Jian Dan opened the Demon Shadow Umbrella above her head and let it hover as a shield. She then sprang into action, arranging her defenses with precision. Her Mó Yuè Zhǎn morphed into a 40 cm crescent blade, automatically shredding invaders that came too close.
At each tunnel entrance she planted a low‐level explosive talisman, firing them as deep into the cave as she could. She wove threads of spiritual power into fine strings, bound them together in her palm, and embedded single‐use attack artifacts at each entry point. Each was marked by her temporary divine imprint.
Reaching the stone platform, she retrieved half of the black worm's corpse from her pouch and placed it in the center. Beneath it she set a hidden formation disk. Once the corpse shifted, the disk would activate, drawing in air, moisture, and spiritual energy—creating a Silence Extinction Formation that would render the area void of activity.
The corpse attracted a swarm of black-armored insect larvae. They created a buzzing storm around the formation, seeking to enter Jian Dan's spirit sea and parasitize her.
Only Mo Su Zhēnjūn remained to guard her. The other Golden Core cultivators had already entered the opposite tunnel, watching anxiously from behind.
Mo Su Zhēnjūn's demonic qi surged; with his Poison Dagger Cold Moon Blade he cut down wave after wave of attackers while Jian Dan completed her setup. Once the traps were in place, she and Mo Su Zhēnjūn adhered the contributed talismans to the walls, topping up any weak spots with her own stock.
She drew a fireball into her palm and channeled it into the bound spiritual threads—igniting the fuse. One after another, explosions roared deep in the tunnels.
Larvae, startled by the blasts, flooded out of every tunnel. Those who couldn't escape were shredded by the explosives.
Jian Dan and Mo Su Zhēnjūn retreated to the safe tunnel entrance. Around them, the space teemed with insect larvae—nearly filling the chamber.
The Mó Yuè Zhǎn whirled around Jian Dan, forming an impenetrable oval shield. No larvae could break through its continuous spin.
Jian Dan guarded her divine sense vigilantly. Once almost all larvae had converged around the mother worm's corpse, she triggered the embedded artifacts in the walls.
Boom, boom, boom — every tunnel was instantly blown open and sealed by the explosions. Dozens of single-use artifacts erupted with force rivaling Golden Core self-detonation. The chamber shook violently.
Jian Dan was caught in the tremor and hurled forward. Mo Su Zhēnjūn, already at the entrance, caught her with a string of demonic qi and yanked her into the tunnel before she fell face-first.
They had just entered when his disciple placed a formation disk at the entrance. A barrier formed, sealing the chamber behind them.
Jian Dan saluted and thanked him.
Ahead, insect larvae swarmed the corpse, crowding the necropolis. She released a single Manjushahua flame blossom through the barrier. It drifted toward the tunnel covered in talismans, setting the entire chamber ablaze.
Larvae, panicked like headless flies, stampeded toward the burning room. The Silence Extinction Formation activated, expanding outward from the corpse and consuming the emptiness.
Jian Dan mounted her Mó Yuè Zhǎn and soared through the waist-high passage, keeping pace with Mo Su Zhēnjūn. Others followed on flight devices, heading into the dark corridor.
Behind them, explosions and falling rock echoed. Everyone sensed the cave's collapse. Jian Dan boosted their speed with a spell. For about half an hour they pressed onward down the endless tunnel. Then the critic Golden Core demoness spoke up.
"Zhēnjūn, did we pass this spot before? I recall an odd corner in the stone wall. This is the second time I've seen it."
They all halted and examined the uneven corner. They had missed it before. Eyes turned to Mo Su Zhēnjūn.
He scanned with divine sense. Seeing nothing amiss, he instructed them forward. Everyone moved on, though Jian Dan frowned slightly and remained silent.
She realized that every time they reached that point, the path forced a left turn, as if guided by some unseen force—always circling around that corner.
Without vocal command, the team noticed the loop. The demoness spoke up again:
"Did the insects trap us? Are they guiding us back?"
She glanced at Jian Dan skeptically.
Jian Dan circled the area casually, then abruptly punched the suspicious corner. Though it looked like a single strike, her fist landed ten precise impacts on the same spot, then she stepped back five paces.
Ripples spread from the impact point, washing across the stone wall.
"Everyone fall back!"
Mo Su Zhēnjūn commanded the retreat. They stepped back twenty meters. The ripples stopped and the wall returned to smooth.
No explanation was needed—the formation had been triggered. But Jian Dan stared thoughtfully at the wall, uncertain of what lay beyond the broken barrier.
All eyes turned to her once again. The critic demoness asked:
"Daoist, how did you spot that anomaly?"
Jian Dan answered honestly: "I practice the Eye of Dispelling Illusion. I saw doubt, but not the truth behind it."
The demoness spoke again: "We've been through this together but I don't know your name."
"I'm Jian Dan, a Loose Cultivator."
"But do you have a master?" Mo Su Zhēnjūn asked suddenly.
"Kind of. I received some inheritance from a fallen cultivator's ruined estate."
Jian Dan knew her reveal of the Mó Yuè Zhǎn had caught his attention. As a core disciple of Heavenly Demon Palace, he would recognize a student from Mo Yan Zhenzun—Mei Ji.