Chapter 2597: 冥虫

"That's a low-grade seventh-tier Sky Nether Scorpion," explained Venerable Master of Ten Thousand Insects, his expression grim. "It's a Nether Insect, and the demonic flame it spews is incredibly potent, capable of destroying even low-grade heaven-reaching spirit treasures."

"Nether Insects?" Wang Changsheng asked, puzzled. "Is this place truly connected to the Netherworld? What's the difference between Nether Insects and demonic insects?"

"We're not certain if this place is connected to the Netherworld," Venerable Master of Ten Thousand Insects patiently explained. "Nether Insects and Nether Beasts occasionally appear in the Demonic Heaven Cave, as they are unique to the Netherworld. The main difference is that they can only survive in areas with dense yin energy. If they leave the Demonic Heaven Cave, their strength plummets, and it's extremely difficult for them to advance, unless they transform into human form. However, I've never heard of a Nether Beast taking human form."

"There are many dangerous places like the Demonic Heaven Cave in the Xuanyang Realm," Blood Saber True Monarch added. "Some of these perilous areas even contain true demonic energy and are infested with demonic insects and beasts."

"How many Sky Corroding Fruits are there? How will we divide them, and who will pick them?" Wang Ruyan continued, emphasizing the importance of these questions.

"Of course, I will," Venerable Master of Ten Thousand Insects said confidently. "The four of you will use a formation to trap the Sky Nether Scorpion, and I'll go pick the Sky Corroding Fruits. There are a total of eleven. We'll take five, and the remaining six will be yours to divide."

"I want four!" Blood Saber True Monarch stated indifferently.

"We want four, and also, my wife will be the one to pick the Sky Corroding Fruits," Wang Changsheng said, stepping forward. He was considering his clan members, knowing that a few more Sky Corroding Fruits would make it easier for Wang Qingshan and others when they attempted to break through to the Integration stage.

"Hmph, are you jesting, fellow Daoist?" Venerable Master of Ten Thousand Insects sneered, shaking his sleeve. Hundreds of thousands of Vajra Insects flew out, forming an immense golden insect cloud that surged directly towards Wang Changsheng.

A cheerful flute melody resonated, and a hazy blue sound wave swept out. Wherever it passed, large numbers of Vajra Insects fell, their bodies completely unharmed but utterly lifeless.

"A sound cultivator!" A flicker of apprehension crossed Venerable Master of Ten Thousand Insects' eyes. While high-grade Vajra Insects could endure attacks from heaven-reaching spirit treasures, they were defenseless against sound wave attacks, which directly shattered their internal organs.

Venerable Master of Ten Thousand Insects snorted coldly, his brow glowing brightly. The void vibrated and distorted, and a two-foot-long golden blade materialized from thin air, a manifestation of his divine sense. Early in his life, he had encountered a rare fortune, consuming a 20,000-year-old Golden Moon Jade Ganoderma that significantly enhanced his divine sense. While Soul Transformation cultivators could also manifest their divine sense, its power wasn't sufficient to severely wound enemies. Void Refinement cultivators, however, possessed much stronger divine sense, making their manifestations considerably more potent. Venerable Master of Ten Thousand Insects had even used his formidable divine sense to severely injure late-stage Void Refinement cultivators.

Wang Changsheng sneered. The void vibrated and distorted, and a fierce wind erupted. A half-zhang long blue blade materialized from thin air and met the incoming attack. Though both were divine sense manifestations, Wang Changsheng cultivated the "Tai Xu Forging God Art," making his power naturally superior to that of Venerable Master of Ten Thousand Insects. The blue blade collided with the golden blade, instantly shattering the latter. The blue blade then appeared before Venerable Master of Ten Thousand Insects in a flash.

Venerable Master of Ten Thousand Insects paled in alarm. Tens of thousands of Vajra Insects condensed into a golden high wall, erecting a barrier in front of him. The blue blade struck the golden wall, which instantly disintegrated, annihilating thousands of Vajra Insects.

Blood Saber True Monarch showed a degree of surprise but remained silent.

Venerable Master of Ten Thousand Insects and Madame Thunder Falcon were now visibly apprehensive. They had initially assumed Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan would be easy targets and had planned to eliminate them and seize their treasures once their current objective was achieved. Now, it was clear they had gravely misjudged. Consequently, their murderous intentions naturally diminished. Blood Saber True Monarch held the same view, which was why he had allowed Venerable Master of Ten Thousand Insects to probe Wang Changsheng. If Wang Changsheng had shown weakness, Blood Saber True Monarch would have acted decisively, even if the Golden Falcon Dual Immortals had held back. After all, possessing treasure without sufficient power is simply inviting death. If they had known that Wang Changsheng was still holding back, and that his divine sense was even more formidable, they would have been utterly dumbfounded.

The Golden Falcon Dual Immortals consulted with Blood Saber True Monarch, eventually reaching an agreement: Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan would receive four Sky Corroding Fruits, the Golden Falcon Dual Immortals would also take four, and Blood Saber True Monarch would get three. Wang Ruyan was designated to pick the fruits. In the world of cultivation, strength is supreme, and it dictates one's influence.

With a unified agreement, they departed from the location and proceeded towards their destination.

Seven days later, they arrived at a steep black peak. Dozens of miles away lay a sprawling valley where divine sense was heavily restricted.

The Twin-Pupil Rat's eyes glowed with a dazzling yellow light as it gazed into the distance. Through the Twin-Pupil Rat, Wang Changsheng could clearly observe the conditions within the massive valley. The valley floor was barren and appeared somewhat desolate. At its far end was a cave entrance, more than ten zhang wide. Deep within this cave, in an underground cavern approximately a mu in size, a colossal black scorpion lay motionless in a corner, seemingly in a deep slumber. In the lower-left corner of the cavern stood a black fruit tree, over two zhang tall, from which ten black fruits hung.

"Weren't there supposed to be eleven Sky Corroding Fruits? Why are there only ten left?" Wang Changsheng frowned.

"The Sky Nether Scorpion ate one! Regardless, I still want three," Blood Saber True Monarch stated dismissively. Given his cultivation at the Great Perfection of the Void Refinement stage, he fully expected his agreed share.

"Fine, ten it is then. We'll take three. Let's proceed with the plan!" Venerable Master of Ten Thousand Insects said, frowning. He transmitted a message to Madame Thunder Falcon, who responded with a nod.

Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan remained silent, feigning ignorance. Venerable Master of Ten Thousand Insects retrieved formation flags and arrays, beginning to set up the formation with Madame Thunder Falcon. As they turned their backs to Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan, their lips subtly moved, clearly engaging in a private message transmission.

Wang Changsheng gazed into the distance, a slight smirk playing on his lips. A powerful divine sense offered numerous advantages: beyond exploring for treasures and controlling manifested artifact attacks, it could also be used to eavesdrop on lower-ranked cultivators' private transmissions, though this required an exceptionally strong divine sense. To intercept the voice transmissions of late-stage Void Refinement cultivators, one needed at least Integration stage divine sense. Wang Changsheng and Wang Ruyan shared a telepathic bond; a single thought from Wang Changsheng was enough for Wang Ruyan to understand what was happening.

Once the formation was set, Madame Thunder Falcon went to lure the Sky Nether Scorpion, while the remaining four cultivators used spells to conceal themselves.

"The Golden Falcon Dual Immortals intend to harm you two. Be extremely careful, fellow Daoists," Blood Saber True Monarch's voice whispered in Wang Changsheng's ear.

Wang Changsheng was somewhat surprised but remained silent. Had he not known Blood Saber True Monarch's true character, he might have actually felt a sliver of goodwill towards him. However, none of these three individuals could be trusted. And among them, Blood Saber True Monarch posed the greatest threat.

Soon after, a tremendous roar echoed, followed by a deafening clap of thunder. A golden lightning bolt flared high in the sky, manifesting as a gigantic golden thunder falcon, its body enveloped by countless golden electric arcs. From a distance, a black light soared into view, revealing itself to be a colossal, jet-black scorpion with wings on its back and dark eyes.