Chapter 292 – Realm, Insect Nest, Queen

“Frozen?”

Su Ming was momentarily taken aback.

“Yes.” Chi Qian replied calmly, “At that time, I had no means whatsoever to preserve their lives, but I happened to possess an alchemical tool capable of freezing. With no other options, I had no choice but to resort to this last resort.”

Su Ming nodded in understanding.

Under such desperate circumstances, this could indeed serve as an emergency measure.

At the very least, after being frozen, the injuries of Chi Qian’s team members would no longer worsen, and their last breath could be preserved. Though called a last resort, it actually turned out to be unexpectedly practical.

“After the freezing was complete, I sank the surviving team members along with the ice directly to the bottom of a nearby lake. Then, clinging to my last breath, I barely managed to escape back to Tianfeng City and survived.”

At this point, Chi Qian bit her lip.

The problem lay right here.

“When I was rescued from my critically injured state and regained consciousness, it was already a month later.”

“The moment I woke up, I immediately went to that lake, intending to bring back the surviving team members.”

“But who could have imagined that in just one short month, the terrain there had completely transformed.”

Chi Qian said with some frustration.

“That area had turned into a wonderland, completely becoming the territory of Phantom Demons.”

Wonderland.

This referred to a type of terrain that appears under the influence of the Spirit Demon Abyss.

As the world’s inner side, when an entrance to the Spirit Demon Abyss appears on the world’s surface, that is, in the present world, if it remains unclosed for an extended period, the terrain near the entrance will gradually be assimilated by the Spirit Demon Abyss. This causes the world’s inner side and surface to overlap, allowing some special terrains from the Spirit Demon Abyss to manifest in the present world.

If Tianfeng City is heaven for Professionals, then these wonderlands are heaven for Phantom Demons.

The environment of wonderlands is generally only suitable for Phantom Demons to operate in. Not only is the terrain perilous, but it’s also quite harsh. Humans basically cannot survive there, and even Upper-Rank Professionals cannot remain for long in some wonderlands with harsh environments.

Therefore, wonderlands are typically regarded by humans as Forbidden Lands. Even Professionals generally won’t enter wonderlands unless they have special missions or purposes.

Some wonderlands have environments so harsh that even Seven-Star Professionals find it difficult to survive there.

For example, the most famous wonderland in the world today is a demonic volcano. This demonic volcano nurtures many natural treasures found only in the Spirit Demon Abyss, containing quite precious minerals and quite rare materials, attracting numerous Professionals.

However, within the demonic volcano, not only do many Phantom Demons that prefer high-temperature environments reside, but the volcano’s interior is also filled with demonic magma and heat.

That demonic magma and heat, once they come into contact with the human body, transform into extremely terrifying corrosive poison. Even a Seven-Star Professional, without proper protection, recklessly exposed to that demonic magma and heat, could potentially evaporate into a pile of ashes.

This illustrates how dangerous wonderlands can be and how harsh their environments are.Fortunately, wonderlands generally only appear near the entrances to the Spirit Demon Abyss. If these entrances are sealed, the wonderlands will not manifest.

Otherwise, not only Longyao City—where the Spirit Demon Abyss entrance once appeared—but the entire continent could gradually be replaced by wonderlands, becoming a second world akin to the Spirit Demon Abyss.

Conversely, if an entrance to the Spirit Demon Abyss is not sealed in time, the surrounding terrain will inevitably transform bit by bit into a wonderland.

For example, the ocean, which modern humans regard as a dire threat, has nearly one-sixth of its deep-sea terrain already converted into wonderlands. This is due to the ocean’s vast coverage, numerous unsealed Spirit Demon Abyss entrances, and the presence of the largest-scale entrance in the depths.

Then there is the Chaos Demon Cave, the largest Spirit Demon Abyss entrance on land. Although Tianfeng City has exhausted all efforts to resist, interfere with, and influence it, the sheer number of Phantom Demons emerging from it has prevented humans from completely sealing this entrance. As a result, the terrain around the Chaos Demon Cave is being replaced by wonderlands day by day.

Because of this, the area surrounding Tianfeng City has the highest concentration of wonderlands in the world, at least on land.

Of course, the emergence of wonderlands is not entirely negative. At the very least, these environments can nurture rare treasures that only the Spirit Demon Abyss can produce. These treasures, once in human hands, have been refined by countless renowned Alchemists into precious and powerful artifacts, enhancing the strength and survivability of all human Professionals.

Additionally, Phantom Demons prefer the environments of wonderlands over the human world and primarily inhabit them. Many missions in Tianfeng City inevitably involve wonderlands, forcing numerous Professionals to venture into and navigate these realms.

In such circumstances, less dangerous wonderlands are manageable, but some have environments so harsh that even the strongest Professionals are reluctant to enter.

Unfortunately, the area where Chi Qian’s companions lie dormant has been replaced by an extremely hazardous wonderland.

“Tianfeng City has named it the Venomous Insect Cave, with a danger rating of S-class,” Chi Qian said with bitterness.

“Not only does it harbor many insect-type Phantom Demons, but a Nightmare Species—the Poisonous Insect Queen—resides there, endlessly reproducing. She lays countless eggs, producing venomous insects as large as buildings and others as tiny as parasites that can invade the human body through respiration. These insects infest the entire Venomous Insect Cave, posing a risk of death even to Seven-Star Professionals who enter.”

Upon hearing Chi Qian’s words, Su Ming was inwardly astonished.

Through the Terminal, Su Ming had also seen information on the official website regarding the danger ratings of wonderlands.

According to official explanations, each wonderland is graded based on its level of danger.

Similar to team ranks and mission difficulties, wonderland danger ratings are divided into six categories: S, A, B, C, D, and E.

An S-class wonderland typically signifies either the presence of a Nightmare Species-level Phantom Demon overlord or an environment so severe that it threatens the survival of Seven-Star Professionals.Within this Venomous Insect Cave dwells a Nightmare Species-level Poisonous Insect Queen. This queen has laid eggs throughout the entire cave, filling it with venomous insects of varying sizes. Such an environment is already sufficient to be rated as an S-class mystical realm.

Su Ming was almost certain that someone of Chi Qian’s caliber would perish upon entering, even without the Poisonous Insect Queen taking action—the microscopic venomous insects capable of invading the human body would be enough to kill her.

“I’ve tried many methods to resist the invasion of those tiny venomous insects,” Chi Qian said solemnly. “But whether it’s alchemical tools, alchemical weapons, or even alchemical potions, not only did they fail to provide adequate protection, they seemed to irritate the insects instead. Like flies drawn to the scent of blood, rather than being repelled, the insects gathered even more frantically.”

“The Tianfeng City authorities have dispatched experts for on-site investigation and research analysis,” Chi Qian continued. “They discovered that those venomous insects are actually extensions of the Poisonous Insect Queen. They drain all blood from any non-Phantom Demon creatures entering the Venomous Insect Cave, then concentrate and transmit it to the queen for her consumption.”

Clearly, the Poisonous Insect Queen was using this method to collect fresh blood, consuming it to enhance her power and grow stronger.

If this continued, perhaps this Poisonous Insect Queen might evolve into a Terror Species.

A Venomous Insect Cave inhabited by such a terrifying entity was simply beyond Chi Qian’s ability to infiltrate.

Thus, for a year, Chi Qian had tried countless methods, and even Tianfeng City had attempted various approaches, yet none had successfully breached the Venomous Insect Cave.

No method worked because those insects were the queen’s extensions. Whenever any creature entered, they would swarm frantically to collect their blood and supply it to the queen.

Even when large numbers were exterminated through various means, the insects would keep coming endlessly, without cessation.

Unable to repel them, impossible to exterminate completely, with all methods proving useless—Tianfeng City had no choice but to watch helplessly as the queen in the Venomous Insect Cave grew increasingly powerful, leaving Chi Qian nearly in despair.

Fortunately, heaven never seals off all exits.

“Whether due to personal preference or not, the Poisonous Insect Queen seems particularly fond of sweet things—the sweeter, the better,” Chi Qian changed the subject, saying this.

“If sweetness appears in the Venomous Insect Cave, the queen’s insects appear to collect it and present it to her.”

Consequently, some experts proposed using extremely sweet substances to attract the insects’ attention, dispersing them throughout the cave, then striking directly at the heart to kill the Poisonous Insect Queen.

Unfortunately, although Tianfeng City used many sweet items and achieved some results, whenever non-Phantom Demon creatures entered, the insects would still prioritize collecting blood first.

Still, achieving some effect proved this method was viable.

If something extraordinarily sweet appeared nearby, the insects might shift their priority to collect that sweet item first.

At that point, one could attempt to enter the Venomous Insect Cave.

Hearing this, Su Ming finally understood.

“You mean Dragon Demon Saliva is that extraordinarily sweet thing?” Su Ming looked at Chi Qian.”Correct.” Chi Qian nodded emphatically. “Among all known substances, Dragon Demon Saliva is the Extraordinary Item with the strongest sweet aroma.”

This was Chi Qian’s only hope.

Her plan was to use four drops of Dragon Demon Saliva to lure the venomous insects in the Venomous Insect Cave toward the four directions—east, south, west, and north—thereby drastically reducing their numbers and prolonging their gathering time.

This way, she could charge into the Venomous Insect Cave at top speed, retrieve her frozen companions from the lake, and bring them out of the cave.

This female legend was bold indeed. To maximize the plan’s success, she wasn’t satisfied with just one drop of Dragon Demon Saliva—she insisted on obtaining four.

“The quantity of Dragon Demon Saliva is limited. Even if the insects are lured away, they might complete their gathering task quickly. In that case, my rescue time could fall short.”

Chi Qian didn’t want to gamble, nor did she dare.

As someone who had once single-handedly obtained Phantom Demon blood to embark on the path of a Professional, replaced her Bloodline, and taken numerous risks, Chi Qian understood clearly that success relied on thorough preparation.

Her failure a year ago had only reinforced this belief, making her feel that no amount of preparation was ever excessive.

Only with sufficient preparation could success and victory be maximized.

The only problem was…

“Can you be certain your companions are still lying dormant in the lake, safe and sound?”

Su Ming exposed the deepest fear in Chi Qian’s heart.

“……”

Chi Qian’s expression instantly shifted, and she fell silent.

This was the most fundamental issue.

Since the area where her companions lay dormant had become an S-class wonderland—a deadly ground teeming with venomous insects and insect-type Phantom Demons that exterminated all non-Phantom Demon life to collect blood for their queen—what were the chances that several living humans could survive while dormant within this wonderland?

Extremely slim!

Or rather, nearly impossible.

But Chi Qian clearly still held onto hope.

“The Venomous Insect Cave is a pure paradise for insect-type Phantom Demons, with no other types present,” Chi Qian murmured. “And insect-type Phantom Demons aren’t aquatic creatures—they don’t live underwater.”

Chi Qian raised her head.

“My companions are all frozen, their vital signs completely halted, their life force entirely concealed. The likelihood of them being discovered is minimal.”

Considering these factors, Chi Qian believed there was still a sliver of hope.

No matter how faint, it wasn’t zero.

And as long as there was any hope at all, Chi Qian would never give up.

After laying out all her thoughts, Chi Qian picked up her wine cup and drained the Medicinal Wine in one gulp.

“I don’t know who you are, nor your background or origins—none of that matters to me.”

Chi Qian looked Su Ming straight in the eye, speaking with unwavering determination.

“But if you want me to join your team and work for you, there’s only one way.”

“Dragon Demon Saliva.”

“Give me the Dragon Demon Saliva.”

To rescue her remaining companions, Chi Qian was prepared to sacrifice everything—to risk it all, to offer everything she had.

There was no other way.

If not for her, they wouldn’t have taken such a great risk, undertaken that S-class mission, and ended up in this predicament.She deserved to die for becoming what she was now, and Chi Qian had never felt the slightest resentment or bitterness.

But her companions had merely followed her orders—they were completely innocent.

So many had already died; she had to save the remaining survivors at all costs.

Even if it meant obeying others for life, becoming a dog under someone else’s command, Chi Qian was willing to pay the price.

Sensing her determination, Su Ming suddenly laughed.

“What if I told you I have a way to save your companions?”

Su Ming’s words were startling.

“What?”

Chi Qian’s resolute expression instantly shifted.

(End of Chapter)