Translator: Cinder Translations
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"Is there really no way to find forty 300-year-old Forget-Me-Not mushrooms in the entire Spirit Field of the Deathly Still Abyss?" Song Wen asked.
"They exist in the Spirit Field, but they belong to the Corpse Demon Sect. Even the Gongsun family, no matter how bold they are, wouldn't dare to brazenly harvest a large quantity of Forget-Me-Not mushrooms from the Spirit Field," Chen Feihe replied.
"As long as they exist in the Spirit Field, that's enough. They will definitely bring them to me," Song Wen said confidently.
Chen Feihe warned, "Senior Zhang, you're overestimating things. In addition to Gongsun Cailu, the Gongsun family has another Golden Core cultivator. The two energies you left in their bodies will likely be dispersed before they explode, making it impossible to threaten their lives."
Song Wen responded, "Brother Chen, don't worry. I have my ways. Let's leave here first. There are too many people here, and it's not a place for discussions."
After saying this, Song Wen used his power to drag Chen Feihe into the air, and they flew away toward the distance.
---
Gongsun Jian and Sixth Elder rushed back to the Gongsun family's headquarters, not heading to the Spirit Field deep in the Rift Valley but instead to a cave at the foot of a mountain.
Inside the cave was an elderly man with somewhat disheveled hair. He was the patriarch of the Gongsun family, Gongsun Zhi.
"Ancestor, save us!"
As soon as they saw Gongsun Zhi, they both knelt and cried out for help.
Gongsun Zhi furrowed his brows and asked, "What's going on? Stand up and speak."
Gongsun Jian and Sixth Elder, anxious in their hearts, immediately got up and explained everything in detail.
After hearing their story, Gongsun Zhi used his spiritual sense to scan their bodies.
He found that there was indeed foreign energy in both of them.
This energy was subtle and weak, but Gongsun Zhi felt confident he could help them dispel it.
He turned to Gongsun Jian and said, "Come here, I'll help you get rid of the energy in your body."
Gongsun Jian's face lit up with joy upon hearing this, and he quickly approached Gongsun Zhi, extending his right hand.
Gongsun Zhi extended two fingers and pressed them on Gongsun Jian's wrist.
The energy within Gongsun Zhi flowed from his fingers into Gongsun Jian's body.
Worried about damaging Gongsun Jian's meridians, the energy was not forceful. It flowed gently, like a small stream, slowly moving toward Gongsun Jian's abdomen.
What Gongsun Jian didn't expect was that as soon as his energy made contact with the energy left by Song Wen, the latter's energy suddenly exploded.
"Ah..."
Gongsun Jian let out a miserable scream.
A sharp, unbearable pain radiated from his abdomen.
Although the pain was intense, it didn't cause any lasting harm to Gongsun Jian.
However, a small, sesame-sized insect emerged from the burst of energy.
Then, with another scream from Gongsun Jian, the insect forcibly burrowed through his abdomen, breaking out of his body. It flapped its wings and lunged toward Gongsun Zhi, who was right in front of him.
Caught off guard, Gongsun Zhi's face immediately tensed. He raised his dry, bony right hand and slapped at the insect.
The insect quickly enlarged to the size of a washbasin and began to lash out with its sharp mandibles at Gongsun Zhi's hand.
Gongsun Zhi's hand was surrounded by a foul aura, creating an impenetrable shield.
"Bang!"
The insect's mandibles crashed against the shield of death energy, but it couldn't pierce through it, just like biting into a solid wall of copper.
"Ah..."
A cry of pain came from Sixth Elder.
Gongsun Zhi's heart tightened as he realized that another insect was likely hiding inside Sixth Elder as well.
Before he could spare any attention to check Sixth Elder's condition, he felt the presence of another insect hitting his lower back.
This insect, like an arrow, burrowed deep into his flesh, entering his body.
Gongsun Zhi didn't dare waste any time. His internal energy surged like a flood, rushing toward the insect, attempting to force it out of his body.
The Shadow Gu had finally entered Gongsun Zhi's body, and it was not going to be easily driven out. It suddenly grew to the size of a washbasin, then swung its sharp mandibles.
In an instant, Gongsun Zhi's abdomen was pierced by the enormous mandibles.
The mandibles twisted violently, and Gongsun Zhi's intestines were torn apart, his abdomen ripped open.
Despite the excruciating pain, Gongsun Zhi reached out with both hands, trying to grab the mandibles that protruded from his abdomen, hoping to pull the worm out.
At that moment, another Shadow Gu suddenly lunged forward, directly attacking Gongsun Zhi's face. Its sharp mandibles aimed straight for his eyes.
"Ah..."
Gongsun Zhi let out a mournful scream.
With the combined force of the two worms, his head was immediately crushed, then swallowed by the worms. His internal organs were devoured, leaving only an empty cavity where his abdomen once was.
Once Gongsun Zhi died, his remains were also consumed by the worms, leaving nothing behind.
Gongsun Jian and Sixth Elder, witnessing this, turned pale, their eyes filled with disbelief and terror.
The Golden Core patriarch of the Gongsun family, their ancestor, had so easily died before their eyes.
Gongsun Jian's eyes bulged as he stared at the two Shadow Gus, filled with deep despair and fear.
"Bang, bang."
The two knelt again, terrified that the worms would devour them as well.
The two Shadow Gus, now as small as sesame seeds, once again burrowed into their bodies.
This time, neither dared to harbor any hope. They hurriedly stood up and made their way toward the Spirit Field deep in the Valley.
---
Two hundred miles outside the Gongsun family's town, in a cave at the foot of a great mountain, Chen Feihe curiously asked:
"Senior Zhang, aren't you worried that Gongsun Jian and the others won't be able to find you after coming this far?"
"Don't worry, they'll find us," Song Wen said.
The distance of over two hundred miles was still within the range of Song Wen's spiritual sense.
"Brother Chen, do you know where the Corpse Demon Sect plants the Dead Man's Vine?"
Chen Feihe was somewhat surprised and asked, "Senior, are you referring to the fourth-tier spiritual herb, the Dead Man's Vine?"
Song Wen nodded.
Chen Feihe continued, "The Dead Man's Vine is planted in a place called the White Bone Cave. The White Bone Cave is deep beneath Corpse Demon Mountain, a massive underground cavern. Inside, the ground is littered with bones. The bones are stacked in layers, and there are both human and beast remains."
Song Wen, intrigued by the detailed description, asked, "Have you been there?"
Chen Feihe nodded. "Ban Yu used to be in charge of the White Bone Cave. With his position, I managed to visit it once."
"Is Ban Yu still in charge of the White Bone Cave?" Song Wen asked.
Chen Feihe shook his head. "Not anymore. The current manager of the White Bone Cave is a cultivator who calls himself 'Fan Cheng.'"
"Fan Cheng?" Song Wen muttered. In the demonic sect, such a title seemed somewhat unusual.
"Do you know this cultivator, Fan Cheng?" Song Wen asked.
Chen Feihe shook his head. "I've seen him twice, but we're not acquainted. He recently entered the Golden Core stage. His original name seems to have been... Zhang... Xiaofan."
"Zhang Xiaofan!" Song Wen was surprised.
Zhang Xiaofan had actually advanced to the Golden Core stage. This was somewhat unexpected for Song Wen.
"He's a pill refiner, isn't he? How did he end up managing the White Bone Cave?" Song Wen asked.
"Senior, do you know Zhang Xiaofan?" Chen Feihe responded with a question.
Song Wen nodded. "We've had some interaction."
Chen Feihe explained, "Because the Dead Man's Vine is extremely rare, the manager of the White Bone Cave was always a Golden Core cultivator. However, since the cave is located deep underground beneath Corpse Demon Mountain, it's very secure. The manager's role is essentially a nominal position, usually just a title. The actual management and care of the Dead Man's Vine are handled by Foundation Establishment cultivators."
(End of the Chapter)
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