Chapter 150: Descent

Chapter 150: Descent

The flickering firelight made the shadows twist and become menacing, as if they could turn into man-eating monsters and break free from the campfire’s hold at any moment. Countless fearful eyes peered at that place, and any rustle would make them tremble uncontrollably. Hiding in the swamp did not make these insects feel at ease. On the contrary, the figure sitting motionless made them feel even greater fear.

Lily sat there, looking at the insects hidden in the night, a trace of disdain appearing on her face. The insects’ evasive gazes were full of cowardice and fear, which disappointed her. What could be proven against such opponents?

The night was too short. The warm sunlight shone on Little Bear, making it let out comfortable grunts. Then, as if remembering something, it suddenly got up and looked around. When it saw Lily’s figure not far away, its body relaxed and it fell back to the ground with a thud.

Lily ignored the antics of Little Bear behind her. She still watched the flying catkins all over the sky, quietly recording their Mana Fluctuation. As the records increased, the Mist in the swamp gradually dispersed, revealing its true appearance.

When Lily walked towards the swamp with a well-fed Little Bear, the commotion caused by hiding and retreating began to spread like waves.

Even though the surroundings were full of many insects, Little Bear did not see a single one showing its head. Its original uneasiness gradually turned into calm composure. Its position also quietly changed, from following behind Lily to taking the lead and guiding the way. It roared from time to time, intimidating and provoking the surroundings. Occasionally, it glanced back to observe Lily’s expression. After receiving several encouraging smiles in a row, it began to swagger along the road.

…

The Insect Swarm seemed to have a new king, which made them re-establish order. From the way it commanded the swarm, the new Insect King was very cunning.

It did not order the swarm to swarm forward all at once. Instead, it followed around Lily, patiently waiting for an opportunity. The environment of the Flying Catkin Swamp was complex, with many natural traps enough to make one vanish without a trace.

But after following for a few days, it found that Lily and Little Bear always avoided dangers in advance, walking on the safest and most reliable paths. During this time, a few insects that got too close were casually caught to become Little Bear’s food. This made them more cautious, and the tracking distance grew larger and larger.

Little Bear had a good appetite and was very satisfied with the taste of the insects, especially the few big legs and the two front claws. Perhaps because there was too much food around, it became more and more picky. This led to more and more insect corpses missing limbs along the way. After several days of accumulating experience, it could already tell by smell which ones tasted better. So, Little Bear tried to direct its mistress to catch more delicious meals.

After many times, Lily gradually understood that those strong-bodied ones, especially some Magical Beasts, were Little Bear’s favorites. So her hunting became more targeted.

After such hunting continued for a while, the rule of the new Insect King became shaky. But as they kept getting closer to the center of the swamp, a stronger will took over the Insect Swarm.

The Insect Swarm began to gather, and the sound of rubbing hard wings became loud again. But this loudness did not last long. Almost as soon as the sound started, it attracted a fierce attack.

As they went deeper into the swamp, Lily gradually became familiar with everything here. The insight granted by her Mana allowed her to master the advantages of time and place.

The swamp was fair to all creatures here. Although the Insect Swarm was more adapted to the environment, they were also restricted. They gathered in a few narrow, relatively dry areas and began to clamor, never expecting danger to descend from above.

Lily leaped a few times and landed among them. The newly risen clamor instantly turned into an unspeakable silence. The outcome was miserable. On the grassland, there was at least open space for them to escape, but here they were like crowded lambs waiting to be slaughtered in a pen.

Lily carefully chose her route every day, and the distance she walked varied. She gradually lured the Insect Swarm into what seemed like safe but dead-end places. Only considering Little Bear’s food supply did she delay the final cleanup.

She never intended to let off any insect that entered the Fertile Plains Grassland. They were stained with the blood of the Northlanders and had to repay with their lives.

As insects died one by one, that will came quickly and left quickly, disappearing with fear and anxiety.

Lily returned to the anxiously waiting Little Bear and casually tossed down an insect. “Eat. I saved one for you.”

In the following days, the Insect Swarm showed unimaginable obedience. Every day, a few strong insects would appear before them, willingly becoming Little Bear’s food. The path became unobstructed, and all interference disappeared.

As they approached the center of the swamp, simple roads and bridges began to appear. The insects became numerous again. When they saw Lily and Little Bear, they would prostrate on the ground until they walked far away.

The nests of the Insect Swarm were woven from branches, reeds, and other plants. They were either hanging from tree trunks or placed on supports made of wood and stone, effectively avoiding the damp ground.

Clumps of mucus the size of human heads were attached to stones with ample sunlight. Those were their egg cases. The cases were packed with dense oval insect eggs.

A larva crawled out of one egg case, as if opening a floodgate. From this egg case, nearly a hundred more crawled out one after another. They struggled to stretch their soft bodies, opening up to the size of a palm in a short while. Their wings and bones also became hard.

The newborn larvae fluttered their wings in the breeze, their emerald green bodies gleaming with the luster of life under the sunlight. Just then, a shadow fell over them. Little Bear opened its big mouth, its long tongue licking and scooping, sweeping them all away. Larvae were everywhere here, and Little Bear happily frolicked, overjoyed at having endless snacks.

Lily ignored Little Bear. Her attention was on the larvae enveloped by her Magic Field. These larvae now lost a certain restraint and began to threaten other individuals nearby. The threats quickly turned into fights…

A certain Mana Fluctuation suppressed the instincts of these creatures, causing the Insect Swarm’s numbers to grow rapidly, forcing them to split groups, migrate, or go out to plunder food.

Lily looked into the distance. There, an Insect King with a body entirely golden was slowly approaching her, surrounded by others. A familiar Mana Fluctuation naturally emanated from that body.

Noticing Lily’s gaze, this Insect King immediately lowered its body and crawled over. Its will was shattered the first time it clashed with her. As a powerful Magical Beast, it could sense that this whole world trembled with her breath. She was invincible.