"It's not yet a Bug Emperor. It hasn't evolved to that stage, but it will soon," Longbow Yan said.
Stone Hao's heart stirred as he felt the royal butterfly in his hair stir slightly within its cocoon, sensing something and turning over.
"This person is no ordinary individual; there's divine aura surrounding him, making it impossible to see what's inside," Shi Yi said. He was a double-pupiled one, capable of seeing through everything, but now he encountered trouble.
"Truly divine aura!" The dragon princess changed color as she fought the bug swarm while trying to break out. She turned her gaze to the sky and said: "He... has taken that step!"
"Has he stepped beyond what the sages couldn't?" Qin Hao asked in shock.
"This era is troublesome; he's not the first, nor will he be the last. To surpass the sages and match the Era of Immortals! The strongest beings are preparing to shut themselves away for seclusion. Those with a chance to succeed are all in this era," the dragon princess mused.
"If I survive, I'll also go through my final trial," Longbow Yan said, feeling an increased pressure.
"Was it because he stepped beyond that step and divine aura appeared?" Shi Yi asked.
"Let's see if there's only one strand of divine aura," the dragon princess suggested.
"How many strands are there?" Stone Hao, hearing this, showed surprise.
"Each additional strand increases his combat power significantly," Longbow Yan said. It was clear to ancient freaks that challenging limits and stepping beyond would be for the ultimate victor.
"It's unclear; the mist has been dissolved, enveloping his body," Shi Yi said.
"He deliberately did it so no one could see him. Even if ancient freaks can surpass sages by stepping beyond something, matching the Era of Immortals, having a strand is still considered a huge success."
"We're almost out," Qin Hao said, barely able to hold on as his face turned pale even with help.
"Puff!"
Finally, black god bugs broke through and pierced Qin Hao's body.
"Bang!"
Stone Hao struck with one palm, expelling the black god bugs from within him. He then directly sealed him in a cauldron, not letting him risk it anymore, since he had already undergone enough trials.
At this point, Stone Hao, dragon princess, and others were also barely holding on; after all, they faced thousands of "gods" attacking en masse. No matter how powerful their techniques, they couldn't withstand such a "group attack."
"Unless one cultivates a strand of divine aura to surpass ancients and sages, taking that path!" Longbow Yan said.
"I'll go into seclusion when I return; I must surpass all the ancients in my lineage!" Shi Yi said, determined to walk his own path to the end.
"If my Dao is complete, will there be one strand, two strands, or more divine auras?" Stone Hao wondered inwardly.
After killing until they were exhausted and close to collapse, their bodies covered with blood and suffering significant injuries, Shi Yi said: "Is this person self-assured or cautious? He didn't kill us; he only allowed the bug swarm to attack us."
"Because he can't see what's in your stone seal or the ancient horn I hold," the dragon princess said, glancing at Longbow Yan's black bow.
And she was also looking for Stone Hao's Ten Thousand Spirit Chart. "That bone is very special; why don’t you use it?"
"It can only defend passively," Stone Hao said with a bitter smile.
They coughed up blood and finally broke through this ancient place, emerging from the foggy ghost forest.
The bug swarm stopped, not chasing them out.
"Goodbye, everyone." That person spoke gently as he stood in a flowing robe like an exiled immortal under the bloody moon, ethereal and transcendent.
He turned to leave with a white bone flute in his mouth. The music this time was extremely gentle, accompanied by moonlight, slowly receding into the distance.
The group fell silent, watching his figure until it disappeared as well as the retreating bug swarm.
All had perished; tens of thousands of lives were lost near the Fierce Nest. What an astonishing sight!
What shocked people even more was that blood kept rising from the ground and converging towards that person, with runes embedded in the blood shining brightly.
Finally, the runes surrounded him while the blood flowed into the Fierce Nest.
"Let's go; we'll put up his portrait in every city to see if there are any clues!"