Translator: CinderTL
Shi Man, who had been meditating in the ship's cabin, sensed the Corpse Qi emanating from the Withered Corpse Bamboo and emerged.
"What is this?" Shi Man asked.
Song Wen replied, "I don't know either. I obtained it by chance and am unaware of its name or purpose. However, judging by the Corpse Qi it emits, it must be some kind of Corpse Dao spiritual material. Senior Wu Yuan, as a steward of Veiled Moon Hall and a Corpse Dao cultivator with extensive knowledge, should recognize it. Therefore, I humbly request Senior Wu Yuan's guidance."
Shi Man cast a suspicious glance at Song Wen.
Though she didn't recognize the Withered Corpse Bamboo, she could sense its extraordinary nature. For a Corpse Dao cultivator, this item would undoubtedly be a rare treasure.
Why would Gou Jun so casually reveal such a treasure? Doesn't he fear Wu Yuan might kill him for it?
Wu Yuan calmly suppressed the burning desire in his eyes, his voice remaining indifferent.
"I never imagined someone of your mere nascent soul cultivation level could obtain such an item. You certainly have good fortune. This is called Corpse Pattern Bamboo. If refined properly, it can be forged into a Pseudo-Spirit Treasure."
Upon hearing this, Shi Man immediately lost interest.
Given her current status and position, she no longer cared for Pseudo-Spirit Treasures.
"Gou Jun, take good care of this Corpse Pattern Bamboo. Even if you don't use it to refine a Pseudo-Spirit Treasure, you can sell it at the market for cultivation resources." Perhaps sensing Song Wen's remaining utility, Shi Man deliberately offered this advice.
With that, she turned and walked toward the ship's cabin.
"Senior Shi Man, rest assured, this junior will certainly safeguard the Corpse Pattern Bamboo," Song Wen said, cupping his fist in salute to her retreating figure.
He then carefully stored the Corpse Pattern Bamboo away.
Wu Yuan glanced at the Storage Ring on Song Wen's left middle finger, then at Shi Man's departing figure, a faint, ambiguous smile playing on his lips.
"Gou Jun, you really should take good care of that Corpse Pattern Bamboo!"
Song Wen's face lit up with gratitude. "Thank you for your guidance, Senior Wu Yuan. Without your insight, this junior would have remained ignorant of its true value and might have foolishly sold it for a pittance."
Wu Yuan's lips curled slightly as he turned away, dismissing Song Wen with a curt nod.
A thousand miles outside Cloudveil City, Wu Yuan had already stowed away the Giant Flying Ship. The three figures hovered in mid-air.
"Seniors, this junior has some urgent matters to attend to and will not be returning to Cloudveil City for now. I bid you farewell here."
Shi Man nodded, signaling Song Wen's dismissal. Song Wen bowed respectfully to both of them before turning and heading west.
Shi Man turned to Wu Yuan. "Wu Yuan, our mission to retrieve the Corroding Heart Cold has failed. We must return to Veiled Moon Hall and report to Young Master Chi Pei. Will you accompany me to pay our respects?"
"Of course," Wu Yuan replied. "However, I have an urgent matter requiring my immediate attention in Cloudveil City. Elder Shi Man, please return to Veiled Moon Hall ahead of me. I will join you in reporting to Young Master Chi Pei as soon as my personal affairs are resolved."
Shi Man frowned slightly. "Our failure to complete the mission has already displeased Young Master Chi Pei. Delaying our report further might only worsen his mood."
Wu Yuan subtly glanced at Song Wen, who was now several dozen miles away, before responding.
"Elder Shi Man, rest assured. I will return to Veiled Moon Hall promptly. I won't be long."
Seeing Wu Yuan's insistence on attending to his personal affairs first, Shi Man said nothing more.
She had no intention of waiting for Wu Yuan to return before meeting Chi Pei.
Upon returning to Veiled Moon Hall, Shi Man's first priority would be to immediately pay her respects to Chi Pei.
As for Wu Yuan potentially incurring Chi Pei's displeasure for his delayed audience, what concern was that of hers?
If Chi Pei were to punish Wu Yuan for this, it would only serve her purposes, allowing her to avenge his past disrespect.
The two parted ways, Shi Man heading to Veiled Moon Hall while Wu Yuan flew toward Cloudveil City.
After landing in Cloudveil City, a figure cloaked entirely in black quickly soared into the sky, flying in the direction Song Wen had fled.
This disguise was necessary because Song Wen still held value for Chi Pei. Openly seizing the treasure and killing him would undoubtedly anger Chi Pei and invite disaster.
Wu Yuan activated his escape technique at full power, covering over 50,000 kilometers in a short time.
Yet he found no trace of "Gou Jun," nor any sign of his passage.
Wu Yuan's brow furrowed deeply.
His cultivation realm was a full major realm higher than "Gou Jun's."
Logically, he should have overtaken him long ago.
Wu Yuan couldn't catch up to Gou Jun. Either Gou Jun was being cautious, changing direction midway, or he possessed a fourth-tier peak concealment formation capable of blocking the Spirit Sense of Divine Transformation Stage cultivators. Using this formation, Gou Jun had hidden himself somewhere along the way.
Wu Yuan couldn't help but feel a pang of regret.
If he had known Gou Jun was so meticulous, he should have secretly placed a divine sense imprint on him earlier.
The Withered Corpse Bamboo Gou Jun had revealed was nearly ten thousand years old. For Divine Transformation Stage corpse cultivators—or even Void Refinement Stage ones—it could significantly accelerate their cultivation progress.
Missing out on such a treasure left Wu Yuan deeply frustrated.
Unwilling to give up, yet lacking any means of tracking Gou Jun, he could only continue searching westward.
After pursuing for another ten thousand li, a sudden look of surprise lit up Wu Yuan's face.
He had detected a faint trace of Gou Jun's residual aura.
The aura was so faint that it seemed it would dissipate if he delayed even a moment longer.
Wu Yuan's spirits surged as he followed the faint trail.
After traveling another twenty to thirty thousand li, Gou Jun's figure finally appeared on the horizon, a thousand li ahead, moving swiftly westward.
Gou Jun seemed to have cultivated a special escape technique, moving with remarkable speed—not much slower than some cultivators who had just entered the Divine Transformation Realm.
"Gou Jun, you can't escape my grasp forever."
Wu Yuan was in high spirits, convinced that the Withered Corpse Bamboo was already his.
Overcome with excitement, Wu Yuan was about to strike when he suddenly stopped.
He recalled a canyon about seven or eight thousand miles ahead, perpetually shrouded in malevolent yin energy. This canyon teemed with spiritual objects of the Ghost Dao and swarmed with ghostly creatures.
Under the cover of this yin energy, he could eliminate Gou Jun without anyone noticing, then feed Gou Jun's body and divine soul to the ghostly creatures.
Even if Shi Man or Chi Pei investigated, they would only conclude that Gou Jun had died while searching for treasure, never suspecting foul play.
Now, all he needed to do was wait for Gou Jun to reach the canyon's edge and then force him into the depths below.
With his plan in place, Wu Yuan immediately soared into the misty clouds above, using them to conceal his presence and prevent Gou Jun from noticing he was being followed.
(End of the Chapter)
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