The border of Grand Morals District was filled with abandoned buildings and uneven roads. A large swarm of insects was headed there at the moment.

This was where the Skeleton Gang was based, and they had planted a lot of mutated algae that could effectively interfere with the Fu-Mu Entity’s domain. This was also a lowland, so water often pooled up there, so the area was completely undefended against foreign entities.

After the insects arrived, a large group of Skeleton Gang members crawled out of the abandoned cars and empty buildings to watch the insects.

They landed on the vines on the buildings and trees before swiftly setting up nests. Soon, some of the insects began to go through some sort of transformation.

The Skeleton Gang members watched with bloodshot eyes. One of the leaders became excited and gestured at a member behind him. “Bring it here.”

The gang member handed a metal can to him, and the leader put it around his neck before climbing up one of the trees.

He didn’t care about the insects biting him and peeked into a nest. When he saw a fat worm squirming inside, he grinned. With his legs wrapped around the tree trunk, he emptied the contents of the metal can. Faintly glowing bits and pieces tumbled onto his palm.

If Qi Gao were here, he would have been able to recognize those things as the stuff he had bought from Yangzhi City and sold to the Skeleton Gang.

The leader spread the things around the nest and waited. After a while, the insects started growing, and he grinned wider before climbing down to go to another tree and do the same thing.

Half an hour later, green-red cocoons appeared in the first nest. They spread to the walls and tree trunks nearby like swelling blisters.

As more of such cocoons appeared, the gang members’ eyes started shining with eagerness.

***

Cao Guiqi was sitting in his courtyard in Motie Mountain. As the plum blossoms’ petals fell around him, he copied a calligraphy piece from the old era on his agarwood table.

Snap!

An insect fell down from above and hit the white paper, staining it a little. Cao Guiqi swept it off with his sleeve onto the ground.

After he copied the last word, he put down his brush and looked up. Some insects were flying about the swaying trees, “Looks like some have already slipped through.”

Mr. Ding was right beside him. “Only a few. The domain entity in the manor has already been activated, and we’ve spread medicine in the area. Not many of them will come in.”

Cao Guiqi looked into the distance. An airship was floating in the air and spraying medicine. “It has been about half a month, hasn’t it?”

Mr. Ding bowed to him. “Don’t worry, Young Master. We have enough resources in the manor to last three months. No matter what’s going to happen, it will end after three months. The Department of Administrative Affairs has also increased security in Motie Mountain. We’ll be fine.”

Cao Guiqi didn’t comment on that. He just asked, “Did those people come again yesterday?”

“They did, and they refused to leave. They insisted on seeing you and said that you’d regret it if you didn’t see them. Should I chase them away?” Mr. Ding asked.

As Cao Guiqi watched the falling petals, he said, “Ignore them. The old era has passed. Those who can’t let the past go will end up being left behind sooner or later by the new era.”

***

At the lower city district, Lu Ke smacked an insect against the car window and killed it. He grumbled, “What exactly are these? And why are there so many of them?”

He cast a glance at the glowing Sun Vine above him. A dense swarm of insects was circling it while buzzing loudly.

Yu Gang had just finished giving a lesson. When he opened the door, he cast a glance at the dead insect on the window and looked up. “These insects don’t look normal. Didn’t Chen Chuan ask us to be careful? Perhaps it has something to do with this.”

“Are you talking about these insects? I don’t think that’s the case.” Lu Ke scratched his head. “They’re just some insects. I can kill them with a slap.”

“Being careful won’t do us wrong. Go to Shennan later and ask her how the company is doing. Check and see whether anything abnormal has happened. Remember to tell her to be careful over the next few days,” Yu Gang instructed gravely.

Lu Ke immediately agreed to it. Being careful was an absolute must in the lower city district, but just as he was about to leave, Lu Ke was shocked. Packs of mice were shooting out of the tunnel, as if they were fleeing.

That was new. Mice were often caught for food in the lower city district. Whenever they appeared, someone would immediately capture them, so they usually stayed hidden in dark corners. They never dared to run about so blatantly in the open.

After watching them for a while, Lu Ke realized that something bad might truly be happening, and he said, “I’ll go see Senior Sister Lan right now, Master.”

***

Gongying Changxiu was on a cruise ship out on the ocean. He was practicing his saber on the spacious deck, and standing further away were Guanshang Jing and the other Windforest School disciples.

Since the Cult Investigation Bureau was permanently stationed in Ferris Wheel, foreign martial artists like them couldn’t stay in the company while they carried out their tasks. They had to stay on the ocean.

While Gongying Changxiu swung his saber, he saw a large swarm of tiny insects heading toward him in his peripheral vision. It was practically a cloud made of insects. When it flew past the disciples, they cursed.

When the insects got closer to him, Gongying Changxiu gave his saber a light swing. Then, as if a gentle breeze had come out of nowhere, the insects were sent flying away. After tumbling a few times, they were pushed off the cruise ship. Then, they started buzzing around and flying again, as if nothing had happened to them.

But after a few seconds, all of them exploded, and liquids gushed out of their bodies. In an instant, insect rain fell onto the ocean near the cruise ship.

This was the Whispering Wind Slash, a secret technique from the Windforest School. When the attack was delivered, refined force would attach to the target before exploding a moment later. It was a technique requiring both mental energy and refined force. It could kill an enemy without being noticed, and the disciples were excited by the sight of it.

Meanwhile, Guan Shangjing was filled with admiration. The other disciples only saw the momentum and destructive power behind the saber technique, but he saw Gongying Changxiu’s near-perfect control over his refined force. The cut insects totaled a perfect number of three thousand. There was not one more or less.

Senior Brother Gongying must have gotten permission from the master to go to the Demon Gate, he thought.

The Demon Gate was the gap Windforest School had owned for generations. According to legend, the place was at the bottom of the ocean, and only those who had a certain degree of physical strength could enter.

He heard that the creatures on the other side of the gap had bad blood with Windforest School, which had lasted for centuries, but they depended on each other to exist and could be considered as one entity. While the other side of the gap was dangerous, it was a great help to mental training. The disciples who went there could also learn secrets that the predecessors of Windforest School had left behind.

But while Windforest School had a strong foundation, it was built during the old era. They were now in the new era and needed a powerful active biosentient entity to take control of the future.

Gongying Changxiu stopped practicing and cast a glance at the Windforest School disciples standing by the side. He pointed at one of them with his saber.

“You. Come here. I’ll teach you the Whispering Wind Slash through the Marked Saber.”

The disciple started vibrating with excitement.

“Yes!” he shouted and ran forward. The other disciples looked green with envy.

When the disciple arrived in front of Gongying Changxiu, he fell prostrate before him and raised his head toward the ocean.

Gongying Changxiu slowly brought his saber up. After a brief pause, he let the saber fall down. The tip cut into the disciple’s forehead. He trembled violently, and a blank look appeared in his eyes.

A moment later, clarity returned to his eyes. He quickly shifted back on his knees and kowtowed deeply. With all his strength, he shouted, “Thank you for granting me the Marked Saber, Senior Brother Gongying!”

Gongying Changxiu flung his saber, then resheathed it and walked to Guanshang Jing. The disciples around them bowed and made way.

Guanshang Jing fell in step beside Gongying Changxiu. “Senior Brother Gongying, while Junior Brother Hui has sent the challenge letter to the Arcane Palace, an accident happened. Sancheng Huang intercepted him.”

“Sancheng Huang of Fierce Wave School?”

Gongying Changxiu appeared interested. “Are you saying that he managed to endure my attack?”

Guanshang Jing nodded. “Yes. Sancheng Huang doesn’t know what’s good for him.”

“A great warrior acts differently from a normal person.” Gongying Changxiu waved off Guanshang Jing’s displeasure. With Sancheng Huang intercepting the attack, his duel with Chen Chuan had just become more suspenseful.

“Do you want to deliver another challenge letter?”

“No need. I’m sure that Mr. Chen already knows that I’m here. Let’s keep the duel suspenseful... Hmm?” Gongying Changxiu suddenly looked over the ocean, where he saw a flickering light.

Guanshang Jing’s expression turned stern.

The disciples didn’t notice the anomaly, but Third Limit martial artists like him could see it clearly. That was no lightning, but a slit that had appeared because of the two worlds clashing, even though it only lasted for a short while.

This was a sign that the Fu-Mu Entity had become unstable, and it seemed like things were going to change within the next few days. They were going to be a crucial point that would decide Ferris Wheel’s future direction.

***

Chen Chuan was sitting on the sofa in his room and wiping the Frost King Saber meticulously.

After absorbing certain things from his enemies’ weapons, the saber had become much more durable and sharper.

During his recent battles, he was able to cut the weapons of his enemies in half in head-on clashes where both parties fought with everything they had.

He was pretty sure that this was due to the thing he had absorbed from Xiongjian Yi’s body.

Yet even now, he didn’t know what it was.

But he wasn’t bothered by it. The saber was in his hands, and he was in control of it. If it went through some transformation in the future, Chen Chuan would be able to see it clearly. Once he finished wiping down the blade, he twirled it in his hand for a bit. Suddenly, he saw a flash outside his window, as if lightning had struck.

Chen Chuan stopped moving for a while before looking out. Then, he saw a few similar flashes in the sky above, and he immediately knew what they were.

Looks like it’s about to start, he thought.