Ji Xia left the city of Fengfu in the Great Fu Nation. Using his shape-shifting abilities, he altered his appearance and traveled eastward. His spiritual energy surged as he passed through various magnificent cities and witnessed grand landscapes along the way.
There were only about seven or eight days left until the eclipse.
The Great Fu Nation's territory was vast, and Ji Xia dared not waste any time on the road.
He constantly activated his Solar Divine Eyes, avoiding many powerful monsters in advance. He pressed straight eastward, entering towns during the day and bypassing them at night to avoid unnecessary trouble.
Thanks to the boundless spiritual energy in his Snow Mountain reserve and the steady supply from the Jupiter Sovereign's Dharma Form, Ji Xia maintained peak speed throughout his journey.
After traveling day and night, he finally reached the edge of a dark forest and spotted a barren desert in the distance, devoid of vegetation.
"At last, I've left the Great Fu Nation," Ji Xia murmured, not daring to pause. He kept his Solar Divine Eyes blazing, with twin golden crows hovering in the suns of his pupils, vigilantly scanning the surroundings.
The abilities of the Solar Divine Eyes had improved significantly. He could now see clearly up to thirty or fifty miles away. Beyond just distance, he could also perceive spiritual energy clusters within a hundred miles. Even obstacles like mountains and dense forests couldn't block his vision, as his consciousness penetrated through them effortlessly.
As he stepped into the desert, he ignored the occasional monsters he encountered and continued his rapid pace.
After running for hours, Ji Xia spotted a massive floating island suspended in the sky far ahead.
It was the same floating island he had encountered while leaving Tai Cang for the Great Fu Nation.
The island hung silently in the air. With his Solar Divine Eyes, Ji Xia observed a dozen dense clusters of spiritual energy roaming the island.
"These must be the powerful individuals sent by the Great Fu Nation, continuously exploring the floating island," Ji Xia speculated.
Initially, three High Symbol Generals from the Great Fu were dispatched to investigate, but they found nothing. Later, Zhaowu had told him that the Great Fu Nation had sent over ten Divine Power Realm experts to camp and observe the island.
"Knowing that the floating island must harbor a monumental secret but being unable to uncover it must be frustrating for the Great Fu Nation, the ruler of a realm spanning thousands of miles," Ji Xia thought.
He continued onward without slowing down, passing beneath the floating island and heading further east across the desert.
The desert was immense. Even with Ji Xia's exceptional speed, it took him half a day to reach its edge.
To the east of the desert lay three small nations standing side by side. Each had a population of only about 100,000.
These three nations shared a common ancestry and were inhabited by the Insectfang Clan. These people resembled enormous mantises, with sharp pincers in their mouths and scythe-like limbs.
The Insectfang Clan couldn't walk upright. However, their societies were hierarchically structured with clear divisions of labor. Their civilization was primitive, lacking significant rituals or customs.
Unable to connect with spiritual energy, they relied solely on their robust bodies, sharp mouthparts, and gleaming pincers. Unfortunately, in the vast wilderness, a race unable to cultivate spiritual energy and with only moderate physical prowess was destined to be preyed upon by stronger creatures.
At this moment, Ji Xia noticed through his Solar Divine Eyes that the three nations, which were usually at the mercy of the Zhouqing Clan, had gathered an army of about ten thousand troops. They were marching in unison toward the Zhouqing Nation to the east.
"It seems the internal strife within the Zhouqing Nation broke out after I left and has now reached its conclusion. Their strength must be severely depleted," Ji Xia surmised.
"The Insectfang Clan has no interest in the plains. They simply want revenge and to devour the remaining Zhouqing people."
The individual members of the Insectfang Clan were weak, even compared to ordinary Zhouqing soldiers. In the past, they wouldn't dare provoke the Zhouqing Clan. To avoid trouble, they would even sacrifice ten of their own to the Zhouqing Clan's totems daily.
But now, the Insectfang Clan warriors marched boldly, their pincers raised and their sharp mouthparts gleaming, toward the Zhouqing Nation.
Ji Xia had no intention of interfering. He doubted the Insectfang Clan's army would significantly impact the Zhouqing Nation.
"Let them do as they please. When I return to Tai Cang, I'll send some troops to warn them off. They can do whatever they like, as long as they don't damage the honeyfruit grove," Ji Xia thought, planning to bypass the Insectfang Clan army and continue searching for Shiyang and his companions.
Suddenly, the Solar Divine Eyes detected a massive surge of spiritual energy speeding toward him from the northern desert.
Before Ji Xia could react, a gray cloud appeared at the edge of his vision, traveling dozens of miles in an instant.
Startled, Ji Xia focused his eyes and saw within the gray cloud a middle-aged man with an eagle-like hooked nose, sharp features, and a pair of thin mustaches. He was clad in a gray robe and flying through the air.
Before Ji Xia could think further, the gray cloud had already passed over the Insectfang Clan's army below.
The Insectfang soldiers looked up in terror at the ominous sight, screaming and scattering like frightened rats. Some even crouched on the ground in despair.
Fortunately for them, the gray cloud didn't linger. It continued southward.
Ji Xia exhaled in relief. The spiritual energy within the cloud was so overwhelming it left him deeply shaken. If the figure in the cloud had come his way, Ji Xia would have had no choice but to flee.
But then—
"Hm?"
Ji Xia noticed that after traveling several dozen miles, the gray cloud abruptly turned back.
It flew over in the blink of an eye, hovering above the still-terrified Insectfang soldiers.
The middle-aged man suspended within the gray cloud opened his mouth and inhaled. The cloud itself was drawn into his body as his form began to expand.
In Ji Xia's astonished gaze, the man transformed into a colossal gray eagle, over a hundred feet tall.
The eagle flapped its wings and inhaled again.
On the ground below, thousands of Insectfang soldiers were swept into the air by a terrifying gust of wind and swallowed whole by the eagle.
Within seconds, the entire army of ten thousand was consumed.
Ji Xia's eyelids twitched uncontrollably.
He had just witnessed a shape-shifting great demon devour over ten thousand lives on a whim.
The wilderness was indeed cruel, ruthless, and unpredictable.