Chapter 746: The Fiends' Layout (5)

Chapter 746: Chapter 223: The Fiends’ Layout (5)

Monk Mingxin sneered. “If you didn’t want any contact with Shen Bai, there were plenty of ways to avoid him. But you didn’t. Did you really think I couldn’t tell what you’re planning?”

Xu Sheng Taoist fell silent, as if Monk Mingxin’s words had struck true.

The dean of Xinhua Academy in Cangnan Dao was a man surnamed Hou.

Hearing the exchange, Dean Hou sensed the tension and stepped in to play peacemaker. “There’s no need to be at each other’s throats. Our goal is the same, so why must we fight amongst ourselves?”

“Daoist, why don’t you tell us why you deliberately lured Shen Bai into this situation?”

With Dean Hou mediating, the atmosphere immediately relaxed.

Xu Sheng Taoist picked up a nearby teacup and took a sip. “From what I know,” he said, “Shen Bai was going to enter the Molten Rock Forbidden Land anyway. Whether I guided him or not, he would have come.”

“The Ten Thousand Gu Insects are vital within the Molten Rock Forbidden Land. If Shen Bai gets in there, he’ll cause huge problems for us.”

Monk Mingxin slammed his hand on the table. “Then why did you reveal our activities? It doesn’t matter whether he enters or not. You’ve exposed us, so now he’ll be even more cautious! What on earth are you thinking?”

Even Dean Hou fell silent, because everything Monk Mingxin said was right.

Even if Shen Bai had intended to enter the Molten Rock Forbidden Land, he wouldn’t have known they were going too.

By pulling this stunt, Xu Sheng Taoist had effectively exposed them all. This would only lead to more trouble down the line.

However, Dean Hou knew Xu Sheng Taoist’s personality. He wasn’t one to do something so foolish, so he waited quietly for what would come next.

Xu Sheng Taoist set his teacup down. Gazing at the swirling leaves within, he smiled. “By doing this, I’ve shifted his entire focus onto the Ten Thousand Gu Insects. All we need is this to draw him away for a short while. Once we’ve gotten what we came for, we can turn around and deal with Shen Bai.”

As he finished speaking, Xu Sheng Taoist pulled a bead from within his robes.

“A Deceitful Object… the Fake Celestial Pearl?”

Upon seeing the bead, a flicker of greed crossed Monk Mingxin’s face.

Xu Sheng Taoist nodded. “The Fake Celestial Pearl can imitate anything’s abilities, behavior, and aura. It will be more than enough to lead Shen Bai away.”

“Unfortunately, this is the last time the Fake Celestial Pearl can be used.”

Dean Hou mused, “I see what you mean. You intend to use the Fake Celestial Pearl to imitate the Ten Thousand Gu Insects and lead Shen Bai completely away. Then, we use the real Ten Thousand Gu Insects to complete our plan, and after that, we turn around and deal with Shen Bai.”

“Killing two birds with one stone. What could be better?”

Xu Sheng Taoist’s gaze turned cold. “Ever since Shen Bai entered our world, how many of our companions has he killed? It’s time we put an end to him.”

At this point, everything had been laid bare.

Monk Mingxin suppressed the greed in his eyes and didn’t argue the point any further.

The three of them exchanged glances, then began to meticulously plan their course of action for after they entered the Molten Rock Forbidden Land.

…

Time passed, and two days went by in a flash.

Over the past two days, the Observatory’s dungeons had once again become a very busy place.

The Observatory members stationed in the dungeons found this recent period to be quite satisfying.

The man named Xiong Zerun, who’d been brought in two days ago, had been very stubborn at first.

It had even forced one of them to use three different sets of torture instruments.

A pity, really. Just as the interrogator was preparing the fourth set, Xiong Zerun broke.

“Lord Ding, this is the confession from Xiong Zerun. Everything regarding the Ten Thousand Gu Insects has been recorded.”

The Observatory member handed the written confession to Ding Quan.

Ding Quan nodded. “Good work. I’ll take this to Lord Shen immediately.”

Without another word, Ding Quan turned and left the dungeons, making his way to the five-story building.

Shen Bai had spent the last two days grinding the Skill Level of his Void-breaking Red Eye, but two days was too short a time, and it hadn’t leveled up.

With Ding Quan’s arrival, Shen Bai temporarily paused his efforts to grind the Skill Level.

“Lord Shen, this is Xiong Zerun’s full confession. Please take a look.” Ding Quan bowed respectfully, placed the document on the table, and stood at attention with his hands at his sides.

Shen Bai picked up the document, slowly unfolded it, and began to read.

When he had finished reading, his brow furrowed slightly.

‘I never expected the Ten Thousand Gu Insects to have a property like this,’ Shen Bai thought. ‘No wonder it’s the treasure of the Gu Village.’

The Ten Thousand Gu Insects held a special status in the Gu Village. It was the very root of the village, capable of producing powerful Gu Insects.

The method of production was simple: feed the Ten Thousand Gu Insects large quantities of toxins.

The Calamity Source Mountain Range was teeming with toxins, which was precisely what made this production so simple.

And Devouring was, in fact, one of the most important traits of the Ten Thousand Gu Insects.

Compared to its other traits, all other attributes paled in comparison to Devouring.

Shen Bai stroked his chin. “What are these fiends planning? They’re making use of the Ten Thousand Gu Insects’ Devouring Attribute… but for what purpose?”