Fortunately for Lin Shu, in the days that followed, nothing major happened. The group kept searching through each cave passage and eliminating all threats. They made sure not to enter the main chamber where the Mother was, intending to clear out the other chambers first so they wouldn't get cornered. Almost two weeks had passed with the same routine—attacking and killing the dwellers in the morning and defending the area at night. Lin Shu spent those two weeks working and cultivating in his free time. He was assigned to watch over a previously cleared passage with other members, just in case there was a hiding spot they'd missed. His job also included checking certain passages in the morning to see if any dwellers had returned while the cultivators were back in town.
That was all—until the fifteenth day, when the group stumbled upon something unexpected.
While clearing out a small cave of dwellers, a wall was accidentally destroyed after a stray attack hit it. Behind it, they found a brumating blade-tailed snake—an eight-meter-long python. Its scales looked like pure silver, and its tail ended in a sharp, curved blade—its namesake and one of its main weapons. The group didn't attack. They didn't even understand how it hadn't woken up from the impact, or how the shadow dwellers hadn't found it. And if they had… why hadn't they killed it?
They got their answer when Madam Qu and the other two instructors arrived.
"This is a blade-tailed snake. It can reach the early stage of Rank 2, but this one is still at the peak stage of Rank 1," she explained. "Its size is smaller, and it doesn't have any black markings on its head—that's the sign it hasn't reached the peak of its age and power. It didn't attack because it's undergoing the process of advancing and is in total slumber. I think there's a hidden passage from here to the outside. Since the dwellers don't seem to know about it, it probably means they've never met, seen, or smelled it. So it shouldn't be too dangerous. But it can still wake up at any—"
Before she could finish, the snake attacked.
"Shit!" the tracking instructor cursed.
Fortunately, Madam Qu and the other instructor had already prepared for the possibility and intercepted the beast.
"All of you, get out of here! Also—the noise might draw some dwellers! Stop them from interfering!"
Why did I have to be chosen for today's expedition? Of all days... thought Lin Shu, getting seriously pissed off at always being dragged into dangerous situations.
I'll just leave and stay at the safest passage, act like I'm guarding it. If I feel anything off, I'll just hide. These past few days I've had a really bad feeling, and I'm not about to try my luck. I know it'll get me killed.
Lin Shu moved back through the lightened passage, and to no one's surprise—least of all his own—he found a group of cultivators locked in battle with some shadow dwellers.
"Of course I had to meet them," he muttered.
Ivory Dominion surged to life as his Ivory Monolith armor formed over his body, lightning crackling faintly around him. One of the shadow dwellers lunged, but he caught its hand mid-strike, yanked it toward him, and delivered a brutal punch with his other arm, knocking it off balance. Without wasting a second, he slashed its throat in one swift motion.
He rose and didn't bother staying to help—he veered into a different path, one of the safer ones leading to the outside. He moved at full speed, uncaring about the job he'd been assigned. Who was going to pay attention to him now, when everyone else had claws and fangs flying toward their throats?
He briefly considered killing someone and looting their belongings, but immediately shoved the thought away. That was an extremely dangerous and idiotic idea—especially with powerful cultivators nearby. Worse yet, one of them could track both people and beasts. Unless he wanted to die, he'd never act on such reckless greed.
Lin Shu reached a crossroads deep within the cave system. He planned to stay around this area—it was far enough from danger, but not so far that it would seem suspicious. He had already collected a few shadow dweller corpses and stored them in his spatial ring. His plan was simple: throw the corpses into an empty cave nearby, making it look like he had been fighting there. It was a perfect setup—proof that he was doing his job, all while hiding with a clear escape route.
Meanwhile, back at the scene of the fight, chaos reigned. Madam Qu and the two instructors were engaged in a deadly battle against the Blade-Tailed Snake. The silver-scaled serpent, now fully awake, coiled tightly and lashed out with its bladed tail, its mouth wide open as it tried to devour anything in reach. It was utterly enraged, awakened mid-brumation, and wanted nothing more than to kill whoever had disturbed its slumber.
Their battle tore through the confined space, stone and debris flying with every clash.
"This cave isn't big enough for our fight," one instructor growled. "If this goes on, the whole place will collapse!"
"Then don't waste any more time!" Madam Qu barked. "You two hold it off—I'll prepare something to end this!"
She rummaged through her spatial ring and pulled out a small bottle, mixing its contents with other substances at lightning speed. After a few tense seconds, she shouted, "Get back, now!"
She hurled the bottle at the snake and extended her hand, flames bursting to life along her palm—yet they did not burn her. "If you have a flame-type battle skill, use it! If not, anything that'll keep the fire going—just don't let it go out!"
The instructors nodded. Though they lacked flame skills, they launched ranged attacks to keep the burning serpent pinned.
The moment Madam Qu's fire struck, the cave lit up—blazing flames roared across the snake's scales. The bottle had contained an incredibly flammable liquid. Fire engulfed the serpent in an instant.
The snake screamed and thrashed, its massive body smashing into walls as it writhed in agony. The cave began to shake violently.
"This is bad," one instructor muttered, eyes wide. "We need to LEAVE—NOW!"
The ground cracked. Stones tumbled from above. The three instructors and the remaining students bolted, running at full speed, fleeing the collapsing chamber.
The deafening battle had drawn more shadow dwellers to the surface. From the signs of fighting, it was clear that many of the students were already engaged. The instructors quickly joined them, helping to carve a path through the monsters.
Luckily for them, only that part of the massive cave system had been destroyed. But the message was clear—the cave was far more dangerous than anyone had anticipated.
After the chaos settled, Lin Shu crept out of his hiding spot, his body drenched in blood and covered in wounds—each one self-inflicted to serve as proof of battle. He kept his expression grim, as if returning from a fierce clash, and regrouped with the others.
The instructors wasted no time. One of them stepped forward and addressed the group in a firm voice.
"Due to the recent events, we will be splitting into three units starting tomorrow. One group will guard the cleared chambers, another will patrol the main passages, and the last will take charge of clearing out the remaining nests. Shifts will rotate daily to keep things fair. This system will allow us to complete the mission faster and with fewer risks."
The instructor's voice grew louder, laced with resolve. "We expect to finish the mission within five more days using this strategy. Rest well tonight—prepare yourselves."
He followed it up with words of praise, trying to raise morale after the terrifying encounter with the Blade-Tailed Snake.
Lin Shu stood at the back, silent as ever, blood drying on his skin. His thoughts, however, were clear. It doesn't matter which unit I'm in… In the end, we'll all end up attacking the mother's chamber.
The group left the caves and returned to town, arriving just before nightfall. Only Madam Qu and her two subordinates remained behind. Their stated reason was simple—confirming the death of the snake.
But as the others left, Madam Qu stared deep into the fire-scorched ruins of the chamber, her eyes reflecting the flickering light.
"I hope the diary wasn't lying," she murmured, voice taut with frustration. "Otherwise… all of this would've been for nothing."
Her tone was sharp, edged with years of waiting—of sacrifices made and resources spent. Whatever she was after, it clearly went far beyond just completing a mission.