Demon Sword Sect’s Undercover
Chapter 385 - 385 384 Volcanic Expedition

385: Chapter 384: Volcanic Expedition 385: Chapter 384: Volcanic Expedition Hou Niao was in the bamboo forest beneath the volcano, watching the mountain bamboo blossom in the flowering pavilion.

Throughout this month, only a very small amount of bamboo had died after blooming, which was just the beginning.

The next two months would see the mass death of rouge bamboo, along with the emergence of new shoots breaking through the soil.

Due to cultivation reasons, a massive wave of life cycles was set to occur during this period.

There was no movement in the crater of the volcano, only the intermittent strong and weak emissions of smoke that signified the volcano’s activity level, but Hou Niao did not sense any signs of human manipulation.

It might indeed not be manipulated, or it could be that his realm was too low.

More and more rouge bamboo began to die; blooming was their last and only flourish in life, a transient glory.

What Hou Niao perceived was this withering of life, similar to his experience of the changing seasons when he was in the Upper Realm of Tongxuan, where the alternation of life and death, like the seasons, was part of nature.

Originally, according to his plan, he was more concerned about the latter half of the life cycle, the emergence of new bamboo, but a month had flown by in an instant, and the Lady of Bamboo had not yet come up.

Looking at the five Cultivators from Bamboo Island that had gathered, Hou Niao sighed,

“You all wait here.

I will go down to investigate.

Until you receive a message from me, do not come down.”

The Phoenix Tail Bamboo insisted, “It should be me who goes down.”

Hou Niao was blunt, “You going down is useful?

It’s just a case of the blind leading the blind… You can’t persuade the Lady.”

Phoenix Tail Bamboo was at a loss for words.

The statement was harsh, but it was true.

Over these days, they had become accustomed to this Sword Cultivator’s style—no malice, just overly direct.

The little fairy was meticulous, “If even our senior brother does not come up, we surely can’t just keep waiting, right?”

Hou Niao’s words were heavy with implication, “The volcano is active, which means nobody can go too deep.

Transmitting information shouldn’t be too difficult; it’s more likely that those below don’t want to send out messages than that they cannot send out messages.

The Lady of Bamboo had made it clear beforehand not to let you go down, as she is your mentor, but I am not her disciple.”

A few people arrived at the mouth of the volcano, and Hou Niao checked the temperature there, still within his endurance threshold,

“Let’s set a period of one month.

If I don’t come up after a month, you do as you see fit.”

Without waiting for a reply, he jumped into the mouth of the volcano; the hostile environment inside was beyond his expectations, but after having previously ventured here briefly several times over a month, he had made an initial assessment and dared to enter alone since he was somewhat confident.

Inside the crater, the most direct threat was the temperature, in addition to a certain increasing interference from the Primordial Magnetic Force disturbing the operation of mana as one went deeper.

Theoretically, if a Cultivator circulated mana around their body to form a barrier or used a targeted Magic Artifact, it could effectively insulate against the heat.

The depth and duration a Cultivator could descend depended on their mana depth and Five Elements Conversion ability.

However, the deeper one went, the more complex the forces under the earth’s crust became, particularly the presence of Primordial Magnetic Force, which could significantly affect the flow of a Cultivator’s magic power, making it impossible for Cultivators to reach the depths they theoretically could.

Primordial Magnetic Force was ubiquitous underground, although in most places, it was very weak and inconsequential.

Places like Blue Island were exceptions; in an active volcano environment, the deeper one went, the greater the influence of the Primordial Magnetic Force, but this was not a concern to him.

This was why he preferred to descend alone rather than in a group.

He could protect himself but might not be able to ensure the safety of his companions.

As he descended, the temperature grew progressively higher, and the density of the smoke and dust particles thickened.

Of his Six Consciousnesses, the other five had long since failed, leaving only his Divine Sense barely usable, though the distance it could probe continued to diminish.

Where the Golden Core predecessor had set the Formation may not have meant much to him, but it mattered a great deal to a Tongtian Realm Cultivator.

Lady Bamboo had always refused to pass on the method of entry to her disciples, and he wondered why?

These five disciples had definitely secretly slipped into the volcanic crater within this month; Hou Niao knew, yet chose not to point it out.

Lacking sufficient strength and depth, they could only return without success.

As he went deeper, he felt the pressure increasing.

He mobilized the mana in his body, borrowing the Primordial Magnetic Force to balance the Magic Gang protective barrier around him, maintaining the necessary temperature his body could withstand.

He had now descended fifty zhang, and he estimated that his limit lay at approximately one hundred zhang.

That was also his goal.

To go any deeper would be too risky and not worth it.

The range of his Divine Sense had been compressed to a mere dozen zhang or so, and as he delved deeper, this range continued to shrink.

As he approached one hundred zhang underground, almost reaching his limit of safety, he finally saw a flicker of crimson.

It was the slowly surging magma, and there was also a powerful force of spell constraint.

This was correct; having the Formation here was the most efficient for the Golden Core Upper Cultivator, suppressing the magma from erupting, much more convenient than having to seal it after it erupted through the volcano’s mouth.

Here, the smoke and dust were considerably less dense, allowing his vision to clear slightly.

Then, he saw Lady Bamboo, sitting at a node within the Formation, silently cultivating.

She also sensed his arrival.

Lady Bamboo slowly opened her eyes, gazing directly at him with an expressionless face,

“You should not be here.”

“But I am already here.

If you want me to leave, surely there must be a proper reason?”

Lady Bamboo remained silent, but Hou Niao persisted, “I have always wondered, why, as the master of Bamboo Island, do you seem so half-hearted and secretive in defending it?

This is not the attitude expected from someone defending their home.

With the Cang Pirates, you seem to always be permitting something.”

Unsympathetic, Hou Niao continued, “You chose to enter the volcano and close the Formation at an improper time!

But I don’t know your purpose?

It was not until I met Yu Daoguang that I realized, it was just a piece of bamboo, either Bamboo Spirit or something else.

But one thing I can be sure of is, you definitely have a connection with this Bamboo Spirit.

Bamboo Island also belongs to the Cang Pirates, because Yu Daoguang is the Bamboo Spirit you cultivated; the Cang Pirates are also yours, because as the master, you certainly have the right to control them.”

Lady Bamboo slowly spoke, “I have concealed this secret for over a hundred years, and not a single disciple has doubted, yet it couldn’t escape the eyes of an outsider…”

Hou Niao’s lips curled into a cold smirk, “No, you haven’t deceived them.

It’s just that out of respect for their master, they dare not speak up; that’s why they let me come down here, because they were afraid to face it themselves.”

Lady Bamboo fell silent again, but Hou Niao had not yet finished,

“But I still have too many questions.

Why would your Bamboo Spirit oppose you?

What reasons could you possibly have for keeping this hidden from your disciples, who have followed you for over a hundred years?

Why are you ignoring the Bamboo Spirit you nurtured for a hundred years, letting it perish?

Now that I see you, I find that my previous speculations might have been wildly off the mark?”