Chapter 362: The Gate
In an instant, countless silk strands appeared, flying in all directions toward the surrounding Demon Moon Moths.
The Demon Moon Moths weren’t intelligent creatures. They relied entirely on their overwhelming numbers to win, so when they saw the silk strands, they didn’t know to dodge. Almost every strand found its mark.
Because their individual strength was so low, a Demon Moon Moth would die a horrible death the moment a silk strand entered its body.
Moreover, the strand’s power wasn’t fully depleted, allowing it to continue on and attack another target.
As a result, the pressure on the group was once again greatly reduced. It was clear that Thousand Silk Entanglement was truly a powerful weapon for defeating a greater number of foes with a smaller force.
After several hours of bitter fighting, the sky-blotting swarm of Demon Moon Moths was finally, completely annihilated.
A thick layer of Demon Moon Moth corpses carpeted the ground, a disgusting sight. Even though they were exhausted, the group hurried a little farther away before finding a clean place to rest.
After sitting down, Luo Linlang couldn’t help but ask Lu Sangjiu curiously, "What was that move you just used? All those thread-like things were so powerful! I’ve never seen you use it before!"
Lu Sangjiu fell silent. At her side, Duan Xingyun suddenly spoke up. "Is that... Thousand Silk Entanglement?"
Several hundred years ago, although Duan Xingyun had yet to reach Divinity Transformation, he had participated in the Immortal Demon War.
He had never personally witnessed the prowess of the Demon Cultivator Gu Huang, but he had heard many vivid retellings of it.
The move Lu Sangjiu had just used was remarkably similar.
Lu Sangjiu felt a wave of resignation. ’So, I was recognized after all.’
She wasn’t quite sure what to say, but she still nodded. "Yes."
An expression of surprise also appeared on Li Qiancheng’s face. He clearly knew of Thousand Silk Entanglement.
Shen Yuzhao and Luo Linlang, however, looked baffled. Luo Linlang couldn’t help but press, "Thousand Silk Entanglement? Is it that amazing?"
Still in shock, Li Qiancheng glanced at Lu Sangjiu but remained silent, not answering Luo Linlang’s question.
Duan Xingyun was also quiet, and the atmosphere grew heavy for a moment.
Luo Linlang didn’t understand what was happening, which made her even more anxious. "Why isn’t anyone talking? Tell me, Senior Brother?"
In the end, it was Lu Sangjiu who spoke. "Thousand Silk Entanglement. It was the exclusive secret technique of Gu Huang, the former Palace Master of the Moon Palace."
Luo Linlang froze. "...Huh?"
She was stunned for a moment, staring blankly at Lu Sangjiu, as if she couldn’t quite process what she’d heard.
Shen Yuzhao, who was standing nearby, was also astonished. But one look at the expressions on Duan Xingyun and Li Qiancheng’s faces told him that what Lu Sangjiu said was true. He opened his mouth, but in the end, asked nothing.
’Everyone has their secrets,’ he thought. ’Even though I’m curious, if Little Junior Sister doesn’t want to talk about it, I can be like Master and Senior Brother and not ask anything.’
But for Lu Sangjiu, since things had already come this far, there was no point in being secretive anymore. It was better to just explain everything at once.
With that thought, her expression turned solemn. "Master, Senior Brothers, Senior Sister, I’m sorry for hiding things from you. But I swear I have no ill intentions toward any of you, the Seven Emotions Sect, or the entire Cultivation World."
"The truth is, I..."
She was still considering how to phrase it when Duan Xingyun interrupted her.
"Little Jiu."
He looked at Lu Sangjiu, his expression as gentle as ever. "Whatever secrets you have, they are your own business. You don’t have to tell us."
"Just as you said, as long as you bear no ill will, you will always be my disciple and their Little Junior Sister. That’s all that matters."
After speaking, he glanced at the others. "I don’t mind. What about the rest of you?"
Li Qiancheng and the others snapped back to their senses and quickly nodded in agreement. "Of course we don’t mind either!"
As the one who had been prying, Luo Linlang felt a little embarrassed. She took Lu Sangjiu’s hand and said, "Little Junior Sister, please don’t overthink it. I wasn’t trying to dig up your secrets on purpose."
"Besides, with dangers lurking everywhere, if you told us some earth-shattering secret right now, I’d probably just get even more distracted, right?"
"How about this? After we get out of here, when we have time, you can tell us slowly if you feel like it. Okay?"
They all knew that if her Thousand Silk Entanglement hadn’t been recognized, Lu Sangjiu probably wouldn’t have said anything at all.
So they didn’t want to put any psychological pressure on Lu Sangjiu right now. If she didn’t want to talk, she didn’t have to. That was the kind of acceptance a family should have.
Looking at their sincere gazes, Lu Sangjiu was deeply moved. "...Thank you. Meeting all of you is the luckiest thing that’s ever happened to me."
She meant every word. Then, she smiled. "Alright, let’s focus on recovering our strength. Who knows what dangers are waiting for us next."
Lu Sangjiu was exactly right. For the next several days, they lived in constant peril, facing all sorts of dangers at every turn.
Many times, they had to jump straight into the next battle without even a moment to recover from the previous one.
Under the strain of such high-intensity combat, the group learned to control their Spiritual Energy with precision, not wasting a single trace of power.
It was worth noting that during this time, Luo Linlang was forced to use her Word Spirit Technique again to help Lu Sangjiu use the Six-sided Exquisite Dice.
She had been prepared for the backlash, but she was pleasantly surprised to discover that after her Ancient Fire Phoenix bloodline had been fully awakened, her use of the Word Spirit Technique seemed to have grown more masterful.
Using the Word Spirit Technique now only caused a slight discomfort, which vanished completely after a day of rest.
And so, braving the constant danger, the group ventured deeper and deeper into the Forbidden Land.
As the morning sun rose, a rare ray of light managed to pierce through the gloom of this godforsaken place.
After a whole night of fighting, the group was physically and mentally exhausted, but seeing this sight lifted their spirits.
Pulling Domination Map from the Magic Beast’s corpse, Lu Sangjiu wiped a splatter of blood from her face. "Let’s find a place to rest first."
Just as they were about to leave, Shen Yuzhao suddenly let out a sound of surprise. "Hey... look over there. What is that?"
Hearing this, the others all turned to look in the direction Shen Yuzhao was pointing. In the distance, a strange pile of stones was stacked on the ground.
Under the few rays of sunlight that broke through, the stones refracted the light into a chaotic yet distinct pattern.
They looked from afar, and though it wasn’t perfectly clear, they could feel a mysterious power contained within the pattern.
Lu Sangjiu’s eyes narrowed. "Let’s go, we’ll take a closer look!"
Everyone’s spirits lifted. For a strange phenomenon to suddenly appear in this godforsaken place... it was very likely related to the Demon God Hall!
As they drew closer, they noticed that as time passed, the refracted beams of light were slowly shifting position.
The mysterious pattern of light projected onto the ground was now elongated, shining directly onto a specific spot.
Suddenly, as if a mechanism had been triggered, a deep RUMBLE came from the earth. A fissure appeared, widening like a great gate sliding open to either side!