Chapter 183: Chapter 161: Earth Vein Lava, a Terrifying Presence
Listening to the sound of more and more footsteps, Han Ning was deeply confused.
’If there are really this many creatures, why didn’t I run into any on my way here?’
Egg Pancake and Yin Yi only had time to dig the Crystal Stones from the fallen Soul Beast’s body before Han Ning urged them to leave quickly.
Just as he reached the entrance to the tunnel he had come from, he glanced back, using the cave’s flickering, fluorescent light to see.
From the shadows on the other side, a few creepy insects crawled out, their bodies lined with countless pairs of legs.
’So they’re millipedes. No wonder the sound was so creepy, but there are actually only a few of them...’
Realization dawned on Han Ning, but he didn’t slow his pace. Behind the few millipedes, the figures of several new Insect-men had appeared.
Five ugly, many-limbed Insect Servants were followed by dozens of equally enormous millipedes.
He took one quick glance before disappearing into the dim tunnel.
Clearly, the insects raised by that group of Insect-men were all Fire Type. They must have come underground to mine some kind of resource.
’They must be the young masters of a few Insect Master Families. But why weren’t they with their Insect Servants before? Could it be that beyond another entrance, there are other resource sites that require Insect Servants and large swarms of insects to excavate?’
Han Ning sat on Egg Pancake’s back, listening as the sounds behind him grew quieter and quieter, his mind racing with speculation.
’It’s just... the path ahead is blocked by Insect-men. Looks like I can’t keep going. I’ll have to go back the way I came...’
Worried about running into Insect Masters ahead, he certainly wasn’t reckless enough to press deeper. If they caught him, his life would be forfeit.
After running back through the tunnel for about ten minutes, Han Ning came to an abrupt halt.
From the pitch-black end of the tunnel ahead, he heard a similar sound of numerous footsteps.
What’s more, a surge of powerful Spiritual Energy was rapidly approaching.
The Fire Element in the air became extremely volatile, and the concentration of Spiritual Particles was skyrocketing.
’This oppressive aura...’
Han Ning took a deep breath. He had only ever sensed such power from the Taman Insect Master’s Insect Dragon.
However, the Insect Dragon’s control over its Spiritual Energy had been far more masterful. Whoever was approaching was, by comparison, much cruder.
’The Soul Beast ahead is at least at the War General Level!’
He slapped Egg Pancake’s back and had it turn around in an instant.
In that split second.
The Spiritual Power in Han Ning’s mind surged, and his body began to shimmer with a faint cyan glow.
He began to exert his Spiritual Power to its absolute limit.
A glimmer appeared in his eyes.
At the same time, an earthy-yellow and crimson light erupted from Egg Pancake’s body.
It pushed its Mimicry to the absolute limit.
WHOOSH!
With a single leap.
Its speed reached the very peak of its physical limits!
’Go, go, go!’
The light in Han Ning’s eyes swirled.
One second. Two seconds. Three seconds!
But despite pulling out all the stops.
His Spiritual Power was draining away so quickly that his mind reeled with dizziness.
The sound of the footsteps behind them clung to him like maggots on a corpse, impossible to shake.
And they were getting closer.
Even though they hadn’t exchanged a single blow, he could already feel the vast difference in their strength.
He couldn’t even outrun them; there was no escaping their grasp.
In this moment of crisis, his mind grew preternaturally calm.
’Even if I’m caught... I can’t let the Insect Master see my human form...’
With a single thought, purple scales crept across his face. Strange flesh grew over his fingers, enveloping them and transforming them into sharp, insectoid barbs.
In just three seconds, he transformed from his human form into a dark purple Insect-man, one who bore a fifty-percent resemblance to the Ancestral Insect Master that had once stood opposite the Taman Insect Master.
WHOOSH—
Suddenly, as Han Ning sped along on Egg Pancake’s back, he felt the temperature behind him rise sharply.
The scenery before him blurred as it shot backward.
He saw the backs of Yin Yi and Egg Pancake moving farther and farther away from him.
He looked down.
A long, narrow tongue covered in fine barbs had silently wrapped itself tightly around his waist.
It had happened so fast that neither Yin Yi nor Egg Pancake had time to react.
"LING!!" "JIJI!!"
Yin Yi and Egg Pancake realized something was wrong. They skidded to a halt and spun around, their eyes burning with fury.
They used every ounce of their strength, charging desperately back toward Han Ning.
Seeing them charge back, Han Ning felt no relief, only a surge of panic.
’If this keeps up, Yin Yi and Egg Pancake will die!’
’Fine. Rather than let them make a pointless sacrifice, I’d better recall them now.’
The gap between them was too great; he saw no hope of fighting back.
In that desperate moment, Han Ning acted with a flicker of his Spiritual Power.
This all transpired in the blink of an eye.
The air rippled.
Yin Yi and Egg Pancake were only halfway through casting their Soul Techniques when their figures vanished, reappearing inside the Soul Beast Space.
"Ling!"
Inside the Soul Beast Space, Yin Yi stared at the dark, gloomy sky and paced back and forth in anxiety.
"Jiji, jijiji!"
Egg Pancake’s eyes overflowed with anger and indignation. It relentlessly charged about the Soul Beast Space, trying to break out and help its master.
Barely half a second passed.
The wind rushing past his ears died down.
Han Ning heard a gasp of surprise right next to his ear.
He started to turn his head to look at the person.
But a sharp, needle-like pain shot through his waist.
A wave of exhausted dizziness washed over him.
He forced his eyes open, barely managing to make out the face of a fiery-red Insect-man and, beside it, a large lizard covered in crimson scales.
’An Insect-man... can also be a Spirit Binder for a lizard?’
