Nalan Mingyue felt a chill run down her spine, a fear far greater than facing an army of thousands.
"Ye Kunlun, what should we do?" Nalan Mingyue subconsciously asked Ye Kunlun.
Without wasting any words, Ye Kunlun stepped forward, his aura like a dragon, surging forth to meet the increasingly fierce swarm of insects!
Puff, puff, puff—
A series of explosions echoed. Every black insect that came into contact with Ye Kunlun's aura instantly turned into black mist!
Not a single insect could get within a meter of Ye Kunlun and Nalan Mingyue.
Nalan Mingyue felt a wave of revulsion but also a sigh of relief!
However, the swarm of insects seemed endless. No matter how many Ye Kunlun killed, more would always emerge from the ground.
It was as if there was an immeasurably large insect nest beneath the earth!
"Something's not right!"
Ye Kunlun realized something. The insects before them were not real; they were manifestations of some kind of power.
"May I borrow your spear!"
Ye Kunlun called out softly.
Before Nalan Mingyue could react, her long spear was already in Ye Kunlun's hand.
Holding the black spear, Ye Kunlun infused his power into it.
Instantly, the spear trembled, emitting a black radiance and a terrifying aura.
Then, Ye Kunlun hurled the spear into the distance!
The spear pierced directly into the insect swarm.
Nalan Mingyue: ﾍ(;´Д｀ﾍ)!
She almost cried; Ye Kunlun had thrown her spear into the insect swarm!
The next moment, the spear submerged in the swarm unleashed a terrifying, sharp aura, then burrowed underground with a boom, releasing all its power.
In an instant, all the insects were killed by the aura released from the spear, and no more emerged.
Ye Kunlun summoned it back with a casual gesture, and the spear returned to his hand.
"Thank you!"
Ye Kunlun smiled faintly at Nalan Mingyue and tucked the spear back into her hand.
The thought of her spear having just traveled through the insect swarm made Nalan Mingyue's skin crawl, and she felt as if insects were crawling on her palm.
"As a strong individual, you must overcome all fear!"
Ye Kunlun's calm voice echoed in Nalan Mingyue's ears, "Once an enemy gains control of your fear, it will be your downfall!"
Nalan Mingyue shivered.
Ye Kunlun's words were like a sudden enlightenment to her.
"I know that, of course, but I can never overcome my fear of insects,"
Nalan Mingyue frowned and said softly.
"Oh?" Ye Kunlun's lips curved into a sly smile. "I saw a worm crawling on your chest; didn't you feel anything?"
Nalan Mingyue quickly looked down at her chest and indeed saw a plump worm crawling on her clothes.
Instantly, Nalan Mingyue's hair stood on end, and she couldn't help but tremble.
"You, you quickly help me get rid of the worm," Nalan Mingyue suppressed her fear and said to Ye Kunlun with a trembling voice.
Ye Kunlun's eyes held amusement, showing no intention of acting.
The worm on Nalan Mingyue's chest was something he had casually picked up from the marsh a moment ago.
"You need to face your inner fears," Ye Kunlun said, crossing his arms and watching with an air of amusement.
"I, I..."
Nalan Mingyue stared at the worm on her chest, then noticed it move!
It moved!!
It was crawling towards the inside of her clothes, about to make contact with her skin.
The thought of that sensation made Nalan Mingyue suppress her fear, condense a trace of power in her fingertips, and flick it at the worm.
Swish—
The worm was flung away by her.
Only then did Nalan Mingyue take a deep breath, her taut nerves instantly relaxing.
As her mind relaxed, she felt as if she wasn't as scared anymore.
"Good," Ye Kunlun said with a smile, playfully looking at Nalan Mingyue, who seemed to have narrowly escaped death.
Nalan Mingyue looked at Ye Kunlun with a complex expression, then gritted her teeth and muttered in a low voice, "You bastard!"
Ye Kunlun was somewhat speechless, shrugging. "Miss Nalan, I was helping you overcome your fear. Instead of thanking me, you're scolding me!"
Nalan Mingyue huffed, adjusted her emotions, and said to Ye Kunlun with annoyance, "This is the area I entered that day. Besides the suddenly appearing insects, do you see anything suspicious?"
"The insects are suspicious enough," Ye Kunlun dropped his playful demeanor. "The barbarians already know we've entered their territory."
"These insects are condensed from some kind of power, not real bugs," Ye Kunlun explained to Nalan Mingyue.
Nalan Mingyue then recalled that after the bugs died, they didn't leave corpses but turned into black mist.
Suddenly, she remembered something. "Ye Kunlun, I remember now. After stepping into the barbarian territory that day, there was a thin layer of black mist in the air. I thought it was caused by the cloudy weather."
"Thinking about it now, it seems similar to the black mist left after the insects were destroyed!"
Ye Kunlun nodded. "That makes sense. Those black mists were the culprits that caused your coma and high fever."
"It seems the barbarians have many secrets!"
Ye Kunlun chuckled, a deep interest showing in his eyes. "You've been in the Northern Frontier for so many years; have you heard of any secrets about the barbarians?"
Nalan Mingyue fell silent.
Ye Kunlun's eyes lit up; he had guessed correctly.
Nalan Mingyue indeed knew something.
"Is it inconvenient to talk about?" Ye Kunlun asked, scrutinizing Nalan Mingyue.
Nalan Mingyue nodded. "Not many people know about this. I only heard a mention from Elder Wei."
Nalan Mingyue was unsure whether to tell Ye Kunlun about the misfortunes clan.
If others were to know this secret, they might use the barbarians to suppress China!
Or even destroy the barbarians, allowing the land of misfortune to reappear in the world.
At that time, the outbreak of misfortune would not just be a local event but a catastrophe for the entire world.
Misfortune would spread across the globe like a plague.
"You don't trust me?" Ye Kunlun looked at Nalan Mingyue with a serious expression. "I can sense a strange power deep within the barbarian territory, a power I've never seen before; it's somewhat evil!"
"In Kanda Town, many people are controlled by that power and suffer from 'Dream Soul Syndrome.' That power forcibly extracts faith power from their bodies!"
"Over time, those people become listless and their souls wither away, leading to death!"
"Perhaps the existence of the barbarians is related to this power!"
"My purpose here is to investigate this strange power. I don't think you want to see more people suffering from Dream Soul Syndrome and dying mysteriously, do you?"
Ye Kunlun spoke a great deal in one breath.
Whether Nalan Mingyue chose to speak or not was up to her; Ye Kunlun would not force her.
Nalan Mingyue's expression was complicated. On one hand were Elder Wei's instructions, and on the other was Ye Kunlun's kindness.
"If you don't believe me, then forget it," Ye Kunlun shrugged, unfazed.
"You should go back first. I plan to explore the barbarian territory myself."
Saying that, Ye Kunlun was about to head deeper into the barbarian territory.
"Wait a moment!" Nalan Mingyue called out to Ye Kunlun. "You can't go deeper into the barbarian territory, or you'll be plagued by misfortune!"
"Misfortune?" Ye Kunlun narrowed his eyes, recalling the ancient inscriptions by the sand river.
Glimmers of light flashed in his eyes as he gazed at Nalan Mingyue.
The barbarians were indeed related to misfortune!