The three men stood before the cave entrance.

  Senior Brother Liu, at the sixth level of Qi Condensation, radiated an air of arrogant confidence. "It’s in here. The Tracking Butterfly’s scent cuts off at this spot."

  "Junior Brothers, follow my lead. Form the array and seal the entrance. Let’s see how long this vermin can hide!"

  Inside the cave, Chen Gensheng changed his mind. Fighting three at once could be troublesome if it devolved into a war of attrition, even with his fifth-level cultivation.

  He decided to charge. He shot out of the cave like a black bolt, soaring upward against the moonlight. The elytra on his back, unused for so long, emitted a deafening drone, lifting his grotesque, half-human frame into the night sky.

  The three Outer Disciples looked up in unison, their faces masks of shock. They had anticipated a vicious beast; they had imagined a desperate pounce. They had not expected this.

  Under the cold moon, the monster hovered. Tattered rags fluttered around its body, concealing a void-black carapace. But the most horrifying sight was the six human hands sprouting from its sides—different in size, but each with five distinct, grasping fingers.

  Liu’s heart hammered against his ribs; he nearly dropped the Demon-Binding Net. "What... what in the hell is that thing?!"

  Gensheng looked down at the three terror-stricken faces. A surge of unprecedented superiority filled his mind. The sturdiness of an insect, the wisdom of a human. I have both. Why should I ever fear the judgment of others?

  His first hand on the left curved, forming the mudra for a Fireball Technique. His second hand on the right snapped its fingers together, manifesting a Sharp Metal Spike. His middle hands moved in tandem—one drawing up earth and stone, the other condensing water vapor. His two smallest hands at the rear each gathered a simple Qi Bullet.

  Six seals. Six spiritual lights. All completed within a single breath on a single body.

  The color drained from Liu’s face. He forgot to activate his magical tool, his eyes wide with disbelief. "Multi-casting... six spells at once? No... that's impossible!"

  Gensheng gave him no time for further shock.

  Fire, metal, earth, and water—along with the twin Qi bullets—screamed down from six directions, sealing every path of retreat.

  The screams were sudden, sharp, and cut short just as quickly. Silence returned to the forest.

  Gensheng descended slowly, his six hands bracing against the blood-slicked earth. He surveyed the three mangled corpses, plucked the storage bags from their waists, and retrieved the Demon-Binding Net, now punctured by an earth spear.

  Right or wrong? It doesn't matter. A Dao that can kill is a good Dao.

  Gensheng dragged the bodies to a secluded, dry mountain crevice and emptied the storage bags. Spirit stones, pills, talismans, and spare clothes piled up in a chaotic heap.

  A sense of gratification washed over him. Thinking back on Yinhuo Die’s words now only made her seem more obnoxious.

  He popped a healing pill into his mouthparts; it dissolved instantly, mending the slight friction in his Qi flow from the battle. Simultaneously, another hand gripped a spirit stone, siphoning its essence. Multitasking had become as natural to him as breathing.

  Unauthorized duplication: this narrative has been taken without consent. Report sightings.

  "What's this?"

  Among the loot was a yellowed book. The cover bore the words: Records of the Linglan Anomalies.

  The prologue offered a glimpse of the wider world. This land was the Yunwu Continent, a vast expanse of warring sects and shifting dynasties. Maple Red Valley was but a third-rate sect in a small nation called Linglan, tucked away in a remote corner of the continent.

  He flipped further. The records mentioned various paths of cultivation: Insect Masters who controlled swarms, and Body Cultivators who forged their physical forms into indestructible weapons.

  Gensheng looked at his black carapace and his six hands. Am I a Body Cultivator? The toughness of an insect combined with the dexterity of human hands—surely this is the ultimate physical path.

  The final pages were filled with hurried, messy handwriting—notes from the book's previous owner: "Heard rumors of Evil Cultivators... who feast upon the flesh and souls of living beings to accelerate their growth. Their path is swift, yet it defies the heavens and is loathed by the Righteous Dao..."

  Gensheng closed the book and turned his head toward the three warm corpses. A bit of translucent saliva dripped from his mandibles.

  Big fish eat little fish. This is the natural order. Humans eat grain and spirit beasts; how is it any different when I eat humans? The 'Righteous Dao' is just a perspective humans invented to feel good about themselves.

  Better to feast first, then sort the loot.

  Elder Hall, Maple Red Valley.

  Incense smoke curled through the air. The figures seated within radiated heavy, suppressed power. At the head sat the Sect Master, Chen Qingyun.

  "The Insect Master known as the Corpse-Hiding Demon has become increasingly bold in the west of Linglan. He has fled into our territory," Chen Qingyun’s voice echoed through the hall. "His Corpse-Barrier Wasps have already breached the mountain arrays of three cultivation clans. The Royal Court has issued a decree for all sects to assist in his suppression."

  A withered Elder stroked his beard. "Sect Master, that demon is elusive, and his wasps can corrode both artifacts and souls. If we send our men, we will suffer heavy losses."

  Chen Qingyun didn't even lift his eyelids. "No rush. We are but a third-rate sect; we will shout from the sidelines and let the Great Sects be the vanguard. More importantly... how is the Saintess?"

  At the mention of the Saintess, the tension in the room eased. The Elder of the Alchemy Hall smiled. "She has been in seclusion for ten years. Her aura is stable. I have delivered the last three Purple-Veined Dew Pills as per your orders. This should be enough for her to shatter the bottleneck and reach the Core Formation Realm."

  "Good." Chen Qingyun nodded. A Core Formation cultivator would be the foundation of the sect for the next century. Compared to that, some rogue demon was a mere nuisance.

  After settling sect affairs, the hall fell silent until Elder Wan, who managed the Outer Sect, spoke up hesitantly.

  "Sect Master... there is one more thing. In the last six months, over thirty disciples have vanished from the Laborer Courtyard. We thought they were runaways, but last month, the three Outer Disciples sent to investigate also disappeared. No bodies have been found."

  The Elders frowned. Thirty laborers were nothing, but the disappearance of three Outer Disciples was a slight against the sect.

  Chen Qingyun opened his eyes fully, his gaze unreadable. "You bring the disappearance of mere laborers to the Elder Hall? You are becoming incompetent, Wan."

  "Forgive me, Brother," Wan bowed. "But the Outer Sect is in a panic. I fear some evil entity has infiltrated us."

  "Infiltrated? Our mountain array runs night and day. If there is an 'evil,' it is either a beast that escaped its pen or a disciple who has strayed into forbidden arts. Do not bother me with this again."

  Chen Qingyun waved him off. "Post a Demon-Hunting Quest in the Mission Hall. Reward: one high-grade artifact and five hundred spirit stones for the truth. Double the reward and a Great Merit for the one who slays the creature. That should suffice."

  In a sect of thousands, there were always those desperate for resources or glory. Using disciples' lives to fill such holes was simply how a sect functioned.

  In the damp mountain crevice, Chen Gensheng licked the last of the blood from the bones and let out a satisfied burp.

  The Qi swirling within his half-insect body grew denser. With a light push of his six hands, he sprang silently from the floor, clinging to the cavern ceiling.

  He began mending the damaged Demon-Binding Net with two hands. His other four hands were busy—one holding a spirit stone, one a pill, one a jade slip, and one a talisman.

  None of them interfered with the others.