Chapter 4: The Encirclement (Part 1)

Qi Wu Zhen, Guo Shier, and Li Ran stared solemnly into the distance. Seraphine asked softly, “Shier, what’s wrong?”
Guo Shier’s expression gradually relaxed as he said calmly, “Hehe, those bugs have become cunning—they’ve set up an ambush ahead… And there are bugs everywhere. Big brother, we’ll probably have to use Space Break this time. There’s no way we can stop so many bugs. It seems they’re here specifically to take on us.” He gently patted Seraphine’s back to comfort her.
Li Ran asked, “How do you know they’re here specifically for us?”
Guo Shier replied, “It’s simple. Just think—these bugs form a circle around us, and with more coming from behind, we’re in the center. No matter which direction we fly, we’ll end up in the swarm. So… their presence only proves they’re here for us.”
Qi Wu Zhen said, “Shier’s right. This is a super-large encirclement targeting us. Hehe, it seems we’ve angered them.”
Seraphine felt chilled. She had never hated any bugs in her life, but the Void Bugs made her feel extreme hatred. These bugs were persistent, clinging to them relentlessly, which was truly monstrous. Even with Li Ran and the other two’s strength, they were trapped. She said, “Put me down. I… I can’t drag you down with me…”
Guo Shier snapped, “Nonsense! Stay put! We’re fine, and you’re fine too. There’s no need to rush to die!”
Seraphine was speechless from his scolding, but she wasn’t unhappy at all—instead, she felt warm. She said nothing more and simply hugged Guo Shier tightly.
Qi Wu Zhen couldn’t help but smile and say, “You’re overthinking it. We’re not that easy to defeat. Even if we fail, those bugs might not be able to deal with us.” His tone was full of confidence.
Li Ran said, “Let’s go. If nothing else works, we can use Space Break… break through space and exit through another place.” In truth, he wasn’t sure either. Though he had crossed dimensions many times, each crossing relied on luck, as no one knew where they’d emerge—it was a gamble. He didn’t want to take that risk unless absolutely necessary. If they ended up back in the small world, it would be a real problem.
Guo Shier understood this risk, as did Qi Wu Zhen. But both knew that failing to do so would bring even greater risks.

Looking down from great heights, one could see the scattered Void Worms forming a vast web, with the four of them at its center. No matter which direction they flew, they would collide with this web. This time, the four were truly in crisis. Li Ran no longer cared about where there were more or fewer worms; he headed straight for the exit of the Luotian Ruins. That was the direction recorded by the Tianling clan as the way to enter the ruins. If they could break through the encirclement of the Void Worms, they could escape the Luotian Ruins.

Li Ran had no intention of lingering with the Void Worms. He immediately unleashed the Boundary Breaker, enveloping the other three in its protective aura, and charged forward. The speed of the Boundary Breaker far exceeded their own flying speed. In just a few breaths, they saw the dense swarm of Void Worms in the distance. There was no need for hesitation—as soon as Li Ran saw them, he cast several spells to unleash the full power of the Boundary Breaker.

Qi Wuzhen also cast a few spells. She and Li Ran had long had a tacit understanding. With the spells enhancing both of them, the Boundary Breaker emitted intense light, shooting out terrifying beams that instantly shattered the Void Worms in front, clearing a path for them.

The Boundary Breaker was a sacrificial artifact capable of tearing through space, while the Void Worms’ greatest weapon was spatial rifts. Thus, the moment the Boundary Breaker was activated, the Worms’ main weapon became useless, and countless worms blocking their path vanished in an instant.

Guo Shier’s heart pounded wildly. He also knew well about the Boundary Breaker. This space was already unstable, and the Boundary Breaker was a tool for shattering space. If not used carefully, it could cause the entire space to collapse. By then, even with the Boundary Breaker’s protection, everything in that space would turn to nothingness.

Crackling sounds filled the air as countless worms attacked the protective barrier. Yet the Boundary Breaker’s shield was extremely strong, constantly regenerating even as it shattered, with an unparalleled ability to recover. A sacrificial artifact that could fly in space had immense resistance to the Void Worms’ spatial rifts.

Countless Void Worms gathered together, trying to stop the Boundary Breaker from advancing. The explosions caused by the Worms darkened the entire sky, and each worm’s destruction created a void connected to the void itself. Fortunately, the Boundary Breaker was fast enough to move away instantly. Guo Shier glanced back accidentally and gasped, saying, “Damn it, where did so many worms come from?”

Li Ran was nearly losing control of the Boundary Breaker. He could clearly feel that if he exerted more force, it would tear through space, which was extremely dangerous. He shouted, “Xiao Zhenzhen, help me control it! We can’t enter space…”

Qi Wu Zhen continuously chanted spells, sending waves of runes that struck the Rift. A thousand-meter-long beam of light flashed, instantly sweeping away all the Void Worms in front. Li Ran struggled hard to control the Rift, preventing it from reaching the critical point where it could tear through space. He was already sweating profusely. It wasn’t difficult to make the Rift tear through space; the real challenge was maintaining that state without further damage, which required immense spiritual energy and kept him feeling desperate.

There were countless Void Worms, covering a vast portion of the sky. Just within a dozen seconds after the Rift opened, both Li Ran and Qi Wu Zhen were sweating heavily. After a few more moments, Li Ran gritted his teeth and said, “It’s not working. Retract the power…” He spoke rapidly, and Qi Wu Zhen reacted quickly, responding with just one word: “Okay!” Together, they retracted their power and took control of the Rift.

The once-rapid Rift suddenly slowed down, but it still managed to carve a path through the swarm of worms. As the Rift slowed, they also reached the edge of the worm swarm, and the remaining Void Worms were no longer enough to stop them. The timing was perfect—neither too early nor too late—enough for them to break through. The Void Worms seemingly hadn’t expected these few people to escape and, as if enraged, rushed at them frantically.

In just a few seconds, the Rift carried the four of them out. Li Ran immediately shut down the Rift. In those brief seconds, it had consumed tens of thousands of units of spiritual energy, causing him extreme pain. He didn’t dare to keep using it, so as soon as they broke through, he shut it down and shouted, “Shier, Xiao Zhenzhen, together… speed up our flight!” Several purple chains emerged from the three of them, binding them together as they accelerated.

Every second counted—they had to get away from the swarm. They kept speeding up, and in between, they took turns firing Rune Palms backward. Though this move couldn’t harm the Void Worms, it could slow down their flight. Since teleportation required some time, and they were already flying at high speed, none of them dared to use it. If they did, they might not be able to reunite, so they gave up the fastest escape method and instead kept drawing power from the altar to speed up their flight. The Void Worms were fast too, closely pursuing them.

The entire sky behind them darkened. The Void Worms resembled a giant monster, blocking out the sun, endless in number, chasing them frantically from behind.

Cerislin had to admit the prowess of these three, who had managed to break free from such a terrifying swarm of insects, which greatly boosted her confidence in them. She couldn’t help but praise, “Guo Shier, are all professionals from your Spellcraft Clan this amazing?”
Guo Shier didn’t even have time to reply; he had to keep charging forward while continuously firing Rune Palms backward. Cerislin stared at them with admiration—completely conquered, wishing she were also a professional from the Spellcraft Clan. She had witnessed countless experts from various races being overwhelmed by the Void Insects, with none able to escape, yet these three had used just a strange weapon to break free from their encirclement. She couldn’t imagine how she could escape on her own.
After a while, thanks to their rapid flight, they finally managed to put some distance between themselves and the swarm—about a few kilometers. Of course, if they stopped, the Void Insects would catch up in moments. Fortunately, their speed was slightly faster than that of the insects, and though it required great effort, the distance kept increasing little by little.
Another hour passed, and they finally managed to distance themselves by over ten kilometers from the swarm. Looking back, Li Ran, Guo Shier, and Qi Wu Zhen all felt as if they had survived a disaster. The swarm seemed even larger, with the entire sky behind them darkening. To Guo Shier, it resembled the sandstorms he had seen in his past life—endless Void Insects filling the sky, a sight that was truly terrifying.
Cerislin said softly, “We’re finally free.”
Li Ran said, “Don’t relax. Keep this speed! If we can gain more distance, we can take turns resting.”
This was the advantage of working together. If it were just one person, no matter how hard they struggled, they would eventually run out of strength. But with three people, they could take turns resting, which was crucial. With their strength, a short rest would allow them to regain their energy without becoming completely exhausted.
Suddenly, Qi Wu Zhen shouted, “Ahead… someone!”
It was a very small black dot. Guo Shier’s soul trembled slightly as he said, “It’s a spaceship… They’re doomed!” Although the spaceship was still far away, he knew that no spaceship could match the speed of the Void Insects, let alone surpass them.

Sure enough, just a few minutes later, the spaceship became clearly visible. It was obvious that the people on it had also noticed the swarm of insects, but the spaceship continued to fly at a leisurely pace; they seemed unaware that danger was approaching. This was not surprising, as most explorers in the ruins knew nothing about these strange insects called Void Worms, as those who encountered them had almost no chance of escaping, so news of them naturally remained hidden.

Even though the Grand Elder Kasa ordered a retreat back then, he did not explain that it was because of the Void Worms. His message merely described their characteristics before ordering the Tianling clan to withdraw immediately. However, due to the urgency, this message was only passed among the high-ranking members of the Tianling clan. According to normal procedures, it would take some time before it reached the middle ranks, let alone the ordinary members. As for outsiders, they wouldn’t pay any attention—surviving was luck, dying was deserved.

It wasn’t until they got closer to the spaceship that the people on board finally noticed the four individuals. Before they could observe them closely, the four had already rushed past. The people on the spaceship saw only a series of shadows that flickered briefly before disappearing. Soon after, they witnessed a scene they would never understand until death.