A closer look revealed that this wasn’t real fog, but a massive, innumerable swarm of tiny black insects.

The swarm clustered together, forming a thick black mist.

"Everyone, hang in there! We’re here!"

Five Silver Lotus Wood Soul Beasts stood side-by-side in front of the five people. Their bodies were pitted and scarred from the gnawing of the tiny black insects as they struggled to fend off the swarm’s assault.

Han Ning merely glanced over and saw that of the group of five, two were already lying on the ground with their eyes shut tight. Their faces were twisted in agony, and guttural, unsettling groans escaped their lips as their bodies trembled violently, as if enduring immense pain.

One of them was Teacher Liu Yueming.

Yin Yi let out a sharp cry, maneuvering her Emerald Flower Thorns to weave through the swarm in an attempt to exterminate the strange black insects.

But then, something unexpected happened.

They had thought Yin Yi’s Emerald Flower Thorns would easily take care of them.

But to everyone’s surprise, the swarm was able to pass through the thorns without any resistance, treating them as if they were nothing, and continued their attack on the people ahead.

’What’s going on?!’ Han Ning was stunned.

"Don’t—don’t use Elemental Attacks! They seem to be able to ignore them! Use physical attacks!" From a corner, Liu Zhiran, who was leaning against the wall, shouted as he picked up broken stones from the ground and repeatedly threw them at the swarm.

"Yin Yi, switch to Vine Attacks."

Seeing this, the three people beside Han Ning also commanded their Soul Beasts to clear out the swarm with their Vine Whips.

CRACK!

Dozens of vine whips lashed out in unison into a two-meter-wide section of the swarm, knocking nearly a third of the black insects to the ground or against the walls.

The next second, the insects that had been knocked away flew up again, wobbling as if completely unaffected. They split into two groups; one continued its assault on Liu Yueming’s group of five, while the other flew toward Han Ning and his team.

"Physical attacks can only knock them away; it’s hard to actually damage them." Han Ning’s brow furrowed. He raised Silver Scale and fired a shot straight at them.

BANG!

The muzzle flashed.

Dozens of pellets shot out, knocking back a patch of the insects.

But soon, they flew up once more.

’No wonder they couldn’t win...’

Han Ning glanced at the swarming insects and shouted, "The main gate is open now! Don’t clash with them head-on! Fall back while fighting! Let’s see if they still chase us once we’re out of the ruins."

"Teacher Lü, I’ll draw the swarm’s attention. You get Zhiran and the others out."

"Okay!"

Before, Liu Zhiran and his group had been hiding in the corner of the great hall because the stone gate was sealed, leaving them with nowhere to retreat.

Now that the gate was open, there was no need to waste time fighting the swarm here.

"Egg Pancake, try using your Wandering Tongue Entanglement to see if you can trap them!"

Han Ning kept firing to draw the swarm’s attention as he spoke to Egg Pancake, who stood guard before him.

"Chirp chirp!"

Hearing the command, Egg Pancake immediately shot out its long tongue. Mud roiled at its tip, entangling a cluster of the black insects.

The thick mud quickly covered the cluster of insects.

Encased in the mud, the insects became a brownish clod that fell to the ground and twitched slightly.

"Huh? It’s that effective? Egg Pancake, great job! Cover all of them!" Han Ning’s eyes lit up. He hadn’t expected Egg Pancake, the weakest of the Soul Beasts, to be the most useful one here.

"Chirp!"

After receiving Han Ning’s praise, Egg Pancake let out a happy cry and began firing off fist-sized balls of mud, encasing one patch of the swarm after another and causing them to drop to the ground as mud clods.

Seizing the opportunity, Lü Xiuning, Lin Tianhe, and Luo Chen, the three of them covered by a group of Wood Type Soul Beasts, successfully retreated to the stone gate.

Han Ning didn’t linger either. He called to Egg Pancake and quickly exited through the gate.

Egg Pancake was like a god of war. Its mouth, like a machine gun, spat out glob after glob of mud, holding back the onrushing swarm and buying everyone else ample time to retreat.

About ten seconds later, the first clod of mud from Egg Pancake trembled violently. A web of fine cracks spread across its surface, and a small group of insects flew out again, chasing after Han Ning and the others.

But by then, Han Ning’s group, with Yin Yi’s help, had already passed through the corridor and reached the surface outside the ruins.

Having successfully rescued Liu Yueming and the others, the group didn’t linger and quickly retreated in the direction of the academy.

No matter what, they had to escape the swarm’s pursuit first.

Yin Yi threw out her vines, wrapping them around the nine humans, while the remaining Soul Beasts ran along the ground.

This method of travel was much faster than running on foot. Even the weakest Silver Lotus Wood, which was at Entry Level IV, could run faster than a human.

They didn’t stop until they were far from the Blood-colored Grassland, and the crimson blades of grass were no longer in sight. Only then did everyone let out a heavy sigh of relief.

But soon, Han Ning’s attention was drawn to Liu Yueming, who was tangled in the vines, letting out nonstop, agonized roars.

"What’s wrong with Teacher Liu? What exactly happened to you guys back there?"

On the way back to the academy, Han Ning asked curiously.

"The story is quite simple. We discovered those Insect-man ruins. But when we entered the main hall, the stone gate suddenly closed, and a huge swarm of black insects poured out of a statue and attacked us."

"Teacher Liu was attacked by the swarm while covering everyone." Liu Zhiran looked at the constantly roaring Liu Yueming, his face filled with deep worry.

"I got a good look. It seems like Teacher Liu fell into this delirious, constantly roaring state only after the tiny black insects burrowed into his body," another student added.

Han Ning was worried about whether Teacher Liu and the other student attacked by the swarm could hold on until they returned to the academy.

"Yin Yi, use Healing. See if you can drive the insects out of their bodies."

"Ling~"

An emerald green light flowed along the vines and into the bodies of Liu Yueming and the other student.

One second... two seconds...

A full ten seconds passed, but Liu Yueming’s expression remained twisted, veins bulging on his skin as his body trembled violently.

’It’s not working...’

Han Ning’s brow furrowed.

Suddenly, he remembered the Insect Flute he had picked up at the academy’s north gate. He quickly took it out of his bag, and without worrying about melody or pitch, he channeled his Spiritual Power into it, brought it to his lips, and blew gently.

"Wooooo~"

A strange note echoed over the swamp.

Invisible sound waves spread out.

Instantly, Liu Yueming, right next to him, stopped trembling. The expression on his face grew calm.

He was about to keep playing, to see if he could force the insects out of their bodies.

But the next second, his Spiritual Power flared.

At the same time, Lü Xiuning’s stern voice sounded beside him. "Quick! Lower our altitude! Something’s catching up from behind!"

Egg Pancake had also noticed the anomaly behind them. It let out a soft cry and repeatedly gestured backward with its claws.

Han Ning whipped his head around.

Beneath the white, mist-shrouded sky.

Six small black dots had appeared.

They were arranged in a single line.

And behind them was a dense, teeming swarm of insects.