Chapter 028

Chapter 28: Longevity Beyond the Southern Mountain

Under the watchful eyes of countless people at the Upper Capital City base, the insect tide suddenly shifted direction. Insect Ruo Ruo leaped angrily on the back of a centipede, cursing loudly. The sky darkened, filled with a dense swarm flying toward the front.

Wang Jie turned back, his expression serious. The mosquitoes were enormous, each the size of a palm, with their mouths resembling deadly weapons, especially in such vast numbers.

“Attack! Eliminate these mosquitoes first!” Wen Zhao barked, turning around to strike. Her sword flashed, and the blade sliced through the air, its edge growing ever wider, forcing the mosquitoes back.

Zuo Tian raised both palms, his hands swiping through the air, pushing against the front with powerful, sweeping motions. Each palm blast obliterated a swath of mosquitoes.

Wen Zhao’s eyes widened in surprise. “Empty grasping hands?”

Wang Jie’s palm pressed downward, fingers curling. The ground around him stirred as dust flew up, gathering around him. He thrust his palm forward, and an endless torrent of dust swirled behind them, scattering the mosquitoes with such force that it was even more efficient than Wen Zhao and Zuo Tian’s attacks.

This was a combat technique he had learned from Sky Projection.

He could see countless battle techniques, densely packed, unlike others who could only see one or two. Most people couldn’t even see the Sky Projection at all.

The yellow dust shrouded the sky.

Taking advantage of this, Wang Jie and the others quickly fled.

He and Zuo Tian were wary of one another, always on guard, prepared for any attack.

Normally, they would have temporarily joined forces to deal with the insect tide before confronting each other, but neither was the type to do so. They preferred to settle things with each other first.

Beneath the ground, gray-brown insects swarmed up, harmless but marking their positions.

A rainbow arched across the sky, rapidly drawing closer. But it wasn’t a rainbow—it was a swarm of mutated butterflies, linked together in a seven-colored arc, resembling arrows in the sky.

All around—on the ground, in the sky, and stretching far away—there were markings everywhere.

At the Upper Capital City base, Bai Yuan and his group looked grim. The insect tide was far more massive than they had seen. Beneath the ground, in the sky, and in the distance, there were countless more insects. Strictly speaking, insects were everywhere on Blue Star. Insect Ruo Ruo was truly invincible.

Zuo Tian’s palms clapped together with a sharp snap, then pulled apart. A transparent illusion spread out, forming a ripple that swept across the area.

Wang Jie pointed at the mutated butterflies, a swirl of qi-force emanating from his finger, distorting the air and cutting through the rainbow bridge. But it quickly reformed.

From another direction, a massive swarm of jumping insects surged forward.

Spiders.

Countless spiders.

Above them, more ladybugs flew in, and from the ground, ants swarmed out.

They were surrounded.

Although Insect Ruo Ruo had not caught up yet, she could still control the insects over a vast area.

“How far can she control?” Zuo Tian asked.

“At least a hundred miles in every direction,” Wen Zhao answered.

“That wide?” Zuo Tian was surprised.

Wen Zhao stayed calm. “In cosmic warfare, the range is often measured by star systems. A hundred miles is nothing.”

Wang Jie’s gaze grew sharper. “Look for a lake.”

Zuo Tian glanced to the right. “There’s one that way.”

“Let’s go.”

Behind them, Insect Ruo Ruo screamed, furiously commanding the insects, “Little Zhao, you can’t escape. Die!”

No matter how fast the three of them moved, they were always surrounded by insects.

They couldn’t break through the hundred-mile radius in an instant. Once Insect Ruo Ruo saw them, it was inevitable they would be caught in a life-or-death struggle.

A catastrophe had arrived, and everyone was locked in a struggle between life and death, Wang Jie included.

But all this seemed far easier compared to the time when he almost burned to death from the fire.

Back then, hundreds of orphans had been thrown into the basement to be burned alive. He would never forget that scene, nor the image of Zuo Tian casually sipping a drink outside the basement while the cries of death rang in his ears.

Now, in front of him, a huge mutated hornet was cleaved in half.

Wang Jie’s eyes scanned the battlefield, and Zuo Tian looked at him at the same time, both wary of each other.

The endless battle raged on, with the insects blocking both the sky and the ground, making it nearly impossible to see the path ahead.

They didn’t know how long had passed, but they had grown numb to the killing. The ground was thick with the bodies of insects.

Wen Zhao panted, her sword trembling in her hand, exhausted from the fight. Yet, the insects kept coming, relentless.

“Leave me behind. You two can survive,” she said.

Wang Jie grabbed her and threw her over his back. Wen Zhao struggled to get down. “I’m not saying that. I still have strength left.”

“Save it for later.”

Zuo Tian’s gaze shifted to Wang Jie’s wrist. Wang Jie had been fighting with his own strength, not using seal power. Did this person really have that much strength?

“Hang on a bit longer, we’ll reach the lake soon.”

Crackling sounds echoed as insects swarmed out of the ground.

Above them, moths fluttered in, along with strange mutated flying insects, blocking out the sun.

Soon, they arrived at the lake’s edge.

The water couldn’t stop the insects, but it allowed them to track their movements. At least the insects had to cross the lake to reach them.

Wang Jie leaped onto a small island in the middle of the lake, where an abandoned pavilion stood, long deserted.

Zuo Tian’s voice was serious. “This lake is filled with mutated fish, which can help us hold off the insects for a while. We can rest here for now and only need to be wary of the flying insects.”

Wang Jie gently lowered Wen Zhao onto the ground.

She looked up at the sky, where the insect tide descended like a black-red canopy, further away, a rainbow bridge formed an arrow pointing at them.

“White Fang Strike!” She raised her sword, a beam of light slashed through the sky, cutting the canopy.

It also made their location visible to the Upper Capital City base.

Though the distance was not great, the dense insect tide was like an impenetrable chasm.

Wang Jie and Zuo Tian stood on either side of the lake. As the insects flooded toward the lake’s surface, mutated fish rose from the depths and began devouring the insects. An epic battle between mutated creatures unfolded before their eyes.

The insects and fish fought furiously.

In an instant, the lake surface was stained black and red, emitting a foul stench.

Amid the chaos, there were several cataclysm materials, though they were ordinary.

Wang Jie and the others seized this opportunity to absorb the seal power from the materials, recovering their strength. Wen Zhao also absorbed the power.

“You said we cultivate lock force, but do you cultivate too?” Wang Jie asked, curious.

Wen Zhao replied, “After we return to the sect, we can use the sect’s power to dispel the lock force, but you can’t because you’ve been cultivating it since the beginning.”

Zuo Tian glanced at Wen Zhao. “Talk to that woman, buy some time.”

Wen Zhao looked to the lake shore and faintly saw a giant centipede approaching, with Insect Ruo Ruo on its back.

After a moment’s hesitation, she raised her voice. “Little insect, are you scared?”

On the centipede’s back, Insect Ruo Ruo heard Wen Zhao’s words and flew into another rage. “Dead woman, you dare call me little insect? I won’t let this go!”

“You’re scared, aren’t you?” Wen Zhao shouted again.

Insect Ruo Ruo’s teeth ground together in fury. “What am I scared of? It’s you who should be scared. If you beg for mercy, saying ‘Brother Xiao will always belong to Insect Ruo Ruo,’ I’ll let you go.”

“Brother Xiao will always belong to Insect Ruo Ruo,” Wen Zhao shouted.

The scene fell silent.

Wang Jie and Zuo Tian stared at Wen Zhao, surprised. They had thought this was some rivalry, a catfight, but what was this? She just gave in?

Insect Ruo Ruo was stunned. “Say that again?”

Wen Zhao repeated, “Brother Xiao will always belong to Insect Ruo Ruo.”

The insect tide halted.

Only the mutated fish at the bottom of the lake continued to leap up and consume the insects.

“You admit defeat?” Insect Ruo Ruo asked loudly.

Wen Zhao nodded. “Yes, I admit defeat. I promise, from now on, I won’t talk to your Brother Xiao if I see him. No, I won’t even see him.”

She was very sincere.

Wang Jie could tell.

Insect Ruo Ruo didn’t know what to do. She had put on such a big show, but the other person simply admitted defeat. There was no satisfaction in victory. Could Brother Xiao see this? Could he hear it?

“You’re just giving up like that?” Wang Jie asked, thinking about his own proposal.

Wen Zhao’s expression was solemn. “I have no interest in the Brother Xiao she speaks of. She’s the one who’s delusional, thinking I have something with him. She sees everyone as her rival. What can I do?”

Zuo Tian chuckled and shook his head. “Turns out it was all just a misunderstanding.”

Insect Ruo Ruo still felt uncomfortable, her victory unsatisfying. “Little Zhao, you’re not stalling for time, are you?”

“The trial scene, the sect can see it. Brother Xiao can hear what I say,” Wen Zhao replied.

Insect Ruo Ruo was conflicted. That was true, but she still felt dissatisfied. “But you called me flat-chested.”

“I’m not big either.”

“You called me little insect.”

“You’ve been calling me Little Zhao all along, haven’t you?”

Insect Ruo Ruo opened her mouth, unsure how to respond.

Wang Jie sensed the atmosphere was getting strange. The killing intent had disappeared.

After a long pause, Insect Ruo Ruo seemed to think of something, her lips curving into a smug smile. “Little Zhao, it’s simple if you want me to let you go. Just kiss the guy on your back, and I’ll let you go.”

Wen Zhao froze and instinctively looked at Wang Jie.

Wang Jie was also stunned. This was something else. But he didn’t mind.

“Insect Ruo Ruo, don’t go too far.”

“You stole my Brother Xiao first.”

“I have nothing to do with him. I already admitted defeat.”

“Then kiss the guy, and I’ll believe you.”

Wen Zhao was troubled. If she kissed him, what would she tell the sect when they got back? The seniors would be furious. This Wang Jie would certainly die, and the Wen family wouldn’t let a battle slave live to embarrass them.

“Insect Ruo Ruo, you’ll get him killed,” Wen Zhao warned.

Insect Ruo Ruo snorted twice. “I don’t care. Kiss him, or he kisses you, and this will end. Otherwise…” As she spoke, the giant centipede raised its upper body and brandished its claws menacingly.

Wang Jie exhaled. “Enough. Stop wasting time with this woman. We’ve rested enough. Let’s move on.” He turned and looked into the distance. “Insect Ruo Ruo, was it?”

Insect Ruo Ruo raised her head smugly.

“You’ve got a small chest, a small backside, and pockmarks on your face. I wish you a long life, like the Southern Mountain, reaching eighty years old,” Wang Jie said, then grabbed Wen Zhao and ran.

Zuo Tian froze for a moment, then quickly followed.

Insect Ruo Ruo stared at the lake, her face a mix of blue and white, then screamed in fury, “Native, you dare insult me? I’m going to kill you!” The insect tide went wild, chasing after them.

Wen Zhao, being dragged along by Wang Jie, finally snapped back to reality. “You’re asking for trouble insulting her like that. She won’t kill me, but she can kill you.”

Wang Jie glanced at Zuo Tian following behind. “I’m not that easy to kill. When someone’s chasing me, I have to get a good vent in. It’s a shame she’s too far away. That centipede is powerful, or I’d kill her with a single finger.”

Wen Zhao shook her head. “You can’t kill her. The heavenly insect people hold grudges. They have a thousand ways to make you wish you were dead.”

Wang Jie’s gaze turned heavy, but he didn’t respond.