Then he formed a series of hand seals, and the mouths of the bags snapped open simultaneously.
Countless
"Go."
Han Li glanced up at the shimmering insect cloud, feeling a measure of confidence return, and pointed a short distance ahead, uttering the word softly.
In sheer numbers alone, the Gold Devouring Beetles far surpassed the Iron Fire Ants he had just faced.
With a resonant hum, the radiant cloud drifted rapidly forward, spreading over the ground like an all-encompassing canopy.
But before the beetles could settle onto the surface, the black insect cloud burst upward to meet the Gold Devouring Beetle army head-on.
In the instant the two swarms clashed, a blinding black radiance flashed between them. A vast wave of eerie dark flames erupted from the ant swarm, mercilessly engulfing the beetles within its grip.
The ants clearly understood how fearsome the Gold Devouring Beetles were and had preemptively unleashed their flame-related innate ability.
Were it any other species of insect, such bizarre flames would have incinerated them entirely—if not a complete annihilation, the losses would have been catastrophic.
Yet the Gold Devouring Beetles moved through the black fire utterly unfazed. In a flash, they devoured the dark flames clean, then buzzed fiercely as they charged into the ant swarm.
Two torrents of contrasting color smashed into each other viciously, then interlocked and tore at one another, producing piercing, shrill cries.
Masses of insect carcasses rained down from the sky one after another. The black ones accounted for the vast majority, while the gold and silver were exceedingly rare.
The moment the two swarms made contact, the Gold Devouring Beetles had seized a decisive advantage.
After only a short while, it seemed as though they would annihilate the enemy entirely.
The Iron Fire Ants sensed the dire situation. The remaining survivors let out faint chirps, then suddenly bunched together, merging into a single jet-black arrow. It shot forward like a bolt, attempting to break through the beetle swarm's encirclement and flee.
But just then, a dazzling streak of cyan sword light shot in from beyond the sky like a startled rainbow. It flashed once and vanished, slashing across the shaft of the arrow.
The arrow trembled violently, its speed dropping sharply.
That brief delay was all the Gold Devouring Beetles needed. They swarmed in and tightly hemmed the arrow in on all sides.
In the blink of an eye, the black form was swallowed by a sea of gold and silver. By the time the beetle cloud slowly dispersed, the arrow had vanished without a trace.
Only then did Han Li walk over at a leisurely pace.
He calmly surveyed the insect corpses on the ground, stroked his chin, and fell into silent thought for a while.
The number of Gold Devouring Beetles lost was not great—only around a few hundred. This level of casualties was nothing worth worrying about.
It seemed the Gold Devouring Beetles were indeed a cut above the Iron Fire Ants, and their superior numbers had played a decisive role in the battle.
After all, with a tenfold advantage over the ants, they naturally held the upper hand.
After analyzing the situation for a moment, Han Li's expression relaxed. It appeared he could cross the black desert without issue, relying on the Gold Devouring Beetles.
He cast one more glance at the carpet of insect corpses. A strange light flickered in his eyes, and a low whistle rose from his lips.
The gold-and-silver insect cloud swooped down from the sky with a whoosh. Like an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves, it devoured every last corpse on the ground clean, then obediently flew back into the spirit beast bags that Han Li had produced once more.
He collected the several leather bags, gazed into the depths of the black desert, and without a moment's hesitation, strode onward.
……
One day later, deep within the desert, Han Li stood motionless, his face expressionless as he stared fixedly at the sky.
Above, the most massive insect battle since his entry into the desert was unfolding.
Over a hundred thousand Gold Devouring Beetles and Iron Fire Ants clashed in the low sky not far ahead, frantically tearing at each other.
Insect corpses tumbled from the heights like raindrops, forming a thin, dense carpet across the ground.
The sight was truly staggering.
A flicker of grim severity passed between Han Li's brows.
In just a single day, he had lost nearly ten thousand Gold Devouring Beetles. He seemed to encounter a new swarm of Iron Fire Ants every stretch of distance he covered, ranging anywhere from two or three thousand to over ten thousand in number.
And this particular encounter—a massive Iron Fire Ant swarm of roughly fifty to sixty thousand—was by far the worst.
He estimated that after this battle, at least another seven or eight thousand of his beetles would be lost.
No wonder Han Li felt a pang of distress. Rebreeding the Gold Devouring Beetles was an enormously time-consuming process, and who knew when the swarm would be replenished.
After roughly the time it took to drink a cup of tea, the black ant swarm finally broke and retreated. Aside from a few thousand survivors that broke through and fled into the distance, the rest of the flying ants had become a meal in the bellies of the Gold Devouring Beetles—devoured completely and without a trace.