In the sea of consciousness, the black beetle was on the verge of exploding. Death loomed, ready to consume it whole. It didn't want to end up like its kin, reduced to dust. Clinging to a thread of clarity, it managed to cry out in a voice as soft as a mosquito's hum:
"Spare me, my lord..."
Only then did Jian Dan release her control. She looked down at Bi Shu, waiting for her to rise from the ground a second time before finally speaking.
"You're aware this is Lingyun Continent. You are an invader. Among the human race, there's a saying—'those not of our race are bound to harbor ill intent.' What right do you have to bargain with me?"
"I wouldn't dare."
"Then act like it. Show me you know what it means to not dare, to not presume, to know your place. You haven't fully fused with this cultivator's soul yet. If I wanted to rip you out, it would be no trouble. Even if you had fully merged, I could still tear your memories apart."
"I understand. I won't resist again."
Bi Shu had finally learned. She no longer dared to hold on to even a scrap of defiance.
"Now, I'll ask questions. You will answer."
"Yes."
"How did you and your broodmother enter Lingyun Continent?"
"Through what you call a purple-tier secret realm."
"The realm was sealed. Did you escape inside a cultivator's body?"
"Some of us did."
"And the others?"
"Our broodmother tore open a spatial rift and cast her eggs into this continent."
"How many broodmothers?"
"I don't know."
"Hmm?"
"I swear I'm not lying. I was born here, bred by my broodmother after her arrival. Only broodmothers can communicate with each other. I've never met the others."
Mo Su nodded slightly toward Jian Dan, confirming the truth—only broodmothers could connect with one another.
"Why did you invade Lingyun Continent?"
"There's food here. Resources that allow us to survive and reproduce."
Mo Qi narrowed her eyes.
"You mean the living beings of this continent?"
Bi Shu didn't dare speak. She gave the smallest of nods.
"Quite the appetite."
"Where are you from?"
"I don't know."
The group was clearly dissatisfied with that answer. Mo Yi spoke up first.
"Then where is your broodmother from? You should know that, right?"
"The Broodmother is... the Broodmother. She's the queen of all our kind, commanding every insect under her rule."
"Even the parasitized cultivators?"
Bi Shu flinched, surprised at the sharpness of the question. She dared not meet Mo Yue's gaze and quickly bowed her head in affirmation.
Jian Dan tapped her fingers on the jade table. She sifted through every encounter with these foreign black beetles, recalling the swarm attack during the trial in Demon Abyss and the internal purge she helped with at the Heavenly Demon Palace.
While she was lost in thought, Mo Qi, Mo Su, and Mo Yi were all considering their own deductions.
Mo Su's mind was the most active. Ever since the incident in the Chilong Secret Realm, he had been hunting these insects nonstop. After hearing about them from Shan Yunzu of the Heavenly Sword Sect, he had even orchestrated their extermination in Demon Abyss. He'd captured a few black beetles that hadn't fully detached from their hosts and interrogated them—but without exception, they knew nothing of their origins. They were tools, nothing more.
Jian Dan suddenly stopped tapping and turned toward Mo Su.
"Senior Brother Mo Su, all the black beetles you've hunted—were they the same size as the ones we fought in Demon Abyss?"
"Yes."
"They parasitize. They don't fight on their own, only through their hosts?"
"Correct."
"I heard you once encountered a giant black beetle. It was strong."
"Yes. That was during the collapse of the Chilong Secret Realm."
"And since then, none like it have appeared?"
"None."
Bi Shu listened closely, not understanding where this line of questioning was headed.
Jian Dan's eyes grew distant. A theory had begun to form.
She turned back to Bi Shu with a gentle smile.
"Xiaoyou, I still haven't properly introduced myself."
Bi Shu straightened her back a little.
"I am the disciple of Mo Mei Zūnzhǔ, under the seat of Mo Yan Zhēnzūn, of the Heavenly Demon Palace. My name is Jian Dan. I was granted the title Mo Yue."
As her words fell, the long-silent Mó Yuè Zhǎn suddenly flew out from Jian Dan's core. The blade circled Bi Shu once, releasing a pure surge of demonic qi that pricked at her skin and made the black beetle inside her tremble violently.
The blade spirit of Mó Yuè Zhǎn communicated with Jian Dan through divine sense.
"Another loose fish. Should I finish her?"
"No need. She has her uses."
"Fine."
The blade turned back into a stream of light and returned to her dantian, resuming its quiet cultivation.
Bi Shu finally regained some control over her stiff body and gave Jian Dan a proper salute.
"Bi Shu greets Mo Yue Jūnshàng."
"I'm sparing your life because I want you to act as my inside agent among the Insect Race. Understand?"
Bi Shu blinked, thinking she misheard. She rubbed her ears reflexively. Across the table, only Jian Dan remained calm. The other three took a moment to process what she just said before Mo Yi slapped the table and burst out laughing.
"Aha! Why didn't I think of that? As expected of Junior Sister!"
"As a trade," Jian Dan continued, "I'll tell you the truth about your species. Its origin, growth, and current condition."
At this, everyone turned toward her in unison.
Jian Dan raised her teacup, took a sip, then began her tale.
"Countless years ago, your ancestors were born on a continent rich with resources. In order to expand the race, your broodmother kept reproducing endlessly. Over time, your kind grew stronger as they absorbed more energy.
But strength made you greedy. You began invading neighboring races, consuming their resources, expanding your territory. With each war, your numbers and strength grew.
Eventually, you exterminated every living race on that continent. After that came several thousand years of peace and unchecked growth."
She paused, watching their captivated expressions, then continued.
"But here lies the problem. With no more enemies, your reproduction accelerated. You drained the land of its energy. Eventually, the continent could no longer sustain you. It began to crumble and collapse, and was ultimately destroyed.
Your broodmother had no choice. She took the entire race and migrated. Now tell me, what do you think happened to the next continent? Or the one after that?"
"They were destroyed," Mo Su said coldly.
"Exactly. It's a vicious cycle. You migrate, devour, destroy. Again and again. Like a swarm of bloodsucking parasites with no restraint, you bring ruin to every world you touch."