Soon, Yin Yi flew over the dormitory area, its dense vines carrying a multitude of insects and the unconscious Insect Master at their center.
THUMP. THUMP.
The thud of bodies hitting the ground echoed one after another.
"You’ve worked hard, Yin Yi. Go get some rest."
Han Ning took a few gasping breaths. Thanks to the Spiritual Power his companions had provided, the pain in his head wasn’t as bad. He even had some Spiritual Power left, where before it had been completely depleted.
’No matter what, life has to go on.’
He rummaged through his waist pouch, but only found a few Awakened Level Wood Attribute Crystal Stones. He simply gave them to Yin Yi as a snack.
The vast majority of his Crystal Stones had already been converted into System Energy to empower his Soul Beasts. Now, his pockets were completely empty.
"Ling~"
Yin Yi accepted the Crystal Stones but didn’t eat them immediately. Instead, it walked over to Han Ning, wrapped its arms around its master in a gentle hug, and pressed its cheek against his. It let out a soft cry, as if comforting him.
As Yin Yi’s power grew, its intelligence had also clearly improved. The two were linked through Spiritual Power, so it could sense its master’s current emotional state.
"Go on, rest."
Han Ning smiled and patted Yin Yi’s body. He turned and scanned the crowd. Seeing that Teacher Zheng seemed to be in relatively stable condition, he said, "Teacher Zheng, could I trouble you to go get Dean Wu and the others? We need some people to clean up the battlefield."
There was nothing beside Teacher Zheng; her Soul Beast had evidently fallen in battle. She was currently holding the badly maimed Nia, staggering as she got to her feet.
The heavily injured Jade Spirit Damselfly had reverted to the size of a palm-sized dragonfly. It lay motionless on Nia’s shoulder, and it was impossible to tell if it was alive or dead.
"I understand... You all... stay safe."
Teacher Zheng nodded, holding Nia tightly. She started walking slowly toward the rear of the dormitory area, disappearing into the pitch-black night.
Worried that she might be attacked by a stray Soul Beast that had escaped, he sent his last Gale Butterfly to follow and protect her.
WHOOSH~
Aketu, also nursing considerable injuries, flew over to Han Ning, piloting his few remaining insects.
Beside him was the other Insect Master from the Green Moth Tribe, an elderly man with a wizened face and blood-streaked cheeks.
The lifespan of an Insect-man is different from that of a human. An Insect-man’s life expectancy varies greatly depending on their tribe, race, and the bloodline within them.
For a small Insect Master Family like the Green Moth Tribe, whose connection to the Ancestor bloodline is distant and whose power is relatively weak, an ordinary Insect-man lives for about 50 years. After becoming an Insect Master, their lifespan extends. As long as they don’t burn away their Spiritual Power, they can generally live to be a hundred.
Conversely, Insect Masters with a higher concentration of the Ancestor bloodline live even longer. According to the historical records of the Yinsaike Insect Masters, an ordinary Insect-man from an Ancestor Family can live to be about 150, while an Insect Master can reach the age of 250.
’When it comes to longevity, humans don’t seem to be that gifted.’
"I have exhausted the full strength of my tribe, my friend." Aketu stood before Han Ning. He didn’t perform his usual deep, prostrate bow, but instead gave a simple nod and spoke in a low voice.
’It’s a good thing Aketu isn’t being too dramatic in front of his elder. It would probably have the opposite effect.’
"Thank you both," Han Ning said, giving them a grateful smile.
"This is my elder, his name is Ah Mei," Aketu said, introducing his uncle to Han Ning with a hint of theatricality.
"Thank you for your help, powerful Ah Mei Insect Master."
Han Ning was rather surprised. This Insect Master named Ah Mei had fought with incredible ferocity, yet Han Ning had never even heard of an Insect Master of his caliber within the Green Moth Tribe before.
The cover story he’d given Aketu was that the people from the academy were friends of an Ancestor Family. They had been attacked by the Red Centipede Tribe due to some hidden turmoil among the Ancestor clans.
However, Ah Mei was neither an Insect Servant nor from the Direct Lineage, so he had clearly held back. He was the only Insect Master whose Contracted Soul Beast hadn’t died, but was merely heavily injured.
"The reputation of the Netherworld Purple Bee is legendary. I recall exploring the Michael Plateau with Taman Insect Master back when Miss Nia was just a year old. He was a dear friend of mine from long ago."
Ah Mei Insect Master’s demeanor was somewhat cold, and his words were tinged with emotion.
Han Ning could understand all of this. A large portion of the insects that had died here were the Insect Servants and swarms of the Green Moth Tribe. With his own people all but wiped out in this battle, it was no wonder Ah Mei Insect Master seemed so cold.
What Han Ning hadn’t expected was that this old man and Taman Insect Master were such close friends. ’No wonder he fought with all his might,’ he thought. ’And no wonder he didn’t shy away just because the Yinsaike Race is being besieged by the Ancestor Families.’
...
「About an hour later」
The sound of hurried footsteps came from the rear of the dormitory area. Dean Wu arrived, hurrying to the dormitory area with over a hundred of the academy’s weaker support staff who had been evacuated.
When they saw the scene of utter devastation—broken walls, rubble, and bodies strewn across the ground—many of them immediately burst into tears.
With a heavy expression, Dean Wu led the group over to Han Ning and the twenty-odd combatants.
Da Yan and the Shadow Mantis that Han Ning had taken in were standing guard vigilantly on either side of the crowd, protecting everyone.
They hadn’t been seen earlier because they had been protecting the support staff.