A white crane was perched atop Bai Miaosheng's head, one of its feet having already pierced clean through his skull.
Zhang Mankeng was dumbfounded. She had no idea when this crane had arrived, nor whether it was affiliated with the White Crane Gang.
Bai Miaosheng was an above-the-clouds cultivator, after all; his physique should have been remarkably resilient. A punctured skullcap would not necessarily spell immediate death.
Zhang Mankeng still held out hope that Bai Miaosheng could hold on a little longer, but all at once, the crane leaped into the air, carrying his skullcap away in its talons.
Robbed of the crown of his skull, Bai Miaosheng remained standing where he was. Planted inside what was left of his head were three white crane feathers.
Zhang Mankeng harbored no more illusions. Bai Miaosheng was dead through and through.
Those feathers were the signature killing art of the White Crane Gang. The moment feathers sank into brain matter, it meant the crane's art had already whipped the brains into pulp. From there, the feathers would take root and drive downward, boring through the spine and internal organs, piercing every part in turn, sparing not an inch.
The white crane circled above Zhang Mankeng. She did not know whether she should guard against the crane or against Tan Jinxiao.
She considered encasing herself in a ball of mud for protection, but felt it would be futile; while mud balls were effective against Tan Jinxiao's techniques, they were useless against the crane's arts.
She considered dissolving her body into mud, which would be sufficient to withstand the crane's attacks—even if the crane seized her skullcap, she could regenerate through her mud arts.
Yet that move could not be used lightly in front of Tan Jinxiao.
Once she turned herself into mud, Tan Jinxiao's Golden Broth and Jade Nectar could seep into her body. If those foul substances got mixed in, there was no telling what shape she would take once she re-formed.
While Zhang Mankeng still hesitated, Tan Jinxiao spoke: "Mankeng, you and I have known each other for years. We might not be close friends, but crossing paths is its own kind of fate. Take my advice. In this place today, no matter how hard you fight, you won't fight your way to a way out. If you truly want to keep your life, drop your techniques right now, be sensible, and yield. I'll spare you."
Zhang Mankeng stood silent for a few moments, then released her technique.
The sea of mud receded from the ground, and Tan Jinxiao breathed an inward sigh of relief.
Joining forces with Bai Wusong, they would certainly subdue Zhang Mankeng. But if she fought like a cornered beast, Liangwucai was standing right beneath the surging mud waves, while Xiao Yeci and Juanzi were trapped in the mire and could not get out. Whether any of them would have survived was far from certain.
Having dropped her arts, Zhang Mankeng lowered her head and submissively dropped to her knees on the ground. "Old Tan, I admit defeat at your hands today. Do with me as you see fit!"
Tan Jinxiao shook his head. "Don't go heaping praise on me. You didn't lose to me—you lost to an expert. Good grief, Bai Miaosheng told you to come and you came, and you got here so fast! If not for guidance from that expert, you'd have truly caught me off guard today!"
Bai Wusong shifted into human form and stepped up beside Tan Jinxiao. "Old Tan, release your technique too. With such an enormous mountain of gold standing here, it's really awkward to talk."
Tan Jinxiao withdrew the mountain of gold. Hong Jiao and Lan Qiao led the Horse-Toppling Battalion to kneel on the ground. "Lord Tan, we're willing to follow you from now on! We'll do whatever you command!"
"Is that so? Giving me that much face? Then I certainly can't treat you folks poorly." Tan Jinxiao waved his hand, and a wave of night soil cascaded from the heavens.
The Jiaoqiao Horse-Toppling Battalion—Lan Qiao, Hong Jiao, and roughly a dozen members—were engulfed in night soil. Not a single one escaped. In the span of a breath, they were corroded into a lump of minced flesh.
Tan Jinxiao produced a handkerchief, wiped his hands, and sneered down at the gore covering the ground. "Aboveground or underground, there wasn't a crime you scoundrels didn't commit. How on earth did Tiesunping produce scum like you lot?"
Bai Wusong sighed. "Old Tan, next time you run into something like this, don't go splashing night soil all over the place. I have other ways."
Tan Jinxiao turned his gaze to Zhang Mankeng. "Listen here, Mankeng. You saw that just now. Surrender isn't something just anyone gets to do. I'm keeping you alive because you need to do some real work for me. Bai Miaosheng's roots run deep in the Earth Market, and he has plenty of influence inside and outside the underground city. I plan to sweep that whole crowd clean. Let's see how much effort you put in."
Zhang Mankeng knew in her heart with crystal clarity: refusing meant death, and the Horse-Toppling Battalion was living proof.
"I agree. I'll do whatever you tell me. I just have one favor to ask."
Tan Jinxiao nodded. "Speak. I'm listening."
Zhang Mankeng looked toward Bai Miaosheng. "Allow me to bury him. No stele needed, no coffin needed. Just put him in the ground."
Tan Jinxiao sighed. "You really never learn, do you? Have you forgotten how many times you suffered at his hands?"
Zhang Mankeng lowered her head. "I'm cheap. For him, I'll be cheap one last time."
She found a secluded spot, used her Mud Cultivator techniques to dig a pit, and buried Bai Miaosheng.
Tan Jinxiao privately asked Bai Wusong, "Little Songzi, I heard from Miss Xiao that you delivered some good things to Seventh Master's friend."
Bai Wusong nodded. "Things were delivered, but I wasn't the one who delivered them. As for what they were, I didn't see either."
Tan Jinxiao said, "The goods don't matter. The key is the person. What did Seventh Master's friend look like? Did you see?"
Bai Wusong shook his head. "Didn't see. That friend never showed her face. But we heard her voice. Even though she's a woman, she spoke with quite an overbearing tone. She barked out a whole string of orders, and we had no choice but to carry them out."
Tan Jinxiao straightened up with an earnest expression. "That's not called overbearing—that's an aura of natural majesty! That person is no ordinary figure. Running errands for her brings a thousand kinds of benefits and not a shred of loss. You should be snickering with joy!"
Bai Wusong blinked in surprise. "You know her?"
"Don't know her. I've only heard the way she talks and handles things, and I can tell she's formidable. Little Songzi, not to criticize you, but you arrived late today. I nearly lost my life right here."
Bai Wusong replied helplessly, "What choice did I have? That was Seventh Master's friend's order. She said if I showed up early, Bai Miaosheng would definitely have fled. The moment I revealed myself near Yuxiang Island a single step too soon, today's fight never would have happened."
"True enough. When an expert speaks, you listen. Songzi, what do you plan to do next?"
"I need to go tidy up the White Crane Gang's inner gate. You're heading to the Earth Market, which happens to be along my way. My only worry is if the master comes back. With just the few of us, I'm afraid we won't be able to match him."
Tan Jinxiao did not seem too concerned. "If the master has seen Seventh Master's friend, he might not even dare to come back."
...
The gramophone shifted her soul into Zhao Xiaowan's puppet and finished the final steps of calibration with nimble fingers.
The Dark Bridge Cannon was repaired. Zhao Xiaowan promptly dialed Li Banfeng: "Darling husband, come back quickly. Your humble servant has finished everything on this end."
Silence hung on the line for a few seconds before Li Banfeng answered, "Darling wife, give me two more days."
Zhao Xiaowan vaguely caught the sound of music in the background and asked, "Husband, where are you?"
"I'm on Baitao Island."
Baitao Island?
She felt as though she had heard of the place before, but could not recall it right away.
"Husband, what are you doing on the island? Why are you panting so hard?"
"Wife, I'm dancing. It's hard work."
"What kind of dance are you dancing?"
"The White Peach dance!"
"Are the peaches white?"
"Very white! Thin skin, tender flesh, pale and sweet! Wife, wait for me for two days, and I'll head back right away."
"Pale and sweet, is it? Eating them with your mouth, are you?"
"Wife, I'm talking about actual peaches..."
The gramophone hung up the phone. In a burst of indignation, she turned and sent Banfeng Three flying with a kick. "Heartless madman! If you have the guts, don't ever come back!"
Banfeng Two peeled Banfeng Three off the wall. "How many times have I told you? Stay away from that crazy woman."
...
Li Banfeng really was dancing on Baitao Island; he had not been doing anything else.
Baisun Commandery had five islands in total, named Baitao, Huangtao, Pantao, Youtao, and Shuimitao.
Over these past days, Li Banfeng had visited all five islands and tasted all five varieties of peaches.
Each variety had its own distinct flavor: the yellow peaches were bursting with juice, the flat peaches were firm and compact, the nectarines were delicate, the honey peaches were luscious and sweet, and the white peaches were the finest of all—plump and pleasing to the eye, with a silky, ever-shifting mouthfeel.
The five islands regularly shipped peaches back and forth so the residents could enjoy a change of flavor.
Under ordinary circumstances, peaches were all they had to eat. That did not mean fruit; it meant staples. In Baisun Commandery, across all five islands, the only food produced was peaches.
The soil here could grow nothing else. They had tried planting many different seeds, but none survived.
There were no fish in the surrounding sea, not even a scrap of kelp.
Someone had once suggested raising livestock, but the islanders rejected the idea.
Peaches were meant for people to eat; they could not be fed to animals.
The peaches were delicious, but after eating them day after day, Li Banfeng truly grew tired of them. It was hard to imagine that the people of these five islands had eaten them for an entire lifetime.
Li Banfeng had asked whether they had ever thought about venturing elsewhere—even heading out to catch fish had to be better than subsisting on peaches forever. There might be no fish here, but other places might have them; the ocean was vast, after all.
Ling Baitao, still clad in his loose white robe, tended to a peach tree as he answered, "You're right. There are indeed fish. They just don't come out at this time."
"When do they come out?"
"When the entrance to the Inner States opens." Ling Baitao handed Li Banfeng a jug of white-peach wine. "When that time arrives, you'll see fish. Sadly, we won't have time to catch them then."
Fish would appear, yet they would have no time to catch them? What would they be doing instead?
When pressed further, Ling Baitao fell silent.
The residents of the five islands shared a similar trait: they were reluctant to talk much with outsiders, and due to their long isolation from the world, their way of expressing themselves and their speech patterns differed greatly from Li Banfeng's.
Music struck up; the White Peach Gathering had arrived once more.
Old Man Chen sawed vigorously at his huqin, his bowing gestures sweeping and grand. With a single fiddle bow, he somehow conjured the swagger of drawing a bowstring to full draw.
Smiling young women and men gathered around the bonfire in the center of the clearing.
A young fellow named A'quan walked up to Li Banfeng and asked for a sip of liquor.
Li Banfeng took out his liquor gourd. The liquor inside was not white-peach brew, but fine spirits from Yaowanggou. To A'quan, the flavor was utterly novel.
He took a large swig, handed the gourd back, gave Li Banfeng a jug of white-peach wine in return, and flashed him a grin.
He brought over a girl named A'ru, who extended her hand toward Li Banfeng, inviting him to dance.
This dance was not easy. Shaking peaches was skilled work; whether it was the peaches in their hands or the peaches below their waists, getting them to sway took genuine technique.
Li Banfeng had decent fundamentals in dance, but compared to the smooth, natural movements of the islanders, his steps carried a touch of stiffness and ostentation.
Just as all five islands knew an outsider had arrived, and though the outsider was quite friendly and they treated him as a friend, there remained an inescapable divide between him and their own people.
After dancing for half an hour, Ling Baitao asked Li Banfeng, "We have another friend from the outside world who visits often. He told us that a friend named Li Seven had gone down into the underground city, and if he ever came to Baisun Commandery, we should treat him kindly. The person he spoke of... is it you?"
"It's me," Li Banfeng nodded.
"Since it's you, drink a few more cups." Ling Baitao poured Li Banfeng another cup of wine.
When the White Peach Gathering ended, the inhabitants of Baitao Island returned to their respective homes.
Their dwellings were built in the trees—colossal peach trees that were already dead and withered. They wove branches and trunks into houses with little interior space. Li Banfeng had visited once; an entire family was packed together in cramped quarters, clearly unsuited for hosting guests.
Nor did Li Banfeng need them to arrange lodging. Normally he slept inside the companion dwelling. Having had a bit too much white-peach wine tonight, he felt flushed and decided to stroll around the island.
Based on his observations over the past few days, Li Banfeng divided Baitao Island into three zones based on the peach trees:
One was the residential zone, filled with vast swathes of dead peach trees.
One was the food zone, filled with vast swathes of living peach trees.
And the third was the activity zone, where no peach trees grew at all.
The other islands followed the same pattern, differing only slightly in size and layout.
Stepping into the food zone, lush branches and leaves hung heavy with fruit, and the intoxicating fragrance of peaches left Li Banfeng feeling somewhat light-headed.
Li Banfeng sat down against a peach tree, wanting to rest his back against the trunk, when he suddenly felt something digging uncomfortably into his spine.
What was that?
Li Banfeng turned around and examined the bark closely.
He saw a wooden stick embedded inside the bark.
A stick growing from tree bark was not unusual in itself—it could simply be a mutated offshoot—but why was this stick shaped so neatly?
Was it even a stick?
There were small holes along it.
Could this be an end-blown flute?
Why would a flute grow out of the bark of a peach tree?
Then again, it was hardly unheard of; back in the newland, Li Banfeng had encountered bamboo that could play flutes.
He studied the bark of the peach tree with great care. The texture looked somewhat unusual—fine and dense, resembling rows of feathers.
This tree was too bizarre. Li Banfeng found an open patch of ground, lay down, and looked up at the mottled stone ceiling high above the canopy.
All around was boundless sea, yet not far overhead hung the cavern ceiling's stone. That was the hardest thing for Li Banfeng to get used to. Shrouded beneath rock, no matter how vast the ocean seemed, it gave him an indescribable sense of oppression.
Fortunately, the rock formations were not monotonous. Under the constant erosion of moisture across long years, they displayed rich varieties of shapes and contours.
Ahead hung a cluster of stalactites resembling early-spring icicles, looking as though they might plunge from the ceiling at any second.
That was no joke. Old Tan had mentioned that out on the Sea Market, this really happened: stalactites would abruptly drop from the roof and punch straight through entire ships.
Those stalactites are about to pass directly overhead. Should I get out of the way?
Probably no need. I'm a second-tier above-the-clouds Travel Cultivator. How could I get hit by a falling stalactite?
There even seemed to be bats flitting among the stalactites.
Wait, not bats. Fish. It looked like a manta ray.
He had seen those on phones and television. That kind of fish was extremely common in the ocean...
So, was that kind of fish also common in a cavern?...
Li Banfeng sat up, half his drunken buzz evaporating.
Why would fish be swimming among stalactites in a cavern? Li Banfeng felt this demanded a reasonably sound explanation.
In the newland, Li Banfeng had seen fish capable of living on dry land—those were all anomalous monsters. But fish flying through the air was a first for him.
The explanation Li Banfeng gave himself was that the stalactites had passed by too quickly for him to see the details clearly.
The stalactites had passed by too quickly...
Li Banfeng sobered up completely.
The stalactites had indeed passed overhead, and plenty of rock formations across the cavern roof were shifting continuously across his field of view.
Those stones were the cavern's ceiling. Why would a cavern ceiling move? That question also demanded a sound explanation.
After a moment's thought, Li Banfeng decided to settle one question first: was the cavern moving, or was the island moving?
Li Banfeng dashed toward the shore. Before he could find the answer, he caught sight of the cavern mouth.
From the day Li Banfeng entered the underground city until now, this was the very first time he had seen an opening to the outside.
The mouth of the cavern lay straight ahead, drawing closer toward Li Banfeng.
At first, Li Banfeng could not even be certain it was a cavern opening, because he could not make out the edges, only the bright light pouring from outside.
The instant the island drifted through the opening, he caught sight of the long-lost sky.
Judging by the intensity of the light, it should have been nighttime, but having spent so long in the dark, even the faint radiance of night was dazzling to his eyes.
Li Banfeng saw no stars in the sky. He saw only schools of fish swimming across the open heavens.
He remembered Ling Baitao's words: the moment you see fish, it means the entrance to the Inner States has opened.
Li Banfeng ran toward the residential zone, whistling loudly as he went; he had to sound the alarm for the islanders.
Quite a few islanders were already awake, crouching in the branches and gazing up into the sky.
Ling Baitao, the island master, was not in a tree. He was crouched on the ground, staring upward. He asked Li Banfeng, "Friend from afar, do you truly still wish to go to the Inner States?"
Li Banfeng nodded. "I do."
"Then you must be ready. When a vortex appears in the sky, fly as deep into it as you can. That is the entrance to the Inner States."
The schools of fish drifting across the sky grew increasingly agitated. Ling Baitao warned Li Banfeng, "The vortex is coming."
A gust of cold wind blew against his face. The fish swam swiftly in a clockwise circle, and from their trajectory, Li Banfeng could roughly pinpoint the vortex's position.
Ling Baitao said, "Once you locate the center of the vortex, fly up into it. We will certainly offer you our blessings, though we have no time to see you off with fine wine and song."
In the residential zone, every islander had drawn their weapons, fully prepared.
Li Banfeng asked Ling Baitao, "What are you preparing to do?"
Ling Baitao said, "Fight."
"Fight whom?"
"People from the Inner States."
"Every time the Inner States opens an entrance, you have to fight?"
Ling Baitao shook his head. "Nine times out of ten, we don't. But that remaining one time can be a battle to the death."
As they spoke, something descended slowly from the center of the vortex.
The center was far away, creating an optical illusion for Li Banfeng; he initially thought the object was tiny, perhaps some sort of clam or mussel.
Approaching from afar, growing from small to large, Li Banfeng gradually made out its shape.
A sphere—a neatly formed, earthy-yellow sphere.
The object drew closer and closer. In less than a minute, what had started the size of a fist expanded into a colossal sphere over ten meters in diameter.
"It's a hornet nest!" Ling Baitao's expression turned grim. This was clearly not an outcome he wished to see. He urged Li Banfeng, "Steer clear of the hornet nest and fly upward. That will take you into the Inner States. Be careful!"
As he spoke, Ling Baitao's spine began to swell, and a pair of wings covered in white feathers burst from his loose robes.
At the same time, a worm with a metallic sheen tumbled out of the sphere, writhing its body as it plunged toward the ground.
Ling Baitao beat his wings and soared into the sky.
The worm was several sizes larger than a grown man. Having just emerged from the hornet nest, it seemed not yet accustomed to the environment, twisting and writhing in midair.
Ling Baitao intercepted the worm in midair, seizing its body with both hands and tearing violently.
In an instant, the worm's body was ripped apart by Ling Baitao. The mangled remains fell to the ground, still wriggling and giving off thick plumes of scalding white steam.
From within the sphere, hundreds upon thousands of worms began tumbling down.
The islanders perched in the trees unfurled white wings one after another, darting into the air like white falcons to intercept the worms.
Mangled worm pieces plummeted continuously. One intact worm managed to slip past the islanders' perimeter and landed near Li Banfeng.
*Whoosh!*
The worm reared its torso and sprayed a burst of steam at Li Banfeng.
Where did that steam come from? Li Banfeng searched for a while but could find no vent.
It had no mouth. Li Banfeng could not even find a face—it lacked ears, eyes, nose, and mouth entirely.
The worm crawled toward Li Banfeng with astonishing speed.
Li Banfeng dodged out of its path. The worm twisted its body and let out a piercing screech directly at him.
*Screeech!*
The sharp screech sent a jolt of searing pain through Li Banfeng's eardrums, turning his limbs numb and limp.
A Sound Cultivator technique?
You think I'm afraid of you?
"Whoo-ya-ya!" Li Banfeng bellowed right back at the worm.
The worm was entirely unfazed. It spun around and attacked Li Banfeng once more.
Formidable—to actually withstand his wife's Sound Cultivator technique!
Then he realized: his wife wasn't in the companion dwelling. Through Sprawling Compound, Li Banfeng couldn't borrow Sound Cultivator arts at all.
That roar just now had been nothing but meaningless shouting.
The worm charged again. This time, it sprouted eyes—not on a head, but all across its body.
Across its corpulent torso, over a hundred eyelids snapped open at once, their pupils swiveling to lock onto Li Banfeng.
From the pupils of several eyes, iron hooks and iron spikes shot forth, lunging together at Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng had no patience to tangle with it. He drew his Tang dao and slashed straight down at the worm's head.
"Every blade takes an enemy's head!" The Tang dao did not hesitate, lopping off the worm's head in a single stroke.
Yet the worm's body kept moving. It still perceived Li Banfeng's position with pinpoint accuracy, lashing out continuously with iron spikes and hooks.
The head wasn't the creature's fatal point.
A hook tore into the ground, kicking up a shower of dirt.
Using the cloud of soil as cover, dozens of iron spikes from the worm's eyes thrust toward Li Banfeng.
Li Banfeng dodged the spikes, raised the Tang dao once more, and cleaved the worm vertically right down its centerline.
The two halves writhed for a moment before falling still, scalding steam spattering in all directions.
*Boom!*
Tang dao in hand, Li Banfeng turned and looked back. Dozens of intact worms had hit the ground.
The islanders were still intercepting worms desperately in midair, while the ones that had landed began attacking the peach trees on the ground.
The branches and leaves of the peach trees grew with furious speed, their tips driving into the ground to form barrier after barrier, doing everything to repel the worms' onslaught.
The islanders had no leeway to deal with the worms on the ground; all their efforts were focused on intercepting them in the air.
The tactic was sound: once these worms reached the ground, they unleashed tremendous combat power. The best approach was to kill as many as possible in midair and prevent them from landing. If they split their forces for ground combat, more and more worms would inevitably reach the earth.
Yet the price was obvious: the fallen worms would attack the peach trees, and those trees were Baisun Commandery's sole source of food.
This was a sacrifice Baisun Commandery was forced to make against a powerful foe. But today was different: Li Banfeng was on the ground.
In no hurry to take to the skies, he waded directly into battle against the worms below.
One worm tore through the peach branches, about to strike the tree's main trunk, when Li Banfeng split it in half with a single slash.
After three strikes, the Tang dao took a rest. The projector emerged from his pocket, hovering in midair and dispatching a worm with its Withering art.
The clock pendulum teamed up with the scythe to mince another worm into scrap meat.
A man slammed heavily into the dirt, clutching a worm in his arms.
The man's wings were broken, his body covered in lacerations left by iron hooks.
Li Banfeng rushed forward, using Sever the Path to Forge a Way to slay the worm. The severely wounded man struggled to his feet.
Li Banfeng recognized him.
His name was A'quan. Just moments ago, he had invited Li Banfeng to dance at the White Peach Gathering.
He had loved the fine liquor from Yaowanggou.
Li Banfeng unhooked his liquor gourd, intending to treat his wounds. He brought the medicinal liquor to A'quan's lips, and though A'quan tried to drink, he could not swallow.
The liquor gourd said to Li Banfeng, "Little brother, he's a goner."
A'quan stood upright, offering Li Banfeng a faint smile.
His feet sank into the soil, the skin across his body cracking inch by inch.
His broken wings wrapped around his torso, the ruffled feathers sinking one by one into his flesh.
His hair grew at a furious pace, soon concealing his face.
Two worms landed behind Li Banfeng. Spinning around, Li Banfeng used Treading Ten Thousand Rivers to crush both worms into paste with a kick.
When he turned back, A'quan was gone. In the spot where he had just stood, there now grew a lush, fruit-bearing tree.
*Crash!*
A young woman plummeted from the sky. Covered in blood and mangled flesh, she still struggled to her feet.
Her name was A'ru. She had a graceful figure, and Li Banfeng remembered her leading the formation of young women in dance.
An old man crashed to the ground, suffering not only broken wings but also broken legs.
His surname was Chen, the one who played the huqin with such vigor. He pulled the fiddle from his back, propped it against the ground, and struggled to stand upright.
After he turned into a tree, the huqin was absorbed into the trunk, its strings left exposed on the surface of the bark.
*Thud! Thud, thud!*
Every so often, another figure fell from the sky.
Li Banfeng slaughtered the worms on the ground as fast as he could, then took to the air to join the others in cutting them down.
After ten-odd minutes, most of the worms had been intercepted in midair, and those on the ground had been cleared away.
The colossal "hornet nest" fell silent. Li Banfeng asked Ling Baitao, "Is the battle over?"
Ling Baitao shook his head. "Far from it. We don't know when the next wave will emerge, nor how many worms are inside that nest. If you wish to enter the Inner States, you can fly in right now. But since the Inner States has sent troops, you must be extremely cautious once inside."
Li Banfeng shook his head. "No rush on that. For now, there's something urgent I need to discuss with you."
"What is it?" Ling Baitao blinked, hearing a chill in Li Banfeng's tone even as his expression remained dead calm.
Li Banfeng looked toward the "hornet nest" and said, "In a moment, I'm going to crawl inside and count exactly how many worms are in there. You folks help me count them from the outside."
Ling Baitao's eyes went wide. "Are you mad?"
"I'm not mad. I have a medical certificate. The doctor said I'm sane. Just make sure you remember to count carefully."
Li Banfeng tugged the brim of his hat low and flew toward the "hornet nest."
The moment he entered the nest, he sliced open his palm and summoned his shadow.
Chapter 659