At almost the same time, the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm within him seemed to sense something, sending out a faint Spiritual Fluctuation as if to warn Han Ning.

"A swarm of insects is approaching. I see a few clusters of cyan shadows," Lü Xiuning’s serious voice came over the walkie-talkie.

Han Ning’s expression didn’t change as he calmly said, "They might have discovered that we took the Soul Nourishing Grass. Descend and move closer. We’ll have Egg Pancake hide our tracks."

They had switched to riding the Blood Bees precisely because they were so fast.

At Han Ning’s command, the two bees flew down beside the churning stream below.

Egg Pancake was summoned again, and the range of its Mimicry expanded, erasing their figures inch by inch.

Because they were too large, the two Blood Bees were dispelled by the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm, dissolving into two pools of blood that vanished into the river.

As long as the mark for the replication remained active, the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm could continuously recreate the creature’s form until the mark faded after seven days.

After the Mimicry concealed them, a cyan swarm of insects appeared in the air behind them, clustered together so densely they almost blotted out half the sky.

On closer inspection, the small cyan flying insects were actually miniature ladybugs. Their round carapaces were covered in black spots, and they flew remarkably fast.

Flying within the swarm were five massive cyan ladybugs, each over ten meters long. An ugly, humanoid figure stood on the back of each one.

Han Ning shot them a quick glance before looking away. "I’m not sensing any particularly strong Spiritual Power fluctuations. They’re just a group of Insect Servants. Egg Pancake, pick up the pace and put some distance between us. The farther we get, the less chance they have of finding us with their limited Spiritual Power."

As he spoke, he reached out and poked Egg Pancake on the rump, as if giving it a shot.

An abundance of Blood Qi surged from his fingertip into its body.

"CHIRP CHIRP!"

Egg Pancake shuddered all over. As if shot full of adrenaline, its speed increased by thirty percent.

"Yin Yi, keep a close watch on our surroundings. If any powerful creatures get close, don’t hesitate to shoot them down."

"Ling~"

Yin Yi nodded, the fiery light in its pupils flickering faintly.

As their figures vanished, the swarm pursuing from behind instantly lost its target and fell into a brief state of confusion.

"The swarm has lost the target, and ahead is the Sosma Insect Master’s territory. Do we continue the pursuit?" a green-skinned man standing on a large cyan ladybug asked, his voice a series of rustling chirps.

A hesitant look crossed the ugly face of the Giant Insectoid in the lead. But after only a second, his expression hardened. "If we don’t get back the Soul Nourishing Grass, do you think Sesia will let us live?"

"Charge! Sosma is a low-level Insect Master. Once we find the Soul Nourishing Grass, Lord Sesia will personally handle the negotiations with him."

"But if we can’t find the Soul Nourishing Grass, we won’t even get the chance to live."

"Understood."

Hearing this, the other Insect-men began to play their instruments with greater intensity, and the swarm’s speed abruptly increased.

...

Although the incessant sound of insect chirps carried from behind them, Han Ning noticed that they were still at least a few hundred meters apart. The enemy couldn’t see through Egg Pancake’s Mimicry at all, which allowed him to relax slightly.

"We’re about to pass through an Insect Master’s territory, but there are unusually few insects up ahead. That means the swarm behind us isn’t allied with the neighboring Insect Master," Lü Xiuning said suddenly, observing the swarm’s movements in his peripheral vision.

Han Ning’s expression flickered. "Two different groups of Insect-men... should we cause a commotion and let them tear each other apart?"

But as soon as the words left his mouth, he shook his head. "No, that’s too risky. If we attract the Insect Master, we’ll be in real trouble."

"Right," Lü Xiuning agreed. "Since they can’t find us, we should just accelerate and get away. The swarm will probably disperse once it loses its target for good."

With this in mind, Egg Pancake unknowingly crossed the churning river, entering a transitional zone where the Blood-colored Grassland met a swamp.

The swarm behind them instantly grew more cautious. It no longer spread menacingly across half the sky but instead contracted into tight, cyan clusters that flew close together.

Just then, a piercing insect shriek came from the Blood-colored Grassland to their left.

A pale red streak of Flowing Light tore across the sky.

A tremendous BOOM echoed.

Light erupted.

Riding on Egg Pancake up ahead, Han Ning and Lü Xiuning suddenly felt a violent gale blast them from behind, forcing the surrounding blades of grass to bend low.

Han Ning instinctively glanced back.

A gaping hole had been punched through the cyan swarm.

Countless cyan flying insects rained down to the ground.

The five giant ladybugs scattered, the Insect-men on their backs staring grimly in the direction of the grassland.

Then, under the canopy of the sky to their left, a red shadow flashed past.

It was a red bee, approximately ten meters long. It had a long, sharp stinger on its tail, a pair of curved, sharp horns on its head, and limbs as sharp as hooks. Leaving a trail of afterimages, it suddenly appeared near the cyan swarm.

It moved as fast as lightning, and each swing of its hooked limbs took out huge swaths of the cyan flying insects.

Red bolts of light flashed constantly in mid-air, like a Thunderbolt streaking across the sky.

’Definitely at least Extraordinary Level strength...’

Han Ning’s expression was grim as he patted Egg Pancake’s back.

"The Insect Master might be nearby! Use every last bit of your strength and run for it!"

"CHIRP CHIRP!"

Egg Pancake’s limbs were already moving so fast they left afterimages. At Han Ning’s words, it gritted its teeth and managed to go just a little bit faster.

Gradually, thanks to Egg Pancake’s efforts, the Blood-colored Grassland receded into the distance. Han Ning didn’t let out a sigh of relief until an ochre swamp covered the land and no flying insects were pursuing them. He cursed under his breath:

"Damn it. If it weren’t for that group of Insect-men who appeared out of nowhere, the trip back wouldn’t have been this dangerous."

’There was no telling how old Lord Taman’s notes were. It was perfectly normal for other Insect-men to have discovered Gray Stone Valley; they were just unlucky.’

"Luckily, the Insect Master didn’t spot us. His attention must have been completely drawn to that group of Insect-men," Lü Xiuning said, also letting out a sigh of relief.

"That bee from before... it was too fast. At least two tiers faster than Egg Pancake and Yin Yi. It flew into the swarm in the blink of an eye. I estimate it has strength at the Extraordinary Limit, at least. If we had to face it head-on, escape would’ve been nearly impossible."

Han Ning frowned, recalling the crimson afterimage. He then remembered the two Blood Bees he’d had the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm replicate, and a wave of fear washed over him.

’The two types of creatures looked very similar. They were probably both cultivated by that Insect Master he’d never met.’

All in all, while the journey had been fraught with peril, they had made it through without any real harm. There were no casualties.