Though the shriek did not carry outward, Jian Dan could feel it clearly. At last, a smile appeared on Jian Jing's face. She did not bother to hide her curiosity.
"Junior Sister, what did you add?"
"Karmic golden light."
"Ah, Junior Sister, you are generous." At Jian Dan's answer, understanding flashed across Jian Jing's heroic features, followed by a pang of heartache.
Jian Dan felt no heartache at all. They had to learn what this thing truly feared. She crooked a finger. The karmic golden light saturating the space drew back at once.
Only then did the blood insect's wail subside. Its already shrunken body kept trembling faintly, as if trying to recover from the karmic light's damage.
Once it steadied a little, it tested Jian Dan's spatial prison again. This time, the tendrils of crimson veins struck without leaving the slightest mark. On the contrary, each attack sheared a segment off its tendrils, making them shorter and shorter.
Unwilling to accept defeat, it changed directions and attacked again. The result was the same. At last it went still, floating at the center of the prison, unmoving, like a dead thing.
Jian Dan arched a brow. With a sweep of her sleeve, she collected the spatial prison she had constructed. A live specimen like this had real research value.
Jin Ai and Liuli both stared with shining eyes. It went without saying what sort of treatment the blood insect would face next.
The Yao Ancestor, who had held his tongue since Jian Dan spoke, understood very well that this thing, which had devastated his direct bloodline, could not be kept.
When the blood insect left its host a moment ago, it had lunged straight for him, clearly intending to make him its second host, or to devour him on the spot. If not for the warning from the Heavenly Sword Sect about the blood insect, he might have capsized in a ditch. Until now, they had thought it a poison, not a living creature.
Jian Dan raised a hand and withdrew her magnolia region. Smiling, she addressed the Yao Ancestor.
"Yao Daoyou, the situation changed too suddenly. To keep the disturbance from spreading to the other cultivators in your residence, I had no choice but to open my domain. It seems we startled your juniors."
The Yao Ancestor's mouth twitched. He voiced polite understanding and thanked her for the protection, but inwardly he was far from pleased. Anyone could see they wanted the blood insect alive. Otherwise, why add another domin outside his formation?
Yet it was also undeniable that the Heavenly Sword Sect cultivators had reacted with speed. Whether the blood insect tangled with him a moment longer, or rushed out of the Ice Cavern, it would have spelled disaster for the Yao clan.
Even with his early Unity cultivation, this new insect race called a blood insect had startled him. As for the lower-ranked cultivators of the clan, facing it directly would likely make them feed, just like his most beloved junior, Yao Bin, who had ended as drifting ash.
Once the domain faded, the Yao Ancestor led the way out of the Ice Cavern. Outside, a black mass of people filled the area. High-ranking Yao cultivators stood in front, with the rest arrayed behind them.
"Greetings, Ancestor."
"I am fine. A small problem, nothing more. Disperse." The Yao Ancestor flicked his hand, sending many of the clan members away. Cultivators like Yao Yingying, however, were not so easily dismissed.
At that moment, a Golden Core cultivator who watched over the ancestral hall hurried over. Seeing so many high-ranking members present, he approached uneasily, bowed, and reported:
"Yao Bin's soul lamp has changed. The soul flame is on the verge of going out. When I left the hall, it was extremely dim."
"I understand. Continue your watch. If the flame changes again, report at once." The Yao Ancestor spoke mildly, then gestured to Yao Lin and Yao Yingying. Everyone returned to the reception hall.
Once Yao Yingying learned the Heavenly Sword Sect's visitors' names, she let her gaze rest on Jian Dan for a few breaths longer before moving on. She then offered a respectful salute to the group.
After they were seated, Jian Dan picked up the question she had asked inside the Ice Cavern. "Yao Daoyou, you had temporarily stabilized the blood insect in Yao Bin's body. Why did things change so abruptly?"
The Yao Ancestor sighed, then spoke. "I feared his body would deteriorate. After speaking with you, I returned to the Ice Cavern and kept vigil by his side, considering ways to draw it out. Suddenly, the blood insect burst from his left arm and attacked me."
Jian Dan lifted a brow but did not interrupt. The Yao Ancestor continued. "Thankfully, I had learned its traits from you, so I protected Yao Bin's body first and confronted it, while sending a transmission to Yao Lin to call you for aid."
"It was sudden indeed. What provoked it?" Jian Jing murmured to herself.
This time, the Yao Ancestor did not answer.
Sensing the moment, the Yao Patriarch stepped forward. He bowed to Jian Dan and the others before speaking. "Honored seniors, this happened without warning. Although you acted to help, Yao Bin still turned to ash. The agreement we made with the Jin family can no longer be honored."
The Yao Ancestor did not stop him. Clearly, he thought the same.
The corner of Jian Dan's mouth curled in a cold smile. She glanced at Jian Po. Jian Po rose at once, bowed, and smiled with bewitching charm. Her voice was soft, but her words were sharp.
"Patriarch Yao, it seems you misread the post, and did not listen closely when my Zūnshàng spoke."
Both Yao Lin and Yao Yingying turned to Jian Po, curious to hear what she would say.
"The Jin Ancestor's invitation post asked us to detoxify. But Young Master Yao was not poisoned, he was parasitized by a blood insect, and that was something our two Zūnshàng discovered. Before seeing Yao Bin, my Zūnshàng also stated very clearly that when it comes to detoxification, she was absolutely confident."
Jian Dan nodded in satisfaction. At her side, Jian Jing worked to keep a smile from lifting the corner of her mouth.
Everyone from the Yao clan understood. Their meaning was simple. They had come to detoxify, and could have done so with ease, but Yao Bin was not poisoned. He was parasitized. By that measure, they had not misspoken and had kept their promise.
"Furthermore, Yao Bin's Primordial Soul was extracted in time by my Zūnshàng and placed into a Soul-Nurturing Pearl. Surely you do not think Soul-Nurturing Pearls are star grass that grows on every hillside."
"Ahem." The Yao Ancestor coughed lightly, covering his embarrassment.
Jian Po pretended not to hear and lobbed another shell. "Besides, Yao Bin's sudden change had nothing to do with our two Zūnshàng's investigation, not even a single spirit stone's worth. It happened on Yao territory. You would do well to ask your Furong Zhizi."
With that, Jian Po sat down at her leisure.
The Yao cultivators frowned. The Yao Ancestor was shocked.
Yao Bin's sudden change had indeed been triggered by the clan's warding spirit plant, the Furong Zhizi. At that moment, only he, the Furong Zhizi, and the unconscious Yao Bin had been present. No fourth breathing soul.
"Yao Daoyou, think carefully before you speak. Do not be evasive. My temper is not as good as my Junior Sister's." Jian Jing's cool, even voice dropped the room into dead silence.
A guard entering from outside broke the stillness. Seeing the grim faces within, he steeled himself and reported: "Patriarch, Kong Xingkun Zūnzhě of the Kong family requests an audience. He insists on seeing you."