Chapter 208: Chapter 174: A Strange Aura Approaches (Part 2)

"As you command, Leader."

...

「The Academy, Conference Room.」

The conference room, which had started as a single, temporarily converted dormitory, had since expanded. They had knocked down the walls of nearly an entire floor of dorms, creating a spacious hall large enough for several hundred people to attend meetings.

"Of the 152 new people who have joined the academy, 83 have at least a bachelor’s degree. Among them are 11 computer-related developers, 21 from the mechanical manufacturing industry, 13 from the chemical industry, 4 from the medical industry... and 10 flight crew members." Teacher Zhou held a few sheets of A4 paper, describing the composition of the people from the passenger plane.

Dean Wu nodded upon hearing this. "Please do your best to help them form contracts with Soul Beasts within the day so they have basic mobility. And what’s the situation with Louis’s group?"

Lü Xiuning, who was in charge of monitoring Louis and his party, spoke up. "Including Louis, they’ve expressed their willingness to work for us for six hours a day in exchange for a certain amount of food and the protection of Silver Lotus Wood."

Teacher Zhou had a strange expression. "Heh, they couldn’t even last a few hours?"

"They’re used to the conveniences of modern life. Suddenly being thrown into a dangerous Otherworld with no water, electricity, or food... lasting a few hours is actually pretty good," Dean Wu said with a smile. "If they want to trade labor for food, fine. But be careful. Don’t let them have too much contact with the Insect-man legacy. If they want to obtain more advanced knowledge, they’ll have to exchange something equally precious for it."

"Now then, let’s continue with our study of the Insect Language. Lady Lenna, if you would please begin."

"Of course."

Lena, sitting next to the projector, gave a slight nod. She clicked to the next PowerPoint slide and began to explain the grammar and vocabulary of the Insect Language to the assembled students and teachers of the academy.

Han Ning was also in the audience. According to what he had learned from Lin Tianhe, from 9 to 11 AM every morning, all academy members—whether they were teachers or students involved in combat or logistics—had to attend a two-hour Insect Language class in the conference room. 𝑓𝑟𝑒𝘦𝓌𝑒𝑏𝑛𝑜𝘷𝑒𝘭.𝒸𝘰𝑚

This program had been running for nearly ten days. Everyone attending the language class had Spiritual Power approaching Tier One and possessed quick minds. In just ten short days, the vast majority of attendees had already grasped the basics of communication in the Insect Language.

If they were to encounter an Insect-man, simple communication would not be a problem.

Han Ning had previously self-studied a little of the Insect Language using Lena’s notes. Now, after attending the training course for two days, his progress wasn’t as fast as the others, but he wasn’t far behind. He could also manage to hold a basic conversation.

"Now that everyone has basically mastered simple Insect Language, in subsequent classes, I will try to communicate with you all in the Insect Language to speed up your learning."

’Lena smiled slightly. As expected of a language expert. With less than a month of study and the boost from her enhanced Spiritual Power, she was already quite fluent in the Insect Language.’

"Yesterday, while my two assistants and I were going through the Beast Hide Scrolls left behind by the Burning Fire Race, we found a passage that I feel is quite important."

As she spoke, a passage of handwritten text in the Insect Language appeared on the PowerPoint slide, with a translation in the Xia Country language noted beside it.

"The Burning Fire Race predates the Yinsaike Race by about 100 years. In their legacy, there was a position similar to a ’Prophet,’ or you could say, a ’Priest.’"

"The Prophet had to be an Insect-man with the special constitution of a ’Prophetic Body.’ People with this constitution were born with more acute Spiritual Power than other Insect-men. They could perceive the patterns of how events unfolded and were rumored to be able to use their Life and Spiritual Power to foresee future events for their clan, seeking fortune and avoiding disaster."

The image flickered, and a diamond-shaped, Blood Crystal Stone appeared on the screen.

"150 years ago, the Burning Fire Race’s most powerful Insect Master, who also held the position of Prophet, was a man named Asya. While exploring the Mist Deep Valley, he accidentally discovered a Crystal Stone containing a mysterious power. He named this Crystal Stone the Blood Essence Stone."

"Before his death, he burned his own Life and Spiritual Power to foresee the future and obtained this piece of information."

"The Blood Essence Stone is the lock to a door leading outside the Insect Continent. The key is the primordial bloodline of the Insect Masters from the Five Ancestor Families."

"As long as the bloodlines of the Insect Masters from the Five Ancestor Families are gathered within the Blood Essence Stone, it will emit a light that illuminates the path to the outside world."

"At that time, the Burning Fire Race was just a relatively young Insect Master Family. They had not yet discovered the abnormality between the Queen and the Five Ancestor Families, so they recorded this information on a Beast Hide Scroll and sealed it away in history. There it remained until Astha, the 23rd Clan Leader of the Burning Fire Race, opened it."

’Everyone could vaguely guess what happened next. Astha learned of the conspiracy between the Queen and the Five Ancestor Families and began plotting how to escape this place.’

Lin Tianhe’s expression turned ugly. "If I’m not mistaken, the Burning Fire Race’s Blood Essence Stone is already in the hands of the Ancestor Families. Does that mean the path to the outside world is already cut off?"

Lena shook her head. "There isn’t necessarily only one Blood Essence Stone. Perhaps there are more remaining in the Mist Deep Valley."

"The Mist Deep Valley... isn’t that the entrance to the Grudge Abyss? The place we went before?" Han Ning frowned, recalling the bizarre Soul Beasts living within the valley and the vast sheet of Black Crystal Stones spread beneath the Dark Pool.

"Perhaps that Prophet found the Blood Essence Stone inside the Grudge Abyss?"

"That, I don’t know..."

...

When Han Ning finished his morning Insect Language class and walked out of the conference room, he saw a pale purple mantis standing quietly at the entrance, like a loyal guard on duty.

"Ssk?" The purple mantis seemed to sense Han Ning’s gaze and turned its head.

"Fei Ying? It’s been a while." Han Ning recognized the mantis. It was the very same Shadowswift Mantis he had found in the belly of a Cyan Sky Wolf. Lü Xiuning had named it Fei Ying.

Before leaving for the Earth Flame Forbidden Land, he had entrusted Fei Ying to Lü Xiuning’s care.

Ten days had passed. Fei Ying’s injuries were mostly healed, and it had even grown a little bigger, now standing nearly 60 centimeters tall.

"Ssk!" Fei Ying blinked, recognizing Han Ning as well. It extended a foreleg and gently tapped it against his arm in a show of affection.

"Looks like you’ve been doing..."

Just as he was about to speak, a chilling aura suddenly brushed past his back.

In an instant, the hair on Han Ning’s entire body stood on end. A strange sense of alarm rose in his heart as the Spiritual Power in his mind automatically began to radiate outward.

’What is this...’

He suddenly sensed something. A strange light flashed in his pupils as he abruptly closed his eyes, immersing his consciousness in a Ghost Bee hiding 100 kilometers north of the academy’s main gate.

But... the moment his consciousness connected...

The space ahead of the bee rippled slightly, and a flash of crimson light suddenly shot past its eyes.

Before the Netherworld Bee’s vision disappeared, he could vaguely make out the flickering shadow of a giant, indistinctly colored moth.

’A Spiritual Power warning! Something’s here!’

’Ghost Bees have the Talent of invisibility. Anyone who can discover their hidden tracks must have the Spiritual Power of an Insect Master. An Insect Master is within 100 kilometers of the academy.’

Han Ning’s heart tightened. He frowned, patted Fei Ying’s body, and quickly walked away.

PITTER-PATTER~

The black rain in the sky continued to fall in a steady drizzle.

The air distorted as Egg Pancake’s massive body leaped out from the Soul Beast Space. The nearby Fire Elements were immediately affected, gathering around it.

A searing wave of heat spread out, instantly evaporating all the raindrops falling from the sky.

Beside him, Yin Yi swung its vines, lightly depositing Han Ning onto Egg Pancake’s draconic head.

"North."

"Jiji!"

A faint yellow light enveloped Egg Pancake’s body. With a beat of its broad Dragon Wings, it soared into the pitch-black sky, much to the astonishment of the students passing by.

WHOOSH WHOOSH WHOOSH~

Egg Pancake flapped its Dragon Wings. Its massive body vanished inch by inch into the curtain of rain, as if erased from existence.