Chapter 612: 断臂死尸

The Western Frontier was a wild and untamed land. Treacherous mountains and dangerous waters, sheer cliffs, and precipices were ubiquitous. Poisonous miasmas frequently arose, and fierce beasts and venomous insects coexisted. Even the occasional winding and rugged mountain paths were fraught with peril.

Despite its dangers, the Western Frontier boasted remarkably unique and enchanting scenery: strange peaks and bizarre rocks, flying waterfalls and flowing springs, layered mountain ranges, and ever-changing vistas.

The land was not entirely devoid of human presence. On the contrary, many ordinary people lived in the Western Frontier—indigenous inhabitants whose ancestors had dwelled there for generations. They typically lived in fortified villages, skilled in martial arts and the art of insect control, striving to survive a precarious existence.

The water rushed...

A small river flowed between sheer cliffs, its surface narrow yet remarkably swift. As the water struck the rocks along the riverbanks, it would send up sprays of white foam. Like most rivers in the Western Frontier, this small river's course was exceptionally winding. Hindered by rocks and cliffs, the river occasionally formed small whirlpools where the current was obstructed. These often trapped large masses of withered branches, tangled grass, and leaves, which accumulated steadily. In some places, a thick log lay prostrate, scarred and clearly a tree that had fallen or broken in the mountains and rolled into the river.

However, there was no need to worry about them rotting in the river. The Western Frontier received abundant rainfall; a heavy downpour would occur every few days, cleansing the mountains. After the rain, the river channel would swell dramatically, sweeping away all debris.

As the saying goes, the chirping of cicadas makes the forest seem even quieter, and the singing of birds makes the mountain even more secluded. Here, the river gurgled, and the birds and beasts of the deep mountains on both banks were noisy, yet it only made the surroundings appear more serene. Especially at this early morning hour, having just experienced a light drizzle, tiny strands of rain still fell. Water vapor coalesced into a thin mist, shrouding the mountaintops, creating an ethereal, almost immortal, landscape.

Whizz...

Suddenly, a sharp whistling sound came from downstream. The mist swayed, and a distant golden light, moving swiftly, cut through the fog along the river from downstream. Suddenly, the golden light paused, stopping mid-air to reveal a middle-aged man in peculiar robes. The man was tall and muscular, standing suspended in the air. A speck of golden light orbited him, vaguely discernible as a sword.

He had a rugged appearance. Besides numerous intricate patterns on his face, there were three claw marks, left by something unknown, stretching from the corner of one eye to the corner of the opposite mouth. The claw marks had a deathly gray hue, seemingly indicating residual poison, which made the man appear even more sinister. His robes were of a unique design, stitched together from irregular pieces of animal hide, forming a strange, brightly colored pattern. His neck, wrists, and even his face were covered with strange tattoos made from unknown pigments, and he wore numerous ornaments fashioned from bones, animal teeth, and peculiar insects.

If any ordinary villagers from a nearby settlement were to pass by and see the items on this man, they would undoubtedly kneel immediately in reverence, shouting "Bimo," "Lord Priest," or "Witch God's Emissary," and so forth. The animal hides, teeth, and bone artifacts on his person were all sourced from the most ferocious venomous insects and fierce beasts, beings most feared by the ordinary people of the Western Frontier. Only the legendary Witch God's Emissaries, or the Bimo and Priests of major villages, possessed the ability to hunt such creatures.

From the perspective of cultivators from the Minor Cold Domain, this person was a fellow practitioner of immortal cultivation, though his attire was exceedingly bizarre and extremely rare in the Minor Cold Domain. His cultivation level was not particularly high, only at the tenth layer of the Qi Refinement stage.

The man in animal hide robes hovered, his gaze as sharp as a hawk's, fixed on the river below. The river channel made a sharp bend directly beneath him, and a thick layer of broken branches and leaves had accumulated on the surface. Amidst the tangled debris, a pale white arm protruded. The ordinary people of the Western Frontier valued martial prowess, and conflicts frequently erupted between villages over resources. The appearance of a corpse in the river was not unusual, and the man in animal hide robes initially paid it no mind. Unexpectedly, a quick glance revealed some unusual details that prompted him to stop.

The man in animal hide robes flashed to the riverbank, extended his palm towards the center of the river, and sent out a stream of spiritual energy, effortlessly lifting the corpse from the water.

Splash!

As the corpse was forcibly removed, the whirlpool became chaotic, and the accumulated broken branches in the river immediately dispersed. Some were swept away by the current, but more continued to flow down from upstream, including several thick logs as wide as a thigh.

Thud!

The corpse landed on the bank, face up, revealing a rather handsome face. It was a young man who appeared to be in his early twenties. His skin was completely devoid of color, clearly having been submerged in the river for a long time. At this moment, the man's eyes were tightly shut, he had no breath, and was clearly dead. His left arm was severed at the shoulder; it was unclear whether the blood had drained completely or if it had been stopped by some method. This was a one-armed corpse.

"Indeed, a Witch God's Emissary!" The man in animal hide robes' face brightened with delight, and a greedy glint appeared in his eyes. He had not expected to stumble upon such a windfall on his journey.

"This magic robe should be good! What a pity!" The man in animal hide robes examined the tattered magic robe on the one-armed corpse, sensing its excellent inherent material. Unfortunately, it was riddled with holes and tears, making it unusable. Even in such a damaged state, the magic robe had still offered some protection in the turbulent river.

"Floating from upstream, could he be from Tianyue Village? Has internal strife erupted there again?" The man in animal hide robes glanced upstream, secretly frowning. His spiritual sense swept over the one-armed corpse, including the rusty thumb ring on his finger, but found nothing unusual. Finally, he stared intently at the two pouches on the one-armed corpse's waist.

"What kind of pouches are these? Why are they so strange? Which one is a Mustard Seed Pouch?" The man in animal hide robes muttered to himself. He had encountered priests from major villages and external Witch God's Emissaries, knowing that human cultivators commonly used a storage magical artifact called a Mustard Seed Pouch, which was superior to their tribe's artifacts. Later, many of their tribe's Witch God's Emissaries, influenced by the human race, had begun to emulate them. For instance, the title "Witch God's Emissary" was no longer used outside; they were simply called cultivators or immortal cultivators. Only in remote places like the Western Frontier were some traditions still preserved. None of the pouches on the one-armed corpse resembled a Mustard Seed Pouch.

"Are they all for Gu insects? Or... has he already been plundered?" The man in animal hide robes' expression darkened, and the smile vanished from his face. He reached out and grabbed one of the pouches. His spiritual sense swept inside, touched a spiritual imprint, and effortlessly opened the pouch.

Buzz...

The next moment, a sharp buzzing sound suddenly echoed through the river valley. A massive cloud of blood-colored insects burst from the pouch. The man in animal hide robes saw the demonic blood-winged strange bees within the blood cloud and was terrified, his face turning even paler than the corpse on the ground.

The man in animal hide robes screamed, and a speck of green light flew out from his Dantian. It was a finger-sized jade-green mantis, brandishing its twin blades. Facing the fierce blood cloud, the jade-green mantis appeared so frail and weak. It was instantly swallowed by the blood cloud, leaving not even a trace of bone.

The man in animal hide robes had just managed to activate his golden sword when the blood cloud engulfed him instantly.

"Ah!"

An agonizing scream startled the birds and beasts of the mountains.