Chapter 59: The Insect Eggs


    As the massacre in Heishi City was drawing to a close, Catherine leaned close to Han Ming''s ear and softly recited an incantation. It was a spell to track the Xuantian Ice Silkworm through a tracing mark.


    Han Ming was startled by Catherine''s close proximity and her whispering in his ear, sending a shiver down his spine. The warmth of her breath on his ear made him feel unsettled.


    Suddenly, Catherine playfully flicked her tongue against Han Ming''s earlobe.


    Han Ming''s body stiffened in shock. It wasn''t that Catherine had done anything harmful, but her flirtatious gesture left him flustered.


    What''s gotten into this woman?


    Although Han Ming had never harbored any ill feelings towards Catherine, he hadn''t particularly liked her either. She was too cold, making it hard for anyone to get close to her.


    But it had to be said, since the day Han Ming was born, he had never seen a woman as beautiful as Catherine. It was likely that no man in the world could remain unmoved by her beauty.


    Catherine herself didn''t know why she had acted so impulsively. With flushed cheeks, she transformed into a stream of light and entered the ring of residence without a word.


    Han Ming quickly put the ring on his right hand, his heart still racing.


    After the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, Heishi City fell into a terrifying silence.


    Han Ming hesitated, not daring to enter the city immediately, fearing that the Destruction Butterfly might not be completely dead.


    He waited until the sky began to lighten before cautiously stepping into the city. He tiptoed, trying to breathe as silently as possible. As he walked towards the city center, he passed by bodies strewn everywhere, each without a single wound or drop of blood, as if they were merely asleep, yet unmistakably dead.


    Han Ming knew that somewhere in Heishi City, something terrifying was lurking. This thought made him feel suffocated and anxious. He would have preferred to see a scene of carnage and bloodshed rather than this eerie silence.


    Han Ming quietly climbed the tallest tower in Heishi City and stood at the top, looking around. The cold morning wind blew through his hair and clothes. The vast city was eerily silent, like a ghost town that had been dead for countless years.


    Finally, Han Ming noticed something unusual on the roof of a building. The stone house was covered with a layer of white substance, as if it had just snowed.


    Not daring to make a sound, Han Ming climbed down the tower and crept towards the stone house.


    He moved cautiously, hardly daring to breathe, until the sky was fully lit, and he finally reached the house.


    Peeking from behind a building, he saw that the white substance on the roof was a thin layer of white silk. In the center lay the tricolored Destruction Butterfly, which had changed in size.


    The Destruction Butterfly, which Han Ming had previously seen as the size of a normal butterfly, had now grown to about a meter in length. It lay motionless on the white silk, with several colorful insect eggs beside it, each the size of a quail egg.


    Han Ming excitedly counted seven eggs. The thought of hatching these eggs and having seven Destruction Butterflies by his side made him drool. With such power, he could defeat anyone!


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    Lost in his daydreams, Han Ming felt as if he could already see a bright future.


    Gathering his thoughts, Han Ming crept towards the stone house. He wasn''t sure if the Destruction Butterfly was truly dead, but he couldn''t pass up such a rare opportunity. As the saying goes, "Nothing ventured, nothing gained."


    Faced with such a temptation, no one could simply walk away, and Han Ming was no exception.


    He picked up a small stone and threw it onto the roof, then quickly hid behind a building, panting heavily, his heart pounding.


    Seeing that the Destruction Butterfly didn''t move, he cautiously emerged, overjoyed. He scrambled onto the roof and reached out to take the seven eggs.


    A soft crack came from the Destruction Butterfly.


    In that instant, Han Ming''s heart stopped. His muscles stiffened, and he slowly turned his head to look.


    The Destruction Butterfly twitched slightly and then turned to dust.


    Han Ming let out a sigh of relief. It seemed the Destruction Butterfly was truly dead.


    Reflecting on his actions, Han Ming realized how dangerous it had been to reach for the eggs without caution. The thought sent a chill down his spine.


    Who knew if the eggs were safe? The Destruction Butterfly could drain life force upon contact. What if the eggs had the same effect?


    Feeling lucky, Han Ming tore a piece of cloth from his clothes and carefully picked up one egg, placing it into a prepared cloth bag.


    Storage bags were useful, but they couldn''t hold living things, so the eggs had to be carried in a regular bag.


    After collecting all the eggs and securing the bag at his waist, Han Ming smiled with satisfaction. Given the massacre in Heishi City, it wouldn''t be long before the Northern Alliance sent experts to investigate.


    After a night of running around, Han Ming was exhausted. He entered a tavern, which was also eerily silent, with several bodies lying on the floor.


    Avoiding the bodies, Han Ming grabbed some food from the kitchen and quickly left Heishi City.


    He ran deep into the wilderness for half a day, feeling safe from any potential pursuers.


    Climbing to the top of a large tree, Han Ming ate his fill and recited the tracking spell Catherine had taught him. The wooden ring emitted a faint green light, and Han Ming sensed a weak energy moving slowly deep within the wilderness.


    That must be the Xuantian Ice Silkworm.


    He then took out the animal skin Catherine had given him, detailing the method to capture the Xuantian Ice Silkworm. In his earlier haste, he hadn''t examined it closely. Now, reading it made him speechless.


    "Grind five fire-attribute magical beast cores with three Flame Grass into powder. Feed it to a fourth-tier fire-attribute magical beast, the Crimson Flame Eagle, then kill the eagle and throw its body into the Xuantian Ice Silkworm''s cave. The Crimson Flame Eagle''s attributes are in conflict with the Xuantian Ice Silkworm, and eagles are natural enemies of silkworms. The Xuantian Ice Silkworm will undoubtedly devour the eagle''s body and be burned by the powder inside, allowing it to be killed. Then, apply the remaining powder to your hands to extract its core."


    This made Han Ming''s head ache. Each item listed was extremely rare. The fire-attribute magical beast cores, though not specified in tier, likely required at least third-tier cores. These cores were precious, rarely seen even in large auctions, and Han Ming could hardly afford one, let alone five.


    Flame Grass was a valuable herb for fire mages to enhance their power, often used in crafting potent fire-attribute pills. Its value was comparable to that of fire-attribute magical beast cores.


    As for the fourth-tier Crimson Flame Eagle, Han Ming had never seen one but knew it would be the hardest to obtain. While fifth-tier fire-attribute magical beast cores were difficult to collect, at least they could be obtained from third-tier beasts, albeit with great effort. Flame Grass could be traded for, but the fourth-tier Crimson Flame Eagle was another matter.


    This was a fourth-tier magical beast, and Han Ming, with his current strength, found hunting third-tier beasts challenging. To find a fourth-tier fire-attribute magical beast, he would have to venture into the deepest part of the wilderness, near the core area known as the Ghost Domain.


    Originally, Han Ming had planned to find an extreme cold magical beast core in the outermost region of the wilderness, the Icy Plains, where the Xuantian Ice Silkworm resided. But now, to capture the Xuantian Ice Silkworm, he had to go to the deepest part of the wilderness, the Flame Prison, to hunt a fourth-tier magical beast, the Crimson Flame Eagle. It was a frustrating situation.


    Clearly, the Xuantian Ice Silkworm''s tier wasn''t necessarily higher than the Crimson Flame Eagle''s, but its strength was far superior.


    It had even severely injured a tricolored Destruction Butterfly from another dimension. Its power was undoubtedly immense, and only such a rare beast could produce an extreme cold core.


    Han Ming felt helpless. Wasn''t this just setting him up for failure?