Translator: CinderTL
Wu Yuan, Shi Man, and Song Wen descended one after another, landing a short distance from Shi Chang.
Wu Yuan raised his hand, and a stream of Corpse Qi shot out like an arrow, striking Shi Chang's wrist.
"Ah..."
Shi Chang cried out in pain as his hand severed at the wrist.
The Corpse Qi then coiled around the severed hand and brought it to Wu Yuan.
Wu Yuan removed the Storage Ring from the middle finger of the severed hand.
"Release your primordial spirit imprint from the Storage Ring," he ordered.
Shi Chang, now at his wit's end, dared not refuse. He obediently released his primordial spirit imprint from the Storage Ring, instantly rendering it masterless.
Wu Yuan's divine sense immediately invaded the ring, probing its contents.
Shi Man watched Wu Yuan expectantly, but after a long silence, she couldn't help but ask, "Wu Yuan, did you find the Corroding Heart Cold?"
Wu Yuan shook his head. "No. There's nothing in his Storage Ring related to the Corroding Heart Cold."
"Could we have targeted the wrong person?" Shi Man said, her expression darkening.
"To confirm whether we've made a mistake, we'll need to perform a soul search," Wu Yuan replied.
With that, he strode toward Shi Chang, casually pocketing the Storage Ring as he moved.
Seeing this, Shi Man's lips parted slightly, but she ultimately didn't utter a word.
It wasn't that she doubted Wu Yuan was lying about the Corroding Heart Cold being in the Storage Ring. Rather, she was displeased that Wu Yuan had claimed the Storage Ring for himself, refusing to share any of its benefits with her.
However, given Wu Yuan's superior strength and the fact that he had captured Shi Chang alone, she couldn't directly demand a share of the spoils. Still, her resentment toward Wu Yuan grew stronger.
Wu Yuan approached Shi Chang and placed his right hand on the man's head. As the soul search progressed, Wu Yuan's brow furrowed.
"There's no information about the Corroding Heart Cold in his memories. It seems he truly isn't the person we're looking for."
With that, he turned to Song Wen, his gaze piercing.
"Gou Jun, what explanation do you have? This man perfectly matches the information you provided."
Song Wen replied, "Senior Wu Yuan, your judgment is clear. There are countless people in this world who share similar appearances. However, this matter is indeed the junior's fault. Due to my weak cultivation, I failed to detect the stall owner's aura. Otherwise, I wouldn't have mistaken him for the target."
Wu Yuan countered, "While it's true that many people share similar appearances, among Divine Transformation Stage cultivators—especially poison cultivators—there are likely no two who look alike."
"Senior Wu Yuan, do you doubt the truth of my words?" Song Wen's expression grew flustered. "How dare I deceive Young Master Chi Pei and Senior Shi Man? Besides, I have no reason to lie."
As he spoke, Song Wen cast a pleading glance at Shi Man.
Shi Man said, "Wu Yuan, you've clearly misunderstood Gou Jun. He presented the Corroding Heart Cold to Young Master Chi Pei himself. Why would he lie or deceive us? There's absolutely no benefit for him in doing so."
Wu Yuan conceded that Shi Man's reasoning was sound.
However, he remained unconvinced, pointing at Shi Chang, who had already fallen unconscious due to the soul search. "Then what explanation do you have for this man? Don't tell me there are other poison cultivators in the Divine Transformation Stage who look exactly alike!"
"Perhaps... perhaps the stall owner didn't want to reveal his true identity and deliberately disguised himself. The face I saw wasn't his real one?" Song Wen's tone carried a hint of speculation and uncertainty.
Hearing this, Wu Yuan scrutinized Song Wen for a moment, seemingly accepting his explanation, and said nothing more.
In Shi Man's eyes, Wu Yuan's suspicions were entirely baseless.
She pointed at Shi Chang and asked, "Wu Yuan, what should we do with this man?"
"Of course, I killed him," Wu Yuan said, his face suddenly radiating an aura of righteous indignation. "Shi Chang dared to use humans as hosts to cultivate his deadly poisons, causing the deaths of millions of innocents. His crimes defy both heavenly law and human morality. By executing this fiend, we have acted as agents of divine justice."
Wu Yuan raised his hand and unleashed a blast of Corpse Qi, shattering Shi Chang's physical body into pieces and obliterating his primordial spirit.
"Let's go," Wu Yuan said calmly.
He summoned his Giant Flying Ship and gestured for Song Wen and Shi Man to board. The ship soared toward Cloudveil City.
Song Wen sat cross-legged on the deck, his gaze fixed on Wu Yuan's back as the man stood at the ship's prow. His mind raced with calculations.
Wu Yuan already suspected him, and keeping him alive would only invite future trouble. Moreover, Wu Yuan cultivated the Corpse King Blood Refinement Art, which could greatly aid Song Wen's own cultivation. Wu Yuan's mastery of Corpse Qi manipulation also intrigued him.
In that moment, Song Wen conceived several compelling reasons to eliminate Wu Yuan.
However, Wu Yuan possessed formidable strength and wore a close-fitting, scale-like inner armor. Killing him would be no easy task, requiring careful planning and execution.
With this thought, Song Wen glanced back at the ship's cabin.
Shi Man was meditating in the ship's cabin.
This woman might still be useful later.
The truth about Wu Yuan's murder must never reach Shi Man's ears.
This meant Song Wen needed to distract Shi Man and create an opportunity to meet Wu Yuan alone.
Clearing his thoughts, Song Wen devised a plan.
He stood up, walked to the ship's bow, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed slightly toward Wu Yuan's back.
"Senior Wu Yuan, this junior has a question to ask."
Wu Yuan remained motionless, his gaze fixed on the vast horizon. He didn't utter a word, acting as if Song Wen were beneath his notice.
Song Wen flipped his hand and produced a jade box nearly three meters long.
The box opened slightly, revealing a bamboo plant of peculiar shape.
The bamboo stalk was about fifteen centimeters thick but only two meters tall, its growth twisted and gnarled. Its surface displayed a sickly grayish-white hue, riddled with cracks.
The sparse, withered leaves curled at the edges, their color a dying yellow. At the base, countless slender roots protruded, indicating its transplantability.
This was the Withered Corpse Bamboo, a plant that aided corpse dao cultivators in their cultivation by accelerating the refinement of Corpse Fiend energy and enhancing their cultivation speed.
For Song Wen, however, the Withered Corpse Bamboo's primary value lay in assisting his refinement of Corpse Fiend energy; its impact on his cultivation speed was negligible.
After all, Song Wen's cultivation had been primarily achieved through consuming medicinal pills like the Blood Demon Pill or by devouring the cultivation of others. The cultivation he had gained through diligent practice and absorbing Spiritual Qi from heaven and earth was negligible.
Years ago, Song Wen and Xue Mei had discovered six Withered Corpse Bamboo stalks in the Divine Blood Hall, each taking three.
Later, Song Wen killed Xue Mei and claimed her three stalks as well.
These six stalks ranged in age from five thousand to eight thousand years. Even after Song Wen's cultivation advanced to the Divine Transformation Stage, they still significantly enhanced his ability to refine Corpse Fiend energy.
However, since ascending to the mystic realm, Song Wen had lacked a stable cultivation environment, and the six Withered Corpse Bamboo stalks had remained sealed away.
Song Wen once inquired with Xu Geng and learned that Withered Corpse Bamboo was not native to the Tianyuan Realm but had been brought there by them from the Lower Realm. The six stalks in Song Wen's possession were likely descendants of the original stalk Xu Geng and his group had introduced.
The stalk Song Wen presented was the oldest of the six, dating back eight thousand years.
As soon as it appeared, it radiated a dense Corpse Fiend energy.
Wu Yuan immediately turned his head, his eyes blazing with fervent desire.
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (RDC) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c1298. [+2]
🔑Read upto Ch1114 for FREE visit 𝕨𝕨𝕨.𝕔𝕚𝕟𝕕𝕖𝕣𝕥𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝕞!
💥Translated (6) Series, (5.3K+) Chapters, (7.7M+) Words.