The Mó Yuè Zhǎn spun around Jian Dan, reshaping into a one-meter crescent blade before plunging into the pool water.
Swoosh!
The water burst out violently, reversing direction and spilling toward the entrance. The blade continued spinning deeper into the pool.
The Golden Core worthy cultivators guarding the cave entrance froze in surprise. They dared not act rashly—they were clearly in the enemy's lair. Each drew their weapon, forming a tight circle with their backs to the door, ready to strike at a moment's notice.
When the Mó Yuè Zhǎn returned, it brought back a spray of bloodied water. A Nascent Soul-level female cultivator in red robes sprang from the pool without a word and unleashed a water spell. Ice needles formed and shot at Jian Dan, who was just finishing recalling her blade.
Jian Dan was quick to respond. Tracing a circle in the air with her right hand, she manifested a massive Manjushahua flame blossom to shield herself. The ice needles were instantly consumed by the flame, vaporizing into steam.
Mo Su Zhēnjūn readied his Hán Yuè Rèn, wreathed in demonic qi, and slashed at the water cultivator above the pool. The cultivator conjured an ice wall to block the blow, but it shattered instantly.
Jian Dan sent her Mó Yuè Zhǎn in for the finish, severing the woman's arm in one swift stroke.
The blade did not retract. After removing the arm, it whirled backward, slicing through the cultivator's dantian. A fat Yuányīng escaped from the body, clutching the ice shard, but before it could flee more than a meter away, it was devoured by a pigeon-egg-sized black-armored insect. The insect then flew swiftly to Mo Su Zhēnjūn's forehead.
Mo Su Zhēnjūn remained calm. As the insect attempted to breach his spirit sea, his demonic qi formed a black cage in front of his forehead, entrapping the insect. He contracted his qi and crushed it into pulp.
Jian Dan followed suit, forming hand seals to summon a Manjushahua blossom that burned the remains into ash.
Mo Su Zhēnjūn scanned their surroundings while Jian Dan directed the flame to burn off what little water remained at the pool's bottom.
The spring ignited instantly. Jian Dan narrowed her eyes and swept across her black-gold ring. Instantly, a red umbrella appeared in her hand. This red umbrella was a trophy Jian Dan had claimed when she was in mid-Foundation Establishment stage, during a sea hunt near Tianyue City.
Named the Demon Shadow Umbrella, it was an exceptional demonic artifact with powerful defensive capabilities. When opened, its red canopy was adorned with purple mandala flowers. It could defend against the attacks of cultivators one level higher, reflecting the assault back to its source.
Moreover, if the handle was twisted, petals would drift from the umbrella, inducing illusions that lulled enemies into unconsciousness, trapping them in their own dreams. The handle's end concealed a hidden dagger coated with "Bone-maggot toxin" so lethal that even cultivators feared it.
Before entering this spatial layer, Jian Dan had bound the umbrella to herself as a backup demonic artifact—ready for any contingency. She had not expected to need it so soon.
Opening the umbrella, she created a red barrier that deflected the fiery water sparks flying outward. At the same time, Mo Su Zhēnjūn formed a wall of water with one hand, shielding them from the firestorm.
Suddenly, two soft squeaks came from the pool's depths. A ten-meter-long black worm, its skin still smoldering, erupted from the spring.
Jian Dan could not help but swear, her enchanting face twisting in disgust.
Mo Su Zhēnjūn was unmoved. Casting a glance at Jian Dan, he calmly said, "That is the mother body breeding the black-armored larvae. It is fragile and normally well hidden. It seems we have truly stumbled into the insect nest."
Jian Dan understood immediately and looked at him, asking, "Zhēnjūn, shall we kill it or capture it alive?"
"If we keep it alive, it will continue to attract larvae or possessed cultivators."
"Can we not use it as bait?"
The black worm writhed in flame, trying to quench the fire. It let out frantic squeaks at Jian Dan and Mo Su Zhēnjūn.
"With our current strength, we cannot deal with an endless wave of offspring. Killing it is simpler."
"Agreed."
As she closed the umbrella, the Mó Yuè Zhǎn shot forward and severed the worm into two pieces. To their surprise, golden liquid gushed from within. Mo Su Zhēnjūn retrieved a black porcelain vial to collect some of it. Jian Dan followed, drawing the golden fluid into her own collecting vial.
Mo Su Zhēnjūn signaled Jian Dan to burn the corpse. At that same instant, the silver-armored insect Jian Dan had previously released messaged her. Something was detected beneath the poolbed.
Jian Dan packed the insect's remains into her storage pouch, teleporting it into her spatial pocket. She then cast a purification spell to cleanse the battlefield.
"Zhēnjūn, my spirit insect found something beneath here. Should we investigate?"
As they spoke, trouble erupted outside. A swarm of pigeon-egg-sized black-armored insects surged toward the cave, clashing fiercely with the Golden Core cultivators.
"Zhēnjūn!" one of his subordinates shouted.
Jian Dan and Mo Su Zhēnjūn exchanged a glance.
"They came sooner than expected."
They had anticipated this after slaying the black worm. The arrival was faster than they'd hoped.
"Zhēnjūn, order everyone to fall back here. I'll set this place so that anyone who enters never leaves."
With narrowed eyes, Jian Dan moved into action. She produced talismans, plastering the entire cave interior with explosive and flame seals—over a thousand symbols, wall to wall—leaving only the black hole beneath the pool unsealed.
She summoned a water sphere, dripped a drop of the golden liquid into it, and performed hand seals. The sphere shattered into countless droplets that rained onto each talisman.
Mo Su Zhēnjūn acted swiftly. He emerged from the cave and battered the swarm with his Hán Yuè Rèn, scattering them before guiding the remaining seven cultivators back inside.
Once regrouped, they followed the winding tunnel created by the worm beneath the pool. Jian Dan broke the defense formation at the entrance once they entered the underground passage. The black-armored insects poured in at once, swarming the cave.