These three Devouring Gold Insects were none other than the final survivors — three spirit insects that remained after tens of thousands of mature Devouring Gold Insects and twelve candidate Insect Kings had devoured one another.
Back then, under the dire threat of the Heavenly Tribulation's true lightning, Han Li had hastily summoned every last Devouring Gold Insect — all of which had been slumbering in the process of evolving after soaking in the Spirit Washing Pool's waters and consuming vast quantities of spirit materials.
As it turned out, once those Devouring Gold Insects and the dozen-odd candidate Insect Kings were struck by the true lightning and ingested a measure of its power, they had turned on one another, attacking and devouring without restraint.
This had been entirely beyond Han Li's expectations, and naturally left him both startled and elated!
After he survived the Heavenly Tribulation and advanced to the Body Integration stage, the entire swarm had been reduced to the three candidate Insect Kings before him — or, more precisely, three "half-step Insect Kings."
These three half-step Golden Insects were now not only several times larger than before, but possessed a far more ferocious appearance. Deep violet markings ran across their carapaces, vaguely forming the shapes of lightning bolts — a sight that sent chills down one's spine.
At the same time, the aura radiating from these three half-step Insect Kings was incomparable to what it had been before, approaching the level of late-stage Body Integration cultivators.
Add to that the Devouring Gold Insects' unbreakable bodies and their terrifying ability to devour anything, and their true power was virtually beyond imagining.
But regrettably, once the three half-step spirit insects had reached this stage, they had suddenly ceased their struggle, settling into an uneasy truce and refusing to continue devouring one another until only a single insect remained.
Had they continued, the Devouring Gold Insect King — a creature that even a True Immortal would have to retreat before, as Qing Yuan Zi had once mentioned — might very well have truly come into existence.
Han Li studied the three half-step Golden Insects with care, his eyes flickering, and silently channeled his spiritual sense toward them.
The three massive golden insects beat their wings in unison, transforming into streaks of golden light that shot through the sealed chamber at breathtaking speed.
In an instant, a hissing chorus filled the air above the chamber as balls of golden light flickered in and out of existence in every corner, moving like phantoms.
Wherever Han Li directed his spiritual sense, the three spirit insects responded with perfect obedience, without the slightest hesitation or delay.
Only then did Han Li feel at ease. He formed a single-handed seal, and the three giant golden insects emitted a resonant buzz, shrinking rapidly in size before flashing into his sleeve and vanishing without a trace.
With these three half-step Devouring Gold Insect Kings in his possession, Han Li had effectively gained three fearsome late-stage Body Integration allies out of thin air — a truly heaven-sent windfall.
His joy still fresh, Han Li sat cross-legged on the ground without moving, his lips parting ever so slightly. No sound emerged, as though he were transmitting a voice message to someone unseen.
A moment later, a ripple of spiritual fluctuations rose before him. A silver arc of lightning flashed, and a figure materialized soundlessly, speaking to Han Li in an indifferent tone: "Han Daoist, were you looking for me?"
The figure was none other than the Crab Daoist.
"Brother Crab, please sit. There are only the two of us here now, so I believe we can continue our earlier conversation. As a precaution, I would like to ask Daoist to repeat what you said before." Han Li gestured for the Crab Daoist to take a seat, offering a faint smile.
"Very well. My meaning was simple — you now fulfill the conditions to become my true master. Provided you can complete a few remaining tasks, I will serve you from that point forward, subject to your commands at all times." The Crab Daoist replied in an even tone.
"Who established these conditions? Surely they weren't something Brother Crab simply dreamed up on his own?" Han Li asked cautiously.
"Of course they were not my own idea. These are conditions set by my former master. Only when someone meeting the basic criteria appears would I volunteer this information." The Crab Daoist answered without hesitation.
"Your former master was a being on the level of a True Immortal. Since he established these conditions, there must be profound purpose behind them, and they cannot be false. Why don't you go ahead and outline the remaining requirements, and let's see whether I can truly accomplish them?" Han Li pondered for a long while before replying, weighing each word.
"Very well. Here is a list — it contains several items. Go and gather them first." The Crab Daoist nodded and raised one hand. A blue jade slip shot across the room toward Han Li.
Han Li caught the jade slip with a casual grab of his empty hand, his brow furrowing as he asked: "Is that all?"
"Hardly! But if you cannot even manage this task, there is no need for you to know about the ones that follow." The Crab Daoist replied frankly.
"A fair point." Han Li pressed the jade slip to his forehead and sent his spiritual sense sweeping inside.
After a brief moment, he withdrew his spiritual sense, removed the jade slip from his forehead, and studied it once more with a slight frown before slowly addressing the Crab Daoist: "None of the items in here will be easy to find. Apart from the time required, I suspect I will also need a fair measure of fortune to gather them all. With bad luck, it's entirely possible I might never complete the collection in my entire lifetime. Are you certain that every single item must be obtained — not one less?"
"Not only must you not be missing a single item, but even the quantities of each cannot fall short by the slightest amount. Otherwise, it will not count as having fulfilled this condition." The Crab Daoist replied without a moment's hesitation.