Sorcerer: I want to be an Academic Prodigy

Chapter 804: Chapter 709: Endless Abyss_2

“Brother, where are we headed?”

“Hunting, to find food for the Empress.”

“Empress?”

“The supreme Empress.”

“——”

The flying insects here are all adult, ranging from several hundred meters to over a thousand in length, numbering around three thousand. They gather in dark clusters, but in the vast Endless Abyss, they are not very conspicuous.

Ivan mingled among them.

Before long, he figured out quite a bit. The true name of the flying insects is ’Black-winged Fang Worms’, which indeed have Dragon Clan blood, specifically from the infamous Purgatory Black Dragon of the Abyss Plane.

The Black-winged Fang Worms have an Empress, likely similar to the ’insect queen’.

This swarm of flying insects is only one collection team of the queen, who has other collection teams, along with guards protecting her closely, scout squads to gather intelligence, and so on, the entire species operating in perfect order.

After understanding all this, he dared not act rashly.

Yet he did not leave the insect swarm, as the Endless Abyss is a place evolved from the Chaos Well, connected to the ethereal Chaotic World, continuously drawing chaotic forces and converting them into other energies.

The chaotic forces here undergo preliminary conversion, but are not completely transformed, retaining quite a few chaotic properties, creating a unique and perilous environment.

Things like Chaos Thunder Flash, Chaos Storm, Chaos Heavenly Fire, Chaos Frozen River, Chaos Poison Cloud, and more.

Such disasters are everywhere.

The Black-winged Fang Worms are the local lords here, familiar with the situation. Most movements cannot escape their notice, and Ivan followed the insect swarm, easily avoiding one peril after another, proving this point.

He certainly wouldn’t leave easily.

Not only does he not leave, but he plans to further disguise himself as a Black-winged Fang Worm, until there is no distinction.

However.

What he didn’t know was that two days after the Black-winged Fang Worms departed, a formidable enemy pursued relentlessly, tracking down the place of his battle with the insect swarm, with electric light surging, expanding in circles, as if sensing something.

“So it’s here, you can’t escape, little bug.”

With some sort of obsession, a fierce figure turned into a streak of lightning, continuing the chase, crossing a thousand miles in an instant, cutting a straight streamline across the sky.

…

Searching and searching, the ninth collection team of the Black-winged Fang Worms finally discovered a new food source, and under the lead of their captain, they swarmed over, surrounding the ’devil honey dolphin’ they found.

A battle was imminent.

“Brothers, attack!”

“Kaka, for the Empress!”

A few hours before, Ivan had just been promoted to captain of the nineteenth squad of the sixteenth collection team, and he timely issued orders to his surrounding brothers, charging at the bizarre-looking roaming predator ahead.

This was actually a roaming predator capable of short-distance teleportation, with a body like that of a large Star River Battleship, and a terrifying recovery ability.

But in the eyes of the Black-winged Fang Worms, it was merely a meaty parcel that could be continuously harvested, one of the most sought-after items in their diet, and the best gift for the insect queen.

There was no need for mobilization, as the Black-winged Fang Worms, seeing the roaming predator, had eyes lit up, each vying to be the first to pounce.

In the end, they beat and poisoned the devil honey dolphin until it was knocked unconscious.

Ivan mixed among them, seeming to make a significant disturbance but exerting little effort, effectively slacking. After the battle ended, he inexplicably felt a sense of unease, as if something bad was happening.

“Kaka, return to the nest! We offer the bountiful food to the Empress.”

“Kaka, long live the Empress!”

Without much thought, the Black-winged Fang Worms began to carry their spoils homewards, a swarming mass heading in another direction.

Ivan was very interested in the Black-winged Fang Worms’ lair, not knowing how the creatures here set up camp and if it differed from elsewhere.

He also had to deal with unexpected situations that could arise at any moment, forcing him to stay 200% vigilant.

The Black-winged Fang Worms, seasoned travelers, followed a winding path, covering a long distance, finally expertly slipping into a Poison Cloud Swamp filled with toxic fumes.

“Captain Ze Yi?”

“Let’s go, we will follow along.”

From a distance, it appeared to be an enormous mass of mucus, but up close it was a vast Poison Cloud Swamp filled with chaotic energy.

It was clear this too was a natural fortress.

Ivan hesitated because he considered that once inside, escaping would be difficult. If his identity was exposed, it would mean being trapped in the enemy’s lair.

After much thought, he decided to continue the disguise.

Because he could distinguish that the bad feeling originated from behind him, indicating someone had set their sights on him and was chasing, racing against time.

He had reason to suspect it was an ancestor closely following the Wisdom Elder lineage.

He also deduced that if the person chasing him from behind was not unfamiliar with the environment here, they would have caught up with the Black-winged Fang Worm swarm long ago, rather than consistently lagging behind.

Compared to facing one or even more ancestors in battle, he much preferred to rely on his disguise skills.

After spending days living with the insect swarm, continuously exploring and deepening his transformation, he had become nearly indistinguishable from the Black-winged Fang Worms of the collection team.

As long as he did not come face-to-face with the swarm’s queen, he was 99% confident there would be no issues.

Based on this, Ivan continued to follow the ninth collection team into the Poison Cloud Swamp ahead, quickly becoming invisible among the Black-winged Fang Worms, with even the passage they used to enter disappearing swiftly.

He delved deeper into the Poison Cloud Swamp and indeed found it was not a hospitable place.

Undoubtedly, this Poison Cloud Swamp was one of the disasters shaped by chaotic forces, only found by the experienced Black-winged Fang Worms, who, with slight adjustment, turned it into their lair.

In such a lair, any misstep could turn into a trap.

Even someone at the ancestral level had a high chance of being made to look foolish.

The more Ivan observed the surroundings, the more satisfied he felt, as whatever method the enemy behind used to track his position, they were now sealed off by this fortress.

He secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

“Kaka, two squad leaders, come with me to see the great Empress.”

“I’ll go, I’ll go.”

“You, and you, the other brothers need not worry, there will be many opportunities in the future.”

“Kaka.”

The nest of the Black-winged Fang Worms was ingeniously and complexly constructed, winding thousands of turns, gradually approaching the center of the Poison Cloud Swamp. The sixteenth collection team returned to its dwelling, resembling a cave of corridors joined by small caverns, which was quite rudimentary.

Once back at the base, the captain could not contain himself, eagerly wishing to visit the insect queen, stirring immense excitement among his subordinates.

But the great Empress was not someone everyone qualified to see, using the devil honey dolphin as a pretext, the captain named two squad leaders, leaving the unchosen ones looking despondent.

“Captain Ze Yi, hurry over.”

“Cough cough cough.”

Ivan was somewhat dazed; despite being a squad leader who skated by, he was favored by the captain, which was quite unusual. However, he really had no desire to meet the insect queen, lest his identity be uncovered.

“Kaka?” The captain noticed Ivan hadn’t moved, showing some confusion in his enormous insect eyes.

“Kaka, I have not merited any achievements to face the revered Empress, perhaps next time.”

In his earlier years, Ivan was often accompanied by rapid wood silkworms, later by swamp ants and flame scorpions. He knew the mindset of the Insect Race well enough to answer accordingly.

“Good, good—great.”

Upon hearing his submission, the captain did not suspect anything, and promptly named another squad leader, lifting the captured prey and hurriedly leaving the base.

Ivan watched the three Black-winged Fang Worms depart, then retracted his gaze, only to find that the looks of admiration from his subordinates had grown even more pronounced.

He paid it little mind, more concerned with the unknown enemy, unknowingly cursing whichever ancestor persistently pursued him with a vengeance!

He simply didn’t believe the enemy could chase him all the way into the depths of the Black-winged Fang Worms’ nest.

Elsewhere, outside the vast Poison Cloud Swamp, a bolt of lightning tore through space, arriving as a somewhat disheveled figure, landing amidst the drifting poisonous mist.

This person stared darkly ahead, with an unyielding intent to kill.