Twin Insect Cave

The Golden Scale Snake Demon hurriedly shook its head and pointed in a direction. “Twin Insect Cave. She... Twin Insect Cave.”

Chen He was taken aback. “She went to the Twin Insect Cave?”

The Golden Scale Snake Demon nodded vigorously.

Chen He: “...”

There was no fresh scent of blood on this demon, so it probably hadn't killed anyone recently. It was highly likely telling the truth. After all, it had let so many people go one after another.

Could it be... that it was actually a good demon? This was completely different from the Golden Scale Snake Demon their master had described.

Song Yao narrowed her eyes slightly.

This snake demon's cultivation wasn't low. How had Cheng Yue managed to escape from its grasp? That girl hadn't even reached the Golden Core Stage when she first entered the sect, yet now she was actually this strong. It seemed she, too, was hiding quite a few secrets.

However, Song Yao had little interest in prying into other people's business. Turning around, she said, “Let's go.”

If it weren't for the fact that this place was too cold, damp, and uncomfortable to stay in, she wouldn't have been in such a rush to beat up the snake demon to ask for directions.

Chen He didn't dare to linger here either, fearing the snake demon might suddenly attack. He backed away while warning her, “Alright, watch your step...”

However, in the next second, a cold shout suddenly rang out from deep within the Miasma Forest. “Stop right there!”

The Golden Scale Snake Demon, who had been watching Song Yao leave with a face full of reverence, was instantly scared out of its wits. It scrambled and crawled into the thick fog, vanishing into the shadows in the blink of an eye.

Song Yao and Chen He instinctively turned around, only to see three figures emerging from the fog.

The Wen siblings stood shoulder to shoulder. One was playing with a poison pouch at her waist, while the other held a bone flute, his fingertips lightly brushing over the holes. Their gazes were locked dead on the Golden Scale Snake Grass in Song Yao's hand.

Behind them, Jiang Jin followed closely, never leaving their side.

Wen Wushuang took a step forward, her hostility completely undisguised as she spoke in a sinister tone, “We have been hunting this Golden Scale Snake Demon for a long time. I didn't expect you to intercept it. Didn't Nine Saints Hall teach you the rule of first come, first served?”

They were clearly trying to rob them again.

Chen He cursed his bad luck in his heart. Why did they have to run into these two most troublesome poison cultivators?

He quickly calculated the situation. Although they were poison cultivators, there were only two of the Wen siblings. With himself, Seventh Senior Sister, and Jiang Jin, it would be three against two. They might actually be able to protect the item.

He said coldly, “What 'first come, first served'? Since the item is in our hands, it's our own ability that got it. If you really could have gotten it, why didn't you make a move earlier?”

The Wen siblings sneered. Before they could speak, Jiang Jin suddenly took a step forward and ordered Song Yao, “Give them the Golden Scale Snake Grass.”

Song Yao: “?”

Was this brainless, idiotic simp out of his mind? Was being a simp at the banquet not enough? Now that they were in the secret realm, he was still chasing after them to be a simp!

It was one thing for him to simp, but he wanted her to do it too?

To maintain her low-profile persona, she forced herself not to roll her eyes and said to Chen He, “Let's talk once we're out.”

Seeing the two of them turn around, Wen Wushuang curled her lips and mocked, “Junior Brother Jiang, it seems these two junior siblings of yours don't listen to you very much.”

Having lost face in front of the Wen siblings, Jiang Jin's expression turned slightly awkward. He immediately gave chase, grabbed Song Yao's shoulder, and suppressed his anger as he demanded, “What are you doing? Didn't you hear me tell you to give them the item?”

He lowered his voice and added, “Am I not doing all of this just to get information on Fifth Senior Sister? It's fine if you don't do anything to help, but can you at least not drag me down?”

Song Yao turned her head. Her gaze beneath her cloak calmly swept over his hand gripping her shoulder, and she said with a half-smile, “It's been so long. What have you managed to find out?”

Jiang Jin's face instantly stiffened, his Adam's apple bobbing unnaturally.

His earlier toughness collapsed by half in an instant, and he defended himself, “...Not yet, but they have already let their guard down around me. As long as you give them the Golden Scale Snake Grass, they will definitely trust me more. It won't be too late to ask about Fifth Senior Sister then!”

Song Yao lightly shook off his hand and sneered, “Idiot.”

The members of the Wen family were tight-lipped. If they would reveal such an important matter regarding Fifth Senior Sister just for a single stalk of Golden Scale Snake Grass, the elders wouldn't have gone to such lengths without finding out anything.

Rather than simping for them to death here, it would be much faster to just beat them up and extract a confession under torture. Even if she couldn't force a confession, at least she could vent some anger.

She gave him one final piece of advice: “Stop doing useless work. Use your brain.”

Jiang Jin's face flushed red and white from her retort.

The Wen siblings behind them lost their patience and stopped waiting for Jiang Jin to mediate.

With a press of Wen Wumian's fingertips, the bone flute suddenly let out a sharp, shrill shriek. Countless fine needles coated in miasma poison shot forward, wrapped in a foul-smelling wind.

Wen Wushuang flipped her hand and threw out a poison pouch. A purplish-black toxic mist instantly spread, surging toward the two with a bone-corroding stench.

Just as the poison needles and toxic mist were about to reach them, two thin, conjoined figures suddenly leaped out from deep within the Miasma Forest, shrieking as they lunged straight at the Wen siblings.

Their movements were as swift as ghosts. Their withered claws, carrying a rotting stench, clawed directly at the wrist Wen Wumian used to hold the flute, while their sharp fangs bit fiercely toward her neck, leaving absolutely no time to react.

Caught completely off guard, the Wen siblings hurriedly waved their sleeves to block. The shriek of the bone flute instantly went out of tune, and the poison needles lost their trajectory.

Wen Wushuang was even clawed on the shoulder by a ghostly hand. Gasping in pain, she could only retreat in embarrassment, and the scene instantly fell into chaos.

Chen He gasped, “Why is it the Twin Wraiths again?!”

Song Yao pulled him. “Let's go.”

Jiang Jin had no time to stop them. He looked at their departing figures, then at the Wen siblings.

Finally, he gritted his teeth, drew his sword, and rushed into the chaotic battle. He refused to believe he couldn't touch them like this! Once he obtained information about Fifth Senior Sister, the elders would surely think highly of him as well!

...

Although the direction given by the Golden Scale Snake Demon was correct, the trees constantly shifted their positions. It still took the two of them half an hour to leave the Miasma Forest.

The moment they stepped out, a wave of heart-wrenching screams suddenly erupted from the Twin Insect Cave ahead.

A crowd of disciples scrambled and crawled out. Every single one of them was pale with terror in their eyes, their Daoist robes tattered and in disarray, lacking even a shred of immortal sect elegance.

Ye Chang'an ran at the very back of the group. His once meticulous brocade robe was loose and messy, a bleeding scratch was etched across his temple, and even the jade crown binding his hair was crooked.

Panting as he supported himself against the wall, he raised his foot to kick the disciples running faster than him, his tone both urgent and furious, “Run! What are you running for?! What is with this panicked state?!”

“With so many of us, are we really no match for a single demon?!”

“It's just some filthy thing from the gutters. Can it really eat us alive?!”

The kicked disciples dared not speak out in anger and could only run further away in embarrassment.

In the chaos, Ming Ran and Cheng Yue huddled together.

Upon seeing Song Yao and Chen He, they immediately ran over, their faces still pale from the lingering fright. “Seventh Senior Sister! Brother Chen! What took you so long to get here?”

Chen He's heart clenched, and he hurriedly stepped forward to support them. “What happened? What on earth is going on inside the cave?”