Chapter 1164: Strange Direction
Shadowless abruptly ceased devouring the eggs, emitting a sharp shriek before charging toward the hatched Spirit Devouring Bugs. Some of these bugs were already maturing, some even sprouting wings. Upon noticing Ye Mo and his companions, they prepared to attack, but Shadowless's shriek sent them scattering.
However, Ye Mo sensed one Spirit Devouring Bug exhibiting greater speed and intelligence. Unlike the others, it veered off in a different direction. This newly hatched bug's cunning surprised him, but he didn't dwell on it. Seeing Shadowless about to give chase, Ye Mo forcibly recalled it, fearing the creature would relapse into its slumber.
Instead of using Shadowless to clear a path—the slow movement of the eggs rendered this impractical—Ye Mo employed his heaven flame. With Shadowless perched on his shoulder, the combined effect of the burning path and Shadowless's aura kept the Spirit Devouring Bugs at bay. Only when they had moved a considerable distance, and the bugs could no longer sense Shadowless's chi, did they dare to approach again.
Shadowless's presence proved invaluable; Ye Mo could rest when fatigued, a luxury otherwise impossible. Six hours later, as they ventured deeper, the Spirit Devouring Bugs' eggs accelerated their hatching, with numerous flying bugs appearing. The further they progressed, the denser the swarm of flying bugs became. No wonder the body condensation cultivator had been consumed—there were fliers here. Still, with Shadowless on Ye Mo's shoulder, they remained untouched.
Half a day later, they encountered explosions and waves of spirit chi ahead. Three cultivators, positioned on a defensive formation disk, fought furiously against a seemingly endless tide of Spirit Devouring Bugs. The bugs were dense, forming layers meters thick. The cultivators' efforts to clear a layer only resulted in its immediate replacement. The onslaught appeared inexhaustible.
Ye Mo pondered a disturbing question: where had the essence spirit of the recently deceased cultivator gone? The newly hatched bugs couldn't consume essence spirits. A body condensation state essence spirit was far stronger than that of a hollow spirit state cultivator. Below hollow spirit state, essence spirits usually dissipated upon death, except for those exceptionally strong. However, a body condensation state essence spirit possessed self-preservation capabilities; if it escaped, it could eventually inhabit a new body and reform as a spirit cultivator.
Spirit cultivators were rare survivors, killing invisibly and proving extremely difficult to counter. Despite this, many cultivators sought them out for their superior spirit cleansing beads.
The three remaining cultivators were the triangle-eyed cultivator, the yellow-robed cultivator, and a silent one. The skinny cultivator was gone. Their swift retreat had surprised Ye Mo, who'd needed a full day to catch up. Upon sight, the triangle-eyed cultivator exclaimed in shock, "How are you unharmed?"
He instantly noticed Ye Mo's heaven flame, a greedy glint fleeting across his face before he cried out, "Friends, help! Annihilate these Spirit Devouring Bugs!"
Ye Mo was astounded by this cultivator's foolishness. He wasn't going to help; in fact, he moved away to prevent Shadowless from disrupting the bugs. The three cultivators' concerns intensified as the bugs advanced again.
The yellow-robed cultivator pleaded, "Wait, heaven flame friend, I'm from the 9-star sect, God Wind Valley. Help us burn these bugs, and I, Wu Gai, will repay your kindness."
Ye Mo remained unmoved. God Wind Valley's help had consisted of a mere cauldron filling state cultivator; they clearly desired his pill-concocting services, possessing five truth realization state cultivators themselves. While he held no ill will toward them, neither did he feel any obligation. He especially despised the triangle-eyed cultivator.
The desperate triangle-eyed cultivator charged from the formation disk, only to be overwhelmed and consumed by the Spirit Devouring Bugs in moments. His defenses proved useless.
Ye Mo then spotted another strange Spirit Devouring Bug fleeing in a different direction and signaled Shadowless to pursue. Shadowless consumed the bug, its body swelling like a bubble. Ye Mo worried, not about Shadowless exploding, but about it falling back into a slumber. Fortunately, it remained awake, wobbling contentedly before settling back on his shoulder, its stomach visibly shrinking. Even Ye Mo was impressed by its digestive prowess.
He realized Shadowless had consumed not only the bug but also the triangle-eyed cultivator's essence spirit. The cultivator had clearly attached his essence spirit to the bug to escape and transform into a spirit cultivator. The other strangely intelligent bug had also likely carried an attached essence spirit.
Ye Mo consulted "Thing," discovering that cultivators beyond the hollow spirit state could indeed attach their essence spirits to Spirit Devouring Bugs, provided their essence spirits remained intact. However, unless the essence spirit possessed immense strength, the cultivator would lose their will, becoming a magically enhanced bug—far more powerful, yet still not a spirit cultivator.
A cold breath escaped Ye Mo's lips. He initially believed the keeper of the Spirit Devouring Bugs simply wanted control, but this was far more ambitious. An army of bugs devouring thousands of cultivators would be a formidable force.
Ignoring the pleas of the two surviving cultivators, Ye Mo began to withdraw. He didn't care about the keeper's goals; without sufficient power, he had little to fear. But then he halted, noticing everyone's expectant gazes. He asked, "Has anyone noticed something? We took a different path than they did—why are we here?"