Ficool

Chapter 261 - Gate to the Ming Valley

"Bamboo Sea ahead. Prepare to disembark. We'll be going on foot from here."

The voice of Mo Zhang Zhūnzhe echoed across the flying vessel before dissipating. All the cultivators of the Heavenly Demon Palace swiftly disembarked and gathered on the clearing before the Bamboo Sea.

Jian Dan moved with the group, her eyes falling on the towering bamboo forest ahead.

At the entrance stood a simple plaque made of bamboo. Two characters were inscribed on it: "Bamboo Grove", set at an angle beside the dense wall of bamboo.

Stretching as far as the eye could see, countless stalks of bamboo stood tall and tightly packed. Some were slender, others thick. The tallest were easily over thirty meters, while even the shortest ones reached fifteen. Each segment was sharply defined, and the emerald leaves gleamed as if reflecting shadows of the world.

Not a single breeze stirred the bamboo, yet the silence within was oppressive, as if the forest itself were quietly awaiting their arrival.

Even before stepping inside, Jian Dan could already smell the danger in the air. After a long silence, Liu Chuan finally sent her a spiritual transmission.

"This bamboo has gained sentience. If it doesn't want people to pass through, then no one will."

Jian Dan's instincts had already confirmed as much. The Bamboo Sea, it seemed, was another checkpoint.

"Senior Brothers, Senior Sister," Jian Dan warned, her tone steady, "this forest won't be easy to cross. Be ready to fight."

The others nodded. They too had sensed the subtle tension in the air.

Just as Mo Zhang Zhūnzhe prepared to lead the way into the forest, he paused, then lowered his gaze. When he looked up again, his voice echoed clearly through the ranks.

"Your teams are now assembled. From here on, make your own way through the Bamboo Sea. The Zhēnzūn await you at the far end."

Before anyone could respond, Mo Zhang's figure vanished without a trace.

"Move!"

Without hesitation, Mo Su surged forward into the Bamboo Sea. Jian Dan, Mo Yi, and Mo Qi followed closely behind, forming a sharp wedge formation. Mo Su led the charge, Jian Dan and Mo Yi flanking him, while Mo Qi guarded the rear.

The moment they stepped into the forest, the bamboo began to sway despite the still air. A sound like countless leaves brushing against each other filled the air. Then, emerald leaves began to fall—not slowly, but with startling speed, zeroing in on the four like blades.

"Don't let the leaves touch you!" As Jian Dan shouted, she twisted her wrist. Liu Chuan transformed into a supple whip and lashed out with a crisp crack, shattering the nearest leaf into powder. More whipping sounds followed, sharp and rhythmic.

Mo Su was at the front, moving like a storm, leaping and sprinting through the undergrowth. As he ran, a dense ball of demonic energy coalesced in his palms. He clapped them together, then separated his hands. Now each hand held a spinning disc of energy, fifty centimeters wide, rotating with a roar.

As his energy surged, the discs became miniature vortexes, shredding every leaf that came near. When the barrage grew too thick, he hurled the spinning discs forward to clear the path, then swiftly conjured new ones to keep up his momentum.

Mo Yi, beside him, fought with brute force. Fists wrapped in dark energy punched through clusters of bamboo leaves, turning them to dust. His feet never stopped, keeping pace with Mo Su and catching whatever escaped his strike zone.

At the rear, Mo Qi was the calmest of them all. She formed a seal and conjured countless hair-thin needles. Under the guidance of her divine sense, each needle pierced a leaf with uncanny precision. She even spared attention for the cultivators behind them, guarding their flanks with ease.

Yet it took less than a quarter-hour for the rear team to completely lose sight of the four leaders. Frustrated but deeply impressed, the younger cultivators could only marvel at their strength.

"Form up! Don't try to chase after them," said one of the Divine Transformation-level commanders who remained at the back. "Those four are among the best in the Heavenly Demon Palace. You'll reach their level one day, but right now, focus on surviving."

"Yes, form up!"

The nine Nascent Soul cultivators arranged themselves into a Nine Palace Formation, rotating like gears as they advanced. The remaining Divine Transformation cultivators also activated their formations, proceeding forward in steady waves.

Meanwhile, deep in the forest, Jian Dan's group met escalating resistance. Leaves fell thicker. Bamboo stalks began to lash out like whips, trying to tear their formation apart.

"So troublesome."

Mo Yi shattered another bamboo stalk with a single punch, only to glance back and see Jian Dan calmly igniting one with a fireball, reducing it to ash. Mo Qi, now wielding arrow-like projectiles instead of needles, shot through an incoming stalk with ease.

"Mo Yue, burn the whole forest already. This is too slow."

Jian Dan stared at him like he had grown a second head. Did he really not notice they had all been targeting only the attacks that came at them directly? No wide-scale destruction, no unnecessary damage. For cultivators at the Divine Transformation stage, that kind of restraint meant one thing.

"Junior Brother," Mo Qi said coolly, "if Mo Yue did as you suggested, the Zhēnzūn would personally deal with her."

Mo Yi finally realized the implications.

"Didn't you notice?" Jian Dan added, her fireballs burning steadily as she kept pace beside him. "Mo Zhang Zūnzhě was going to guide us through at first. But he changed his mind. Why?"

Mo Yi frowned. "You mean…"

"We're being watched," Jian Dan said. "This forest is part of the defenses around the Ming Valley. Once the barrier falls, this will be the final screen before the outer world."

"And if we destroy this sentient bamboo?" Mo Qi added.

Even as they spoke, the bamboo's assault intensified. A vortex of leaves began to swirl overhead, forming a windless tornado. At its center, a vacuum formed, trapping the four of them. The assault suddenly stopped.

"Defensive formation, now."

Mo Su didn't hesitate. At his command, the four moved back-to-back, forming a square array of offense and defense.

The ground beneath them lit up. After two flashes, they were completely engulfed by falling leaves. When the leaf-tornado dispersed, they had vanished without a trace.

Within the stillness, the four reappeared—back to back, blades and spells ready. But what lay ahead wasn't more forest.

It was a circular opening, rimmed with irregular stones. Embedded along its edge were five elemental crystals, arranged in nine sets, all linked by crimson lines that formed a formation array. A shimmering curtain of water covered the entrance, reflecting their own figures back at them.

Four words surfaced in all their minds at once: "Entrance to Ming Valley."

They had passed through the Bamboo Sea.

One by one, they withdrew their life-bound weapons.

Mo Su stepped forward and bowed toward the water curtain.

"Mo Su, Mo Yi, Mo Qi, Mo Yue of the Heavenly Demon Palace pay respects to Mo Xuan Zhēnzūn and the gathered Zhēnzūn."

A deep, appreciative voice echoed in reply.

"Polite, capable, and the fastest of the lot. Mo Xuan, looks like your Heavenly Demon Palace has invested heavily this time."

Laughter followed, proud and unrestrained.

"There are no weaklings among my Heavenly Demon cultivators!"

A figure clad in deep black stepped out from behind the curtain.

More Chapters