Shocking Change

Following the crowd, Bai Chuan quietly crept closer to the scene of the incident, silently climbing up a tall tree.

Relying on his superior vision, he clearly saw the situation below.

This glance was no small matter—it directly made Bai Chuan's eyes widen, his expression filled with shock.

Because below, three factions were vaguely forming. One group was fighting in a chaotic melee on the outskirts, with a large number of people desperately trying to charge into the center to interrupt the action.

Another group was fighting tooth and nail to hold the center, preventing anyone else from breaking in.

And at the very center, four or five people were holding a fine net made of unknown material, trying to capture a streak of light—a flying, pale white streak.

No, that wasn't a streak of light!

It was a white insect, entirely crystalline and translucent, but with a single gap in its body!

The insect's origin was unknown, but at this moment, it had been targeted by others.

Whether it had sensed its own peril or not, it was darting left and right, trying to break through the encirclement.

However, the material of the fine net was too special, and at the edge, a burly man wielding a staff would occasionally strike out, interrupting its movements.

Though the man didn't act often, every time he swung his staff, it was precisely when the insect was about to escape the net.

Thus, under these circumstances, the insect was gradually falling into the predicament of being captured.

Seeing this, amidst the chaotic crowd, a young man suddenly shouted, "Fellow daoists hiding nearby, why haven't you made a move yet? If you don't act now, this Ice Blood Cold Silkworm will be taken by the Li Family. Then, who among you can snatch it from the Li Family's hands?"

As soon as these words were spoken, before the still-hidden onlookers could act, an aged laugh rang out: "Hehe, Young Friend Zhou makes a fair point. In that case, let this old woman make the first move."

With that, an old woman with a kind face, dressed in a curved-hem robe, stepped forward. As she appeared, a snake, entirely emerald green with a triangular head, poked out from her shoulder.

The next moment, she walked forward, swinging her withered arm. A large cloud of green powder scattered into the air, its stench pungent and nauseating.

The light, airy powder seemed to possess a will of its own as it drifted forward. Wherever it passed, no one remained standing.

People from both sides collapsed to the ground, clutching their chests and groaning in pain.

Seeing this, the young man who had spoken earlier couldn't help but clench his fists, muttering a low curse, "Damn it!" but dared not say anything more.

Because the other party was the infamous Snake Granny of the martial world, whose poison skills had reached a level of mastery. Rumor had it that she had even broken through to the Six Limits the year before last. If she had her sights set on him, unless his family went all out to protect him, he would be hard-pressed to escape death.

"Hahaha, what Snake Granny says is true. Zhao Yu will also join in the fun."

With a cheerful laugh, a young man leading a woman joined the battle, quickly making his way to the old woman's side.

In an instant, the side trying to block everyone else began to teeter on the brink of collapse.

"Them?"

From atop the tall tree, Bai Chuan squinted as he looked at the two who had just appeared, realizing they were the same pair he had encountered earlier.

Below.

The old woman glanced over, revealing a kind smile, and said, "Heh, Young Zhao and Young Miss Zhao, you've come too? Where's your father?"

"Granny..." The charming young woman was about to speak.

Crack! Crack!

Suddenly, another violent burst of cold air erupted.

Countless waves of cold air transformed into razor-sharp ice crystals, sweeping in all directions. The first to bear the brunt were those trying to surround and capture the white insect.

In an instant, the fine net was flung away, and people were thrown into disarray, their bodies covered in fine, bloody cuts.

This sudden commotion made everyone turn to look, only to see that the group at the center, who had been on the verge of success moments ago, had been sent flying backward. Only the staff-wielding burly man remained, propping himself up with his weapon.

Even so, his entire body was covered in white frost, and he was swaying unsteadily.

"S-Such terrifying cold... Is this the power of the Ice Blood Cold Silkworm?" a shocked voice exclaimed.

"With such terrifying power, how fearsome must the Zhang Family have been when they once controlled it?"

"Swoosh!" "Swoosh!"...

Several sounds of tearing air rang out.

A few masked figures, like streaks of shadow, charged forward, reaching for the exhausted silkworm.

"Don't even think about it!"

A furious roar exploded.

The staff-wielding man, his eyes blazing with rage, let out a great shout and lifted his staff with all his might, swinging it out.

But two hands are no match for four fists, let alone one staff against so many people.

One of the masked men, short in stature, deftly tapped and shifted his footing, then flipped through the air to dodge the incoming staff.

His entire body moved with the agility of a dragonfly skimming the water, not only evading the staff but also overtaking the other masked figures, reaching the silkworm first.

At the same time, this sudden turn of events finally snapped everyone back to their senses.

Just then, a seductive voice rang out from the crowd: "Everyone, the silkworm is about to be taken by those masked men. If you don't move now to block them, they'll escape. And with so many eyes here, let's all go together—whoever grabs it gets it. Isn't that wonderful?"

Everyone thought it over and felt it made sense! Knowing this was likely their only chance to snatch it, they all abandoned their opponents and charged forward with all their might.

For a moment, all sorts of curses and angry shouts rang out.

They clustered together like a market crowd.

"Granny, should we go up and grab it?"

Zhao Yu hesitated as he asked Snake Granny beside him, his expression seeming somewhat tempted.

"No, we don't go up." Unexpectedly, Snake Granny shook her head. As the saying goes: old age makes one cunning.

Snake Granny had lived most of her life and seen all kinds of storms. The chaotic behavior of the crowd stirred an ominous premonition in her heart.

This premonition, combined with her precious treasure on her shoulder—usually bold as could be, but now restless and fearful—made her rein in her desires.

It was a fear like facing a natural predator, much like when she was young and accidentally wandered into a deep forest, sensing a beast lurking in the dark corners watching her.

Could it be that her precious treasure had sensed some terrifying presence nearby?

Of course, not everyone in the crowd was blinded by greed. Some clever ones also sensed something was off, but their strength was too weak, and they were swept along by the crowd charging forward.

Only a few who noticed the danger early slipped away.

At that moment, the short man closest to the Cold Silkworm crouched down with a face full of joy, reaching out a finger wrapped in white cloth to grab the silkworm.

But then, another accident occurred.

The struggling, plump Cold Silkworm suddenly jerked its head up, opened its tiny, barely visible mouth, and spat.

In an instant, a streak of white light shot out, straight at the short man, striking his outstretched finger first.

"Crack~ Crack~"

The teeth-grinding sound of freezing rang out—the sound of a human body rapidly freezing solid, starting from the inside.

The short man didn't even know what had happened before he was completely frozen, turning into a lifelike ice sculpture.

"Not good, retreat!"

The staff-wielding big man reacted first, muttering a low shout as he tried to pull back, but it was too late!

A large crowd was charging forward like lambs to the slaughter, leaving him no room to retreat.

Just as he lifted his foot to step back.

With the short man's freezing, a wave of cold even more frigid than before radiated outward.