Chapter 2240

This plan had been devised long before departure, and everyone had confirmed it once already; now that the moment had arrived, naturally the Grand Ascension elders had no further objections.

After a short while, the demon army gathered above the ancient wilderness let out a rumbling sound, then split into several streams and surged forward in the same direction.

Only tens of thousands of the most elite demon guards and a number of Grand Ascension beings remained behind.

After another hour or so, the remaining elite demons, following a brief commotion, also boarded some large vessels and likewise departed the desolate valley.

Seven days later, above a barren plateau where no grass grew, a force of over ten thousand demon armored troops was fiercely fighting its way through the insect sea.

This demon army advanced and retreated with order, using hundreds of massive ships as pillars to form a marvelously intricate circular formation in the high sky, and layered seven or eight defensive light curtains.

Thick pillars of light and dense black qi and black radiance sprayed desperately from the light curtains, and almost every moment, large swaths of monster insect corpses rained down from the high sky.

But the mantis insects in this insect sea were simply too numerous!

No matter how many casualties, more monster insects would immediately swarm forward, desperately attacking the entire formation.

Although the demon troops had originally been advancing slowly, under layer upon layer of obstruction they could not help but halt in place; however, the attacks spewing from the formation grew ever more fierce, instantly slaying countless mantis insects and easing the pressure they had faced somewhat.

Yet the three Body Integration demons aboard one of the massive ships, witnessing all this, wore grim expressions and showed not the slightest smile.

"To resort to reserve forces now is hardly a wise move. The time we can buy down there will likely be greatly shortened." A demon warrior clad in crimson armor muttered.

"Hmph, if we did not use them now, the entire formation might have collapsed outright just now. If we cannot even pass this immediate obstacle, what is there to speak of later?" Another, gaunt demon elder coldly snorted.

"But the several Holy Ancestors' orders to us were to hold out in the insect sea for more than half a day, and we have barely passed a few hours. If we truly wish to return alive, we must reserve some reinforcements. Otherwise, once everyone is utterly exhausted, how could just us few possibly break out of the insect sea?" The crimson-armored demon objected.

"If we do not commit all our strength, we are already in imminent danger—what talk is there of breaking out of the insect sea? At worst, we will all together unleash secret arts to draw out our potential, and perhaps we can still escape unharmed." The gaunt elder seemed indifferent.

"Drawing out potential! You speak of it so lightly, but even a slight misstep means we still cannot escape being devoured by the mantis insects." The crimson-armored warrior said coldly.

"I think that as long as we plan well and seize the opportunity, this is not so difficult after all." The gaunt elder rolled his eyes and hummed dismissively.

The warrior flared with anger, about to speak again, but was cut off by the last figure—a demon sovereign resembling a middle-aged woman—who directly spoke up.

"What time is it now, that you two Dao friends are still arguing endlessly? If you truly have such leisure, you can wait until we safely leave this place. But before that, we three must still cooperate wholeheartedly. Everyone has already been deployed; regret now comes too late. Think carefully: aside from drawing out potential, is there no other way to break out of the insect sea?" This somewhat comely demon sovereign spoke expressionlessly.

"Lady Tianmiao's words are sound; we should still carefully consider together, see if we can find other alternatives." The crimson-armored warrior's face shifted between gloom and clarity before he forcibly suppressed his discontent and managed a smile.

"Indeed. I did not expect the mantis insects here to be far fiercer than the swarms outside; now we must unite our efforts." The gaunt elder cleared his throat, then softened his tone.

Thus the three demon sovereigns again gathered on the massive ship to carefully discuss escape strategies.

At the same time, several other demon armies were similarly trapped in insect seas in other remote regions, with demon sovereigns leading their forces in desperate resistance against wave after wave of mantis insect attacks, all appearing to be barely holding on.

However, at this moment, the tens of thousands of elite demons accompanying Han Li and Bao Hua, taking advantage of the fact that most mantis insects near the Origin Seal site had been lured away by the main demon army, broke through over a dozen insect swarm intercepts at maximum escape speed, and were not far from the Origin Seal site.

But by then, the other mantis insect swarms had also reacted. They were finally surrounded on all sides by swarming mantis insects, forming an impenetrable encirclement, just like the other demon armies, and had fallen into the blockade of the boundless insect sea.

But unlike those demon armies!

Although Han Li, Bao Hua, and the other Grand Ascension elders had not yet acted, the tens of thousands of elite demons, together with nearly a thousand disciples and followers of those Grand Ascension elders, were not something ordinary mantis insects could block.

Immediately, countless sword lights and blade radiance surged forward in front of the troops; the mantis insects blocking the front instantly turned into showers of blood, scattering in all directions—utterly unable to offer the slightest resistance.

The demon troops, shrouded in rolling demonic qi, paused not a moment, and advanced forward at astonishing speed; even when a few particularly fierce mantis insects blocked the way, they were instantly shredded by countless magical artifacts.

In less than half an incense stick's time, the demon troops had advanced a million li, slaughtering countless mantis insects along the way.

Suddenly, a strange hissing sound came from ahead in the insect sea; then the mantis insects parted, revealing a large group of entirely emerald-green giant insects.

Each of these giant insects was over ten zhang in size, with pincer-like forelimbs, mouths full of fangs, and a ferocious appearance.

"Be careful—these are high-level mantis insects; their spittle equals a full-force strike from a Body Integration demon sovereign." Some high-level demon, unknown who, instantly recognized them and cried out in alarm.

But just then, the giant insects ahead opened their maws wide, and emerald-green light pillars flashed and vanished as they sprayed out furiously.

Before the light pillars could be defended against, several thousand Void Refinement and higher elite demons were struck directly through their protective demonic qi, screaming as they instantly vaporized.

The power of these light pillars was terrifyingly formidable; even the demon guards' battle armor and protective spirit light could not block them in the slightest.

"Hahaha, these high-level mantis insects have actually gathered so many at once—it seems they finally realize we are the main force of this expedition. Since that is the case, what are we waiting for?" A demon Holy Ancestor clad entirely in black armor, standing at the prow of the massive ship, laughed loudly, raised one hand, and shot out a black silk that, after a flicker, transformed into a vast net spanning several li, which he then hurled directly toward the giant insects.

At that moment, several other nearby Grand Ascension elders stirred and likewise took action.

One merely pinched a seal with one hand; instantly, violent winds arose in the void ahead, and dozens of thousand-zhang-high tornadoes appeared out of nowhere, then surged forward with overwhelming force.

Another merely pointed into the void; heavenly qi surged, thunder rang out, and countless bowl-thick lightning serpents poured down like a torrential rain.

Meanwhile, under the covert spellcasting of the remaining Grand Ascension elders, countless wind blades about a chi in length and blue fireballs the size of washbasins appeared around the giant insects, and without hesitation shot toward the insect swarms.

Even one Grand Ascension elder simply grabbed into the void; a crystal-clear small sword flashed into view, then, with a shake, he slashed directly outward.

A loud tearing sound rang out; dense crystal sword light flashed and, accompanied by tearing sounds, swept across the heavens and earth...

With so many Grand Ascension elders acting together, though the giant insects were extraordinarily formidable, how could they withstand such a barrage of attacks? Instantly, amid their screams, they either shattered into five pieces or turned to ash, and in the blink of an eye were completely eradicated.

The demon troops suddenly erupted in countless cheers!

"Do not halt—keep advancing!" The black-armored demon Holy Ancestor, letting out a feral laugh, immediately bellowed the command.

The elite demon guards dared not delay; the formation, which had slightly slowed, instantly surged forward again at great speed.

At this moment, the other mantis insects that had previously retreated surged forward once more, fearless of death, but still could not impede the entire force.

Han Li, located in the great hall of the massive ship, merely swept his divine sense outward—and saw everything with perfect clarity.

Upon seeing that just a few Grand Ascension elders working together could easily annihilate those giant insects, he immediately curled the corner of his mouth into a faint smile.

Though these giant insects' spittle power was comparable to that of a Body Integration cultivator, their defensive capabilities were worlds apart—like mere defective products.

Otherwise, even if several Grand Ascension elders had acted together earlier, it would have been impossible to so easily obliterate so many Body Integration-level beings.

It appears these giant insects are not the true top-tier entities among the mantis insects.

And in the great hall, only seven or eight of the gathered Grand Ascension elders stood at the front and rear of the massive ship, ready to respond to any contingency at any moment.

Bao Hua, however, sat in a chair at the center of the great hall, playing with a palm-sized mirror in her hand.

It was precisely that Small Illusory Heaven Mirror.

As for the other Grand Ascension elders, either they paired off to whisper quietly, or they sat with eyes closed, cultivating their spirits.

Han Li's gaze flashed and fell upon a woman seated by the window—none other than the Evil Lotus Holy Ancestor.

This woman's visage greatly resembled Bao Hua's; she faced the window, watching the battle between the guards and the mantis insects, her expression utterly blank, making it impossible to discern what she was thinking.

Not far from this woman, the copper crow old man was seated cross-legged on the floor, surrounded by several Nascent Soul cultivators of the Tianya Realm, with faint traces of pale yellow crystal light flickering and flowing across his body, as if he were practicing some cultivation method.

After Han Li's thoughts raced for a moment, he withdrew his gaze and likewise closed his eyes to rest his spirit.

By his side, the Crab Daoist stood motionless in that spot, yet there was no trace of Silver Moon.

This was because Han Li himself felt this journey was rather dangerous, so he did not bring this woman with him, leaving her temporarily at a makeshift cave dwelling in the desert.

Although Silver Moon would be affected by the Unfeeling Decision if she left his side, as long as the time was not too long, there would be no serious hindrance. To be continued