Chapter 131: Shadow Ghost Silkworm

Having failed to strike a blow, the Foundation Establishment stage monstrous bat flapped its wings fiercely and swooped towards Wang Changsheng, its sharp claws targeting his skull.

Although Wang Changsheng's physical body was comparable to a low-grade second-tier demonic beast, he wasn't about to gamble with his life; who knew what other abilities the monstrous bat might possess.

He vigorously shook the Profound Ice Flag in his hand, sending a shower of white ice needles shooting out from its surface towards the charging monstrous bat.

The monstrous bat showed no intention of retreating; it opened its mouth and spat out a misty gray sound wave. As the white ice needles touched the sound wave, they disintegrated into ice shards and fell.

Just as the monstrous bat was about to pounce on Wang Changsheng, a slender green thread shot forth, quickly wrapping around its mouth several times and sealing it shut.

Seizing this opportunity, the Profound Ice Flag in Wang Changsheng's hand glowed brightly. He vigorously shook it, and a vast wave of bone-chilling white frost swept out. The moment the monstrous bat touched the frost, its body rapidly froze, turning into an ice sculpture. Three blue flying daggers shot forth, slicing the ice sculpture into several pieces, and the corpse rapidly fell towards the ground.

Wang Changsheng flicked his wrist, and a large golden net shot out, enveloped the corpse, and pulled it back to him.

He found a dragon-eye-sized Yin Pearl within the corpse. Its claws could also be used for artifact refining.

With the two Foundation Establishment stage monstrous bats dead, the other monstrous bats were leaderless and scattered in all directions.

Wang Changsheng retrieved his magic artifacts and puppet beasts. Wang Ruyan changed her hand seals, and the green flying shuttle accelerated.

Half a quarter of an hour later, the green flying shuttle landed on a small hillside, and Wang Changsheng and the others disembarked one by one.

Wang Ruyan put away the green flying shuttle and suggested, "Fellow Daoist Wang, let's rest for a bit and recover our spiritual power before moving on!"

Wang Changsheng nodded. "Yes, let's rest for half an hour before setting off again. Thank you for your assistance just now, Fairy Wang."

"It was nothing. Are you a body cultivator, Fellow Daoist Wang?"

Wang Ruyan's gaze swept over the long scar on Wang Changsheng's arm, and she asked curiously.

If it had been an ordinary immortal cultivator, their physical body wouldn't have been able to withstand the spell's attack.

"I have practiced a basic body refining cultivation technique. By the way, Fairy Wang, are you a sound cultivator?" Wang Changsheng was unwilling to elaborate on this topic and changed the subject.

Wang Ruyan smiled faintly and said, "I wouldn't call myself a sound cultivator; I just know a few tunes."

Wang Changsheng smiled without speaking and didn't ask further.

Half an hour later, the twelve of them, in two groups of six, each sitting on the back of a turtle puppet, proceeded forward.

After the time it takes to steep a cup of tea, the Spirit-Locating Compass in Wang Changsheng's hand suddenly emitted a piercing shriek. Its silver needle spun rapidly, then pointed in a certain direction.

He quickly controlled the turtle puppet to stop. The Spirit-Locating Compass was a special magic artifact specifically used to detect the location of ghosts.

The closer the ghost, the louder the shriek, and the faster the needle would spin.

The turtle puppet carrying Wang Ruyan also stopped, her expression solemn.

"Fellow Daoist Wang, there's a ghost ahead. According to Senior Li, it should be a Ghost General level, but it's hard to say; it could also be a Ghost Soldier. The Spirit-Locating Compass warns based on the density of Yin energy; the denser the Yin energy, the stronger the compass's reaction. The Yin energy here is quite dense, and ghosts are good at hiding, so we can't rule out the possibility of a Ghost King."

Wang Ruyan's words were effectively useless, but judging by her tone, she seemed to want to bypass this area.

Wang Changsheng thought for a moment and analyzed, "It shouldn't be a Ghost King; this is still the outer region, and the probability of a Ghost King appearing here is very low. Ghost Kings should be hiding deeper inside. There are no other paths here; if we try to go around, we'll have to fly for a long distance. If we then encounter flying Yin beasts, we might not be able to escape safely. Furthermore, we are here for the Foundation Establishment Pill. I suggest we send someone to scout the situation first before making a decision. If it's a Ghost King, we flee immediately. If it's a Ghost General or Ghost Soldier, we'll kill them."

They hadn't advanced much yet, so how could they be so unlucky as to encounter a Ghost King? Of course, Wang Changsheng also wanted to use this to buy some time, hoping others might discover the Ghost King.

Their current situation was difficult. If they moved too fast, they worried about encountering a Ghost King; if they moved too slowly, it would appear as if they weren't putting in effort.

Wang Changsheng felt that the probability of it being a Ghost General was higher. If it were a Ghost King, the Spirit-Locating Compass's needle would spin even faster.

Wang Ruyan hesitated repeatedly, then nodded and said, "Alright! Let's do that. But who should we send to scout the situation?"

If it's a Ghost General, it's fine, but if it's a Ghost King, whoever goes to scout will surely die. Even if it's a Ghost General, it's extremely dangerous.

"This time, we'll go first. Next time, it'll be your turn, how about that?"

"Agreed."

Wang Mingzhan stepped forward and said in a deep voice, "Changsheng, I'll go! If it's a Ghost King, I'll immediately warn you. Don't worry about me then; just run."

Only Qi Refining stage cultivators could be sent for such a task. If Wang Changsheng were to go and something happened to him, the other clansmen wouldn't survive either. The three Qi Refining stage cultivators who died earlier were the best proof of this.

As long as Wang Changsheng was still alive, the other clansmen still had a chance of survival.

"Sixth Uncle, be careful. Take a warning talisman with you."

Wang Changsheng handed the warning talisman to Wang Mingzhan and earnestly instructed him.

Wang Mingzhan took the warning talisman and said nothing.

Wang Ruyan took out an exquisitely crafted red jade pendant from her sleeve, handed it to Wang Mingzhan, and said, "This is a Ghost-Avoiding Jade Pendant refined by our clan using a secret method. Although it's a spiritual artifact, Qi Refining stage Ghost Soldiers won't dare approach you. However, it will be useless against ghosts of the Ghost General level or higher."

Wang Mingzhan thanked her and put on the red jade pendant.

Wang Ruyan stayed behind at their current location, while Wang Changsheng took Wang Mingzhan and walked forward.

The further they walked, the louder the Spirit-Locating Compass in Wang Changsheng's hand sounded. The compass's silver needle spun faster, always pointing forward.

After a while, Wang Changsheng and Wang Mingzhan stopped near a dark cave.

"It's inside. Sixth Uncle, be careful."

Wang Mingzhan's expression became solemn, and he cautioned in a low voice, "If I activate the warning talisman, you must not hesitate for a moment; leave immediately with the clansmen. If the ghost is too strong, escape alone; don't be foolish."

Wang Changsheng hesitated slightly, then nodded in agreement.

Wang Mingzhan released an ape puppet, controlling it to walk ahead while he followed behind.

Wang Changsheng's face was full of vigilance, and his eyes were filled with worry.

Not long after, a series of explosive sounds came from within the cave, but no warning talisman flew out.

Wang Changsheng's heart sank, and his brows furrowed, but soon after, his brows relaxed.

His divine sense detected that Wang Mingzhan had rushed out.

As Wang Changsheng expected, Wang Mingzhan rushed out, a look of fear on his face, clutching the warning talisman tightly in his hand.

"No Ghost King was found inside, but a Yin Beast was discovered, resembling a spirit silkworm. Other than that, there are no other ghosts, not even a low-level one."

Wang Mingzhan reported truthfully.

Seeing Wang Mingzhan rush out of the cave, Wang Ruyan let out a long sigh of relief. So far, Wang Changsheng's analysis was correct.

She quickly walked over and asked about the Yin Beast's appearance.

Wang Ruyan listened to Wang Mingzhan's description, and a hint of joy flashed in her beautiful eyes. She said, "Fellow Daoist Wang, this is a Yin Ghost Silkworm. This creature can be called both a demonic beast and a Yin beast. It feeds on ghosts, and the silk it spits out is a high-grade material for artifact refining. Where there's a Yin Ghost Silkworm, there are absolutely no ghosts. We can be certain there's no Ghost King inside."

Wang Changsheng nodded and said, "If it's just one Yin Beast, there's nothing to fear. How about we eliminate this creature and split the materials equally?"

"No problem."