Chapter 88: Chapter 88: Fighting the Mother-Child Spirit-Devouring Insect Again
Qin Muxian formed a hand seal for a Sword Technique, and the Beast Nether Sword on his back immediately shot forward to hover in front of him.
"Foundation Establishment Cultivators possess Divine Sense. A Foundation Establishment Cultivator Early Stage has a Divine Sense range of thirty zhang. As a Middle Stage Cultivator, my Divine Sense can currently probe a range of sixty zhang.
Within the range of their Divine Sense, a Cultivator has total control. The buzz of an insect, the drop of a pin, the scurry of a mouse, the flight of a cicada—all can be perceived. It’s like a Cultivator’s second pair of eyes."
"The Exorcism Spell is just a type of Magic designed to allow Qi Cultivation Cultivators, who lack Divine Sense, to control Magical Artifacts ahead of time. But it has many flaws; it’s just a poor substitute for Divine Sense.
Once you reach the Foundation Establishment Stage, you can discard the Exorcism Spell. Wherever your Divine Sense reaches, your Flying Sword moves as an extension of your own arm. It’s countless times more precise and swift than the Exorcism Spell."
Qin Muxian explained this to Zong Ziqi out of habit.
But then he suddenly remembered that Zong Ziqi was no longer a Magic Cultivator. His next realm wasn’t the Foundation Establishment Realm, but Foundation Establishment, and that path came with no such thing as Divine Sense.
His fists clenched involuntarily once more. Qin Muxian said no more. The Beast Nether Sword before him split, and a sword shadow shot forward!
"Be careful. I think it’s very likely it has already reached Tier Two. I just don’t know what stage of Tier Two it’s in."
...
Jiang Xu was already a great distance from the master and disciple.
His Spiritual Eye Technique wasn’t yet strong enough to see the Cultivation of a Cultivator or Demon Beast from several li away.
Jiang Xu planned to devote his next perfect Skill Level upgrade to the Spiritual Eye Technique.
However, Jiang Xu still needed five more Limit-Breaking Points to continue upgrading it.
’After I upgrade my Spiritual Eye Technique, I’ll probably be able to see the Cultivation of things a few li away.’
’I wonder if those two can handle it.’
Jiang Xu stopped and looked back in their direction.
But the dense surrounding trees blocked his view of everything ahead.
’Even if they can’t handle it, there’s nothing I can do. With my current abilities, I’d have a hard time dealing with even a single Tier Two Sub-Insect... I’ll just have to cheer you on silently in my heart.’
BOOM—!
A dark gleam flashed in the distance, followed an instant later by a massive explosion!
Jiang Xu’s expression changed.
’The fight’s already started? I’ve only run a few li!’
He reapplied the just-faded Light Body Spell to himself, a Tier One Upper Grade Thunder Fire Talisman clutched in his palm, and continued running toward the edge of the Endless Forest.
’No way, in another month or so, I absolutely have to level up the Spiritual Eye Technique. Otherwise, I can’t see anything even slightly far away. How is that any different from being blind!’
...
Zong Ziqi and Qin Muxian hid in the canopy of a tree, staring at a colossal tree ahead that was hundreds of meters tall with a trunk tens of meters thick.
"You said you can sense the Mother Insect in that canopy?"
"That’s right, Master." Zong Ziqi gazed at the giant tree’s canopy. "I sense a terrifyingly large number of auras on that tree. I’m starting to worry... can we really handle this? Should we get a Golden Core Ancestor to come?"
Who would have thought that upon hearing this, Qin Muxian’s expression would turn stern as he rebuked Zong Ziqi:
"A Sword Cultivator must press forward, fearing nothing! While you shouldn’t throw your life away for no reason, retreating before a fight is absolutely forbidden!
When facing a powerful enemy, you can retreat if you cannot win, but you cannot collapse without even fighting!
That Mother Insect isn’t strong enough to strike such terror into the both of us.
I see that after the last life-and-death battle, you’ve developed a Heart Demon regarding that Mother Insect!
Originally, I was reluctant to have you face it directly, but now it seems I have no other choice!"
Zong Ziqi was suddenly startled.
He suddenly realized that besides hatred, he also felt a faint, almost imperceptible trace of fear toward the Mother Insect.
If this knot in his heart was not undone, it would sooner or later evolve into a Heart Demon and would tarnish his Sword Intent.
Qin Muxian controlled the Beast Nether Sword, aiming it at the canopy before them. He formed a hand seal for a Sword Technique and silently recited a Spell.
The phantom of the wicked beast surrounding the Beast Nether Sword seemed to be reinforced, growing more solid as its roars became even more earth-shattering!
VMMMM—
The awesome might of a Foundation Establishment Realm Swordsmanship, and the aura it unintentionally released, instantly alerted the Mother Insect hiding in the canopy!
Instantly, the massive canopy was like a punctured balloon. Tens of thousands of silver-white flying insects, each the size of a baby’s fist, swarmed out. Their numbers were so great they blotted out the sky, as if they had completely devoured the sunlight itself.
These Sub-Insects formed a white curtain in the sky, a massive net they seemed to be weaving together, about to completely envelop and devour Zong Ziqi and his master!
"They’ve gotten so big!"
Zong Ziqi’s eyes widened in disbelief.
Before, when they were Tier One, these Sub-Insects were only slightly larger than a thumbnail.
Not even a year had passed, yet the insects had already grown to such a size.
’If a few more years pass, won’t they swell to the size of a person?’
Seeing the sky-blotting swarm of Sub-Insects rushing toward him, Qin Muxian’s heart tightened, but the movements of his hands remained as steady as ever.
Just as the endless Sub-Insects were about to arrive, the wicked beast phantom around the Beast Nether Sword in front of Qin Muxian solidified to its absolute limit, and in that same instant, it drilled into the sword itself!
ROAR—!
Countless screeches erupted from within the Beast Nether Sword’s blade, spreading forward and causing the thousands upon thousands of Sub-Insects to pause for a fraction of a second.
In that momentary pause, the entire body of the Beast Nether Sword abruptly vanished from its spot!
The next moment!
It appeared above the endless Sub-Insects and slashed down in fury!
Accompanied by the sword’s roar, tens of thousands of sword beams materialized around its blade!
They all slashed down in unison!
In the next instant, the countless Sub-Insects in front of Qin Muxian had all been sliced in half!
"Gods! He’s so strong!"
Zong Ziqi sucked in a sharp breath.
This was the first time he had ever seen Qin Muxian strike with his full power!
With Zong Ziqi’s current strength, he could handle two or three of these Sub-Insects. If he had to face ten or so at once, he would be in grave danger.
But Qin Muxian’s strike had killed far more than just tens of thousands!
How could such immense power not move Zong Ziqi!
Its power undiminished, the Beast Nether Sword continued to cleave toward the canopy of the great ancient tree!
HISS—!
An enraged hiss echoed from the canopy, and a Mother Insect—a meter long, pure silver with its edges dotted with fine gold threads, its body covered in strange, complex patterns—shot out from within.
The moment the Mother Insect appeared, the Beast Nether Sword, as if provoked, abruptly swelled several times in size and chopped straight toward it!
The Mother Insect charged to meet the Beast Nether Sword, the countless patterns on its body continuously crawling out from its form.
With every pattern that emerged, a Sub-Insect appeared in the air.
In a short time, the vast majority of the patterns on the Mother Insect’s body had vanished, replaced by the tens of thousands of Sub-Insects that had reappeared in the air!
These Sub-Insects used their own bodies as shields, blocking the path in front of the Mother Insect!
CLANG—!
The shield formed by the Sub-Insects collided with the Beast Nether Sword, unexpectedly creating a tremendous sound like steel striking steel!
That single blow shook loose countless Sub-Insects!
Yet even more Sub-Insects withstood the Beast Nether Sword’s impact, and the two sides became locked in a stalemate!
