The Lord of Void and Real
Chapter 1201

Chapter 1201: Chapter 1198: A Blessing in Disguise Chapter 1201: Chapter 1198: A Blessing in Disguise Shen Luo also didn't force the Bashe into the Qiankun Bag, but just continued with his eyes closed, striving to fully recover his mana.

“Friend Shen, something's not right!” Just as he had entered meditation, the surprised voice of Bashe rang out in his ears again.

“What's wrong?” Shen Luo opened his eyes and asked, showing no impatience.

He had already roughly understood Bashe's character; this demon was quite stable, not the frivolous and noisy kind. Its utterance surely meant it had sensed something.

“Just now I spread out my Divine Sense to explore the surroundings, and all the blood-patterned hummingbirds within a hundred miles have disappeared!” Bashe said with astonishment and suspicion.

“Could it be that the Nine-Headed Insect thought the blood-patterned hummingbirds could not find us and recalled them, to use other spirit insects and birds to search?” Shen Luo speculated after spreading his Divine Sense and confirming Bashe's words.

“As I know, the blood-patterned hummingbirds are the Nine-Headed Insect's best scouting spirit birds. If this creature can't find us, replacing it with other spirit insects and birds will be the same. I'm afraid that the Nine-Headed Insect recalling the blood-patterned hummingbirds does not mean giving up the search, but rather it has other intentions. As for those intentions, I also can't figure them out,” Bashe slowly said.

“Since Daoist friend Bashe feels that there's something odd, it is no longer appropriate for us to continue hiding here without any defenses. Let's send someone out to explore the area first,” Shen Luo said thoughtfully and then activated the Technique of Taming Beasts and Summoning Spirits to call forth the Mirror Fiend.

“This Mirror Fiend belongs to the East Sea Demon Race. Mirror Fiend, this is Daoist friend Bashe, recently taken in as my assistant,” Shen Luo briefly introduced them to each other.

“So it's Friend Mirror Demon, it's a pleasure to meet you,” Bashe chuckled dryly and greeted the Mirror Fiend.

The Mirror Fiend looked at Bashe curiously, bowed respectfully, and then turned to Shen Luo: “I wonder what matter has led the master to summon me this time?”

“This is the situation…” Shen Luo briefly explained the grudge he had with the Nine-Headed Insect, as well as the current circumstances to the Mirror Fiend.

“…Both Daoist friend Bashe and I have already met with that Nine-Headed Insect and would not be suitable to go out to explore. Go and check the surroundings, and if you encounter any danger, return immediately,” Shen Luo finished.

“Okay.” The Mirror Fiend, quite curious about Yunmeng Marsh and never disobeying Shen Luo's orders, immediately nodded and then turned into a blue light soaring into the sky.

“You're letting this Mirror Fiend go out alone? Aren't you afraid she'll encounter some danger?” Bashe asked.

“Although Friend Mirror Demon's cultivation level isn't high, she possesses several unique abilities; self-preservation shouldn't be an issue,” Shen Luo said with a faint smile.

Hearing this, Bashe said no more.

Shen Luo closed his eyes, planning to continue his cultivation while waiting for the results of Mirror Fiend's exploration.

However, it seemed as if fate had other plans, just as he closed his eyes, an urgent voice echoed in his mind–it was the Ghost General.

“Master, something terrible has happened. A swarm of blood-red horse wasps is coming from afar, soon to reach the location of our dwelling!”

“Blood-red horse wasps! How is Senior Ao Lie doing?” Shen Luo was greatly startled and immediately sent a message to ask.

“Senior Ao Lie and that Wu Man'er are still in the Secret Chamber healing. There are other prohibitions there, and I can't see what's happening inside,” the Ghost General replied.

“Those are the blood-patterned hummingbirds, spirit pets used by the Nine-Headed Insect to scout for enemies. You stand guard over the Cave Mansion, I'll be right back!” Shen Luo's brow furrowed slightly as he promptly responded.

“Okay.” The Ghost General sounded relieved and agreed.

“What's wrong?” Bashe asked urgently upon seeing Shen Luo suddenly change color.

Shen Luo recounted what the Ghost General had said, and Bashe's expression also darkened. She realized, “I understand why the Nine-Headed Insect has recalled all the Blood Pattern Hummingbirds. He intends to gather them all in one place and form a tide of bees, sweeping and searching over a large area. With this method, although the search will be slow, the precision will have increased a thousandfold. Your Cave Mansion will definitely not be able to stay hidden.”

Shen Luo had actually had this suspicion for some time, fearing that the Nine-Headed Insect, having been unable to find their trail for a while, had resorted to this crude method. Little did he expect that, while failing to find him and Bashe, the insect had inadvertently stumbled upon the Mountain Cave Mansion.

“Senior Ao Lie is healing inside the Cave Mansion, I must go back, or they absolutely won't be able to withstand the Nine-Headed Insect.” Without further thought, he abruptly stood up, while simultaneously sending a mental message for the Mirror Fiend to return.

“That Mountain Cave Mansion is quite far from here, even if we rush at full speed, it will still take us most of half an hour to get there. I'm afraid everything will already be over by then…” Bashe hesitated, her words implying she was not very willing to go back.

“If Daoist friend Bashe is afraid, you can stay here and wait. Senior Ao Lie and Miss Man'er are my friends. I, Shen, am most certainly going back,” Shen Luo said indifferently.

“Where are you getting such ideas from, Friend Shen? Since you have decided to go back, as your spirit beast, naturally, I should follow,” Bashe said stiffly, her eyes flickering twice before she quickly added.

Having spoken, she leapt up, transforming into a streak of blue light, and entered the Qiankun Bag.

Bashe didn't actually want to return with Shen Luo to take risks, but having just joined him and then immediately avoiding danger upon encountering it, she was afraid Shen Luo would turn against her and do something unfavorable.

Shen Luo inwardly chuckled. Even if this demon chose to stay, he wouldn't have done anything to her. However, having Bashe, who knew the details of the Nine-Headed Insect very well, along with him significantly improved his chances against the insect.

He didn't let any emotion show on his face as he flew out of the tank on his sword, heading towards the place where the Mirror Fiend was, and soon encountered the demon.

“Master…” The Mirror Fiend's face was full of surprise, as it began to ask what had happened.

Without a word, Shen Luo waved his hand, taking the Mirror Fiend into the Qiankun Bag as well, and then immediately invoked the Wind and Thunder Wings, using the Thousand-mile Wing Flapping Divine Skill. He turned into a golden cyan phantom and rushed towards the Mountain Cave Mansion with all his might.

Inside the Mountain Cave Mansion, the Ghost General anxiously operated the Liangyi Micro-dust Array, silently praying that the Array was profound enough to evade this catastrophe.

The swarm of bees quickly swept in. He tried his best to conceal the Array's breath, avoiding the detection of some scattered Blood Pattern Hummingbirds at first. However, when the main body of the bird swarm swept over, the Liangyi Micro-dust Array inevitably became exposed.

Thousands of miles away from the Mountain Cave Mansion, a blood cloud hovered in mid-air, within which stood a figure: the Nine-Headed Insect.

Below the blood cloud was a blood bee tide that stretched for ten thousands of miles, traversing across Yunmeng Marsh, slowly surging forward, engulfing everything.

“Formation Restriction? How could there be such a formation in this remote place? Could it have been laid by Shen Luo?” Sensing the existence of the Cave Mansion, the Nine-Headed Insect mumbled to itself, then quickly raised an eyebrow and prompted the blood cloud to fly towards the Mountain Cave Mansion, arriving nearby in no time.

“What a clever Illusion Array. If it hadn't been accidentally discovered by that tide of Blood Pattern Hummingbirds, even if I searched with my Divine Sense, I might have not been able to detect it,” the Nine-Headed Insect felt the intricacy of the Liangyi Micro-dust Array, praised it secretly, and raised his hand in a gesture.

A blood-colored light pillar thick as a water bucket shot out from the blood cloud. With the speed of lightning, it struck the Liangyi Micro-dust Array fiercely.

The Liangyi Micro-dust Array immediately burst out with white light, and the spot hit by the blood-colored light pillar trembled violently, issuing a crackling sound. However, it stubbornly did not shatter.

After a few breaths, the energy of the blood-colored light pillar was exhausted. The spiritual light of the Liangyi Micro-dust Array dimmed considerably, but it remained intact.