Chapter 684 - 440: Insect Swarm: Phase Legion

Chapter 684: Chapter 440: Insect Swarm: Phase Legion

「Raine Town」

Chi Cheng, Kumironi, and the others hurried back to Raine Town.

They found the ground littered with the corpses of Demons, but not a single person was injured or dead...

"Did the Magic Array Iz left behind activate?"

Chi Cheng surveyed the surrounding scene.

He was still a Level 3 Gatherer, so he had some ability to identify Demon corpses and was relatively familiar with their anatomy.

These Demons.

It was obvious they weren’t killed by Iz’s Magic.

Another powerful individual had acted, instantly annihilating these Demons in a flash.

’Their strength... It might even be comparable to a Level 7 Reincarnator.’

’Where would a Level 7 Reincarnator even come from in a place like Ruelun?’

Chi Cheng was filled with doubt.

Kumironi’s Perception also swept over the area, checking for any injured people in Raine Town.

Indeed, there wasn’t a single injured person.

However... Lu Cang was gone.

Chi Cheng looked back.

"Iz, isn’t she out yet?"

"Should we go back and check?"

Iz had said she was just going to scout out the situation and would be back soon...

"Let’s go check," Kumironi said, returning to Chi Cheng’s side after inspecting Raine Town.

"Mm," Chi Cheng agreed.

Then, Chi Cheng glanced at Obades, who nodded with a steady expression.

...

「Insect Nest」

"So that’s how it is..."

SWOOSH—

Iz and Lu Cang raced through the Insect Nest.

Violent Magic surged through the sky.

As countless Insect Swarms turned to ash, some trembling Adventurers near the rifts were saved amidst the wild Magic.

"There are quite a few people coming through these rifts..." Lu Cang remarked.

’Calling it hundreds of billions would be an understatement.’

As far as the eye could see, anywhere one’s line of sight wasn’t obstructed, there were rifts.

Within the range of his Perception alone, tens of billions of rifts were open...

And each rift was part of a whole.

These rifts were not Magic. To understand them, Iz needed to know more.

In other words, she had to see their complete structure before she could replicate them with Magic.

Therefore, Iz needed to find the Source of these rifts.

Which were the Phase Spiders that Lu Cang had discovered.

"Mm."

"It’s hard to imagine... just how many places are being invaded by the Nest."

’Every time a rift opened, a village or town was likely falling victim.’

The two of them gradually approached the main body of the Nest in the sky, and the insects became more numerous.

BZZZZZZZZ—

"Who?"

"Invasion?"

"Invader!"

"Invader!"

"There’s an invader!"

...

Suddenly, as they neared a certain boundary, the buzzing of the Insect Swarm filled the sky... A human-like language gradually overwhelmed their hearing.

BZZZZZZ—

Purplish-black, butterfly-shaped Demons began to flutter all around them.

POOF!

POOF POOF POOF POOF POOF POOF—

But Izparut’s Elemental Sea surged like a tidal wave, instantly obliterating the butterflies one after another!

Purple poisonous gas gradually spread, filling the surrounding Space.

It was a potent poison.

Unfortunately, it was useless against Lu Cang’s Poison Calamity, and Iz had plenty of ways to neutralize it as well.

Lu Cang recognized the Seventh Forbidden Magic—Element emanating from Izparut.

The Arcane Symbols Iz had left for Lu Cang even included two of the Original Forbidden Magic.

’It’s just like... a save file package.’

’With one click, it skips the process of understanding and comprehension, letting you load directly into your strongest state.’

"I feel like these Demons’ desire to attack isn’t actually that strong," Iz commented.

"Mm, I’ve noticed that too," Lu Cang agreed.

"And... there are always a few that slip through the cracks."

Within Iz’s Magic, which should have destroyed everything, some Demons always managed to survive the onslaught.

Lu Cang paused to think for a moment, then let out a soft, cold snort. "How interesting..."

"They must be using us to evolve."

"I see it too. So that’s what’s happening," Iz said.

More and more insects were becoming immune to Fire Element, Thunder Element, and Ice Element.

Some insects even began to use Izparut’s Magic to temper themselves... Instead of harming them, the Elemental Magic was continuously making them stronger.

Before, there weren’t this many of these insects.

The Insect Nest didn’t see Iz as a real threat at all.

Instead, it was using the invaders to cull its weaker insects and leveraging Iz’s Magic to breed new, stronger ones.

’The Insect Nest was treating them as nutrients.’

’Fine by me...’

’Go ahead and try to farm us.’

’This plays right into my hands—’

BZZT!

Just then, his Final Sense blared with a sudden warning.

Using his Heaven-Ascending Realm of Perfection, Lu Cang instantly stopped Time and saw a dark shadow that had already appeared beside him. It was a black, mantis-shaped Demon, only the size of a thumb...

’A Tier Eight Demon!’

’It’s here!’

’And this Demon is actually wearing Armor!’

As a Blacksmith, Lu Cang could sense that this Armor was no ordinary item—it was Tier Eight equipment!

’I’ve never heard of a Demon wearing equipment.’

’Demons rely on their innate physical strength to fight. I’ve never heard of anyone forging equipment for a Demon, and even if they did, no Demon would obediently wear it...’

But the creature before him completely upended Lu Cang’s understanding of the world.

Lu Cang even discovered that this mantis possessed Spirituality!

MOVE—

Within the frozen Time, Lu Cang moved.

Azure Sky Stream—Ninth Form: Trace

In an instant, the mantis’s body was covered in countless fine lines, and every single line was filled with a potent toxin!

Divine Level Poison Calamity

’Because of the time reset, I can’t bring anything back with me.’

’No matter how many Potions I refine, I can’t bring them back to a past timeline.’

’But thankfully...’

’The Divine Level Poison Calamity Talent allows my body to retain all its toxicity. Even if I can’t bring the Potions back, as long as I myself return, the Effect is the same.’

Phase Mantis

Second Insect Legion: Phase Legion

Demon Tier: Tier Eight

Creator: Phase Grandmother

In that same instant, Lu Cang’s eyes also saw a silkworm colored like a starry sky, its tail-end endlessly dripping a substance resembling living eggs.

The eggs fell into a multicolored pool below.

Each living egg.

Hatched into a Phase Spider, a Phase Mantis, a Phase Cicada, a Phase-Devouring Ant...

’What... is this?’

’So many Phase Spiders, and each one is the weaver of an entire Insect Nest rift.’

The moment he touched the mantis, Lu Cang suddenly realized something.

’This place... it might not be the complete Insect Nest at all.’

’It might be just one part of the legendary Insect Nest...’

’And there might be many, many more Insect Nests like this one in the world.’