Chapter 571 - 384: Ten Thousand Realms Projection Descent Technique

Inside the valley, Haina’s scarlet, vertical pupils shot wide open.

The tentacles on his chin danced with excitement, their suckers emitting rapid HISS HISS sounds.

"He’s here... He’s really here!"

The fluctuation from the Otherworld was unmistakable, hovering just ten kilometers outside the valley.

It lacked the coldness of the Insect Race and the greed of a Nest. Instead, it was an unfamiliar aura that carried the essence of an Order Rule.

’A lone powerhouse from another world, at least Level Four!’

Haina’s heart pounded wildly as the halo of Spiritual Energy on his body’s surface fluctuated violently. He immediately adjusted his Spiritual Energy frequency, cranking the intensity of his distress signal to its maximum.

At the same time, he transformed his Spiritual Power into a gentle, guiding thread, extending it slowly toward the fluctuation.

’My posture must be humble, my tone desperate. I have to portray the Essoke People as ’victims’ ravaged by the Insect Race.’

’Once he lets his guard down and enters the valley...’ A cruel glint flashed in the depths of Haina’s scarlet, vertical pupils.

A dozen or so of his tentacles began to secrete a pale purple Spiritual Energy toxin, preparing to seize control of this "prey" who had delivered itself right to him.

’I’ll control him, devour his Soul, replenish my Spiritual Energy, and take his body as a new vessel for my Descent!’

"Come... come and save us poor souls..."

Haina’s thoughts, filled with sorrow and despair, traveled out along the thread of Spiritual Energy. He had already rehearsed the script in his mind.

’First, I’ll fall to my knees and weep, recounting the atrocities of the Insect Race and showing him the miserable state of my people.’

’Then, I’ll guide him to a supposed safe house, set an ambush along the way, and capture him in one fell swoop.’

"Heh heh." Haina’s mouth split wide, revealing several rings of dense, sharp teeth as his tentacles quivered in excitement.

However, after waiting for a long time, the fluctuation outside the valley still hadn’t followed his guidance.

Instead, it had come to a halt right at the valley’s entrance, within the shadows of the ruins ten kilometers away.

Haina’s heart sank. ’I’ve been discovered? Impossible. My disguise can even deceive the World Will...’

He was just about to adjust his strategy and intensify his "plea for help."

The next second, a figure emerged from the shadows. He wore a dark gray Long Robe and had black hair and black eyes. His expression was placid, bordering on cold indifference.

Ian stood atop the ruins, his gaze fixed on Haina inside the wooden hut.

His eyes held no curiosity, no pity—only a cold condescension, as if he were looking at a specimen about to be dissected.

Haina froze. ’Something’s not right,’ he thought. ’This gaze, this aura... it’s just like my own when I’m not disguised.’

’This isn’t some ’rescuer’ who stumbled in by mistake. This is a hunter!’

"I came to this world with good intentions, to offer aid." Ian’s voice was soft, yet it rang directly within Haina’s mind.

"So why... do you harbor such immense malice toward me?"

The moment his voice faded, a Rule Domain unfurled, and the air above the valley instantly solidified.

The air stopped moving, dust motes hung suspended in the void, and even light itself began to bend.

An invisible and immense Power descended like a giant inverted bowl, completely sealing off the entire valley.

Haina shot to his feet, his scarlet pupils flaring with a mixture of shock and rage. He tried to summon his Spiritual Energy to resist, to unleash his Talent and counterattack...

But he couldn’t.

The air around him was as thick as molten iron, and his body felt bound by countless invisible chains. He couldn’t even move a single tentacle.

What horrified him even more was that the flow of Spiritual Energy within his body had been forcibly severed.

’What... What is this Power?!’ A storm raged in Haina’s mind.

He was a Level Four Summoner! His body, composed of Spiritual Energy, was already semi-corporeal. Ordinary restraints were completely useless against him.

In his people’s understanding, any being who could manipulate a Rule also had another title: Master of Worlds.

But the Power this man wielded had forcibly severed the circulation of his Spiritual Energy.

Sealing space, distorting Gravity, and suppressing the flow of Energy—this was far beyond what an ordinary Master of Worlds could accomplish.

Haina stared in horror at Ian, who stood outside the valley without moving, without even blinking an eye.

He simply watched him with a placid expression, as if observing an Insect trapped in a glass jar.

"You... Who in the world are you?!" Haina’s thought burst forth, tinged with undisguised terror.

"Why are you attacking us? We’re just... being persecuted by the Insect Race..."

"Enough. Stop the act."

Ian’s eyes were frigid. He took a single step and instantly appeared before the door of the wooden hut.

"I could smell the viciousness and greed in your distress signal from hundreds of miles away."

Ian raised a hand and tapped lightly. The wooden door silently disintegrated, revealing Haina, who was frozen in place.

"You... You’re an ally of that... that root?!"

Haina finally recognized, in Ian’s aura, the hint of a Rule similar to that of the World Tree.

Ian strode into the wooden hut. His gaze swept over the dried skulls on an altar in the corner, which still carried the residual aura of conscious Souls.

"With an appearance as disgusting as yours, you can’t be anything good."

With a mere thought, the might of his Domain intensified. Haina’s mind went blank, and his eyes glazed over.

A thin golden thread gently bored its way into Haina’s body.

"ARGH!" Haina let out a piercing shriek. His Spiritual Energy was forcibly purified and dissolved, causing the psychic mist veiling his face to dissipate completely, revealing a twisted, horrific visage.

His scarlet, vertical pupils locked onto Ian as his tentacles began to secrete a pale purple venom.

But the moment the venom seeped out, it was suppressed and vaporized by the solidified Rule Force Field, unable to get even within half a meter of Ian.

"We... We were forced!" Haina’s thoughts screamed with indignation and grief.

"The Insect Race invaded, our home was destroyed! We’re just trying to survive!"

"For survival?" Ian suddenly laughed.

He raised his left hand. A ball of golden light materialized in his palm, and within it, countless tiny Soul fragments wailed in agony.