Chapter 6: The Souls of Insects (Part 1)

The Void Insects loved to destroy life, a phenomenon that Li Ran and his companions couldn’t explain. After prolonged observation, they found that as soon as these insects spotted a living being, they would pursue it relentlessly, like moths drawn to fire. But they weren’t moths—they were Void Insects, and the living beings weren’t fire. Thus, those beings were instantly reduced to ashes the moment they encountered the insects. It wasn’t until Guo Shier used the Soul Suppressing Cauldron that the three of them faintly realized the Void Insects possessed certain characteristics of souls. Perhaps they could absorb certain souls, which was why the Rune Palm was effective against them.
Runes were directly related to souls, which was also why people of all races could use the skills of rune casters. As the sky-obscuring Void Insects descended from above, the people in that massive city immediately panicked. Though they still didn’t fully understand the threat posed by the insects, their destructive aura alone was enough to fill everyone with terror.
Li Ran and his three companions didn’t dare delay and flew straight over the city. Despite its size, they crossed it in just a few breaths at their current speed.
Attracted by the living beings in the city, large numbers of Void Insects swarmed in, turning the entire city into chaos. The destructive power of the Void Insects became evident—even a high-rise building of the Ancient Tianling Clan, resistant to thousands of years of erosion, couldn’t withstand the assault of just dozens of insects and collapsed instantly. Before the building hit the ground, more insects arrived, and in the blink of an eye, those ruined buildings vanished without even leaving dust behind.
Such a huge city was reduced to nothingness in mere moments, erased completely from the ground, leaving little trace that it had once existed.
Few people managed to escape from the city, as the destruction happened too quickly. Only a handful of skilled individuals and a few clever ones managed to flee using flying vehicles. But they had no chance of escaping far—the speed of the Void Insects was beyond their imagination. Only Li Ran and his group could force their way through to escape.
At that moment, Serichlin spotted someone and said, “That person is so fast!”
Guo Shier turned to look and exclaimed in surprise, “Hey, it’s a caster!” The person’s body was covered in glowing runes, and as a member of the same race, it was easy to tell. Guo Shier’s soul trembled with shock—this method of communication was used only by casters, and only those at the altar level could use it freely.
“Use the Rune Palm to drive them away. Be careful!”

Guo Shier reminded him, but his speed didn’t slow down at all as he continued to flee forward. The man had already been approached by a Void Worm and was at a loss, as his sacrificial artifact had been severely damaged. Hearing this, he didn’t hesitate and struck out with a palm, shoving the Void Worm away. Seeing it work, he was overjoyed and didn’t dare delay—immediately flying toward Guo Shier and the others out of instinct.

When they first entered the projected starry sky, Guo Shier and the others had seen a few professionals from the Spellcraft Clan, but later hardly any at all. Now, it was rare to encounter one, so they certainly wouldn’t ignore the chance to get help. In the Spellcraft World, professionals fought fiercely among themselves, but outside, they united, as there were so few of their kind here. Meeting one always brought a sense of familiarity.

The man’s speed was clearly inferior to Guo Shier and the others. He gradually fell behind them, with more and more Void Worms closing in behind him. He couldn’t help but shout, “Help me!”

Li Ran said, “Let’s save him!”

Qi Wu Zhen raised his hand and swung it backward, sending a purple chain extending from his arm. The man was overjoyed and also shot out a purple rune chain. The two chains quickly connected. As the chains tightened, the man was dragged forward, escaping the threat of the swarm in just a few seconds. He cried out, “Thank you! I’m Wang Dayang from the Spellcraft Clan!” He was a professional from the 14th-tier altar. When he entered the Star Sacrifice Realm, he was at the 8th-tier altar. After hundreds of years of cultivation, he had now become a master of the 14th-tier altar—a super expert in this world as well, with extremely powerful strength. No wonder he dared to venture here alone.

Once pulled into the group, Wang Dayang kept thanking them. It was only then that he realized three of the four were professionals from the Spellcraft Clan, and all three were incredibly powerful—far stronger than him, which he could tell from the mutual sense among professionals. He said, “You… um… what are those things?” With lingering fear, he glanced back— the city behind him had already disappeared.

Guo Shier said, “Those are Void Worms. They’re insects from the void. We don’t know exactly what they are… but they’re terrifyingly powerful. Not only are they indestructible, but they also move in groups. Encountering one quickly attracts a whole swarm.”

Li Ran asked, “Are there many professionals who come here?”

Wang Dayang replied, “I don’t know how many professionals have entered. Along the way, you’re the only professionals I’ve seen.”

Guo Shier said, “By the way, I’m Guo Shier. This is Brother Li Ran, Qi Wu Zhen, and Sister Zhen. This is Sericeline from the Blade Clan.” He gave a brief introduction.

Wang Dayang repeated, “Pleasure to meet you! Pleasure to meet you! It’s really hard to find fellow clansmen in this place. Hehe, I thought… I was the only one who came to the Luotian Ruins. I never expected to meet three of our kind. Hehe, hehe. Can I join you?”

Li Ran had no objection to his joining. A master of the Talisman Clan, and a top-tier one at that, would only enhance their team’s strength. He said, “Welcome to join us. But we need to flee immediately. The space here is unstable and could collapse at any moment. Moreover, it’s difficult to get rid of these insects. We don’t even have a chance to explore. Will you come with us?”

Wang Dayang smiled bitterly. “How dare I stay? I thought I was done for just now. I didn’t expect to be able to escape. Luckily, I was at the edge of the city. As soon as I sensed something was wrong, I took off right away without wasting any time. Even so, I almost got trapped in the swarm…” He had always been cautious, and it was that careful nature that saved his life. If he had tried to fight the swarm relying on his own strength, it was almost certain he wouldn’t have escaped. He didn’t have a sacred artifact like the Boundary Breaker, nor did he know he could use the Rune Palm to shoo away insects. The outcome of a head-on fight was obvious.

“Save me!”

A scream came through. A person was piloting a strange machine, flying forward at incredible speed. Guo Shier was surprised. “That person… What is that thing? It can fly so fast!”

There were four jet nozzles, with a disc in front and a long crossbeam on top of it. There was a seat on the crossbeam, with a person lying on it. The jet nozzles at the back emitted dazzling light, blasting out powerful streams of fire. That thing’s speed was no less than Guo Shier and the others’. In just a moment, they realized that thing didn’t have much endurance. Although its instantaneous speed could keep up with theirs, it would slow down right after the burst.

It was unclear which race that person belonged to. He saw Li Ran and the others flying while carrying a huge, strange object. He couldn’t recognize something like the Soul Calming Cauldron and was extremely puzzled—this strange object could fly even faster than him. He had no idea that the Soul Calming Cauldron didn’t have flying capabilities; it was the people below it who were flying. So, he didn’t hesitate to call for help.

Before Li Ran and the others could speak, Wang Dayang said, “That guy is from the Mechanical Clan. Ignore him… I know that man—he’s a scoundrel!”
In fact, even if Wang Dayang hadn’t said anything, Li Ran and the others wouldn’t have intervened. After all, in a place where entire armies could be wiped out at any moment, who would dare to rescue someone recklessly? If Wang Dayang weren’t a professional from the Spell Clan and didn’t possess formidable strength, they wouldn’t have tried to help either. Saving him would only add to their burden, while saving that Mechanical Clan member wouldn’t help at all—it would even become a liability, potentially endangering everyone else.
Seeing that the others weren’t slowing down, the man began cursing loudly. Li Ran said with a smile, “This idiot…”
Wang Dayang warned, “Be careful of his attack!” Before his words faded, the man drove his strange machine toward them, firing a beam of light from its front and shouting viciously, “If you’re going to die, die together!”
Guo Shier tried the Soul Calming Cauldron lightly, and immediately a ring of rune light descended, colliding with the beam in an instant. The man realized his attack was like punching into steel—useless. In horror, he screamed, “Please, save me!”
Sericeline was furious. That man was indeed a scoundrel. She turned and shouted, “Get lost! Die!”
Gritting his teeth, the man took out an object—a dark little ball. Wang Dayang cursed, “This bastard!” He struck out with a palm, and a rune palm appeared in front of the man, hitting the rapidly flying machine and flinging him away. With a loud explosion, the object in his hand burst, sending out a powerful shockwave. But the Soul Calming Cauldron wasn’t so easily shaken—the rune light barrier quickly neutralized the shockwave.
Guo Shier was shocked and asked, “What’s that thing? It’s pretty powerful.”
Wang Dayang replied, “Vibration Thunder. It can’t hurt us, but it can slow down our flight. That man has malicious intentions.”
Vibration Thunder was a specialty of the Mechanical Clan. Its purpose wasn’t to kill but to inflict severe vibrations, disrupting control over one’s body. Although the man wasn’t killed by his own Vibration Thunder, he was hit by the shockwave and plummeted from the sky, screaming in terror.
Before he could hit the ground, his screams stopped abruptly—he had been engulfed by the swarm of insects and vanished instantly.