With two mighty figures at least at the middle stage of Qi Refinement coming to visit their tribe, how could Commander Li dare disobey? He groaned inwardly, trembling with fear and trepidation.
Their tribe was weak. If they displeased these two mighty experts, the outsiders could likely wipe out their entire settlement with a mere wave of a hand.
Among the Insect Clan, any tribe capable of forming a settlement numbered in the millions at the very least. Although a tribe could be destroyed, exterminating every last one of them was extraordinarily difficult. It was precisely through sheer numbers and formidable reproductive capabilities that the Insect Clan had survived from antiquity to this day.
Countless ancient races had perished, yet the Insect Clan still endured, spread across the Demon Domain—a clear testament to their survivability.
"This immortal has eaten her way across the demon race, but the Insect Clan is still too hard to stomach. I've never touched them," the Immortal Fairy said with a look of disgust, taking pains to stay far away from the insects. Even as a grand celestial chef, she didn't just cook any ingredient.
"Besides, there's no reason for me to eat insects. After all, they never provoked me."
"Fairy, did all the demons you ate provoke you?"
"Of course! You have no idea how ferocious the demon race is. Demons especially love devouring immortal cultivators; a cultivator's flesh and blood is a tremendous tonic to them. Before I became an immortal, I was hunted by demons all day long."
"Life wasn't easy back then. If you didn't kill them, they'd kill you. All I could do was fight back with everything I had and kill a bunch of demons."
"I wasn't like Immortal Ying Tian and Immortal Kirin, who were blessed by destiny and had absurdly good luck, stumbling into one fortuitous encounter after another. Immortal Jiuchong had the backing of the Lianshan Clan, so he never had to worry about cultivation resources. As for Immortal Suiyue, there's no need to even mention him—he was already in the Tribulation Transcendence stage when I was just starting out in Qi Refinement!"
"I started from scratch, so poor I couldn't find any cultivation resources. If you don't have cultivation resources, you can't get stronger, and if you don't get stronger, you're just waiting to be killed. So, I ate the demons I killed."
The Immortal Fairy sighed. Life had truly been hard back then. The perilous situations and lethal impasses she had encountered were countless. Fortunately, she could fight and grew stronger fast enough, allowing her to scrape through crisis after crisis.
Lu Yang and Meng Jingzhou, led by Commander Li, arrived at the insect tribe.
According to Commander Li's introduction, their tribe was named after "Qiang," calling themselves the Qiang Insect Tribe, while the party wishing to marry Song Xiaomi was called the Jiang Insect Tribe.
"We're here! Right up ahead!" Commander Li said, pointing forward.
Following Commander Li's finger, Lu Yang looked deep into the mountain forest, where specks of starlight twinkled beautifully.
Only when they drew closer did he realize it was the glowing rears of fireflies.
The chieftain was pacing back and forth at the tribe's entrance, anxiously awaiting news from Commander Li. Before he even spotted Commander Li, he saw two colossal figures wandering in the darkness like man-eating beasts, their glowing eyes fixed upon the tribe.
As a powerful bug at the third level of Qi Refinement, he felt a lethal pressure before these two behemoths.
These two monsters were at least at the sixth level of Qi Refinement!
A catastrophe of tribal extinction!
"Everyone, on alert!"
At the chieftain's command, the warriors of the tribe sprang into action, holding tiny toothpicks and pebbles, aiming them at the two great monsters.
"Chieftain, don't attack! Don't attack!" Seeing this, Commander Li scrambled over in terror to explain. If they provoked these two mighty figures, what would have been a peaceful visit would turn into a disaster.
"These two are Meng Yang and Lu Jingzhou from the Prison Suppressing Sect. This is their first time in the Demon Domain, and they wish to visit our tribe."
Only then did the chieftain heave a sigh of relief. If they really fought, even if they won, it would be a pyrrhic victory.
"I brought back the young miss and Chishui."
Song Xiaomi and Chishui were tightly bound, stumbling as they were brought before the chieftain.
"Father, I don't want to marry him!"
"Chieftain, please believe in me! Give me time, and I'll definitely cultivate to the seventh level of Qi Refinement!"
The chieftain glared at Song Xiaomi and Chishui, releasing the terrifying pressure of the third level of Qi Refinement. "Nonsense! Is this a matter of what you want? I must entertain our distinguished guests first. I'll deal with you later!"
"Take them away!"
The chieftain turned back with an ingratiating smile. "Distinguished guests, this way please."
"Wait a moment. Don't take them away just yet," Meng Jingzhou said.
"Milord, do you have instructions?" the chieftain asked with utmost deference.
Meng Jingzhou stood with his hands behind his back, his tone flat. "Hardly instructions. While I don't particularly care for lovers living happily ever after, what I loathe even more is using power to bully people into forced marriages!"
"If you two truly love each other, then I shall protect this tribe of yours!"
Having finally found a chance to show off, how could he pass it up?
Lu Yang shot Meng Jingzhou a disdainful side-eye, easily guessing what he was thinking.
*Pathetic. What's so impressive about showing off in front of a bunch of bugs who are at most at the third level of Qi Refinement? You should at least have someone at Foundation Establishment stage to set the stage for you.*
Song Xiaomi and Chishui were overjoyed. They hadn't expected an expert of this caliber to offer his protection.
The chieftain was equally thrilled. Not only did his daughter not have to marry away, but the tribe would also gain the protection of powerful figures. This was a tremendous stroke of fortune.
Upon learning that two mighty figures would protect their tribe, the entire tribe erupted in cheers and warmly entertained the two.
The duo noticed that humanoid insects were scarce in the tribe; most were un-transformed insects. While these bugs possessed intelligence, they could not speak.
The insects capable of taking human form held important roles in the tribe, such as defending the village, managing tribal affairs, heading out to hunt, and so forth. The bugs that had captured Song Xiaomi and Chishui were responsible for protecting the village.
The Qiang Insect Tribe entertained the two to the best of their abilities. It was evidently not their first time hosting humans, as they seemed quite experienced.
The two sat cross-legged as swarms of ants marched in teams, carrying enormous bowls, chopsticks, fruits, and decorative flowers for them to enjoy.
Lu Yang took a bite of an unfamiliar fruit—crisp and refreshing. He sipped the juice from his bowl; cold and soothing as it went down his throat, these were delicacies unobtainable in the Central Continent, specialty products of the Demon Domain.
Fireflies gathered together to serve as bonfires, resembling a river of stars—a breathtaking view. Looking down from above, the two looked as if they were sitting in the middle of a galaxy.
The only fly in the ointment was the dancing performance, where swarms of mosquitoes buzzed and fluttered right before their eyes.
Fortunately, Meng Jingzhou possessed astonishing willpower and suppressed the urge to swat the mosquitoes dead.
A bustling, lively night passed.
The next morning, an uninvited guest barged into the Qiang Insect Tribe.
A large contingent of insects from the Jiang Insect Tribe arrived. Among them, a transformed insect sat atop a leaf with a haughty expression, looking down on the Qiang Insect chieftain with utter contempt, showing no intention of stepping down from his leaf.
He was the son of the Jiang Insect Tribe's chieftain, Qingdong.
Seeing two hills not far from the Qiang Insect Tribe, he felt a bit puzzled. They shouldn't have been there the last time he visited.
*Whatever, no need to overthink it.*
"I heard that yesterday my fiancée nearly ran away. Is there any truth to this?"
"Nephew Qingdong, you must be joking. No such thing happened!" the Qiang Insect chieftain flatly denied.
Qingdong narrowed his eyes. "Are you implying that I am mistaken?"
Suddenly, an aura belonging to the fourth level of Qi Refinement radiated from him!
The Qiang Insect chieftain was shocked. To think that at such a young age, he was already an expert at the fourth level of Qi Refinement!
In the entire history of the Qiang Insect Tribe, no such genius had ever appeared!
As the standoff dragged on, a deep, thunderous sound rang out. The ground trembled, and insects fell terrified to the dirt; Qingdong tumbled from his leaf as well.
Before Qingdong's horrified gaze, the hill awoke, slowly rising like a mountain thrusting up from level ground. The massive mountain blocked out the sun, plunging them all into its shadow.
That was no mountain at all—it was a human!
The person's eyes shone brightly like two miniature suns, and the pressure he radiated sent chills down Qingdong's spine.
"A mere ant in Qi Refinement, yet you dare spout such arrogance before this seat?"
Chapter 563