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Chapter 685 - Dogs of the Insect Race

"I've always roamed this forest, but just now that human cultivator found me and threatened my life. He ordered me to block your ship and check how many people were on board, along with their cultivation levels. If I managed to escape unscathed, he'd give me a seventh-tier demon core as payment!"

"Tsk tsk, calling you stupid would be a compliment."

Jian Dan shook her head. She'd seen plenty of fools before, but never anyone this dumb.

"You didn't even know what was on the ship, yet you dared to stop it? If you ran into someone with a bad temper, they'd have killed you on the spot. Even if you escaped, do you really think he'd keep his word?"

Hu Yi scratched his ear with a claw before muttering, "What can I do? I'm weaker than him, so I can only let others push me around."

He lowered himself to the ground in defeat.

Jian Dan tapped his forehead with her fan and continued, "Quit playing dead! Whatever else you know, spill it!"

"It was that Unity-stage cultivator who came forward. His cultivation's way higher than mine, I didn't even get the chance to bargain. He forced me to stop the ship, and when you caught me, he tried to silence me. That's all I know, I swear it!"

Hu Yi swore frantically. His life was in her hands, and he knew it. He didn't even dare heal his ruined wings, afraid she'd take it as defiance.

Jian Dan swept her divine sense over him, then directly probed into his body, heading straight for his demon core.

That nearly made Hu Yi collapse. His tiger face drooped in despair. This was the rhythm of a contract being forced on him. He was about to lose his freedom, and it couldn't feel worse.

Her divine sense circled around his demon core, then withdrew. She only wanted to make sure nothing had been planted in him—no marks, no parasites, no contracts. Killing a sixth-tier winged tiger would've been a waste.

Once she confirmed he was clean, Jian Dan made her decision.

"Little tiger, I'm in a good mood today, so I'll let you live. But I've already got plenty of spirit pets, so I won't contract you. My friend happens to be missing one though, so you'll follow her. Whether she wants to contract you or not depends on your luck."

She flipped her palm, revealing a spirit beast pouch. She opened it, sucked him inside, and before closing it, added, "Fix your wings quickly. Don't embarrass me. If she doesn't want you, I'll sell you to a beast arena!"

Hu Yi had planned to drag his feet, but now he didn't dare. She'd seen right through his little schemes.

With no choice, he started circulating demon power inside the quiet pouch to heal his wings. There was no way he'd let himself end up in an arena where beasts fought to the death every day.

Jian Dan sealed the pouch, slipped it into her sleeve, and let Cotton Candy carry her invisibly behind the flying ship.

Her mind spun rapidly. After two direct encounters, plus the earlier reports from the Law Enforcement Hall, she was certain these people were connected to the insect race. They were likely paving the way for the insect race to infiltrate Lingyun Continent.

"Chuan, that Unity-stage cultivator from earlier wasn't parasitized, right?"

"No, but his aura was foul. He probably used resources provided by the insect race to push himself into Unity."

"No wonder he was so weak. If he'd reached Unity on his own, even if he couldn't beat me, escaping wouldn't have been so hard."

"Stop bragging about yourself. You're a sword cultivator. If you want to compare, measure yourself against people like Tianhong or Tianyun, real sword masters."

Jian Dan rolled her eyes. This guy always knew how to ruin the mood.

"What I mean is, the insect race got smarter. They're handing out resources so humans can advance, then using those cultivators to run around outside, clearing obstacles for them."

"And the Heavenly Sword Sect's the biggest obstacle, which is why they're spending so much effort on you," Liu Chuan said.

"That means from now on, disciples who go out to temper themselves need to be extra careful."

"Not necessarily. Ordinary disciples don't know anything. Even if they're captured or parasitized, they won't spill the sect's secrets. It's high-level cultivators like you that the insect race's really after."

"For once, you said something useful," Jian Dan teased.

"I'm reminding you not to capsize in some dirty little ditch," Liu Chuan shot back with a snort.

"I know. With you nagging me constantly, I don't dare slack off." Jian Dan smiled. She meant it too. Cotton Candy and Yue Liang always obeyed her, but Liu Chuan never stopped pouring cold water on her. It kept her sharp.

After sorting everything out, she pulled out her Chief's token and sent a message to Jian Li, warning him about the hidden monitors lurking around the sect's territory. She told him to make sure high-level cultivators were especially careful when going out on missions.

Heavenly Sword Sect, Law Enforcement Hall

Jian Li was poring over jade slips containing records from the Dreamlike Illusory Rubik's Cube Realm. Each disciple had faced different trials depending on their cultivation. Some had battled ordinary insect swarms, while high-level cultivators directly faced the sect's final war against the insect race.

The trials were brutal. Those who came out alive were furious, but many found that after endless fighting, their stagnant cultivation barriers had loosened. All they needed now was to stabilize their energy to break through.

Jian Li had Wei Zhengrong compile the reports, and the trend was clear. Still, Jian Li wasn't sure if someone who re-entered the realm would face the same trials again. That required further testing.

Just as he set the jade slip aside, his Chief's token pulsed. Only other Chiefs could use it to send messages. He immediately checked.

After reading Jian Dan's report, Jian Li's eyes grew sharp and cold. At this critical juncture, some cultivators were still willing to sell out Lingyun Continent for their own gain.

Such people deserved death. Jian Dan had acted decisively, which had drawn attention, but that was both good and bad. The good was the sect would be on guard. The bad was every disciple and high-level cultivator on missions would now have to be even more careful.

"Zhengrong, organize these jade slip reports and issue a warning to the entire sect. Tell everyone to stay alert!"

"Yes, Chief." Wei Zhengrong grabbed the slips and hurried out.

"Qihua, take my Chief's token. Dispatch an Operations Hall squad to root out all unverified spies inside and outside the sect. Kill them all. Pair them with a battle squad from the War Hall and begin immediately."

Keen killing intent flashed across Qi Hua's proud face. She accepted the order without hesitation and left to rally the squads.

A sweeping purge began in the Heavenly Sword Sect.

Moments later, atop the white jade plaques in the Affairs and Deacon Halls across the nine peaks, a message blazed in red:

The insect race has agents hidden among human cultivators. They're everyone's common enemy. Stay sharp. Stay alive.

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