Chapter 68: Food Heart Worm

Human World

Qin Sang was carried out of the sect master's cave dwelling by two senior brothers.

All seventeen people had faces as pale as paper. The others were pale from fright, but Qin Sang was pale from injury. In a moment of desperation, he had overexerted himself, severely damaging his spiritual essence. It would likely take a long time for him to recover.

The insect was called the Heart-Eating Worm, an ancient demonic creature long extinct in the current cultivation world. It fed on cultivators' spiritual essence, moving mysteriously and being incredibly difficult to resist. It had once caused a calamity of demonic insects in the cultivation world, striking terror into the hearts of cultivators.

According to the sect master, implanting the Heart-Eating Worms in them was not for control, but as a precaution.

As long as they were obedient and dedicated themselves to completing the tasks assigned by the sect, the Heart-Eating Worms would remain dormant in their spiritual essence, posing no danger. Once the mission was complete, the sect would provide them with an antidote.

However, if anyone considered fleeing, attempted to leak information, or betrayed the sect, the Heart-Eating Worms would instantly awaken and devour their spiritual essence in the blink of an eye.

No one knew how much of what the sect master said was true or false.

But they had already experienced the torment firsthand. The terrifying sensation of their spiritual essence being gnawed by the Heart-Eating Worms made them shudder, and no one wanted to try it a second time.

Senior Uncle Yue released a sword light, sweeping everyone up and flying towards the Yin Fiend Abyss. This time, they didn't return to their previous cave dwellings, but descended deep into the abyss itself.

Along the pitch-black cliff face was a row of cave dwellings, their entrances heavily sealed with restrictions, making them look more like prison cells.

"You have one month left. Do your best to absorb the medicinal power of the Qi Gathering Pills. Only with sufficient strength can you survive the Immortal Ascension Assembly. At least half of the participants die during each assembly held by the Yuanzhao Sect."

Yue Wu gave them a meaningful look, then waved his hand, sending out a burst of spiritual energy that sealed them into their cave dwellings before he departed on his sword.

Inside the pitch-black cave dwelling, Qin Sang lay on the ground, unconscious for an unknown period. When he awoke, he felt slightly better, but his head still throbbed intensely.

Lying on the cold floor, Qin Sang stared wide-eyed into the darkness. He silently recited the "Scripture of Purity and Tranquility" countless times, but he couldn't calm the fear and unease in his heart.

After a long while, a weak sigh echoed through the silent cave.

Qin Sang sat up, enduring his headache, and flicked his finger to conjure a small flame for light. The cave dwelling was similar to his previous one, except its entrance was now locked by a restriction.

Fortunately, Senior Uncle Yue had told them before leaving that if they needed to absorb Yin Fiend Qi, they could activate a restriction inside the cave, which would allow the Qi to enter.

Qin Sang's consciousness returned to his sea of consciousness, where he found the Heart-Eating Worm encased in a black membrane, clinging to the golden light of the jade Buddha, and currently dormant.

The golden light of the jade Buddha showed no signs of being penetrated by the Heart-Eating Worm's gnawing, firmly blocking the creature.

The jade Buddha had saved his life for the second time.

Qin Sang didn't know what the others were thinking, but he felt fortunate to have the jade Buddha's protection. Because he wasn't afraid of the Heart-Eating Worm devouring his spiritual essence, he still had some room to maneuver.

With a glimmer of hope, he would give his all!

The confusion in Qin Sang's eyes gradually gave way to determination.

He banished distracting thoughts, sat cross-legged, and circulated his cultivation technique. After dozens of cycles, the excruciating pain in his spiritual essence subsided, allowing him to calm down and carefully consider his situation.

The Immortal Ascension Assembly was organized by a cultivation sect called Yuanzhao Sect. Only rogue cultivators who had broken through the sixth level of the Qi Condensation stage before the age of thirty were eligible to participate, and only twelve new disciples were accepted each time.

If they failed, even if they survived the assembly, Qin Sang didn't believe Sect Master Yi would be merciful enough to let them live.

With only one month left, even if Qin Sang fully absorbed the medicinal power of the Qi Gathering Pills, he could at best reach the late sixth level of the Qi Condensation stage. This wouldn't be a qualitative change; only a full cultivation level advancement would significantly boost his strength.

Qin Sang ultimately decided to stop cultivating and instead dedicate the entire month to practicing the "Song Family Sword Art" and various incantations.

Those rogue cultivators didn't have a Yama Pennant like he did. Any cultivator who could break through the sixth level of Qi Condensation before thirty was a formidable opponent.

Without a doubt, this was no longer an occasion where merely surviving would suffice. He would need to endure fierce combat to stand out, and even his sixteen fellow disciples were potential adversaries!

Furthermore, he anticipated that Yin Fiend Qi would not be available after entering the Yuanzhao Sect, so he needed to collect more Soul Pills.

Qin Sang opened the cave dwelling's restriction, releasing Yama to absorb the Yin Fiend Qi. He then sat in the lotus position, his mind sinking into his dantian, where the ebony sword in his Qi Sea lightly trembled.

"The Yuanzhao Sect's Immortal Ascension Assembly has always been held in a place with ancient restrictions. It was originally a forbidden area, but after its treasures were plundered, the Yuanzhao Sect took it over. The terrain inside is shaped like an Eight Trigram diagram. Once you enter, the restrictions will randomly send you into one of the eight outer regions. Due to these restrictions, communication artifacts cannot be used. I will give you a secret signal; upon encountering fellow disciples, you must work together to secure a spot and not turn on each other, or I will show no mercy!"

"Very well, I have explained all matters clearly. You may now proceed to the Yuanzhao Sect, but remember to go separately. Finally, do not think about escaping. I can sense your locations through the Heart-Eating Worms, and if you do, you will be killed without question! Is that clear?"

It was a gloomy night, with dark clouds obscuring the moon.

In a deserted mountain forest, Senior Uncle Yue's expression was grim, his eyes filled with a strong warning.

Qin Sang and the others quickly assented.

They had been imprisoned at the bottom of Yin Fiend Cliff for a full month, only being released today. Senior Uncle Yue had flown them on a flying shuttle for an entire day, dropping them off in this mountain forest.

The main gate of the Yuanzhao Sect was not far ahead, and the Immortal Ascension Assembly would begin in two days.

Qin Sang waited until the very end, watching his fellow disciples leave one by one before bidding farewell to Senior Uncle Yue and using a cloud-escape technique to disappear into the forest.

From his observation, among the sixteen fellow disciples, five had surprisingly broken through to the seventh level of the Qi Condensation stage after consuming the Qi Gathering Pills. One senior brother, in particular, possessed astonishingly profound spiritual energy, likely not far from breaking through to the eighth level of Qi Condensation. This filled Qin Sang with deep concern.

Each of them carried high-grade magical artifacts, making them difficult to deal with.

As for Senior Uncle Yue's words about not turning on each other, Qin Sang had long since dismissed them.

He could only hope he wouldn't be assigned to the same region as his fellow disciples.

After leaving the forest, Qin Sang pondered for a long time beneath a large boulder. Finally, he let out a soft sigh, took a roundabout path, and hurried towards the Yuanzhao Sect.

The distance, which Senior Uncle Yue implied wasn't too far, still took Qin Sang a full day of travel, arriving at the base of the Yuanzhao Sect's main gate only by evening.

Although the area appeared to be a formidable landscape of perilous mountains, ancient trees, and perpetual mist, these features were merely intended to deter mortals.

Only by using spiritual sight could one discern that there was no thick, sky-obscuring fog in the mountains. Instead, countless pavilions, towers, covered bridges, and waterside gazebos were enshrouded in immortal clouds, forming a magnificent celestial scene.