"Uh, actually, the insect tide wasn't repelled by us. When we got back, we found the swarm was already retreating in that direction..."
Kujou Sara pointed in the direction the swarm had retreated. She was also baffled, but for safety's sake, she had to return to confirm the safety of the defending soldiers.
"If not by Lord Kujou Sara, then who could it be?"
The soldiers were even more perplexed.
..........
At a remote corner of the island, the retreating insect tide was desperately charging a wall of golden flames.
Inside the flame wall, their king was being scorched by the golden flames, in imminent danger, about to perish.
But no matter how they charged, this seemingly fragile wall of golden flames was like an impassable chasm, tantalizingly close yet unattainable.
The tide-like swarm crashed against the flame wall, like moths to a flame, instantly incinerated into dross by the golden flames, without causing the slightest tremor to the wall.
But for the sake of their king, they could not, would not, hesitate or retreat.
The divine body of the red beetle had already been burned to ashes by Yuanbao's golden flames, safe and non-polluting, leaving no trace of harm to the environment.
The filth of a divine body was a joke under Yuanbao's golden flames.
Only a small portion of the red beetle's origin soul remained, trembling in Yuanbao's golden flames.
The weak, red phantom became increasingly ethereal and transparent under the scorching golden flames.
If this continued, in at most half a minute, the remaining origin of this divine remnant would completely vanish into thin air.
"Heroine, spare my life! This king is willing to abandon darkness and embrace light, to reform and correct his ways..."
Seeing his imminent demise, the red beetle decisively abandoned his divine dignity and knelt down to beg for mercy.
Red Beetle: A joke, if I'm dead, what's dignity worth?
It never expected this little girl's golden flames to be so excessive. In a way, the properties of these flames were even more excessive than those of powerful fire-attribute divine beings like the Undying Phoenix.
It burns divine origins as if it were child's play, are you scared or not?
"Eh? But you're a divine remnant, not a Kabutomushi. Yuanbao has no use for you. Daddy, what do you think?"
Yuanbao stated that you can't fool me. If it's not a Kabutomushi, it can't be used for beetle fighting, and if it can't be used for beetle fighting, it's useless.
Therefore, the red beetle = useless!
Keeping it would be a waste of food, so burning it would be simpler.
"It's a pity the divine body is burnt away, can't be used for brewing wine. It's useless to me either, better to just burn it."
Feng Yi thought that if the divine body were still intact, he might have considered brewing a pot of insect wine. But now, only the soul origin remained, what use could it possibly have?
Keeping it would be an eyesore, better to just burn it.
Hearing the conversation between the two on the opposite side, the red beetle was greatly alarmed.
Especially the man, judging by his tone, he seemed to habitually brew wine with divine bodies. That was too brutal!
If only the red beetle's strength were not so low and its knowledge so limited, if Feng Yi had taken out medicinal wine brewed with the gall of the Eight-Coiled Serpent, it might have been scared to pee itself.
To think that it, once a powerful divine being who flaunted its might and challenged the God of War during the Archon Wars, could not escape the fate of having its gall extracted for wine, truly a tragic existence in this world...
Who are these two people? No, what kind of gods are they?
Could they be some hidden powers from the Archon Wars?
They were indifferent to worldly affairs back then, and now, in this era of peace, they roam the mortal realm?
Hiss—
Thinking about it, it makes perfect sense!
If I surrender, will I be able to receive the protection of this hidden power?
And from then on, roam Teyvat unimpeded?
No longer have to live in constant fear, worrying about being chased and attacked by the Electro Archon any day now?
At this moment, the red beetle made up its mind, it had to surrender and be taken in by this hidden power.
"Heroine, your vision is too narrow. This king can transform into a Kabutomushi and help you win all beetle fighting matches. Such an excellent Kabutomushi as myself, if missed, you'll never find another..."
The red beetle, seeing more of its divine origin being burned away, quickly raised its voice. If they didn't stop soon, it would truly perish.
Hearing the red beetle's words, Yuanbao's golden flames paused for a moment. For a fleeting instant, she was actually tempted by the condition the red beetle proposed.
"Daddy, what do you think?"
Yuanbao turned her questioning gaze to her father. Such matters still required her father's decision.
"It's not impossible to spare your life, it all depends on your personal value. If you can only be used for beetle fighting, then forget it..."
Feng Yi appraised it for a while before saying.
It was just a matter of a single flame. If it could bring him some value, then keeping this insect's life might not be entirely out of the question.
Perhaps it might come in handy somewhere in the future?
"Sir, although my combat ability is not great, I know many things. Treasure hunting, disaster evasion, stealth, infiltration, reconnaissance..."
The red beetle knew this was its only chance of survival, and it praised itself profusely.
Although its combat prowess was at the bottom tier among divine beings, when it came to survival, the red beetle believed no one could surpass it.
Otherwise, it wouldn't have survived the extremely perilous Archon Wars.
Red Beetle: The hardships and tribulations involved in this could be told for three days and three nights without end!
"Sounds like it has some potential, but not much... Forget it, Yuanbao, spare this insect's life. But don't forget to leave a soul imprint on it..."
A beetle that could search for treasures, sneak, and gather intelligence, Feng Yi thought it might have a use for it in the future, so it was better to keep it for now. It wouldn't cost much in terms of food anyway.
As long as Yuanbao left a soul imprint, there would be no fear of this red beetle betraying them.
"Yay! Yuanbao can go beetle fighting!"
Yuanbao was extremely happy. With this rare Kabutomushi, she would surely look magnificent.
She imprinted a golden flame onto the red beetle's divine origin. As long as the other party disobeyed, Yuanbao only needed a thought to burn the red beetle's soul into nothingness.
The red beetle breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Although, it had ultimately managed to survive.
Its divine origin was less than twenty percent of its peak strength, and it would take a very, very long time to recover completely...
However, it had also benefited from this misfortune, successfully latching onto the thigh of this hidden power. Wouldn't dominating Teyvat in the future be within reach?
The red beetle couldn't help but chuckle foolishly, indulging in daydreams.
Absorbing all the strength of the insect swarm, the red beetle condensed into a physical form. Although it was no match for its divine body, it was barely sufficient for temporarily housing its divine origin.
"We've been out for so long, the peace talks should be ending soon. Yuanbao, we should be heading back..."
"Okay, Daddy!"
Yuanbao made a temporary small nest for the red beetle with a blade of grass and stuffed the red beetle into it.