Chapter 1347: Insect Swarm

Yan Buji immediately stopped his healing, rose slowly, the lingering Chaos Force within his body quietly circulated, the faint light of the Silence Extinction Chaos Veil flickered on his surface. He stared at those amber eyes, his spirit taut to the limit, yet showed no fear. Before such a being, any emotional display could become a flaw.

Silence spread throughout the cavern. Only the occasional pop of bubbles rising from the murky water pit could be heard.

After a long while, the manifested form of the forest's will finally spoke. It was not a sound transmitted through the air, but an ancient thought acting directly on the soul layer, carrying the rustle of growing trees, the sigh of decaying leaves, and the weighty echo of flowing time:

"Outsider... Chaos... Disturber..."

Each transmission of thought was exceedingly slow, yet each word was heavy, as if bearing the weight of the entire forest.

"You... have stolen the breath of solidification... disturbed the Silence Extinction scar... touched... the balance..."

Yan Buji understood in his heart. The other referred to his act of absorbing this place's Chaos law, countering the gray-dark seal. To this forest that pursues absolute 'stillness' and 'solidification', his Chaos Path was indeed a 'disturbance'.

He offered no defense, merely responded with thought, as concise and clear as possible: "I act for survival, and also to eliminate calamity. I have no intention of permanently disturbing this place's balance."

Another stretch of prolonged silence followed. The light within those amber eyes subtly shifted, as if calculating countless possibilities.

"Within you... lies a 'Gate' seal... originating... from the deep wasteland... the Gate of the End..." the forest's will thought again, this time carrying an extremely subtle ripple, as if... apprehension? Or perhaps a ripple that touched a distant memory.

Yan Buji felt a shock in his heart. The other could at a glance see through the origin of his internal seal, even knowing that the gate was called "Gate of the End"!

"Yes. It was unintentionally caught by its gaze." He admitted calmly, with no need to conceal.

"The breath of the End... and the breath of solidification... counter each other... yet also give rise..." the forest's will thought became somewhat ethereal, as if expounding an ancient principle, "You use Chaos as a medium... drawing external forces to temper the seal... clever... and bold..."

It seemed not to intend to strike Yan Buji down immediately, but rather to observe and assess.

"Your 'Chaos'... is interesting... it contains the extreme of 'movement'... also glimpses the subtlety of 'stillness'... yet... is tangled and impure... far from complete..."

Yan Buji felt a slight stir in his mind. This ancient being's perspective was lofty; a single sentence pierced the current state of his Chaos Path. Indeed, he had merged Chaos, Order, life and death, Existence and non-existence, even the nascent Silence Extinction and Mirror laws, appearing all-encompassing, yet not truly fused into one furnace to reach the perfect realm of "Chaos Infinity".

"May I ask, senior, what is perfection?" he seized the chance, inquiring with thought. From such a being, even a single phrase could contain the supreme Dao.

"Perfection... is not ten thousand laws added to the body... it is one law giving rise to ten thousand laws... one thought moving ten thousand realms..." the forest's will thought still slowly, "Your Chaos... can contain ten thousand laws... yet has not become its 'source'... you seek 'Infinity'... but are trapped in the form of 'finite'..."

These words struck Yan Buji's heart like evening drums and morning bells. He had always pursued the inclusiveness and Evolution of Chaos, the potential of Infinity, yet never considered that true "Chaos Infinity" might not be simply devouring everything, but rather birthing from within the "origin" that spawns ten thousand laws! His crystal of "Infinite Chaos Essence" might be a prototype of that origin, but it is still far from pure, far from primordial!

"Thank you, senior, for the guidance." Yan Buji expressed sincere gratitude. This counsel was of incalculable value.

"Guidance... is not without cost..." the forest's will thought again, now straight, "You must... complete a task..."

A transaction? Yan Buji felt a chill in his heart. Indeed, such a being would not appear without purpose.

"Senior, please speak."

"Deep within this forest lies a 'Life Core'... it is my... source of solidification... also the site of a... 'leak'..." the forest's will thought, tinged with a barely perceptible fatigue and decay, "Recently... a 'Rot-Devouring Insect Swarm' has entered through external fissures... gnawing at the solidification breath surrounding the core... disturbing the balance... exacerbating the leak..."

Its amber eyes looked at Yan Buji: "You... possess Chaos and nascent Silence Extinction... can wound the insect swarm... and are not overly repelled by the core... for me... eradicate the swarm... stabilize the core..."

"As a reward... I can help you... thoroughly cleanse the 'Gate' seal... and guide you... out of this forest... to the 'Order Ruins City'..."

Eradicate the swarm? It sounds not difficult. Yet a Rot-Devouring Insect Swarm that troubles the will of this ancient forest and must seek an outsider's aid is surely no trivial foe. Moreover, approaching the forest's core, the 'Life Core', is itself a great risk.

But the reward is equally enticing—complete purification of the gray-dark seal, and departure from this predicament, even receiving guidance to the next destination.

"What is the swarm's strength? Are there any taboos near the core?" Yan Buji asked calmly, needing to assess the risk.

"The swarm... numbers in the tens of thousands... each individual weak... but together a disaster... adept at corroding laws... especially fond of solidification and Silence Extinction... the core houses an insect queen... comparable to your... Great Vehicle Stage..." the forest's will thought, conveying information, "The area around the core... has an extremely strong solidification field... those who have not grasped the true essence of 'stillness'... approach it and quickly decay... your Chaos... requires extreme stillness to..."

Yan Buji pondered briefly. The swarm's massive numbers, its corrosion of laws, the queen at Great Vehicle Stage, were indeed troublesome. The core's extreme environment demanded a profound understanding of 'stillness', which could perfectly test and temper his newly gained insight.

Risk and opportunity coexisted.

"I accept." Yan Buji finally nodded. He had no better option, and this truly was a rare chance for both trial and reward.

"Good..." the forest's will thought, seeming to soften a bit, "This item I give you... can help discern the swarm and core fluctuations... and can, in danger, summon a burst of solidification force to shield you..."

A faint, pale yellow speck, like solidified amber, drifted from its wooden hand, slowly floating toward Yan Buji and merging into his forehead. Instantly, information about the Rot-Devouring Insect Swarm's traits, the general location and fluctuation of the Life Core flooded his mind, and at his forehead's spirit platform a warm amber seal appeared, containing a trace of pure solidification law power.

"After the deed is done... the seal will itself guide you back..."

Finishing, the tall figure began to fade slowly, like a melting snowman, turning back into the rock wall's shadow, the color of moss, and finally vanished, as if it had never appeared.

Inside the cavern, silence returned. Only the bubbles from the murky water pit continued to pop at a leisurely pace.

Yan Buji touched the warm amber seal on his forehead, his gaze steadfast.

A new challenge arrived. Eradicate the insects, stabilize the core, then... with the purified seal and new guidance, depart this slumbering land, heading for the unknown "Order Ruins City"!

He no longer delayed, immediately closed his eyes to regulate his breath, began to fully restore his condition, and carefully digested the information the forest's will had given, preparing for the upcoming actions.