"What's going on here? Have all the treasures inside been stolen?"
Zhou Yan murmured to himself, looking at the items. It seemed the treasures were gone, but some low-level martial arts techniques remained. Zhou Yan sighed inwardly, wishing he could have taken all the treasures.
But that was impossible now. The situation was clear: this cave dwelling could not be moved. It was too vast, and numerous demon insects guarded its contents. Excavating it was likely out of the question. Zhou Yan had no choice but to abandon it for the time being.
"Forget it, if I can't get them, then so be it!"
With this thought, Zhou Yan quickly turned and headed for the cave entrance, preparing to leave.
But before Zhou Yan could reach the entrance, it began to tremble violently. Zhou Yan watched, becoming instantly alert, and quickly moved towards the opening.
"Boom, boom, boom...!"
Just as Zhou Yan reached the entrance, it exploded outwards. Lava erupted, burying the entrance completely. The molten rock quickly submerged the entire opening, sealing it.
Seeing the entrance engulfed by lava, Zhou Yan grew anxious but helpless. He could only retreat for now.
With this in mind, Zhou Yan swiftly flew back to the surface. As soon as he emerged, he was met with a strong scent of blood wafting up from below. He looked down and saw a demon insect crawling at his feet, lunging at him with bared fangs and claws. Zhou Yan swiftly raised his hand and punched down.
"Bang!"
A single punch sent the demon insect crashing to the ground, killing it instantly.
"Damn it, you thought you could eat me? You're asking for death!"
Zhou Yan glared at the dead demon insect on the ground and then hurried away, wanting to escape before being surrounded by more of them.
However, before Zhou Yan could fly far, he heard a violent explosion from the cave behind him.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
The sound made Zhou Yan's expression change drastically. He whipped his head around and saw thick black smoke billowing from the cave entrance he had just been at. The smoke grew denser, spreading rapidly, and soon the entire opening was shrouded in it.
"Not good!" Zhou Yan's face paled as he witnessed the scene at the entrance. He quickly bolted outwards.
But it was too late. The dense smoke had already enveloped the area. Zhou Yan rapidly circulated the energy within him, attempting to use it to block the smoke, but it was futile.
Zhou Yan was fast, but the smoke was just as swift, quickly catching up to him.
"Not good, run!"
Zhou Yan shouted, desperately fleeing into the distance. But the smoke was too pervasive, and his speed was insufficient to outrun it.
"Boom, boom, boom!"
The smoke surged towards Zhou Yan.
With no other recourse, Zhou Yan quickly drew his World-Ending War Sword and slashed at the smoke, trying to cleave it apart.
His World-Ending War Sword cut through a significant portion of the smoke. Zhou Yan tried to head towards the cave entrance, but it was still no use.
"Not good, I'm trapped!" Zhou Yan cried out, rapidly activating his defensive armor and donning it. He pushed his defense to its maximum, but it was still ineffective. The smoke continued to erode his armor. Though his armor boasted high defense, it couldn't withstand the smoke's assault. Piece by piece, it began to dissipate. Soon, Zhou Yan was completely engulfed by the smoke, his entire body covered.
At this moment, the demon insects from outside rushed in, swarming towards the cave. But upon entering, they immediately found themselves in peril, as Zhou Yan had sealed off the cave's internal exit.
The cave was thus sealed shut.
After rushing in, these demon insects moved further inside, only to fall into a swamp, enshrouded by thick toxic mist. They struggled incessantly, their screams echoing.
Many demon insects, exposed to the poison, turned into dried husks and fell to the ground. However, some managed to escape and fled to other parts of the cave.
"Damn it, why did this poison suddenly appear here? And such potent poison! This place must have something wrong with it!" Zhou Yan muttered, frowning as he looked around at the toxic fog.
Soon, Zhou Yan spotted several giant spiders near a colossal tree not far away, heading in that direction.
Zhou Yan immediately moved towards them, grabbed one of the giant spiders, and quickly threw it into his storage ring. He then swiftly headed for another exit of the cave.
...
Outside.
The demon insect army continued its frenzied assault, completely surrounding Zhou Yan's cave entrance. These insects not only fed on human blood but also on soul fire. Once their soul fire was extinguished, they would die instantly, leaving behind a gruesome spectacle. Zhou Yan watched the demon insects ravenously consume human soul fire, feeling furious but utterly powerless. His cultivation was too weak to resist their onslaught. Only by eradicating the demon insects could he hope to survive.
However, their numbers were simply too vast. One person could never defeat them all. He needed to form a powerful team. Otherwise, he was doomed. He had to unite with others; otherwise, he stood no chance against such a massive horde. If this continued, he would eventually perish here. He had to join forces with everyone, or face certain death.
"I wonder how everyone is doing now? How many are still alive out there?"
Zhou Yan pondered this as he moved outwards, scanning his surroundings. But apart from the thick smoke and the shrieks of the demon insects, there was only dense fog. Nothing else.
"I wonder how everyone is doing now? How many are still alive out there?" Zhou Yan thought, moving outwards and looking around, hoping to see others.
But alas, the mist was too thick, obscuring everything. Zhou Yan couldn't see outside and could only guess.