Han Li raised both hands with a serious expression, and several spirit-beast bags lifted into the air from his body. Then, he pressed his palms together, forming a series of gestures, and simultaneously, the openings of the bags expanded widely. A vast swarm of gold-and-silver insect larvae surged forth, forming a brilliant, shimmering cloud that spiraled gracefully above, radiating splendid splendor. "Go," Han Li glanced at the golden and silver insect cloud, his confidence growing, and gently pointed toward the distance, murmuring. In sheer numbers, these gold-and-silver insects surpassed even the iron-fire ant swarm that had previously appeared. With a soft hum, the radiant cloud swiftly drifted forward, spreading out like a vast canopy and descending upon the ground. Yet before they had fully settled, the dark insect cloud suddenly surged upward, meeting head-on against the gold-and-silver swarm. At the point where the two clouds collided, a sudden flash of black light erupted, and vast swaths of deep, shadowy flames erupted from the ant swarm, forcefully engulfing the gold-and-silver insects within. Clearly, the ant colony also sensed the terror posed by the gold-feeding insects and promptly activated their fire-resistant abilities. While other insect species would likely suffer heavy losses—perhaps even total annihilation—under such strange, intense flames, the gold-feeding insects remained unphased. Instead, they instantly consumed the black flames, then surged forward in a steady hum toward the ant ranks. The two streams of contrasting colors collided powerfully, intertwining and tearing at each other with sharp, piercing cries. Waves of insect bodies fell from the sky one after another, most of them black, with only a few golden ones. From the very moment of contact, the gold-feeding insects gained a decisive advantage and soon threatened to annihilate the ants entirely. The iron ants too sensed the urgency; the remaining survivors emitted faint calls, then suddenly coalesced into a single, dark arrow, launching themselves with astonishing speed through the encircling ranks of the gold-feeding insects, determined to escape. At that moment, a brilliant azure blade of light surged from the heavens like a thunderous rainbow, flashing briefly and striking the arrow shaft. The arrow trembled violently, its speed suddenly diminished. This brief delay allowed the golden-munching insects to swarm in, immediately encircling and trapping the arrow firmly within their ranks. In a matter of moments, the black forms were completely submerged beneath the sea of gleaming gold and silver. When the insect masses finally began to dissipate, the arrow had vanished entirely. Then, Han Li slowly approached. He calmly surveyed the fallen insect bodies, stroked his chin, and silently pondered for a while. The number of dead golden-munching insects was not large—only a few hundred—so he did not consider it a significant loss. Clearly, the golden-munching insects were indeed slightly superior to the iron-fire ants, and their numbers played a decisive role in the battle. After all, with ten times as many of them, they naturally held a clear advantage. After a moment's consideration, Han Li smiled with ease, clearly confident that the Golden-Feeding Insects would easily manage the Black Desert. He glanced at the scattered bodies of the insects on the ground, his eyes flashing with a sudden gleam, and then a low, resonant hum filled his mouth. A cascade of golden and silver insect clouds surged down from the sky, sweeping over the ground like autumn wind clearing fallen leaves, completely engulfing the insect corpses and then drifting gracefully into the spirit-beast bags Han Li summoned once more. Han Li gathered the several leather bags and, without hesitation, walked steadily toward the deeper parts of the Black Desert. Han Li's brow briefly flashed a shade of cold, sharp intensity. Though only a single day had passed, the number of his Jin-feeding insects lost had reached nearly ten thousand. He encountered groups of Iron-Fire Ants almost every time he traveled a short distance, with their numbers ranging from two or three thousand to over ten thousand, fluctuating unpredictably. This particular swarm, however, was exceptionally large—around fifty to sixty thousand ants. He estimated that after this battle, his Jin-feeding insects would suffer at least seven or eight thousand more casualties. It was no wonder Han Li felt a pang of concern. The re-hatching of Jin-feeding insects was a time-consuming process, and he had no idea when the colony would be replenished again. After another cup of tea's worth of time, the black ant swarm finally retreated. Of the remaining several thousand that managed to break through and flee, the rest of the flying ants were entirely consumed, becoming a feast for the Jin-feeding insects. Han Li didn't bother to expend much effort chasing the fleeing iron-fire ants; instead, he exhaled a concentrated stream of vital energy into the icy droplets above his head, allowing the cold qi to surge and invigorate his spirit, after which he resumed his journey. Based on his estimation, he should now be at the heart of the desert, which is why he was encountering such a vast swarm of flying ants. Now, he had to hurry—otherwise, merely sustaining the magical power required by his two fire-resistant relics would become an overwhelming task. This time, however, after walking only twenty or thirty li, Han Li suddenly paused, his expression growing puzzled as he narrowed his eyes and gazed steadily toward the right. A moment later, a look of mild curiosity appeared on his face, and he changed course, heading toward a particular dune. As Han Li stood atop the dune, his brow unconsciously furrowed. For within his line of sight, another group of iron-fire ants had appeared—though not numerous, they numbered nearly ten thousand. They were launching a furious assault on a pale blue light sphere, which trembled, flickered, and showed faint figures moving within—struggling desperately. Han Li watched silently, his expression utterly calm. At that moment, the iron fire ants suddenly coalesced into a sharp, long sword, blazing with black flame, and struck hard at the sphere. Han Li had expected the figure to be slain, yet a seemingly ordinary jade-green orb shot out from within the sphere and struck the black sword with a sharp "pffft," instantly transforming into a large, fist-sized deep green flame that surged and burned vigorously. The section of the sword enveloped by this flame rapidly disintegrated, and nearly a hundred iron fire ants tumbled to the ground. Han Li was taken aback. What kind of rare artifact was this jade-green orb—so powerful that even the naturally fiery iron fire ants could not withstand the green flame's assault? Truly astonishing! It seemed the precious treasures within the immortal cultivation realm were truly endless—he still lacked exposure to many. The emergence of green flames seemed to further incense the flying ants. They once again dispersed, fiercely charging at the light orb, refusing to retreat a single step. To the cultivator within the orb, however, it appeared that the projectiles were growing scarce. After dispersing the iron-fire ants' forms, the cultivator had failed to launch a second one, still stubbornly holding on. Yet, he seemed to have detected Han Li's presence, gradually shifting toward Han Li's sand dune despite the relentless assaults from the iron-fire ants. Han Li stared at him impassively for a moment, then turned and decided to ignore him, continuing on his path. At this point, he had neither intention of claiming Han Li's treasures nor any desire to waste his golden-feeding insects rescuing a stranger. In this strange desert, the value of his golden-feeding insects far surpassed that of ordinary treasures, and he certainly didn't want to lose any more of them. But just as he had taken two steps forward, a somewhat familiar, strained female voice echoed from within the glow. "Master Han, please pause! I am Yuan Yao. I beg you to intervene and save me—I will surely repay you most generously afterward!" Yuan Yao's voice was filled with anxiety and panic. "Yuan Yao?" Hearing this, Han's figure momentarily froze. After a brief hesitation, he slowly turned back. How small the world truly is! On such a vast path of molten rock, encountering a female cultivator whom he barely knew—this was truly beyond his expectations. Since she was, after all, a half-familiar acquaintance, Han certainly wouldn't be cold-hearted enough to simply let her go. Indeed, he had recently considered reaching out to her secretly for some matter of his own. Now, it seemed, he could achieve two goals at once. Glancing at the now dimmed glow, he paused briefly, then reached toward his belt pouch housing his spiritual beast. Countless gold-devouring insects surged forth, staging a magnificent battle of the insect swarm right before Yuan Yao's very eyes! The female cultivator within the luminous sphere stared in sheer astonishment. The gold-devouring insects had merely sacrificed over a thousand of their own, yet they had easily annihilated the entire army of iron-fire ants. This left Yuan Yao speechless, stunned for a long time. Only after Han Li calmly retrieved the gold-devouring insects did she regain her composure and promptly dissolved her protective blue sphere. Yuan Yao's complexion, drained by the intense spell expenditure, now appeared pale and delicate, more fragile yet more graceful and alluring. Her once-black robe had long been shed, replaced by a thin, form-fitting garment that revealed her graceful and elegant figure. She now stood drenched in perspiration, exuding a delicate, lingering fragrance that radiated irresistible charm. Han Li stood motionless, momentarily struck silent, before regaining his composure. "Thank you so much, Master Han, for your timely rescue," Yuan Yao smiled warmly and bowed gracefully. "I am truly deeply grateful!"