Chapter 275: Chapter 194: Self-Destruct?
"Senior, we’re here." The white-robed Cultivator stood cautiously on his flying sword, speaking respectfully to Song Changsheng.
Even without him saying anything, Song Changsheng had already spotted the cluster of buildings in the distant mountain hollow. It was quite large, home to at least tens of thousands of people.
Song Changsheng descended to the ground and asked the white-robed Cultivator following behind him, "What’s your name?"
"I am Wum Yan," the white-robed Cultivator replied respectfully.
"Mm. Your task is complete now that we’re here. Go back. If a fight breaks out, I can’t guarantee I’ll be able to protect you." Song Changsheng gave a slight nod. He rather admired this man. A Gu Cultivator’s methods were impossible to guard against, and he didn’t want him to throw his life away for nothing.
"As you command. May you be victorious, Senior." Wum Yan wanted to go and see for himself who was so vicious as to try to kill all dozen of them over a mere disagreement.
However, this senior of unfathomable power had made himself very clear. If he went, he would most likely die. It was better to just play it safe.
Song Changsheng took a few steps, his entire body gradually turning ethereal before vanishing right under Wum Yan’s nose.
A Foundation Establishment Cultivator couldn’t just vanish into thin air, of course. In reality, Song Changsheng, afraid of alerting the enemy, had used the Breath Concealment Technique to suppress his aura and merge with his surroundings.
To Wum Yan, whose strength and perception were insufficient, it looked just like he had vanished into thin air.
Before long, Song Changsheng arrived on a hill very close to the mountain hollow.
With just one glance, he got a rough idea of the settlement’s details.
At least seventy to eighty thousand people lived here in a typical mix of cultivators and mortals. This was very common for smaller clans, whose limited power forced them to band together as much as possible to survive in the dangerous Cultivation Realm.
’It’s rare for a Qi Refining Family to have so many Mortal Clan Members.’
The Song Clan also had over a dozen smaller families attached to it, with populations ranging from a few thousand to tens of thousands. The scale of this settlement was already quite large by comparison.
A larger population meant a higher chance of producing Spirit Roots. Based on Song Changsheng’s investigation, this clan probably had no fewer than a hundred Cultivators who had successfully begun their path.
Normally, with a bit of luck, they would sooner or later become a Foundation Establishment Family.
’Fengy Wuming has been hiding here all these years. Could he be the one who propped this clan up?’ Song Changsheng stroked his chin, pondering his next move.
Before arriving, he had used the Poisonous Insect to memorize the aura of the person who planted the Gu. Just now, using Ten Thousand Miles Tracking, he had confirmed that the person was in the settlement in the hollow below.
The settlement was protected by only a single Tier One Top Grade Defensive Array, which was like paper to him. He could easily charge right in, swaggering as he went, and drag Fengy Wuming out.
But what gave Song Changsheng pause was the vast number of mortals gathered here. If he chose to turn this place into a battlefield, it was hard to say how many of them would survive.
Even though this was a world where human lives were treated like grass, Song Changsheng still couldn’t get over his own conscience.
’I’ll have to find a way to lure him out.’ In the end, he decided to follow his heart, even if it meant risking alerting the enemy.
After some thought, Song Changsheng took out a Jade Bottle from his robes. Inside was a black, writhing mass of the Poisonous Insects taken from Wum Yan’s group, all still very much alive.
He had originally kept these Poisonous Insects to help him track Fengy Wuming, but now, by a stroke of luck, they had become the key to luring him out.
To a Gu Cultivator, Poisonous Insects were an extension of their own power. They could clearly sense the location and even the life or death of every single insect.
However, Song Changsheng had placed a Restriction on the Jade Bottle, which was why Fengy Wuming couldn’t detect them despite being so close.
Song Changsheng waved his hand, erasing the Restriction, then silently retreated toward the distant mountains.
Meanwhile, in an ordinary wooden house in the mountain hollow, a pale-faced, black-robed man sitting cross-legged on a Jade Bed suddenly snapped his eyes open, a look of confusion on his face.
’Why have the auras of these Poisonous Insects suddenly reappeared?’ Fengy Wuming’s long, narrow eyes narrowed slightly. He had sensed something unusual.
Although he often planted Gu in people, he kept every single Poisonous Insect clearly in his mind.
He clearly remembered that the Poisonous Insects that had just reappeared were the "Blood Evil Gu" he had planted in a group of Loose Cultivators a day ago.
Someone in that group of Loose Cultivators had been insolent to him. With his power, he could have dealt with all of them with a flick of his finger.
But he didn’t want to let them die so easily, nor did he want to attract unnecessary attention, so he decided to use them as vessels to nurture his Poisonous Insects.
According to his plan, the group should have had their Essence Blood drained by the "Blood Evil Gu" within seven days, their skin festering as they died. But a short while ago, he had suddenly lost his connection to those Poisonous Insects.
This wasn’t a big deal in itself. At the time, he’d assumed the ants had killed each other off, and the Poisonous Insects had died along with their hosts. He hadn’t given it much thought, only regretting that he’d let them go.
But now, these very same Poisonous Insects he had lost contact with had suddenly reappeared, putting him on high alert in an instant.
This was too abnormal. He wouldn’t have even been surprised if those Loose Cultivators had discovered the Poisonous Insects he’d planted and killed them.
