Chapter 163: What Brings You Here?
The Insect Mother had countless arms, and its cries of pain echoed through every corner of the underground cavern.
"AHHH—"
The Insect Mother thrashed about in agony, its struggles causing the underground space to tremble violently. Dirt and loose stones rained down from above.
This act thoroughly enraged the entire Insect Clan.
In an instant, the eyes of every member of the Insect Clan turned red, as if ignited by a burning fury.
They could tolerate being killed, but injuring the Insect Mother was something that enraged them even more than the prospect of their own deaths.
The Insect Mother was the hope of their clan. Without her, they could not produce offspring.
Therefore, the Beastman’s actions had crossed an unforgivable line.
At once, every member of the Insect Clan grabbed their weapons and charged at them in a frenzy.
The blast shocked some of the reason back into Hu Yan.
He shot to his feet. A flicker of gold flashed through his pale blue eyes as countless tails materialized behind him, spiritual power surging from his hands.
Hu Yan’s expression was grim. His spiritual power spread out like a vast, invisible net, instantly blanketing the entire Insect Cave.
Every member of the Insect Clan caught in the spiritual power involuntarily glanced up at the pale blue energy.
Seeing the sheer power of Hu Yan’s spiritual energy, the Insect Mother’s expression grew solemn.
’That person never said Hu Yan’s spiritual power was this strong.’
It made her realize this Beastman was far more powerful than she had previously thought.
The Insect Mother was no longer as arrogant as before. She turned to one of the insects she trusted and ordered in a low voice, "You, go..."
Then, the Insect Mother quickly scurried deeper into the tunnels.
But because her body was so cumbersome, even her "run" looked more like a slow walk, only marginally faster.
The Insect Clan’s burrows formed a labyrinth leading in every direction, and the tunnel the Insect Mother chose had been specially designed for emergencies.
Every step the Insect Mother took was accompanied by a THUMP-THUMP-THUMPING vibration. To prevent enemies from tracking her, a stone door would descend and seal off the sound as soon as she entered that particular tunnel.
However, before the Insect Mother could escape into the safe tunnel, Hu Yan’s spiritual power had already enveloped the entire Insect Clan.
In an instant, every insect—except for the Mother—seemed to fall under a spell, freezing in place, completely immobilized.
When the Insect Mother saw that her personal guards were all controlled, she clumsily quickened her pace. Her speed was still sluggish, but it was a fraction faster than before.
Controlling so many insects in such a short time was an immense drain on Hu Yan’s spiritual power, but he couldn’t worry about that now.
Seeing the insects immobilized, the adjutant immediately led a squad of elite Beastmen in pursuit of the Insect Mother.
The Insect Mother was unnervingly resilient. She was immune to spiritual control, and bullets couldn’t penetrate her hide. They seemed to do no more than tickle her. With her towering frame, she sent several Beastmen flying with a single swipe of her arm.
They were at a stalemate.
Just then, Hu Yan staggered slightly. He quickly pulled out a Beast Core and absorbed it, replenishing his depleted spiritual power.
Then he took out the venom he had collected from the giant spider and advanced on the Insect Mother. "You may be impervious to blades and immune to spiritual attacks, but I wonder if the venom of your own subordinate will have any effect on you."
The Insect Mother’s enormous eyes swiveled as if in thought. Suddenly, she spoke. "We can negotiate. I can cooperate with him, or I can cooperate with you. How about this: if you let me go, I will release that female."
Her voice was laced with temptation.
Hu Yan’s expression remained unchanged as he calmly replied, "Letting you go is impossible. But if you release her, I can promise to spare your life."
The Insect Mother’s expression twisted, and a vicious light glinted in her eyes. "In that case, we’ll all die together!"
The moment she finished speaking, a deafening RUMBLE echoed through the cave, which immediately began to shake violently.
BANG! BANG—
The Insect Cave began to give way, with boulders raining down from the ceiling. Everyone’s eyes shot toward the collapsing section. Many of the insects were already buried. The Beastmen scrambled to dodge the falling rocks while desperately searching for an exit.
Amid the chaos, Hu Yan remained unnaturally calm.
He instinctively gave chase, but a massive boulder suddenly crashed down, blocking his path.
With quick reflexes, Hu Yan flung the vial of venom toward the Insect Mother. But due to the distance, it only splashed a small patch of her body.
When he looked again, he saw that a stone door had slammed shut, blocking the path the Insect Mother had taken to escape.
’I can’t believe it,’ Hu Yan thought. ’To ensure her own escape, the Insect Mother was ruthless enough to bury her entire clan alive.’
The adjutant’s expression was grave. "Third Prince, what do we do now?"
Seeing that any pursuit of the Insect Mother was hopeless, Hu Yan looked at the collapsing cave and said decisively, "We’re pulling out."
After a quick survey of the area, Hu Yan pointed. "Focus heavy weapons on this spot."
At his command, everyone aimed their weapons at the location Hu Yan had indicated.
BOOM—
BANG! BANG!
The wall instantly blew apart, revealing a new tunnel.
"Everyone, move in!"
Even in such a crisis, the retreat was orderly. There was no pushing or shoving.
Hu Yan brought up the rear, using his spiritual power to hold back the collapsing ceiling. Once everyone was clear, he quickly retracted his power and darted away.
The instant Hu Yan withdrew his spiritual power, the entire cavern collapsed with a final, deafening ROAR, sending plumes of dust billowing up from the ground.
Because Hu Yan had yet to emerge, everyone crowded the new opening, frantically shouting, "Third Prince!"
The adjutant was about to charge back in, but just as he reached the entrance, he saw Hu Yan’s figure emerge from the dust.
"Third Prince!" the adjutant cried out, a mix of surprise and relief in his voice.
Hu Yan grunted. "Let’s get to the surface first."
’The Insect Mother escaped, but she was hit with the giant spider’s venom. I can only hope it’s effective against her.’
Hu Yan ordered them to return and support Sates, while he piloted his Warship back to the Main Star at top speed.
Along the way, he repeatedly tried to enter Bai Zhi’s spirit sea, but to no avail. He then tried contacting Lang Qiu and the others.
That, too, was fruitless.
「That afternoon」
While Bai Zhi and the others were playing cards, Zelda arrived.
Strangely, it was Uncle Sen, the butler, who let Zelda in. Usually, he just walked right in.
Seeing Zelda, Yue Junxiao immediately greeted him. "What brings you here? Come join us for a hand!"
Lang Qiu noted Zelda’s grim expression and asked, "What’s wrong?"
Zelda’s face was stern. "The Insect Clan has infiltrated the Main Star. It’s no longer safe here. Hu Yan sent me to take you somewhere else to lay low."