Each of the three flying boats carried ten cultivators, the strongest at late-stage Void Refinement, and even the weakest at early-stage Divine Transformation. Their faces were expressionless as they unleashed sword strikes upon the protective barrier of the mobile mountain, relentless in their assault and intent on breaking through.
If Hao Meng of Nine Fiends Hall had been present, he would have recognized several of them as the cultivators they had once encountered at the Xianlai Inn in Tianquan City.
This group had been tailing Hao Meng all the way, finally halting their pursuit only after Hao Meng met with Jian Dan and her two other high-level allies. These people had sold their souls to the insect race, becoming its agents and proxies in the outside world.
The earlier "blood insects" had been distributed by them, sent out to parasitize chosen hosts. In exchange, they received cultivation resources to further their strength. They had followed Hao Meng based on signals left by their companions, hoping to either rescue them or silence them to safeguard their secrets.
However, Hao Meng was always on their heels, and their group lacked the strength to openly act against him and his allies.
By the time reinforcements arrived, Hao Meng had already extracted critical intelligence with the help of Jian Dan and her companions, while their captured allies were annihilated. Without hesitation, Hao Meng had led his group out of Tianquan City.
That prickling sensation on Hao Meng's back had been the presence of these high-level cultivators, waiting for a chance to ambush Nine Fiends Hall's people. But Hao Meng's swift retreat saved them from disaster.
Unable to take action and wary of the Heavenly Sword Sect's presence in their territory, the pursuers retreated with frustration, unwilling to take unnecessary risks.
Back then, Jin Liuli had also warned that those tailing them were after Nine Fiends Hall's members, and once Hao Meng left, they too had vanished, drawing no further notice.
Now, however, they had picked up Bi Shu's trail after she left the Heavenly Demon Palace's territory, following her to eliminate the traitorous insect who had betrayed their kind. Thus, this confrontation began.
The mobile mountain shuddered slightly under the relentless barrage. Mo Su's pale face betrayed no emotion as he turned to the black-robed guard at his side.
"Mo Yi, increase speed. Break through their encirclement. Once we draw them out, split their formation and destroy them with Unity-level talisman strikes."
"Yes, Zūnzhǔ!"
Mo Yi accepted the order and hurried to the control chamber of the mobile mountain.
"Mo Su, looks like you were prepared for this," Mo Yi's senior brother, Mo Yi, said with a smirk, arms crossed as he stood nearby.
When you brought Bi Shu back to the sect last time, you were ambushed. Now that we've left the Heavenly Demon Palace's territory, I suspected they'd make a move again. So I exchanged for a few attack talismans. This time, we won't let them off easily."
Mo Su's voice was calm, but his eyes flashed with cold light.
"Tsk, tsk. Bi Shu moves even an inch, and they're on her like cats scenting blood," Mo Qi remarked. Clad in a crimson robe patterned with dark sigils, her high ponytail swayed as she lounged by a jade table, glancing at Bi Shu, who kept her head bowed low.
Bi Shu stiffened as a powerful divine sense swept over her from head to toe, searching for any trace of tampering or betrayal.
"Bi Shu, tell us yourself. Did you tip them off, hoping they'd come rescue you?"
"Bi Shu wouldn't dare! They already see me as a traitor. They'd kill me on sight, not save me!" Her voice trembled with desperation, eyes darting briefly toward Mo Qi before lowering again.
"Then how did they find you so precisely?" Mo Yi asked next.
She stole a fearful glance at the towering man, then quickly lowered her gaze. "The insects pursuing us were birthed from the same mother as I was. We can sense each other's presence. The closer we are, the stronger the sensation. I'm no longer fully insect, so their sensing is already far less precise."
"Oh? So if we kill you right now, they won't be able to track us anymore?" Mo Qi's playful voice whispered near her ear.
Bi Shu's head shot up, and she spoke quickly, her voice trembling. "Zūnzhǔ, spare me! I'm still useful. Didn't you bring me to locate this new insect strain? I'll give it everything I've got!"
Mo Qi chuckled at her cowardice but decided not to tease her further.
Through this brief exchange, they confirmed that their attackers were after Bi Shu.
Under Mo Yi's control, the mobile mountain charged forward, crashing through the blockade of flying boats.
He deliberately rammed the flying boat carrying the highest-level cultivator, knocking it back before sharply veering away at high speed.
The other two flying boats abandoned their injured ally to give chase.
Mo Yi leapt from the mobile mountain mid-flight, heading directly for the damaged flying boat.
The vessel had just steadied itself and was turning around to resume pursuit when Mo Yi appeared before it, towering like a giant.
The late-stage Void Refinement cultivator aboard waved for his companions to prepare for combat.
Mo Yi, silent and swift, raised a Unity-level attack talisman given to him by Mo Su, who had instructed him to finish the fight quickly. Though he longed for a proper duel, orders came first.
"Not good!"
The Void Refinement cultivator sensed imminent danger the moment Mo Yi activated the talisman. He instantly crushed a high-grade teleportation charm, vanishing from the attack's range.
The others weren't so fortunate. The talisman's devastating energy engulfed the flying boat and its crew before they could flee, annihilating everything. When the power dissipated, nothing remained.
"Fast runner," Mo Yi muttered, sweeping the area with his divine sense. Satisfied that no one else survived, he vanished from the battlefield.
Meanwhile, the two flying boats chasing Mo Su abruptly halted, sensing the distant explosion.
Before they could regroup, Mo Su and Mo Qi descended from the mobile mountain, hovering silently in their path. Without a word, they unleashed talisman after talisman, destroying both boats and their crews within five breaths.
Mo Yi soon returned, reporting, "One got away. Late-stage Void Refinement. I don't know where the teleportation sent him."
"No matter," Mo Su said coldly, a ruthless glint flashing across his pale features. "Let's see how many high-level cultivators they can spare to chase us."
"We should hurry to Heavenly Sword Sect territory," Mo Qi advised, raising an elegant brow. "If they keep sending more, we can't rely on talismans forever."
"Go!" Mo Su barked a single command.
In an instant, the trio was back aboard the mobile mountain.
Seeing his three Zūnzhǔs return, Mo Yi immediately adjusted their course and pushed the mountain to maximum speed toward the Heavenly Sword Sect.
As for the Void Refinement cultivator who had teleported away, he reappeared inside a luxurious estate. Before he could even steady his breath, he was ordered to report to his master.
With visible reluctance, he obeyed, only to see a second squad of Unity-stage cultivators dispatched to intercept the Heavenly Demon Palace's group.