Centered on Shilin Province, a terrifying storm of spiritual energy abruptly swept across the entire land of Xuanhuang.
Gales howled and echoed. Even the various Heavenly Cities of the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals, which drifted perpetually in the sky as though they would never fall, shuddered to varying degrees under the hurricane's fury.
The raging winds were merely a minor concern.
What truly struck horror into the hearts of the Alliance cultivators was that countless black insects had appeared out of nowhere like dark storm clouds.
Blotting out the sun and sky, they blanketed all of Xuanhuang.
Before the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals could even react, the insect calamity had already spread to every corner of its territory.
In a mere half-day, the concentration of spiritual energy across the Xuanhuang Realm plunged off a cliff.
In this moment of crisis, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals finally unleashed the decisive efficiency befitting one of the two masters of the Xuanhuang Realm.
All Dao Integration cultivators within the Alliance, regardless of what they were engaged in, were ordered to depart immediately and participate in slaughtering the black insects. Those below the Dao Integration realm who had confidence in their own strength could also join the culling, with substantial rewards promised for the future.
Those lacking sufficient cultivation could take shelter in Heavenly Cities, cave abodes, or the Heavenly Profound Mirror for the time being, waiting until the calamity had passed.
Once the Alliance's edict was issued, the situation across the various provinces shifted dramatically.
Beyond their ability to devour spiritual energy and multiply rapidly in massive numbers, the mutated Dao-One Worms possessed no other special offensive or defensive means.
After suffering a few casualties, the Alliance quickly discovered the most effective method for countering the black insects.
By employing a specialized technique, they mobilized immense divine senses to forcibly seize control of the swarms, driving them to cannibalize one another and rapidly exhaust their numbers.
By utilizing this method, just two Dao Integration cultivators could purge the insect plague from an entire province in a short time.
Once the Alliance popularized this secret technique known as "Insect Sovereign," the rampaging insect calamity instantly showed signs of unraveling.
……
Deep within Baishi Grotto-Heaven, Li Fan observed through the Dao-One Mother Worms' senses, taking note of every Alliance cultivator who performed conspicuously well during this crisis and cross-referencing them against the records in the Heavenly Profound Mirror.
"These are the Alliance's true upper-echelon combat forces. So long as these people do not fall, the Alliance of Ten Thousand Immortals won't face any truly grave danger.
"Yet if these individuals are eliminated first, the loss of its backbone would instantly plunge the Alliance into an awkward predicament where no capable hands remain. When that time comes, even a minor disaster could inflict catastrophic consequences."
After daydreaming for a moment, Li Fan brought his thoughts back to reality.
Sensing the rapidly dwindling numbers of the swarm, he could not help but knit his brows.
The Alliance's countermeasure—using Insect Sovereign to manipulate the swarms and turn them against each other—had slightly exceeded his expectations.
Originally, the Mother Worm possessed absolute dominion over the swarm's spawn. Furthermore, the Dao-One Worms' rudimentary life form meant that ordinary control methods were utterly useless against them.
Yet this Insect Sovereign secret technique usurped the Mother Worm's control by disguising the caster as a sovereign over the insects.
"Insect Sovereign..."
Possessing access to the Heavenly Profound Mirror, Li Fan easily learned the details of this secret technique. In his view, the method seemed to share the same origin as the Beast Taming Sect's Beast Taming Reincarnation Wheel.
"Could it be that Di Sanmo lent a hand?"
The new Dao-One Worms had not yet been fully positioned. If the calamity ended at this point, it might fail to lure out Dharma Transmitter Jiang.
"Time to initiate the backup plan, then."
Li Fan pondered for a moment, and two Dao-One Mother Worms instantly materialized in his palm.
Due to the massive die-off of the swarms, their bodies were no longer as plump as they had been at the start, appearing somewhat listless.
At the same time, they glared at each other with wary, ravenous eyes.
It was an instinct to survive in moments of peril by devouring their own kind.
Looking at these two tiny bugs that had stirred up tempestuous turmoil across Xuanhuang, Li Fan's gaze showed not the slightest ripple of emotion.
Exerting a fraction of strength, he crushed them both to death in an instant.
Along with Li Fan's action, the sky across the entire Xuanhuang Realm underwent a dramatic change.
The black insects densely covering the firmament, buzzing and clicking ceaselessly, suddenly fell completely silent.
And then...
Like torrential rain, they plummeted from the sky.
The Alliance cultivators who had been striving to eliminate the black insects were momentarily stunned.
Instinctively pulling some of the dead insects over to examine them, they discovered that it was no trick.
Seeing this, some breathed a sigh of relief, remarking that the calamity had vanished as swiftly as it had come.
Yet other cultivators with sharper spiritual instincts felt an ever-growing sense of foreboding.
They hastily reported the situation to Alliance Headquarters.
In the blink of an eye, every black insect ravaging the land of Xuanhuang was dead, leaving only carcasses carpeting the ground.
If these insect remains were not dealt with promptly, they would likely cause unknown troubles.
After deliberating, the Alliance soon issued an order.
They announced that the cultivators who had previously taken refuge could safely venture out and assist in clearing the surroundings.
It was not mandatory, but offered a substantial reward in contribution points.
Consequently, many cultivators could not resist the temptation and left their safe havens.
Beholding the carcasses of the black insects blanketing the entire land of Xuanhuang, their scalps prickled with dread.
The bodies of the black insects were composed almost entirely of the specialized energy they had devoured and converted.
This energy was somewhat similar to spiritual energy, yet it could not be absorbed or utilized by cultivators.
When countless black insects died simultaneously and their carcasses naturally decomposed, this specialized energy rapidly diffused into the air.
After a mere half-day, the qualitative leap caused by quantitative accumulation had already arrived.
"Ugh..."
The foul odor permeating the air caused the cultivators immersed in it to feel an involuntary wave of nausea.
An uncontrollable urge to vomit overwhelmed them.
"Hold your breath and seal your senses, everyone! This stench is poisonous!"
Nausea was merely the least of their worries; when a cultivator who had remained too long in the reeking environment abruptly fainted, the real trouble began.
With a loud bang, the unconscious cultivator's body blew apart into bloody pieces.
Although he was swiftly reborn from his grotto-heaven, the addition of a cultivator's flesh and blood made the odor in the air even more unbearable.
Furthermore, so long as there was any exchange with the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, this peculiar fetid stench would trace the fluctuations of the spiritual energy directly into a cultivator's body.
Not every cultivator possessed nearly inexhaustible spiritual resources like Li Fan with his Five Elements Great Grotto-Heaven.
Ordinary cultivators still needed to draw spiritual energy from the world around them.
Owing to the earlier insect plague, the concentration of spiritual energy in the Xuanhuang Realm had already plummeted to an exceedingly low level.
Before it could recover, it was now tainted by the stench of the insects and the scent of blood.
This condition reached its absolute peak as the carcasses of the black insects completely decayed.
In such a foul, reeking environment, even Nascent Soul cultivators could not endure for long.
Only those at Soul Formation or above could rely on their profound foundations to maintain normal activities.
Even so, after moving about in the fetid outdoors for a while, they would still feel varying degrees of psychological revulsion and nausea.
"How on earth did our fine Xuanhuang Realm suddenly turn into this?"
Countless cultivators lamented from the depths of their hearts.
Chapter 1066