Finally, at dusk on the ninth day, his footsteps came to a halt as the orange sun sank toward the horizon.
A subtle, sickly-sweet dampness hung in the air.
His Mental Power instantly focused, extending toward the source of the dampness.
At the edge of the horizon, a patch of dark green, starkly out of place amidst the barren wasteland, stubbornly entered his vision.
’It’s a swamp!’
A stir of emotion rose in Qin Feng, but he quickly forced it down.
He dropped low, his speed increasing instead of decreasing. Like a silent phantom hugging the ground, he crept toward the green expanse.
As he drew closer, the scene before him confirmed his judgment.
The swamp, several square kilometers in area, was home to hundreds of bizarre, ancient trees, some towering dozens of meters high.
The trees’ trunks were dark brown, their branches thick with foliage. In the dim light, their broad leaves shone with an oily green luster.
What was even stranger was that the trees bore fist-sized fruits that gave off a faint, fluorescent glow. A dense wave of life force and Spiritual Energy emanated from them.
This was a perfect, concentrated source of Spiritual Material.
But what made his eyes narrow was the sight of at least a few dozen ancient trees in the grove that had been utterly destroyed.
Their trunks hadn’t been severed by any sharp tool. Instead, they had been snapped in half and torn apart by some terrifying, brute force, leaving jagged breaks covered in a disgusting slime.
No intelligent life-form would harvest something so crudely.
’This was the handiwork of the Insect Race!’
Most likely, these were the traces left behind by a Transport Type insect harvesting Spiritual Material.
’Found it!’
Qin Feng’s heart beat a little faster, but he immediately found a mound at the edge of the swamp covered in dense shrubs. He slipped into it without a sound and, using the Emperor Meditation technique, lowered his aura, heartbeat, and even body temperature to their absolute minimum, completely blending in with his surroundings.
Now, he just had to wait.
He knew that since the Transport Insect had harvested here before, it was bound to return.
One day...
Two days...
Three days...
Time ticked by. The swamp remained silent, save for the occasional, strange cry of some unknown creature. There was no other sign of movement.
Even Qin Feng’s usually imperturbable calm began to waver.
’Was my judgment wrong?’
’Had the group of Transport Insects moved to a new harvesting site?’
Just as doubt began to creep in, and he started to consider changing his hiding spot—
THUD... THUD... THUD...
A series of heavy, rhythmic tremors came from the distant wasteland, growing closer.
Qin Feng’s pupils contracted. He instantly banished all stray thoughts, his full attention fixed on the direction of the sound.
On the distant horizon, a massive black silhouette was rapidly approaching.
It was alone, with no escort.
As it drew nearer, the silhouette’s form became distinct.
It was as massive as a heavy battle tank, its entire body encased in a dark purple chitinous exoskeleton that glinted with a cold, metallic sheen in the dim light.
Beneath its body were eight thick, powerful, jointed legs. Instead of claws, its limbs ended in hoof-like structures, perfectly adapted for high-speed travel over complex terrain.
Most striking was its back, which arched high like the cargo bed of a truck.
This was no truck bed, but a massive carapace fused to its body, designed to carry Spiritual Material. It was covered in intricate biological patterns and steam vents.
A Level 4 Elite Transport Insect!
It had arrived.
Qin Feng, hidden in the shrubs, held his breath, his gaze locked on the behemoth as it approached the ancient grove. He patiently waited for the perfect moment for a single, fatal strike.
Qin Feng’s breathing and heartbeat had merged with the earthen mound beneath him.
He was like a rock, silent for eons—lifeless, without an aura. Only his eyes, as deep and cold as a winter pond, reflected the image of the behemoth lumbering into the swamp’s ancient grove: the Level 4 Transport Insect.
He didn’t move.
Even as the Transport Insect began to rip at the ancient trees with its terrifying mandibles, swallowing fruits and leaves rich with Spiritual Material into the biological cargo hold on its back with a sickening CRUNCH, Qin Feng remained motionless.
’He knew this wasn’t the best time.’
A true Hunter doesn’t just find their prey; they understand its every habit, waiting to deliver the fatal blow when it is most relaxed, most vulnerable, and least expects it.
He decided to tail it.
He would observe it, learn its patterns, and wait for a foolproof opportunity.
The Transport Insect harvested with incredible efficiency. In just half an hour, its cargo hold was filled to the brim.
It let out a low, satisfied hiss, then turned its massive body. Striding on its eight legs, it began to run back the way it came, heading deep into the wasteland.
A full ten minutes after it had gone, Qin Feng slipped out from the shrubs like a phantom, not making the slightest sound.
He maintained a distance he deemed the absolute limit of safety, using the essence of the Dragon Body Technique to weave through the shadows of the strange rock formations and dunes, silently tailing the creature.
However, the cunning and vigilance of one of the Cosmos’s apex predator races far exceeded anything one could imagine.