Chapter 399: Chapter 399

An hour later, the Three Beasts and Chen Jiuge had eaten their fill. Only the Sorrowful Girl was still diligently working to satisfy her hunger.

"Da Bai, boil all the Ragecloud Chicken eggs. Make sure there’s enough for the Sorrowful Girl to eat."

Perhaps because their affinity had reached a certain level, a white mark emanated from the Sorrowful Girl and landed on Da Bai’s forehead.

Da Bai exclaimed with joy, "A friendship mark?"

"What on earth is that?"

"Um, Boss, I’m not entirely sure, but after the Sorrowful Girl gave me this mark, her crying won’t harm me anymore. However, the rebound effect is still active," Da Bai explained.

"Her crying has no effect on you?" An idea suddenly struck Chen Jiuge.

"Da Bai, you might be about to achieve something great!"

Seeing Da Bai’s astonished face, Chen Jiuge revealed a sly smile and said, "Come here, I’ll tell you."

The two of them went to a corner and whispered for a long while. Throughout, Da Bai wore a reluctant expression, only agreeing reluctantly when Chen Jiuge held up one finger.

The two beasts and one human stood watching as Da Bai led the Sorrowful Girl deeper into the area. A trace of emotion touched Chen Jiuge’s face. "Da Bai has grown up too!"

"So, Master, what exactly did you tell Da Bai?" Yue Meng asked curiously.

"Nothing much, just an illicit transaction."

"It’s good as long as the Sorrowful Girl isn’t around," Qi Daoyuan said, still shaken.

Da Bai led the Sorrowful Girl for a long distance, encountering many groups from other clans along the way. Whether fierce or friendly, upon seeing Da Bai and the Sorrowful Girl, they all scrambled away as if they had stepped on landmines.

As he lowered his raised hand again, Da Bai grumbled, "How rude!"

"Finally, some insects!" Da Bai was delighted to see a dense, dark swarm in the distance.

He lifted the Sorrowful Girl, who was wearing a dudou, and said with a serious expression, "Little sister, you can cry now."

The Sorrowful Girl tilted her head, looking at Da Bai with an adorably clueless expression, clearly not in the mood to cry.

Da Bai frowned, his mind racing. He took out a Ragecloud Chicken egg and said, "If you cry now, you’ll get an egg to eat afterward."

Because of the mark, the Sorrowful Girl and Da Bai could communicate vaguely. Though not perfectly clear, they could generally sense each other’s intentions.

Seeing the Sorrowful Girl’s nose twitch and her small lips quiver, Da Bai turned her around to face the insect swarm.

A loud wailing pierced the air, and before the Insect Clan nearby could react, they were all dispatched to the Western Heaven, bursting on the spot.

A quarter of an hour later, the Sorrowful Girl stopped crying. She hugged an egg, looking utterly joyous.

Da Bai looked at a Heavenly Immortal Insect struggling to crawl toward him, a look of awe on his face. "My goodness, that’s powerful!"

As the Heavenly Immortal Insect was about to touch his foot, Da Bai crushed its head. "Such persistence!"

What followed was the familiar routine: release Ragecloud Chickens and collect eggs!

As she watched the Ragecloud Chickens continuously lay eggs, the Sorrowful Girl’s eyes widened as if she couldn’t believe eggs were produced this way!

"See? As long as you eliminate the insects and let it eat its fill, it will keep laying eggs," Da Bai said proudly.

The Sorrowful Girl didn’t understand his meaning, but she understood that this creature could keep laying tasty eggs. Her small, tender hand waved, and a mark landed on the backside of a Ragecloud Chicken.

Da Bai’s face darkened. "Now the Ragecloud Chicken has a mark too. Does that mean I’m on the same level as it?"

The Sorrowful Girl, not understanding this relationship, simply giggled happily.

Oh well, it’s good to have a Ragecloud Chicken that isn’t afraid of the Sorrowful Girl, Da Bai thought.

After this Ragecloud Chicken had eaten all the insects on the ground, its cultivation broke through to the True Immortal level. Unlike in the Heavenly Realm, the Heavenly Dao of the Star Sea Realm seemed quite fond of True Immortals. For cultivators who broke through to the True Immortal realm, it generally wouldn’t send down a Heavenly Tribulation.

Perhaps in the eyes of the Star Sea Realm’s Heavenly Dao, all True Immortals were just its cash crops.

As Da Bai and the Sorrowful Girl swept through the insect swarms, they inevitably caused collateral damage to many groups from other clans. Thus, the direction of the previously unified war against the Insect Clan suddenly shifted.

The Clan Leader of the Saber Wolf Clan looked at the descendant he had high hopes for and said in a deep voice, "Dao Ye, you’ve disappointed me. You led so many, yet killed so few insects."

Dao Ye’s face showed a strange expression. "Clan Leader, it’s not my fault. The insects are all dead."

"All dead? Impossible! Apart from the Sky Bear Clan, our Saber Wolf Clan is one of the foremost powers here. Could the Purple Lightning Clan or the Asuras from Shadow City have joined the battle?"

"Neither, Clan Leader. You might not believe this, but it seems the Sorrowful Girl did it!" Dao Ye said bitterly.

This was the Sorrowful Girl, after all. He didn’t want to die young. If it had been another clan, he would have at least gone up to snatch some Insect Clan corpses, just for show. But with the Sorrowful Girl... it was best to forget it.

"The Sorrowful Girl?"

"The Sorrowful Girl!" The Sky Bear Clan Leader’s burly figure cast a shadow over his clansman as he bellowed, "Do you think I’m an idiot?"

Xiong Da, covering his large face, whined, "Clan Leader, it really was the Sorrowful Girl!"

Seeing Xiong Da’s expression, which didn’t seem like he was lying, the Sky Bear Clan Leader hesitated. "Was it really the Sorrowful Girl?"

"Really," Xiong Da swore.

"Did I hit you by mistake?"

"Yes, yes, yes," Xiong Da nodded, aggrieved.

The Sky Bear Clan Leader looked at his large hand, then swatted Xiong Da again. "I’m your father! What’s wrong with hitting you a couple of times?"

Xiong Da covered his other cheek, his face a picture of stifled resentment. "You’re right about everything."

"Hmph! I’ll go see for myself. If you’re lying to me, you’ll be in for it!"

The clan leaders, whether from powerful or weak clans, didn’t fully trust their kinsmen’s reports. They all decided to go personally to see the true situation.

The clucking of the Ragecloud Chicken and the Sorrowful Girl’s laughter mingled, making it difficult for Da Bai to distinguish who was making which sound.

The clan leaders from various clans, hiding furtively in shadowy corners, were all shocked. It really was the Sorrowful Girl’s doing!

"What’s with that chicken and the Qilin?"

"It looks like they can control the Sorrowful Girl!"

A few greedy clan leaders couldn’t hide the avaricious glint in their eyes. If their own clan had the Sorrowful Girl’s protection, what would they have to fear from the Insect Clan!

The Saber Wolf Clan leader sneered. "Gentlemen, we are all Golden Immortals. Isn’t it a bit unseemly to make a move against a True Immortal?"

"Hmph! Your Saber Wolf Clan is powerful. We can’t compare," retorted a figure with a rat’s head and a human body.

"It’s incredible that you Ratmen are still alive. However, as far as I know, that Qilin is a Spiritual Beast belonging to the Divine Son of Shadow City."

"So what? As long as we control the Sorrowful Girl, even the Asuras wouldn’t dare to invade us casually."

Watching the clan leaders act as if the Sorrowful Girl was already theirs for the taking, the Saber Wolf Clan leader was speechless. Do they really think the Sorrowful Girl is invincible? The Asuras could send a single Immortal to annihilate their clans. Do they truly believe the Sorrowful Girl can instantly kill an Immortal?

The Golden Immortal Ratman stealthily hid behind Da Bai. Its elongated claws hadn’t even had a chance to stretch out when a large hand covered its mouth and silently pulled it into the void.

"Was that an Immortal?"

"Definitely. And an Asura Immortal at that."

Exchanging fearful glances, the clan leaders immediately dispersed and returned to their own territories.

Looking at the Ratman’s corpse at his feet, Chen Jiuge said with some distaste, "Ugh, how ugly. Wencheng, why did you bring this thing back?"

Luo Wencheng gave a cold smile. "This fellow planned to control Da Bai and thereby control the Sorrowful Girl. I was curious, so I went to take a look and happened to grab him."

Seeing the Ratman’s eyes filled with terror and its body writhing, Chen Jiuge waved his hand. "I was indeed negligent. I’ll inform Li Qiwen to organize the troops. First, let’s annihilate this Ratman Clan to make an example of them."

Luo Wencheng was very satisfied upon hearing this. Such decisiveness is what a Divine Son of the Asura should possess.

The Ratman Clan’s territory erupted in a dazzling display of what could only be described as fireworks. Terrified squeals from the Ratmen echoed throughout the dense forest. Nearby clans who heard the sounds felt a chill run down their spines. This Divine Son of Shadow City is truly ruthless! To think he wiped out the entire Ratman Clan for a Spiritual Beast—one that hadn’t even been harmed!

After this, Da Bai, accompanied by the Sorrowful Girl, accelerated their eradication of the Insect Clan swarms. The Ragecloud Chickens they used had even been forcefully fed until they evolved into Heavenly Immortals, and Ragecloud Chicken eggs filled several Storage Rings.

「Heavenly Realm Sect Main Hall」

Ares looked over the report Keli had brought, her face alternated between pale and grim.

"Why wasn’t the information about the ’anomaly’ here reported sooner?"

"And why can that foolish-looking Qilin control the Sorrowful Girl?"

Keli whispered, "I did report it earlier, Sister. You said we didn’t need to concern ourselves with anomalies, as long as they didn’t provoke us."

"Shut up!" Ares’s face was livid.

Stepping outside the main hall, Ares gazed into the distance.

Gigantic Insect Nests, one after another, surrounded the mountain peak, pulsing rhythmically. Countless low-grade Insects were expelled from them, dispersing into the nearby dense forest.

Heavenly Immortal-level Insects stood guard at the edge of the forest, ready to provide support at any moment. A few Golden Immortal-level Insects remained high in the sky, monitoring the movements of the major clans.

At the highest point, the Insect Nest Queens gathered in small groups, sipping tea and chatting.

Everything appeared so peaceful, but Ares’s mood was thoroughly rotten.

"Sister Ares, there’s more news. Shadow City wiped out the Ratman Clan for some unknown reason. Perhaps we could cooperate with them?" Keli suggested.

"The Asuras?" Ares mused. "Forget it. Although I’m somewhat reluctant, we’re only here to gather resources. The great war is about to begin, and our Insect army has more important uses." A flicker of interest had crossed Ares’s face, but considering her mission, she ultimately declined.

Hearing this, Keli fell silent. She stood quietly by Ares’s side, trying to understand her sister’s current thoughts.

After what felt like a long time, Keli’s neck began to ache. Finally, Ares spoke.

"Keli, gather all our sisters. Take all the resources we can carry. What cannot be taken, let the Insects consume it. Remember, do not destroy the fundamental sources." The source of this content ɪs NovєlFіre.net

"I don’t want to be cursed by the Heavenly Dao, nor do I wish to fight these clans to the death at this final juncture," Ares instructed.

"I understand, Sister."

The vast and mighty Insect Clan had swiftly wiped out the formidable Heavenly Realm Sect, leaving nearby clans in a state of terrified unrest. No one could have expected the Insect Clan to withdraw so inexplicably.

When the major clans searched the dense forest once more for any sign of the Insect Clan, they found that the Insects were gone.

Gazing upon the plundered ore veins and stripped Spirit Plants, a wave of dismay washed over the various clans.

Although the roots of these Spiritual Objects remained, restoring them to their former abundance would take a very long time. It seemed they would have to tighten their belts for the days to come.

Clad in ragged clothes, Da Bai triumphantly rode a robust Ragecloud Chicken back to Shadow City, with the Sorrowful Girl in tow.

Seeing Da Bai, still covered in dust and not having changed his clothes, Chen Jiuge said with some exasperation, "You weren’t worried I’d go back on my word, were you?"

Da Bai shook his head. "It’s a matter of professional integrity."

"Professional integrity be damned. This is yours." Chen Jiuge handed a multicolored core to Da Bai.

"This Grotto Heaven isn’t very large. Don’t try to nurture too many things in it, or it might collapse," Chen Jiuge cautioned.

Watching the trio quickly depart, Chen Jiuge shook his head and chuckled.