Chapter 2258: Transforming Harm into Benefit, The Capability of a Great Nation

The giant nodded, untying the satchel from his shoulder. Once the spellcaster dispelled the wind pillar, he called out "Gather!" to the newly released cloud of pink mist.

The satchel instantly unleashed a powerful suction, greedily swallowing the pink mist.

In no more than four or five breaths, the mist would be completely absorbed.

Just then, something in the mist suddenly darted out, trying to avoid being sucked into the magical artifact.

Madam Zhu, who had been waiting nearby, acted swiftly, capturing it directly with a net.

Everyone saw it was also a small centipede, but entirely black and inconspicuous in the night.

"Did you think I wouldn't recognize you just because you shrank your true form?" Madam Zhu scoffed, shaking the net. "How naive!"

This small centipede was the centipede demon's main body; its powerful outer shell was merely a distraction. The moment it saw Madam Zhu, it intended to flee, so it hid within the pink mist, waiting for it to dissipate so it could slip away.

Little did it know, its opponent was a step ahead!

"Late again!" Madam Zhu said to the Maoling giant. "This is your third time. Do you want to be reprimanded by the Great Emperor again?"

"No, no, don't report it to the Great Emperor!" The Maoling giant quickly put his axe back at his waist, waving his hands repeatedly. A rare look of panic appeared on his rough face. "I'll be on time next time, definitely next time!"

Commander Chen stepped forward and saluted. "Thank you, two, no, three immortal masters, for your assistance in capturing the villain!"

"This isn't just a villain; it's a grand thief," Madam Zhu corrected, securing the constantly wriggling cocoon to her abdomen. She then turned to Sun Hongye, who was approaching. "Fortunately, you provided the crucial clue, otherwise this fellow truly would have escaped."

Sun Hongye asked curiously, "You knew its true form just by hearing 'red eyes'?"

"That's a characteristic of the Celestial Centipede," Madam Zhu explained. "Jiuyou has a flute made from Celestial Centipede bone joints and plays it constantly. I've long grown tired of seeing those red eyes."

By guessing that the grand thief in the warehouse was a Celestial Centipede, Madam Zhu was able to act with precision.

"This fellow also has a pleasant nickname, 'Peach Blossom Immortal'," the Spider Queen recounted, as if listing precious family treasures. "Its poisonous miasma is incredibly beautiful during the day, and its toxicity is controllable. Prey entering the Peach Blossom Miasma feel nothing and can move around for a long time before finally collapsing into sleep. This fellow is quite cunning, and its miasma has many wondrous uses. If it weren't for the guards' elemental energy and defensive formations being able to counteract the Peach Miasma, our battle today wouldn't have been so smooth."

This Celestial Centipede was quite shrewd. It first sent venomous scorpions as a vanguard to lure the guards into opening the storeroom and checking inventory, so it could sneak in right behind them.

When Madam Zhu appeared and it realized it couldn't defeat the combined force of the army and the Spider Queen, it hid its true form in the pink mist, ready to escape at a moment's notice.

"When this fellow first appeared, it plundered the first two mining sites, committing all sorts of atrocities, practically devouring half the living people in one of them. Later, it probably realized this wasn't good and dared not consume humans in that manner again."

Pu Hua also asked, "What level of cultivation does this Celestial Centipede possess?"

"It's just one step short of being a demon immortal," Madam Zhu replied. "Whether demon immortals or true immortals, few would remain in seclusion directly from ancient times until now, as very few can endure that long. Most choose to emerge when spiritual energy is abundant, quickly accumulating Mystic Crystals and various resources in preparation for their next period of seclusion."

Pu Hua nodded. "The Awakening of Insects period."

"Yes, that's why there are the most incidents in the human realm during every Awakening of Insects period." How do demon immortals and true immortals hoard resources? Of course, they don't politely negotiate with people. They all believe that natural treasures belong to the virtuous, meaning: what's yours is mine, and what's mine is still mine.

"However, in previous Awakening of Insects periods, the human nations weren't as powerful," Madam Zhu said, pointing to the cocoon beneath her abdomen. "So when this great Celestial Centipede demon emerged, its old methods didn't work. It was devouring people and plundering mines everywhere, causing widespread unrest. The Bingyuan Bureau tasked me with handling it. Well, now that it's caught, I'll have to take it back for interrogation."

Pu Hua immediately said, "I'll travel with the Spider Immortal."

Madam Zhu had no objection.

Sun Hongye, listening from the side, suddenly asked, "When did this Celestial Centipede appear and start causing trouble?"

"About twenty days ago."

"These mining sites and Mystic Crystal warehouses are quite spread out, aren't they? In just twenty days, it managed to locate all of them and successfully rob them," Sun Hongye remarked. "This Celestial Centipede is very intelligent, smarter than most people."

The others exchanged glances. The Maoye giant grumbled, "Now that you mention it, it is pretty smart. I wouldn't have thought of that."

His elder brother, the dwarf, immediately reached out and gave him a knuckle rap on the head. "Idiot! What he means is that the Celestial Centipede has accomplices, it's not acting alone!"

"Hmm, that makes sense. You truly are someone who used to follow Jiuyou," Madam Zhu said, glancing at Sun Hongye. "I will interrogate it thoroughly."

After this commotion, there was still an hour and a half until dawn.

Sun Hongye quickly went back to catch up on sleep.

He was also curious about the Maoling giant, so Pu Hua told him that this giant had emerged from the mountains two years ago, bringing misfortune wherever it went. They were an anomaly among the Maoye giants, born as conjoined twins. A powerful master had separated them, but they practiced the Dao of Unity of Mind, focusing on the principle that "when brothers are of one heart, they can cut through metal." So, they rejoined themselves. The elder brother typically lived as a parasite on the younger brother, but in combat, they could split into two individuals: one slow, one fast; one strong, one agile. Their fighting techniques differed, but their minds were connected, and they could unleash combined divine abilities, making them formidable opponents.

At that time, the Great Emperor and Madam Zhu happened to be traveling and passed through Maoling. The Great Emperor personally subdued it and brought it into his service.

Over the past five years, a considerable number of great demons and demon immortals like this one had been subdued by Cang Yan.

Turning misfortune into advantage – such was the capability of a great nation.

The commotion at the mining site naturally alarmed the town residents. Most of them were awakened in the night and came out to gaze expectantly. It wasn't until soldiers arrived to announce that the troublesome demon had been captured, and there was no more excitement to be seen, that everyone returned to their homes to rest.

At a small tavern by the cliff, a guest sat by the window drinking tonight, for two hours straight.

As a merchant town, it was perfectly normal for Tongyue Town to have guests drinking late into the night. However, this particular guest was extraordinarily handsome, causing the proprietress to forgo sleep and willingly endure dark circles under her eyes just to gaze at him a little longer.

Even as the demon hunt unfolded at the mining site, he remained seated, making no move to join the commotion, only occasionally glancing towards the direction of the mine.

Yet, as soon as the disturbance subsided, he stood up, paid his bill, and left.

Ten miles east of Mount Tongyue, along a mountain path, stood a dilapidated wooden house almost completely engulfed by climbing plants.

Before dawn, a man in a hat emerged from the ruined house, often standing by the roadside, looking left and right as if waiting for someone.

This time, when he stepped out of the house, the person he awaited didn't appear. Instead, he saw a stranger walking down the mountain path with his hands clasped behind his back.

What was called a mountain path was more accurately a beast trail, a narrow track trampled by wild animals, overgrown with weeds and easy to trip on. Yet, the person walking along it was more exquisite in appearance than any beauty, and his simple green robes, though not luxurious, were utterly spotless.