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Chapter 487: The Mother of the Flame Demon Insects
Chapter 487: The Mother of the Flame Demon Insects
"Brother Lu, have you noticed anything unusual?" Zhou Yunning asked Lu Chen, keeping an eye on the battle between the fiery giant and Huo Lin'er below.
"Something feels off," Lu Chen replied slowly. "I'm not sure if there's a connection between the Demon Flame Insects in the Spirit Fields and the aberration of this Primordial Fire Spirit."
"Alright, be extra cautious, Brother Lu. As a Spirit Herbologist, remember not to put yourself in danger. If you come across anything, don't hesitate to call for our help," Zhou Yunning instructed.
Seeing how troublesome the aberrant Primordial Fire Spirit was, even a true disciple like Huo Lin'er seemed unable to defeat it quickly. So, Zhou Yunning decided to join forces with Xu Yong to provide assistance.
"I'll keep that in mind, Brother Huo. I'll be counting on you two here," Lu Chen said, and with a surge of green light from his feet, he darted into the passage like a floating light.
He certainly wouldn't put himself in harm's way. With the Cloud-stepping Lynx, the Void Nightmare Eyes, and the Illusion-breaking Eye Technique, he could easily detect potential threats and make a full retreat if necessary.
As he neared the Spirit Fields, the Spirit Beast pouch on his body flashed with spiritual light, and the Cloud-stepping Lynx appeared on his shoulder.
Its pair of emerald eyes gazed indifferently at Lu Chen, and the two clusters of grayish-white fur on the tips of its ears, curved subtly into heart shapes, betrayed its thoughts.
"Little Lynx, pay close attention to our surroundings. If you sense any malicious presence, let me know immediately," Lu Chen instructed.
"Ao..." The Cloud-stepping Lynx let out a low growl, sounding somewhat disinterested.
"Okay, okay!" Lu Chen, however, heard its continuous assent in his mind.
With a thought, a faint crack appeared on his head, and a grayish-white eye emerged from the crack, only to vanish without a trace in the next instant.
In the blink of an eye, it reappeared high in the sky ahead, circling around Lu Chen.
"The presence of so many Demon Flame Insects with parasitic spirit herbs in the Spirit Fields is definitely not natural. Someone, be it a cultivator or a demon, must have orchestrated this," Lu Chen mused.
"Demon Flame Insects are extremely rare and scarce. Whoever is behind this wouldn't just sit idly by and watch their insects being cleaned out. They would surely find a way to retrieve the remaining insects," he continued.
"Perhaps the Primordial Fire Spirit in the Fire Cloud Spring was influenced by them, causing it to aberrate and attract the attention of Huo Lin'er and the rest of us?" Lu Chen speculated as he swiftly navigated through the passage.
"In that case, the orchestrator's strength might not be that formidable. Otherwise, they wouldn't resort to such roundabout methods. They could have just crushed us with sheer power," he thought, feeling somewhat relieved.
As he approached the vicinity of the Spirit Fields, he restrained his aura and slowed down.
Turning to look at the Cloud-stepping Lynx on his shoulder, he saw its emerald eyes fixed on the fields ahead, shaking its head slightly to indicate that it hadn't detected anything unusual.
Lu Chen furrowed his brows slightly and extended his hand. A palm seal appeared and gradually enlarged and deepened, soon revealing a tiny grayish-white eye.
The eye reflected the scene witnessed by the Void Nightmare Eyes.
In the vast Spirit Fields, the spirit herbs were arranged in an orderly manner, and many of them were still covered in black-red fine lines of varying sizes, just as they had been before he left.
"Hmm, there seems to be a slight difference," Lu Chen noticed.
With his mental control, the Void Nightmare Eyes appeared and disappeared, focusing on a section of untreated spirit herbs below.
On several spirit herbs, the black-red fine lines were unusually active, slowly wriggling out from within the leaves and branches.
Malnourished Demon Flame Insects of different sizes were gathering towards a certain direction in the Spirit Fields.
The Demon Flame Insects in a parasitic state had awakened on their own!
Lu Chen's heart skipped a beat, and he stood still, the grayish-white eye rotating slightly as he looked towards the direction where the insects were converging.
"Something's amiss," Lu Chen murmured to himself, a sense of unease growing within him as he observed the scene through the vision shared by the Void Nightmare Eyes.
The distance was too great, and with the stone walls and numerous spirit herbs in between, it was difficult to employ the Illusion-breaking Eye Technique effectively. Lu Chen, ever cautious, paused and turned his thoughts inward.
"I have an idea."
He reached into his storage pouch and silently retrieved a jade box. Opening it, he took out a hundred-year-old ice spirit, within which several black-red fine lines were sealed.
These were the Demon Flame Insects he had collected from the fire-attributed spirit herbs.
Driven by curiosity, he had gathered a few to study or perhaps use in one of Old Fox's experiments. Little did he know that they would come in handy so soon.
With utmost care, he extracted one of the more active Demon Flame Insects and infused it with a wisp of Primeval Green Wood energy. The insect immediately became lively and scurried away from Lu Chen's grasp, speeding towards the Spirit Fields.
Once inside the fields, it rapidly made its way towards the other Demon Flame Insects that were gathering in one direction.
"As expected," Lu Chen thought with a sense of satisfaction, feeling that his plan was already halfway to success.
Indeed, the unknown presence in the Spirit Fields was calling the remaining Demon Flame Insects. If he could recapture the one he had released, there was a good chance he could complete the 'feeding' process and gain information about this mysterious entity.
High above the Spirit Fields, the Void Nightmare Eyes kept a close watch on the released Demon Flame Insect. As it blended into the void, Lu Chen focused his attention on that patch of emptiness.
A thought emerged in his mind.
The Mother of the Flame Demon Insects is a subordinate creature of the Flame Demon, a powerful extra-dimensional demon. It inherently commands mysterious demonic fire and possesses formidable stealth capabilities, with a strength comparable to that of a quasi-Core Formation cultivator.
The Mother can give birth to countless demonic insect offspring, which feed on the vitality of various fire-attributed spirit herbs. Once they mature, they return to the Mother's body, serving as nourishment for the growth of the Flame Demon.
Oh, my poor children, why are you all so malnourished?
"An extra-dimensional demon? With the strength of a quasi-Core Formation cultivator? While it shouldn't be too difficult to handle, it would be best to join up with Huo Lin'er and let him deal with it," Lu Chen thought, exhaling slowly. Now that he had gained insight into the entity within the Spirit Fields, he felt it prudent to step back and let Huo Lin'er take the lead.
As he prepared to recall the Void Nightmare Eyes, a sudden development in the scene before him caused him to pause.
The countless Demon Flame Insects that had been gathering in one direction suddenly stopped in their tracks, remaining motionless.
This unexpected turn of events immediately raised Lu Chen's alarm.
"Careless!" he berated himself.
"While clearing out the Demon Flame Insects, these parasites, still in their infancy, showed no signs of strong resistance or subjective consciousness."
"But that doesn't mean they would behave the same way in front of their mother. They originate from her, so they must have a unique means of communication."
"By releasing that Demon Flame Insect, I may have learned about the Mother, but I also risked exposing myself to her detection."
A twinge of regret ran through Lu Chen as he realized he had been lulled into a false sense of security by the seemingly harmless parasites.
"When faced with adversity, one must adapt. Although the Mother now knows of my presence, she is unaware that I know of hers. In a sense, the initiative still lies with me."
Lu Chen's expression remained calm and collected, his thoughts turning inward as he formulated his next move.
(End of Chapter)
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