Chapter 655: Heavenly Ancient Corpse Descends

A tall figure suddenly appeared outside the mountain gate. Immediately, a terrifying aura pressed down, descending in an instant.

*Boom!*

The already precarious main hall of the sect master collapsed with a roar. Smoke and dust billowed everywhere.

"No! Escape quickly!" Du Xian cried in terror, summoning his magic artifact and fleeing in another direction. A winged, blood-red centipede flew out from Du Xian's dantian, let out a mournful cry to him, and turned to charge at the approaching enemy. This person was indeed ruthless; seeing the dire situation, he abandoned his Natal Worm Gu to buy time.

Unfortunately, the power gap was too vast, and everything he did was destined to be in vain. The blood centipede had a ferocious appearance and carried a strange, potent venom that would kill instantly upon contact. Ordinary cultivators feared its potent venom and would retreat far away upon seeing it. But no sooner had the blood centipede flown out than a spectral claw brazenly reached out to seize it.

The blood centipede hastily dodged, but the spectral claw was faster, easily gripping the centipede. It ignored the venom, and a frantic surge of corpse energy enveloped the centipede, crushing it with a forceful squeeze. The blood centipede was originally a venomous insect with a weak physical body; it died instantly when struck by the corpse energy.

*Puff!*

Du Xian spat out blood, his figure momentarily paused, and he suddenly felt his entire body tighten. He cried out "No!" in his heart, but it was already too late to counterattack. A sword light shattered his protective artifact. The next moment, Qin Sang appeared beside Du Xian, easily subduing him by gripping the back of his neck with one hand.

On the other side, after the Flying Yaksha dealt with the blood centipede, the cultivator named Jiushan had just stood up from his seat and was captured alive by the Flying Yaksha without any ability to resist.

Qin Sang flashed back to the main hall, tossed Du Xian and Jiushan together, and with a wave of his hand, sent out a spiritual force to clear away the flagstones on the ground, revealing Cui Xuanzi's corpse.

"You were quick to escape," Qin Sang scoffed, snorting coldly.

After soul-searching the Li Witch Palace disciple, Qin Sang learned that the Five-Insect Sect had secretly hidden a Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit tree in Black Wind Valley. That day, he had meticulously searched Black Wind Valley inch by inch but failed to discover it. This was because the ancient restrictions in Black Wind Valley were peculiar; only when the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit matured would its unique fragrance overflow, blending into the poisonous spring, thus revealing its presence.

For some unknown reason, the existence of the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit was discovered by a Golden Core cultivator from the Li Witch Palace. Coincidentally, his senior disciple, Du Xian, had a Natal Worm Gu that was a venomous insect, and consuming the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit offered the prospect of its third transformation. Du Xian brought people here this time for two reasons: first, to search for the ancient corpse, and second, to seize the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit to help his Natal Worm Gu undergo its transformation.

The Li Witch Palace's pursuit of Dumb Aunt had nothing to do with their search for the ancient corpse, nor did it mean Qin Sang's identity had been exposed. Rather, Cui Xuanzi, to protect himself, deliberately shifted the blame, falsely accusing Qin Sang of stealing the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit, which led to Dumb Aunt being targeted by the Li Witch Palace. Had he caught Cui Xuanzi, Qin Sang would certainly not have spared him. Unexpectedly, Cui Xuanzi, knowing he wouldn't fare well, chose to commit suicide, which was quite a decisive act.

"Hmm?" Just as Qin Sang was about to put Cui Xuanzi's body into his corpse puppet bag, he sensed something unusual in his abdomen. He activated his true essence to extract what was in Cui Xuanzi's Qi Sea, revealing two Illusion-tailed Scorpions.

"Twin Gu?" Qin Sang mused, secretly surprised, examining the two scorpions, one large and one small, in his hand. They were indeed Cui Xuanzi's Natal Worm Gu, refined with his blood, and connected to his life. They died at the exact moment Cui Xuanzi committed suicide. There were many legends about Twin Gu among the Witch tribes, but truly verified information had never been widely circulated, perhaps because West Xinjiang was too remote.

Of these two Illusion-tailed Scorpions, one was only at the peak of its first transformation. The other, however, was in a very strange state: its entire body was tightly coiled, covered by a thin membrane, and it was becoming almost as ethereal as its tail.

"This one is transforming, and its head is already ethereal, meaning it's nearing completion. It will be finished in just a few hours, becoming a third-transformation scorpion! Cui Xuanzi made it eat the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit, then used the other scorpion to deceive the Li Witch Palace, falsely accusing me of stealing the fruit. He used Dumb Aunt to distract them and buy time. Once the Illusion-tailed Scorpion completed its transformation, its strength would surge, making it easy to kill them all. What a clever scheme!" Qin Sang said bitterly, instantly grasping Cui Xuanzi's intentions.

The transformation process of each spiritual insect is different. Some spiritual insects might need several years to prepare, such as the Sky-Eyed Butterfly or the Gloom Stink Bug. Others complete their transformation in just a few months, or even a few days. The Illusion-tailed Scorpion's third transformation, pupation, usually takes half a month. After being refined into a Natal Worm Gu, its transformation speed can be even faster with the master's assistance.

Cui Xuanzi truly racked his brains for the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit. For a century, he tried every means, using the lingering prestige of his sect's Golden Core cultivator to intimidate Thunderclap Fort and Hundred Flowers Palace. After Qin Sang appeared, he humbled himself and leveraged Qin Sang's power to deter the two major forces, finally preserving Black Wind Valley. Who would have thought that fate is unpredictable? Just as success was within reach, the news of the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit, for some unknown reason, spread like wildfire, reached the Li Witch Palace, and they barged into the sect to seize it.

Despite the powerful and formidable enemy, Cui Xuanzi remained calm in the face of danger, maneuvering within the tight spaces, meticulously scheming to buy time. As long as his Natal Worm Gu completed its transformation, Cui Xuanzi's chances of forming a Core would greatly increase. At that point, he could simply leave West Xinjiang, live anonymously, and eventually rise again. He almost succeeded. Unfortunately, he didn't expect that Qin Sang possessed the Blazing Fire Gilded Metal, which allowed for extremely fast insect capture, enabling him to return to the Bear Mountain region ahead of schedule.

Cui Xuanzi, knowing he had betrayed Qin Sang and implicated Dumb Aunt, that his crime was unforgivable, decisively committed suicide to escape the suffering of punishment. Qin Sang had to admit that he had truly underestimated this person.

Reflecting on himself, his mentality had indeed changed somewhat after forming his Core. It proved that even in the cultivation world, cultivation level doesn't represent everything. Underestimating anyone, even a small Foundation Establishment cultivator, could lead to a major downfall; Earl Dongyang had much experience with this. Qin Sang had also paid a price.

Qin Sang's expression was complex, and his gaze gradually turned stern; his aura seemed to have changed somewhat. He walked up to the three Li Witch Palace disciples and, without further ado, began soul-searching the other two in front of Du Xian. The soul-searching technique was starkly displayed before Du Xian. After the soul-search, Jiushan and the other person were utterly destroyed, losing even the chance of reincarnation. Hearing the heart-wrenching screams of his two junior disciples, Du Xian's face was filled with terror, his courage completely shattered.

"I ask, you answer." Qin Sang stared into Du Xian's eyes, his tone cold and devoid of any warmth. "What is Seven Kills Hall? Where is it?"

After the recent soul-search, Qin Sang had learned of a scene: A colossal tower, radiating an ancient and weathered aura, stood like an ancient divine artifact, reaching to the heavens, its peak piercing the clouds. An ancient corpse with a severed arm, permeated with corpse energy, descended from the sky. But just as it was about to fall out of the sea of clouds, it suddenly vanished into thin air. This scene was referred to by their master as the "Ancient Corpse Descending from Heaven." Their master had gone to a place called Seven Kills Hall, and upon returning, had instructed them to search everywhere for an ancient corpse with a severed arm!