Chapter 432

Chapter 432: The Pursuit Battle, Mo Feng Shocked

The urgent communication alert rang like a death bell, making Zhang Hemiao and Sheng Cang uneasy.

As Earth Immortals, they steadied themselves despite sensing danger and answered the call.

"Where needs backup?"

"Huh?"

The question confused the caller briefly before they hurriedly replied, "Deputy Commander, this isn’t a distress call! We’re victorious—a complete triumph! The insect swarms have fled!"

"?!?!"

Zhang Hemiao and Sheng Cang froze in disbelief.

Had the Agricultural and Martial Corps requested aid, they’d have braced themselves. But such a swift victory? Unthinkable. They hadn’t been mentally prepared at all.

"How? Those vile insects don’t retreat easily… Was it Mu Lin?"

Zhang Hemiao’s guess was confirmed by the general’s report.

"Lord Mu Lin did it. He was like a god. Wherever he went, billions of insects turned to ash within three breaths—gone like smoke. None survived, not ordinary bugs, Insect Queens, spiders, moths, locusts, or leeches. They’re fleeing in chaos now. Lord Mu Lin wants to chase them down and asks you to join him."

"…"

Zhang Hemiao, Sheng Cang, and Ji Mao fell silent. Finally, Zhang Hemiao sighed. "Destroying billions of insects so fast… He’s surpassed me. I couldn’t do that."

Sheng Cang grunted, "You? If I faced that swarm alone, I’d die."

Both now respected Mu Lin utterly. Though curious about his methods, they knew better than to pry.

As for pursuit, their instinct was caution. Retreating insects might hide traps. Left to them, they’d send scouts first. But Mu Lin held command now.

His power had flipped the dynamic—the Agricultural and Martial Corps needed him, not vice versa. Every North Wilderness legion would clamor for him if word spread. Fear of losing him overrode their doubts. They mobilized at once, without hesitation.

……

Over there, Mu Lin was waiting for Zhang Hemiao and Sheng Cang.

Unbeknownst to him, his ruthless slaughter of the insect swarm hadn’t just shaken the insect apostle and earned the awe of the Agricultural and Martial Corps—it had also impacted others.

Those others were Mo Feng of the Black Sha Legion and Cai Tian of the Thunder Legion.

When the insect swarm attacked the Agricultural and Martial Corps, the two commanders mobilized their own forces to strike the spiritual ground held by the insects. Their plan was twofold: relieve pressure on the Agricultural and Martial Corps using the "surround Wei to save Zhao" tactic and seize another Resource Point.

But their well-laid plans crumbled when the insect swarm suddenly retreated and returned before they could breach the spiritual ground. This left their forces trapped between the swarm and the entrenched insects.

Neither Mo Feng nor Cai Tian considered the possibility that the Agricultural and Martial Corps had driven back the swarm. Instead, they cursed:

“It’s a trap! The swarm was targeting *us* all along!”

“Send word—call for reinforcements from the Black Sha Legion!”

“Chirp…”

“BZZZT!!”

“CRASH!”

The insect apostle and Insect Queens, already enraged by their failed assault and heavy losses, erupted into fury upon finding their nests under attack. They turned their wrath on the Black Sha and Thunder Legions, launching a savage counterattack against Mo Feng and Cai Tian’s troops.

“BOOM!”

The insects dive-bombed from above, fired venomous spines, and spewed choking clouds of powder. Overwhelmed, the two legions faltered rapidly.

With each passing moment, their position grew more desperate. By the time an incense stick’s worth of time had burned, the Black Sha Legion’s lines began crumbling. Without fortified walls and caught in a pincer, their endurance alone was remarkable.

“We’re done for…”

“Where are the reinforcements?!”

“An hour away—but the roads are swarming with insects blocking them!”

“To hell with this! I’ll take these bugs down with me!”

“Want my life? Come claim it with yours!”

The surviving soldiers of the North Wilderness wore their defiance like armor. Facing death, they abandoned all caution, ready to drag the insects into oblivion. Even Mo Feng steeled himself for a final stand.

But as they braced to meet the swarm head-on, something unforeseen happened.

In the rear, the insects besieging them were thrown into disarray. The chaos only grew worse, easing the Black Sha Legion’s burden. This sudden shift made Mo Feng’s eyes light up.

“Could there be hope…”

He ordered a subordinate skilled in eye techniques to scout ahead. The subordinate activated his Heavenly Eye, piercing through the insect swarm.

“General Mo Feng! Someone approaches!”

Mo Feng’s eyes blazed. “Our reinforcements arrived early!”

But Leng Chen, the subordinate, shook his head. “No… It’s the Agricultural and Martial Corps.”

“Why them?” Mo Feng’s face darkened. He doubted the weakened corps could save them.

“Even if they can’t rescue us, their courage proves we didn’t save them in vain.” Sighing, he commanded, “Signal them to retreat. Don’t let more lives be wasted here.”

Resigned to death, Mo Feng steeled himself—until the unthinkable happened.

The insect swarm panicked. Some fled outright, easing the pressure further. Confusion gripped the soldiers.

“Since when do insects cower?!”

The answer came swiftly. Mu Lin, bearing the Mountains and Rivers Cauldron, channeled its spiritual veins’ power. With a hum, he conjured a sprawling Yin Soil, enveloping both battlefield and nearby towns. The cauldron’s might reinforced the realm, rendering it unbreakable.

Rustling echoed as the Insect Queens’ soul reflections were yanked into Yin Soil. Infinite Chains coiled around them, blazing with flame of revenge, while the chains’ ends anchored to the cauldron’s legs.

The Queens shrieked, summoning guards—but none could enter Mu Lin’s domain.

Mu Lin held nothing back. Flooding the chains with flame of revenge, he fused them with City of Heaven’s Funeral’s forbidden power and black river water’s corrosive force. The Queens’ souls crumbled.

With their demise, billions of insect soul reflections materialized. Mu Lin shut his eyes, plunging the realm into darkness. Chaos Origin Essence seeped through the void, snuffing out soul flames.

Outside, insect corpses rained down like ash. Mo Feng gaped at the carnage.

After a stunned silence, he rasped, “The Agricultural and Martial Corps… this powerful?!”