I Have Infinite Skill Points-Chapter 501 Six-winged Golden Cicada

"A level-surpassing kill. Reward: 100,000 experience points, 8,000 skill points."

What? Hearing this notification in his mind, Wang Lan almost plummeted from the sky. A level-surpassing kill on such a tiny insect, the size of a fingernail? Is even a bug’s level higher than mine?

Of course, his surprise was only momentary. Wang Lan quickly recovered his senses. How could an insect that slaughtered an entire frontline base, even killing two Titled Strongmen, be simple?

At this moment, everyone present was staring at Wang Lan in a daze.

The scene of the flying insect charging towards Wang Lan seemed frozen in their vision. Then, a ripple of space spread out, and the flying insect vanished. What was going on? Was this some kind of spatial teleportation?

"Wang Lan, where’s the flying insect?" Bai Xiaofeng approached Wang Lan with a gloomy expression and asked in a low voice. He was the only one present who truly understood the terror of the insect.

Even though the flying insect had effortlessly killed a Pioneer at the Galaxy Stage, the others still thought it impossible for such an insect to kill someone at the Star Sea Stage, let alone a Titled Strongman.

But Bai Xiaofeng, who had almost died at the hands of the insect, knew all too well that it wasn’t difficult for it to kill a Titled Strongman—unless they found a way to counter it.

"It’s dead," Wang Lan replied softly.

"What? Dead?" Bai Xiaofeng looked at Wang Lan in shock. An insect that could have easily killed me was dead in an instant? Just now, I was wondering how to counter the insect, and before I even had a chance to think of a plan, he killed it?

"The situation is basically clear now. Next, we need to find out exactly what this flying insect Exotic Beast is and whether there are many of them. We can go back now," Wang Lan said, looking around at everyone indifferently.

This time, they had seemingly encountered only one flying insect enemy, but this single insect had nearly sent everyone reeling to the brink of the Ghost Gate. Wang Lan’s suggestion was exactly what they wanted. Wrapped in Qiao Shan’s Star Power, everyone disappeared.

「In a cave shrouded in thick fog, an oil lamp flickered uncertainly.」

An old monk sat cross-legged with his eyes tightly closed, meditating in silence. Suddenly, the lamplight before him shook violently, and the old monk’s eyes burst open.

With his eyes closed, the old monk’s expression was one of benevolence and compassion. But the moment his eyes opened, they filled with malevolence and murderous intent.

"AH! PUH—" Suddenly, the old monk screamed in agony, spitting out a mouthful of blood.

"’Sir!’" A chorus of alarmed cries echoed as figures rushed into the cave. The sight of the old monk vomiting blood sent them into a panic.

"Sir, what’s wrong with you?"

"Sir, what happened?"

"Damn it... Damn it! My most powerful Golden Cicada has been killed... Cursed, cursed... Who did this? Who did it? If I find out, I will suppress you in Infernal Hell for eternity—never to be reborn—" As his words fell, the old monk suddenly spread his arms, and two golden insects burst from his body. Seeing the insects emerge, the crowd that had just been anxiously fussing over the old monk screamed in terror and turned to flee.

But how could their escape speed compare to that of the Golden Cicadas? In the blink of an eye, a large part of the crowd lay fallen, as neatly arranged as if mown down by machine gunfire.

"HUFF—HUFF—"

"Can’t you refrain from killing every time you get angry? Do you have any semblance of a monk left in you? If Buddha knew that the Buddha Sect had produced a disgrace like you, he would surely manifest to cleanse the sect."

As he spoke, a figure gradually materialized from the void: a strange individual clad in a white, tight-fitting suit that covered his entire body, his head enveloped in a hood that clung to his face like a swim cap.

"I killed them to send them to paradise and accrue boundless merit—how is that wrong?"

"The Four Major Precepts, the Four Minor Precepts, which haven’t you broken? Hmph! Forget it. What is it this time?"

"My Golden Cicada has died."

"The one sealed by Sun Chang’an?" the man in white asked without emotion.

"Yes."

"Although Sun Chang’an’s Earth Symphony is indeed powerful, capable of assimilating and sealing everything within its range of influence, it seems unlikely that it could kill the Golden Cicada so quickly, right? Once the people of Jade Country undid the Earth Symphony’s seal, with the Golden Cicada’s speed, escaping shouldn’t have been difficult. Could it be that Emperor Bai released the Earth Symphony?"

"It shouldn’t be. Anyway, my Golden Cicada died peacefully; I don’t even know how it died. Damn it, without this Golden Cicada, my strength has decreased by at least thirty percent."

"That much?"

"Nonsense! Would I be this angry if I hadn’t lost so much combat power? Originally, I was thinking of contending for the vacancy left by Sony, but now it seems I’ll be fortunate just to maintain my title as Sir."

"Given your severe loss of strength, where do you get the audacity to speak to me like this? Anyone who doesn’t know any better might think your power has grown, not diminished."

"Amitayus Buddha! Don’t think that just because you are the Wings of Paradise you can provoke me. Even Sony didn’t dare speak to me like this; do you think you’re worthy?"

"I don’t wish to continue this dispute with you, as it will inevitably lead to a fight. Enough. Let’s prepare for the mission."

「Cloud Sea Pioneer Space Headquarters.」

Shen Xiaowu, though busy issuing a series of orderly commands to prepare for the recapture of the southern region, kept his eyes constantly fixed on the wall-mounted timekeeper.

It had been over six hours since Wang Lan and the others had left. He wondered whether they had arrived at the front lines to discover any important intelligence, or whether they had encountered the mastermind behind the southern region’s defeat.

It was not that Shen Xiaowu doubted the strength of Wang Lan and his team; the collapse of the southern region was simply too baffling. Before Wang Lan’s departure, Shen Xiaowu and Black Fox had simulated countless scenarios using the sand table.

No matter how they deduced it, they could not understand how such a huge movement as the beast tide could go unnoticed by the five defense lines, allowing these five lines to collapse without a single military report being sent out?

No matter how they simulated it, they could not deduce how all five defense lines could have fallen in one night. The conclusion they reached made them extremely uneasy: Only if the first line of defense had been completely annihilated before the beast tide arrived could it have approached the second line undetected. And only if the thousand troops at the second line had been rendered deaf and blind when the beast tide approached could the Exotic Beasts have rushed through. They would have passed the second line as if breaking through window screens, advancing to the third. What kind of force could achieve this? Was it a pioneer assassination squad composed of several Abyssal Beasts? That was impossible.

"Commander-in-chief, they’re back!" the chief of staff announced, bursting into the command center, his voice filled with excitement. Shen Xiaowu had been feeling uneasy.

"Quick, please let them in."

It was Wang Lan and his companions who entered the command center.

"How did it go? Did you find anything?"

"We did. Before the beast tide hit, the troops at the frontline sub-area command and the first line of defense were basically annihilated. Never mind resisting the beast tide; the Exotic Beasts breached the defenses without a single casualty. We didn’t encounter any resistance until we reached the third line of defense, but by then it was too late. The defensive forces in the blockhouses, city walls, and watchtowers had all been eliminated."

"So it is," said Shen Xiaowu, his face turning cold as ice. "Is it an enemy nation or a hostile organization?"

"It’s still unclear." Wang Lan shook his head. Then, he opened his Void Storing, took out the Golden Cicada, and placed it on Shen Xiaowu’s desk.

"Don’t be fooled by this bug’s small size; its power is terrifyingly formidable. More than twenty thousand of our brothers at the forward camp, including two Titled Strongmen, fell victim to it. Our small team also nearly fell victim to it."

After Wang Lan’s explanation, Shen Xiaowu stared intently at the golden insect. The insect was already dead. It resembled an ordinary cicada but was entirely golden, like an exquisite gold artifact. Even the bristles on the Golden Cicada’s body were clearly visible.

"Such a small bug possesses this much power?" Shen Xiaowu glanced at it, incredulous. "Chief of Staff, immediately investigate what on earth this bug is!"

"Yes, sir!"

About an hour later, the chief of staff hurried back. "Commander-in-chief, we’ve found it! This bug is called the Six-winged Golden Cicada, a national divine artifact of Vine Country."

"BANG!" Upon hearing this, Shen Xiaowu erupted with fury. Slamming his hand on the desk, he shot to his feet. "Vine Country! How audacious! They’re courting death!"

If it had been Exotic Beasts, their defeat would be understandable. If it had been a Paradise Bird, they would hate it, but not with such fury. But for it to be Vine Country—right under Jade Country’s nose! How dared this tiny Vine Country do such a thing?

"What exactly is this Six-winged Golden Cicada? How can it be so powerful?" Wang Lan asked with confusion.

"The Six-Winged Heavenly Silkworm first appeared about a hundred years ago, when the war with the Demon Clan was at its fiercest. At that time, the State Preceptor of Vine Country somehow obtained seven Golden Cicadas, each possessing unique and formidable powers. Vine Country, originally weak, relied solely on these seven cicadas to repeatedly inflict heavy losses on the Demon Clan in East Asia. The State Preceptor of that era was the only hero to earn the title ’Vanquisher of Ten Thousand Demons.’ And these ten thousand demons were not mere Biochemical Demon Soldiers or low-ranking Demon Clan members; they were genuine elite Demon Clan warriors."

"So, that’s what happened." Shen Xiaowu continued, "El Nino caused the Pioneer Spaces of various nations to collide. Vine Country’s experts entered and conducted this sneak attack, then attempted to frame the beast tide for it. Hmph! Now that we have the Golden Cicada, let’s see how they try to explain themselves."

After venting his anger, Shen Xiaowu gradually calmed. "Wang Lan, you’ve all done very well this time. Now that the Cloud Sea Pioneer Space is relatively stable, I’ll give you a few days off. Whether you rest in the space cities or return home is up to you."

"Thank you, Commander-in-chief," Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu saluted and expressed their thanks.

Both Wang Lan and Jiang Xinyu needed rest, especially Jiang Xinyu. She had just broken through to the Galaxy Stage and had not yet fully stabilized her realm. Moreover, she still needed to learn Supreme Goodness Like Water and the Sunlight Sword Skill.

Both of these Star Martial Skills had a very high starting point and were very difficult to master. A quick way to enhance Jiang Xinyu’s strength would be for her to learn a few more ultra S-class Star Martial Skills. But in my view, with Supreme Goodness Like Water and the Sunlight Sword Skill, other ultra S-class Star Martial Skills were of little significance. If she learned them, it might increase combat effectiveness in the short term, but in the long run, her progress would depend mainly on Supreme Goodness Like Water and the Sunlight Sword Skill. It would be better to master these two Star Martial Skills as soon as possible rather than waste time on others.

I haven’t learned Supreme Goodness Like Water, so I can’t help with that, but I can with the Sunlight Sword Skill. I could pass a Sword Qi to Jiang Xinyu to accelerate her mastery. Further advancement could also be catalyzed by my Sword Qi as an initiator to advance her Sunlight Sword Skill. It’s just that I haven’t had the time to do so yet.