223: Chapter 223 Shadow Blade Mantis

Ye Jing took Ye Tianhao and teleported to a relatively safe place using the thousand void ethereal map.

This place was extremely eerie and remote, with the ground piled high with skeletal remains that faintly shimmered with a crystalline light.

"Grandfather, what exactly is the background of this Jia Zheng? He doesn't look like he comes with good intentions!"

Ye Tianhao asked hurriedly.

Ye Jing said solemnly, "This person's strength is unfathomable. Even if his cultivation has been suppressed, he is definitely not someone we can contend with. Moreover, their Evil Qi is very heavy; he is very likely Xuan Yin, the Sect Leader of the Xuanyou Sect."

"Xuan Yin? The Golden Core demonic Cultivator who wiped out the entire Chen family?" Ye Tianhao's eyes flashed with shock and anger upon hearing this.

"Most likely. And they must have come for that damn demon god inheritance," Ye Jing thought of the pitch-black jade plate in that Cultivator's hand and couldn't help but feel extremely wary.

"This Hall of the Demon God contains hidden depths and is full of Restrictions. If we rush out blindly, we'll only become sitting ducks for the Xuanyou Sect. We must be as careful as possible!"

Ye Tianhao nodded. "I'll listen to you, Grandfather!"

After the grandfather and grandson took a short break, Ye Jing released the Poisonous Variant Bee to scout the surroundings.

Before long, the Poisonous Variant Bee discovered something unusual. It led Ye Jing and the other past several corridors until a huge gap suddenly appeared before them, opening up into a massive room.

The room was covered in swords and sabers, piled up like a mountain. At the peak of this mountain sat a purple casket, seemingly sealed by some kind of rune that prevented it from being opened.

Ye Jing saw that the room was deathly silent, without the slightest ripple of spiritual energy. Only the purple casket atop the mountain of blades flickered with faint spiritual light.

The Poisonous Variant Bee buzzed around him, telling him that there was a strong scent of blood within the mountain of blades; it wasn't as peaceful as it appeared on the surface.

However, the purple casket hanging above was indeed enticing enough. Ye Jing did not act rashly; instead, he took Ye Tianhao and hunkered down nearby to observe.

After a short while, a male Cultivator dressed in brown arrived. He gripped his sword with an uneasy expression, seemingly extremely anxious because he couldn't use his spiritual energy.

His hand trembled as he held his sword, stepping forward bit by bit. Finally, his gaze fell upon the purple casket atop the mountain of blades in the hall, and the panic in his eyes instantly vanished.

It was replaced by a look of joy. "Heaven is helping me! I actually found a treasure here! I'm going to be rich!"

As he spoke, he struggled to run up the mountain of blades. The swords beneath his feet clattered and clanged, sounding particularly piercing in the silent hall.

Just as he finally climbed onto the mountain of blades, before the wild joy could fade from his face, he felt a gust of wind. In an instant, his head was severed and rolled to the ground.

He died in a mere moment.

Something was faintly crawling in the palace, revealing its true form on the walls.

Several mantises, each as tall as a person, were hiding in the surroundings. They possessed some formidable method that allowed them to turn invisible silently and hide their presence, making them impossible to detect.

Ye Jing suddenly pressed down on Ye Tianhao's shoulder, his fingertips applying slight pressure to signal him to stay quiet, his eyes swirling with gravity.

Those man-sized mantises were pitch-black all over, their carapaces gleaming with a cold metallic luster as if forged from Mystic Iron.

Six thick insect legs were firmly attached to the wall, and their sharp forelimbs were like two crescent sabers, radiating a chilling killing intent. The brown-clad Cultivator's head had been sliced off by these forelimbs just now, so fast that the blood didn't even have time to spray.

Ye Tianhao's heart pounded wildly, and his palms were drenched in cold sweat.

He had never seen such an eerie Yao Beast. The prowess of these mantis monsters, being able to turn invisible and hide their presence, clearly exceeded his expectations.

"Don't move. Their senses are extremely sharp, especially regarding the scent of blood and spiritual energy fluctuations."

Ye Jing lowered his voice, whispering so only the two of them could hear. His gaze remained locked on the mantis monsters on the wall while his fingers quietly gripped the weapon at his waist.

The Poisonous Variant Bee buzzed softly on Ye Jing's shoulder, its wing vibrations deliberately lightened. It had clearly sensed the threat of the mantis monsters and didn't dare to step forward.

Ye Jing's gaze, however, fell upon the purple casket on the mountain of blades.

The brown-clad Cultivator had lost his life for it, and the mantis monsters were guarding it; clearly, this purple casket was no ordinary treasure.

The Cultivator's remains were eaten clean by them. Blood splattered onto the blades and quickly flowed along them toward the purple casket atop the mountain.

The mantis Yao Beasts soon crawled back onto the surrounding walls and quickly became invisible, entering a state of dormant camouflage.

It seemed these mantis Yao Beasts were responsible for guarding that purple casket.

Just then, two more figures approached from the end of the corridor—a man and a woman, both Cultivators dressed in gray.

Judging by their cultivation aura, they were even weaker than the brown-clad Cultivator from before. They were clearly also lured here by the treasures of the Hall of the Demon God, unaware that this place was already a hunting ground for the mantis monsters.

"Senior Brother, look at that purple casket on the mountain of blades. Do you think there's treasure inside?"

The female Cultivator's voice carried a hint of excitement as she quickened her pace, completely unaware of the abnormalities around her.

The male Cultivator frowned and looked around warily. "Something's not right. It's too quiet here, without even a hint of spiritual energy fluctuation. I haven't seen the people who entered earlier come out either. Be careful of a trap."

But his warning came too late.

The female Cultivator stepped inside. A faint scraping sound suddenly came from the wall, and two dark shadows instantly emerged from their invisible state—it was the mantis Yao Beasts!

Their movements were as fast as lightning, their forelimbs slicing through the air with a sharp whistling sound. Before the female Cultivator could even cry out, her body was sliced in half at the waist. Blood sprayed onto the blades with a "sizzling" sound, and was actually absorbed by them.

The male Cultivator's Soul was Flying Away and Spirit Scattering in terror. He turned to run, but another mantis Yao Beast had already circled behind him. Its sharp forelimb pierced straight through his heart, hoisting his body high into the air.

The male Cultivator's mouth overflowed with blood, his eyes full of resentment, but finally, his breath ceased. His corpse was dragged to a corner by a mantis monster and was soon devoured until only bones remained.

Only a faint scent of blood was left lingering in the hall.

Ye Tianhao felt a chill in his heart as he watched. "Grandfather, they are too powerful. What should we do? Should we still go after that purple casket?"

Ye Jing immediately used the Immortal Willow's ability to investigate these invisible mantis Yao Beasts.

"First-Order Mid-Stage Wood-attribute Yao Beast, Shadow Blade Mantis. Skilled in concealment and phototaxis, extremely fast."

After learning this, Ye Jing couldn't help but frown. It was truly a case of a tiger being bullied by cats after coming down from the mountain. Without spiritual energy, even though they were Foundation Establishment Cultivators, they were being easily slaughtered by a few First-Order Mid-Stage Yao Beasts.

But this also indicated just how well these mantises could hide.

Knowing that these mantises were only First-Order Mid-Stage Yao Beasts, Ye Jing said to Ye Tianhao, "Tian Hao, stay alert of the surroundings. Leave the rest to Grandfather!"

With that, he summoned Hei Feng. As a Second-Order Demonic Beast, Hei Feng naturally could crush those First-Order Mid-Stage mantises.

"Hei Feng, kill these insects. Leave a few alive, and keep the noise down," Ye Jing said coldly.