345: Golden Silkworm Egg

The water mirror in the Hanyue Valley Underground Palace was split into two halves, with the left side reflecting the fiery light of the Ghost Market and the right side showing the miasmic swamps on the outskirts of the Myriad Gu Cave.

Jun Xiaoyao held a bronze token between his fingertips that had just been retrieved from the Blood Shadow Gate; the character "Blood" was engraved on the token, and its edges were still stained with undried black blood—this was the secret token used for communication between the Blood Shadow Gate and the Southern Chu Imperial Family.

"Young Lord, the Marshal of the Unruly has safely delivered the profound iron token and the Young Valley Master of Medicine King Valley to the employer, and three million taels of gold have been transferred to the secret treasury of Beyond Heaven."

Zhao Gao's voice came from the shadows, and he held an account book in his hand, which was densely packed with records of The Net's recent income and expenditures.

"Additionally, the Blood Rakshasa has confessed in prison; he conspired with the Third Prince of Southern Chu to poison the Crown Prince with the Bone-Corroding Palm and usurp the position of the heir apparent."

Jun Xiaoyao threw the bronze token back onto the jade tray, producing a dull thud: "The internal strife of the Southern Chu Imperial Family has nothing to do with us."

He turned his gaze to the right side of the water mirror: "How are things with Blue Phoenix and from Water Margin?"

The water mirror image zoomed in, the miasma of the Myriad Gu Cave rolling like green silk, and huge black shadows flashed across the swamp from time to time, splashing up foul-smelling mud.

Blue Phoenix wore the pleated skirt unique to the Miao region, and the silver ornaments at her waist jingled with her steps; she held a snake-shaped staff in her hand, the snake eyes at the top of the staff flashing with red light as she vigilantly scanned the surroundings.

"There is 'Heart-Eating Gu' in this miasma," Blue Phoenix said to from Water Margin behind her.

"Brother from Water Margin, use your Internal Energy to protect your heart pulse; don't inhale too much."

She poured a few colorful insects from her Gu bag and threw them into the swamp, and the moment the insects landed, the surrounding miasma automatically retreated three feet.

from Water Margin grinned, revealing two rows of white teeth: "Don't worry, little sister; with this body of mine, am I afraid of a few little bugs?"

He struck his fists together, and a powerful Internal Energy erupted from his body, shaking the approaching miasma away.

The two had not traveled more than three miles when a sharp hissing sound suddenly came from the swamp.

Dozens of giant pythons as thick as water buckets emerged from the mud, flicking their forked tongues, blocking the way.

The leading giant python had a fleshy lump on its head and red light flashing in its eyes—it was actually a Grandmaster Realm "Blood-Crowned Python".

"Just in time."

from Water Margin rolled up his sleeves, his figure pouncing out like a fierce tiger, his fists aimed directly at the Blood-Crowned Python's seven-inch spot.

Blue Phoenix waved her snake-shaped staff, chanting words, and those colorful insects suddenly flew up, shooting toward the giant python's eyes like sharp arrows.

The Blood-Crowned Python felt the pain and let out a roar, its tail sweeping across with a sky full of mud and water.

from Water Margin did not dodge or evade, actually taking the blow squarely with his shoulder, and after a muffled groan, his fists finally smashed into the giant python's seven-inch spot.

With a crisp "crack," the Blood-Crowned Python's skull was shattered, and its huge body convulsed as it fell into the swamp.

The remaining giant pythons, seeing this, were frightened and retreated one after another.

Blue Phoenix, however, whistled, and those colorful insects suddenly burrowed into the giant pythons' seven orifices.

The giant pythons immediately began to bite each other as if they had gone mad, and soon they perished together.

"Little sister, this method is truly amazing."

from Water Margin was dumbfounded.

Blue Phoenix put away her staff and giggled: "These are 'Soul-Eating Gu', which specifically eat the brains of Yao Beast; they are perfect for dealing with these stupid things."

Before the water mirror, Jun Xiaoyao watched this scene and said to Zhao Gao: "Let them speed up, as it is said that the Gu King of the Myriad Gu Cave wakes up every full moon night; tonight is the fifteenth, so don't let them run into it."

"Yes, the Marshal of the Unruly has already sent a message to warn them."

Zhao Gao handed over a new file: "By the way, Young Lord, the 'Shadow' group found that there is more than one team in the Myriad Gu Cave, and there are also people from the 'Five Poisons Sect', led by their Saintess, He Tieshou, whose Realm has reached the Middle Stage of the Grandmaster Realm."

Jun Xiaoyao raised an eyebrow.

He Tieshou?

He had an impression of this Five Poisons Sect expert; she had appeared in the summoning panel, but he couldn't summon her at the time due to insufficient spiritual power.

He brought up He Tieshou's profile: [Character Panel: He Tieshou] [From: "Sword Stained with Royal Blood" world] [Realm: Middle Stage of the Grandmaster Realm] [Martial Skill: Five Poisons Divine Palm (Perfection), Iron Hook Technique (Major Achievement)] [Specialty: Gu refining, poison usage, a "Soul-Dissolving and Bone-Corroding Powder" that no one can solve] [Current Status: Searching for the golden silkworm gu egg in the depths of the Myriad Gu Cave].

"An acquaintance, it seems."

Jun Xiaoyao chuckled: "Tell Blue Phoenix to be careful, as He Tieshou's Iron Hook Technique is specifically designed to break Internal Energy; don't let from Water Margin suffer a loss."

In the water mirror, Blue Phoenix and from Water Margin had crossed the swamp and arrived at the entrance of the Myriad Gu Cave.

The entrance was like the open mouth of a giant beast, pitch black and bottomless, and one could vaguely hear the hissing sound of insects inside.

Blue Phoenix took out a firefly lantern from her bosom, and the moment the lantern lit up, the cave walls were covered with dense scorpions, each the size of a palm.

"It seems someone arrived before us."

Blue Phoenix pointed to the footprints on the ground, which were small and exquisite, obviously left by a woman: "It's the people from the Five Poisons Sect, and they used 'Scorpion-Repelling Powder' to open the path."

from Water Margin snorted coldly: "Whatever sect they are, if they dare to grab our things, don't blame this big brother's fists for being impolite!"

The two were just about to enter the cave when a sound of fighting suddenly came from inside.

Blue Phoenix and from Water Margin looked at each other and quietly slipped in.

In the center of the cave hall, a woman in purple was fighting fiercely with a group of Men in Black; the woman had an iron hook on her left hand and held a soft whip in her right, her Moves ruthless—it was He Tieshou.

Those Men in Black were dressed in uniform black clothes, their faces covered with black cloth, and their waists wrapped with silver snake-shaped marks—they were actually people from the "Silver Snake Sect".

"Sect Leader He, this golden silkworm gu egg was discovered by my Silver Snake Sect first; if you are sensible, get out immediately!"

The leading Man in Black grinned, the long sword in his hand carrying poisonous mist, each Move aimed at He Tieshou's vital points.

He Tieshou waved her iron hook, entangling the opponent's long sword, and sneered: "With you trash, you are worthy of touching the golden silkworm gu?"

The soft whip suddenly shot out, coiling around another Man in Black's neck like a spirit snake, and with a gentle pull, the man died.

Blue Phoenix looked at He Tieshou's Moves, a flash of surprise in her eyes: "Her Five Poisons Divine Palm is even more powerful than what my Master taught."

from Water Margin whispered: "Little sister, should we make a Move?"

Blue Phoenix shook her head: "Wait a little longer, let them bite each other like dogs."

Just at this moment, a golden light suddenly appeared from the depths of the cave hall.

An insect egg the size of a pigeon egg rolled out from a crack in the stone; the insect egg was golden all over, covered with patterns—it was the golden silkworm gu egg!

The Silver Snake Sect leader saw this and roared: "Do it! Grab it!"

All the Men in Black pounced toward the golden silkworm gu egg at the same time, ignoring even He Tieshou.

A flash of cruelty appeared in He Tieshou's eyes, and she suddenly inserted her iron hook into the ground, causing bursts of green smoke to emerge—it was the Five Poisons Sect's "Bone-Melting Smoke"!

"Not good!"

The Silver Snake Sect leader's face changed drastically, and he turned to run.

He Tieshou did not give them a chance, and her soft whip spread out like a net, trapping all the Men in Black in the smoke.

At this critical moment, a black shadow suddenly jumped down from the top of the cave and grabbed toward the golden silkworm gu egg.

Blue Phoenix and from Water Margin looked closely and saw it was the Marshal of the Unruly!

"Marshal of the Unruly? Why are you here?"

Blue Phoenix asked in surprise.

The Marshal of the Unruly did not answer, grabbed the golden silkworm gu egg, and rushed out.

He Tieshou saw this and roared: "Where did this rat come from, daring to grab my things!"

The iron hook shot toward the Marshal of the Unruly's back like lightning.

The Marshal of the Unruly's figure flickered, avoiding the iron hook narrowly, and at the same time backhanded a copper coin, which shot toward He Tieshou's wrist like a sharp arrow.

He Tieshou hurriedly retracted the hook to block, but was shaken back three steps by the force of the copper coin.

"Good skill!"

He Tieshou was both shocked and angry: "Who exactly are you?"

The Marshal of the Unruly finally spoke, his voice hoarse like a ghost: "The Net, Marshal of the Unruly."

"The Net?!"

He Tieshou's face changed drastically, as she had heard of this mysterious organization; it was said that as long as they took on a task, there was nothing they couldn't complete.

Just at this moment, the cave hall suddenly shook violently.

Blue Phoenix's face changed drastically: "Not good! It's the Gu King waking up!"

Stones began to fall from the top of the cave, and cracks appeared on the ground.

The Marshal of the Unruly made a prompt decision: "Retreat!"

He turned and rushed out, with from Water Margin and Blue Phoenix following closely behind.

He Tieshou looked at the crumbling cave hall, gritted her teeth, and followed them out.

As soon as the four of them rushed out of the cave entrance, the entire Myriad Gu Cave collapsed with a roar; countless poisonous insects poured out from the cracks, but were blocked by the miasma outside and could not rush out.

The Marshal of the Unruly handed the golden silkworm gu egg to Blue Phoenix: "Keep it safe and take it back to Beyond Heaven."

Blue Phoenix took the insect egg and looked at the Marshal of the Unruly curiously: "How did you know we were here?"

The Marshal of the Unruly's hat brim moved, as if looking at her: "The Young Lord is godlike in his foresight and knew you would run into trouble."

He Tieshou looked at them, a flash of complexity in her eyes: "Are you people from Beyond Heaven?"

The Marshal of the Unruly did not answer, but only said to from Water Margin: "Take her back to Hanyue Valley, as the Young Lord wants to see her."

from Water Margin was stunned: "Take her back?"

"The Young Lord has his own arrangements."

After saying this, the Marshal of the Unruly's figure flashed and disappeared into the miasma.

He Tieshou looked in the direction where the Marshal of the Unruly disappeared, then looked at the golden silkworm gu egg in Blue Phoenix's hand, and finally nodded: "I will go with you."

Before the water mirror, Jun Xiaoyao watched this scene and said to Zhao Gao: "He Tieshou is a talent; let her join The Net, as it will just make up for our deficiency in poison refining."

"Yes."

Zhao Gao bowed and responded, then handed over a message talisman: "Mr. Ouyezi sent news that the first furnace of 'cold iron swords' has been cast from the meteorite iron mine; please go and take a look, Young Lord."

Jun Xiaoyao stood up, and the image in the water mirror gradually dimmed.

He knew that with the acquisition of the golden silkworm gu egg, the strength of Beyond Heaven would be improved by another level, and the addition of He Tieshou would be like adding wings to a tiger.

The moonlight outside Hanyue Valley was like water, sprinkling on the newly built weapon workshop.

Ouyezi was holding a cold, shining long sword, laughing loudly: "Young Lord, come and see; this sword cuts iron like mud and severs hair upon contact!"

Jun Xiaoyao walked over, grasped the hilt, and a cold breath instantly spread through his whole body.

He swung the sword to cut the profound iron pillar next to it, and the cut was flat and smooth, without any burrs.

"Good sword."

Jun Xiaoyao nodded with satisfaction: "Equip every 'Heaven' grade assassin of The Net with one, and store the rest in the secret treasury."

"Yes!"

Ouyezi responded excitedly.

Jun Xiaoyao looked at the night sky outside the weapon workshop, a flash of depth in his eyes; the road to the rise of Beyond Heaven had just begun.

As more and more experts were summoned and the power of The Net grew larger, he believed that it wouldn't be long before the entire continent would know that the name of Beyond Heaven represented absolute power.

And those forces that tried to hinder the development of Beyond Heaven would eventually turn into dust under the sharp blades of The Net.