“Om, Arara, Dharama, Hrih… Svaha!”
The ethereal image of the Thousand-Armed Guanyin descended from the heavens, its majestic presence suppressing the silver insects. Under the assault of Buddhist power, the creatures writhed in agony, desperately trying to break free. Though they managed to bore a tiny hole, their losses were devastating. Nan Yan and the Confucian cultivators joined forces to deliver a final blow, utterly annihilating the swarm.
“Thank you, Venerable Zhenyuan!” The Confucian cultivators expressed their gratitude before hastily tending to their wounds. Enduring the pain, they peeled off small patches of skin from their hands and applied various spiritual medicines. Finally, their injuries stabilized.
Noticing their worried expressions, Nan Yan inquired, “Are you also from the Silver Insect Mother’s territory?”
“Yes…” they replied, anxiety evident on their faces as they frequently checked their yellow jade rings. “Our Young Lord used a secret treasure to hold off a large group of silver insects, sacrificing himself to protect us. We’re useless…”
“Is Yun Nian among them?”
It turned out that these Confucian cultivators had barely managed to gather five or six people around Yun Nian using the yellow jade rings. The flat terrain in the Nan made it easy to discover that the Silver Insect Ghost Mother’s territory was filled with fire-attribute spiritual energy. Yun Nian had intended to wait for righteous or neutral cultivators to gather before attempting to claim the spiritual well. However, one of his disciples, enticed by the beautiful silver forest in the swamp, succumbed to greed and ventured alone to explore, never to return.
This person was Yun Nian’s cousin. Left with no choice, Yun Nian entered the silver forest to search for him, only to encounter the deadly silver insects.
After listening, Nan Yan asked, “How is Yun Nian faring now?”
The Confucian cultivators responded, “According to the jade ring, the Young Lord’s life is not in danger. However, given the ferocity of the silver insects, even with the protection of his secret treasure, he may not be able to escape.”
Nan Yan nodded slightly and pondered for a moment before suggesting, “This swamp is vast, and there’s not a single bird in the sky, suggesting it’s dangerous up there as well. Since you entered unharmed, there must be a trigger mechanism for these silver insects. Here’s the plan: you find a place to rest and gather righteous or neutral cultivators. I’ll explore the swamp first. If I find any trace of him, we’ll activate the jade rings simultaneously to reveal our positions.”
The Confucian cultivators hesitated, “But even though you’ve reached the peak of the Foundation Establishment realm, the silver forest is still treacherous. You…”
“Don’t worry, I have methods to protect myself,” Nan Yan assured them.
With the plan set, Nan Yan traveled fifty miles in the direction they indicated. As the last rays of sunlight faded from her eyes, a silver line appeared at the edge of a swamp.
Cautiously observing her surroundings, Nan Yan flew over the area. All was silent, with only decaying white bones visible beneath the water’s surface. Not even a mosquito stirred.
It seemed the silver insects were the undisputed rulers of this domain, consuming all living creatures as their food.
After traveling another five miles, the legendary silver forest finally came into view. Its beauty was as breathtaking as the myriad starry river of fireflies she had witnessed among the white bone rats in the Youquan River. Despite knowing the danger, one couldn’t help but be awed by nature’s wondrous creations.
The endless silver forest stood silently on the soundless swamp. Silver fruits hung from the trees like lanterns—the source of death in this swamp. Apart from the evening breeze and moonlight, anyone who disturbed their slumber would become nourishment for the trees.
Instead of immediately seeking help from the blood bees, Nan Yan found a safe vantage point to observe. She released a small mechanical rat equipped with a low-level fire talisman. The rat swiftly swam across the swamp and entered the silver forest, climbing the nearest tree to cautiously prod one of the fruits.
Contrary to Nan Yan’s expectations, the silver insects didn’t swarm out en masse. No matter how hard the rat bit, it was like gnawing on solid iron, leaving no marks.
This indicated that simply entering the silver forest or touching the fruits wouldn’t trigger an attack from the silver insects.
With this in mind, Nan Yan activated the fire talisman on the mechanical rat. As soon as the spiritual energy dispersed, the nearby fruit suddenly burst open. Silver insects swarmed out, instantly engulfing the rat and turning it silver. Nan Yan’s mental connection with the rat was abruptly severed.
After about fifteen minutes, the silver insects finally realized the mechanical rat was an inanimate object. They dispersed and reformed into fruits, leaving behind a wooden wreck riddled with tiny holes, which fell to the ground.
Having gained some understanding, Nan Yan suppressed all her spiritual energy, ensuring not even a trace leaked out. She even adjusted her constitution using water and wood elemental energy to match the coolness of plants before stepping onto the soil of the silver forest.
The forest remained silent, emanating a power that seemed to block spiritual energy. The jade ring on Nan Yan’s hand became completely ineffective here, forcing her to rely solely on her five senses to detect any movement.
By now, the sun had completely set, and stars gradually painted half the sky. After half an hour of venturing deep into the silver forest, Nan Yan suddenly heard a faint buzzing in the distance. She immediately held her breath, concealing herself within a cluster of low, silver shrub-like plants.
It turned out to be a group of silver insects carrying a giant ox-like demonic beast overhead.
Nan Yan recalled the “Compendium of Thousand Insects and Hundred Beasts” that Jiang Yang had forced her to learn as a child. Though it didn’t mention the peculiar silver insects, it described the habits of similar swarm insects. They would typically offer intact prey to their “queen” first, allowing her to feast before distributing the remains to the other insects.
Following this logic, the insects’ destination must be the Silver Insect Mother’s lair. Given her fire attribute, she could easily cultivate a fire-attribute spiritual well.
As Nan Yan planned her approach to the insect mother’s cave, she suddenly felt a touch on her back. Startled, she turned around, her blood running cold at the sight.
In her haste, she had failed to notice two silver human figures lying among the low silver grass! These figures were frozen in desperate poses, most curled up on the ground. The one that had touched her was kneeling, its face smoothed into a featureless silver plane by the insects. Its right hand still reached forward in a final, futile struggle, a testament to the agony of its last moments.
Nan Yan’s expression darkened as she cautiously touched the silver skin of the figure. It felt ice-cold, like a masterpiece sculpted by the most meticulous artisan.
Taking a deep breath, she released dozens of blood bees, saying, “I’m sorry to trouble you.”
The bees responded, using their sharp stingers to secrete a paralyzing venom. They gently pricked the silver figures, causing the silver skin to crack and peel away, revealing skeletal remains riddled with countless punctures.
Nan Yan stood in stunned silence, noticing the yellow jade rings left behind. As she began to murmur a prayer, she heard faint footsteps nearby.
“… Is that Sister Zhenyuan?” a voice called out.
Nan Yan turned to see Yun Nian, his face pale and clothes tattered. However, a pine-patterned inkstone floated above his head, projecting an ethereal shield of ink and color that seemed to protect him.
“I’m glad you’re safe,” Nan Yan said, noticing his weakened spiritual energy. She quickly replenished it with her own.
“Once again, I’m indebted to you, sister,” Yun Nian said after catching his breath. Looking at the pile of bones with compassion, he continued, “As you’ve guessed, we were attacked and taken to the insect mother’s cave. I was also encased, but fortunately, this Pine Wave Inkstone saved me. I managed to escape with those who had already turned to silver statues, but I couldn’t find a way out.”
“Are there any other survivors?” Nan Yan asked.
Anger flashed in Yun Nian’s eyes. “My two fellow disciples sacrificed themselves to save my cousin, Hu Rui, from the swarm. Not only did he abandon us, but he even pushed one of them into the insects, causing us all to be captured. These insects wrap up smaller prey and use their flesh to nurture their eggs! My two fellow disciples… they were both prodigies of the Yun family!”
The mere thought made Nan Yan’s skin crawl. “How could the Yun family of Shenzhou harbor such a villain?”
Yun Nian’s eyes reddened. “The Yun family is now controlled by my great-aunt and uncle’s faction… But let’s not dwell on that. Do you have a plan to escape this insect forest?”
Nan Yan noted how much the boy had matured. “I’ve acquired some abilities elsewhere. These blood bees should be able to break the insect shells, but if the shells penetrate the cultivators’ robes and spiritual barriers to lay eggs in their bones, it might be too late. I don’t have many blood bees; they can handle a couple of swarms, but if the entire forest of silver insects attacks, we’re doomed.”
Yun Nian offered a solution: “There might be a way… The Silver Insect Mother is currently in her breeding cycle, making her greedy but vulnerable. If we could kill her, all the silver insects would die from the loss of their mother.”
Nan Yan knew this was everyone’s ultimate goal, but even in her weakened state, the insect mother was still the lord of the southern Tribulation Sea. One wrong move could cost them their lives.
“We’re the cream of the cultivation world,” Yun Nian said, his eyes filled with determination. “If we give it our all, we both have a chance to kill a Nascent Soul cultivator despite our lower levels. I have an ancient poem fragment that my state has been empowering for 300 years. If I complete the last two lines, it could potentially slay even a Transformation stage cultivator. Killing the insect mother isn’t impossible.”
Nan Yan nodded, remembering her sword energy that could complement Yun Nian’s abilities. After some thought, she agreed: “Alright, we’ll set up near the cave where the insect mother feeds. We now know that in this silver insect forest, as long as we don’t fly high or use spiritual energy, we shouldn’t attract the attention of the sleeping insects. However, we’re still a bit weak. It would be ideal to have a fire-attribute cultivator to fend off any insect reinforcements from outside…”
As Nan Yan spoke, she noticed Yun Nian looking up at the night sky, his expression gradually filling with horror.
“Sister, you just said we shouldn’t fly or use spiritual energy in this silver insect forest, right?” Yun Nian asked.
“Yes, why?” Nan Yan replied.
Yun Nian pointed at the sky. “Isn’t that exactly what Brother Mu is doing?”
Nan Yan looked up to see a figure engulfed in raging flames streaking across the night sky like a meteor, laughing maniacally as he led a massive swarm of silver insects.
“Come and bite me if you dare!” the figure shouted. “I have infinite fire source. Let’s see who outlasts whom today!”