TL: Etude

“I also saw a kind of pure purple insect cocoon on the Forbidden Insect Tree within the Forbidden Insect Nest. Two lord-level forbidden insects were guarding that pure purple insect cocoon. The pure purple cocoon is located at the very top of the tree. I suspect that it might be the cocoon of the Insect King!”

Ye Tian shared his speculation.

“What? The Insect King!!!”

Dao Ancestor Eternal Perpetuity and Dao Ancestor Divine Ruins were both shocked.

The Insect King was a being comparable to a Domain Ancestor. If the Insect King were to emerge, even if the two of them joined forces, they wouldn’t withstand a single move and would be instantly annihilated.

“Heavenly King Nine Limits, are you certain?” Dao Ancestor Eternal Perpetuity asked solemnly.

“Absolutely!” Ye Tian confirmed.

Dao Ancestor Eternal Perpetuity and Dao Ancestor Divine Ruins fell silent. This information was both shocking and deeply unsettling to them.

The only good news for now was that the cocoon of the Insect King was still in its gestation phase. As long as they continued to hunt down the forbidden insects and prevented them from gathering resources, the gestation process could be disrupted. For the Insect King, being fully nurtured would then become nothing more than a distant dream.

“Heavenly King Nine Limits, every so often, we will need your clone to venture into the Forbidden Insect Nest to monitor the gestation progress of the Insect King’s cocoon. Would you agree to this?” Dao Ancestor Eternal Perpetuity asked.

“No problem!” Ye Tian agreed immediately.

He had been looking for an opportunity to copy other lord-level forbidden insects’ forbidden talents. If he could encounter more of them, it would be a major gain.

Naturally, he had no reason to refuse such a request.

Having learned about the combat power of the forbidden insects, both Dao Ancestor Eternal Perpetuity and Dao Ancestor Divine Ruins now had a clearer understanding. At the very least, they would not fall into a desperate situation in the future due to a lack of information.

At present, the Forbidden Insect Race had eight lord-level forbidden insects. Among them, two were tasked with guarding the cocoon of the Insect King and generally would not engage in battles unless the Half-Step Domain Ancestors genuinely invaded the forbidden insect Nest.

Moreover, the interior of the forbidden insect Nest severely suppressed outsiders. Entering rashly would likely result in death. That nest was the stronghold of the Forbidden Insect Race, where they held an overwhelming advantage in combat.

Furthermore, Ye Tian had only scouted the Forbidden Insect Tree and had not fully explored the entire interior of the forbidden insect Nest. Thus, the information they currently had was partial—it could be trusted but not completely relied upon.

Therefore, Blackwind Mountain needed to proceed with utmost caution.

After leaving Dao Ancestor Eternal Perpetuity’s residence, Ye Tian returned but did not rest or cultivate. Instead, he began to fuse two forbidden Dark Spear talents.

“Fuse!”

Ye Tian focused his mind and willed it to happen.

Boom!!!! A terrifying wave of pain swept over him, reminiscent of the first time he had fused a talent. However, he managed to endure it.

This time, the fusion process took significantly longer—an entire day passed before it finally concluded.

Afterward, Ye Tian fused with the second Dark Spear talent, which also took him a full day.

However, fusing two Forbidden Talents into a single Forbidden Sky Talent took him several decades. All of this fusion process was conducted within a Time Formation, so only a short amount of time passed in the outside world.

The Dark Spear Forbidden Talent was not merely the manifestation of a single Dark Spear, as Ye Tian initially thought. Instead, it embodied the indestructible characteristic. This could either enhance the Forbidden Spear or be applied directly to the wielder’s body.

For instance, the lord-level forbidden insect had imbued the Dark Spear Talent onto its long legs, making its attacks unimaginably powerful. Its strikes could easily pierce through Ye Tian’s body. Even a Half-Step Domain Ancestor would likely not dare to take a direct hit from the Dark Spear.

Ye Tian experimented by channeling the Dark Spear Talent into his Forbidden Spear, which immediately amplified the spear’s power tenfold. This dramatic increase also significantly boosted Ye Tian’s combat strength.

Next, he imbued the Forbidden Spear’s power onto his fingertip. With just one finger, he could easily pierce through a Dao Artifact.

Unfortunately, the Dark Spear Talent was purely offensive in nature, unable to provide any form of defensive augmentation.

Of course, directly utilizing talents was the most primitive and inefficient method.

For example, a Dao-level core talent, when used directly, would not exhibit immense power. Instead, its primary purpose was to assist cultivators in rapidly comprehending Dao Techniques.

Likewise, Ye Tian realized the significance of Forbidden Talents: 𝐟𝕣𝕖𝐞𝐰𝕖𝚋𝐧𝗼𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝗰𝐨𝐦

“Forbidden Talents correspond to Forbidden Dao Techniques!” he murmured to himself.

Forbidden Dao Techniques had to be personally comprehended. Techniques created by others were unsuitable for one’s use. Moreover, anyone qualified to cultivate Forbidden Dao Techniques would never adopt another’s methods; doing so would destroy their Forbidden Dao foundation.

As a result, the path beyond a Pinnacle Dao Ancestor relied almost entirely on personal enlightenment. It could not be taught or passed down, which explained the rarity of Invincible Dao Ancestors and Half-Step Domain Ancestors.

Although Ye Tian now possessed a Forbidden Talent, which greatly increased his odds of creating a Forbidden Dao Technique, it was far from a simple endeavor. It would still require an extended period of effort.

Nevertheless, with the Dark Spear Talent, Ye Tian’s combat power surged to levels comparable to the weakest Pinnacle Dao Ancestor. If he encountered an elite forbidden insect, he would now have the strength to put up a fight.

Ye Tian and Xiao Yue rested at the Blackwind Mountain base for several months, taking time to understand the current battlefield situation.

The battlefield was divided into three main levels: the First-Level Battlefield, dominated by Invincible Dao Ancestors; the Second-Level Battlefield, occupied by Pinnacle Dao Ancestors; and the Third-Level Battlefield, where weaker forces operated.

The Third-Level Battlefield was located closer to the various bases. Elite forbidden insects were extremely rare there, as most of them were held off by Pinnacle Dao Ancestors. This was to prevent the elite insects from slaughtering ordinary Dao Ancestors on a large scale.

If too many Dao Ancestors fell, the Forbidden Insect Race could take their bodies back to their nests, using them to breed even more forbidden insects—a truly disastrous outcome.

…

One day.

Ye Tian received a command from Blackwind Mountain.

“Heavenly King Nine Limits, proceed immediately to the Third-Level Battlefield to intercept a group of forbidden insects!” This was a direct order from the Wind King.

According to the Wind King, a group of over three hundred Dao Ancestors had been slaughtered. The forbidden insects responsible for the massacre were transporting the bodies back to their nest. It was imperative to intercept them in the Third-Level Battlefield.

If these forbidden insects escaped, they would undoubtedly use the bodies to cultivate a large number of new forbidden insects.

Of course.

Ye Tian wasn’t the only one to receive this command. Many Seventh Heaven Dao Ancestors in the Third-Level Battlefield also received the same order. However, only the most elite Seventh Heaven Dao Ancestors were selected. Ordinary Seventh Heaven Dao Ancestors lacked the qualifications to participate in such a mission. If they tried, they would simply be walking into their deaths.