This time, Lady Luck seemed to finally be on his side.
After waiting for a mere two days, a Level 4 Transport Insect, slightly smaller than the one he had first encountered, stumbled into this dense forest alone and began to feast ravenously.
Qin Feng’s mind instantly settled.
He had learned everything from his last failure, concealing his presence to an incredible degree.
He didn’t rush to get close. Instead, he hung back at a distance, observing.
He carefully avoided the fungi that looked ordinary but could be pheromone alarms. He did his utmost to bypass shadowy corners where Insect Race sentinels might be lurking.
He stalked it through the dim underworld for a full half-month.
During that half-month, he came to understand the transport insect’s movement patterns, resting habits, and even the rhythm of its every breath with perfect clarity.
Finally, late one night, as the transport insect curled its massive body beneath a patch of giant, glowing fungi and sank into a brief slumber—
Qin Feng knew his moment had arrived!
It was the only window of opportunity he had discovered in half a month of observation: a moment when there were no other life signs within a hundred-meter radius of the target!
He moved.
Without a sound, his body slid from the shadows. His footwork was a perfect combination of the Dragon Body Technique and the Fierce Bird Footwork, possessing both the silence of the Wandering Dragon and the extreme swiftness of the Fierce Bird.
The hundred-meter distance was covered in an instant!
The moment he came within ten meters of the transport insect, his vital energy, spirit, and Will instantly merged, pouring entirely into the grade-four custom Alloy Long Spear in his hands!
A chilling glint ignited on the spear’s tip, so bright it seemed capable of piercing the night itself.
This move contained a lifetime of learning. It was the ultimate killing blow, one he had created himself by perfectly fusing the deadly ferocity of the Fierce Bird Fist Art with the "Flowing Light Chasing Shadow" technique from the Thousand Army Spear!
"Fierce Owl Chasing Shadow!"
WHOOSH!
The Long Spear transformed into a soul-reaping bolt of black lightning, instantly crossing the space to strike with unerring precision at the transport insect’s relatively fragile neck, right where the nerve cluster connected its head to its torso!
SPLURCH!
A sickening, muffled tearing of flesh and blood rang out.
Imbued with the full force of Qin Feng’s power, the spear successfully pierced the transport insect’s hard, chitinous exoskeleton and sank deep into its head!
"ROAR—!"
The excruciating pain jolted the slumbering transport insect awake. It let out a shriek of agony that reverberated throughout the entire cavern, its massive body thrashing wildly and smashing the surrounding fungi to pulp.
But it wasn’t dead!
The vitality of a level-four creature was unimaginably tenacious.
Qin Feng’s strike had landed. Without lingering, he retreated like a bolt of lightning, vanishing back into the darkness in an instant.
He watched as the heavily wounded transport insect shrieked, then recklessly turned and bolted toward one of the cavern’s exits. A chill washed over him.
Qin Feng knew the transport insect was definitely fleeing toward the nearest swarm or Insect Nest to call for aid.
The moment it had shrieked, the Nest’s consciousness had received an alert. Nearby swarms were undoubtedly already rushing to this location.
But he couldn’t miss this opportunity!
Nearly two months had already passed.
If he failed again, he would likely be eliminated for exceeding the time limit!
’Who knew if next time he’d encounter a weaker level-three transport soldier, or an exceptionally powerful level-four?’
’This heavily wounded one before me is my best, and possibly my last, chance.’
’Even if I run into a swarm, with my current strength, I’m confident I can escape.’
’I’m completely exposed now. There’s no point in hiding or avoiding sentinels anymore!’
’Chase!’
With that, Qin Feng hesitated no longer. He shot out from the shadows and gave chase, relentlessly pursuing the fleeing transport insect!
He pushed his Fierce Bird Footwork to the absolute limit. His speed was astonishing, leaving a trail of afterimages through the complex caverns.
As for the transport insect, despite its grievous wounds, its will to survive caused it to erupt with astonishing speed. Its massive body barreled through the narrow passages, not slowing in the slightest.
A frantic chase unfolded in the dim underworld.
Fortunately, Qin Feng’s devastating strike had ultimately played a decisive role.
After half a day of pursuit, the transport insect’s speed finally began to wane, its massive body starting to falter.
This was it!
A cold glint flashed in Qin Feng’s eyes. His speed surged again, and he instantly closed the distance to his target, leaping high into the air.
"Fierce Owl Chasing Shadow!"
He gripped the spear with both hands, twisting the entire strength of his body into a single point. Aided by the momentum of his descent, he viciously thrust his spear into the transport insect’s neck, the Long Spear plunging deep into its body!
CRACK—!
With a sharp crack, a savage power erupted like a flash flood, surging through the creature’s body and utterly pulverizing its life force and internal organs!
The massive transport insect crashed to the ground, becoming still and silent.
At that very moment, the spine-chilling, cacophonous skittering of an approaching swarm echoed from the far end of the tunnel.
Without a moment’s hesitation, Qin Feng yanked his Long Spear free, turned, and fled for his life toward an exit in the opposite direction.
「Three days later.」
Only when Qin Feng was certain he had made a clean escape did he find a hidden valley to stop in.
He leaned against a tree and let out a long, slow breath.
The hunt had taken him nearly two months.
It had been arduous, but in the end, he had succeeded.