The Insect Demon

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Swish!

The arrival of the two instantly drew the attention of the many weaklings heading to watch the matches at the Hell Slaughter Arena.

"Heh heh heh, fresh meat's here. Time for some new Bloody Marys!" one degenerate cackled, rubbing his hands like a villain in a bad play.

"Haha, that new chick's a looker. I'll have to enjoy her later, let off some steam," another leered, his gaze lingering on Hu Liena's striking figure.

Hu Liena, usually the picture of charm, turned ice-cold in an instant. Without a word, two short blades materialized in her hands. In a blur, she crossed paths with the degenerate who'd dared to flirt with her, leaving a spray of blood in the shape of an X. The man barely had time to regret his life choices.

He felt a chill at his neck, but before his body could even hit the ground, a cloud of dual-colored beetles descended, engulfing him and a dozen others nearby. Their screams echoed briefly before they vanished, following the same fate as the group in the tavern.

Ning Tian had made his move. Since they'd practically gift-wrapped themselves for him, he saw no reason to refuse such a generous offering.

The woman in the black veil said nothing, though she raised an eyebrow at Ning Tian's unusual martial soul. She'd seen insect martial souls before, but never one with such a massive swarm. It was the kind of thing that made you wonder if he'd been secretly breeding bugs in his spare time.

Hu Liena, on the other hand, was already used to it. She seemed to be adapting to this place faster than a chameleon on a rainbow.

But just because they were unfazed didn't mean everyone else was.

"Insect Demon!" someone shouted, and the crowd scattered like startled birds, tripping over each other in their haste to escape.

To participate in the Hell Slaughter Arena, one needed to offer a cup of Bloody Mary. Ning Tian wasn't about to let them all escape. He pointed at three men in one direction. "You three, stay."

But they didn't dare linger. They bolted, wishing their parents had given them an extra pair of legs to speed up their getaway.

Ning Tian sighed, more inconvenienced than angry and directed his Gold Devouring Beetles to form arrows, swiftly taking down two of them. The last one finally stopped, realizing running was no longer an option.

"Sir, what do you need?" the degenerate asked, his face twisted in misery, probably wishing he'd called in sick that day.

"Give me a cup of Bloody Mary," Ning Tian said indifferently, like he was ordering a coffee.

The man's expression crumpled. He didn't have one on him, but remembering the fate of his companions, he didn't dare refuse. Gritting his teeth, he picked up a cup from the ground, bit his palm, and filled it with his own blood. Only then did Ning Tian let him go, satisfied with the impromptu donation.

And so, the matches in the Slaughter City began that day.

To the degenerates of the Hell Slaughter Arena, Ning Tian was a cheat code come to life. No opponent could stand against the overwhelming tide of his Gold Devouring Beetles.

Take his first match, for example: among the participants was a Spirit Douluo with forty-nine consecutive wins. But against Ning Tian, he was no different from the rest; he was devoured by the beetles without even a bone left behind. It was almost unfair, really.

After finishing his first day of matches, Ning Tian returned to his room and released the Gold Devouring Beetles to search for the Hell Road.

Sure enough, they didn't disappoint. A few hours later, one of the insects broke through to the Hell Road and began consuming the Hell Dew at its base.

Thus, Ning Tian settled into a routine: participating in the Hell Slaughter Arena matches by day and controlling the insects to devour the Hell Dew by night. The rest of his time was spent cultivating, because even Insect Demons need hobbies.

In just six short months, he racked up an astonishing sixty consecutive wins.

The title "Insect Demon" became synonymous with him. Whenever word spread that he was joining a match, almost everyone else would back out, muttering excuses about sudden stomach aches.

As a result, the arena staff had to start hiding the registration information just to scrape together ten participants every ten days or so. It was a logistical nightmare, all thanks to one man and his bugs.

Ning Tian wasn't in a hurry to leave, though. After all, the Hell Dew in the Hell Road was a feast for his Devouring Gold Insects, and he wasn't about to cut their buffet short.

…..Two and a Half Years Later

The air was thick with a suffocating chill.

Inside the Hell Slaughter Arena, ten people slowly entered. Ning Tian walked at the back, but he was the focus of the other nine's attention.

Their faces were ashen, like they were already dead men walking. And honestly, they weren't far off.

Over the past two and a half years, Ning Tian had amassed ninety-eight consecutive wins. Today was his ninety-ninth match.

From the previous matches, everyone knew one thing: the Insect Demon was unbeatable.

No matter your cultivation level or martial soul, facing him meant becoming fodder for his dual-colored beetles.

Ninety-eight matches had proven that point beyond any doubt.

By now, the entire Slaughter City trembled at the mention of the Insect Demon.

In the past two and a half years, thousands had died at his hands.

The Hell Slaughter Arena matches were only a small part of it.

Most of the casualties happened outside the arena. Ning Tian had a simple rule: anyone who committed acts that would be illegal in his previous life's world was fair game for his Gold Devouring Beetles.

Ironically, because of the Insect Demon's presence, the Slaughter City, once a den of sin, experienced a rare period of harmony, almost resembling a normal human town. It was a sight unseen for a thousand years. Who knew bugs could be such great peacekeepers?

During this time, through relentless cultivation, Ning Tian's soul power had reached level sixty, six months ago.

Even his Devouring Gold Insects had evolved to their mature form.

After consuming thousands of degenerates and vast amounts of Hell Dew, each insect had grown from the size of an egg to half a foot long, with fangs protruding an inch from their mouths. They looked ferocious and menacing, like something out of a nightmare.

Faced with Ning Tian's swarm of mature Gold Devouring Beetles, the other nine participants in the Hell Slaughter Arena match didn't even bother fighting. To avoid the agony of being eaten alive, they each slit their own throats. It was a grim but practical decision.

Ning Tian didn't let their corpses go to waste. He commanded the insects to devour them completely, leaving not a trace behind. 

"His power is overwhelming," Hu Liena murmured from outside the arena, a mix of awe and resignation in her voice.

Like Ning Tian, she had also achieved ninety-nine consecutive wins.

But unlike his effortless streak, she had fought tooth and nail every single day, teetering on the brink of death more times than she could count.

And because she had arrived at the Slaughter City early, without the external soul bone she was supposed to have, her challenges were even more perilous than in the original story.

She had narrowly escaped death multiple times.

The first time was etched in her memory.

She had just finished a grueling battle, her body covered in wounds, her stamina and soul power nearly depleted.

Facing the degenerates outside, who eyed her like starving wolves, she had prepared herself for the worst.

At the critical moment, Ning Tian had swooped in like a divine soldier, unleashing his swarm to devour every last one of the degenerates who had ill intentions toward her.

At first, she thought he was after her body too. It wouldn't have been the first time someone misjudged the Insect Demon's motives.

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