centipede Spirit King paid them no heed. The terrifying defenses of its spirit body rendered most of their attacks useless.

Heavenly Insect once again charged forward with his terrifying speed. Yet he did not attack immediately, instead secretly examining its body.

"Hm? What's that?"

After drawing close, Heavenly Insect discovered a blood-colored stone inside the dragon centipede Spirit King's transparent body...

That was strange.

Without hesitation, Heavenly Insect thrust his sword straight toward the blood-colored stone. He then discovered that his sword pierced the terrifying dragon centipede's body without the slightest resistance.

Suddenly attacked, the dragon centipede Spirit King erupted in a terrifying shriek, directly inflicting grievous injuries on the spirit insects and Spirit Insect Masters.

Even Tian Que was horrified now. He had never imagined that a mere Spirit King could summon another creature, much less a dragon centipede spirit body at the same Spirit King level!

With this, obtaining a Spirit King's Spirit Core had become almost impossible.

"Retreat!"

He was utterly decisive, without the slightest hesitation or delay.

In an instant, Tian Que made the most sensible decision...

With Heavenly Insect holding it off, he could see a sliver of opportunity to escape.

As for a Spirit King's Spirit Core, he would always have another chance to find one.

The moment he moved, Heavenly Insect noticed. His expression darkened, but he was not particularly surprised.

"You're the one throwing away such a fine opportunity. Then I won't stand on ceremony!"

With a point of his sword, terrifying sword energy erupted from Heavenly Insect in full. To be safe, he no longer concealed anything, directly summoning his Ancient Sword Butterfly and then using spirit possession to raise his strength to its absolute peak.

"Slash!"

Sword energy rippled outward like waves of water, making those who had not escaped in time feel as though a sharp sword had been laid across their necks.

Hum!

The instant Heavenly Insect brought his sword down, the ground before him split apart. Sword energy filling the sky surged madly toward his sword, and within a few short breaths, it had all condensed upon the blade.