Taking the Stage

Flying Spirit City, the Flying Spirit Army's main camp.

Though called a camp, it was more like a military city. Towering walls and countless patrolling soldiers filled the small city with a grim, murderous air.

At the very center of the city stood three halls in a row. The two on the left were shrouded in darkness, like ferocious beasts waiting to devour their prey. Only the rightmost hall, cast entirely from black jade, remained brightly lit.

Inside the hall, a group of stunning women in flimsy garments danced gracefully. Behind the gauzy curtains around them, musicians played exquisite melodies that drifted through the entire hall.

Outside, dozens of soldiers in black jade armor stood sternly with spears in hand, paying no heed to the soft singing and graceful dancing within.

At the head of the hall, a burly figure, likewise clad in black jade battle armor, lounged in his chair, drinking as he enjoyed the performance before him.

This man was Black Jade, the Flying Spirit Army's sole remaining commander!

After his defeat at the Spirit Butterfly Fairy's ruins, Black Jade had thought he would certainly be punished by the city lord upon his return.

Yet, to his surprise, he had returned from the expedition while the city lord had not. That gave Black Jade an ominous feeling, but also allowed him to breathe a small sigh of relief.

What followed proved his intuition correct. The city lord had disappeared-or rather, had already died-and Flying Spirit City had plunged into utter chaos as a result.

Black Jade had initially thought that, as the Flying Spirit Army's only remaining commander, he would suffer in the turmoil. What he had not expected was that, although the impact was indeed considerable, things had generally taken a turn for the better.

Just look at him now. To win him over, the new city lord, Wu Xiao, had gone to considerable lengths and even granted the Flying Spirit Army a generous share of the benefits. With Black Jade its only remaining commander, he had instead become the biggest winner.

At the thought, Black Jade could not help drinking another cup. As he watched the dancing girls in the hall, his appetite stirred as well.

But his desire did not last long before a sudden voice extinguished it...

"Heh, Commander Black Jade seems to have been living quite comfortably these past few days..."

That low, teasing laugh awakened the deepest fear in Black Jade's heart. He knew this voice all too well. Had he not been quick-witted back then, he would probably have died at its owner's hands, just like Eldest and Second...

His expression darkened. Black Jade raised a hand and dismissed the singers and musicians, then ordered the hall doors closed and forbade anyone from approaching.

He knew very well that, at such a sensitive time, this man seeking him out could hardly mean anything good.

Drawing a deep breath, Black Jade tried to keep his expression normal and said evenly, "Since you're here, please show yourself!"

The other man had reached him inside the heavily guarded Flying Spirit Army's military city without anyone noticing. Such methods alarmed Black Jade, and together with the scenes he had witnessed before, they left him with no thought of relying on his army to kill the intruder.

Black Jade knew perfectly well that, given the strength the other man had displayed, his sword qi would probably shred him to pieces before the Flying Spirit Army could even assemble!

Heavenly Insect emerged from the hall's shadows, a faint smile on his face as he looked at the man opposite him, whose face was flushed red from drinking.

"It seems Wu Xiao brought out quite a few good things to buy off the Flying Spirit Army..."

Looking at the smiling young man before him, Black Jade forced a smile of his own.

"I had no choice. Although the Flying Spirit Army is special, it isn't independent. Besides, we lost two commanders at the Insect Prison Site. For my brothers' futures, I had no choice but to submit to someone else."

Heavenly Insect nodded. "Very good. An extremely wise choice."

"In that case, I believe you'll continue to choose the right direction..."

Black Jade's smile froze.

Finally unable to maintain his composure, he asked gravely, "Could it be that you have your sights on the position of Flying Spirit City's lord?" As he spoke, Black Jade carefully looked the young man up and down.

What he saw startled him. Less than three months had passed since they last parted, yet the other man's aura had already reached the middle stage of the Heaven Transformation Realm, putting him at the same cultivation level as Black Jade. Such terrifying progress left him shaken.

As expected, this man's talent is terrifying. He probably isn't merely powerful-his background must be extraordinary too!

Despite these thoughts, Black Jade still spoke with a sincere expression. "Young master, I know you must have gained a great deal at the Insect Prison Site, but I would still like to offer a word of caution. Flying Spirit City may not be a major power, but without Sovereign-level cultivation, taking it for yourself is hardly possible..."

Even if this man had subdued that terrifying Sword Butterfly Puppet, those powers alone still could not compare to Wu Xiao.

"A Sovereign, is it? Then take another look now..."

As he finished speaking, a faint sword intent began to spread around Heavenly Insect!

"?!"

Black Jade rose with a horrified expression, his eyes filled with disbelief.

"This aura... a Sovereign?! How is that possible!"

Towering waves seemed to surge through his heart. Could this man actually control a Sovereign-level spirit insect?

But how could that possibly be? How could a mere Heaven Transformation Realm cultivator have the ability to subdue and control a Sovereign-level spirit insect?

Whatever doubts Black Jade harbored, the situation before him could not be faked. He knew he truly had little room to choose...

Fortunately, although he had chosen to attach himself to Wu Xiao, he had not fully pledged his allegiance.

That was different from his relationship with the former city lord, Flying Locust. Everything he had was the result of Flying Locust's personal cultivation of him, so Black Jade was confident that he had been utterly loyal to the city lord, never harboring a second allegiance.

Only after Flying Locust's death had he been forced to find himself a way out.

Thus, if he had to betray Wu Xiao and choose anew now, Black Jade would feel no guilt whatsoever.

"What would you have me do?" Black Jade asked respectfully, looking at Heavenly Insect.

"Rest assured, I don't need you to lead your brothers into battle to shed blood and lay down their lives. I've only come to learn more detailed information about Wu Xiao. I hear he values you highly, so I imagine you know quite a few of his secrets..."

Heavenly Insect understood very well that, however obedient Black Jade appeared before him now, he did not possess the ability to make others fall to their knees in allegiance with a single word. He could not possibly expect the man to act on his behalf.

All Heavenly Insect needed was for him to provide useful information, then remain neutral when he and the Spirit Butterfly Lineage moved against Wu Xiao.

Once Wu Xiao lost the Flying Spirit Army's formidable strength, Heavenly Insect would be fully confident of seizing Flying Spirit City from him together with the Spirit Butterfly Lineage!

Judging by Black Jade's previous behavior, Heavenly Insect believed he was certainly no rigid fool blindly devoted to his master. He would surely know which choice was both the wisest and the most advantageous to himself!

Using the Flying Insect Movement Technique he had developed with the Ancient Sword Butterfly as his model, Heavenly Insect easily slipped out of the Flying Spirit Army's main camp once again without a sound.

Left alone in the hall, Black Jade's face was ashen. After a long while, he could only let out a long, helpless sigh.

Without strength, one could only swallow humiliation. Those two were fighting over the city lord's position, yet he was the one forced to suffer from both sides. Today, he had revealed many of Wu Xiao's secrets. If that man failed to wrest the position of city lord from Wu Xiao, Black Jade would be in danger.

And even if Wu Xiao lost in the end and the other man became city lord, Black Jade would still gain nothing. He might not even win the new city lord's trust. After all, no one would willingly trust someone who kept jumping from one side to the other...

If he could betray Wu Xiao under threat today, could he not betray someone else to save his life tomorrow?

How could a man with no loyalty to speak of ever earn the trust of those in power...

Perhaps, in the future, he would not even be able to keep his current position as commander of the Flying Spirit Army!

The thought filled Black Jade with agitation. He grabbed the wine jar before him, tore off its seal, and tipped his head back, pouring the wine straight down his throat.

Only after draining the jar did he smash it viciously against the floor, shattering it to pieces as though it were that bastard who had not even deigned to tell him his name!

Crash!

The hall doors were pushed open from outside, and a squad of Black-Armored Soldiers charged in with spears in hand, their expressions solemn and ready for battle.

Anger flared in Black Jade's heart. He looked up, ready to curse whoever dared disturb him, but upon seeing the scene, he forcibly held himself back.

Waving a hand, Black Jade swayed drunkenly before saying, "It's nothing. All of you, leave. Don't let anyone disturb this commander's drinking!"

Although they did not know what had happened to their commander, or why he had gone from happily enjoying the singing and dancing to looking drunk and miserable, they were Black Jade's personal guards and would faithfully carry out his orders. The squad of Black-Armored Soldiers soon withdrew from the hall, then silently closed the doors behind them.

Meanwhile, Heavenly Insect had already returned to the Spirit Butterfly Lineage's territory and shared everything he had learned from Black Jade with Demon Butterfly and the Spirit Butterfly Tribe Chief, holding nothing back.

The three then combined this with the information the Spirit Butterfly Lineage had gathered over the past several days. Comparing the two sources, they gained a fairly comprehensive understanding of the various forces currently in Flying Spirit City...

"It seems Wu Xiao's victory over the other deputy city lord was only a pyrrhic one. The forces still truly loyal to him are no stronger than our Spirit Butterfly Lineage now. They may even be somewhat weaker."

A smile appeared on Demon Butterfly's lovely face. Clearly, she was very pleased with this situation.

"We mustn't be careless!" The Spirit Butterfly Tribe Chief was less optimistic. "Wu Xiao has now usurped the position of city lord, and all of Flying Spirit City is nominally under his command. We have no idea how many factions have truly joined him. If someone suddenly steps forward to support Wu Xiao once the fighting starts, our chances of victory will fall below thirty percent!"

Heavenly Insect considered this, then said, "Right now, our only real problem is Wu Xiao himself. His control over Flying Spirit City may still be far from complete, but his own strength is his greatest support."

"Miss Demon Butterfly, how is the Black-Feathered Star Locust doing now? Can it exert its full strength?"

That was the crucial point, and the key to whether the Spirit Butterfly Lineage could take control of Flying Spirit City.

"No. Right now, the Black-Feathered Star Locust can barely exert the power of a first-grade Sovereign at most..."

The death of its master inflicted tremendous damage on a spirit insect, especially a life-bound spirit insect, whose future path was almost completely severed. But none of that was the most pressing concern for now. What mattered most was that, with its soul damaged, the stronger a spirit insect was, the longer it needed to rest and recover.

Even though the Spirit Butterfly Lineage had devoted the entire tribe's efforts to treating the Black-Feathered Star Locust, its full recovery remained a distant prospect.

Heavenly Insect frowned at this. Wu Xiao himself was a second-grade Sovereign, and he also possessed a Sovereign spirit insect, the Azure Mystic Ice Octopus. Even with Heavenly Insect's Ancient Sword Butterfly added to the Spirit Butterfly Lineage's forces, defeating him would not be easy.

Even so, they could not delay any longer.

Wu Xiao had only just won and was about to begin savoring the fruits of his victory. This was when he would be most relaxed, and also at his weakest.

If they let him pass safely through this period, recover his strength, and tighten his grip on Flying Spirit City, it would no longer be so easy for the Spirit Butterfly Lineage to rise to power.

"We strike! Whatever the outcome, this is the best opportunity our Spirit Butterfly Lineage has. I will never allow it to slip through my fingers!"

At this critical moment, the Spirit Butterfly Tribe Chief, as the mother, displayed her decisive side.

"But we will still need your help, Young Master Heavenly Insect!"

Heavenly Insect naturally nodded in agreement. After all, this was part of his oath, and he also owed the Spirit Butterfly Lineage a tremendous favor.

"As for Wu Xiao, let the Black-Feathered Star Locust hold him off first. I'll deal with his Azure Mystic Ice Octopus as quickly as possible, then we can join forces against Wu Xiao!"

Heavenly Insect offered his suggestion.

"But if possible, we can still make use of a few strategies..."

Demon Butterfly and her mother nodded, and Heavenly Insect continued, "Oh, right. I hear Wu Xiao also has a Spirit Insect Master at the Spiritual Energy Tribulation stage under his command. The Spirit Butterfly Lineage will probably have to handle that one itself."

"That won't be a problem. Leave it to me!" the Spirit Butterfly Tribe Chief said firmly.

The Spirit Butterfly Lineage's greatest strength was actually not the Spirit Butterfly Tribe Chief herself, but a top-tier Heaven-grade spirit insect passed down through the lineage: the Blue-Flame Phoenix Butterfly.

For spirit insects and spirit beasts, Heaven grade did not encompass only strength equivalent to human cultivators in the Three Heavens Realm. The Three Minor Tribulations of the Sovereign also fell within Heaven grade, because for them, the level above Heaven grade was Sovereign. Thus, the highest combat strength of a Heaven-grade spirit insect could reach the Spiritual Energy Tribulation or even Divine Soul Tribulation level.

The Spirit Butterfly Tribe Chief's Blue-Flame Phoenix Butterfly was a spirit insect comparable to the Spiritual Energy Tribulation level. Its combat strength surpassed even that of the White Jade Sword Butterfly Puppet from before, making it the Spirit Butterfly Lineage's greatest support.