"Lord Wang!"
"We finally found you!"
"Quick, come with us! We'll take you to the other sub-battlefields!"
The several Void-Aether Fish became visibly excited upon seeing Wang He. This was the mission their master had assigned—they were to find Wang He at all costs and lead him to join the forces of other battlefields to purge the demons together.
When Wang He looked at these adorable little fellows, a trace of a smile flickered across his face, which had been saturated with killing intent. After completely merging the Asura Dao with his Heavenly-Heart Sword Intent, Wang He was able to control his state freely. In his Heavenly-Heart state, his daily joys and sorrows were at their most authentic.
"Very well," Wang He replied with a smile. He was quite fond of these lively Void-Aether Fish. Moreover, Qi Ping's trust in him was arguably too high—did he truly believe Wang He could sweep through this entire battlefield alone?
"Lord Wang, you seem to have changed?" The youngest Void-Aether Fish looked at the completely transformed Wang He with curiosity.
"Indeed, indeed, Lord Wang! You've grown much stronger, and I haven't seen you smile like that in a long time!" the other fish chimed in.
"It's much more comfortable interacting with the current Lord Wang. You were far too frightening a while ago!"
"So gloomy... it was terrifying for us fish..."
Under the spatial abilities of the Void-Aether Fish school, Wang He was quickly transported to another battlefield. To his surprise, however, he found no traces of demons there. Even the demon corpses seemed to have been cleared away, leaving only scattered patches of fluid and bloodstains—not a single large fragment remained.
Most chillingly, there were clear marks of gnawing on the soil, along with a terrifying aura that made even Wang He's heart skip a beat.
"What is the meaning of this?" Wang He was somewhat dazed by the sight.
He knew his current strength better than anyone. With his original comprehension of the Heavenly-Heart Sword Intent, he had already been among the top ranks of the Nascent Soul Stage. After obtaining the Asura baleful aura, he had become even more formidable, to say nothing of his complete mastery now. Yet, even he felt a sense of dread toward those lingering traces. What kind of existence had been here?
"What is this aura? It's too frightening for a fish!"
"It feels like something truly monstrous!"
The Void-Aether Fish also felt a deep-seated fear toward this lingering scent. Wang He looked at the trembling fish, surprised that even their high-grade bloodlines were intimidated by this aura.
"It appears the demons were devoured... which means this was done by someone from our Star-Sea world. And among Nascent Soul cultivators who control insects, there is only the Master of the Insect Pavilion..."
"Is it her?"
If it were Nan Jie, Wang He could understand. He knew who stood behind the Master of the Insect Pavilion; with that person's assistance, it was not surprising for her to possess formidable methods. However, these methods were bordering on the horrific! Even the Heavenly-Heart Asura Sword in his hand was constantly issuing warnings, signaling that this was an exceptionally troublesome entity.
"It's Baozi and Xiaoxin! They are in this world too!"
"Quick, let's go find them!"
"Lord Wang, follow us!" the Void-Aether Fish suddenly exclaimed in excitement.
"Very well." Wang He nodded, allowing the spatial power of the fish to envelop him. He had to admit that in terms of travel speed, even he could only trail behind in their wake; their spatial talent was frighteningly potent.
Led by the school of fish, they reached their destination in short order. Wang He witnessed a scene that caused his pupils to contract violently.
A group of demons, who should have been arrogant and domineering, were being surrounded and gnawed upon by a swarm of eerie, red insects! Faced with the devouring of these insects, the demons' powerful physical bodies and various bizarre, formidable attack methods were completely ineffective. No matter what techniques they used, they could only watch helplessly as they were eaten alive.
The scene was so ghastly it resembled a pack of originally frail lambs frantically devouring tigers that should have been far stronger than them—yet the tigers had no power to resist. At this moment, the originally terrifying demons had actually become food!
Above these insects, Wang He saw an enchanting woman. her pupils were a vivid crimson, and strands of terrifying aura—similar to those of the red insects—radiated from her. Her formidable presence caused the surrounding space to ripple incessantly. She looked down at her feeding pets like an insect queen, her eyes devoid of any emotion.
If Wang He had seen her previous state, he would have realized that these terrifying red insects could no longer shake her control. Before the Providential Creation of Myriad Manifestations of the Star-Sea world descended, the enchanting woman had already struggled to control the swarm. Now, she could temporarily suppress this swarm of Blood Yu—ranked among the top three Taboos!
However, this suppression remained temporary. As the strength of the Blood Yu insects expanded rapidly, the possibility of the swarm losing control persisted. Even though her Supreme Spirit Insect King Physique had been enhanced by several levels through the world's creation power, she was still some distance away from being able to fully master these top three Taboo insects.
This, however, spoke to the sheer weight of the Blood Yu's rank. Even a Supreme Spirit Insect King Physique—hailed as the ultimate constitution for controlling insects—could not fully grasp these terrifying creatures after being enhanced. One could only imagine the horrific level of their strength. This was evident from the reaction of Wang He, the newly ascended Heavenly-Heart Asura.
When Wang He appeared, Nan Jie discovered him simultaneously.
"Lord Wang," the woman said, trying to keep her tone as friendly as possible. But under the influence of the Blood Yu, her speech carried the oppressive weight of the insects.
She was also quite surprised. It seemed Wang He's heart-demons had been completely resolved; the Heavenly-Heart Asura aura on him was nothing short of frightening.
"Greetings, Pavilion Master Nan," Wang He replied with a smile. It was only then that he noticed the terrifying insects seemed to show signs of losing control, being barely suppressed by the woman before him.
"I was brought to this sub-battlefield by the Void-Aether Fish. Is there anything I can help with?" Wang He asked after a moment's deliberation. He was not well-acquainted with her, having only met her a few times, but for Qi Ping's sake, he would help if he could.
Nan Jie shook her head at his offer. "I appreciate your kindness, Lord Wang, but I can handle this battlefield myself. There is no need to worry about me."
She knew Wang He meant well, but the control of the Blood Yu was not something others could interfere with. Otherwise, they wouldn't have been listed among the top three Taboos.
"Very well. I shall proceed to the next battlefield then."
"Safe travels."
After a brief exchange, Wang He beckoned the Void-Aether Fish to move on. He could see that Nan Jie seemed to have already embraced the possibility of death; evidently, the price for commanding such insects was immense. However, there was nothing he could say. In a war of this scale, it was hard to say if anyone would survive until the end. If a bit of sacrifice could gain such overwhelming power, he would do it without hesitation as well.