In Shilin Province, the first change cultivators noticed was that the spiritual energy between heaven and earth seemed to have become somewhat attenuated.
This was no small matter. After receiving feedback from the cultivators, Shilin Immortal City immediately dispatched personnel to investigate.
According to the measurements, this was not a collective illusion. Rather, the spiritual energy concentration throughout Shilin Province had indeed decreased compared to before. Although the extent of this reduction was not significant, it still caused alarm among the cultivators of Shilin Province. Moreover, because this anomaly seemed to occur only within Shilin Province, and with no prior examples to draw upon, the cultivators of Shilin Province had no choice but to investigate the cause themselves.
The result was astounding.
In Shilin Province's Hundred Stone Grotto-Heaven, a massive underground cave system located at the border of the province, a type of small black insect had emerged at some unknown point. These insects were densely packed, occupying almost the entire underground cave system. They greedily devoured and absorbed the spiritual energy between heaven and earth, multiplying and proliferating at an alarming rate. The sight of black insects filling the view sent shivers down the spines of almost all cultivators who witnessed it.
After finding the cause of the anomaly, the cultivators of Shilin Province quickly formulated a response. They organized cultivators to go to the Hundred Stone Grotto-Heaven to conduct a large-scale extermination of these black insects. They initially believed that with the power of cultivators, capable of moving mountains and overturning seas, eliminating these insects would be effortless. However, the severity of the situation far exceeded what the cultivators of Shilin Province had imagined.
Firstly, the tenacity of these black insects' life force was simply incredible. They fed on spiritual energy, so when cultivators' spiritual energy attacks struck them, a portion would be devoured, weakening the attack slightly. This also meant that the more black insects there were, the stronger their "resistance" to spiritual energy techniques became. Given the density of black insects in the underground Hundred Stone Grotto-Heaven, even Nascent Soul cultivators' attacks would make no discernible impact. Instead, if surrounded, their spiritual energy would be completely drained, leading to a tragic death.
And how many Spirit Transformation cultivators were there in Shilin Province? Faced with an ocean-like swarm of underground black insects, a dozen or twenty Spirit Transformation cultivators would be utterly insufficient. Logically speaking, this situation could only be resolved by Dao Integration cultivators. Unfortunately, the Dao Integration cultivator stationed in Shilin Province, for some unknown reason, had left Shilin Province some time ago and had not yet returned. All communications sent to them had gone unanswered, like a stone sinking into the sea. Therefore, Shilin Province's insect extermination efforts quickly fell into a predicament shortly after they began.
The only thing that brought a slight sense of relief to the cultivators of Shilin Province was that the black insects seemed to have no intention of leaving the underground area or expanding outwards. However, with such a terrifying group of creatures living underground, anyone would feel uneasy, unable to rest or eat peacefully. In utter helplessness, Shilin Immortal City had no choice but to request assistance from the Immortal Alliance headquarters.
Deep within the Hundred Stone Grotto-Heaven.
The phantom of Dharma Transmitter Zhou gazed at the black insects covering the walls of the cave, a hint of trepidation flashing in her eyes. She had personally witnessed these creatures proliferate from a single one to their current state. Initially, she hadn't paid much attention to Li Fan's claim that they were "a little bit harmful." But now, she wished she could avoid the place and dared not visit it in person.
"Fellow Daoist, will these things really not get out of control?" she asked with a somber expression.
Li Fan, stroking the Dao Yi Queen Insect lying in his hand, smiled. "Relax. The Xuanhuang Realm is our shared home. How could our Alliance use this rashly without absolute certainty? All the black insects are spawned by this Dao Yi Queen Insect in my hand. Their lives are entirely linked to the Queen Insect. As long as it is killed, this insect plague will resolve itself."
As if sensing Li Fan's killing intent, the chubby Queen Insect flipped over in place, restlessly wriggling its body in Li Fan's hand.
Dharma Transmitter Zhou stared at the Queen Insect for a long time before finally nodding slightly.
"Within an estimated month, the spiritual energy concentration in Shilin Province will drop to an extreme low. The resulting spiritual energy vacuum will cause massive spiritual energy storms to sweep through neighboring provinces. At that time, we will remove the spirit-sealing barrier."
Before Li Fan, an illusory projection simulating this calamity appeared. "The entire process is estimated to take no more than seven days."
"By the time the Myriad Immortal Alliance goes through layers of reporting and deliberation and finally makes a decision... it will be too late for everything. By then, the cultivators of the Xuanhuang Realm will face a sudden Age of Dharma Decline." Li Fan's tone was somewhat excited as he once again explained the entire plan to Dharma Transmitter Zhou.
Dharma Transmitter Zhou's eyes narrowed, and for some reason, an ominous premonition suddenly arose in her heart. However, such a vast organization as the Alliance of Ten Thousand Realms surely wouldn't allow the Xuanhuang Realm to truly be destroyed. She presumed everything was under control. Dharma Transmitter Zhou felt a little more at ease.
"While these black insects are terrifying, they can, at most, catch people off guard. Once the cultivators of the Myriad Immortal Alliance collectively react, it won't be too difficult to exterminate them."
Li Fan knew the other person was speaking the truth, and he smiled slightly. "All we need is this window of opportunity. If it were just an insect plague, Dharma Transmitter Jiang would certainly not show up in person. But if the spiritual energy mutates after it recovers, threatening the lives of all cultivators, he would probably have no choice but to appear."
Dharma Transmitter Zhou nodded. "That kind of spiritual energy indeed has a mind-disturbing effect. Even with my disposition, after absorbing some of it, it was difficult to suppress the urge to have a fierce fight with Huang. If it spreads throughout the Xuanhuang Realm..." Dharma Transmitter Zhou seemed to already envision a scene of widespread bloodshed.
"Just two types of small insects can pose such a great threat to the world. Your Alliance of Ten Thousand Realms..." Dharma Transmitter Zhou's phantom stared at Li Fan, her expression unreadable.
"Threat? Not at all, not at all." Li Fan decisively shook his head in denial. "Once Jiang appears, I will activate the clues I've prepared to draw him here. Then, it will be up to you. As for the Xuanhuang Realm's spiritual energy issue, there's no need to worry. After the black insects die, the spiritual energy they devoured will return to heaven and earth. Everything will return to its original state," Li Fan said indifferently.
Dharma Transmitter Zhou had also verified this matter, so she had no objections. However, what she didn't know was that beyond the disclosed information, Li Fan had concealed many things. For example, there were actually two Dao Yi Queen Insects. Only if both died simultaneously would this mutated Dao Yi insect race perish. For example, it was true that the Dao Yi insects would return most of the spiritual energy upon death. But a small portion would still be transferred into the Queen Insects' bodies as nourishment. And another thing... Spiritual energy to the Xuanhuang Realm was like blood to the human body. Having its "blood" exchanged in a short period, what changes would occur in the Xuanhuang Realm was truly hard to say.
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