Chapter 1852: Gold-winged Soul-devouring Scorpion

Wang Qingshan formed a sword seal, and nine Azure Glaze Swords flew out, circling above his head with a loud buzzing sound.

"A Spirit Treasure!"

Cheng Xiaotian's expression turned grim. He had never expected Wang Qingshan to possess a set of spirit-treasure-grade flying swords, especially since even Cheng Zhanxian only used a single spirit treasure. Wang Qingshan's strength was already formidable, and with a set of spirit-treasure-grade flying swords, Cheng Xiaotian was not confident he could defeat him in a true life-or-death battle.

"The Thousand Gourd Realm is in chaos, and treasures are abundant. There's no need for us to fight to the death," Wang Qingshan said with an indifferent expression. "If Fellow Daoist Cheng insists on a battle to the death, I, Wang, will accompany you to the very end." The Azure Glaze Swords above his head emitted piercing buzzes, seeming ready to strike down the enemy at any moment.

Cheng Xiaotian's expression flickered between uncertainty and resolve. After a moment of contemplation, he asked, "Are you also here for that item?" If Wang Qingshan was there for something else, Cheng Xiaotian wouldn't mind. He was only concerned if Wang Qingshan was there for the Nine-Sun Golden Glaze Fruit Tree.

"Naturally, we are here for the Nine-Sun Golden Glaze Fruit Tree," Wang Qingshan replied meaningfully. "Uncle Nine and Aunt Nine would certainly be delighted to see it." He didn't want to fall out with Cheng Xiaotian, not because he feared him, but because he didn't want any internal conflict at this time.

Hearing this, Cheng Xiaotian's eyes filled with apprehension. With the Azure Lotus Immortals still in the Thousand Gourd Realm, monopolizing the Nine-Sun Golden Glaze Fruit Tree was impossible unless they eliminated Wang Qingshan and his group to silence them.

"Since that's the case, let's search for treasures together," Cheng Xiaotian said, shaking a piece of green beast hide in his hand. "But let's establish this first: we want half of the Nine-Sun Golden Glaze Fruits. We have a complete map."

"As you wish. I hope our cooperation is pleasant," Wang Qingshan solemnly stated.

Bai Ling'er's beautiful eyes shifted continuously, but she remained silent.

Cheng Xiaotian flipped his hand, taking out a misty blue formation flag. After injecting spiritual power, the flag flew from his grasp, transforming into a blue light that merged with a blue light screen. The screen suddenly dissipated, releasing a surge of pure spiritual energy, and a lush, continuous mountain range appeared before them.

Cheng Xiaotian and his group walked in front, while Wang Qingshan's five-person group followed, maintaining a distance of over thirty zhang between them. Flying might trigger restrictions, so they proceeded on foot. Before them was an endless expanse of green bamboo forest, verdant as far as the eye could see.

Liu Yunfeng's expression was tense; with his low cultivation, he was certain he would be the first to die if they encountered a powerful demonic beast. The Liu family had already surveyed some areas, and they proceeded according to the map they left behind. Along the way, they didn't encounter any significant dangers, though they did come across many low-level demonic beasts.

Three days later, they arrived at a canyon entrance. The rock walls on both sides were covered in green moss, and several moss-covered stones were clustered together, looking unremarkable.

"After passing through this canyon, you'll see a large river," Liu Yunfeng explained, lamenting that the Liu family had spent a great deal of manpower and resources exploring this place, only for outsiders to benefit from it. "Cross the river, then cross a mountain, and you'll reach your destination."

Cheng Xiaotian's divine sense swiftly swept through the valley, detecting no abnormalities.

A stout young man in a red shirt walked at the very front, followed closely by Cheng Xiaotian and his group, with Fairy Ziyue bringing up the rear. The canyon path was peculiar; the rock walls on both sides were sometimes close together, sometimes far apart, and the path itself was sometimes wide, sometimes narrow, sometimes dark, and sometimes bright.

After a while, they emerged into an open area where the rock walls on both sides were almost touching, making it quite dark. Not far away, they saw a cave entrance, over ten zhang wide, from which they could hear the sound of dripping water.

"Oh no, demonic creatures are rushing out!" Fairy Ziyue exclaimed in surprise, her eyes glowing with purple light.

No sooner had she spoken than a strange hissing sound echoed, and dozens of entirely black giant scorpions flew out of the cave. These scorpions were glossy black with a pair of pale golden thin wings on their backs and golden tail stingers. Seven of them were Fourth-tier demonic scorpions, while the rest were Third-tier.

"Oh no," Xuanling Zhenren exclaimed in alarm. "These are the Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions, one of the Ten Great Poisonous Insects of the Thousand Gourd Realm! Their flight speed is extremely fast, and Fourth-tier Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions can poison Nascent Soul cultivators to death and even launch soul attacks!"

As soon as he spoke, over a dozen Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions each emitted a sharp, piercing hiss. Wang Qingshan felt slightly uncomfortable, Fairy Ziyue's face turned pale, and Liu Yunfeng's legs turned to jelly, causing him to collapse to the ground with vacant eyes. It was evident that the higher one's cultivation and stronger one's divine sense, the less affected they were.

The dozens of Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions moved with extreme speed, instantly appearing before them. Their tail stingers twitched, turning into a flash of golden light that struck at the cultivators, while their mouths simultaneously sprayed out a stream of extremely foul-smelling golden venom.

A scream rang out as the golden venom instantly corroded the red-shirted youth's protective spiritual light. His head went numb, and numerous blood spots appeared. Soon, his eyes widened, his body went limp, and he fell to the ground, his corpse slowly dissolving into a pool of blood. When the blood touched the ground, a wisp of green smoke rose, and a large pit was corroded into the earth. A miniature Nascent Soul had just flown from the corpse when a golden light descended from the sky, enveloping and devouring it.

Wang Qingshan reacted quickly, spraying a stream of green flames—the Azure Lotus Karmic Fire—from his mouth. This protected them, and the Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions dared not approach.

Six cultivators were killed in a single encounter. Cheng Xiaotian's chest suddenly glowed brightly, and a loud wolf howl echoed as a red light barrier appeared, closely enveloping his entire body. Bai Ling'er's reaction was also swift; the instant Fairy Ziyue warned them, she immediately summoned a white treasure pearl, releasing a field of white spiritual light to cover herself and Liu Yunfeng. Had it been a head-on confrontation, they wouldn't have suffered such heavy losses. Liu Yunfeng hadn't mentioned the presence of Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions, and their sudden attack, coupled with soul assaults, caught them completely off guard. Wang Qingshan and his group were at the very back, and thanks to Wang Qingshan's quick reaction, they sustained no injuries.

Cheng Xiaotian's face was filled with murderous intent. Having no time to question Liu Yunfeng, he immediately moved to exterminate the Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions. Fairy Ziyue flipped her hand, taking out a Fire Sparrow Fan. With a gentle wave, ripples spread across the void, and countless sparks of fire emerged, transforming into clusters of crimson fire clouds that surged directly towards the Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions. With thunderous roars, over ten Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions were engulfed by the rolling flames.

A series of piercing sword buzzes rang out as countless green flying swords appeared out of thin air around Wang Qingshan, condensing into a ferocious green sword dragon that pounced towards the Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions. Xuanling Zhenren and the others didn't stand idle either; they all made their moves. For a time, explosions echoed continuously. As soon as a Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpion touched the Azure Lotus Karmic Fire, it instantly turned to ashes. Cheng Xiaotian let out a long howl, spraying an invisible sound wave that shattered the internal organs of the Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions.

In less than ten breaths, all the Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions were annihilated. Six Nascent Soul demonic beasts had died; there was nothing they could do, as the venom of the Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions was too potent, unbearable even for demonic beasts. The Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions truly lived up to their reputation as one of the Ten Great Poisonous Insects of the Thousand Gourd Realm.

Wang Qingshan found several insect eggs inside one of the Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions, planning to take them back to his clan. The Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions were quite powerful, particularly suitable for surprise attacks. What he found a bit strange was that Liu Yunfeng hadn't mentioned a group of Goldwing Soul-Devouring Scorpions being here.

"Liu Yunfeng, give me a reasonable explanation: why is there a group of venomous insects here?" Cheng Xiaotian's tone was cold.