Chapter Seventy-One: Insects and Sorcery

An immense, unmatched force swept across the land, raising clouds of dust and sand. The ground was split as if cut through tofu, and the surging torrents of energy filled the entire second layer in an instant.

Ye Ran and the students of Maple Leaf Academy bore the brunt of the impact. Compared to Qianlong and his companions, their internal energy was weaker, and under this indiscriminate onslaught they could only defend with all their might, barely managing to hold on. It wasn’t long before wounds began to appear among them. Their situation was far from optimistic.

A violet figure soared from beneath the earth, accompanied by two severed heads, landing heavily on the ground. The heads rolled to a stop before Qianlong with a dull thud. All eyes could only see her back—a slender, graceful silhouette now radiating murderous intent, so chilling that merely glancing at her sent a cold shiver down one’s spine.

In her hand, the violet sword hung low as she advanced step by step towards Qianlong and Zhang Mu. With each stride, the cave trembled, and after three steps, the mountain cave began to collapse, stones raining down from above.

“Benefactor…” Ye Ran recognized the figure, but below him the shockwaves raged, and above, the stones crashed down. He managed only a single cry before he was buried beneath the falling debris.

“Xingyun, Fenghu…” In the half-collapsed cave, a deadly silence pervaded. Qianlong, facing this overwhelming aura, retreated a step, channeling his energy to draw back the Thousand-Mile Flame Dragon Spear.

Seeing the two heads, his heart was shaken. Xingyun and Fenghu were both formidable warriors—one from the Golden Warrior Palace of the Sixth Heavenly Temple, the other from the War God Ares Palace. They were equal to him in strength, dispatched to eliminate the guardians of the third and fourth layers of the underground nest.

Fifteen other experts from the Crimson Fire Palace and the Sea God Temple had accompanied them, tasked with laying seals and slaying the guardians. Now, all their presences had vanished.

And before him stood this coldly stunning woman in violet, her aura completely overpowering his own.

Bang!

At the entrance, a blue seal exploded, revealing two grotesque heads—a gigantic black ant and a gigantic white ant. Their heads, like massive iron balls, were fearsome even to Qianlong.

Especially the black ant, whose eyes bulged outward, its iron-like black shell flecked with white, drool dripping from its sharp teeth.

Giant zombie ants… Zhang Mu felt immense pressure.

A thunderous rumble echoed from beneath, shaking the ground. The entire cave collapsed, and two ferocious auras surged up from the earth. Zhang Mu and Qianlong shuddered in terror. These two presences, saturated with bloodlust and the savagery of a millennium of slaughter, had not even fully arrived, yet the two masters felt their minds reel.

But the two presences did not ascend. After a brief convergence, they dissipated, leaving the underground nest—they had burst straight out.

Both Zhang Mu and Qianlong's hearts sank. Though the city of Violent Stream was now filled with experts and surrounded by inescapable traps, these two auras were beyond comprehension.

Qianlong’s expression changed most visibly. One of the auras belonged to the guardian of the fifth layer—the Centipede Millipede. In the past, he and Zhiyu of the Sixth Heavenly Temple, along with Nong Guang of the Thunder God Temple, had barely lasted two minutes against this dreadful creature.

“Zhang Mu, let’s go,” Qianlong said, cold sweat trickling down his brow. Not daring to linger, he sprang up, converting his internal energy swiftly into fire.

Zhang Mu understood the urgency; he dared not continue fighting the green giant lizard, and leaped after Qianlong.

The green giant lizard, furious at the death of the flame rat and unable to stop Zhang Mu, roared at the violet-haired woman, “Fourth Sister, stop them! They killed Old Six!”

“They won’t escape,” the violet-haired woman replied.

Her voice was calm, as though killing experts like Qianlong and Zhang Mu was a trivial matter. With a flick of her wrist, thick white spider silk shot skyward. Instantly, a thousand threads wove together, and the sky was covered in webs. Just when Zhang Mu and Qianlong thought they could escape, reality struck—they were caught in a celestial net.

Zhang Mu, caught off guard, crashed into a web. Violet mist swirled around him as the violet-haired woman tapped her sword, sending a violet sword gleam streaking through the sky. Zhang Mu hastily formed seals with his hands, conjuring a shield of energy, but with a single blast, the shield shattered. The sword gleam pierced his chest, passing straight through him.

A strand of web followed the sword gleam, threading through his chest. Violet blood sprayed into the air, and Zhang Mu’s mouth overflowed with fresh blood, yet he uttered not a sound, striving to rise. Above, the webs grew denser, and paralysis crept over him—soon, he could barely move.

The violet-haired woman raised her wrist and struck again, this time targeting Qianlong.

Qianlong dared not be careless. Drawing on his fire-based origin, he wielded the Thousand-Mile Flame Dragon Spear—though he had not yet mastered it—to block the razor-sharp sword gleam. The sword’s aura dissipated at the spear’s tip, but the force sent him flying, head over heels. No blood spilled, but his throat tasted sweet and metallic.

He swallowed the taste of blood, flames bursting ten meters from his body as he transformed into a wave of fire, burning away the webs above and crashing through the mushroom-topped summit to escape.

Sunlight streamed down, and Qianlong staggered toward Maple Leaf Academy, his palm burning painfully, yet he dared not let go of his spear.

Zhang Mu, who had come with him, was trapped deep in the webs. He struggled at first, but soon the paralysis overwhelmed him. The poisoned silk of the violet-haired woman was the final straw.

Several brilliantly colored spiders crawled along the web. Zhang Mu, still conscious, watched in horror as his pupils contracted. Even a warrior from the Palace of Power could not imagine the scene of spiders feeding on him...

Soft footsteps echoed from the passage. The witch, slender and graceful, approached with a serpent-like whip coiled around her wrist, blood dripping from her fingertips. Her beauty was dark and alluring.

In her right hand she carried two goblets, each half-filled with a deep red liquid.

“For the victory of the Insect Clan and the Demon Clan, cheers,” the witch said, licking her lips as she handed a goblet of blood-wine to the violet-haired woman.

The violet-haired woman took the glass with delicate fingers and poured it on the ground. A screech erupted, and the giant spiders and gold-eating ants became frenzied and excited.

The witch pouted, “Zi’er, if you don’t want to drink, fine, but why waste my blood-wine?”

“Let’s drink outside. Those who start wars must pay the price,” she replied.

With a tap of her toe, she transformed into a blazing streak of violet light, shooting out of the nest.