Chapter 1162: Sand that Moves

Ye Mo felt a sudden unease. If nothing else was here, where did all this sand originate? As he pondered this, he sensed Shadowless growing restless within the Golden Page World. He watched as Shadowless flew beside Blue Moon, opening its mouth and inhaling sand.

This sight unsettled Ye Mo. The sand seemed distressed as Shadowless devoured it, yet Shadowless itself appeared energetic and, to Ye Mo, happy. He wondered, Why is Shadowless eating the fine sand? Why would sand possess emotions?

Instantly, a deep unease gripped him. Something was wrong with the sand. He immediately shouted, “Nobody move!”

Miao Wuren and Gan Liang, who were about to investigate the sand, stopped immediately. Ye Mo swiftly produced his Mist Lotus Heart Fire, instantly enveloping everyone in its protective layer. Except for Miao Wuren and Huang Lanlan, no one reacted.

Ye Mo was reassured by Lin Yiban and Xu Tong's composure. Lin Yiban, a tertiary Body Condensation stage cultivator, and Xu Tong, a mid-stage Body Condensation cultivator, could easily resist the flame, yet they remained still. Knowing he could kill them both at any moment, Ye Mo understood their unwavering loyalty.

Of course, he had no intention of harming them. With a sweep of the flame, all the sand beneath and around them vanished, revealing greyish-white rock.

Ye Mo sheathed his heaven flame. Lin Yiban exclaimed in shock, “Is that fine sand… alive?”

Ye Mo nodded. A faint stench hung in the air after the sand had been cleared.

Xin Zhida asked, confused, “Why didn’t they move if they were alive? What are they? Why do they look like fine sand?” As he spoke, fine sand began to reappear in the space Ye Mo had just burned, seemingly drifting in from a distance—slowly, yet relentlessly.

Huang Lanlan frowned. “So disgusting.”

Ye Mo swiftly laid down dozens of formation flags, declaring gravely, “If I’m not mistaken, this fine sand is a rare spirit bug—the Spirit Devouring Bug.”

“Spirit Devouring Bug?” Lin Yiban gasped.

Ye Mo nodded. “Yes, probably Spirit Devouring Bugs, but not fully matured. The Spirit Devouring Bug ranks below the Fire Eating Bug, yet it's no less powerful. Ranked eleventh, a mature one possesses terrifying offensive capabilities—even faster than the Fire Eating Bug.”

Xin Zhida, subconsciously drawing closer to Luo Fei, asked, “Master, why aren’t they fully formed? Are they scary?” The mere knowledge of the sand being alive made it unsettling.

Ye Mo laid down more formation flags, erecting a defensive array to prevent the encroaching sand. “Spirit Devouring Bugs devour anything with spirit chi, living or dead. These are likely eggs, unhatched. Once hatched, they won’t be so slow.”

Huang Lanlan shivered. “Big brother Ye, you mean they’ll still slowly devour us, even as eggs?”

Luo Fei responded, “The things sucked in here before… are all gone…”

Silence fell. It was clear: whatever had fallen here before was devoured by the eggs, even spirit-infused stones.

Xin Zhida broke the silence, “Luckily, master has his flame. We can burn them if they come.”

Lin Yiban offered a bitter smile, but remained silent. Ye Mo possessed the heaven flame, but against countless Spirit Devouring Bugs? His cultivation essence would deplete long before he could burn them all.

Ye Mo wasn't concerned about that; he was considering the potential hundredfold increase in their offensive power upon hatching.

Tang Beiwei approached Ye Mo, anxiously asking, “Brother, what do we do?”

Ye Mo stated with certainty, “This place must possess an extreme-grade spirit range; otherwise, no one would leave these eggs here to hatch.”

“Huh!” Tang Beiwei exclaimed. “You mean someone deliberately placed these eggs here?”

“Definitely. This suction force is also a formation,” Ye Mo explained, his understanding now clear. Unlike the Zhao River swamp, spirit sense couldn't penetrate the formation here. If all the Spirit Devouring Bugs hatched, even an entire sect could vanish in an instant. These eggs only needed dense spirit chi to hatch; later, they would need to devour living creatures with spirit chi, such as cultivators or spirit beasts.

Ye Mo continued, “This formation doesn’t remain open long, so even if people came before, there weren’t many. But soon, many more will arrive.”

He didn't elaborate. As the Spirit Devouring Bugs matured, they would need to devour a significant number of cultivators to hatch. Once hatched, they wouldn't require more cultivators; they could find locations with dense spirit chi to evolve. It was a meticulous plan, clearly well-conceived.

Despite understanding the situation, Ye Mo couldn't leave. A level six Formation Grandmaster, he couldn't even glimpse the formation's edges, much less break it.

The person who created this trap wasn't worried about a lack of victims. The dense spirit chi was irresistible once the riverbed opened; Ye Mo and Lin Yiban were prime examples of this irresistible draw. More cultivators would inevitably come, drawn by the dense spirit chi. Death held little sway over cultivators; only repeated failures would eventually deter them. The cultivator who devised this had a masterful understanding of cultivator mentality.

The realization made Ye Mo's back prickle with sweat. He recalled the space-devouring spirit in the herb valley and the Truth Fall Palace's level seven invisible master. Could this be the work of the same person? If so, what were their goals? To rule the cultivation realm, or to annihilate it?

Silence settled upon them. Ye Mo pushed aside his anxieties, and smiled. “Perhaps this is the place we were seeking. I’m not sure if spirit marrow exists here, but I'm certain something comparable is present.”

“But these eggs?” Lin Yiban questioned.

Ye Mo nodded. “We need not worry about them for now. Let’s locate the source of the dense spirit chi. Once we deplete the spirit chi, these bugs will die.”

These bugs were powerful, yet their hatching conditions were stringent. Without dense spirit chi, they would perish quickly.

Just as Ye Mo was about to proceed with Shadowless, another deafening rumble echoed. Another flying magic artifact crashed down, mere tens of meters from their location.