My Longevity Simulation Chapter 1066: Insect Death, Qi Still Lingers

A terrifying storm of spiritual energy suddenly erupted from Shilin Prefecture, rippling across the vast expanse of the Xuanhuang land. The howling winds shrieked through the air, causing even the majestic Heavenly Cities of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance—those eternal floating fortresses—to shudder violently under the gale's force.

However, the fierce winds were merely a prelude to a greater terror. What truly struck fear into the hearts of the Immortal Alliance’s cultivators were the unidentified black insects that arrived like an endless tide of dark clouds. They swarmed across the heavens, effectively blotting out the sun and blanketing the entire Xuanhuang Realm.

The insect plague moved with such unnatural speed that it had already infiltrated every corner of the territory before the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance could mount a proper response. Within a mere half-day, the concentration of spiritual energy throughout the Xuanhuang Realm plunged as if falling off a cliff.

Faced with this dire emergency, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance finally demonstrated the ruthless efficiency expected of a regional hegemon. A mobilization order was issued: every Dao Integration cultivator within the Alliance, regardless of their current affairs, was commanded to drop everything and join the extermination effort. Practitioners below the Dao Integration stage who possessed sufficient confidence in their prowess were also invited to join the slaughter, with the promise of generous rewards for their service.

Those whose cultivation and strength were lacking were advised to seek sanctuary within the Heavenly Cities, private cave abodes, or the safety of the Tianxuan Mirror. They were told to simply wait for the catastrophe to blow over.

Following the decree of the Immortal Alliance, the atmosphere across the various prefectures shifted instantly. It was soon discovered that these mutated Dao One Insects, while capable of voraciously devouring spiritual energy and reproducing at an alarming rate, lacked any significant offensive or defensive capabilities.

After suffering some initial setbacks, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance identified a highly effective countermeasure. By utilizing a specialized technique, they employed massive divine sense to forcibly seize control of the swarms, inciting the insects to slaughter one another and rapidly thin their own ranks.

Through this tactic, a pair of Dao Integration cultivators could purge an entire prefecture of the pestilence in a short window of time. Once the Immortal Alliance disseminated this secret technique, dubbed [Insect Lord], the once-unstoppable plague began to crumble at an accelerated pace.

...

Deep within the seclusion of the Hundred Stones Cave-Heaven, Li Fan utilized his mental link with the Dao One Insect Mother to observe the situation. He meticulously noted every cultivator from the Immortal Alliance who displayed exceptional performance during the crisis, cross-referencing their identities with the data stored in the Tianxuan Mirror.

“These individuals represent the genuine peak of the Immortal Alliance’s martial might. So long as these core figures remain standing, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance will likely survive any standard threat.”

“However, if these elites were to be systematically removed, the lack of a central pillar would leave the Alliance in a pathetic state where no experts are available. At that point, even a minor tremor could lead to a total collapse.”

Li Fan allowed himself a moment to indulge in this strategic fantasy before shifting his focus back to the present. As he sensed the insect swarm being steadily annihilated, a frown touched his features.

The effectiveness of the “Insect Lord” method—forcing the swarms into self-destruction—had slightly exceeded his calculations. Originally, the Insect Mother held absolute dominion over her brood, and the primitive biological nature of the Dao One Insects should have made them immune to conventional manipulation.

Yet, this [Insect Lord] secret art managed to bypass those defenses by masquerading as an insect emperor, effectively hijacking the Insect Mother’s command authority.

“Insect Lord...”

Leveraging his high-level access to the Tianxuan Mirror, Li Fan easily scrutinized the details of the technique. From his perspective, the fundamentals of this art seemed to share a common lineage with the [Beast Taming Wheel] of the Beast Taming Sect.

“Is it possible that Emperor Sanmo provided assistance?”

The newly bred Dao One Insects had not yet been fully deployed. If the disaster concluded prematurely, it might fail to draw out the elusive Dharma-Transmitter Jiang.

“In that case, I shall initiate the contingency plan.”

After a brief moment of contemplation, Li Fan manifested two Dao One Insect Mothers within the palm of his hand. Due to the catastrophic losses suffered by their swarm, their bodies had lost their original luster and appeared withered and sluggish.

Furthermore, they glared at each other with a mixture of suspicion and predatory hunger—the primal instinct to survive a crisis by consuming their own kind.

Li Fan looked down at these two tiny creatures that had brought chaos to the Xuanhuang Realm, his expression remaining cold and indifferent. With a sharp exert of force, he crushed them both into nothingness.

The moment Li Fan acted, the sky above the Xuanhuang Realm underwent a bizarre transformation. The black insects that had been filling the air with a constant, low-frequency buzzing suddenly fell into a deathly silence.

Then, they began to fall. They rained down from the heavens like a black, torrential downpour.

The cultivators of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance, who had been in the midst of a heated battle, stood frozen in shock. They instinctively gathered some of the fallen specimens for examination, confirming that these were indeed the corpses of the insects and not some illusion.

Seeing this, many felt a surge of relief, marveling at how the calamity seemed to have ended as abruptly as it began. However, those with sharper spiritual intuition felt a growing sense of dread.

Reports were frantically sent back to the headquarters of the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance. In the blink of an eye, the insects ravaging the realm had all perished, leaving the world carpeted in black husks. If these remains were not cleared immediately, they threatened to become a breeding ground for further complications.

After a quick consultation, the Ten Thousand Immortals Alliance issued a new directive. It was announced that those who had been hiding could safely emerge to assist in the massive cleanup effort. While participation was voluntary, the Alliance offered substantial contribution points as an incentive.

Tempted by the rewards, a vast number of cultivators emerged from their shelters. However, the sight of the black carcasses covering the landscape made many feel their skin crawl.

The physiology of these insects was almost entirely comprised of the unique energy they had consumed and processed. This energy bore a resemblance to spiritual energy, yet it was fundamentally incompatible with a cultivator's Dantian and could not be refined.

As the billions of black insects began to naturally decay simultaneously, this specialized energy started to bleed into the atmosphere at an incredible rate. Within half a day, the sheer volume of decomposing matter reached a tipping point, triggering a qualitative change in the environment.

“Ugh...”

A revolting stench began to permeate the air, causing cultivators to be seized by sudden, violent waves of nausea. It was a physical rejection, an uncontrollable urge to retch.

“Everyone, seal your breath! This stench is toxic!”

Nausea was only the beginning. When some cultivators remained in the putrid environment for too long, they began to collapse into unconsciousness. The situation escalated when several of these fallen cultivators suddenly exploded into bloody fragments.

Though they were soon resurrected through their Cave-Heaven anchors, the addition of cultivator blood and flesh to the air only made the foul odor more unbearable. Furthermore, this unique miasma possessed a terrifying property: it would latch onto any fluctuations in the world's spiritual energy, following those traces directly into a cultivator's body.

Not every practitioner was like Li Fan, who possessed a Five Elements Great Cave-Heaven with nearly limitless internal resources. Most ordinary cultivators still relied on drawing spiritual energy from the world around them.

Because of the preceding plague, the spiritual energy in the Xuanhuang Realm was already pathologically thin. Now, what little remained was being heavily polluted by the insect rot and the scent of blood. The crisis reached its zenith as the insect corpses fully liquefied.

In this toxic atmosphere, even Nascent Soul True Lords found it difficult to endure for long. Only those at the Soul Transformation stage and above could rely on their robust foundations to operate normally. Even then, returning from the outside world left them with a lingering, psychological sense of revulsion.

“How did our beautiful Xuanhuang Realm fall into such a state so suddenly?” many cultivators lamented, their hearts filled with profound grief.