Chapter 483: Golden Silkworm and Sky Blue Flower

However, before Grandmaster Jiyin and Old Man Wu could release their spirit beasts and demon corpses, an unexpected change occurred on the altar.

A giant emerald silkworm within a ball of light suddenly trembled, and the golden glow around its body quickly faded. Almost simultaneously, the golden thread from its mouth snapped with a 'thud' after a single tremor.

"This is bad!" Wan Tianming and the other righteous cultivators, who had been intently focused on retrieving the treasure, exclaimed, their faces turning pale.

Before they could take any action, the other golden silkworms also exhibited the same condition. After their golden glows diminished similarly, the golden threads from the other two giant silkworms also broke instantly.

At this, Wan Tianming's heart sank. His body, which had been moving forward, froze in place.

But it wasn't over yet!

Although the golden threads of the remaining three giant silkworms were still intact, with the support of half their companions gone, they were 'whooshed' as if yanked by an immense force, dragged swiftly into the large hole. A loud thud followed, as if a heavy object had fallen, shaking the entire stone platform. The blue light at the mouth of the hole immediately dimmed, and the chilling aura significantly decreased.

Seeing this scene, all the righteous cultivators wore grim expressions. Meanwhile, Grandmaster Jiyin and the other old devils, who had been about to make a move, stared at each other with strange, equally vivid expressions.

"Haha! Haha..." Barbarian Hu started laughing heartily, clutching his belly. His yellow beard trembled with his laughter, showing his immense delight. At this moment, Grandmaster Jiyin and Old Man Wu, in the Confucian robe, also reacted, revealing schadenfreude. All of them grinned as they looked at the three righteous cultivators.

As a result, Wan Tianming's face turned even more ashen. He had put in so much effort and paid such a hefty price for this treasure retrieval, only to end up being mocked by the demonic cultivators. This made Wan Tianming's inner fury surge, now beyond his control.

Suddenly, he spun around, his eyes flashing with a cold glare as he stared at Grandmaster Jiyin and the other two. Grandmaster Jiyin and Old Man Wu's smiles froze. The opponent was a Nascent Soul mid-stage cultivator. Even though they belonged to the righteous and demonic factions respectively, neither of them wished to easily incur Wan Tianming's deep enmity.

However, under that glare, Barbarian Hu, though he stopped his boisterous laughter, unceremoniously glared back. "What, Sect Master Wan, do you wish to have a contest with me here? I was just thinking of experiencing the True Heavenly Net technique, one of the three great divine arts of the Confucian sect," Barbarian Hu said, his face tightening with a challenge.

Wan Tianming stared coldly at Barbarian Hu for a moment before his face finally regained a semblance of rationality. "Let's go!" He flicked his sleeve and led the way off the altar, no longer caring about the remaining golden silkworms on it. He merely recalled the white flood dragon that had been confronting the demonic cultivators.

Tian Wuzi's expression was equally displeased. After putting away his giant turtle, he followed closely behind Wan Tianming with a somber face. Only the lean, dark-skinned old farmer appeared relatively composed, aside from the coldness in his eyes.

As the righteous and demonic factions brushed past each other, both sides remained extremely cautious. Fortunately, despite Barbarian Hu's extreme arrogance, he said nothing provocative at this moment. He simply watched with a cold smile as Wan Tianming and his group gradually moved away and eventually disappeared from the light barrier.

"I've had the Azure Thornbird lie in wait at the entrance. If those righteous fellows return, we'll know," Old Man Wu in the Confucian robe suddenly said, looking in the direction behind them.

"In that case, I'll also dispatch two Heavenly Metropolis Corpses to ambush at the entrance. If they suddenly launch a sneak attack, they can offer some resistance," Grandmaster Jiyin said with a sinister smile after a slight roll of his eyes.

Upon hearing this, Layman Qingyi was momentarily startled but then remained composed and said nothing. Then, he flicked his Confucian sleeve, and a fist-sized ball of green light shot out, soaring into the sky. Grandmaster Jiyin, on the other hand, stretched out a hand and threw something onto the ground. Two plumes of black smoke immediately appeared, followed by a putrid stench. Two tall demon corpses materialized before everyone.

"Go," Grandmaster Jiyin commanded, pointing solemnly towards the entrance. Instantly, after their bodies twisted and blurred, the two demon corpses vanished without a trace. This sight reminded Han Li of the eerie way the demon corpses had suddenly appeared that day. His heart trembled, and he couldn't help but feel a greater sense of apprehension towards these demon corpses.

However, when Han Li's gaze fell upon the few golden silkworms still twitching on the altar, he couldn't help but walk over curiously. But before he could reach them, another person quickly walked over. Han Li glanced sideways and saw that it was none other than the always silent Xuan Gu. He felt a little surprised.

"What happened? These golden silkworms are rare exotic insects. Judging by their golden glow earlier, their cultivation should be quite profound. Wan Tianming abandoned them without a hint of regret; this is a bit strange!" Barbarian Hu walked over and casually asked.

"They consumed Heavenly Azure Flowers. They forcibly increased their cultivation significantly by using this item, which allowed them to lift the Void Heaven Cauldron a bit. But now that the medicinal effects have worn off, these golden silkworms are completely useless," Xuan Gu replied calmly after briefly examining the giant silkworms.

"I wondered how golden silkworms could lift the Void Heaven Cauldron! So, they borrowed power from this item. Hehe! This time, Wan Tianming tried to steal a chicken but lost the bait instead," Barbarian Hu said with a laugh after hearing Xuan Gu's explanation.

"Heavenly Azure Flowers! I can't believe Wan Tianming found such an item. I, too, once considered using this method, but regrettably, I haven't found a single Heavenly Azure Flower in all these years. However, Brother Hu's junior here actually knows of this flower; it seems he's no ordinary person! I wonder if I, Wu, have heard of his name?" Grandmaster Jiyin walked over with his hands clasped behind his back, but then his tone shifted, and he slowly asked, staring intently at Xuan Gu's face.

"I merely read a few obscure texts, that's all. I have no great name to speak of, Senior Wu, you jest," Xuan Gu said softly with a slight smile.

"Is that so?" Grandmaster Jiyin said indifferently, whether his suspicions were entirely gone or he was wary of Barbarian Hu standing nearby, he didn't press further. Instead, he turned and walked to the large hole, peering down into it. The blue light from the hole cast a strange blue hue upon his face, making him appear exceptionally eerie.

Han Li stood aside, watching with cold eyes, feeling a hint of admiration for Xuan Gu's ability to endure and conceal. He could face Grandmaster Jiyin and still calmly address him as 'Senior'; it seemed Old Devil Xuan Gu's temperament was truly formidable! But then again, apart from Wu Chou, none of the people here were easy to fool. Every single one was an old fox who had lived for centuries, all exceptionally cunning.

Han Li was musing gloomily when he heard Old Man Wu in the Confucian robe say: "Since these golden silkworms are useless, let's just destroy them. It'll save them from being an eyesore here." With that, Old Man Wu flipped his palm, and a spiky, blue sphere of light appeared in his hand, ready to shoot towards the half-dead giant silkworms.

"Wait! These golden silkworms interest me. Please let me handle them!" Han Li said to Old Man Wu, his heart suddenly stirring after he squinted at the three giant silkworms.

"You want these things? Their cultivation is completely gone, and they won't live much longer," Old Man Wu showed a hint of surprise and doubt.

"I've always had some interest in unusual insects. Since they're not dead yet, I'd like to keep them for a while to research them. I hope Senior will grant my request," Han Li said, cupping his hands with a smile.

Upon hearing Han Li's words, Old Man Wu in the Confucian robe didn't immediately reply but instead re-examined him from head to toe. A thoughtful expression then appeared on his face. This made Han Li uneasy, unsure of the other party's intentions.

"Ahem! I was also a rogue cultivator in my younger days, so I naturally know that Core Formation stage rogue cultivators aren't as well-off as their counterparts from major sects and clans; they are indeed usually a bit strapped for resources. Since Young Friend Han wants these useless things, then take them!" Old Man Wu in the Confucian robe said with a sigh after shaking his head. Evidently, he had misunderstood something!

Upon hearing this, Han Li internally rolled his eyes. However, he could only follow along, displaying an embarrassed expression and thanking him profusely. Then he took out an empty spirit beast pouch and collected the three golden silkworms. Judging by their state, Wan Tianming had erased their original spiritual imprint of ownership when they were abandoned. Thus, they offered no resistance as Han Li put them into the pouch.

"Han Li, stop busying yourself with those trivial matters. Quickly release the Blood Jade Spider so I can see what level of spirit beast it actually is. Then, I'll have my Fire Python cooperate to ensure we succeed in one attempt!" Grandmaster Jiyin called out to Han Li, without turning his head, after observing the cave entrance for a moment, a hint of fanaticism flickering in his eyes.

Hearing this, Han Li frowned inwardly and walked over. Layman Qingyi and Barbarian Hu, upon hearing this, simultaneously looked towards Han Li.

"Don't worry, as long as you can retrieve the Void Heaven Cauldron, your master will certainly not treat you unfairly," Grandmaster Jiyin said to Han Li, turning around with a benevolent expression, as if afraid he wouldn't give his best effort.

However, upon hearing these words, Han Li felt a shiver of dread run up his spine.