Within My Sect, All Realms Unite

As soon as the thing burst apart, the boy’s body dropped to the ground like a puppet without strings, all movement leaving him in an instant. Along with it, Han Leu collapsed as well, coughing out a mouthful of blood while his hair slowly turned black again, his aura fading as exhaustion overtook him completely.

Before anyone could steady themselves, the thin thing that had shot out earlier suddenly darted toward the entrance they had come from, moving with terrifying speed. Just as it was about to escape, an arrow struck it mid-flight and knocked it back, but ignoring the impact, the thing twisted and tried to flee again.

Xiao Shan stepped in without hesitation and slammed it back down with brute force, stopping its escape for a brief moment and forcing it into view.

Only then did everyone clearly see its true form, a thin, needle-like reddish bug with faint black markings running along its body, its surface twitching slightly as if alive with something unnatural.

The creature paused for a split second, as if realizing direct escape would not work, and then suddenly shot forward again, this time heading straight toward Lin Xiaotian. It moved with clear intent, as if choosing the weakest target to infiltrate without hesitation.

Seeing this, Lin Xiaotian’s mouth twitched slightly as irritation flashed across his face, his gaze turning cold in an instant. This thing actually dared to see him as the weakest and choose him as its target; it truly needed to be taught its place. 𝒻𝑟𝘦𝘦𝘸ℯ𝒷𝑛𝘰𝓋ℯ𝘭.𝘤𝘰𝘮

As the bug shot toward him, Lin Xiaotian grabbed Xiaoshan’s massive halberd and hurled it forward without holding back, aiming directly at the creature. The impact struck true, but instead of being destroyed, the bug ricocheted backward, its body barely affected by the attack.

Lin Xiaotian’s expression darkened immediately as he saw that result, his earlier irritation turning into something far more serious. "Damn," he muttered under his breath, his eyes narrowing as he locked onto the creature.

"This thing it’s at least at the Divine Transformation realm Soul Devouring bug," he thought.

The moment Lin Xiaotian’s attack failed to destroy it, the needle-like bug twisted mid-air and shot off again without hesitation, its movement sharp and unpredictable. It did not linger even for a second, as if it had already understood that staying in one place meant certain death.

It changed direction instantly instead of heading straight again, it curved through the air in an unnatural arc and targeted one of the disciples at the edge of the formation. The shift was sudden and precise, clearly aiming for someone weaker and less guarded.

The disciple barely reacted in time as a talisman flared to life in front of him, forming a thin protective layer just as the bug struck it at full speed. The impact forced him back several steps, his footing slipping slightly, but the barrier held just long enough.

The bug bounced off again but without pausing, it redirected itself mid-air and shot toward another target, this time aiming lower, trying to enter through a blind spot near the side. Chu Yue reacted immediately, her arrow already released before the others fully processed the shift.

The arrow struck it cleanly, but the bug just spun violently from the impact, its movement distorted for a brief moment, but instead of falling, it corrected itself almost instantly and continued forward. It no longer moved in straight lines, but in broken, erratic bursts that made tracking it far more difficult.

Xiaoshan stepped forward to intercept as his halberd swept across the space with force, cutting off its path completely, but the moment the blade reached it, the bug twisted at an impossible angle and slipped past the edge without taking the hit. It brushed past the weapon and shot upward, avoiding the strike by the smallest margin.

It tried and again this time it went for Tianhe, aiming directly toward his chest with even more speed than before, as if betting everything on a single successful entry. Tianhe’s aura surged instantly, pressure erupting outward to block it, and the bug slammed into that invisible force.

It was pushed back again.

Every time it chose a target, it failed to break through, yet it did not slow down, nor did it hesitate, shifting directions again and again, searching for the smallest opening. It was no longer attacking randomly, but probing, testing, learning from every failed attempt.

It retreated slightly and landed near the edge of the cavern, its thin body twitching faintly as it remained still for the first time since it had appeared.

Just then, it shot out again with even greater speed than before, its movement turning sharp and direct as if it had finally found its true prey. Without hesitation, it slipped out of the formation in a clean line, bypassing everyone’s reach before they could fully react to the sudden shift.

Lin Xiaotian’s expression changed instantly as he moved to intercept, but the timing was already off by a fraction, and that was all it needed. The creature did not slow down even for a moment, its path fixed and unwavering as it rushed toward Yan Feng without the slightest deviation.

By the time everyone realized its target, it had already closed the distance completely, leaving no room for interruption. Yan Feng had just turned slightly, his body still recovering and his focus not fully aligned with the situation, making him the perfect opening at that exact moment.

The impact came instantly as the needle-like bug struck directly into his head with terrifying precision, disappearing without leaving even the slightest trace behind, as if it had never been there at all.

The speed was so overwhelming that for a brief moment, everything seemed to freeze as their minds struggled to catch up with what had just happened but then the change began.

Yan Feng’s body stiffened abruptly, his posture locking in place as his expression froze mid-motion, unable to complete the action he had just started. A faint twitch appeared along his face, subtle at first but impossible to ignore once noticed.

Soon after, something began to move beneath his skin. A slow, wriggling motion spread across his head, uneven and deeply unsettling, as if something alive had burrowed inside and was now pushing forward without resistance.

The movement grew more visible with each passing second, distorting the surface slightly as whatever had entered began to make its presence known.