TL: Etude

“Father, I want to go hunt forbidden insects as well!” Ye Xingchen approached Ye Tian and earnestly made his request.

“Do you know how terrifying the strength of the forbidden insects is?” Ye Tian asked cautiously.

“I do!” Ye Xingchen nodded firmly. “But I’m already a Seventh Heaven Dao Ancestor. I have the qualifications to hunt forbidden insects. Staying in the rear enjoying comfort isn’t my path. Moreover, I’ve heard that slaying forbidden insects allows one to offer sacrifices to the Profound Void Archaic Realm. Thus, only by hunting them can I grow stronger more quickly!”

“Very well, I agree.” Ye Tian nodded in approval.

He was fully aware that he shouldn’t limit his son’s growth. Though keeping his son away from the battlefield would ensure his safety, what kind of Dao Ancestor could grow without challenges? Could he shelter his son forever? If he did, his son’s future would be completely crippled.

At best, Ye Xingchen might achieve the Invincible Dao Ancestor realm, but he would lose the courage and hope to advance toward the Half-Step Domain Ancestor or even the Domain Ancestor realm.

Thus, Ye Tian chose not to restrict his children’s decisions.

If both Ye Xingchen and Ye Xingyue wished to go, then so be it. Currently, Ye Xingchen and Ye Xingyue had been cultivating in the Forbidden Void Realm for a long time. Their cultivation and strength had both reached the level of a Seventh Heaven Dao Ancestor, though they were still far from matching Ye Tian’s own might.

Nonetheless, their power was comparable to strong Seventh Heaven Dao Ancestors.

Moreover, both possessed Forbidden Weapons and the Forbidden Body, which had already reached the Major Accomplishment level. Their dao techniques, however, were still somewhat lacking.

If they joined the battlefield, they wouldn’t face the strongest forbidden insects but only ordinary ones.

Not long after, Xiao Yue, Ye Yu, and his daughter Ye Xingyue also approached Ye Tian, expressing their desire to enter the battlefield against the forbidden insects.

Ye Tian consented but laid down one condition: they were not to engage in combat immediately but to wait until the situation became clearer.

At present, no major force would send their core geniuses directly into battle. Instead, they first dispatched vanguard units to assess the situation and gather intelligence on the exact strength of the forbidden insects. Without clarity on the enemy’s power, rushing into war against the forbidden insects would be an act of utter foolishness.

As time passed, various major forces, including the Heavenly Emperor Palace, Blackwind Mountain, and the Ninth Heaven forces, sent Half-Step Domain Ancestors to the Dark Forbidden Domain to gather intelligence.

A great battle soon broke out within the Dark Forbidden Domain.

The battle ended quickly, and the Half-Step Domain Ancestors retreated from the Dark Forbidden Domain.

Not long after, Blackwind Mountain convened a meeting. This time, Dao Ancestor Eternal Perpetuity and Dao Ancestor Divine Ruins, both at the Half-Step Domain Ancestor level, made their appearances. All high-ranking members of Blackwind Mountain at the level of Heavenly King and above participated in the meeting.

The meeting took place in a recently unlocked small domain—the Time King Small Domain. Though the current Time King had already fallen, this small domain wasn’t tied to any individual but had been inherited through generations of Time Kings. It wouldn’t vanish due to the death of a single Time King.

Previously, this domain had been sealed, but now it was accessible again.

Heavenly Kings began arriving at the small domain, quickly gathering together.

Ye Tian noticed the newly promoted Heavenly Kings, Heavenly King Bloodfiend and Heavenly King Skyreaver.

As for General Windstar, he had long since perished. During the last campaign in the Fireflame Forbidden Zone, he had encountered Pinnacle Dao Ancestors who were slaughtering True Ancestors. General Windstar hadn’t even had the chance to call for help before falling in battle.

Ye Tian only learned about this matter after the fact, but there was nothing he could do.

After all, countless Invincible True Ancestors had fallen, and General Windstar was merely one of many examples.

Later, Ye Tian saw his master, Dao Ancestor Void Sky. At this moment, Dao Ancestor Void Sky’s strength had advanced further, having reached the realm of a Fifth Heaven Dao Ancestor.

However, compared to Ye Tian, the strength of Dao Ancestor Void Sky was not worth mentioning.

Before long, tens of thousands of Heavenly Kings had gathered here, most of them possessing strength equivalent to that of Third or Fourth Heaven Dao Ancestors and above.

Moreover, this group certainly did not encompass all the Dao Ancestors of Blackwind Mountain. Many Heavenly Kings’ legions still had Dao Ancestors among their ranks, and the Ten Kings’ legions had even more. As for the Half-Step Domain Ancestors’ subordinates, the number of Dao Ancestors under them was likely staggering.

It was estimated that Blackwind Mountain’s Dao Ancestors numbered in the millions, perhaps even more.

Suddenly, the void rippled, and two Dao Ancestors appeared: Dao Ancestor Eternal Perpetuity and Dao Ancestor Divine Ruins.

“Greetings, Dao Ancestor Eternal Perpetuity!”

“Greetings, Dao Ancestor Divine Ruins!”

The Heavenly Kings saluted respectfully.

Once Dao Ancestor Eternal Perpetuity signaled for everyone to quiet down, he spoke, “Earlier, I, along with the Half-Step Domain Ancestors from the Heavenly Emperor Palace, the Limitless Sky Sect, the Heavenly Sea Sect, and the Myriad Domains Divine Hall, ventured into the Dark Forbidden Domain to investigate the strength of the Forbidden Insect Race. Their power is immense!”

For Dao Ancestor Eternal Perpetuity to describe them as “immense,” it was clear that the Forbidden Insect Race certainly included lord-level forbidden insects.

He continued, “From what we currently know, the Forbidden Insect Race has six lord-level creatures, over fifty commander-level, and tens of thousands of elite-level forbidden insects. As for ordinary forbidden insects, their numbers exceed tens of millions!”

“Tens of millions of forbidden insects?!” All the Heavenly Kings gasped in shock.

This represented countless Third Heaven or higher Dao Ancestors! Dao Ancestor Void Sky’s pupils contracted sharply, utterly shaken by the strength of the Forbidden Insect Race.

Previously, the Dao Mountain Domain had only a few Third Heaven Dao Ancestors, numbering at most in the hundreds. Fourth Heaven Dao Ancestors numbered twenty-three, and Fifth Heaven Dao Ancestors were rare, with just one. Altogether, their total was only in the hundreds.

Yet the Forbidden Insect Race boasted tens of millions of creatures and continued to produce more.

If the Forbidden Insect Race were to invade the Dao Mountain Domain, the latter’s forces would stand no chance. It would collapse instantly.

If not for the descent of the Divine Heaven Domain’s Domain Realm Fragment into the Dao Mountain Domain, the Forbidden Insect Race would likely have overrun the Dao Mountain Domain by now. In countless years, the Dao Mountain Domain would cease to exist, swallowed once more by the Dark Forbidden Domain and becoming part of it.

“Dao Ancestor Eternal Perpetuity, if the Forbidden Insect Race only has six lord-level creatures, shouldn’t the strength of the Profound Void Archaic Realm be sufficient to eliminate them?” Wind King asked.

He was privy to some secrets. The Profound Void Archaic Realm possessed more than eight Half-Step Domain Ancestors. If most of them acted, they would surely have the strength to destroy the six lord-level forbidden insects.

“We cannot destroy them!” Dao Ancestor Eternal Perpetuity shook his head. “Those six lord-level forbidden insects retreat to their nest space the moment they are injured, where they heal rapidly and return to the battlefield. Furthermore, we have only detected six lord-level forbidden insects so far. That doesn’t mean there are only six! Most critically, unless the Forbidden Insect Nest space is destroyed, the Forbidden Insect Race can never truly be eradicated.”