I am grinding experience in another world

Edge Star, Heavenly Craft Camp.

Early in the morning, everyone gathered at the eastern hillside of the camp as usual, waiting for the Five Clouds Cloth to deliver monster corpses.

But shortly after they arrived, several streaks of Escape Light suddenly shot from the mountain summit behind them, swiftly flying into the distance.

Before anyone could react, another streak of Escape Light appeared above the camp, revealing a middle-aged man dressed in black.

He raised a palm-sized Bronze Token and proclaimed in a thunderous voice: "All Daoist Soldiers must immediately return to their respective camps. No one is to leave without an official decree. Any violators will face the punishment of Five Thunders Bombarding!"

As his voice fell, an indistinct force instantly descended upon everyone's surroundings.

Chen Mu, who blended into the crowd, had his face change abruptly and his heart sank.

"They're actually using the Daoist Soldier Contract to impose restrictions... Something major must have happened!"

He immediately thought of the inexplicable appearance of the Plague Immortal Flag last night—the very artifact belonging to Lu Shenjun, Lv Yue.

Issuing a lockdown order for the camp first thing in the morning—it was likely that the Thousand Mechanisms Sect was conducting an extensive search for the Plague Immortal Flag!

"Maybe… I should make a run for it!"

Chen Mu felt a growing sense of unease.

He glanced at the Thousand Mechanisms Sect Elder hovering in mid-air, his eyes coldly surveying the crowd.

Chen Mu lowered his gaze, took a deep breath, and silently followed the others back to the camp.

Stay calm. Don't panic.

If a getaway is necessary, it should be done in the dead of night, unnoticed. For now, the best tactic is to hide and keep a low profile.

...

Within the Snail Shell Camp.

Chen Mu reclined on a rocking chair by the door, his spirit immersed within the Shadow Pupil of Thousand Lanterns City.

He focused his vision through the enormous eye, locking onto the fiery Command Flag standing before the three-story wooden tower.

"I only cultivated the Jade Cicada Secret Scripture up to the fifth tier—how could this end up attracting such a thing?"

"Did Meng Qingchan tamper with the scripture's contents? That doesn't make sense." Chen Mu frowned.

The feedback from the Gray Wall indicated that the flaws in the Jade Cicada Secret Scripture had gradually been fixed, so a defect shouldn't be the issue.

"Or could it be that merely reaching a certain tier in cultivating the Jade Cicada Secret Scripture inherently summons the Plague Immortal Flag?" Chen Mu mused.

The Plague Immortal Flag, crafted by Meng Qingchan, might indeed have an enigmatic connection to the scripture.

Lv Yue may have held the flag for years, but he had never practiced the Jade Cicada Secret Scripture—thus, a failure in control might very well explain its escape.

What a disaster!

Chen Mu's face twitched as he inwardly groaned.

The Plague Immortal Flag was undoubtedly a powerful artifact, but it could draw Lv Yue's relentless pursuit.

Chen Mu had taken great pains to dodge him all this time, yet now had inadvertently taken possession of his treasure...

Tsk!

"I'll have to hide the flag in Thousand Lanterns City for now." Chen Mu sighed and shook his head.

Fortunately, Thousand Lanterns City was capable of severing Meng Qingchan's aura—and would likely do the same for the Plague Immortal Flag.

The Divine Bone Mirror hadn't been able to detect Meng Qingchan inside Thousand Lanterns City before, so Chen Mu remained reasonably confident in its ability to isolate objects from external senses.

"The priority now is figuring out the reason behind the camp's recent disruption. I need to confirm whether or not the Thousand Mechanisms Sect is truly conducting a full-scale search for the Plague Immortal Flag."

With a single thought, Chen Mu activated the Truth Listening Divine Power. The myriad sounds within the camp flooded his ears in an instant.

...

The next morning, the streaks of Escape Light that had left the camp reappeared at the mountain summit. Not long after, several bits of news were passed around the hillside camp.

"The Heavenly Gate was destroyed?"

"It wasn't Lv Yue issuing orders to locate the Plague Immortal Flag?"

"That's fantastic news!"

Standing at the entrance of the Snail Shell Camp, Chen Mu listened to the patrolling Daoist Soldiers delivering their messages and felt mixed emotions—first shock, then elation.

He had spent the entire previous day on edge, paralyzed by the fear that Lv Yue might invade. He had even devised seven or eight different escape plans, only to find out it was all a false alarm.

"It's a blessing the Heavenly Gate was destroyed—no one can go out, but outsiders can't get in either."

"For the time being, I won't have to worry about Lv Yue coming after me." Chen Mu let out a huge sigh of relief.

Moreover, with demons already cleared out on Edge Star, there was little danger left.

The Primordial Energy Well atop the mountain continued to churn out vast quantities of Earth Spirit Vital Energy every day, undisturbed in its support for Qi Refinement cultivation.

For Chen Mu, the isolated Edge Star had transformed into the perfect haven for peaceful cultivation.

...

The destruction of the Heavenly Gate left the camp in chaos for several days.

But it didn't take long for everyone to realize that the Five Clouds Cloth was still delivering large quantities of monster and demon corpses, keeping them busy from dawn till dusk as usual.

Life in the camp remained unchanged compared to before.

Thanks to the Thousand Mechanisms Sect Qi Cultivators' reassuring efforts, the camp inhabitants gradually regained their composure.

Chen Mu, too, no longer felt perpetually anxious.

He quickly discovered that the mountain-top Elders and High Cultivators were preoccupied with repairing the Heavenly Gate, with no signs of searching for the Plague Immortal Flag.

"It seems the Plague Immortal Flag is merely Lv Yue's secret weapon—unknown to anyone else."

"Is it part of an attempt to forge more Black Armor Daoist Soldiers?"

Tsk-tsk, once someone breaks their bottom line, it just happens again and again, doesn't it?" Chen Mu shook his head quietly.

He had suspected earlier that Lv Yue might mass-produce Daoist Soldiers to combat Outer Heaven Demons, but hadn't expected him to act on it.

"Good thing the Jade Cicada Secret Scripture absorbed the flag in advance—otherwise, who knows what kind of chaos it might unleash."

While Chen Mu himself was resistant to the Green Worm Poison, others were not.

If everyone else were afflicted but he stayed untouched, it would inevitably draw suspicion and trouble.

Now, with the flag safely hidden and its venom neutralized, no harm would come to the camp inhabitants.

Moreover, Thousand Lanterns City's ability to isolate the flag's aura meant Chen Mu didn't need to worry about being tracked.

And with the Heavenly Gate in disrepair, Lv Yue couldn't even enter—a relief for all involved!

...

A few days later, at the Demon Dispel Department.

Chen Mu wielded a forearm-length dagger, its blade glowing with emerald light. With nimble wrist movements, he skillfully processed the Eagle-beaked White Jade Snake before him.

Bang!

A wooden barrel, half the height of a person, was suddenly dropped at his feet.

"More snakes? Wasn't I only supposed to handle thirty-two of them? Why are you adding ten more?" Chen Mu complained to the short, stout Manager Wu.

"You're gonna earn Daoist Cultivation credits, so you better get to work," Manager Wu barked at him.

"Even with doubled credits, I can't finish this—I just don't have the capacity," Chen Mu replied with a feigned bitter smile, refusing outright.

He was in the Demon Dispel Department primarily for leisurely cultivation, not to earn Daoist credits through labor.

"If you can't finish, don't sleep!" Manager Wu shot back with a side-eye.

Daoist Soldiers in the Demon Dispel Department often pulled all-nighters for extra credits, but Chen Mu had the notorious habit of leaving right on time every day. His idleness was infuriating.

With the department's recent workload becoming increasingly heavy, Manager Wu wished he could split his workforce in half, and he certainly wouldn't allow this slacker to slack any further.

Heh!

So the chubby Wu actually dared to pull this move on me?

Chen Mu raised an eyebrow.

Do you really think my Nightmare Victory Spell is just for show?

Having this thought, Chen Mu feigned resignation as he accepted the barrel of White Jade Snakes. But in his hand, he began weaving a spell, intending to trip the stubby manager the moment he was far enough away.

But before the thought had even fully formed, Manager Wu—who had been sticking his neck out at Chen Mu moments earlier—suddenly dropped to his knees with a thud.

The movement was firm and deliberate, loud enough to startle Chen Mu.

Wait!

I haven't even acted yet—why are you kneeling now?!

All I wanted was to skip some extra work; this is not that serious, is it?

Chen Mu stared blankly at him with a mixture of shock and disbelief.

At that moment, Manager Wu was kneeling, his pupils unfocused, his mouth curled upward into a bizarre smile resembling someone lost deep in a pleasant dream.

Initially bewildered, Chen Mu noted the expression and suddenly felt a chill in his heart.

This… isn't this the classic symptom of Yellow Millet Plague Poison?!

But I hid the Plague Immortal Flag securely in Thousand Lanterns City—how is Wu still succumbing to the poison?!

Chen Mu immediately activated the Truth Listening Divine Power.

Sounds of thudding bodies falling echoed around him, interspersed with grotesque laughter. Throughout the camp, people were inexplicably collapsing, each wearing the same eerie smile.

Could Lu Shenjun have other hidden mechanisms besides the Plague Immortal Flag?

Dammit!

The brief moment of relief Chen Mu had enjoyed vanished into the abyss of dread once more.