Watching Jian Dan and her group leave, Mo Su turned his gaze back to Hao Meng of the Nine Fiends Hall. His eyes swept over him up and down, and only when the man looked so uneasy that he could barely stand it did Mo Su finally speak.
"What did you do, to make Zūnshàng displeased with you?"
Hao Meng wiped at the sweat that was not actually on his brow before muttering in a low voice."I brought some sect disciples here to temper themselves. We were blocked by a barrier and thought it might be concealing a treasure, so I tried to open it..."
The more he spoke, the quieter his voice became.
Mo Su let out a cold laugh. "You should be thankful you were not erased by Jian Lu Zūnshàng on the spot. Now, take your people and leave."
"Yes."
Hao Meng dared not say another word. He quickly gathered his sect companions and departed in haste. He felt as though he had just walked the edge of life and death. If not for Mo Su Zūnzhǔ arriving so quickly, he might have turned into ashes already. And Jian Lu's reasoning would have been flawless—his sect would not even have grounds to seek justice on his behalf.
"Zūnzhǔ, please come look at this cave."
Mo Yi approached, face grim, and invited Mo Su inside.
While Mo Su had been dismissing the Nine Fiends Hall cultivators, Mo Yi had already set the "Mo" squad to work. Some members were cataloguing insect corpses for study and collection, while he and Mo Jiu had entered the blasted cave to investigate, wary of anything that might have slipped past them.
Following a winding tunnel, they had reached its depths, where they found clusters of unhatched insect eggs. Mo Jiu had been about to burn them to ash with demon flame, but Mo Yi stopped him.
"Pack these eggs separately. Sell them to the Beast Taming Sect later. We'll gain spirit stones and also give others a chance to study the insects' weaknesses. Two birds with one stone."
Mo Jiu quickly nodded, impressed. Their captain's foresight was always better. He pulled out a storage pouch and collected the eggs.
The two continued through the nest, clearing carcasses but leaving its structure intact. This was the most complete insect nest yet discovered and had considerable research value. It seemed the Heavenly Sword Sect experts always chose to draw the insects out and annihilate them, rather than destroy the hive itself.
Then Mo Yi's sharp eyes caught sight of a strip of brown-red vein snaking through a crack in the stone. His entire body tensed. He signaled Mo Jiu, who immediately tightened his grip on his curved blade.
Mo Yi slashed with a burst of sword qi, severing the vein. Dark-red blood oozed from the cut before falling still.
The two did not relax. They widened the fissure, uncovering a shaft plunging a hundred meters deeper.
"Captain, that's Absolute Spirit Stone!"
Indeed, they had broken into a cavern sealed by Absolute Spirit Stone. At the very moment it cracked open, Mo Jiu hurled his curved blade, demonic qi rolling as it spun through the hollow space before returning to his hand.
Silence.
Mo Yi sent his divine sense into the cavern. His scalp prickled instantly. He dropped a formation plate, setting up protection, then ordered sharply.
"Stay here. Guard it. I will summon Zūnzhǔ."
Mo Jiu's face paled, but he nodded firmly and stood watch, blade in hand.
When Mo Su and Mo Yi stepped into the Absolute Spirit Stone cavern, Mo Jiu greeted them, expression grim. Mo Yi activated the formation's opening, and Mo Su entered first.
The sight made his face darken at once.
The cavern was a hundred square meters wide. Veins of that brown-red tissue crept over the walls. It was the mark of a blood sac. In the center pool of blood floated clusters of black beetle eggs—but unlike the earlier ones, these were different.
These eggs had fused with the blood sac itself. The shells were latticed with red veins, pulsing as though alive, wrapping each egg in a network of blood vessels.
As the three examined, one egg cracked open. Instead of an insect leg, a blood-red vein slithered out, dipping into the blood pool beneath and greedily sucking at its contents.
Mo Su reacted instantly. With a flick of his wrist, the poisoned dagger Cold Moon Edge swept forth. A blast of frigid spiritual ice froze the entire cavern, and the mutated egg shattered into dust.
Expressionless, Mo Su commanded Mo Yi: "Record an image of this. Then destroy this cavern completely. Not one trace may remain. After that, lead the team to search the area again. If there are other caverns sealed by Absolute Spirit Stone, we cannot allow them to hide."
"Yes, Zūnzhǔ!"
Mo Yi and Mo Jiu knew the gravity of the situation. They dared not delay. One man stayed behind to clean the battlefield, while the rest dove into the tunnels to continue their painstaking search. Divine sense alone could not detect through Absolute Spirit Stone, meaning they had to probe each area manually.
Mo Su left behind a protective formation to seal off the battlefield, then immediately reported the discovery to Palace Lord Mo Lie.
Meanwhile, Jian Mao tore open the void, and the Heavenly Sword Sect cultivators arrived at their mountain gate. Their sudden appearance startled the stationed guards.
The two Golden Core disciples recognized the purple jade sword pendants at their waists and the sect robes on their bodies. They quickly bowed with utmost respect. "Greetings, honored seniors!"
The guards could not even make out the faces of these mighty ones, but sensing they were sect elders was enough.
Jian Dan noticed the issue immediately but said nothing. She simply presented her own sword token. The guards blinked in shock but inspected carefully, then returned it with even greater reverence.
"Greetings to Jian Lu Zūnshàng!"
"You have worked hard," Jian Dan replied warmly. She gestured for her companions to proceed.
Jian Mao entered first, and within moments they vanished into the gate. Only then did the two Golden Core guards dare whisper.
"We were truly lucky today... to see so many great powers of our sect in person!"
The other guard's eyes gleamed with excitement. "That was Jian Lu Zūnshàng herself who handed over her token! Her name is known far and wide!"
"I know. She wields two ancient weapons! She even forced that evil cultivator's demon blade to seal itself in the sea. She has brought great honor to our Heavenly Sword Sect!"
"If only one day we could rise to such heights... to wield ancient weapons!"
"Then cultivate diligently! The sect gives us many chances to advance. As for weapons, remember, Zūnshàng's divine arms were chosen from the Sword Tomb. That is our chance too."
"Exactly. That is why I took this gate guard duty—to save contribution points. With enough, I can enter the Sword Tomb and choose a sword myself."
"My thoughts exactly. And I heard the sect is about to recruit disciples from affiliated families and minor sects. My younger brother is of age. I want him to try."
"That's good. You will have a companion in cultivation."
The two fell silent, resuming their posts.
Back inside, Jian Mao clasped his hands. "Junior Sister, the mission is complete. The rest is in your hands. We will return to our peaks."
He had no intention of dealing with the aftermath.
"Very well. Thank you, Senior Brothers and Sisters. Please see to your own matters. Once I have time, I will invite you all to my cave-dwelling as guests."
Jian Dan bowed politely.
The truth was, had it not been for her, the "Heaven's Punishment" squad would have long since returned.
"Good."
They exchanged communication slips, then streaked away in streams of light, leaving Jian Dan standing alone.