"Brother Qiu, should we make a move? It looks like there's only one of them down there." The fierce-looking man's voice had taken on an edge of nervousness.
The haggard-faced old man stared downward, a flicker of suspicion crossing his face, and did not respond immediately.
But when he saw the blue-robed young man produce a black bowl and begin extracting the soul of the Glazed Beast, his expression changed drastically, a glint of fear flashing through his eyes.
"There's something off about this one. Maybe we should let it go. There's no need to provoke someone whose background we don't know." The cultivator surnamed Min, seeing the old man's expression, couldn't help but be startled. He furrowed his brow slightly and asked in a probing tone.
Since the three of them had managed to survive and prosper in a place like the Outer Star Sea for so long, each was an exceptionally cautious person.
The situation before them had an indescribable air of strangeness. It made the cultivator surnamed Min want to retreat!
"Let it go? Right now, the question isn't whether we should make a move. It's whether we can leave here alive."
The haggard-faced old man's gaze wavered uncertainly for a long while before he let out a bitter laugh and spoke a cryptic, seemingly random remark.
These words left the fierce-looking man and the cultivator surnamed Min stunned.
The two of them knew the old man's temperament well, and understood he would never say such a thing without reason. A trace of surprise appeared on their faces.
"Haven't the two of you noticed that this person bears a striking resemblance to a certain demon who's been the talk of the region lately?" The haggard-faced old man pressed his lips together and said in a low, somewhat bitter voice.
"A demon? Could you be referring to..."
"What? That person!"
The two beside him froze for a moment, then immediately let out cries of alarm!
Their faces were filled with horror.
"It should be correct. Look — this person is young, can unleash multiple flying swords, and the sword light is green. It all matches the rumors perfectly!" The haggard-faced old man murmured cautiously, as though he were analyzing the situation aloud for his own benefit.
"But isn't that person famous for commanding swarms of insects? This one here hasn't used any insect-controlling art from start to finish. It could just be a coincidence, right?" The fierce big man's face had gone pale, his voice trembling slightly, as if the person the haggard-faced old man had mentioned was a truly terrifying existence.
"Brother Qiu is probably right. That demon normally shows only early-stage Core Formation cultivation, and he's known for extracting the spiritual essence of demon beasts. As for not releasing his insects just now — he probably felt there was no need!" The cultivator surnamed Min, whose complexion was already a pale gold, was turning slightly green, and his voice was transmitted at a lower volume almost involuntarily.
"So you're saying this fellow in front of us could really be that 'Insect Demon' from the rumors? Then shouldn't we leave immediately? If this demon spots us, we can forget about surviving!" The big man's face showed naked panic.
"Don't panic. If this really is that demon, when we first arrived, his attention was focused on the Glazed Beast — that's why he didn't notice us. Now that he's already killed the beast, acting rashly might only give away our position." The haggard-faced old man was still managing to maintain a measure of composure, speaking calmly.
Hearing this, the other two exchanged a glance, found it reasonable, and immediately dared not act rashly.
But after the big man surnamed Xuan stared at the young man performing the soul-extraction ritual in the distance for a moment, he suddenly seemed to recall something. With a look of doubt, he said in a low voice: "I heard that four years ago, this Insect Demon got into a conflict with a group of cultivators over a Grade 7 demon beast. He single-handedly wiped out seven or eight Core Formation cultivators, with only one at late-stage Core Formation managing to survive. Are all these rumors really true?"
"Probably true! The cultivator who escaped with his life was an expert from the Azure Cloud Sect. All those who were killed were his fellow sect members. That single battle cost the Azure Cloud Sect — one of the so-called Five Great Powers of Qiyuan Island — nearly a third of its manpower, and their strength plummeted. The Azure Cloud Sect's Supreme Elder, 'Immortal Miaohe,' was so furious he was practically foaming at the mouth! He ventured out to sea alone several times to hunt down this Insect Demon, but returned empty-handed every time. In fact, many people suspect that even if Immortal Miaohe did find this Insect Demon, he might not necessarily be able to do anything about him. After all, with this kind of ability, he's very likely a newly emerged Nascent Soul expert. I've heard the other powers on Qiyuan Island are also keeping tabs on this Insect Demon, seemingly eager to win him over." The cultivator surnamed Min swallowed several times before explaining in a low voice.
"Nascent Soul? Not necessarily. I've heard a different theory — that the Insect Demon's own cultivation is nothing remarkable. The reason he's so formidable is entirely because of those monstrous insects he commands. Apparently, in that battle, he didn't use any other magical treasures at all. He simply released countless flying insects, and they devoured all those Core Formation cultivators alive without him lifting a single finger. That's how he earned the name 'Insect Demon.'" The haggard-faced old man was silent for a moment, then shook his head in disagreement.
"But Brother Qiu just saw it himself. This person before us didn't use any insects at all — he killed that Glazed Beast with a single sword strike. Even a late-stage Core Formation cultivator might not be able to pull that off. He's clearly a Nascent Soul monster in disguise." The cultivator surnamed Min still clung to his own opinion.
The haggard-faced old man looked unconvinced and was about to say something more, but the fierce-looking man beside them interrupted helplessly.
"Fellow Daoists, whether the Insect Demon is a Nascent Soul cultivator or not makes no difference to the likes of us. The fact that he could destroy us without breaking a sweat — that's what's real. What I'm worried about is his reputation. I've heard that virtually every cultivator who encounters this Insect Demon ends up being fed to his insects. The total number who've fallen to his hands is well over a hundred. In the past two years, this demon has become someone everyone turns pale at the mere mention of."
Hearing the fierce man's words, the cultivator surnamed Min looked even more grim. He gazed down at the blue-robed young man below and let out a long breath: "The Insect Demon is ruthless and bloodthirsty by nature. That much is probably true. In recent years, there have been numerous incidents of cultivators being murdered for their treasures, and witnesses have identified this demon as the culprit! And here we are — we've practically walked right into his clutches of our own accord!" The regret in his voice was unmistakable!