Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen devoured Qingming Sanren's divine soul and blood essence, then summoned a raging flame to incinerate the corpse into ashes.
Next, Song Wen gently beckoned, drawing a small cauldron from the ground into his hand.
Only then did he realize that this seemingly unremarkable cauldron could sever the contract connection between him and his Gu insects.
No wonder he had been unable to sense the approximate locations of the four Gu insects earlier.
After storing the cauldron, Song Wen shot through the water's surface, leaving the lake and heading toward Cloudstream Valley.
As he flew through the air, Song Wen submerged a portion of his consciousness into his Sea of Consciousness.
He conjured a phantom shadow that appeared before Qingming Sanren, who was being suppressed by the Sea of Consciousness Black Hole.
"Qingming, where did you obtain the Void Demon Egg?"
Qingming Sanren glared at Song Wen, a ferocious sneer twisting his lips.
"The shadow void egg was given to me by the Six Fiends Hall under the Divine Blood Gate. The Six Fiends Hall will surely avenge me."
Faced with Qingming Sanren's dying curse, Song Wen felt not anger, but delight.
"Oh? So you have connections with the Six Fiends Hall. Where are they located?"
Qingming Sanren roared, "You've tortured me to this extent, yet you still expect me to reveal information about the Six Fiends Hall? You're delusional!"
Song Wen replied, "It seems you haven't suffered enough."
As he spoke, a pool of molten gold-like liquid slowly coalesced before him, radiating scorching heat.
The golden essence shot forth, striking Qingming Sanren's divine soul in the chest.
"Ah... I'll talk... Ah..."
Qingming Sanren's chest, like a wax figure doused in molten iron, visibly began to melt.
Song Wen ignored Qingming Sanren's pleas for mercy, watching impassively as he endured the torment.
By the time the golden essence dissipated, Qingming Sanren was no longer human.
His torso had melted, leaving him curled into a grotesque ball. His entire body was severely hunched, his spine twisted into a bizarre arch, and his limbs were contorted against his chest, resembling a mangy dog with a broken spine.
"Speak," Song Wen said coldly.
"The Six Fiends Hall is stationed within the Primordial Qi Death Zone," Qingming Sanren rasped.
"Where specifically?" Song Wen pressed.
"South of Yangshi City," Qingming Sanren replied, "about 500,000 kilometers deep into the Primordial Qi Death Zone, in a mountain valley."
Song Wen stared at Qingming Sanren for a moment before conjuring another pool of golden essence.
The molten liquid struck Qingming Sanren's legs, eliciting another agonizing scream.
After enduring the golden essence, Qingming Sanren, weak but indignant, asked, "I... I've already told you everything. Why are you still torturing me?"
Song Wen replied, "The location you gave me was false."
"How could it be false?" Qingming Sanren retorted. "I was there just three months ago!"
Song Wen raised an eyebrow, a satisfied smile playing on his lips. "Ah, I see. Thank you for your honesty, fellow daoist."
Qingming Sanren immediately realized Song Wen had been bluffing. Fury surged through him, but powerless to retaliate, he could only shout hoarsely, "I hope you go to the Six Fiends Hall and die! Your fate might be even worse than mine!"
Ignoring Qingming Sanren's words, Song Wen was about to activate the Sea of Consciousness Black Hole to devour the man's divine soul when he suddenly paused, curiosity piqued. "Why did you raid my cultivation cave?"
Qingming Sanren explained, "That day, I was passing by your cave when I saw a crimson-purple spiritual light erupting from the canyon. Thinking some treasure had appeared, I went to investigate. But as I approached, I realized it was a cultivation cave. I observed the canyon for a long time, but no one paid me any attention. I guessed the cave's master had already perished, and greed seized me. I decided to risk forcing my way in. After considerable effort, I finally breached the canyon's formation."
"After entering the cultivation cave, I encountered a maidservant. From her, I learned that the cave's master—you, Your Excellency—had not perished but was merely away. Having already breached the formation and offended you, I couldn't retreat. I immediately decided to plunder the entire canyon."
"However, the canyon contained only some spirit grass I didn't recognize, a Nether Fox, and four Gu worms. I took them all. The spirit grass and Gu worms were of little use, but the Nether Fox is a demon beast whose hunting is strictly forbidden by the Divine Blood Gate. Bringing it to the Six Fiends Hall would surely earn me a substantial reward. Before I could deliver it, however, both the Li Clan and you came knocking."
Song Wen asked, puzzled, "The Divine Blood Gate forbids anyone from hunting Nether Foxes?"
"Yes!" Qingming Sanren confirmed.
"Why would they do that?" Song Wen pressed.
"I merely have some cooperative ties with the Six Fiends Hall," Qingming Sanren replied. "How could I possibly know such a secret? This matter is highly confidential; even Hall Master Wei Gu of the Six Fiends Hall likely doesn't know the true reason."
After a moment of contemplation, Song Wen asked again, "After plundering my cultivation cave, why did you frame the Li Clan of Qingyi City? If not for them, I might never have found you."
Qingming Sanren shuddered violently, his eyes filled with regret.
"I have a grudge against the Li Clan. I wanted to use you to cause them trouble while simultaneously eliminating you through their hands, thus eliminating any future threats."
Cloudstream Valley, at the bottom of the ravine.
Guan Lin's face lit up as she watched Song Wen release the Nether Fox.
"Master, you found the robber cultivator and rescued Senior Nether Fox!"
Song Wen nodded slightly, and a dense array of jade boxes materialized before him.
"These jade boxes contain the Spirit Herbs stolen by the robber cultivator. Replant them in the Spirit Field."
With that, Song Wen vanished into the pavilion where he resided.
After activating the formation, Song Wen sat cross-legged on the floor, holding the small cauldron he had obtained from Qingming Sanren.
He carefully examined the four still-dormant Gu worms. Though their physical injuries were severe—two even had cracks in their carapaces—the true cause of their slumber was damage to their souls.
Soul damage was a trivial matter for Song Wen to resolve.
He retrieved the Gu worms, pressed them against his forehead, and, using the same method he had used to heal Bai Wei, channeled Soul Source Essence into their bodies to mend their souls.
Half a month later.
The souls of the four Gu worms had fully recovered, and they had all awakened. However, due to the severity of their physical injuries, they remained extremely weak and completely immobile.
Song Wen had no effective way to treat their external wounds. He could only swallow the four Gu worms and slowly help them recover using the abundant Spiritual Qi within his body.
Having concluded his seclusion, Song Wen emerged from the pavilion and gazed toward the Spirit Field.
Within the Spirit Field, rows of spirit grass swayed gently in the breeze.
Guan Lin had replanted all thousand-plus Bodhi Spirit Cores, and every one had successfully taken root, radiating vibrant vitality.
A dark shadow flashed, and the Nether Fox suddenly materialized from nowhere.
"Master, you've emerged from seclusion."
Song Wen patted the Spirit Beast Pouch at his waist.
"Get in. We're going out."
"Where are we going?" The Nether Fox tilted its head, its large black eyes wide with curiosity.
"The Primordial Qi Death Zone," Song Wen replied coolly, a hint of icy resolve in his tone.
A glint of excitement sparked in the Nether Fox's eyes, and with a whoosh, it vanished back into the Spirit Beast Pouch.
(End of the Chapter)
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