Above the ocean of deadly poison fog, steep peaks stood alone. The closer they got to the center of the Cloud Realm, the narrower the flat areas at the tops of the peaks became, while the outer peaks seemed even larger.
According to the amount of Insect Fortune each person possessed, those who entered the Red Cloud Realm were allocated to different isolated peaks.
Locke was undoubtedly lucky; the isolated peak he and the Silkworm Queen were on was relatively closer to the center.
Using the connection between his clone and his original body, he quickly sensed where Ivan was—directly ahead of him—and then he saw the battle erupting there and the flickering lightning.
“How outrageous, those damn bugs from the Thunder tribe, attacking the boss again. Not good not good, I must hurry over there,” Locke cursed upon seeing this.
He walked to the edge of the isolated peak, trying to find a way forward.
“Wait, Jenny is there, and with her and Ivan teamed up, the Thunder tribe is no match. Don’t be impulsive,” the Silkworm Queen quickly interjected to stop him, fearing his reckless action might get him expelled from the Cloud Realm.
After reaching the edge of the isolated peak, as Locke tentatively stepped into the deadly poison fog, something inside him seemed to be triggered, and a black chain suddenly appeared beneath his feet.
The thick chain caused the deadly poison fog to automatically disperse, not approaching within more than a meter of the chain.
However, the black chain was only a segment, only five or six meters long, with deadly poison fog still enveloping the area beyond.
“Is this also determined by Insect Fortune?” Locke stepped onto it, feeling its firm and unyielding surface, clearly a path to move forward.
“It must be,” the Silkworm Queen concurred.
“In that case, it will take us quite some time to reach the center of the Cloud Realm. Had I known, I would have had you follow the boss, or we could have all followed him together,” Locke sighed helplessly, looking ahead.
The black chain was pointing towards the center of the Red Cloud Realm, where a dark and imposing mountain range loomed with an unbearably oppressive aura coming from it, making everyone who entered the Cloud Realm feel as if a stone were pressing on their hearts.
It was quite far from where they were, not easy to reach the central location.
Compared to the last time, the difficulty of this Red Cloud Realm seemed greater, yet it was uncertain whether more precious items would appear.
“No worries, Scented Butterfly is with Ivan.”
The Silkworm Queen had always stuck with Locke, and this time was no exception.
Instead, it was Scented Butterfly, skilled in altering her form, who after shrinking her size, was carried in Ivan’s pocket.
Elsewhere, Ivan, after finishing his combat, had also reached the edge of the isolated peak. A black chain, about ten meters long, formed under his feet and he lightly tapped it, feeling its solid texture.
“I’ll give it a try.”
Jenny also attempted to step forward. The Cloud Realm did not favor her as much, the chain emerging slowly and only condensing to about two meters. It shook slightly under her weight, producing a faint ringing sound.
Each person is different.
The contrast between the two chains was stark, bringing a rare blush of embarrassment to Jenny’s pretty face.
“Come with me, let’s see what’s at the center of the Cloud Realm.”
Ivan smiled wryly, stepping onto the black chain first and walking along it.
Jenny had no choice but to follow closely behind.
When they reached the end of the chain, another segment appeared through the poison fog, guiding them deeper. After advancing some distance, Ivan realized there was no one else ahead of him—he must be the sorcerer closest to the center of the Cloud Realm.
On second thought, it made sense. No one would waste energy researching some Breathing Method or other cultivation systems for the Insect Race.
Even the Insect Race themselves wouldn’t. They only knew to eat and eat, and after eating enough, they thought about metamorphosis. The life of an insect mostly depended on brute force; people like him, who had created the Insect Breathing Method, were almost non-existent.
This innovation alone could bring him ample Insect Fortune.
“Watch out, there are insects below.”
Beneath the chain, the poison fog filled with a deadly miasma lingered, and he didn’t know if falling into it would still see him expelled from the Cloud Realm. The best approach was to not fall into the ocean of poison fog.
After a while, a faint shadow emerged from the poison fog below, and Jennie was the first to notice the movement, cautiously going on guard.
The comer bore ill intentions.
Ivan’s gaze hardened as he saw more and more faint shadows below, resembling roving insect beasts of various sizes, all clearly headed their way.
“I’ll handle this.”
Jennie volunteered once again.
A closer look revealed that although there were many insect beasts below, their aura was not very strong.
After receiving approval from Ivan, Jennie controlled the Pan Iron Root to stab directly into the poison fog whenever an insect beast emerged, killing them one by one, giving an impression of absolute ruthlessness.
With Jennie’s protection, Ivan walked along with ease, not needing to lift a finger himself.
Such a conscientious and devoted guardian was hard not to like.
“Sorcerer Ivan, the aura ahead is strange.”
As they delved deeper, the towering Black Ridge in front was only a hundred steps away, its aura growing heavier; Jennie couldn’t help but frown.
“I know,” Ivan didn’t care much.
The aura of the Red Cloud Realm had always been like this. After all, that ancient Black Scythe Lord was an aberrant from the Insect Race and had long been dead, feeling like an Evil God.
It was normal to feel uncomfortable.
Jennie had no choice but to follow him to the end of the chains and step onto land.
The black chains behind them suddenly disappeared.
He did not mind and continued briskly towards the center of the secret realm. Before long, the familiar, enormous carcass of an insect appeared in their view, its head facing towards them, imposing like a mountain.
Ivan’s eyes focused sharply, and he suddenly stiffened.
There was something on the insect’s head!
There sat a blurred figure.
“This—”
At this moment, Ivan broke out in cold sweat uncontrollably.
He hadn’t expected that the opening of the Red Cloud Realm would attract so many people and spiral out of control.
Jennie stood in front of him, her body tensed up, clearly under great pressure.
Facing Jennie’s questioning look, Ivan pondered for a moment before indicating to continue forward. The reason was straightforward; the person had already noticed their arrival, and his meaningful gaze physically fell on them.
It was already too late to leave.
As they got closer, Ivan saw even more clearly.
There sat on the insect’s head a black throne floating, styled distinctly with insect-like patterns and designs, with a Mystical Black Long-handled Scythe standing by its side.
Seated on the throne was a burly man in armor, his face obscured by fog, making him indistinct.
Without a doubt, the figure in front was a supreme being and was very likely to be the Black Scythe Lord, whether a consciousness or something else, Ivan didn’t know and didn’t want to find out.
As they were just within reach, Ivan certainly couldn’t afford to provoke him.
“Respected Black Scythe Lord, human sorcerer Ivan Marichardon, along with his clone Jennie and the insect beast Scented Butterfly, offers you the highest respect.”
Ivan dared not hide anything; this was the proper attitude towards a supreme being.
As they spoke, a heaviness fell over him and Jennie, causing both of their hearts to grow anxious.