Fengyun Town bustled as usual. The market square was packed with people, vendors shouting nonstop to hawk their wares.
Jian Dan led the group into a narrow back alley. The three monks followed without question, uncertain of her intent but trusting enough not to speak.
At the entrance of the alley, Jian Dan waved to an older woman nearby and smiled politely."Excuse me, Auntie, I'm trying to find a place. Could you point the way?"
The woman hesitated, clearly reluctant to approach. Before she could flee, Jian Dan pretended to reach into her sleeve, and with a flick of her finger, a strand of Thousand Threads of Return whipped out and yanked the woman into the alley.
The old woman opened her mouth to scream, but before she could utter a word, a small flame shot into her body. A moment later, a black-armored insect burst out from her forehead.
It immediately darted toward the one with the weakest cultivation, Hui Ming.
Though Hui Ming's realm was the lowest, his reactions were sharp. Ever since Jian Dan had brought them into the alley, he had been on guard.
He knew better than to think someone like this Senior Shan ever acted without reason.
The prayer bead infused with Buddhist power struck the black-armored insect mid-air, shattering it. Jian Dan followed with a fireball, ensuring nothing remained.
"Amitabha. Shan Daoyou, are there more people in the town who've been parasitized?" Yun Yin asked at once.
Jian Dan swept a glance at the three monks, her expression weary. "Almost the entire town."
The air seemed to freeze in an instant.
"Shan Daoyou, is there any—"
"No," she cut off Ji Shi's question without hesitation.
His face turned pale.
"On Lingyun Continent, the humans, beasts, and demon races united to contain the invading insect race within the cultivation world, cutting it off from the mortal realm.
There's another reason. To the insects, cultivators are prime hosts. They can survive longer, and the surrounding resources help nourish their bodies. Every black-armored insect grows by feeding on piles of corpses.
So the extermination of black-armored larvae has become a shared agreement among cultivators. But here in Dilin Kingdom, you monks live among mortals. That is both your advantage and your weakness.
If the human race is wiped out, I think you know far better than I do what kind of consequences await."
With that, Jian Dan turned and walked out of the alley. Her parting words echoed behind her.
"I've said all that needs to be said. The town is now sealed by my barrier. They cannot escape. I'll rescue those not yet parasitized. The rest is yours to decide."
Hovering in the air above the town, she said to Liu Chuan, "Bring out everyone who hasn't been infected."
"Understood."
The ground rumbled faintly. Countless verdant vines shot up from below, wrapping around people nearby and swiftly lifting them into the sky.
In an instant, Fengyun Town erupted into chaos. As more and more uninfected people were pulled skyward, the three monks relaxed slightly, but they had no time to look up.
Some of the more agile black-armored larvae began leaping from their dying hosts, trying to find new ones.
But Jian Dan gave them no chance.
Tiny sparks the size of rice grains shot into the larvae and burned them to ash.
The three monks watched as entire townsfolk turned to cinders, black-armored insects darting through the air. They finally understood the gravity of what Jian Dan had said.
Several insects honed in on them.
This time, Jian Dan did nothing. She waited to see how they would respond.
Yun Yin released a wave of Buddhist power, disintegrating one instantly. Hui Ming, already gripping his staff, slammed the insect straight into the ground, flattening it. Despite his pallor, Ji Shi reacted quickly, releasing his alms bowl to suck up three insects in one go.
Jian Dan nodded and returned to pulling the uninfected out of the formation.
Once Liu Chuan placed them down, he vanished back underground.
But the civilians, unaware of the truth, collapsed on the ground trembling, thinking they'd been seized by monsters. Many clung together, begging for mercy.
Jian Dan remained in the sky, overseeing everything. She only intervened when the three monks couldn't respond in time.
An entire hour passed before the last black-armored insect was gone. Still, over a hundred townsfolk remained hidden.
This was the most difficult part.
"Amitabha," Ji Shi murmured, grief etched across his face. "This is my fault. I captured Shan Daoyou's spirit beast and prevented the warning from reaching us. That is why Fengyun Town suffered this calamity."
"You need not blame yourself," Yun Yin said. "This is a test from the Buddha."
"There's no point in talking now. Let's focus on what must be done."
He led the way toward the hidden survivors. Hui Ming followed closely behind.
Jian Dan watched from above but did not stop them. This was cause and effect, the karma that the Buddhist path emphasized.
In the Dilin Kingdom, the monks had always sought to destroy all beasts and demons. They captured Jade, a kind-hearted beast who had slain an evil monster, and thus prevented her from passing on vital information. If Jian Dan hadn't reclaimed Jade, the consequences would have been unthinkable.
The monks depended on the common people. Without mortals, where would they recruit disciples? How would they pass down their teachings?
Yun Yin understood this clearly. He didn't hold back and quickly eliminated the remaining larvae.
Jian Dan burned all the remaining insect debris, then cast a purifying spell. The entire town was restored to its previous state.
She withdrew her barrier and lightly tapped a spell, putting the terrified survivors to sleep.
"Revered monks, I've done all I can. I've shown you the situation and explained what's at stake. The rest is in your hands."
"Amitabha. Many thanks to Shan Daoyou. We will handle the aftermath ourselves."
"Good. Then I'll take my leave."
Jade transformed into a little green snake and wrapped around Jian Dan's wrist. The two vanished from the monks' sight.
"Amitabha."
Yun Yin folded his hands and turned to Hui Ming. "Hui Ming, return to the royal temple and settle the civilians. For now, don't inform the emperor of the black-armored insects."
"Yes, I'll make sure they are safely housed. Please don't worry."
"Ji Shi, write a full report of what happened today. I'll leave a seal from Yunzhong Temple as evidence. Once the Buddhist Son approves, you can forward it to the other temples."
"Yes, Senior Brother. I'll finish it quickly."
"We've cleaned up Fengyun Town, but there might still be parasitized people who left earlier. So…"
"You're thinking of…?"
"I'll pay another visit to that Shan Daoyou. See if she can give us something to identify the black-armored insects, or a method to detect them. We cannot afford to miss any."
"Thank you, Senior Brother."
The three monks split up. Hui Ming went to a nearby temple to gather help and temporarily house the survivors. Ji Shi found a quiet room to write the incident report.
Yun Yin returned swiftly to Yunzhong Temple to report everything to the Buddhist Son.
"Amitabha. Shan Daoyou was right. Her arrival was a blessing, not a curse. Follow through on your plan. Also, gather the abbots of each temple and have them come to Yunzhong Temple. I will explain everything to them directly."
"Yes, Buddhist Son."
Back at Lotus Lake, Jian Dan returned in peace. She landed her flying mountain and let herself relax. Jade and Cotton Candy immediately ran off to catch up with each other.
On the fourth morning, Yun Yin arrived at Lotus Lake, requesting to meet with Jian Dan.
===
New novel on work "Mom's Apocalypse Survival Log". You can find it on my webnovel profile.
Lan Jin thought she knew how the apocalypse would end—struggling to survive for two long years, only to be betrayed and murdered by her cheating ex-husband and his mistress. But fate gives her a second chance. Reborn three months before the world collapses, she's armed with a space ability, a burning desire for revenge, and one unwavering goal: protect her child at all costs.
This time, she won't be naive. Armed with a space that keeps her supplies fresh and a burning desire to never be a victim again, she's ready. She's stockpiling food, securing shelter, and building a small but loyal team—including a tough-as-nails gym instructor, teenager who should be in college but ditched it for a gap year, a no-nonsense trainer with her elderly grandmother, and, of course, a very good dog.
But the apocalypse isn't just about surviving disasters. Earth itself seems determined to wipe humanity out in the cruelest, most unpredictable ways. And when the final catastrophe hits? No one could have seen it coming.