Chapter 23: Heavenly Insect People

Northeastern Hua Xia, where mountains stretched endlessly beneath a sky laden with ominous clouds. The land trembled as enormous mutated beasts roamed, their silhouettes flickering through the darkness. Beneath the surface, endless vines slithered, and towering trees dashed through the terrain like phantoms. It was an eerie, sinister realm.

This was a land far removed from the Five Great Bases, an absolute danger zone.

A streak of light descended from the heavens, crashing down with a deafening roar, sending plumes of dust and debris skyward. The impact drew the attention of countless mutated creatures.

“Cough, cough… Cough, cough, cough…!”

From within the dispersing dust, a young girl emerged, coughing as she waved away the lingering haze. Once the air cleared, she breathed easier, taking in her surroundings with a sharp gaze.

Her slightly rounded yet charming face bore an expression of calculation. Her left eye, equipped with a battle power detector, flickered with fluctuating numbers. Her expression darkened. “Such rotten luck! How many powerful creatures are around me? Seven-Seal, Eight-Seal… huh? There’s even a Nine-Seal?!”

She scoffed, a hint of smugness playing on her lips. “Good thing it’s me who landed here. Anyone else wouldn’t even make it out of these mountains alive.”

Letting out a satisfied hum, she observed the mutated creatures slowly closing in on her. Without hesitation, she retrieved a dagger and slashed her fingertip. Droplets of fresh blood fell to the ground, diffusing into a hazy crimson mist that spread outward.

The earth rumbled in response. The deeper the blood seeped, the greater the disturbance beneath the surface.

Suddenly, the ground ruptured, and an enormous, grotesque centipede burst forth, its sinuous form coiling protectively around the girl.

The centipede stretched over dozens of meters, its armored body radiating an imposing Seal Power. As it emerged, countless insects gathered, while the mutated creatures that had been advancing instinctively retreated.

Above, the sky darkened further as a massive swarm of hand-sized mosquitoes closed in, their needle-like proboscises glinting with a deadly sheen.

The girl smirked, leaping onto the centipede’s back. “Let’s go. We’re finding Little Zhao’er! Let’s see if she still dares to fight me over Brother Xiao. This time, I’ll beat her to a pulp!”

With her command, the centipede surged forward, tearing through the earth as an army of insects followed in an overwhelming tide, sweeping through the mountains like an unstoppable force.

Over the past ten days, Wang Jie and his team had been relentlessly hunting in the danger zone. As predicted, the arrival of the second batch of trial takers triggered a third wave of mutated creature evolution. Seven-Seal creatures became increasingly common, and even Eight-Seal creatures were no longer a rare sight.

Yet all had fallen under Wang Jie’s mighty Heaven and Earth Luo Xuan Finger.

The most perilous moment came when they encountered a pack of mutated crocodiles, three of which had reached Eight-Seal strength. The battle had nearly cost Qing Zheng dearly, but in the end, the mutated crocodiles provided an ample supply of cataclysm materials.

“If it’s too heavy, you can give it to me,” Wen Zhao suggested.

Old Nine tightened his grip on his backpack. “I can carry it.”

Wen Zhao chuckled. He had heard that phrase more times than he could count. It seemed none of them trusted him with their loot. But watching them take turns hauling the packs was rather amusing.

Meanwhile, Wang Jie moved with precision, executing Armor Eight Steps as he traversed the trees with ghostly agility. In mere moments, he seized a large bird from the sky, slamming it to the ground.

Five steps.

Previously, Wang Jie had only been able to execute three steps. Now, he had pushed it to five, catching up to Wen Zhao himself.

Her eyes gleamed with admiration. Wang Jie’s comprehension ability was truly astonishing.

“That should be enough. Time to head back,” Wen Zhao announced, disappointed that the bird hadn’t yielded any cataclysm materials.

Their aircraft ascended, setting course for the base.

“How far are you from reaching Nine-Seal?” Wang Jie suddenly asked.

Wen Zhao narrowed her eyes. “It’s impolite to ask about someone else’s progress.”

“So, it’s close.”

She smirked. “You could reach it even faster than I will. Not like you have to worry about your future cultivation.”

Wang Jie stared at her. “Is Lock Force really that much of a dead end?”

Wen Zhao chuckled. “As a war slave cultivation method, its main advantage is rapid growth. War slaves are nothing more than cannon fodder, meant to be thrown onto the battlefield in waves. None of them surpass Ten-Seal. You tell me—does that sound promising?”

Silence fell between them.

Qing Zheng hesitated before asking, “Then… can we learn your techniques?”

Wen Zhao cast him a sideways glance. “It’s extremely difficult. Those who cultivate Lock Force almost never transition to Star Force. Besides, revealing sect-exclusive techniques without permission? That’s punishable by death.”

Qing Zheng swallowed nervously.

Something else lingered in Wang Jie’s mind. “You mentioned there’s a strong enemy among the second batch of trial takers?”

At the mention, Wen Zhao’s expression darkened. “Heavenly Insect People. A rather peculiar human subspecies. Their blood grants them dominion over insects.”

“That’s a thing?!” Old Five gawked in disbelief.

Wen Zhao nodded. “The universe is vast, filled with countless civilizations and species. Even among humans, there are numerous branches with unique abilities. Non-human civilizations are even more unimaginable.”

She scoffed. “Who do you think we fight on the Interstellar Battlefield?”

“To put it in perspective, over a hundred distinct human branches have appeared on the battlefield. The Heavenly Insect People rank rather low among them. Those at the top? You wouldn’t even dare to imagine.”

Old Nine murmured, “Like those who are born stronger than a Ten-Seal warrior?”

Wen Zhao fell silent.

Upon returning to the base, they filed their reports and registered their cataclysm materials.

When the short-haired woman saw the sheer volume of materials they turned in—many from Seven-Seal and even Eight-Seal creatures—she was utterly stunned.

768 points.

That was the Blue Star Hunting Team’s current tally.

They had climbed just shy of the top ten, trailing behind the Remnant Hunting Squad.

Unfortunately, their score was rising just as other hunting teams were increasing theirs as well.

With their return, new developments quickly surfaced.

First, the Upper Capital City meeting resumed, though this time, representatives weren’t from the first batch of trial takers but from the second batch.

Second, Hong Sword had broken through to Eight-Seal.

And finally, Zuo Tian, Bai Yuan, and others had also reached new heights.

The great strongholds had all faced assaults from the second wave of Trial Takers, yet each had managed to barely hold its ground.

Bai Xiao’s birthday celebration was canceled—an unmistakable signal of the current tense situation.

The Trial Takers attending the upcoming gathering would soon arrive.

Upper Capital City was on full alert, awaiting the fateful day.

As for the registered Cataclysm Materials, they had been entrusted to Old Five and his group, with orders to ensure every one of them reached the Eight Seal level before anything else was discussed.

In the northeast region of Hua Xia, the East Mountain Base stood—a mere small stronghold. Many such bases dotted the land, as most survivors lacked the means to traverse the vast distances to the five great strongholds, leaving them no choice but to seek shelter wherever they could.

At this moment, every soul within East Mountain Base was drowning in despair.

From the horizon, a dense black tide approached—above, below, even underground. An endless swarm of insects, stretching as far as the eye could see.

They had faced Beast Tides before, but this? This was an Insect Tide—far more terrifying. And at its center loomed an enormous centipede, its presence alone enough to make one’s scalp crawl.

Yet, unexpectedly, the Insect Tide bypassed East Mountain Base entirely, surging westward without pause, as though unwilling to waste even a second.

The survivors of the base stood frozen, watching the wave of creatures recede. What just happened?

“Charge! Charge! Xiao Zhao, wait for me! I’m coming!”

Atop the gargantuan centipede, a young girl’s face flushed with excitement, her eyes alight as though she could already see her nemesis crushed beneath her feet. She had joined the Trial for this very moment; otherwise, as one of the Heavenly Insect People, she had no need to partake—she could have entered the sect directly.

Then, something caught the corner of her eye.

Atop a broken gorge, someone was sitting.

She hesitated, then turned her gaze upward. There really was someone there?

It was a young man. Whether he was plain or handsome was difficult to say, for the moment one laid eyes on him, they were inevitably drawn to his gaze.

Mockery veiled in indifference, amusement laced with scorn—it was all too obvious.

The Insect Tide came to a sudden halt.

The girl narrowed her eyes at the man. A Trial Taker, certainly. But one she did not recognize.

“Hey! Need a lift?”

The young man swept his gaze over the Insect Tide, the corner of his lips curving up. “Little bug, go play by yourself.”

The girl flared with anger. Little bug?

The Heavenly Insect People despised that name above all else.

With a sharp slap to the centipede’s back, she commanded, “Attack!”

The massive centipede reared up, towering dozens of meters high, as though it would pierce the heavens themselves.

But then—

A chilling gaze descended.

The very air froze, as if the world had plunged into an eternal winter.

A suffocating darkness devoured all color, all vitality. Within that gray void, the girl could see only one thing—

Him.

And his eyes.

An unimaginable terror seized her heart, as if she, along with the entire Insect Tide, was clenched within an unseen hand.

Sweat dripped from her brow.

At some point, the massive centipede had slumped to the ground, trembling, not daring to move a muscle.

Swallowing hard, the girl’s pale fingers struck the centipede once more. This time, it turned and fled at full speed.

The Insect Tide scattered as well, vanishing into the distance with haste.

The young man withdrew his gaze, letting one leg dangle over the precipice as he idly swayed it, humming an unfamiliar tune.

On the centipede’s back, the girl gasped for breath. Her hands trembled as she looked down at her arm—her very skin quivering.

Who was that?!

No Trial Taker should possess such an overwhelming presence. They were all supposed to be below the Ten Seal level. At most, this person should be Eight Seal—there was no way Armor One Sect could have made a mistake.

But why was he so terrifying?

She was supposed to be invincible.

No one should be able to withstand the Insect Tide.

What was he?

Several days later, Upper Capital City Base welcomed waves of Trial Takers.

With the arrival of both the first and second waves, over a hundred had already made their way here. Nine were now present. Even without counting Wen Zhao and Qi Five, that still left seven.

From the Southern Nation Base, one of the Five Extremes, Lian Qin, personally escorted a Trial Taker to the gathering.

Meanwhile, Wang Jie found himself in distress, struggling to explain to his companions that he was not some kind of deviant.

Just the day before, he had stumbled upon a simple solution to acquiring a Proposal Letter—

Money.

That’s right. The most straightforward, direct, and effective approach.

Writing an insincere Proposal Letter was pointless. It had to be heartfelt. So, he conducted an experiment—offering a hefty sum for a Proposal Letter from a woman.

The payment was substantial, moving the woman to tears. She poured her sincerity into the letter—whether for Qing Zheng or the money itself, it didn’t matter.

It worked.

So, he told Qing Zheng to keep going.

The only reason he hadn’t thought of this before was because he hadn’t been rich enough.

Within no time, he had collected ten Proposal Letters. With the addition of Snow-White Fangs and Sweet Tears, he had now secured three of the required materials—only Will of the Loser and Evil Person’s Severed Palm remained.

Of course, his current predicament was far from pleasant.

The way people were looking at him… strange. Very strange.

Wang Jie had no idea how to explain.

So he simply said—

“The pressure is immense.”

That day, Wen Zhao received an invitation—

An exclusive gathering of Trial Takers.

She attended, bringing Wang Jie along.

No one had said she couldn’t bring a guest.

The gathering was held at the same restaurant Qing Zheng had taken them to before.

A small affair, not many attendees.

But still, more than a dozen people had gathered.

Most were Trial Takers, deep in conversation. Aside from Wang Jie, a few others had also been brought along—among them, Lian Qin and her daughter, Lian Fei.

At that moment, Qi Five was enthusiastically promoting his Battle Power Detector to them.

Lian Qin was clearly interested. Several had already been purchased within Upper Capital City.

Heaven knows how many the pudgy one had brought with him.

Upon seeing Wang Jie, Qi Five’s eyes lit up, and he made a beeline for him.

From the side, Lian Qin and her daughter turned their gazes toward Wang Jie.

“Is it him?” Lian Qin asked.

Lian Fei nodded. “He’s strong. At the very least, Hong Sword is no match for him.”

A glint of interest flashed through Lian Qin’s eyes as she examined Wang Jie.

This novel is translated and hosted on Bcatranslation

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