Chapter 198: Setting the Trap (Part Two)

Within the Spirit Annihilation Array, seven or eight cultivators exuding Mid Core Formation Stage auras formed a group, darting frantically toward Young Master Ma’s direction. They were fleeing for their lives.

“Brother Wang, we’ve definitely been schemed against by that little witch!”

A powerfully built man snarled with rage, complaining to the person ahead.

“Brother Wu, if you have time to complain here, you’d be better off focusing on escape! Can’t you see the Spirit Annihilation Array has already activated its killing mechanism?”

A scholarly middle-aged man at the forefront of the group retorted grimly.

These cultivators were not students of the Divine Wind Academy. They had joined Jia Longwu’s team venturing into the Hundred Thousand Mountains solely to exploit the academy’s reputation, hoping to reap some benefits. Never did they expect to encounter such calamity right at the outset.

Boom!

Just then, a surge of dense killing intent swept over them. Simultaneously, the massive Light Barrier in the sky shifted to a blood-red hue.

Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!

Sensing this murderous aura, every Core Formation Cultivator paled drastically.

“Damn it!”

“The killing array!”

Having sensed impending danger amid the chaos, these Mid Core Formation Stage cultivators had deliberated and chosen to flee. Now they realized it was already too late.

Had they fled immediately, they might have avoided this fate. However, greed had blinded them. Upon hearing Young Master Ma proclaim the small flower atop Red Captain Wang’s head was the Ascension Immortal Grass, they had all adopted a wait-and-see attitude, wasting precious time in hesitation. Only later did they realize it was not Ascension Immortal Grass at all—it was clearly the Life-Taking Ascension Grass!

Had they lingered a moment longer, they would have fallen victim to Red Captain Wang.

To them, Red Captain Wang was utterly terrifying. His powers far exceeded anything a Mid Core Formation Stage cultivator should possess. His tongue was lethal; anyone touched by it died in excruciating agony. Though they hadn’t experienced it themselves, the twisted expressions of the dead cultivators were testament enough.

Of the thousand cultivators present, over a hundred had perished within a quarter-hour. As time passed, Red Captain Wang grew increasingly monstrous.

Thus, sensing abnormal Spiritual Energy fluctuations in this direction, they had fled toward it.

“Move! Everyone, don’t stop! If we combine our strength for one strike, we should break free!”

The scholarly leader made a snap decision. With a shout, he transformed into an Escape Light and streaked toward Young Master Ma’s location.

“Go!”

Seeing their leader’s resolve, the other cultivators exchanged grim looks before also transforming into Escape Lights and following him.

Buzzzzzz!

But just as they flew a hundred zhang, a piercing screech echoed from afar.

“What is that?”

Squinting, they saw a dark swarm of insect figures racing toward them and cried out in alarm.

“Get lost! Don’t block my path!”

Ignoring the insects, the scholarly man at the front enveloped himself in Protective Spirit Light. With a casual wave, he hurled several massive Fireballs at the swarm and continued speeding forward.

Sizzle! Sizzle! Sizzle!

However, those flying insects were not ordinary flying insects.

The fireballs that could incinerate stones and melt gold, after encountering these flying insects, not only failed to burn the flying insects to death, but were instead devoured clean by those flying insects.

Hiss, hiss!

After devouring the fireballs, bursts of yellow light erupted from the bodies of those flying insects, and a terrifying crimson glow appeared in their eyes. One by one, they pounced toward the Protective Spirit Light of the middle-aged man dressed as a scholar.

“Damn it! Mortal scum!”

After seeing these flying insects pouncing toward him, the face of the middle-aged man dressed as a scholar dramatically changed color. He did not dare to use fireballs again, but instead slapped his Storage Pouch with one hand. A light blue Frigid Ice talisman flew out, he infused spiritual energy into it, wanting to freeze and seal these flying insects.

“Ah!”

But it was already too late. The Protective Spirit Light on his body surface suddenly became fragile as paper, directly collapsing and scattering. Those little insects immediately pounced, one by one burrowing into his body through his nostrils and mouth, and he let out a scream of shock.

“What?”

“Impossible!”

The cultivators a bit further back saw such a bizarre scene, one by one frightened and flustered.

Encountering the Red Captain Wang had already brought their endurance to the brink of collapse. Now, after seeing these flying insects, their faces changed dramatically.

Stare!

But in an instant, that middle-aged man dressed as a scholar opened his eyes again, turned back expressionlessly, and headed in this direction, following the flying insects.

“Run!”

“Run quickly!”

After seeing that middle-aged man dressed as a scholar approaching, these people immediately reacted and felt the urge to flee. But their speed was too slow, simply couldn’t keep up with those flying insects.

“Ah!”

In an instant, these seven or eight Mid Core Formation Stage cultivators were each controlled by those yellow flying insects. They turned direction and flew expressionlessly toward the center of the battle.

…

Just as these cultivators were flying toward the center, the Young Master Ma outside the grand array watched the large Compass Disk before him with a tense expression.

Suddenly, the cluster of yellow light dots on the Compass Disk vanished, turning into seven or eight bright light dots instead.

“Haha, the Soul-Eating Locusts have successfully taken over! Red Worm, don’t you love souls? Go ahead and devour as much as you want, the more the better—a thousand cultivators are enough for you to feast on! Hehe!”

On Young Master Ma’s pale face, due to excessive excitement, an unnatural crimson flush became more prominent, while at the same time, the green light on his body surface flickered more and more unsteadily.

Thump!

But suddenly, Young Master Ma seemed to detect something. He sharply turned his head to look behind him and shouted loudly, “Who is it? Who is sneaking around there? Get out here, motherfucker!”

Unfortunately, there was nothing there. After observing for a moment, Young Master Ma saw nothing. He frowned deeply and muttered, “Just a moment ago, I clearly felt someone there. Could it just be an illusion?”

Thinking this, Young Master Ma turned back and looked at the Compass Disk again. But at the instant he turned back, a cold smirk touched the corner of his mouth.

In the void that Young Master Ma couldn’t see, Tang Jinbiao and the Azure Dragon were hiding there at that moment.

“Phew, that was close! It scared this dragon to death!”

The Big Yellow Dog, transformed from the Azure Dragon, exhaled with lingering fear inwardly feeling fortunate, although he was confident in his concealment ability. But for a moment just now, he had the illusion of being discovered.

“Ah Huang, descend!”

However, at this very moment, Tang Jinbiao’s expression changed slightly, and he immediately urged the Azure Dragon to descend.

“Yes!”

Without hesitation, the Azure Dragon followed the command and dropped downward as soon as it heard Tang Jinbiao.

“Come out, damn it!”

Just after the Azure Dragon carrying Tang Jinbiao had descended about ten feet, the Young Master Ma, who had already turned away, suddenly whipped around. Bursts of green flame instantly shot from his palms, blasting toward the spot where Tang Jinbiao and the Azure Dragon had hidden moments before.

This emerald fire was no ordinary flame; it was soul fire, capable of corroding the soul. Even a Nascent Soul Cultivator, upon contact with the tiniest wisp of this soul fire, could not escape a tragic end.

The soul fire would slowly corrode the Nascent Soul until it burned it completely to nothingness.

Whoosh!

However, the green fire failed to force Tang Jinbiao and the Azure Dragon out. Instead, it flew into the distance, striking only empty air.

“Hmph! Seems I was overly suspicious!”

Finding the spot indeed empty, the Young Master Ma gave a contemptuous snort. He glanced disdainfully at Jia Longwu lying on the ground before ignoring him completely, his gaze fixed intensely on the enormous Compass Disk.

At this moment, the light point on the Compass Disk had traveled to its very center.

“Devour! Devour! The more you devour, the surer my success becomes!”

Excitement radiated from the Young Master Ma’s face as if he glimpsed the dawn of victory.

“Despicable! How could this man be so insidious!”

The Azure Dragon, having narrowly escaped with Tang Jinbiao, landed beside Jia Longwu on the ground. Its eyes glared up with pure venomous hatred toward the Young Master Ma in the sky.

“Young Master Ma, eh? Heh heh, you truly are no good sort!”

Tang Jinbiao also glanced at Jia Longwu on the ground. Though tempted to finish Jia Longwu off immediately, the fear of discovery held him back. Dismissing the thought, he wore an ambiguous half-smile as he looked upon the airborne Young Master Ma.

“Who is he? Why does he feel so… familiar?”

Yet the Azure Dragon harbored the strangest feeling. Despite the Young Master Ma’s loathsome nature, a sliver of reverence stirred within it, as if the Young Master Ma were its sovereign, commanding an instinctual admiration. It couldn’t articulate this confusing sentiment – it felt less like confronting an enemy, and more like facing a kinsman. Distractedly, it murmured to itself.

However, mingled with this reverence was a profound disgust, a bone-deep revulsion. It was as though they were natural enemies, locked in a vital struggle, where only one could survive upon meeting.

“Ah Huang, what’s wrong?”

Tang Jinbiao noticed the Azure Dragon’s unusual state and directly transmitted his question via soul link.

“I don’t know, Master. That man in the sky… he feels like kin to me. Yet, at the same time, it’s as though he’s my most deeply hated foe!”

The Azure Dragon couldn’t understand the origin of these feelings – the simultaneous closeness and aversion.

“Hmm?”

Hearing the Azure Dragon’s words, Tang Jinbiao’s brow deeply furrowed. Ah Huang was originally the Demon Emperor, he thought to himself. Though his Cultivation Level is Sealed, his innate sense for these things should remain. If he says this, there must be more to it!

The Azure Dragon is a member of the dragon clan. If it feels kinship towards the Young Master Ma, wouldn’t that imply Young Master Ma is also a dragon? No, Young Master Ma isn’t dragonkin; he’s just a spectral flame!

“Spectral flame? Wait… I think I understand!”

At the thought of “spectral flame,” Tang Jinbiao seemed to grasp something. He immediately asked the Azure Dragon via soul transmission: “Ah Huang, tell me again. What are the seven colors of the Rainbow Seven-Colored Insect, and what are their specific traits?”