The spiritual insects were struck by those incantations. Then, three figures identified as Han Li began chanting continuously, their hand seals shifting constantly. Several dozen purple-striped beetle insects, seemingly under the control of some spell, despite their reluctance, fluttered their wings repeatedly and then surged forward, each one devouring the white filaments that had been projected earlier. The beetles devoured the filaments with astonishing speed, and within moments, the dense network of white filaments was entirely consumed. Upon seeing this, the Han Li with pale green skin suddenly opened his mouth and expelled countless droplets of silver light. Each droplet, no larger than a bean, transformed upon entering the large green cauldron into dozens of magnificent silver flowers, each about the size of a palm. The petals shimmered with silver, adorned with blood-red streaks, appearing quite strange and eerie. When the beetles saw these silver blooms, they emitted joyful sounds and darted forward once more, each flower being swiftly swallowed whole. Yet every time a silver flower vanished, another one appeared silently. After a meal's worth of time, these beetles had devoured thousands of silver flowers, their bodies displaying flowing purple patterns, and seemingly growing slightly larger than before. At that moment, the golden "Han Li" suddenly snapped his eyes open, and from the blood-red pupils, waves of black flames erupted, coalescing into a vast black sea of fire that engulfed all the dozen or so spiritual insects. A strange phenomenon unfolded! As the insects opened and closed their mouths, they continuously inhaled and exhaled the black flames—each intake reducing the flames slightly. Soon, all the black flames were completely absorbed into the beetles' bodies, leaving not a single trace. At that moment, with a low cry from Han Li, he swept his sleeves simultaneously, and two thunderclaps suddenly resonated. Then, as a flash of golden light erupted, two golden arcs, each as wide as a bowl, shot forth. Upon flashing briefly, they transformed into two golden lightning nets—one preceding the other—descending and fully enclosing the dozen or so insect creatures. A series of booming explosions erupted! The two nets instantly dissolved into countless fine electric arcs, which, shimmering in golden light, completely submerged the insects within. Yet, upon closer inspection, it could be seen that although the golden insect spirits' purple patterns flickered intermittently under the relentless barrage of electric arcs, they extended their limbs and legs freely, enduring the continuous strikes with a serene, contented demeanor. They remained unharmed, untouched by the electric light. Unknown how long it had been, when the golden lightning finally gradually subsided and vanished, Han Li, whose golden aura above his head continued to spin, also opened his eyes. At that moment, the seventy-two small jade swords shimmering within the aura suddenly trembled and transformed into countless strands of green silk, which shot forward toward the several dozen spiritual insects, reaching them in an instant. Yet Han Li, who was far off and had his hair flowing, frowned. With a single hand gesture, he lightly struck the massive bronze cauldron. A deep, resonant sound, like a bell tolling, echoed out. Instantly, countless runes appeared on the cauldron's surface, and an invisible, immense force surged forth from within. The originally vaporized beetle creatures were suddenly forced to reappear, their wings blazing with brilliant golden light, yet their flight speed slowed dramatically—now as sluggish as a snail's crawl. Meanwhile, the green blades that had transformed into flowing hair not only maintained their original speed but actually accelerated noticeably under the cauldron's invisible force. As the green hair shimmered, the entire space above the cauldron transformed into a seamless sheet of luminous green light. At the very center of this green light, dozens of purple-striped beetles remained motionless, each struck simultaneously by hundreds of the green hair strands. The sound of metallic impacts surged forth, forming a continuous, relentless downpour of clashing rhythms. At that moment, countless spikes of brilliant jade-green light flashed across the bodies of the dozen spiritual insects, making it difficult to look directly at them. Yet the sharp, piercing cries emanating from the light grew increasingly harsh. The three Han stood motionless, their expressions unchanged. Two of them swiftly chanted incantations, channeling powerful spells into the great cauldron. The third, a layer of jade-green aura enveloping his face, rapidly urged the green sword filaments to surge forward. For a while, the entire chamber was filled only with the continuous hissing of air rushing past and the booming sounds of explosions—no other sounds remained. With the glow itself suddenly bursting and then dissipating, the other two Han also changed their techniques; their bodies shimmered with luminous light as they each completed their spells. Naturally, the purple-striped beetle creatures previously obscured by the green radiance now reappeared clearly on the great cauldron. After such prolonged refinement through the sword-thread training, they not only remained fiercely agitated but also showed no signs of mental exhaustion. Without the restraint of the great cauldron's magic, they immediately spread their wings and darted off in separate directions toward the three Han. Though these spirit insects were full of reluctance, they were still gently drawn into the great cauldron under the influence of the white mist. Witnessing this scene, the one who had just launched a flying sword—"Han Li"—exhaled softly, his expression relaxing slightly, and murmured in quiet contemplation: "Indeed, they are becoming increasingly difficult to control. The secret technique seems accurate. Once they reach this stage, the original methods of control are no longer sufficient. We shall have to reinitiate the ritual of establishing a bond with them. However, at this point, the strength of these insects has grown quite evenly, and further cultivation through continuous absorption seems increasingly challenging. It appears unlikely that we will succeed in nurturing a true insect king." After speaking, Han Li furrowed his brows, pausing in thoughtful reflection. Since he had left the Yinhe region many years ago, he had steadily advanced in cultivation while gathering various rare materials encountered along his journey. After over a hundred years, he had finally returned to the human race. As soon as he returned to the clan, aware that the time until the outbreak of the demonic calamity was growing short, he immediately gathered his three disciples, gave them instructions, and then once again sealed himself off with a series of intricate restrictions. Over the百余 years since his return to the Human race, he had already internalized his newly acquired insect-fostering technique countless times, integrating it with his original insights and leveraging several unique innate advantages he possessed. As a result, he had independently developed a method for cultivating insect kings. This method largely mirrored the secret techniques of the Fuyou clan, though it differed in certain key aspects. For instance, in the Fuyou clan's secret technique, certain medicinal essences were typically administered only after long intervals due to their rarity. Yet, whenever he deemed such an essence truly effective, relying on his mysterious vial, he would naturally administer it to his golden-devouring insect colony on a regular basis—often several times a week. Furthermore, thanks to the divine protective lightning he held, he freely substituted the various lightning energies used for refining the insect bodies in the Fuyou clan's technique with his own. Of course, whether these adjustments to the insect-fostering techniques truly proved beneficial remains a matter known only to heaven. Yet, from Han Li's own perspective, the efficiency should have been vastly superior to that of the floating race's methods. Indeed, within just two centuries, Han Li not only preserved nearly ten thousand unmutated, mature, original golden-feeding insects as reserves, but also gathered all the other mutated golden-feeding insects and employed special techniques to stimulate them to engage in renewed mutual consumption. To control these newly empowered golden-feeding insects resulting from such mutual devouring, Han Li even incurred substantial costs, commissioning his disciples to acquire the current jade-drum-like rare artifact. While this artifact might not have been particularly valuable in direct combat, after undergoing a thorough refinement, it significantly enhanced Han Li's ability to control his golden-feeding insects. Thus, after meticulous preparation and over two centuries of careful cultivation, he successfully reduced the number of mutated golden-feeding insects—through successive rounds of mutual consumption—to just the final thirteen purple-striped golden-feeding insects remaining within the vessel. These newly evolved gold-devouring insects, as candidates for the Insect King, individually demonstrate extraordinary prowess, and together they are capable of countering even a typical mid-stage fused cultivator. Yet, when Han Li was delighted and wished to further enhance the thirteen spiritual insects by having them consume even more, he suddenly encountered an insurmountable obstacle.