Chapter 28 (Part 2)

“Senior Brother He, that really isn’t neces—”

Before he finished speaking, He Man had already hurried away.

Wrapped in the weed cloak, Song Yuanxi really wanted to slap himself hard across the mouth. “Serves you right for having a cheap mouth. Serves you right for running your mouth. There, are you happy now… Retribution!”

After experiencing Qin Worm excrement the previous time, Song Yuanxi welcomed the second peak of his life. He Man must have had some unknown ability, because he had actually obtained a large pile of demonic beast dung: dry, wet, sticky… There was a whole variety of quality levels.

“Senior Brother He…”

“Junior Brother Song, help your senior brother out. Five-Chief Fruit is good stuff. At worst, after the matter is done, you take seventy percent and I take thirty.”

He Man held up the poop with a pleading expression, his eyes full of expectation. Song Yuanxi felt extremely complicated. After a long internal struggle, he simply closed his eyes.

“Come on!” Ravage me to your heart’s content.

Splat! Sticky.

Splat! Sticky again.

Song Yuanxi only felt that his whole body stank. Aside from breathing through his nose, he did not dare open his mouth even once, afraid that with the slightest careless movement, those filthy things would get in.

He Man, however, did not have so many scruples. He could even happily hum a little tune. At the end, he said, “I see those demonic beasts have come back. Goodness, they really haven’t smelled any cultivators nearby at all. Wonderful!”

Song Yuanxi raised his head and looked toward the gorge opposite them. Around that small patch of Five-Chief Fruits, some tiny figures had begun appearing. Because they were far away, he could not see very clearly.

So he turned his head and asked, “Senior Brother He, what is the guardian demonic beast of the Five-Chief Fruits?”

“Thousand-Legged Worms. Those Thousand-Legged Worms are very strange. Beneath their thousand legs are a thousand excretion openings. They excrete as much as they eat every day. They eat everything and aren’t picky at all…”

He Man understood Thousand-Legged Worms very well, and his introduction was extremely detailed. An animal image immediately appeared in Song Yuanxi’s mind: the modern millipede.

But he could hardly imagine that a demonic beast in the cultivation world similar to a millipede actually excreted from under its legs, and all one thousand legs were…

This was one very flavorful worm!

Song Yuanxi felt that the smell on his body had become even worse. This was truly killing him. To think they had smeared on the poop of this kind of demonic beast.

“Quick, the fruit is ripe!”

Just as Song Yuanxi was complaining inwardly, He Man suddenly arched his body. His eyes shone as he made a gesture toward the person beside him, roughly indicating the route of action.

Song Yuanxi received the information and nodded at him. To be safe, he also stuck on an aura-concealing talisman before rushing toward the bottom of the gorge. He Man would take the lead and entangle the Thousand-Legged Worms, while Song Yuanxi would be responsible for picking the Five-Chief Fruits. That was the plan they had decided on from the start, but neither of them had expected that there was not one Thousand-Legged Worm, but a nest.

No, it should not be called a nest. It should be called an entire cave.

Watching the densely packed Thousand-Legged Worms burst out of the ground, Song Yuanxi’s scalp immediately tingled. These demonic beasts were low-level. The vast majority were first-rank demonic beasts, with a few lucky ones evolving to second rank. The third level of Qi Refining was enough to deal with them.

But he could not stand the sheer numbers!

Song Yuanxi did not manage to pick any Five-Chief Fruits. Instead, he was surrounded by a group of Thousand-Legged Worms and forced to fight them. But the more he fought, the more anxious he became. He really had goosebumps from head to toe!

“Senior Brother He, there are too many demonic beasts. We can’t get close to the Five-Chief Fruits at all!” Song Yuanxi shouted.

There were even more demonic beasts surrounding He Man. Hearing him, He Man replied, “Junior Brother Song, hold on a little longer. I’ll be able to pick the Five-Chief Fruits soon. I—run!”

His voice suddenly shot up. He Man quickly ran in Song Yuanxi’s direction, grabbed him, and charged outward without looking back, tossing explosive talismans behind them as he ran.

“Senior Brother He, why are you…”

“There’s a Thousand-Legged Worm inside that evolved to third rank.”

He Man could handle a third-rank demonic beast. But with a third-rank demonic beast leading them, second-rank demonic beasts charging at the front, and countless first-rank demonic beasts throwing themselves forward one after another like an army, He Man only wanted to run for his life.

He ran a hundred li with Song Yuanxi. When he looked back, those Thousand-Legged Worms were still chasing relentlessly.

He Man could not help cursing. “What the hell are these things doing? We didn’t even pick the Five-Chief Fruits! Why are they chasing us like their lives depend on it?”

Song Yuanxi did not understand either. The instinct of guardian demonic beasts was to guard. Since the Five-Chief Fruits were still where they were, why were these Thousand-Legged Worms chasing them so stubbornly? Did they have something on them that attracted these demonic beasts even more than the Five-Chief Fruits?

Song Yuanxi thought and thought, then his thoughts suddenly stopped. His expression became somewhat subtle. “Senior Brother He, do you think it could be because of the smell on us?”

“What?”

“Because we smeared the smell of their kind on ourselves, so they keep chasing us?”

He Man: “Even if that’s the case, still… I don’t understand.”

Song Yuanxi: “I don’t understand either.”

Then, after running for a day and a night, they finally understood.

That third-rank demonic beast Thousand-Legged Worm was male, while the excrement smeared on their bodies belonged to a female Thousand-Legged Worm.

In the demonic beast world, especially among demonic beasts in heat, attraction to the opposite sex was fatal. They carried out courtship behaviors based on wild instinct, and they used any means necessary.

The two of them were surrounded by Thousand-Legged Worms. At the head of them was that third-rank Thousand-Legged Worm king. It made hoarse squeaking sounds, its head swaying joyfully. Its one thousand short legs even danced about, moving in a strangely orderly pattern that was disgustingly vivid.

Most unbearable of all was the courtship signal released by that third-rank Thousand-Legged Worm. The smell was truly foul.

Song Yuanxi’s face was full of hopelessness. This was the first time he had encountered something so bizarre and absurd. “Senior Brother He, if time could flow backward, I would rather have gone blind and never seen your rescue signal.”

He Man’s smile was awkward. “I feel the same. Junior Brother Song, I’ve wronged you.”

“What do we do now? This Thousand-Legged Worm has too much perseverance. It’s chased us for three days and three nights. I really can’t run anymore.”

Because the smell on their bodies was too special, even a Thousand-Li Teleportation Talisman did not work well. But if they used a Ten-Thousand-Li Teleportation Talisman for a mere Thousand-Legged Worm, Song Yuanxi could not bear it.

That thing was for saving his life. Unless it was absolutely necessary, how could he take it out?

“Senior Brother He, I have a word, but I don’t know whether I should say it.”

Song Yuanxi looked at the cliff not far away, and an idea suddenly came to him.

He Man still did not know the situation and was single-mindedly staring at the courtship-performing Thousand-Legged Worm with a headache. “Junior Brother Song, what time is it already? If you have an idea, hurry up and say it. Getting out of danger is more important. This Thousand-Legged Worm is about to… Aaaaaah!”

He Man felt a gust of wind sweep past his eyes. His whole body uncontrollably dropped straight downward. The intense feeling of weightlessness made his mind tighten, and he involuntarily let out a scream.

Once he saw the specific situation clearly, his scream grew even louder. “Aaaaaaaaaah! Song Yuanxi, you dragged me off a cliff!”

“Special circumstances require an emergency landing. Senior Brother He, be careful and prepare to land at any time.”

“I’m going to die! Aaaaaah… No, that’s not right, I’m going to be crippled! I’m going to be smashed into a cripple!”

Pitifully, he was only at the eighth level of Qi Refining and could not fly on a sword. Otherwise, what would there be to fear about a ten-thousand-meter cliff!

He Man had already prepared himself to be half-crippled. He even considered whether the healing pills he carried were enough. Treating one half-crippled person should be no problem, but treating two… seemed not enough?

“Forget it. Everyone protect your heart meridians. It doesn’t matter if we lose arms or legs. Once we return to the sect, we can ask the elders to think of a way.”

After struggling internally for a while, He Man actually came to terms with it.

So he hugged Song Yuanxi tightly and prepared to act as a human cushion himself.

As Song Yuanxi descended, he circulated the Yin-Yang Art. He did not know if it was an illusion, but he felt that this emergency landing was somewhat better than the last one. At least during the fall, he could actively absorb spiritual energy.

“So this is the benefit of Qi Refining? Breathing isn’t difficult. If the descent lasts a bit longer, I should be able to completely adjust my breath back.”

Song Yuanxi was delighted inwardly.

The two of them each had their own thoughts. No one knew how long they fell before, with a huge splash, they finally reached the bottom.

Below was a massive lake. He Man had activated a small Defensive Array in advance, reducing most of the buffering force, so the impact was not large. But the moment they smashed into the surface of the water, that kind of bone-breaking pain was still intense.

Especially for Song Yuanxi. He had not yet cultivated to the skin-refining stage, and his cultivation was low. His body could not withstand the enormous shockwave, and he quickly grew dizzy and lost consciousness.

When he woke again, He Man was not beside him. Instead, a plainly dressed female cultivator was sitting nearby.

When the woman saw that he had woken up, she lifted her eyes and looked over. “You’re awake? Is your head clear?”

Song Yuanxi knew he could not have reached the shore for no reason. The other party must have saved him, so he quickly thanked her. “Many thanks to this senior sister for saving me. This disciple of Xuantian Sect, Song Yuanxi, is deeply grateful.”

The other party’s clothes and appearance were very recognizable. She was from Tianyi Sect next door. He could not see through her cultivation, so calling her senior sister was definitely right.

“Senior Sister, may I ask if you would be willing to tell me your name? After leaving the secret realm, I will definitely thank you properly.”

Song Yuanxi did not know what was going on with this lake water. Its coldness even surpassed the Ice Spring of Qingtian Peak. Song Yuanxi highly suspected that if the other party had not saved him, he would have frozen to death.

Even if he did not die, he would have frozen stiff.

After hearing him, the other party nodded, very much in agreement. “There is no need for thanks, but compensation is necessary. You fell from the sky and smashed apart an array I spent three days forming. Now that my attempt to lure and capture a Kunpeng has failed, you should bear the loss.”

“Kunpeng?”

“In the Northern Abyss there is a fish, and its name is Kun. The Kun transforms into a divine bird and often dwells in the North Sea. The Heartless Lake of the Tushan Secret Realm connects to the North Sea. There is a Kunpeng egg here. I wanted to capture it…”

“Wait!”

Song Yuanxi quickly stopped her. “This matter isn’t right. We can’t think about it that way. You only said you were hunting here, but hunting carries a certain probability of failure. How do you know the array you activated would definitely have successfully lured and captured it? Taking a step back, even if it had succeeded, how could you be certain the thing captured would definitely be a Kunpeng egg? So I shouldn’t bear full responsibility for this, right?”

“If I did not have absolute confidence, I would not have formed the array.”

“Hey! You’re being completely unreasonable. You’re twisting logic by force. What huge confidence you have, saying if you didn’t have absolute confidence… Who gave you the courage?”

“Dao Lord Shanshui, grand elder of Tianyi Sect, is my master.”

Was this turning into a contest of masters the moment they disagreed?

Song Yuanxi said, “Even if Dao Lord Shanshui is your master, you have no reason to be so overbearing. Without one hundred percent certainty, at most I count as accidental damage… half responsibility, let’s say.”

Song Yuanxi felt he was already being very generous. He was even willing to compensate for half the responsibility of something that had not happened. It could be called kindhearted.

Unexpectedly, the other party directly said, “This array was bestowed by my master. A seventh-level array from a Soul Transformation Dao Lord. To lure and capture a mere Kunpeng egg, success was practically assured.”

“…”

“I am only stating the facts. If you admit your mistake, then an apology will do. If you insist on arguing with me, ask my sword first.”

“Senior Sister, we can discuss this properly!”

Seeing the other party draw her long sword, Song Yuanxi instantly backed down. In his life, he feared sword cultivators the most, and one-track-minded sword cultivators even more.

The female cultivator before him had clear eyes, but they were incomparably resolute. She was probably the essence of that type.

Song Yuanxi said, “Senior Sister, I admit my mistake. This matter was entirely caused by my error. I, Song Yuanxi, will absolutely not shirk the responsibility I should bear. Once we leave the secret realm, I will definitely personally apologize to Senior Sister.”

The other party sheathed her sword and nodded. “When the time comes, someone will contact Xuantian Sect to discuss the specific value of the compensation.”

Song Yuanxi’s heart had already shattered. He could already imagine the scene after returning to the sect, where his dear father pointed at his nose and scolded him as a “worrying little bastard.”

“Senior Sister, may I ask your name? I should at least know who I need to compensate.”

“Tianyi Sect’s Ling Wushuang.”

“Ling Wushuang. All right, Senior Sister Ling… Ling Wushuang?!”

Song Yuanxi abruptly raised his head and looked over with disbelief all over his face. “You’re Ling Wushuang?”

Ling Wushuang. Was that not the person from the original book who had so many love-hate entanglements with the male lead? The book’s plot never said this person also entered the Tushan Secret Realm!

“You know me?”

Song Yuanxi snapped back to himself and waved his hands repeatedly. “I don’t, I don’t. But I’ve long heard Senior Sister Ling’s great name, especially Senior Sister Ling’s profound attainments in arrays. In the future, you will definitely be a proper array master.”

Ling Wushuang frowned, then corrected him. “My arrays are nothing special.”

“Senior Sister Ling is joking. You mainly cultivate arrays, so how could that be…”

Ling Wushuang interrupted him and raised the long sword in her hand. “I am a sword cultivator. I specialize in the heartless path.”

Song Yuanxi’s expression froze, then gradually distorted in a subtle manner. In just a dozen seconds, it changed endlessly like Sichuan face-changing opera… In the end, his entire face presented one big written-out state of bewildered confusion.

A sword cultivator? The heartless path?

Ling Wushuang looked at the extremely strange expression on his face. She had seen this expression countless times within her sect, except the disciples in her sect also carried ridicule and disdain, while the person before her did not.

“What, do you look down on the heartless path?”

Ling Wushuang’s hand tightened around her sword. She had already prepared herself. If the other party dared say yes, she would definitely let him taste the flavor of a heartless-path sword cultivator.

Alarm bells rang loudly in Song Yuanxi’s heart. His animal instinct for survival reached its limit at this moment, and he immediately piled a face full of smiles.

He said to the person in front of him, “Senior Sister Ling, you are truly amazing! You actually cultivate the heartless path. You are a true warrior! My admiration for you is like the surging river, flowing endlessly…”

Next Chapter >