Tens of miles away from the Extreme Abyss, Heart Insect Master Chun Yan held a monocular telescope, gazing toward the abyss.

The several insect tribe chiefs beside her each held their monocular telescopes, mimicking her observant posture.

The monocular telescopes were spoils of war from the Yun Province rebels. After the Imperial Observatory decoded their manufacturing principles, they began mass production, incorporating them into crucial military strategic equipment.

They could greatly extend the observation range while maintaining relative concealment, ensuring safety.

The chiefs endured immense pressure as they peered through the narrow tubes, quickly locking onto the Extreme Abyss and its sprawling primordial forest.

Chun Yan pressed her lips together, focusing intently on the forest. Suddenly, in her field of vision, the primordial forest stretching over ten miles began to bulge upward.

This wasn’t an illusion—the forest rose high as if something beneath the ground was trying to crawl out…

She unconsciously held her breath as fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead, her heartbeat involuntarily quickening.

This wasn’t from nervousness, but rather the intensifying systemic pressure.

After the forest had risen to a certain height, the earth split and slid to both sides. A deep red flesh-like spine first appeared in the chiefs’ “view.”

This spine segment was deep red, like flayed flesh, revealing protruding tendons and swollen muscles.

On both sides of the spine were rows of air holes, emitting ink-green smoke.

It was like an insect larva that, having grown to a certain size, was finally crawling out of the soil to pupate into a butterfly.

As It crawled out of the deep abyss, the soil layer was pushed up, millions of tons of rocks and earth chunks overturning. Though they couldn’t hear the commotion, the sight delivered tremendous visual impact to the chiefs.

“So this is the Insect God…”

Chun Yan murmured.

She could now fully see the Insect God’s true form. It was like a mountain made of flesh, massive and terrifying. The rows of air holes along its spine spewed ink-green smoke that coiled in the sky, forming ink-green clouds.

Viscous shadows flowed at the base of the flesh mountain.

Yet contrary to its frightening appearance, the Insect God possessed a pair of eyes full of wisdom, seemingly able to pierce through the sun, moon, mountains, and rivers—to pierce through the rushing ages of antiquity.

At this moment, all the insects near the Extreme Abyss underwent terrifying mutations. Some suddenly became rigid, turning into soulless, emotionless walking corpses.

Others’ eyes turned blood-red, dominated by mating urges, frantically pouncing on nearby insect beasts regardless of species or gender.

At this time, Chun Yan saw the Poison Insect Tribe chief Ba Ji beside her—blue veins bulged and writhed across his face, his eyes transformed into ink-green vertical pupils, horns grew from his forehead, and fangs protruded past his lips…

Similar mutations appeared on the other chiefs as they merged with their life-bound insects.

“Go!”

Chun Yan’s face changed slightly as she blurted out.

To her surprise, the voice that rushed from her throat was no longer clear and melodious but carried a harsh rasp like worn-out bellows.

*I’ve transformed into an insect too…* Intense fear welled up in her heart as the chiefs wasted no time, darting northward.

Chun Yan looked back one last time to see that massive, terrifying flesh body crawling south.

…

Guan City Market Town!

Two figures appeared above the market town—Xu Qi An and Luan Yu, who had come to notify him.

Xu Qi An swept his gaze across the market town, where crowds bustled as people from the seven insect tribes methodically packed their belongings, preparing to flee north.

*So calm?* He frowned. Though the insect tribes were warlike and unafraid of death, that was only when they were agitated. Usually, these southern barbarians quite valued their lives.

The current situation didn’t match the panic and fleeing that should accompany the arrival of great calamity.

“I don’t sense the Insect God’s aura, nor the chiefs’ auras.”

He turned his head to look questioningly at Luan Yu beside him, with her bright oval face.

No matter how quickly he arrived, he couldn’t be faster than the Insect God.

By rights, this place should have already transformed into a world of insects.

The latter had now put away her bewitching allure, furrowing her brow.

As they spoke, both simultaneously looked toward a certain spot—an unremarkable small courtyard where an elderly woman stood, white-haired and holding a walking stick, silently gazing up at them.

Xu Qi An gripped Luan Yu’s fragrant shoulder and teleported them before the Insect Grandmother.

“The Insect God has emerged!”

The Insect Grandmother spoke first, saying:

“But It didn’t head north to attack Great Feng—It went south instead.”

*South…* Luan Yu anxiously asked:

“Where are the others?”

The Insect Grandmother looked back at the tightly shut hall beside her, saying:

“They were affected by the Insect God, uncontrollably merging with their life-bound insects. Their bodies have transformed into insects. To avoid affecting the ordinary tribespeople, I’ve blocked their auras. Please help, Officer Xu.”

*Transformed into insects…* Luan Yu’s beautiful face drained of color.

The insect tribes’ cultivation method involved implanting life-bound insects to absorb the Insect God’s power. The Insect God’s power was harmful—ordinary beings would be contaminated upon contact, becoming mindless insect beasts.

The existence of life-bound insects helped insect masters weaken the “toxicity,” allowing them to maintain their reason and avoid contamination.

But life-bound insects were still insects. If the life-bound insect’s own “toxicity” strengthened, the insect masters unified with them would also transform into insects.

Fatally, once the transformation reached a certain degree, it became irreversible.

Xu Qi An wasted no more time, walking straight to the hall and opening the door.

The first thing he saw was a creature like a black-backed gorilla, its muscle-bound arms bracing against the ground, one eye blood-red, the other sharp but clear.

Its muscles were harder than steel, filled with terrifying strength.

To the “gorilla’s” left were, in order: a purple-skinned lizard person with a single horn on its forehead, protruding fangs, and purple scales covering its cheeks; a formlessly writhing shadow; a feathered person with wings for arms, covered in cyan feathers and bird claws for feet; and a corpse with a greenish face and protruding fangs with white pupils.

Based on their auras, Xu Qi An quickly identified the gorilla as Long Tu; the lizard person as Ba Ji; the shadow as Shadow; the feathered person as Chun Yan; and the corpse as You Shi.

*If they’ve truly transformed into insects, that makes five transcendent insect beasts…* Xu Qi An understood how to treat the chiefs. The Seven Fatal Insects at his cervical vertebrae bulged, their outlines clear beneath his skin.

His eyeballs “melted,” occupying his entire eye sockets as he opened his mouth and gently inhaled.

Instantly, the Insect God’s power of various colors overflowed from the five chiefs like smoke, streaming into Xu Qi An’s mouth.

As the excess Insect God power left their bodies, the chiefs’ mutation features either fell away or retracted. They quickly reverted to human form.

Except for Chun Yan who maintained her body-covering cyan feathers, the others were completely naked.

Luan Yu pretended to be shy before Xu Qi An, covering her face and coyly saying:

“How naughty!”

But no one paid attention to her.

“One moment!”

Chun Yan turned and entered the inner room.

Shortly after, she emerged wearing a long dress, the cyan feathers having vanished.

By the time Long Tu and the others had dressed, Xu Qi An had already learned about what happened after the Insect God emerged from Chun Yan, who had come out first.

The Insect God had acted in a way that left everyone puzzled.

“South?”

Xu Qi An frowned, muttering to himself several times before looking at the chiefs:

“What are your thoughts?”

Chun Yan pondered: “South of the Southern Borderlands is only ocean. Surely It’s not heading out to sea?”

Ba Ji analyzed: “It might be taking a detour, going south to swim to Yun Province, starting to devour Great Feng’s territory from there.”

*Taking off pants to fart—unnecessarily complicated…* Xu Qi An shook his head.

At this point, the Insect Grandmother said gravely:

“The Insect God has gone to sea.”

Everyone turned to look at her. Seeing the Grandmother’s certain expression, Luan Yu’s heart stirred:

“Grandmother, was this what you saw in the Golden Hall that day—the scene of the Insect God going to sea?”

The room’s occupants suddenly recalled the Insect Grandmother’s description then: unclear whether good or bad, but not an obvious disaster.

Moreover, the Insect Grandmother’s expression had been very confused then, as if unable to interpret the glimpsed future.

The Insect Grandmother slowly nodded, giving an affirmative answer:

“Correct, this was the scene I saw.”

Now that the Insect God had gone to sea, the future had become the past, happening in real-time. Speaking of it now no longer leaked heavenly secrets.

“Why?”

Luan Yu asked bewilderedly.

Having finally broken free of the seal, why go to sea instead of heading north to plunder fortune?

Chun Yan pondered: “Right now, nothing is more important than plundering fortune. The Insect God’s actions suggest only two possibilities: One, there is a fortune to be plundered overseas. Two, there is something overseas more important than plundering fortune.”

“There is no fortune overseas!” Xu Qi An flatly rejected this. “Nor should there be anything more important than fortune.”

Before the Great Peace Blade absorbed the “Light Gate,” if there had been anything overseas worth the Insect God’s journey, it would certainly have been the Light Gate.

…

Alanduo.

Gala Tree, Guang Xian, and Liuli Bodhisattva simultaneously cocked their ears to listen. After a moment, they exchanged silent glances, their eyes showing both joy and gravity.

Just now, Buddha had told them the Insect God had broken its seal and gone overseas.

Liuli Bodhisattva murmured: “It didn’t lie to me, It went overseas. It just wouldn’t tell me why.”

That day in the Extreme Abyss, the Insect God seemed to have foreseen something and told Liuli Bodhisattva that after breaking free of the seal, It needed to make a trip overseas, hoping Buddha could contain the two half-step Martial Gods in the Central Plains.

As for the reason, the Insect God hadn’t said.

“What now? Should we fulfill the agreement?” Liuli Bodhisattva asked.

Gala Tree shook his head: “That’s for Buddha to decide personally.”

With that, the three closed their eyes again to communicate with Buddha.

“Attack the Central Plains…”

Buddha’s vast and majestic voice echoed in the three Bodhisattvas’ minds.

…

[Two: The Insect God went overseas? This doesn’t make sense.]

In the Earth Book chat group, after reading Xu Qi An’s message, Flying Swallow Heroine was the first to question this.

*Anyone can see it doesn’t make sense…* Xu Qi An internally complained.

[One: Could It be going after the god-demon descendants?]

[Three: We can only say it’s possible.]

Though there were many transcendents among the god-demon descendants, they meant nothing to the Insect God.

It didn’t need these transcendent-realm god-demon descendants’ help to devour the Central Plains, and wouldn’t waste time gathering them at this crucial moment.

[Nine: When things are abnormal there must be a demon. If we can’t figure out why the Insect God would do this, then let’s think about why It would do this.]

Though awkwardly phrased, everyone in the Heaven and Earth Society except Li Na was clever.

[Four: Does the Daoist mean the Insect God might have foreseen something?]

First, this god-demon possessed transcendent wisdom, so It certainly wouldn’t act senselessly—all Its actions had deep meaning.

Second, for Beyond-Rank beings, plundering fortune was most important, yet the Insect God abandoned this.

Finally, this Beyond-Rank being could glimpse the future.

Combining these points, even without knowing the Insect God’s purpose, they could deduce It had foreseen the future, and that future was the reason for Its journey overseas.

[Seven: No need to overthink. Just remember: whatever the enemy wants to do, resolutely destroy it. Whatever the enemy wants to destroy, resolutely protect it. That’s enough.]

Li Ling Su transmitted his message with his back-to-basics philosophy:

[Xu Ning Yan, hurry and make a sea journey. Though you can’t beat the Insect God, you can stay alive, right?]

Just as Xu Qi An, currently in the Southern Borderlands, was about to reply, he sensed something and took out the voice-transmitting conch.

The other conch was in Shen Shu’s possession.

“Master Shen Shu?”

“Buddha has come!”

From the other end of the conch came Shen Shu’s deep voice.