61: The Demonic Shadow of the Insect

Chen Youyun hurriedly arrived at the Law Enforcement Hall with the jade bottle.

"Nethercloud, arriving in such a hurry, is there something important to handle?" As soon as Chen Youyun entered the gate, he met Chen Yinlin, the Chief Deacon of the Law Enforcement Hall.

"Uncle-Clan, look at this..."

Chen Youyun, with a solemn expression, truthfully reported the situation to Chen Yinlin, the Chief Deacon of Law Enforcement, and handed over the jade bottle containing the Soul-Devouring Beetles.

Chen Yinlin looked at the black beetles in the jade bottle, scrambling to climb out, and his face instantly turned as dark as water.

"It really is the Soul-Devouring Beetle."

The Soul-Devouring Beetle lives beneath the soil, reproduces at an alarming rate, usually lays eggs in about a month, and can hatch in around ten days. Its eggs are minuscule and have tenacious vitality, making them extremely difficult to completely eradicate.

If any escape, they will form a certain scale again in a short time.

He knew deeply that once the Soul-Devouring Beetles became rampant, the entire Chen Family's Spirit Fields would suffer a devastating disaster, and the Chen Family's Foundation would be shaken as a result.

"Someone actually deliberately released such vile insects into the Chen Family's Spirit Fields, this is simply audacious!" Chen Yinlin slammed the table and stood up.

"Immediately mobilize all elite personnel of the Law Enforcement Hall, seal off all vital passes of the Little Cloud Mountain Spiritual Vein, and investigate suspicious individuals."

"Notify the Spirit Plant Hall to organize all spiritual farmers to conduct a carpet-like search of all the Chen Family's Spirit Fields, making sure not to miss a single corner!"

Inside the Law Enforcement Hall, Chen Yinlin stared grimly at the Soul-Devouring Beetles in the jade bottle, his fingers trembling slightly, his heart clearly filled with uncontrollable rage.

He took a deep breath, tried to calm his emotions, and then issued another order: "Immediately send a message to the main branch and inform them of the specific situation."

Chen Yinlin said in a deep voice: "This matter is definitely not accidental; someone must have done it intentionally. All Spiritual Veins must strengthen their defenses."

With Chen Yinlin's order, the entire Xiao Yun Mountain was plunged into a tense atmosphere.

The Law Enforcement Disciples set up checkpoints at various vital passes, and everyone entering or leaving had to undergo strict searches.

The Spirit Plant Hall organized the spiritual farmers to patrol back and forth among the Spirit Fields using their Divine Sense, searching for traces of the Soul-Devouring Beetles, fearing they might miss any corner.

At the same time, in a hidden cave deep in the outer area of Xiao Yun Mountain, a figure in a black robe sat cross-legged in the center of the narrow stone chamber, surrounded by densely crawling demonic insects of various shapes and colors.

Shrouded in shadows, his face was grim, the corners of his mouth slightly raised, and his eyes flickered with a chilling light.

"The Xiao Yun Mountain insect eggs have already been planted, everything is under control." He spoke slowly, his tone carrying a hint of complacency.

"That patch of the Chen Family's Spirit Field will soon become barren dead soil. Their century-old accumulated Foundation will also crumble like a collapsing building. When the time is ripe..."

However, before he finished speaking, his expression suddenly changed. He discovered that a Soul-Devouring Beetle he controlled was being forcibly probed by someone's Divine Sense.

The black-robed figure's pupils contracted sharply, a hint of panic flashed in his eyes, but he quickly regained his composure. He whispered: "Someone discovered my arrangement?"

He quickly concealed his aura, put the insect eggs into his bosom, then took out a Talisman from his sleeve, and with a gentle wave, the light in the entire cave suddenly dimmed. At the same time, the surrounding demonic insects scattered, burrowing into the cracks in the cave walls and disappearing.

"It seems this plan was exposed a bit early." The black-robed figure sneered, a hint of ruthlessness flashing in his eyes, "But it doesn't matter, I've already set up multiple layers of protection. As long as these insect eggs hatch successfully, the Chen Family will be finished."

He stood up and turned to walk towards the depths of the cave. There was a secret passage there, leading directly to the depths of the Qingya Mountain Range. His steps were light, as if he was already confident of success.

Meanwhile, inside the Law Enforcement Hall, Chen Yinlin's brows furrowed after receiving the feedback from the Spirit Plant Hall.

He looked at the jade bottle in his hand. The Soul-Devouring Beetles in the jade bottle were still struggling frantically, as if venting their violent nature to the outside world.

"The distribution range of these insect eggs is wider than I imagined," Chen Yinlin said in a deep voice. "If they cannot be completely eradicated, the consequences will be unimaginable."

Chen Yousuo, who came to report, nodded: "I have already contacted the main branch's Law Enforcement Hall and reported the situation. They will send experts to assist us in finding the culprit."

Chen Yinlin nodded, then looked at Chen Yousuo: "Yousuo, take some people to patrol the outer areas, expand the search range, and once you find any suspicious individuals, arrest and interrogate them immediately."

"Yes, Uncle-Clan." Chen Yousuo responded and turned to leave the Law Enforcement Hall.

At the same time, on the other side of Xiao Yun Mountain, several Disciples from the Spirit Plant Hall were busy in a Spirit Field. They used their Divine Sense to carefully scan every inch of soil, trying to find the insect eggs hidden in the soil.

"Here!" a Disciple suddenly shouted, pointing to a patch of seemingly normal soil.

Everyone rushed over upon hearing the sound and saw the Disciples carefully digging the soil. Soon, a tiny black insect egg was dug out.

"Found it!" Chen Youming, who was assisting in the search, felt a surge of joy, but then frowned again. "These insect eggs are really too small; ordinary searches simply cannot find them. The reason this one was found is that there happened to be a Soul-Devouring Beetle laying eggs nearby."

"If the problem of the Soul-Devouring Beetle eggs cannot be completely eradicated, it won't be long before new Soul-Devouring Beetles hatch, and this cycle will repeat, completely destroying this Spirit Field."

Everyone's faces showed worry. After all, if the Soul-Devouring Beetles became a disaster, the yield of cultivated spiritual plants would decrease, income would be greatly reduced, and they would also have to expend more effort than usual to remove the insects.

"Hopefully, the Chen Family can find a good solution." Everyone could only place their hopes in the Chen Family.

Chen Jiancang also carefully searched his two Spirit Fields and successively found a few Soul-Devouring Beetles that had escaped the initial search.

Because Gathering Spirit Arrays were set up in both Spirit Fields, almost all the Soul-Devouring Beetles gathered in Chen Jiancang's Spirit Fields. The surrounding Spirit Fields, on the contrary, benefited from this misfortune and showed no trace of the Soul-Devouring Beetles.

"These Soul-Devouring Beetles are so troublesome. If they cannot be completely rooted out, I'm afraid they will grow back with the spring breeze, leaving endless trouble."

Chen Jiancang frowned tightly and sighed, feeling helpless against this kind of pest. His Golden Finger only showed the status and did not provide a solution.

"I can only come and search every day now. I hope the Chen Family can research a solution as soon as possible."

Chen Jiancang handed over all the newly captured Soul-Devouring Beetles to the Law Enforcement Hall. Among these Soul-Devouring Beetles, some had been refined by secret insect control techniques. The remaining aura on these Soul-Devouring Beetles might become the key to finding the culprit.

It was still early, so Chen Jiancang returned to the Dan Hall to prepare for refining Qi Gathering Pills.

After sorting and preparing all the spiritual herbs, Chen Jiancang ignited the alchemical furnace with fire. The flames instantly shot up. He skillfully put the spiritual herbs into the water-fire ancient yang furnace and began refining.