Chapter 47: A Turning Point

A trace of anxiety gradually appeared in Qiu Han’s eyes, beads of sweat forming on his forehead. Yet another hour slipped by, and Qiu Han began to feel his spiritual power waning. He calculated silently—if this continued for another half hour, he would face the crisis of complete exhaustion.

“No wonder my master once said that even he, if confronted by a million or even tens of millions of wasp beasts, would find it difficult to escape unscathed. Now, though I am surrounded by ant beasts far weaker than those wasp beasts, my cultivation is worlds apart from my master’s. To break free is just as difficult. Is today to be my burial ground? So it is true what they say: ‘Many ants can bring down an elephant.’ This phrase truly holds its weight when faced with reality.”

Yet at that moment, Qiu Han seemed to sense the weakest point in the ant beast formation. Without hesitation, he soared into the air, manipulating his fire-controlling technique to strike rapidly at the thinnest cluster of ant beasts. With flames clearing a path ahead, Qiu Han accelerated, charging toward the opening, as if he might break through the encirclement.

Although the ant beasts lacked intelligence, they surged toward Qiu Han in response to his attack. Their overwhelming numbers quickly sealed off his escape route once more.

“Out of my way!”

As he sped forward, Qiu Han let out a thunderous roar. His aura surged to its peak—a determination to break free at any cost. With this unyielding resolve, Qiu Han radiated a murderous intent so fierce it seemed that nothing, be it god or Buddha, could stand in his path. He charged at the point where the ant beasts were fewest.

If a high-level cultivator were to witness this scene, they would be inwardly astonished. The aura Qiu Han exuded now, the killing intent emanating from him, was something that could only be forged through the slaughter of numerous opponents of equal or higher cultivation—a trace of true murderous will. This intent accumulated slowly, with each deadly battle, eventually transforming into baleful energy.

Baleful energy is intangible and elusive, yet it undoubtedly exists. High-level cultivators can sense it in one another. A cultivator who possesses baleful energy is someone their peers instinctively avoid provoking. Even those of a higher realm, unless necessary, are reluctant to confront someone with such a presence, for these are individuals accustomed to killing, cold and vengeful by nature.

It is certain, however, that such baleful energy never appears in a low-level cultivator, and even among the higher ranks, it is rare. Even ordinary murderous intent is seldom seen in those at the Qi Refining stage.

For even this kind of murderous aura cannot be easily obtained by a Qi Refining cultivator. It is not the casual “killing intent” spoken of, but something born of countless life-and-death struggles and the defeat of many peers—a trace born only after long years of bloodshed.

Therefore, it is generally believed that those at the Qi Refining stage could not have such experiences, and even among Foundation Establishment cultivators, this is not common. As for baleful energy, scarcely a handful among the higher echelons possess it at all.

Any cultivator imbued with such baleful energy becomes anathema to spirits and ghosts; even the most sinister entities are awed or repulsed by their presence.

All this, Qiu Han did not yet know. He had no idea that, after what he had endured, he was now, in this moment of crisis, exuding a trace of murderous intent. Perhaps only when he returned to his sect would his master and the elders recognize what he had become.

At last, with relentless use of his fire-controlling technique, Qiu Han carved open the weakest point in the ant beast horde.

Taking the opportunity, he rose into the air and struck the stone wall, creating a hole several meters wide. He swiftly darted inside, then withdrew a stack of talismans from his storage pouch, reinforcing himself with several layers of defense. He then produced an assortment of bottles, jars, and several mid-grade spirit stones from his pouch.

Throwing back several bottles of spirit-restoring elixirs, he gripped a spirit stone in each palm and sat cross-legged, hoping to recover his spiritual power as quickly as possible to face the next wave of danger.

Below, the millions of ant beasts showed no sign of relenting. One after another, they gazed up at Qiu Han meditating in the cave, growing ever more restless.

An hour passed. The ant beasts piled atop one another, forming mounds like mountains, creeping ever closer to the cave’s entrance. Soon, a small group reached the opening. Lin Yang—seizing a handful of attack talismans—murmured an incantation, activating the talismans and sending bursts of fire to block the ant beasts from entering.

The spells within the talismans unleashed flames, incinerating the nearest ant beasts and holding them at bay. This continued for half an hour, yet the ant beasts still posed no real threat to Qiu Han.

At that moment, a sharp, piercing cry rang out. Qiu Han, still cross-legged in meditation, frowned slightly before regaining his composure. Suddenly, the ant beast horde, as if receiving a command, became wildly agitated, divided into two columns, and encircled the cave entrance on both sides, yet left a path open in the middle.

Qiu Han ignored this, continuing his meditation. Another half hour passed before he rose, took a deep breath, and felt his spiritual power fully restored. Glancing at the entrance, his gaze turned cold.

Though puzzled by the ant beasts’ actions, he felt no fear or intent to retreat. Instead, he grew more resolute, though now far more cautious. Stepping out of the cave, he found himself surrounded on all sides by the ant beast horde. They surged from left to right and behind, yet always left a path clear ahead.

After flying for some time, Qiu Han found this behavior increasingly odd. The ant beasts had encircled him on three sides without attacking, herding him forward, as if intent on driving him toward a specific destination.

Unable to discern their purpose and with no other option for escape, Qiu Han let the ant beasts herd him along—at least, for now, he was out of immediate danger.

In this way, he was forced along for the time it takes a stick of incense to burn, finally arriving at another clearing. Yet it was less a clearing than the very heart of the ant beast nest.

For when Qiu Han arrived, even he could not help but show a look of terror at the sight before him. What unfolded was a sea of ant beasts—these, however, were vastly different from those he had encountered before. Not only were they larger, but their colors varied dramatically.

Previously, he had faced only black ant beasts. Here, the majority were white, with some purple, and even a small group with bodies of deep, blood-red hue.