Han Ning was about to turn and return to the surface.
His calm expression suddenly shifted.
The dense patter of countless tiny footsteps came from above, faintly signaling that the house was surrounded.
Fei Lie, beside him, also heard the noise, and his expression instantly darkened.
’I’m afraid my identity has aroused suspicion after all.’ Han Ning sneered as his Spiritual Power detected the faint fluctuations of Spiritual Energy above. The air beside him rippled faintly, and a Dragon Eye flickering with firelight emerged from within.
"Let’s go. We’ll head up and see what’s going on. Fei Ming is dead. What threat could the others possibly pose?"
As he spoke, Han Ning led Fei Lie toward the surface.
At the same time, the footsteps ahead grew closer and closer.
In the dim light, several shadowy figures appeared, leading dozens of Soul Beasts of all shapes and sizes as they hurried toward the end of the auxiliary tunnel.
The man in the lead had a rugged face. Around his neck, he wore a necklace woven from stark white bones, and his face was flushed deep red. His bright red linen robe only enhanced his savage aura.
In the human world, a face like that would surely frighten many.
He sat astride a bright red millipede, flanked by about thirty Insect-men with near-human appearances. Countless more Soul Beasts swarmed around them, encircling the treasure house. With a series of rustles and scrapes, they closed to within 100 meters of Han Ning and Fei Lie.
When the red-faced man saw Yin Yi shouldering several bags next to Han Ning, his expression changed abruptly. He barked without a second thought, "You really aren’t Lord Fei Ming! Fei Lie, you conspired with an outsider and betrayed the Red Centipede Tribe! You will die!"
"So I couldn’t fool you after all, Grand Commander." Han Ning, still wearing Fei Ming’s face, gave a strange smile as Egg Pancake’s enormous body slowly emerged from his Soul Beast Space.
"Care to tell me how you knew something was off?" he asked, somewhat puzzled, rather than attacking immediately.
"Leader Fei Ming’s voice is hoarse, but his intonation is nothing like your strange one. Besides, you lack the leader’s powerful presence when you walk," the Grand Commander snorted, leaping off the millipede and speaking in a booming voice.
"Master, rest assured. Your identity isn’t completely exposed. From what I can see, the people with Fei Ren are all from his Direct Lineage. I don’t see any of the other Insect Masters, which means they’re still skeptical," Fei Lie said quietly to Han Ning, his eyes continuously scanning the crowd gathering around them.
The moment he finished speaking, more than a dozen insectoid Soul Beasts of various shapes and sizes began to show their strengths. Some lunged viciously at Han Ning’s group, while others quickly began to channel their Soul Techniques...
Violent waves of Spiritual Energy surged across the open ground in front of the house.
Facing the imminent attack, Han Ning’s gaze swept over the Grand Commander in front of him. He silently uttered a single word in his mind: ’Suppress!’
The next second, a terrifying wave of vital energy erupted from Han Ning’s body.
The seemingly corporeal vital energy formed a scarlet mist that swept toward the Insect-men and Soul Beasts like a tidal wave.
In an instant, whether it was the Soul Beasts pouncing toward Han Ning, those preparing their Soul Techniques, or even the Insect-men commanding from the rear, they all felt their vision go black as the hearts beating in their chests suddenly stopped cold.
"Ugh..."
A series of muffled groans rang out. Han Ning snapped his head back, dodging a sharp claw that was inches from his face.
A meter away, a blood-red woodlouse shrieked and retracted its claws, its body trembling as it fell backward.
At some point, a sharp feeler had pierced the carapace on its chest, causing a spray of blood.
’It was only a temporary disguise, after all. This Grand Commander followed Fei Ming for a long time; of course some of my subtle mannerisms wouldn’t escape his notice...’
Han Ning mused. Insect Masters weren’t idiots; on the contrary, they possessed formidable powers of observation. He even suspected that Fei Ren knew Fei Ming better than Fei Ming knew his own son.
"SKREEE!!"
Egg Pancake stood before Han Ning like a guardian deity. It swung its powerful arms forward in a wide arc.
BOOM!
A crushing Gravity, like the weight of a mountain, suddenly descended, slamming every living creature in the vicinity to the ground.
THUD, THUD, THUD—
Yin Yi and Fei Lie stood half a step behind Han Ning, following him closely like attendants.
At this moment, Grand Commander Fei Ren clutched his chest, the veins on his neck and forehead bulging. Like a fish out of water, he struggled desperately to breathe.
Egg Pancake lowered one of its dragon claws, extending a tip larger than a building to hover just before the rugged man’s forehead.
The sharp wind from the claw sliced off a few strands of his hair, leaving a thin, bloody line on his forehead.
Han Ning walked up to him and signaled for the All-Encompassing Spiritual Silkworm to ease the pressure of its vital energy, allowing the man to catch his breath.
*GASP, GASP, GASP...*
The man, his heart now beating again, took huge, ragged gasps of air. He stared viciously at Han Ning, forcing out each word through clenched teeth. "Who... are... you?"
Han Ning didn’t answer, instead asking with a smile, "Why didn’t you use your full strength to attack me?"
The man snorted coldly and didn’t reply.
Han Ning gave the feeler in his hand a slight tug. Fei Ren, unable to stay upright, collapsed to his knees. "Tell me what you’re thinking," Han Ning pressed.
The man hadn’t made a move the entire time, so Han Ning could tell he had something else on his mind and wasn’t in a hurry to kill him.
Fei Ren glanced at Fei Lie behind Han Ning, his expression shifting several times before he gritted his teeth and spoke.
"You are powerful. Powerful enough to infiltrate our tribe and kill our leader. If I were to submit to you, would you make me the Clan Leader of the Red Centipede Tribe?"