"You slaughtered those innocent mortals on Ox Head Mountain. Did you ever think of sparing them?" Leo's eyes turned cold. Forming hand seals, he unleashed several spells in rapid succession.

  After putting up a desperate fight, the phoenix-eyed woman fled into a river near Ox Head Mountain, hoping to escape underwater.

  "Did you think a river would stop me?" Leo almost smiled. He had multiple ways to force her out. Without hesitation, he cast several Lightning Net techniques. The crackling nets shot into the water, electrocuting a school of fish that surfaced, bellies up.

  A muffled cry came from below. A figure, entangled in the net, struggled underwater. The Lightning Net was even more effective in water.

  "Water Lightning Technique!" "Ice Arrow Technique!"

  Two water lightning bolts numbed the phoenix-eyed woman, shattering her protective shield. Dozens of ice arrows streaked into the water. Leo turned and walked away without looking back. Dozens of meters later, blood surged to the surface. A body, pierced by several ice arrows, floated up.

  "The dead are gone. Grieve, but move on." Returning to the battlefield, Leo offered Hann what comfort he could.

  Wiping away his tears, Hann sighed heavily. He hastily buried his daughter, burning some paper offerings.

  After the burial, Hann collected the storage pouches of the black-armored man and the other mid-stage cultivator, offering them untouched to Leo.

  Finding nothing of value, Leo took a few spirit stones and gave the rest to Hann. Grateful, Hann mentioned his daughter had left a keepsake—a gift from him, now likely taken by the bandits. He wished to recover it. Leo agreed without a second thought.

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  An hour later, after ransacking Ox Head Mountain, Hann found a large inkstone, slightly bigger than usual. Unremarkable save for its size. Perhaps his daughter had been a woman of letters. Hann wrapped it carefully and they resumed their journey.

  A day later, they traversed a miasma-ridden swamp. An old man and a youth picked their way along the edge, alert.

  Buzz.

  A swarm of sixty or seventy yellow mosquitoes rose from the swamp, homing in on the intruders.

  "So many mosquitoes!"

  The swamp teemed not only with miasma and poisonous fog but also with endless demon insects and beasts—scorpions, mosquitoes, spiders. Leo, showing no deference to age, let Hann handle most low-grade threats. Though no true dangerous creatures appeared, Hann, a late-stage cultivator, struggled. Now, facing sixty or seventy agile mosquitoes, fending them off with a spirit shield and sword was exhausting. Spells would be more effective, but his aim was poor. He looked to Leo.

  Leo prepared a Rain of Fire technique to incinerate them, but the Shadow Ants in his jade gourd stirred, excited. A tasty meal. With his spiritual sense greatly enhanced since reaching Great Perfection, he could now command nearly a hundred and fifty ants. A dark cloud emerged, dense and menacing.

  "An insect cultivator!" Hann's throat went dry. He had thought Leo a rare spellmaster, honing his art in the mine with countless spirit stones. But Leo was more than that—he was also a formidable insect cultivator.

  A hundred and fifty Shadow Ants, double the mosquitoes' number, swarmed them under Leo's command. They tore into the poisonous insects, devouring them completely.

  "Master Leo's Shadow Ants are truly fearsome!" Hann praised.

  "How much further to this secret chamber you mentioned?" Leo, unimpressed by the praise, recalled the sated ants.

  "About two hours. But the miasma and poison grow thicker ahead. We'll need antidote herbs. There's a place I know—let me gather some. You rest here." Hann offered.

  "You alone? What if danger arises?" Leo frowned.

  Hann smiled. "Few beasts or insects there. Just tedious gathering. Let me handle this small task."

  Leo was about to respond when another spirit insect pouch stirred. Hope flickered in his eyes. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded. "Fine. I'll wait here. Be quick."

  "Within the hour." Hann hurried off.

  Watching him disappear, Leo's expression grew thoughtful. Alone at last, he untied the other pouch and tipped out several orange-yellow eggs.

  Joy flooded him. One egg bore a fine crack.

  "Finally! After six years of nurturing with my spiritual power, one of these Barrier-Breaching Insect eggs is hatching."

  Alone, Leo let his emotions show. The crack widened. A strange larva emerged, finger-length, pale yellow, segmented like a centipede but with a silkworm-like head.

  Chirp. It devoured its shell, its color deepening.

  "Time to bond, little one. Can't have unexpected problems later." Leo nicked his finger with his thumbnail and let a drop of essence blood fall on the larva.

  Chirp! It squeaked but, newly born, offered little resistance to the spiritual bond. Soon, it submitted.

  "After all that waiting, you finally appear."