"Please see the three elders. Thank you so much for your life-saving grace." The female mage approached closest to Han Li, but stopped at a distance of seven or eight zhang, bowing respectfully at once. With a subtle sense of awareness, she observed that Han Li and his companions all radiated an indomitable aura, and thus became even more courteous in her demeanor. "Who are you all, and where is the nearest city?" Han Li asked briefly and evenly. "We are crystal-harvesters from Luanyun Mountain. The nearest city is Blackhu City, located to the north. If the elder wishes to go there, we would be honored to personally guide the way." The female mage replied without hesitation. "Blackhu City—I haven't heard of it before. I don't need a guide, but I would like a map of this region, please." Han Li ordered without ceremony. "I actually have the most detailed map of this area. It is truly a privilege to have the elder request it." The female mage immediately produced a dark stone slab from her body and offered it to him with both hands. Han Li nodded, then with a single hand motion, the slab slid into his grasp with a soft "whoosh." After scanning it with his divine awareness, he smiled with satisfaction. At that moment, the other magi had also arrived beside the woman, all standing respectfully, motionless and breathless. "Very well," Han Li said, as he lifted the stone slab, "Now, who among you can tell me what exactly you mean by 'the insect swarm'? I've never seen anything like this in my Saint Realm—these creatures' essences differ somewhat from ordinary magical insects." He glanced at the magi with a questioning gaze. "Ah, Senior, you've never heard of the insect swarm before." The female mage blinked, her expression momentarily uncertain. The other magi stirred, exchanged glances, and none dared to speak up. "Indeed, I haven't appeared in this realm for several centuries—shouldn't that be enough to make you unfamiliar with these insects?" Han Li's expression remained unchanged, simply stating, "So this is a retired master who has been secluded and diligently cultivating—then it makes sense that I didn't know of these insignificant insect swarms. In fact, these pests haven't existed in their current form for just over a century. Originally, they were ordinary magical insects of the Sacred Realm, but for some reason, they suddenly underwent a transformation, becoming so fierce and formidable. Now, these insect swarms are spreading throughout the entire Sacred Realm, and in certain areas where they are especially dense, towns have even been besieged and completely destroyed. The entire Sacred Realm is now in turmoil, with people deeply anxious." The magical female from the demon race swiftly thought through her words and quickly explained. "Destroyed entire cities! Hah! When such chaos has erupted in the Sacred Realm, didn't the Three Founding Ancestors and the other Sacred Ancestors step forward to eliminate these insect swarms? Though these insect swarms are far more powerful than ordinary magical insects, they are still utterly incapable of standing against the presence of the Sacred Ancestors." Han Li paused, then slowly asked further questions. "My cultivation is still quite low, and I truly know little about the matters concerning the Primordial and Sage Ancestors. All I know is that since these pests have appeared, aside from occasionally hearing of particularly severe outbreaks where a few Sage Ancestors have personally led efforts to eliminate large groups of them, most of the Sage Ancestors and the Three Primordial Ancestors seem to have vanished simultaneously." The female mage hesitated before carefully responding. "All the Sage-level Ancestors have disappeared! When did this happen?" Han Li's eyes flashed as he immediately pressed on with his questions. "I'm not certain of the exact timing, but it appears to have occurred around the same time as the emergence of these pests," the female mage replied respectfully. "Very good. I'm satisfied with your answer. You may now depart." With this, Han Li felt completely at ease, and with a calm command, he issued his instruction. "Yes, then we shall be on our way." The female mage relaxed slightly, bowed politely, and then stepped back a few paces before turning and vanishing into the air. The other magi hurried to bow and followed swiftly. In a moment, only Han Li and the two of them remained in the surrounding void. "Han brother, it seems the great beings from the Mage Realm and our spiritual realm have indeed encountered difficulties. Otherwise, the Mage Realm's situation would not have deteriorated so severely," said Yin Yue, sighing after the others had moved away. "Hmm, the current situation in the Mage Realm is certainly not ideal. However, we still need to investigate further to understand the specifics. I suspect the Black Gourd City is under the stewardship of a high-ranking mage elder. With their status, they should have at least some knowledge of the news concerning the Holy Ancestors and our spiritual realm's great beings," Han Li replied, his expression growing more serious. "Your words are well taken. Then let us make our way to the Black Gourd City," smiled Yin Yue. "Hehe, before I reach this city, there's one matter I need to attend to first." Han Li chuckled lightly, then shook his sleeve, and a shimmering, gray light surged forth. The light settled before him, and suddenly, a gray giant insect, about a zhang long, materialized on the ground—exactly the dual-headed moth he had captured earlier! This creature exuded strong vitality, possessing the pressure of a late Stage of Transformation, clearly holding a high rank among the insect group. As soon as it appeared, the insect's wings began to vibrate wildly, eager to take flight and escape. But at the very next moment, a terrifying aura surged from Han Li, radiating upward. The dual-headed giant felt the air around it tighten instantly, and its entire body was pressed firmly back to the ground by an invisible, immense force. Though its two heads swayed violently, the insect could not move an inch, only emitting a series of low, wheezing sounds. Yin Yue only then showed a moment of realization on her face. Han Li's gaze flickered slightly. With a motion of his sleeve, a hand extended, fingers splayed, and gently pressed against the giant insect's head in mid-air. A series of soft "shush" sounds echoed. Five crystalline filaments shot forth from his fingertips, flashing through the air and instantly embedding themselves within the insect's head. The giant insect, which had been wildly thrashing, suddenly shuddered and then went limp, motionless upon the ground. At the same time, Han Li closed his eyes slightly, a faint golden glow pulsing steadily over his body. He had directly cast the Soul-Searching Technique upon the creature. As time passed, after a cup of tea's worth of moments, Han Li opened his eyes. With a subtle flick of his fingers, the crystalline filaments curled back and were drawn from the insect's head, then dissipated into scattered points of light in the air. A sharp "pop" sounded as the insect's head swelled and contracted, finally bursting and shattering on its own. Han Li waved his sleeve, and a ball of fire shot out, expanding into a roaring crimson flame that enveloped the insect's body, instantly turning it to ash. "Han brother, have you obtained any information?" Yin Yue couldn't help but ask. "Not yet. These strange insects lack true intelligence; they possess only the most basic instincts. I've actually wasted a good deal of effort." Han Li shook his head, his expression somewhat unusual. "Ah, that makes sense. It's not unusual at all. Though these insects have grown remarkably fierce due to their mutation, their intelligence doesn't develop overnight. For us, however, this isn't exactly a bad development." Yin Yue's eyes sparkled as she smiled. "Indeed. If they rely solely on instinct, even in large numbers, they won't pose a serious threat to a senior cultivator. Let's go—let's head straight to Black Hú City now. I'm certain we'll find genuine information there." Han Li gave a slight smile and replied. Thus, the three of them together activated their flight spells, changed direction, and shot swiftly northward. One day later, Han Li and his two companions entered a high plateau covered in black soil. After flying for several more hours, a large, dark city—spanning three or four hundred li—appeared suddenly in the distance. This city, as indicated on the map, was precisely the Black Hú City mentioned by the magical race woman. Yet at this moment, the city was being besieged by a vast, gray, misty sea of insects that surged from all directions, stretching as far as the eye could see. The sheer number of insects in this sea was overwhelming; wherever the eyes fell, layers upon layers of gray insect shadows stretched across the sky. While the insect cloud Han Li had previously encountered was already impressive, it now seemed insignificant in comparison—truly a mere child's play in the face of this immense tide. At present, the Black Hú City was enveloped by a shallow, dark luminous veil, resembling an enormous inverted bowl. On both the sky above and the city walls, countless gray insects lay pressed and resting in successive layers. These dense swarms of strange insects, either swinging their sharp claws or exposing their fangs, launched relentless attacks upon the layer of black light. On the city walls and in the skies within the light shield, countless spectral beings were equally densely arrayed, either activating magical artifacts of varying ranks or directly channeling their magical techniques, fiercely engaging and decimating the insects on the shield. The insects currently attacking clearly lacked sufficient rank to withstand any single assault from the spectral forces—either bursting into blood rain or being severed into fragments and falling from the sky. Meanwhile, within Black Huluc City, a steady rain of arrows shot forth, piercing and killing numerous insects. At the heart of the Black City, hundreds of tall towers rose faintly into view, their surfaces aglow with continuous electric flashes and resonant thunder. At every moment, hundreds of black arcs surged forth from the towers, only to dissipate into countless threads of black electricity that fell beyond the luminous screen, instantly turning countless insects to ash.