Chapter 560: Locust Mother

Amidst the flickering of three spiritual lights, they simultaneously burst out of the pavilion, heading towards the source of the demonic energy.

Among them, a crimson flame light was the fastest, leaving several afterimages in the void as it flickered and surged, rapidly pulling away from the other two.

Yan Shaoyin and Yu Shuji watched Chen Mobai's retreating figure as he performed the Flame Light Escape, their faces filled with shock.

They already possessed the fastest escape speeds under normal conditions, yet two late-stage Core Formation cultivators were actually no match for someone who had just formed his Core!

Chen Mobai quickly arrived at the source of the demonic energy. He looked down to find a dark fissure had opened in the center of the earth, from which the demonic energy was erupting.

A half-human-sized locust monster, its body a mix of greenish-gray, suddenly burst out from underground, charging towards a group of cultivators who were holding formation flags and trying to seal the fissure in the earth.

Amidst the surging demonic energy, the earthy-yellow light emanating from the formation flags was as fragile as yellow paper, and it was instantly torn to shreds by this incredibly powerful monster.

"Oh no!"

Upon seeing this, the leading Foundation Establishment female cultivator's expression instantly changed dramatically, and she pulled out a bright yellow talisman from her storage bag.

But it was too late to activate it; the incredibly powerful locust monster had already charged in front of her, opening its saw-toothed, gaping maw and biting down fiercely.

"How dare you injure someone in my presence, you vile beast!"

A clear voice rang out. Before it reached the ears of those below, a brilliant golden flame had already descended from the sky, like a golden flame sword. After piercing through a dull gray demonic light, it cleaved the half-human-sized locust into two.

Immediately after, a burnt, acrid smell spread, accompanied by a miserable shriek. The locust monster, far exceeding the second-tier, had already burned into scattered ashes, scattering around the sides of the fissure.

"What superb swordsmanship, Sect Master Chen!"

Two streaks of escape light arrived, revealing Yan Shaoyin and Yu Shuji. Though they were half a step late, they had just witnessed Chen Mobai's magnificent display of power: a nearly third-tier locust monster instantly annihilated by his Blazing Sun Slash.

It was important to know that this Earth Spirit Locust, besides being ferocious, possessed a shell that had absorbed earth spiritual energy year after year and was tempered by subterranean fire, making it incredibly hard. Ordinary third-tier methods simply couldn't penetrate its defense.

Yet with a single Blazing Sun Slash, Chen Mobai effortlessly turned it into ash. Truly worthy of a peak sword cultivator, he simply overwhelmed it with his realm and power.

"Master, there's a third-tier Locust Mother underground!"

At this moment, the female Foundation Establishment cultivator rescued by Chen Mobai shouted loudly to Yu Shuji.

"A Locust Mother!"

After hearing this, Yan Shaoyin and Yu Shuji couldn't help but show a slight change in expression.

And at this very moment, fierce demonic energies, one after another, surged out from underground.

Tiny points of dark red light glowed in the dark fissure, appearing incredibly eerie. Chen Mobai activated his Spirit Eyes of Emptiness and had already seen everything clearly.

He saw countless locusts, each the size of a human head, extending their sharp claws and gripping onto the subterranean rock walls, densely packed and innumerable.

The dark red lights were their eyes.

Looking deeper with his Spirit Eyes of Emptiness, at the very bottom of the fissure and at the center of the densely packed locusts, was an enormous, human-sized, yellowish-jade Locust Mother.

The powerful demonic energy that Chen Mobai and the others had felt earlier was surging precisely from its body.

"Kill her, and these locusts will be without a source."

Yan Shaoyin and Yu Shuji also each employed their respective methods, illuminating the gaping subterranean fissure. The moment they saw the Locust Mother, they were all filled with murderous intent.

Locusts become a calamity primarily because the Locust Mother, by absorbing enough nutrients, can continuously produce offspring.

As long as the source can be eradicated, then no matter how many locusts remain, the cultivators will have methods to gradually exterminate them.

This is also one of the lessons learned from thousands of years of struggle between cultivators and locusts.

After speaking, Yan Shaoyin and Yu Shuji, without any hesitation, immediately took out their respective magic artifacts from their storage bags.

A banana leaf fan and a sickle.

Yan Shaoyin opened his mouth and spat out a golden-red flame. It was his Terrestrial Core True Fire, which he had cultivated diligently for many years, his signature skill for refining medicinal properties and synthesizing pills, and had long since reached great mastery at the third tier.

As soon as the Terrestrial Core True Fire was spat out, it was fanned by the banana leaf fan, the wind fueling the flames.

A long stream of flames seemed to appear in the sky, like a waterfall, plunging straight down into the subterranean fissure, burning towards the Locust Mother.

The intense crisis caused the locust swarm to go mad.

Even more ferocious light flickered in their dark red eyes. They unleashed streams of demonic energy from their bodies, gathering them into a demonic beast barrier that blocked the space above the Locust Mother.

Amidst crashing sounds, the Terrestrial Core True Fire made contact with the fearless swarm of locusts, immediately erupting in a violent explosion. Intense high-temperature flames began to burn fiercely, and that burnt, acrid smell once again permeated the air.

Although these locusts were only first or second-tier, they were numerous and fought fearlessly, continuously flying out from the dark depths to join the flesh-and-blood barrier.

As more and more earth elemental demonic energy appeared, Yan Shaoyin's Terrestrial Core True Fire's downward momentum was surprisingly blocked.

"Sect Master Chen, this monster is earth-attributed and can draw energy from flames to grow. Only wood-attributed attacks can truly restrain it, and I happen to possess such abilities. Please help me hold the line!"

At this moment, Yu Shuji also spoke. As he did, he infused his spiritual power into the cold light-glowing sickle in his hand.

Streaks of grass-green light overflowed from the snow-white blade. Chen Mobai watched intently, feeling the piercingly sharp edge, and couldn't help but narrow his eyes.

Two locusts, similar in size to the one Chen Mobai had just annihilated with golden flames, suddenly broke through the fiercely burning Terrestrial Core True Fire. Brandishing their sharp limbs and opening their saw-toothed mouths, they crashed towards Yu Shuji like clumps of earthy-yellow flying rocks.

Amidst the flickering of two grass-green cold lights, bluish-green monster blood splattered across the sky.

Yu Shuji also easily slew the locust monsters.

Chen Mobai observed that when Yu Shuji's two slashes touched the gray demonic energy on the locusts' bodies, the energy suddenly dispersed.

This was precisely wood overcoming earth. The earth elemental demonic energy, when facing Yu Shuji's sickle artifact, could only rely on the thickness and hardness of the locusts' shells for resistance.

But it was clear that this artifact was also a peak third-tier weapon. The blade light it unleashed was incredibly sharp, and the two nearly third-tier locust monsters simply couldn't block it.

"Master Yu, I'll strike with my sword, be ready!"

Since that was the case, Chen Mobai was happy to provide assistance. Laughing heartily, he grasped a ball of golden flame in his hand.

"Strike with his sword?"

Yan Shaoyin and Yu Shuji, who were nearby, hadn't yet realized what he meant, when they saw golden flames shoot out from Chen Mobai's palm like flowing water.

In an instant, the Blazing Sun Slash cut through the Terrestrial Core True Fire, then melted the thick flesh-and-blood barrier blocking the Locust Mother. Accompanied by scattered ashes and a burnt, acrid smell, its momentum unabated, it cleaved directly towards the enormous locust's head.

A sharp, screeching sonic boom.

A yellowish-jade demonic energy burst forth, forming a ring that covered the Locust Mother's head, timely blocking the residual power of the Blazing Sun Slash.

But the immense power of the flame explosion still cleared out all the low-tier locusts around the Locust Mother.

The golden flames were like a shockwave. After being blocked by the earthy-yellow ring, they spread in all directions. Wherever they passed, earth and stone melted into lava, and locusts turned into ash.

Only the Locust Mother at the very center, relying on its abundant and powerful earth elemental demonic energy, managed to withstand the attack.

"The field is cleared, Master Yu, please make your move."

Accompanied by Chen Mobai's laughter, Yu Shuji looked down to see only the Locust Mother remaining, pacing anxiously in the scorching lava, and couldn't help but gulp.

The power of this Blazing Sun Slash truly is formidable!

This thought flashed through his mind, yet Yu Shuji's movements were not slow at all. The grass-green light on the shining sickle had already risen to its peak, and as he swung it downwards, a crescent-moon-shaped cold light slashed down, landing on the Locust Mother's head.

A loud thud!

After resisting for two breaths, the yellowish-jade ring shattered.

The crescent cold light, carrying eighty percent of its power, cut into the Locust Mother's head and neck.

Just as everyone thought this third-tier monster was about to be slain, a layer of fiery red flowing light lit up on its yellowish-green shell, forming a strange and mesmerizing pattern, as if an ancient divine ability had suddenly erupted.

Yu Shuji's crescent cold light only opened a gash in the Locust Mother's neck before being dispersed by the fiery red patterns on its shell, turning into nothing.

"It's a Locust Mother that has mastered both earth and fire attributes; this is troublesome."

Yan Shaoyin, seeing this scene, muttered to himself, while Chen Mobai, upon hearing it, frowned.

Chen Mobai: "What's so formidable about this earth-fire dual attribute?"

Yu Shuji: "Because it has mastered the fire attribute, wood-attributed attacks can no longer restrain it. It would be great if we had a fellow cultivator who practiced water-attributed cultivation methods—ice-attributed would be even better!"

Yan Shaoyin: "It's a pity True Person Kong isn't here."

With earth-fire dual attributes, among the Five Elements, water spiritual energy is the most effective counter.

Ice spiritual energy, as an elevated form of water spiritual energy, is even more suitable. It was precisely for this reason in the past that the alliance that opened up the Eastern Wilderness invited cultivators from the Ice and Snow Land to assist.

"Is there no other way besides Kong Lingling?" Chen Mobai asked again.

Yu Shuji explained, "This Locust Mother appears to be a mutated species. Its demonic energy is no less intense than mine. If it relies on its geographical advantage to defend, the three of us would likely need forty-nine days to exhaust its demonic energy."

Yan Shaoyin proposed his method: "We should first set up a formation to suppress it. Then, both of you fellow Daoists can stay here and guard it while I go to the Snow Country to invite True Person Kong for help."

Chen Mobai, however, shook his head and said something that made Yan Shaoyin and Yu Shuji look at each other in dismay: "I just came from the Snow Country and had a conversation with True Person Kong. She is at a critical juncture in her cultivation and cannot move. Even if Master Yan went, she would be unable to help."

Yan Shaoyin proposed another method: "Alternatively, how about inviting True Person Nujiang from Wind and Rain Dock? If it's about slaying the Locust Mother, I believe he would grant us this favor."

"Wind and Rain Dock is suppressing the Cloud Dream Marsh; their responsibility is even greater!"

Chen Mobai shook his head again.

Yan Shaoyin and Yu Shuji heard this, agreed, and couldn't help but sigh.

"It seems we can only endure the hardship of sitting here for forty-nine days."

Just as Yan Shaoyin sat down cross-legged, preparing for a prolonged battle, Chen Mobai, however, stepped forward, entering the fissure.

"Sect Master Chen..."

Yan Shaoyin and Yu Shuji called out, then watched him reach out, spreading his five fingers towards mid-air.

Crackling!

Amidst the roar of thunder, a long sword, shimmering with purple light, descended from the void into his palm!