72: Wonderful sight of cracks, insect swarms appear

“This place is a bit strange,” Mu Wuchen murmured, observing his surroundings.

“Look, over there!” Yun Li suddenly exclaimed.

On the cliff face, a giant spider, over a meter long, lay silently, seemingly waiting for prey.

Its body was bloated like a small hill, its two massive fangs opened and closed, and its eight thick legs were covered in dense, black spines, making it look quite terrifying.

On the giant spider’s head, eight eerie, glowing, dark blue eyes flickered.

“Is that a demonic beast?” Yun Li asked, a hint of confusion in her voice.

Yun Li was, after all, a woman; though her cultivation meant she wasn't afraid, such a monster instinctively made her feel a little uneasy.

Mu Wuchen, however, shook his head, for he hadn't sensed a trace of spiritual energy fluctuation from this spider.

“It’s not a demonic beast; this should just be an ordinary spider.”

Upon hearing Mu Wuchen’s answer, Yun Li covered her mouth in surprise.

“Just an ordinary spider? How can it be so big?”

Mu Wuchen pondered for a moment and then found his answer.

“Before the rift appeared, this place was extremely isolated from the outside world and very enclosed. It likely preserved the most primitive environment. If my guess is correct, these things should belong to the ancient era.”

However, hearing his words, Yun Li looked at the vibrant scene around them and frowned.

“Belonging to the ancient era? But this place is so enclosed, even if it truly belongs to ancient times, its power should have been depleted long ago. Why do the spiritual plants here seem to grow exceptionally well, and even maintain their original appearance?”

Mu Wuchen understood her confusion.

In the ancient era, when heaven and earth first opened, the Heaven and Earth Divine Fire was as vast as the sea, endless, nurturing a multitude of living beings.

Due to abundant power, the size that various races could reach in heaven and earth at that time far exceeded what is possible today, and the upper limit of their strength was also unimaginable now.

However, as time passed, more and more living beings appeared in heaven and earth, their strength grew, and their consumption of resources also increased.

But even the most abundant resources have their limits. Endless demands far exceeded the rate at which Heaven and Earth Divine Fire was born, leading to competition. Many strong cultivators fought fiercely to seize limited resources, marking the beginning of the Emperor Fall Era.

Once the great war began, it became increasingly difficult to stop. Layered hatred and the repercussions of war quickly led to an uncontrollable domino effect, spreading this catastrophe across all the myriad worlds…

Countless strong cultivators fell, countless races were annihilated, countless strong cultivators were severely injured and fell into slumber…

Because the strength of top-tier strong cultivators was too terrifying, the destructive power they caused was immense. A casual strike held the power to destroy heaven and earth. Simultaneously with the war, the world suffered further destruction…

After the catastrophe, countless years of recuperation followed. The world gradually recovered, but it could never return to its former glory, and the upper limit of power that various races could achieve was no longer what it once was.

And this place was very likely a corner of the ancient world that had miraculously survived.

But even if it truly was a corner of the ancient world, after countless years, its power should have been exhausted. Yet, there was no such sign here.

That meant there must be something here continuously providing power…

What could it be?

Mu Wuchen didn't hesitate. He casually condensed a surge of energy in his hand and struck it out. The spider on the cliff instantly exploded into a pulp.

Green, viscous liquid splattered onto the wall. The plants on the wall instantly withered and turned into black powder, and the stones on the cliff even corroded with a “hiss, hiss, hiss” sound.

Mu Wuchen watched in amazement. In the ancient era, even such an ordinary spider possessed its own unique methods…

“Let’s go, we’ll check out what’s ahead.”

Mu Wuchen called the two women and walked forward.

Along the way, Mu Wuchen would collect some unusual flowers and plants he hadn't seen before, intending to take them back and give them to the young girl, Hua Jingrou. This little girl would surely love them.

These things in front of him should keep her busy for a while, and moreover, improving Hua Jingrou’s strength was an urgent matter.

These ancient flowers were not as docile as modern flowers and plants; many had a certain aggressiveness, as they needed to guard against the encroachment of many ancient insects.

Although the strength of these spiritual plants was not too high, Hua Jingrou, with only her Body Tempering cultivation, certainly wouldn't be able to handle them. At that time, it would be uncertain whether she was tending to the flowers or the flowers were tending to the little girl.

Furthermore, she possessed the Hundred Flowers Bloodline. If her cultivation was too low, she would certainly find it difficult to unleash her full power, let alone advance further.

As they walked, Su Meier observed the strange flowers and scenery around her with curiosity, seemingly having never seen these things before. However, Yun Li on the other side was clearly uncomfortable, her small brows constantly furrowed.

Because along the way, strange creatures would appear out of nowhere: giant centipedes with hundreds of thousands of legs and bodies covered in dense eyes, and even ancient cockroaches that could be ridden…

When Mu Wuchen saw these things, he would casually swat them to death. After all, while these creatures were large and scary-looking, their strength was not high, and their intelligence was low.

Just then, the ground beneath the three of them suddenly trembled, and huge boulders rolled down from the surrounding cliffs, like an earthquake.

Mu Wuchen frowned slightly, and a gentle force entered the ground, causing the earthquake-like vibrations to gradually cease.

However, before the three could clearly see what was happening, dense black masses from the distance all rushed towards them. Upon closer inspection, they were tens of thousands of black giant insects!

These giant insects varied in appearance and type; some flew, some crawled, forming a terrifying black insect tide that blotted out the sky, looking quite chilling.

Mu Wuchen’s brows furrowed. Although these things were not strong, their sheer numbers meant they had a considerable impact.

Mu Wuchen directly waved his hand, and a purple flame immediately flew out from his hand, transforming into a purple phoenix that charged towards the insect tide. It was the Purple Heart Thunder Fire he had snatched from Xiao Ziyan!

This Purple Heart Thunder Fire truly lived up to its reputation as a top-ranked Heaven and Earth Divine Fire. Its power and aura were indeed incomparable to the Heavenly Cold Nether Flame. It was truly powerful for situations requiring AoE damage!

The purple phoenix spread its wings, carrying surging purple lightning, and crashed through the insect tide. Soon, the purple flame spread from one to ten, then to a hundred, igniting the entire surging insect tide. In just a few breaths, tens of thousands of insects were reduced to ashes!

Mu Wuchen casually put away the Purple Heart Thunder Fire and then looked towards the distance again.

Something else seemed to be approaching them from that direction!