Chapter 432 – The Chase: Mo Feng Is Shocked

The urgent sound of the transmission alert, like a death warrant, made both Zhang Hemiao and Sheng Cang somewhat anxious.

However, as Earth Immortals, even though they sensed the situation might be dire, they quickly steadied their minds and answered the call.

“Where is the request for reinforcements?”

“Huh?”

The question momentarily stunned the other side, but they soon reacted and responded swiftly, “Reporting to Deputy Army Commander, we are not requesting reinforcements—we are reporting good news. We have won, a great and decisive victory. The overwhelming insect swarm has been completely driven off.”

“?! !”

This time, it was Zhang Hemiao and Sheng Cang who were stunned.

If the dispatched Agricultural Militia had merely requested reinforcements, Zhang Hemiao, though somewhat anxious and regretful, would have been mentally prepared for it.

But winning—and winning so swiftly—was beyond their expectations.

In truth, they had no psychological preparation whatsoever for this victory.

“How did you win? Those filthy insects shouldn’t have been so easily repelled… Could it be Mu Lin?”

Zhang Hemiao guessed something, and the report from the Agricultural Militia general on the other end confirmed her suspicion.

“It was indeed Lord Mu Lin. He is as powerful as a god. Whenever he arrives at a location, within three breaths, billions of insects in the swarm vanish like dust, disappearing without a trace.”

“Those insects—whether ordinary ones or the Insect Mother, whether spiders, moths, locusts, or leeches—none could withstand Lord Mu Lin.”

“Driven to madness by Lord Mu Lin’s relentless slaughter, the insects have scattered and fled.”

“And Lord Mu Lin wishes to continue the pursuit. This report is to request your assistance in joining the effort.”

“…”

Hearing the impassioned description from the other side, Zhang Hemiao, Sheng Cang, and Ji Mao were left speechless for a long while.

After a long pause, Zhang Hemiao sighed and remarked, “Annihilating billions of insects in mere breaths—Mu Lin’s strength has already surpassed mine. At the very least, I could not accomplish such a feat.”

Sheng Cang added, “You may be unable to do it, but if I were alone facing billions of insects, I might very well perish there.”

At this moment, both of them were utterly convinced of Mu Lin’s prowess.

At the same time, they were curious about how Mu Lin had achieved this.

However, they also understood that it must be Mu Lin’s secret, and thus, they had no intention of asking.

As for whether to pursue the retreating insects—

Both of them had been somewhat traumatized by the insect swarm. Faced with its retreat, they suspected there might be hidden dangers. If the decision were theirs, they would likely choose not to pursue. Instead, they would send scouts to investigate the situation thoroughly and only act again once everything was clear.

This approach would be more prudent.

However, the one making the decisions now was Mu Lin.

Recognizing Mu Lin’s strength and his immense value, both Zhang Hemiao and Sheng Cang clearly understood one thing: it was the Agricultural Militia who needed Mu Lin, not the other way around.

If word of his deeds spread, not a single one of the thirteen legions in the Northern Wastelands would refuse Mu Lin’s allegiance.

Fearing that Mu Lin might leave, despite their lingering concerns, they mobilized.

And they did so immediately, without the slightest delay.

…

Meanwhile, Mu Lin waited for the arrival of Zhang Hemiao and Sheng Cang.

What he did not know was that his relentless slaughter of the swarming insect horde not only affected the Insect Apostle, earning him the fervent admiration of the Agricultural Militia, but also influenced others.

Those others were—Mo Feng of the Black Fiend Legion and Cai Tiancheng of the Thunderclap Legion.

When the insect horde attacked the Agricultural Militia, upon receiving the news, they mobilized their armies to assault the Blessed Lands occupied by the insects.

This was both a strategy of “besieging Wei to rescue Zhao,” easing the pressure on the Agricultural Militia, and an attempt to secure an additional resource point.

However, their plans, though well-intentioned, were disrupted when the swarming insect horde returned before they could breach the Blessed Lands.

This left them caught in a pincer attack.

Upon realizing the situation, neither Mo Feng nor Cai Tiancheng initially considered the possibility that the Agricultural Militia had repelled the insect horde. Instead, they thought:

“Damn it, we’ve fallen into a trap! The insect horde’s target is us!”

“Request reinforcements from the rest of the Black Fiend Legion immediately!”

“Squeak…”

“Buzz!!”

“Boom!”

Their attacks had proven ineffective, and countless of their kin had been slaughtered, leaving the Insect Apostle and other Insect Mothers seething with rage.

Now, discovering their home had been raided, their fury surged even higher.

Thus, upon spotting the Black Fiend Legion and the Thunderclap Legion, they immediately lunged forward, launching a frenzied assault on the forces led by Mo Feng and Cai Tiancheng.

“Boom!”

Whether flying from the sky, firing sharp spines, or scattering powder… the relentless barrage of attacks quickly put the Black Fiend Legion and the Thunderclap Legion at a disadvantage.

As time passed, their situation grew increasingly dire.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, the Black Fiend Legion began to falter.

Without the protection of city walls and caught in a two-front assault, holding out this long was no small feat.

“It’s over…”

“When will reinforcements arrive?”

“Another hour… but there are insects on the road, blocking our reinforcements.”

“Damn it… I’ll fight you to the death!”

“If you want to kill me, you’ll have to pay with your lives!”

It must be said that the surviving soldiers of the Northern Wastelands possessed a fierce determination.

Facing death, they cast aside all restraint, ready to perish alongside these insects.

Even Mo Feng shared this resolve.

However, just as they prepared for a final, desperate stand against the swarming insects, something unexpected occurred.

Behind them, the insects besieging them began to stir with unrest.

And this unrest continued to spread.

The chaos significantly reduced the pressure on the Black Fiend Legion, and this glimmer of hope brightened Mo Feng’s eyes.

“Could there still be a chance…”

Thinking this, he ordered a subordinate skilled in Eye Techniques to use his Spell to observe the distant situation.

The subordinate did not disappoint. With his Celestial Eye, he peered through the swarming insect horde and saw what lay beyond.

“General Mo Feng, someone is approaching!”

These words made Mo Feng’s eyes light up completely:

“Our reinforcements have arrived early!”

Hearing this, the subordinate named Leng Chen instinctively shook his head.

“No, they’re not our people… it’s the Agricultural Militia approaching.”

“Why them?”

Upon learning that it was the Agricultural Militia approaching, Mo Feng’s expression darkened once more.

He did not believe that the severely weakened Agricultural Militia could rescue them.

“However, even though they cannot save us, the fact that they dared to come to our aid despite sensing our peril shows that the Agricultural Militia truly has courage. Our efforts to save them were not in vain.”

After this heartfelt reflection, Mo Feng instructed his subordinates: “Make some noise to signal them not to come any closer… We are beyond saving. We cannot allow the strength of humanity to be further depleted here.”

At this moment, Mo Feng had already resolved himself to die.

Yet, just as he was prepared to sacrifice himself for the sake of the Human Race, something astonishing occurred.

He thought the arrival of the Agricultural Militia posed no threat to the insect swarm, but the sky-darkening insect tide clearly did not share his view—they began to panic in disarray.

In fact, a portion of the insects immediately took flight, fleeing the area.

This behavior further alleviated the immense pressure on Mo Feng and his men, leaving them utterly bewildered.

“???”

“What in the world? Since when have these insects become so timid?”

Mo Feng could not understand why the insects were fleeing.

But soon, he grasped the reason.

Upon sighting the insect tide, Mu Lin, who carried the Mountain River Great Cauldron, promptly used the Spirit Vein power stored within the cauldron as Mana to unleash his divine ability.

“Hum!”

In an instant, a temporary Netherworld was conjured by Mu Lin.

Though temporary, with the Mountain River Great Cauldron serving as the vessel of his power, the Netherworld Mu Lin created was vast in scope.

Now, this Netherworld not only enveloped all the insects on the battlefield but also encompassed the town behind it.

Moreover, with the Mountain River Great Cauldron anchoring it, the barrier of Mu Lin’s Netherworld was exceptionally sturdy and difficult to breach.

“Clatter…”

The moment the Netherworld took form, the Soul Reflections of numerous Insect Mothers were dragged into it by Mu Lin.

Simultaneously, Avici Chains wreathed in the Flame of Retribution materialized around the Soul Reflections of the Insect Mothers, binding them tightly.

The other ends of these chains were tethered to the massive legs of the Mountain River Great Cauldron, which stood like mountains.

“Thud!”

“Squeak, squeak…”

With their Main Bodies under attack, the Insect Mothers shrieked in agony and desperately called for their guards to rescue them.

Unfortunately, though each Insect Mother had numerous guards, none could enter the Netherworld without Mu Lin’s permission.

Thus, the guards could only fret helplessly outside.

…

As Mu Lin intended not to subdue but to exterminate all the Insect Mothers, he poured his full strength into driving the Flame of Retribution to incinerate them.

In addition, he applied the Forbidden Power of Sky Burial City and the Dissolve Everything property of the Black River Water to the Soul Reflections of the Insect Mothers.

Attacks imbued with Forbidden Power quickly annihilated the bound Insect Mothers.

With their demise, what followed became straightforward.

“Hum!”

At Mu Lin’s will, the Soul Reflections of billions of insects manifested within the Netherworld.

In the next moment, with his eyes closed, Mu Lin darkened the sky of the Netherworld into pitch black.

The power of Primordial Chaos Yuan Gang spread throughout this dark curtain.

Without the protection of their physical bodies, the soul flames of the insects were soon swallowed by the darkness or extinguished by the chilling winds of the Netherworld.

And as their souls were extinguished, outside, the bodies of the insects, like a heavy snowfall, turned cold and rigid one after another, drifting down from the sky.

The endless corpses of the dead insects covered both the sky and the earth, leaving Mo Feng, who had been prepared to die, utterly stunned.

It took a long while before a groaning voice finally escaped his lips.

“The Agricultural Militia… are actually this strong?!”

(End of Chapter)