After that, Chu Feng continued onward. Before long, he encountered another massive purple tree. As expected, once he drew close, a large swarm of flying insects burst forth from within it. This time, however, the sheer number of insects was even greater than before — a rough estimate put them at no fewer than a thousand.
Chu Feng was elated. He hurled the formation directly into the air, and the moment it left his hand, a tremendous suction force erupted from it.
These flying insects were ferocious — anyone below the True Immortal realm who crossed paths with them was in serious trouble. Yet before Chu Feng, they had no capacity to fight back whatsoever, reduced to mere playthings at his command.
Under that overwhelming suction, the swarm of insects might as well have been trapped in an invisible cage, and one by one they were drawn into the formation.
The instant the insects entered, Chu Feng hurriedly retracted the formation and examined the situation inside.
"Eggy, I think we might actually have guessed right. These insects are the key to entering the Burial Spirit Pool." Chu Feng was practically bursting with excitement.
Because once the newly captured insects were drawn into the formation, they didn't clash with the ones already inside. Instead, they actually clustered together with the previous batch.
And when they gathered as one, the same transformation occurred — only this time it was slightly more pronounced. It was a tiny difference, barely perceptible, but Chu Feng caught it all the same.
"Quick, keep looking. We have to find enough insects within a single day."
"We need to enter the Burial Spirit Pool before it erupts," Her Majesty urged.
"At once, my Queen." Chu Feng grinned and set off once more.
His spirits were soaring. He finally felt he was on the right path.
From there, Chu Feng roamed through the mountains with a single objective: collect as many of those insects as possible.
Of course, he didn't pass up the purple barrier stones either. Even though he couldn't yet determine their purpose, he couldn't be sure they were useless — so he stowed them away regardless.
Along the way, Chu Feng occasionally ran into others. These people were wandering aimlessly, completely clueless. The moment they spotted Chu Feng, they latched on like they'd found a savior, hoping he would lead them into the Burial Spirit Pool.
Chu Feng, though kind-hearted, was no sucker. He had no reason to help strangers he had no ties with. So he shook them all off without a second glance.
There were a few exceptions, however — the disciples of Immortal Weapon Villa and Holy Pill Villa.
He owed Immortal Weapon Villa a debt; it was their villa master who had made it possible for him to come here in the first place. So if he encountered their disciples, he felt he should lend them a hand.
As for Holy Pill Villa, it was simply because Chu Feng had a favorable impression of them. Li Xiang and his two companions had made a terrible first impression, to be sure, but after a series of events, his opinion of them had improved significantly. Li Xiang in particular — after he'd finally exploded in rage, he'd delivered a solid beating to Yuwen Hualong. Chu Feng respected that kind of backbone and found himself growing fonder of the man by the day.
Before he knew it, more than half the day had slipped away. Chu Feng grew both happier and more anxious — he was close to gathering enough insects to match that set of numbers.
That was why his feelings were so conflicted. On one hand, he was thrilled that his goal was nearly within reach. On the other, he was nervous: what if he collected enough insects, only to discover they were nothing but a red herring — that they weren't the key to the Burial Spirit Pool at all? Then everything would have been for nothing.
Regardless, he had to collect the full count first.
Along the way, he had run into quite a few people. He'd found both of Li Xiang's companions, in fact — just not Li Xiang himself.
From those two, Chu Feng learned that all three of them had entered the pillar of light behind him. So their failure to arrive at the same location really was the pillar's doing.
What Chu Feng didn't know was that there was another reason he couldn't find Li Xiang.
Everyone else, even though they were wandering blindly, was at least covering new ground — which naturally made encounters more likely. But Li Xiang, the stubborn fool, had been trudging along a single mountain path he'd discovered. In effect, he was walking in place, drastically cutting his chances of meeting anyone.
"What the hell — how have I been walking this long and still haven't reached the Burial Spirit Pool?"
"Fine, I can't find the pool. But there's not a single soul in sight either!"
"Heavens, please don't let me down. You've got a persistent one here."
Li Xiang grumbled and complained as he pressed ever forward.