Chapter 2: Return to the Star Continent (Part 2)

The white thatch glowed faintly, and in the gray sky, fireflies fluttered about. Apart from the chirping of insects and the sound of wind rustling through the plants, there was no other noise—everything was eerily quiet.
Monier wrapped her arms around herself and said softly, “I wonder what’s in this secret realm? It seems someone has been here before us.”
Eagle Demon replied, “Judging from the traces… at least two people have been here, all before us. I don’t know how many more have entered before. This place seems to be a hotspot… Many secret realms remain unvisited by professionals. They seem to know which ones are valuable and which aren’t.”
Guo Shier nodded. “Yes, I think they must have a map of the Star Continent’s secret realms. It’s a pity we don’t have one, nor do we dare go to the Star Sect to buy one.”
Monier said, “There must be a map, but it’s hard to obtain. These are all secrets of the sect. Only inner disciples or direct disciples might get their hands on one. Even if we went to the Star Sect’s territory, I doubt we could buy one.”
Qi Nanshan said, “We can only rely on luck.”
Guo Shier smiled bitterly. “I believe… my luck has always been good.” After exploring so many secret realms with no trace of the old man, one has to admit he’s clever—having left countless misleading traces to prevent enemies from finding him, as well as those who came to rescue him.
Suddenly, Guo Shier stopped the Dark-Winged Scorpion and pricked up his ears. Qi Nanshan jumped off as soon as the scorpion stopped; he knew Guo Shier wouldn’t stop for no reason—something must have been discovered. A rustling sound came from the ground, caused by insects moving about.
Monier felt a chill and asked softly, “What is it?”
Guo Shier laughed. “It’s snakes! Hehe, probably regular snakes, not mutated ones. Not much of a threat… Let’s rest for a while and let the Dark-Winged Scorpion hunt.” He could sense the scorpion’s excited agitation—the feeling of spotting prey.
The group got off, and Eagle Demon cleared a spot on the ground, laying down animal skins as a mat. The Dark-Winged Scorpion rushed out excitedly. Guo Shier didn’t sit down; he stared into the distance. The scorpion’s thick tail kept lashing out, its pincers swinging, while green poisonous mist sprayed from its mouth, accompanied by hissing and chirping sounds.
Only then did Guo Shier sit down. “I didn’t expect the Dark-Winged Scorpion to get hungry too.” He could sense the scorpion’s soul, allowing him to understand its moods and emotions.

Monier said, “That’s the problem with Spirit Beasts—they’re strong, but troublesome.”
Guo Shier smiled and said, “It’s not that troublesome. Let them hunt on their own and grow stronger; I don’t need to worry too much.”
Monier habitually patted Guo Shier’s head and laughed, “That’s because you’re special. Most people release Spirit Beasts for battle and take them back after the fight, as it drains their own soul energy. I’m curious… you can keep releasing Spirit Beasts for a long time without any impact. It’s really strange. That’s why your strength far exceeds that of ordinary beast controllers.”
Guo Shier shrunk his neck. He was used to Monier’s affectionate gestures, which were purely like an elder comforting a child. He smiled and said, “I don’t know either. From the start when I used the beast talismans, I realized I was different from others. The more advanced the talisman, the more so.”
Qi Nanshan said, “That’s just good luck for you.”
Guo Shier thought to himself, “Luck? Nonsense. It’s because of the strength of my reincarnated soul.” But even those closest to him couldn’t know this—it was his greatest secret. He replied vaguely, “Maybe. Who knows?”
Squeak!
Guo Shier suddenly stood up and said, “Bad news! It’s a mutated talisman worm!” Before his words faded, he had already dashed off.
About ten meters in front of the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion stood a majestic seven-meter-long pure white mantis. All the plants around it were white, and the mantis was hidden among them. But its huge size made it stand out, with a glowing aura on its body—shadows of talismans.
Guo Shier exclaimed in surprise, “Blade Shadow Mantis! Mutated Blade Shadow Mantis!”
Eagle Demon arrived shortly after. As someone who had received the inheritance, he naturally recognized this famous ancient secret insect-type mutated talisman worm. He said, “Indeed, it’s a Blade Shadow Mantis.”
Qi Nanshan asked, “Weren’t we able to eliminate a Green Blade Mantis before? Is this one even stronger than that?”
Eagle Demon replied, “Of course. The Green Blade Mantis is just an ordinary mutated talisman worm. This one belongs to the secret insect category and is on par with the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion. But I can’t tell… what level of mutated talisman worm this is.”
Guo Shier examined the Blade Shadow Mantis carefully. Through the inheritance, he had learned a lot about ancient talisman worms and beasts—it was part of the system’s inheritance. The Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion ranked 37th among secret insect types, making it a fairly good one. The Blade Shadow Mantis ranked 48th.
Its strength wasn’t particularly great, but its speed was incredibly fast. Once it tried to escape, it was hard to capture.

This Blade Shadow Mantis was a mutated adult. Guo Shier estimated it to be at the same level as the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion, around level seven. Its appearance differed greatly from that of the Green Blade Mantis—it had a slender and streamlined body, with its two front limbs completely transformed into blade shapes. The front and rear limbs were fused together, resembling a large scythe, standing beside its triangular head. Its pair of compound eyes were red, with seemingly flowing runes inside.

The Blade Shadow Mantis elegantly turned its long neck. Since the Dark-Winged Demon Scorpion remained motionless and Guo Shier and the others didn’t move either, the Blade Shadow Mantis didn’t attack either. The prolonged standoff created immense pressure.

Qi Nanshan appeared indifferent. He didn’t find level-seven mutated rune insects, even those from the Secret Insect category, difficult to fight. Thinking back to the difficulty of dealing with the Green Blade Mantis and the peril of fighting a level-seven Earth Dragon, things had completely changed now—his strength gave him great confidence.

Monier disliked rune insects. Like the Eagle Demon, she stood behind Guo Shier. Only Qi Nanshan stood in front, as it was his habit as a Rune Martial professional. He said, “I’ll go scout first. Hehe, be careful—don’t let this guy escape.”

Encountering any mutated rune beasts or insects was both dangerous and an opportunity. Whether they were mutated rune beasts or insects, every part of them could be considered valuable. If captured, it would be a huge bounty, so of course, no one would miss such a chance.

Guo Shier said, “Okay, Grandpa Nanshan, you take the lead attack. Uncle Eagle Demon, you hold it off. My wife and I will use rune attacks!” He quickly arranged the order of attack and assigned tasks to each person.

Everyone was used to Guo Shier’s commands and immediately took action upon hearing him. As soon as Qi Nanshan moved, the Blade Shadow Mantis followed, leaving only a white shadow on Guo Shier’s retinas. A thought flashed through his mind: “So fast!”

Qi Nanshan’s strength had improved dramatically. The strength of a Great Sage was extraordinary, especially that of a Rune Martial Great Sage, whose vision was extremely sharp. When the Blade Shadow Mantis lunged, he could easily pinpoint its attack path. With a loud shout, “Get lost!” he produced a spear engulfed in black rune fire.

The Blade Shadow Mantis suddenly stretched out its two massive front limbs, slashing down like lightning with a sharp, piercing sound. Everyone saw only two fan-shaped beams of white light. Immediately afterward, a dark shadow resembling a flying dragon rushed forward.

Bang! Bang!

Two dull thuds followed by the screeching sound of the Blade Shadow Mantis. Qi Nanshan neither dodged nor avoided, forcefully pushing aside the slashing blade to block the Mantis’s attack. The Blade Shadow Mantis was incredibly fast; if it could utilize its speed advantage, Qi Nanshan might be fine, but Guo Shier and Monier would be in danger.

When the Mantis’s body became visible, Eagle Demon Thunder struck with his blade at the joint of one of its long legs. With a crisp crack, the Mantis’s body trembled, one of its legs fell off, and drops of blue blood splattered everywhere. By then, Eagle Demon Thunder was already lunging at its other leg.

The Dark Winged Scorpion silently raised its thick tail, shot forward abruptly, and its scorpion tail lashed out. Even faster, with a thud, the sharp spikes on its tail struck the Mantis’s swollen belly, creating a hole the size of a bowl. A ring of black quickly spread around the wound.

Guo Shier shouted, “Trap it! It’s poisoned!”
Monier continued to wrap it with her spirit talismans, targeting the Mantis’s long legs as well—limiting its movement would make things easier. Guo Shier unleashed his own life talisman blade. With everyone attacking simultaneously, along with the Dark Winged Scorpion’s ambush, the Mantis was instantly rendered unable to move.

Guo Shier cried, “Grandpa Nanshan, don’t use the Soul Talisman Fire!” The Soul Talisman Fire was extremely powerful; it would completely cripple the Mantis, leaving no material to collect.

Qi Nanshan laughed loudly, “You plan to feed it to the Dark Winged Scorpion?”
Guo Shier replied with a smile, “Exactly!” Using part of the Mantis’s flesh and blood along with its soul would greatly benefit the Dark Winged Scorpion, so he couldn’t bear to let the Soul Talisman Fire destroy it.

Qi Nanshan shouted, “Fine, I’ll keep it for you!” He thrust his spear forward, and the black flame attached to it vanished. The spear pierced straight into the Mantis’s hard shell, and with a vigorous twist, it created a large hole in the Mantis’s neck.

Eagle Demon Thunder was still busy slashing, shouting, “I’m cutting its legs!”
Crack! One leg was severed. Then he shouted again, “Cutting its legs!”
Crack! Another leg was chopped off.

Guo Shier was stunned. In fact, the Mantis was already dead. It had really bad luck—it was attacked by Qi Nanshan’s spear right from the start. The Soul Talisman Fire was all-pervasive; even a tiny trace on the spear tip had burned its soul. It hardly had a chance to show its strength before being killed by everyone working together.

Eagle Demon Thunder held his blade and shouted at the last remaining leg, “Cutting its legs!”

Guo Shier thought, “Damn! This sentence sounds so awkward!”