Void Beetle Evolution Guide

Katarina's first reaction was that the Wild Hunt was putting on an act, but considering her current situation—being alone in a turbulent enemy country—she still felt a sense of reassurance if someone made such a promise to her.

Wild Hunt may be a bit domineering, but he didn't lie to her. Besides, it seemed like he was the only one who cared about the conflict between her and her father.

Thinking of this, she gritted her teeth and squeezed out a voice through gritted teeth, a mixture of anticipation and humiliation in her voice: "If you really want it that much, I can help you release it..."

Chapter 353 The Reason for Everything

Currently, it is known that five Darkin are moving towards Shurima, and there may be more in areas unknown to the Wild Hunt.

He told Kasha and Talia the news, and their reactions were surprisingly similar: they both wanted to go home immediately.

"I'm going back to find my family. I have to go back and protect them!" Talia's tone was more determined than ever before, unlike the little tagalong who used to follow Kai'Sa around like a shadow.

She traveled such a long way to protect them. And when her loved ones need her, no matter how far away she is, she must return to them immediately.

“Don’t worry, I feel the same way you do,” Kasha comforted her. If it weren’t for her family, why would she be traveling around like this?

“Talia, I can send you back to Uzeris, which is where Cassiopeia is, but you’ll have to walk the rest of the way on your own,” the Wild Hunt said.

"Thank you, you've been a huge help! As long as I can get back to Shurima, I'll do it all by myself!" Talia breathed a heavy sigh of relief. Having the Wild Hunt send her across the ocean instantly would save her a lot of time, allowing her to find her family before the Darkin ravages the land.

The only problem is that the weavers' tribe is a nomadic tribe, and even Talia herself doesn't know where her family members have migrated to. She can only search for them based on the cyclical changes in the water source.

"Does anyone else have any objections?" Wild Hunt was naturally referring to the two dragon maidens.

"Shurima? Fine, it's perfect since none of us've been there." Sephiroth casually twirled her hair with her fingers as she watched Wild Hunt tear open the portal.

"Let's go then."

……

Let's go back ten days.

In the central province of Baru'o in Ionia, there once lay a tranquil mountain village nestled amidst picturesque scenery.

This village, named "Wuji," was once Yi's hometown, but now it is nothing but a pile of barren ruins.

Yi is the last successor of the Way of Wuji.

When Noxus invaded the Land of the Firstborn, fearing the strength of these exceptional swordsmen, they used alchemical poison to burn down the sect's headquarters, killing all their relatives. Only Yi, who had come down from the mountain with his sword, survived.

Now, nearly ten years have passed since this incident, and Yi has gradually emerged from the shadows, taking the initiative to shoulder the responsibility of passing on the Way of Wuji and establishing a new Wuji Sword Sect.

However, his disciples are currently inexperienced and need Master Yi to handle everything personally.

On this day, Yi revisited his old haunts, arriving at a secluded place that Master Dolan had once taken him to—the Mist-Swept Sword Tomb.

The Sword Mist Tomb is located on a cliff some distance from Wuji Village, where the intermittent stone steps abruptly end before the steep mountain wall.

This is no problem for the Baru'e people, who live in mountainous regions; climbing mountains is a piece of cake for them. (The remaining text appears to be gibberish and unrelated to the preceding sentences.)

However, as a grandmaster, he should always pay attention to his image when he is out in public. So he quickly chanted a spell, rode the wind and rose up to the top of the cliff.

Upon landing, a stone tablet stood before them, inscribed with the words "Mistfall" in Old Ionian script.

Yi recalled the first time he came here; he was just a fifteen-year-old sword-loving youth, and Master Dolan personally led him here.

He had a miraculous encounter in the mountains, where he met the legendary Vastaya Shari. After receiving guidance from her, he finally broke through his bottleneck and comprehended the Dao of Wuji.

These are all things of the past. Yi shook his head and walked towards the misty valley below the cliff.

The valley is not very large. From this angle, it looks like a lake, except that there is no water in the lake, only white clouds and mist.

A path leading down the mountain stretches from the edge of the cliff and plunges into the depths of the sea of ​​fog.

After traversing mountains and valleys, Yi arrived at the Sea of ​​Fog. The moment he passed the wooden sign, Yi felt the air turn cold.

It was dusk in early summer, yet a chilling wind carried on the breeze, and the surrounding view quickly became blurred.

Spiritual entities from the spiritual realm linger here, creating a sense of unease.

However, there is only one evening in the valley that is not shrouded in mist, which is the evening we are in now.

Yi stood still, and before long, the thick fog that enveloped the surroundings began to thin at a visible speed. In the instant that the edge of the sun touched the distant mountain peaks, the entire valley was laid out before Yi in its entirety.

Countless weapons, varying in size and shape, were stuck upside down in the ground. Starting from less than ten steps in front of Yi, they stretched all the way to the foot of the distant mountain, covering the valley surrounded by hills.

At the very center were ten enormous swords. The broken hilts alone were the size of an adult male, and including the blades exposed on the ground, they were as tall as seven or eight people. From a distance, they looked like the pagodas in Wuji Village.

Yi came to his senses, and every time he saw the scene of the mist dissipating and the sword appearing, he was always so shocked.

The Misty Sword Tomb was once an ancient battlefield, where the survivors left their surviving weapons as a memento. The spirit does its utmost to protect each weapon, helping them withstand the erosion of time.

Over time, this place became a kind of sacred place, and warriors who were determined to no longer participate in killing and fighting also sent their weapons here.

The spirits in the Sword Tomb will bless the weapons, but if the user uses them to kill, the blessing will lose its power.

The Wuji Sword Dao abhors bloodshed and killing, which coincides with the spirit of this place. This is why Master Dolan wanted to stay in Wuji Village.

His lifelong wish was to forge the best sword in the world, but this sword was not created for fighting. Only the Wuji Swordsman understood this truth.

As for Yi's purpose in coming here, it was not to seek enlightenment, but to select a blessed sword for his disciples to observe and comprehend the way of the sword.

However, he didn't have much time left. He had to leave before the fog returned, or he would easily be drawn into the illusion and completely lost.

Yi continued deeper into the valley, and as he got closer to the center of the battlefield, the weapons on the ground became increasingly complex.

Some things look like swords, but are either too small or too big; while some things that look normal in size have strange and distorted shapes that are hard to grasp, making it difficult to imagine who uses these weapons.

Yi deliberately avoided the swords tied with red ropes, because these were left behind by other craftsmen. The red ropes were tied with amulets inscribed with respectful words to the spirits of the place.

Normally, Yi would peruse the poems on the talismans one by one, finding great enjoyment in it. However, after visiting several times, he had already read all the poems outside, so he no longer lingered.

Soon, Yi ventured into a depth he had never reached before, and it was at this moment that a faint, ethereal sigh reached his ears.

Chapter 354 The Sword Saint and the Chain Sickle

Hallucinations are actually quite common in the Sword Tomb of the Misty Mountains. When Yi first came here, he was even dragged into the mental realm while walking.

Fortunately, he was in contact with Vastaya Shari at that time, and these ancient and powerful creatures had no intention of harming him.

But now that the spirit has temporarily dissipated with the fog, it's rather strange that auditory hallucinations are happening again.

Yi heard the sighs turn into mournful cries, which he could not ignore. He followed the sound and finally found a strange weapon deep in the valley.

It wasn't a sword, but a pair of crescent-shaped, hooked scythes linked together by chains. The dark red blades were covered with a layer of golden patterns, like veins growing on them.

Before he even got close, Yi heard the weapon whisper in his mind, telling him to take it with him, and in return, it would grant him power.

As a grandmaster who had seen countless swords, Yi had never seen such a bizarre weapon before. It seemed to harbor a terrifying spirit and contained a chilling power.

He was not easily swayed by the voice and rashly stepped forward to pick up a weapon.

But just as he was about to leave, the horrors of the battlefield and the deaths of his loved ones suddenly flashed through his mind, causing him to close his eyes in pain and clutch his head, which was throbbing with pain.

When Yi opened his eyes again, he saw that he was standing in front of the pair of chain sickles, reaching out to pick them up.

Yi was shocked and quickly stepped back several paces, then sat cross-legged in mid-air to calm himself down through meditation.

After adjusting his mindset, Yi looked at the pair of chain sickles again, having already made up his mind.

Undoubtedly, this strange weapon with the power to bewitch people is extremely dangerous, but he cannot pretend not to see it and abandon it here.

The Sword Tomb of Mist does not belong to him alone. Without the protection of the Wuji Sword Sect, if this weapon were taken away by other swordsmen or blacksmiths who visit this place, it would definitely cause a bloodbath.

To be on the safe side, Yi used his sword to pick it up and put it into the bamboo basket behind him, then left the Sword Tomb before the sea of ​​fog descended.

Yi did not immediately return to the Sword Sect's new headquarters, but instead went to the old site that had been destroyed by alchemical flames.

The magic of acid and poison twisted the land, turning it into a barren wasteland where nothing could grow. But the self-regulating nature of the nascent soil allowed vines to grow back, covering the ruins of overturned pillars, stone carvings, houses, schools, and shrines.

Although vegetation has reappeared, the malevolent aura left by the disaster of that year still lingers over this land. Who could have imagined that such a once harmonious paradise between humans and nature would be overrun by ferocious, man-eating vines? They prey on life, using material things to replenish the spiritual energy lost from this land.

The graves of his parents, teachers, and apprentices were nearby. Yi dug a cenotaph for each of his relatives and friends who died in the war and planted a sword he found in the ruins in front of the grave. These were his memories of them.

This time, however, Yi wasn't there to reminisce about the past. He simply needed a quiet place where no one would disturb him, to destroy the evil weapons he had brought from the Misty Sword Tomb.

Yes, leaving the weapons in the Sword Tomb is inappropriate, and bringing them back to the sect also poses a risk, so destroying them would be ideal.

He donned his helmet, and his vision was filled with everything around him through a kaleidoscope. He clasped his hands together, closed his eyes, and calmed himself. His mind was free of distractions. Without a thought, without desire. His feet left the ground, but he was unaware of it.

Then, Yi opened his eyes, drew his ringed sword, and transformed it into a chaotic burst of sword light that swept across the chain sickle.

With a crisp clang, his sword was deflected, but the chain sickle remained unharmed.

"This... I underestimated you a bit." Although Yi was puzzled, he was not discouraged, but instead got into position to try again.

This time, he wielded not only his sword, but also his heart.

The spiritual realm contains immense power, like a surging river.

Ordinary swordsmen would try to scoop a handful of water from this river and "pour" it onto their swords, imbuing them with magic so that they could cut through metal and stone.

The true master, however, sacrifices himself within it, becoming part of the river, guiding the current upwards with the power to overwhelm mountains and seas.

Finally, Yi swung his sword. It looked like an ordinary sword strike, but it had the power to cut through an entire mountain!

However, even this small enough point to split a mountain failed to cleave the chain sickle.

The spiritual energy attached to the sword was completely swallowed up the moment it touched the chain sickle, as if it had been thrown into the sea.

“Meteorite from outer space…” Yi gripped his numb hands tightly and couldn’t help but gasp.

"Liberation...only by taking it up...can I attain liberation..."

The whisper of the chain sickle once again entered Yi's mind. Yi glanced at the darkening sky and knew that he couldn't do anything about this weapon for the time being, so he could only think of taking it back to the sect.

Upon returning to the sect's headquarters, a group of disciples immediately surrounded them.

These disciples were all recently recruited by Yi. Some were humans, some were Vastaya, and the youngest were only five or six years old, while the oldest were young adults in their twenties or thirties.

As long as one has a heart that wants to protect their home, Yi will teach all without discrimination.

"Master! Master! What kind of weapon is this? Why does it look so strange?"

"Don't touch it carelessly, this weapon is very dangerous."

When some mischievous children reached out to touch the chain sickle in the bamboo basket, Yi quickly stepped back and kept his distance from them.

Seeing that his disciples were still surrounding him and refused to leave, Yi was about to reprimand them sternly when a clear voice suddenly cut in front of him.

"You lot, can't you see your master is busy? Swordsmanship is something you have to practice diligently on your own, not something you can learn by just sticking to your master's side all day!"

The speaker was a young girl named Jun, who was the most talented among Yi's disciples. She was also diligent in her cultivation and had some resemblance to Yi in his youth, which made her quite popular with him.

Seeing that their eldest sister had spoken, and their master hadn't said anything, the disciples had no choice but to obediently go back to practice their swordsmanship and wait for dinner.

Yi nodded slightly to Jun. Jun's potential is limitless. If nothing unexpected happens, the girl will take over his mantle and revitalize the Wuji Sword Sect.

Ever since the chain sickle appeared, Yi had a persistent sense of foreboding, even affecting his meditation. (The last two lines appear to be unrelated and possibly machine-generated gibberish.)

The moment Yi loses focus, he thinks of this weapon, which makes him increasingly aware of its terrifying nature.

So he hid the chain sickle deep within the temple, forbidding any disciple from approaching. His disciples respected their master greatly, obeyed his word, and none dared to violate his precepts.

Yi thought that was the end of it, but he never expected that his actions would bring annihilation to the newly established sect.

Almost at the same time that Yi brought the Chain Scythe out of the Fog-Slaying Sword Tomb, another Darkborn in the northern province of Navori sensed its presence.

"Kayn, have you considered finding another weapon?" A sinister, low voice echoed in the mind of the shirtless youth.

"Laast, what are you up to now? I won't let go easily. It's your honor to be in my hands." The young man slung the menacing giant scythe over his shoulder, and at the junction of the scythe and the handle, a single, scarlet eye stared wide open.

His pupils contracted, revealing a cunning look. "What if I told you it was another Darkin weapon?"

"Oh?" The young man looked quite surprised.

He looked at the half of his body that had been corrupted by the Darkin weapon but had become even more powerful, and a sinister smile appeared on his face.

"Double the power, huh... Tell me about it."

Chapter 355 An Unexpected Disaster

Rhaast longs to reunite with his Darkin brethren and wipe out all life on earth, while the arrogant Kayn desires to acquire the power of another Darkin, surpassing his master, the Shadow Master.

At Rhaast's instigation, Kayn led a group of Shadow Cultists and infiltrated the Wuju Sword Sect, hidden deep in the mountains, like ghosts.

Kayn burst forth from the darkness, his giant scythe radiating a chilling aura of death, instantly felling a disciple who was intently practicing his swordsmanship.

Blood gushed out, and Laaste drank it down with gusto, letting out a chilling, maniacal laugh. This marked the beginning of a bloody massacre.

Faced with this sudden turn of events and her fellow disciples lying in pools of blood, Jun's head felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer, exploding instantly. Despite her shock and anger, she forced herself to remain calm.

"Little monkey, hurry to the temple and ask your master for help!" Jun shouted anxiously, while she picked up her sword and faced the Shadow Stream members who were charging like hungry wolves, trying her best to buy time.

The enemy was coming on strong, and these disciples had only recently begun their training and were not yet capable enough to be a match for them. They could only hope to survive if their master came to their rescue.

The Vastaya who were summoned immediately ran towards the temple on all fours, but Kayn emerged from the shrine beside the steps, his giant scythe flashing through the air, a fierce sweep ruthlessly cutting off the disciples' path to survival.