Chapter 332: Worm

Shang Xiangyu took two thin-necked white porcelain bottles from Duan Rong's hands, opened the stopper of one, and took a sniff, a look of intoxication appearing on his face.

Shang Xiangyu tucked the two porcelain bottles into his sleeves, swept his gaze over the two corpses not far away, and said, "You two, deal with this place."

Pan Yong asked, "Should we still handle it as a disappearance?"

Shang Xiangyu glared back at Pan Yong, and Pan Yong immediately lowered his head.

Shang Xiangyu said, "Make it look like the mess of a pill furnace explosion again. Have Lao Qin from the Lower Courtyard come to look at it tomorrow, and tell him the furnace exploded again."

"This..." Pan Yong muttered to himself, his gaze hesitating for a moment, then said, "The last time was a furnace explosion; should we make it look like a furnace explosion again this time?"

Shang Xiangyu remained silent after hearing Pan Yong's words.

Seeing that Shang Xiangyu was not speaking, Duan Rong said, "It is precisely because the furnace exploded last time that we must make it look like a furnace explosion this time. Because the explosion last time was, in fact, real."

Shang Xiangyu looked Duan Rong up and down with a profound gaze, then turned his head to look at Pan Yong and said, "Duan Rong sees things more deeply than you."

Pan Yong frowned, a flash of obvious complexity in his eyes, and hurriedly said, "Two furnace explosions in a row will likely alert the Ruling Sect Justice Division; I fear that might be troublesome?"

Shang Xiangyu said, "It doesn't matter if the people from the Ruling Sect Justice Division come. You two just insist that you were refining the same medicine both times, and that the furnace exploded both times. As for the rest, let them come and ask me. I will handle them myself!"

After Shang Xiangyu finished speaking, he walked out of the cave.

Pan Yong gave Duan Rong a strange look, but in an instant, he replaced it with a smile and said, "Disciple is not very old, yet you are quite mature in your ways!"

Duan Rong smiled and said, "Senior Brother, since we are fellow disciples, it is better to practice Harmonizing Light and Dust."

"Naturally, that is only natural," Pan Yong said. "Disciple, how do you think we should set up this scene?"

Duan Rong cupped his hands and said, "I will follow Senior Brother's arrangements; I will just lend you a hand."

Pan Yong cursed him as a slippery character under his breath, then smiled and said, "Then, Disciple, let's tip this pill furnace over just like the last time it exploded."

Duan Rong nodded, and the two of them channeled their Internal Breath together to push the bottom pill furnace until it tipped over to one side.

The heavy pill furnace slammed onto the ground with a bang, and the rocky ground beneath their feet trembled slightly.

Pan Yong's gaze swept over the corpses of Yin Cong and Chen Hu, and he asked, "Should these two guys be crushed together?"

Duan Rong glanced at them; Chen Hu's corpse was headless, and Yin Cong's heart had been blasted out, so it wasn't impossible to crush them together.

Pan Yong looked at Duan Rong and said, "Crushing them together, isn't that a bit of a stretch? Why did you have to go and cut off Chen Hu's head, making it so troublesome to set this up now?"

Duan Rong touched his nose and said nothing.

How could he have thought that far ahead? At that time, he didn't even know if he would survive under Shang Xiangyu's hands.

After some deliberation, the two finally crushed both Chen Hu's and Yin Cong's corpses under the second-layer pill furnace.

Chen Hu's head and neck were smashed to a pulp by the edge of the pill furnace, obliterating the traces of him being beheaded.

Yin Cong's chest was smashed, covering up the traces of his heart being blasted out.

In truth, there were other options, but both corpses had traces of being tortured to death; to cover up the real cause of death, only crushing them would hide it most cleanly, as other methods would inevitably leave behind some telltale signs.

After the two finished dealing with the corpses, Pan Yong looked at the tipped-over bottom pill furnace, his gaze shifting.

A pill furnace that had exploded had to have burnt pill dregs inside!

Pan Yong swept his gaze around, suddenly looking at the Great Cauldron in the corner. He walked over slowly, used a filter cloth to wrap up the remains of Shang Xin's corpse from inside the cauldron, and moved them into the pill furnace.

Pan Yong made three trips before he had moved all the corpse remains from the cauldron into the pill furnace.

Then he picked up the large stone pot, actually knelt down beside the stone pit under the pill furnace, cleared away the surface ash in the pit, and scooped half a pot of the still-warm, crimson magma and poured it into the pill furnace.

A sizzling sound rang out, and plumes of thick smoke began to rise from the mouth of the tipped-over pill furnace.

Pan Yong stood there, coughing from the fumes.

Next, Pan Yong scooped another half pot of magma and poured it in, but the pill furnace no longer emitted smoke, nor was there any sizzling sound.

Standing not far away, Duan Rong could smell a rich, burnt odor.

Pan Yong looked into the pill furnace and saw that the black dregs at the bottom were already similar to the last furnace explosion.

Pan Yong put down the stone pot, which was already quite hot, and looked at Duan Rong, saying, "Disciple, take a look, is there anything else missing?"

Duan Rong walked a few steps, picked up the Nine-Section Whip from the ground nearby, walked over to the corpses of Chen Hu and Yin Cong, and wrapped the tip of the whip around Yin Cong's leg. Then, he walked to another spot and tucked away the three Willow Leaf Knives that Pan Yong had knocked down.

Pan Yong looked at Duan Rong, his gaze flickering.

He had to admit that Duan Rong was a meticulous fellow; no wonder the Master would keep him in the end.

After both were finished, they walked out of the cave one after the other, passed through the dense forest, and arrived at the edge of the cliff.

Duan Rong walked behind Pan Yong, maintaining a distance of nearly a zhang throughout.

Along the way, the two did not say a single word.

The moment they left the cave, a kind of cold atmosphere seemed to solidify between the two of them.

Duan Rong walked along the cliff edge, watching Pan Yong's back in the pitch-black night.

If it were as he suspected, that Shang Xiangyu would only keep one controlled person by his side, then one more person had to die between him and Pan Yong.

He had thought of this point, and Pan Yong, having been by Shang Xiangyu's side for so long, must know it even better than he did.

That was why Pan Yong had made things difficult for him at every turn when he was presenting his "letter of intent."

But, times had changed.

If Pan Yong were to make things difficult for him again now, he would kill him without hesitation.

Duan Rong believed that if he used all his means, Pan Yong would not be his match.

As for Shang Xiangyu, since he had kept him, hadn't he already made up his mind to kill Pan Yong? Furthermore, it was Pan Yong who had made the first move.

Shang Xiangyu was probably happy to see it happen...

Pan Yong walked past the entrance of Duan Rong's cave not far ahead, his footsteps not pausing in the slightest.

Duan Rong stood at the entrance of his own cave, watching Pan Yong's figure disappear around the corner of the cliff wall before turning and walking into the cave.

Duan Rong walked into the cave with a cold expression and sat cross-legged on the stone bed.

Thoughts churned in his mind, and he felt a lingering fear at this moment.

Tonight, he had almost died in that crimson cave of alchemy.

However, the current situation is already bad enough.

The Medicine Pill that Shang Xiangyu forced him to swallow was clearly some kind of evil object capable of controlling people.

The moment Duan Rong sat cross-legged, he projected his Divine Sense, piercing through his own body.

In an instant, his limbs, bones, meridians, and internal organs were presented before his eyes in minute detail.

The Medicine Pill swallowed into his stomach had long since vanished, dispersed into the flesh and blood throughout his body...

Duan Rong examined his dantian and internal organs, finding nothing unusual, when suddenly, he furrowed his brows.

He discovered a tiny thing, as small as a speck of dust, wriggling at the junction of his spine and skull...

That thing was so minute that if it hadn't been wriggling between the joints, Duan Rong might not even have discovered it.

Duan Rong instantly focused his Divine Sense, locking onto that dust-like little thing.

The moment his Divine Sense enveloped the little thing, Duan Rong felt a chill all over, and his scalp tingled as if struck by electricity.

That dust-sized thing was actually an extremely tiny worm; it was wriggling between the joints at the junction of his spine and skull, seemingly trying to burrow into Duan Rong's skull.

Then Duan Rong realized that in the gaps of those joints, there were many more dense, tiny worms, all climbing and wriggling in the gaps of the vertebrae toward the skull...

Duan Rong finally knew what the Medicine Pill he had swallowed was; it was actually these extremely tiny worms.

In an instant, the look in Duan Rong's eyes became as fierce as a wild beast.

With a thought, the blood threads all over his body suddenly surged!

He was actually triggering the Filthy Blood Divine Art within the Taiyi Sect?!

This was practically courting death!?

But Duan Rong knew that Shang Xiangyu's place was remote, and he was in a deep, secluded cave; although triggering the Filthy Blood Divine Art still carried the risk of exposure, he absolutely could not tolerate those dense, tiny worms burrowing into his skull.

Because the blood threads of the Filthy Blood Divine Art could not enter the brain!

Once the worms entered his brain, even if he triggered the Filthy Blood Divine Art, he would be beyond saving.

In the dark and deep cave, Duan Rong sat cross-legged on the stone bed; in the darkness, countless dense blood threads floated and wriggled around his body...

Duan Rong kept his eyes tightly shut, using his Divine Sense to examine his meridians and internal organs.

The moment he triggered the Filthy Blood Divine Art, not only did blood threads float around his body, but his internal body was also dense with blood threads.

His muscles all turned into blood threads, coiling and intertwining.

Under Duan Rong's Divine Sense examination, he discovered that those tiny wriggling worms were entangled by the dense blood threads the moment they surged, and they vanished into nothingness.

Still not at ease, Duan Rong projected his Divine Sense into his brain to confirm that there wasn't a single worm wriggling in his brains before he finally felt relieved.

Duan Rong caught his breath and opened his eyes.

This Filthy Blood Divine Art was indeed miraculous; no wonder even those who were certain to die could be brought back to life.

Duan Rong felt the dense blood threads wriggling on his skin, and waves of a slippery, itchy sensation washed over him.

If it were before, his trypophobia would have already flared up, but perhaps because these blood threads had just destroyed the worms and saved his life, he now felt that these blood threads, wriggling like leeches, were actually somewhat cute.

At the very least, they could be controlled.

With a thought from Duan Rong, the dense, wriggling blood threads all over his body suddenly retracted through his pores, and everything returned to normal in an instant.

Duan Rong wiped the cold sweat from his forehead; if he had been even a moment later, perhaps the worm at the very top would have burrowed into his skull.

Duan Rong walked from the depths of the pitch-black cave to the outside; the night wind blew, and the sweat on his body turned cold.

Duan Rong couldn't help but chuckle, a sense of pleasure in his heart. Tonight, he had not only survived but also eliminated a future threat.

As Duan Rong thought this, his gaze suddenly shifted, and he clutched the black Porcelain Bottle from his inner robe pocket in his hand.

Duan Rong stroked the smooth Porcelain Bottle in his hand, his gaze flickering in the dark night; he suddenly turned back and walked into the cave, sitting on the stone bed once more.

In the darkness, Duan Rong poured a pill out from the black Porcelain Bottle; he held the Medicine Pill and suddenly projected his Divine Sense.

His Divine Sense instantly gathered and pierced through, entering the interior of the Medicine Pill.

Duan Rong's face was filled with horror.

Aided by the envelopment and penetration of his Divine Sense, he clearly "saw" the inside of the Medicine Pill.

The inside of the Medicine Pill was full of dense, tiny worms.

This was a worm pill.

However, these worms were not wriggling incessantly like they were in his body; instead, they were deathly still, motionless, clearly wrapped by the medicine and plunged into a deep slumber.

As long as this Medicine Pill melted in his stomach, these worms would be released.

"This thing is so sinister!"

Shang Xiangyu's sinister face flashed through Duan Rong's mind, and a look of intertwined hatred and fear flashed in his eyes.

Shang Xiangyu was a Martial Artist at the Great Perfection of the Qi Refining Realm, and his methods were strange and sinister; plus, as a Pharmacist among the Inner Sect Disciples, he had quite a status in the Sect. Facing such an opponent, Duan Rong truly felt a heavy sense of powerlessness rise from the depths of his heart.

It was impossible for him to confront Shang Xiangyu head-on; that would be no different from seeking death.

But he must find a way to break free from this person.

To break free from him, he had to break free from the Taiyi Sect.

However, the good thing was that Shang Xiangyu had watched him swallow a worm pill with his own eyes.

In his heart, Shang Xiangyu had already concluded that he had controlled him.

As time passed, as long as he could completely gain Shang Xiangyu's trust, he would definitely have a chance to escape this place and leave the Taiyi Sect!

Once he left the Taiyi Sect, the sky would be high and the sea would be wide!

He could change his identity and start over, or he could sneak into another province and seek other developments!

The art of the Divine Soul originated from the Western Regions!

Perhaps going to the Dharma Image Temple in the Western Regions would be good too!

In the Temple, perhaps he could achieve Great Enlightenment and realize emptiness!

Then he wouldn't have to worry about the matters of Lv Qingzhu and Xiao Yu anymore!

Duan Rong thought this, then lay down on the stone bed, covered himself with a blanket, and drifted off into a muddled sleep...

He was already very tired tonight, and his Divine Soul was even more over-exhausted; if not for his Divine Soul being so weary, he certainly would have refined one more Zhengyang Pill before sleeping.

In his dreams, Duan Rong drooled and muttered, "Qingzhu, your husband is going to become a monk. Going to Dharma Image Temple to be a monk, you see!?"

On the small desk, a dim, yellowish candlelight flickered, now bright, now dark.

Shang Xiangyu sat cross-legged on a cattail-woven cushion by the wall; although he was still wearing that wrinkled, filthy Daoist robe, he had uncharacteristically tied up his loose silver hair.

Shang Xiangyu was circulating his Qi to regulate his breathing, the dim candlelight reflecting upon his face.

On his pale face, the skin was taut, and even the corners of his eyes were smooth without a single fine line, but eerily, at his neck, strands of fine lines were actually crawling up from inside his collar...

Shang Xiangyu finished regulating his breathing, suddenly his gaze hardened, and he took off his outer garment.

As the Daoist robe fell away, it could be seen that although there was still a patch of fair, smooth skin on his chest, compared to when he last checked, the surrounding wrinkles seemed to have spread quite a bit more.

Shang Xiangyu's gaze was pained. "In just a few days, it has actually spread to here?!"

It could be seen that a few sparse fine lines had already spread and climbed to the vicinity of his two nipples, and above his abdomen, it was an even larger area of collapse.

The wrinkles on his two arms had already spread and climbed over his shoulders, beginning to spread toward his neck... as if a pair of invisible hands were about to choke his throat...

Shang Xiangyu flipped his hand, and a Porcelain Bottle was pinched in his grasp.

He poured out a medicinal pill.

This pill was originally called a Rejuvenation Pill, but Shang Xiangyu had only succeeded in refining it using the Blood Pill Method, so he called it a Blood Spring Pill.

That Blood Spring Pill was entirely crimson, its surface still flashing with faint, woven-like threads of light.

Shang Xiangyu's gaze flickered slightly as he stuffed the pill into his mouth...

Shang Xiangyu slowly swallowed the pill, sat cross-legged, and began to refine the medicinal power.

As the candlelight swayed, a faint flush of red actually rose upon Shang Xiangyu's pale complexion...

The few sparse fine lines on his neck and near his two nipples actually vanished on their own...

The wrinkles on his two shoulders and above his abdomen also gradually turned from dense to sparse, and then from sparse to smooth...

Half an hour later, the wrinkles on his abdomen had actually retreated to his navel, and the wrinkles on his two arms had actually retreated to his elbows.

Shang Xiangyu's eyes suddenly snapped open; he felt a surging vitality within his body...

Shang Xiangyu looked at his own arms and abdomen/chest, his gaze joyful. "The Blood Spring Pill is indeed effective!"

No sooner had Shang Xiangyu finished speaking than the wrinkles at his navel and elbows actually rippled into a circle again.

Shang Xiangyu's joyful gaze suddenly dimmed.

"The Blood Spring Pill can only delay the spread of aging within the body... but it cannot cure this root cause of withered essence..."

"... Thirty-six Blood Spring Pills, even without considering the attenuation of efficacy due to drug resistance, can at most only buy me a little over half a year of time..."

"Moreover, I have no blood relatives left in this world. There will absolutely be no second batch of Blood Spring Pills!"

"Half a year or so, perhaps it is enough!" Shang Xiangyu's gaze suddenly turned profound. "Originally, I felt this decision was very hard to make. But my father is dead, and Xin'er is also dead; I am but a lone person in this world."

Alone in the world, his state of mind seemed eerily much lighter. Not only did that decision become easier, but he was even not as afraid of death as he was before...

Under the candlelight, Shang Xiangyu suddenly smiled wickedly.

(End of this chapter)