Longevity: Start by refreshing your entries through farming.

Chapter 844 Brood
Gu Chang'an said this.

He glanced at Qin Ming and said with considerable indignation, "Before coming here, Fellow Daoist Li didn't mention to me that we would be conscripted while passing through the Tianji Mountains?"

"How do you intend to explain this?"

Gu Chang'an traveled a long way from his Qingfeng Valley to this place, only to be forcibly conscripted into the army by the human race's upper echelons as soon as he arrived in Zhenyuantian City.
It almost made him furious.

Qin Ming took a sip of spiritual tea and explained without batting an eye, "Brother Gu, please don't worry. If we can accomplish what I've said, it will be a tremendous achievement."

"At that time, not only will we be able to gain great merit to exchange for resources, but we can also use this opportunity to escape the human race's conscription order. It's like killing two birds with one stone."

"Of all the people I've trusted most, it's Brother Gu. I'm not asking for your help for nothing; I'll certainly reward you handsomely."

“Brother Li, going to the demon race’s spiritual domain to destroy the insect nest is no joke. Even if there are only sixth-order ferocious insects, they are extremely troublesome when there are many of them. If our human identity is exposed, we will be surrounded and attacked by the insect swarm. It will be almost impossible to escape unscathed.” Gu Chang’an said with a solemn expression.

Qin Ming smiled slightly, took out a jade box and handed it over: "Inside is a sixth-grade top-quality Xuanling Immortal Peach, which is ten thousand years old. As long as Brother Gu helps me to make this happen, this item will be yours."

"What? A ripe Xuanling Immortal Peach?" Gu Chang'an was taken aback.

He immediately opened the jade box and saw a huge pink peach lying inside, its surface radiating an astonishing Daoist aura, with wisps of ethereal immortal energy seemingly about to burst forth.
"It really is this immortal peach! Could it be that you, Fellow Daoist Li, grew it?"

Qin Ming smiled slightly, his meaning clear: "How about it? This immortal peach is enough to make up for the lifespan you lost earlier."

"In that case, it would be worth it even if I were to be conscripted along with you. As for the border of the demon race, it's not like we can't take the risk again."

"If it doesn't succeed, so be it; but if it does succeed, consider it a contribution to humanity."

Before Qin Ming could say anything, Gu Chang'an quickly put away the peaches.

"Tell me, how do you plan to infiltrate the heart of the insect swarm and destroy the mother insect's egg-laying site?"

Seeing that he had finally persuaded the other party after much pleading, Qin Ming smiled faintly and said:

"Fellow Daoist Gu need not worry about this. My Devouring Sky Rat spirit pet broke through to the sixth rank several decades ago and awakened a void divine ability, which allows us to directly reach that place."

After discussing it for a while, the two made up their minds.

Subsequently.

Qin Ming and his companion arrived at the main hall of Zhenyuan Heavenly City, found Master Yuanjue, and received a field mission from him.

Master Yuanjue was also slightly surprised and said, "Fellow Daoists, you should think carefully. The insect swarm in the Tianji Mountains is rampant now, and even some simple field missions are dangerous."

While everyone else was racking their brains to get a good job in the inner city, these two did the opposite.

"It's alright. If we stay in the rear to refine pills, we'll have to serve in Zhenyuan Heavenly City for a hundred years anyway. Why not go out and try our luck, make some more contributions, and strive to end our conscription mission as soon as possible?" Qin Ming said.

Seeing that they had made up their minds, Master Yuanjue stopped trying to persuade them. Instead, he took out a notebook and began to register the two of them.

"Then this humble monk will first assign you two fellow Daoists a Class C scout mission. There is no limit to the merit points for this mission, and the elders will make an evaluation based on the situation."

After Qin Ming and his companion completed their registration, they left Zhenyuan Heavenly City and flew towards the Tianji Mountain Range, which had originally been occupied by the demon race.

From the sky to the earth, the entire human army was battling an endless swarm of insects.

The most troublesome is the Golden-backed Mantis. This insect not only has a pair of naturally sharp blades that can easily cleave gold and break stone, but it can also penetrate even the magical treasures of cultivators.

It also has two pairs of golden wings on its back, making it capable of flying and escaping anywhere, and is known for its unpredictable speed and extremely strong aggression.

The demon race lost its territory in the Tianji Mountains, also due to this insectoid race.

At this moment, the sounds of battle filled the sky, intertwining with the frantic hissing of the Golden-backed Mantis. From the sky to the ground, there was the roar of magic.

These ferocious insects from another world seem to be inexhaustible; after one wave falls, another endless swarm of insects attacks.

Although the human army's magic ships were powerful, there were gaps in the time it took to fill the array with spirit stones.

Many golden-backed mantises swooped down and leaped onto the surface, beginning their attack on the magical shield surrounding the French ship.

Suddenly, a series of bloody and cruel scenes began to unfold on the Tianji Mountain Range.

Qin Ming and Gu Chang'an watched the fierce battle unfold. Even with their profound cultivation, they were powerless in the face of a war of this scale.

They had more important things to do, and if they could achieve their goal, so many people wouldn't have to die on the front lines.

"Fellow Daoist Li, were your previous words reliable or not?"

"I don't want another ancient ferocious insect at the Integration level to run out. I will never forget my experience in the Linglong Immortal Mansion last time."

As Gu Chang'an flew away, he spoke to Qin Ming.

"Brother Gu, rest assured, this intelligence is extremely accurate. It was personally investigated and brought back by my junior in Tianxing City. At most, there are only a few mid-to-late stage sixth-tier insectoids guarding the nest where the Golden-backed Mantis lays its eggs."

"There are no ferocious insects above the Fusion Stage. With the two of us working together, we should be able to control them."

"Besides, Brother Gu has already taken my Mysterious Spirit Peach, so it wouldn't be appropriate for him to back out halfway."

Qin Ming could tell that this guy was starting to back down, so he secretly transmitted his voice to him.

As the saying goes, "He who eats another's food is bound to him," and Gu Chang'an was already filled with regret, secretly lamenting that he had fallen for Qin Ming's trick again.

After we had traveled about halfway through the journey.

Qin Ming took out the map that Jiang Tian had drawn for him and began to examine it carefully.

Not long after.

He looked thoughtful. "That's about it. Let's infiltrate from here."

Qin Ming then summoned the Devouring Sky Rat, provided it with the specific location, and instructed it to quickly use its bloodline powers to lead them into that heartland.

After the Devouring Rat came out, it finally had a chance to show its skills, and it immediately became quite proud.

It walked out with its head held high and chest out, looking very proud and smug, and greeted Gu Chang'an and the tortoise:

"Oh! Fellow Daoist Gu, and Brother Turtle, we meet again."

"I've missed you so much, it's been so many years."

Qin Ming patted its head and urged, "Stop reminiscing and get down to business."

The Devouring Rat shrank back, no longer daring to be arrogant, and nodded repeatedly: "Yes, yes, Master, I will immediately activate the innate divine power of my race, and I can take care of this mere insectoid territory for you right away!"

Having said that, it revealed its true form as a thousand-foot-tall gray-haired rat, its demonic power surging and running rampant, and a strange void power suddenly condensed.

The Devouring Rat gathered all its strength, opened its mouth, and spewed out a powerful black mystic light, frantically digging holes in the void ahead.

A short while later.

A dark void opening instantly formed.

Within the twisted black hole, endless, deep passages connect to the other side, much like the void wormholes of the Zerg.

However, the void passage dug out by the Devouring Sky Rat using its bloodline power can have its coordinate nodes specified at will, and it is more concealed.

"Master, the void passage is finished. Shall I scout the way for you first?"

After a series of actions, the Devouring Rat had hardly exerted any effort and volunteered to take on the task.

Over the years, it has been filled with envy seeing the Xuan Shui Crocodile obtain such a great opportunity last time.

Now that it has finally made it through, it's its turn to shine, and it's naturally as if it's been injected with adrenaline. Qin Ming also has great faith in the Devouring Sky Rat's bloodline abilities, and waved his hand, saying:

"No need, let's get it done in one go."

Immediately, he and Gu Chang'an flashed and disappeared into the void passage.
……

And the other side.

Within the demonic territory of the Sky Ridge Mountains.

In the dark and gloomy Demon Palace, a person sat calmly and steadily on the throne at the head of the table.

The man had a full head of silver hair and stared down at the scene with an extremely gloomy expression.

It was none other than the Demon Lord Sikong of the Demon Clan.

The demon cultivators below were all silent and trembling, not daring to utter a sound, awaiting instructions from the old demon Sikong.

The last time that Sikong the Old Demon sent his subordinates to the human race, including the Demon General Jintian and the Demoness Ziling, all of them perished without a single survivor, which really infuriated him.

At such a delicate moment, many demons dared not easily provoke him.

They were terrified that if they said the wrong thing, they would end up dead and forgotten.

The atmosphere inside the Demon Palace fell into an eerie silence, so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

After a long time.

The old demon Sikong's eyes gleamed as he slowly scanned the many high-ranking demon cultivators present, and said in an extremely cold tone:

"As you all probably know, the human race is trying to seize another large area of ​​the Heavenly Ridge Mountains while the demon race is invaded by insects and the spiritual land is lost."

"I will absolutely not allow this to happen."

"Once the human race completely controls two-thirds of the Tianji Mountain Range, our demon race will lose its initiative. When the Holy Realm descends upon the Spirit Realm again, the trouble will increase considerably."

"Therefore, we must not allow the human race's plan to succeed, and we must prevent this from happening at all costs."

The Holy Realm that Sikong the Old Demon spoke of was naturally the Ancient Demon Realm, which, like the Spirit Realm, was one of the Three Thousand Great Worlds.
Upon hearing this, the demons below dared not disobey in the slightest and hurriedly responded in unison:
"Your subordinate will obey the Demon Commander's orders without question!"

Immediately.

Sikong Laomo nodded in satisfaction and immediately said, "This time, I have reached a consensus with the demon race and we are preparing to join forces to sabotage the human race's plans."

"In order to cooperate sincerely, I have already discussed with Demon General Ao Yu of the demon race. As a condition for further cooperation between the two sides, we will help them take back their original territory as a sign of sincerity."

"The territory of the Heavenly Ridge Mountains among the demon race has been occupied by the Golden-backed Mantis clan, and I have already investigated and located the key position of their mother nest."

"This plan cannot afford to fail. I will personally lead the team there, and Demon General Ao Yu of the demon race will also provide support. As long as we solve the source of the insect swarm, we can complete the initial plan."

Upon hearing this, the many demonic cultivators in the Demon Palace were all astonished. It turned out that the Old Demon Sikong had already seen through everything and was planning everything.

Before long, many demon generals received their orders and began to assemble the demon army, secretly deploying troops and heading towards the demon realm.

……

And in the spirit land of the demon race.

The demon general Ao Yu, with his sinister appearance, was dismissed from all his posts by the elders and reduced to the status of an ordinary demon because of his improper handling of the human race's aid.

However, given his cultivation level, as long as it wasn't a capital offense, it was of little consequence to him.

Commander Ao Yu was extremely unwilling to accept the loss of the spiritual land. During this time, he had been secretly plotting how to reclaim the Tianji Mountain Range from the insectoid race.

But he never expected that the Demon Lord Sikong would be the first to approach him and propose a joint operation.
Both of them, considering their own interests, immediately hit it off.

Next.

He then personally led the team, including Demon General Ao Yu and Old Demon Sikong, and headed towards the Tianji Mountain Range in a grand procession.

……

In a moment.

After traveling for a while, Qin Ming and Gu Chang'an's vision suddenly brightened.

The two of them used the void passage dug by the Devouring Sky Rat to arrive at the valley within the demon race's spiritual land.

However, when the two arrived at this place...

But they found that the place was covered with countless insect eggs, and countless golden-backed mantises below the sixth rank were busy at work.

These swarms of insects continuously transported their blood food to the center of the valley, where there were seven giant queen insects, each thousands of feet tall.

After consuming a massive number of insect eggs, it begins to lay eggs continuously, producing tens of thousands of eggs at a time, waiting to hatch.

The growth period of those insect eggs is also extremely short; they can grow into golden-backed mantises almost as long as the conditions are right.

Qin Ming and Gu Chang'an concealed their presence and secretly sneaked into the valley, which was full of insect eggs.

They unleashed their immense divine senses, thoroughly investigating the situation in this place.

"This is the place. It seems that Jiang Tian and the others were right. This is indeed the headquarters of the Golden-backed Mantis."

"Brother Gu, I'm afraid I'll have to trouble you this time. We need to use a sixth-tier talisman to destroy all the insect eggs in this area."

"I have a sixth-grade top-quality magic explosion talisman here. The situation is urgent, so I have no choice but to use it, even if it hurts," Qin Ming said to Gu Chang'an beside him.

"We'll set up the detonation in secret and then detonate it together. We'll be able to wipe out all the insect eggs and the mother insect without anyone noticing."

When Gu Chang'an heard that Qin Ming was actually eyeing his talismans again, he was immediately furious.

"Brother Li, that's not very fair of you!"

"So you're just planning to make one talisman?"

But at this moment.

Suddenly, a violent fluctuation came from the valley, which was originally normal, as if some powerful being was about to descend on its own.

After Qin Ming and Gu Chang'an emerged from the void passage, they dared not breathe and secretly observed everything before them.

Even the aura emanating from his body was disguised to be the same as that of the Zerg.

Just as the two of them were about to make their move.

Suddenly.

A ripple spread through the void, emanating in all directions, and a powerful aura silently descended upon the area.

Immediately afterwards, a long rift opened in the void, from which emerged a golden-backed mantis figure thousands of feet tall.

It landed directly in the valley.

The moment this insect appeared, the dense swarm of insects in the valley all seemed to submit, casting an expression of awe and worship upwards.

(End of this chapter)