Storms Beyond the Seas, A Chance Encounter

Chapter 470: Storms Beyond the Seas, A Chance Encounter

Han Li’s expression was grim as he gestured with both hands. Several spirit beast pouches flew up from his waist, hovering in mid-air.

He formed a hand seal, and the mouths of all the pouches opened simultaneously.

Countless Gold Devourer Beetles surged out, transforming into a silver-gold cloud of resplendent light that spiraled upward.

“Go.”

Han Li glanced at the beetle cloud above him, feeling a bit more confident. He pointed into the distance and spoke softly.

In terms of sheer numbers, these beetles were far beyond the Iron Fire Ant swarm he had just faced.

With a resonant hum, the brilliant cloud drifted forward, descending toward the ground like a darkening sky.

But before it could land, the black ant cloud shot upward to meet the beetles.

The moment the two clouds touched, a burst of black light flashed between them. A sheet of dark flame erupted from the ant swarm, rolling unceremoniously over the beetles.

The ants had clearly recognized the threat the beetles posed and used their innate fire-controlling talent first.

For any other insect, such a strange flame would have been devastating, if not annihilating.

But the beetles were completely unfazed. They devoured the black fire in an instant, then buzzed forward into the ant swarm.

The two torrents of color crashed violently into each other, intertwining and tearing at one another in a piercing shriek.

Insect corpses began to rain down in waves. The black ones made up the vast majority, while the silver-gold ones were extremely rare.

From the very first moment of contact, the beetles had the upper hand.

Within moments, it seemed they would annihilate the enemy entirely.

The ants sensed the danger. The remnants let out faint cries, then suddenly gathered together, forming a single black arrow. It shot through the beetle swarm’s encirclement, trying to flee.

But at that instant, a dazzling azure sword-light streaked down from the sky like a rainbow. It flashed once and struck the arrow’s shaft.

The arrow trembled violently. Its speed plummeted.

That brief delay was all the beetles needed. They swarmed forward, trapping the arrow in a tight ring.

In the blink of an eye, the black was swallowed by the silver-gold sea. By the time the swarm slowly dispersed, the arrow had vanished without a trace.

Han Li walked over calmly.

He looked at the insect corpses on the ground, touched his chin, and fell into silent thought for a moment.

The number of beetles lost was not high—only a few hundred. Such a loss he could ignore.

It seemed the beetles were indeed somewhat stronger than the Iron Fire Ants. And in a battle like this, numbers had played a decisive role. With more than ten times the ants’ numbers, the beetles had naturally held the advantage.

After analyzing for a moment, Han Li’s expression relaxed. It appeared that the beetles would be more than enough to get him across the Black Desert.

He glanced once more at the corpses on the ground. A strange light flickered in his eyes. He let out a low whistle.

The silver-gold cloud descended with a whoosh, sweeping over the ground like an autumn gale, devouring every corpse clean. Then it obediently flew back into the spirit beast pouches Han Li had readied.

He gathered the pouches, gazed into the depths of the Black Desert, and without hesitation, walked forward.

A day later, Han Li stood deep in the desert, staring motionlessly at the sky with an expressionless face.

Above him, the largest insect battle since he had entered the desert was unfolding.

Over a hundred thousand Gold Devourer Beetles and Iron Fire Ants were locked in a desperate struggle in the low air not far ahead.

Insect corpses fell like raindrops from the high sky, carpeting the ground in a thin, gruesome layer.

It was a truly shocking sight.

A faint shadow of grimness flickered across Han Li’s brow.

In the span of only a single day, the number of beetles he had lost had reached nearly ten thousand. Almost every stretch of road had brought him into contact with another Iron Fire Ant swarm, their numbers ranging from two or three thousand to over ten thousand.

This time, he had encountered a super-massive swarm of almost sixty thousand ants.

Once this battle was over, he estimated he would lose at least another seven or eight thousand beetles.

No wonder he felt a twinge of pain. Breeding new beetles was a time-consuming process; he had no idea when the swarm would be replenished.

Another quarter-hour passed before the black ant swarm finally retreated. Apart from a few thousand that broke through and fled, the rest became a meal for the beetle swarm, devoured completely.

Han Li could not be bothered to chase the fleeing ants. Instead, he spat a mouthful of pure qi onto the Ice Pearl above his head, letting its yin-cold aura surge, and continued on his way, his spirits somewhat restored.

According to his estimate, he should be in the central region of the desert by now, which explained the huge swarms. He needed to hurry; just sustaining the two fire-repelling treasures was already an exhausting drain on his mana.

But this time, he had only walked twenty or thirty li before his expression shifted. He narrowed his eyes and stared intently into the distance to his right.

After a moment, a look of doubt crossed his face. He abruptly changed direction and headed toward a certain sand dune.

When he stood atop the dune, his brow furrowed slightly.

Where his sight landed, there was yet another swarm of Iron Fire Ants.

This swarm was not huge—only around ten thousand—but they were fiercely attacking a pale blue light barrier. The barrier flickered unsteadily, and a human silhouette could be seen moving inside it, struggling to hold on.

Han Li watched coldly, his face utterly expressionless.

Just then, the ant swarm transformed into a sharp longsword wreathed in black flame and slashed fiercely at the barrier.

Just as Han Li was certain the person would die, a single inconspicuous green pellet shot out from within the barrier.

The moment it struck the black sword, it burst with a puff into a fist-sized ball of deep green flame, burning fiercely.

The part of the longsword caught by the flame rapidly dissolved. Nearly a hundred ants fell from the sky.

Han Li was inwardly shocked.

What kind of strange treasure was that green pellet, to be so powerful? Even the Iron Fire Ants, innate fire-attribute spirit insects, could not withstand the green flame’s attack. It was almost unbelievable.

It seemed the cultivation world held countless rare treasures he had yet to encounter. He truly was still too ignorant.

The appearance of the green flame seemed only to enrage the ant swarm further. They scattered and renewed their mad assault on the barrier, refusing to yield an inch.

As for the cultivator inside the barrier, it seemed they had few of those pellets left. After breaking the ants’ transformed sword, no second pellet appeared. They simply continued to hold on with grim determination.

But they seemed to have noticed Han Li’s presence, slowly shifting the light barrier toward his dune even under the ants’ relentless assault.

Han Li watched for a moment, his face wooden. Then he turned, ready to continue on his way, ignoring the scene.

He had no intention of scheming for the other’s treasure, nor any interest in wasting his beetles to save a stranger.

In this strange desert, his beetles were worth far more than ordinary treasures. He was not about to lose a portion of them for nothing.

But just as he took two steps, a woman’s hoarse voice, oddly familiar, came from within the light barrier.

“Fellow Daoist Han, wait! It’s me, Yuan Yao. Please help me! I will surely repay you generously afterward!” Yuan Yao’s voice was full of anxiety and panic.

“Yuan Yao?” Han Li paused, stunned for a moment. After a brief hesitation, he slowly turned around.

The world was truly a small place.

On a vast lava path like this, to run into this female cultivator, who could barely be considered an acquaintance—it left him speechless.

Since she was half an acquaintance, Han Li was not cold-blooded enough to simply watch her die.

Besides, he had been thinking about seeking her out discreetly for some time now. This was a convenient opportunity.

He glanced at the now-dimmed light barrier. After a moment’s thought, he reached for the spirit beast pouch at his waist.

Countless Gold Devourer Beetles surged out, putting on a spectacular show of insect warfare right before Yuan Yao’s eyes.

The female cultivator inside the light barrier watched, utterly dumbfounded.

At the cost of just over a thousand beetles, the Iron Fire Ant swarm was completely annihilated.

She was left speechless for a long time by the shock.

It was only when Han Li calmly began to withdraw the beetles that she regained her wits and hastily dispelled the protective blue light barrier.

Yuan Yao’s face was pale from excessive mana consumption, making her appear somewhat delicate, but all the more charming for it.

She had long since shed her black robe and was now dressed in thin, form-fitting clothes that revealed her graceful, alluring figure. She was drenched in sweat, exuding a faint fragrance, carrying an almost fatal seductiveness.

Han Li was momentarily taken aback at the sight, but quickly recovered his composure.

“Thank you for saving me, Fellow Daoist Han. I am truly grateful!” Yuan Yao said in a charming voice, curtsying gracefully toward him.

(Author’s Note: There were some urgent family matters to handle today, which delayed things. This will be the only chapter tonight. My apologies! Ah, the end of the year always brings all sorts of trivial things that must be dealt with. Such is life, I suppose! I hope everyone gets a good night’s sleep.)