Chu Feng continued onward. Before long, he came across another massive purple tree. As expected, a large swarm of flying insects burst out from within it—only this time there were even more than before. A rough estimate put the number at over a thousand.
Chu Feng was thrilled. He hurled the formation into the air, and the moment it left his hand, it erupted with a tremendous pulling force.
Though these flying insects were extremely ferocious—anyone below the True Immortal realm would be doomed if they encountered them—in Chu Feng's presence, they had no power to fight back whatsoever. They could only be tossed about at his mercy.
Under that overwhelming suction, the swarm of insects seemed to fall into an invisible cage, ultimately being swept into the formation by the force.
Once the insects entered the formation, Chu Feng quickly recalled it and examined what was happening inside.
"Eggy, we might have actually guessed right. These flying insects are the real key to entering the Burial Spirit Pool." Chu Feng was ecstatic.
Because when the newly captured insects were absorbed into the formation, they didn't clash with the ones already inside. Instead, they clustered together with the existing insects.
And when they merged together, another transformation occurred—slightly more noticeable than the previous one. It was only a small difference, but Chu Feng caught it.
"Hurry, keep looking. We have to find enough insects within a single day."
"We need to enter the Burial Spirit Pool before it erupts," the Queen urged.
"At your command, my Queen." Chu Feng chuckled and resumed his search.
His spirits were soaring. He felt certain he had finally found the right path.
From then on, Chu Feng roamed through the mountains with a single objective: collect as many flying insects as possible.
Of course, Chu Feng also picked up the purple barrier gemstones along the way. Although he couldn't tell what purpose they served—and couldn't be sure they had no use at all—it was better to take them.
Along his journey, Chu Feng occasionally ran into others who were wandering aimlessly, without the slightest clue. When they spotted Chu Feng, they treated him like a savior, hoping to follow him into the Burial Spirit Pool.
But while Chu Feng was kind-hearted, he wasn't the type to play hero for just anyone. He had no bond with these people and no reason to help them.
So for such individuals, Chu Feng brushed them all off without a second thought.
There were exceptions, however: disciples of the Immortal Armament Manor and the Sacred Pill Manor.
The Immortal Armament Manor disciples went without saying—Chu Feng owed his presence here to the Manor Master, so he felt he truly should help their disciples if he met them.
As for the Sacred Pill Manor, it was purely because Chu Feng had a favorable impression of them. Although Li Xiang and the other two had initially left a terrible impression, after certain events, his opinion of them had improved significantly.
Li Xiang in particular—after his outburst, he had given Yuwen Hualong a thorough beating. Chu Feng felt the man had real spine, and he grew to appreciate him all the more.
In the blink of an eye, most of the day had passed. Chu Feng grew increasingly happy yet also increasingly anxious, because he was nearly done collecting insects matching that specific number.
That was exactly why he felt both joy and tension. His joy came from the fact that his goal was finally within reach. His tension stemmed from the possibility that even after gathering enough insects, it might turn out they were merely a distraction—a decoy with no real connection to the Burial Spirit Pool. If that were the case, all his effort would have been for nothing.
But no matter what, he still had to collect enough insects first.
Along the way, Chu Feng had encountered quite a few people. He had run into both of the other two members of Li Xiang's trio.
But he had yet to come across Li Xiang himself.
From those two, Chu Feng learned that the three of them had entered the pillar of light following behind him. So their failure to appear in the same place was indeed the doing of that pillar of light.
What Chu Feng didn't know, however, was that his inability to meet Li Xiang had another reason.
While the others wandered randomly—at least they were expanding the area they covered, which naturally increased their chances of encountering other people—Li Xiang, that stubborn fool, had been following a mountain path he'd discovered. In reality, he was going in circles.
This drastically reduced his chances of running into anyone else.
"What the hell? How have I been walking this long without reaching the Burial Spirit Pool?"
"Fine, I can't reach the Burial Spirit Pool, but there's not a single soul in sight either."
"Heavens, please don't let me down. I'm such a persistent guy."
Li Xiang muttered to himself with growing resentment as he trudged onward.