As for why its clansmen treated it poorly, Little Red didn't know either. It was just as confused, because compared to its clansmen, it truly was somewhat different.
For example, its speed — something its clansmen simply didn't possess. And then there was the fact that it could break through the energy guarding the Ancient Immortal Flower, while its clansmen couldn't.
At the same time, its clansmen all had cultivation, but Little Red did not. Even though its speed was so great that not even the clan leader could catch up to it, Little Red had no cultivation whatsoever.
After hearing Little Red's story, Chu Feng looked at it with even greater fondness. Deep in his heart, he felt a desire to protect it — the feeling one has toward family.
Because Little Red's experience was so similar to his own. The only difference was that back when Chu Feng was in the Chu Family, although he suffered exclusion and mistreatment, he at least had an adoptive father who treated him well, a brother who treated him well, and Sister Chu Yue who treated him well.
But Little Red had none of that. Not a single person had ever been kind to it. Even its so-called parents had only ever used it.
So compared to Chu Feng back then, Little Red was actually even more pitiable. And what was most remarkable was that even though the Royal Spirit Insects had been so harsh to Little Red, it still felt deep affection for them — to the point that it was willing to perish alongside them just to avenge its clansmen.
This made Chu Feng think that no matter how shameless Little Red's personality might seem, no matter how despicable it could be at times, deep in its bones it was someone who valued loyalty and bond above all else.
"Little Red, I'm going to say something that might make you sad, but I still need to tell you," Chu Feng suddenly said after hearing its story.
"Go ahead, Master. My ability to endure is quite strong — after all, I've been bullied since I was little," Little Red said with a grin, its two small black eyes squinting into two little crescent moons. Looking at it this way, even though it was ugly, it was actually rather cute.
"In my opinion, you are not a Royal Spirit Insect. And it's precisely because you're not a Royal Spirit Insect that your clansmen excluded you," Chu Feng said.
"Huh? Why do you say that, Master?" Little Red was quite surprised by these words. Clearly, it had never considered this possibility.
But it couldn't be blamed for that. After all, inside the Blood Devouring Formation, there were only two types of creatures — the Blood Devouring Insects, which were low-intelligence species, and the Royal Spirit Insects. And although Little Red was different, its appearance was very similar to that of a Royal Spirit Insect. It naturally believed itself to be a Royal Spirit Insect and had never once doubted it.
But in Chu Feng's eyes, Little Red was definitely not a Royal Spirit Insect. So he said: "You just mentioned the differences between yourself and your clansmen, while all your other clansmen are nearly identical to each other. That alone proves you are not a Royal Spirit Insect."
"Then what am I?" Little Red asked. It wasn't feeling sorrow — it simply wanted to know what it truly was.
"I can't say for certain what you are, but you're probably very powerful — more powerful than the Royal Spirit Insects," Chu Feng told Little Red.
He said this because he wanted Little Red to know that it didn't belong to the Royal Spirit Insect clan, and that the Royal Spirit Insects had never been good to it. This would ease the pain in Little Red's heart.
"Really?" Sure enough, after hearing Chu Feng's words, Little Red's entire aura shifted, becoming less gloomy than before.
"Little Red may love to lie, but Master would never lie to Little Red," Chu Feng said with a smile.
"Master, Little Red will never lie to you again," Little Red said with a serious expression.
"Then it's a promise," Chu Feng said.
"Hook!" Little Red stuck up its little tail, wanting to pinky-swear with Chu Feng.
Chu Feng, with a smile on his face, extended his finger and hooked it with Little Red's tiny tail.
Time flew by, and in the blink of an eye, another three days had passed. These three days had been nothing short of nerve-wracking for Chu Feng.
Because even if the Dark Hall's people couldn't find them, the Ancient Fierce Beasts could be released at any moment. If those Ancient Fierce Beasts were let loose, Chu Feng and the others would be thrown into mortal danger — after all, those were ancient, terrifying creatures driven by nothing but the will to kill.