Chapter 140: True Words Insect!

In Pang Tong's view, Qin Shuo's urgency to dismiss him must mean he wanted to kill the Mountain Ghost and consume the Thousand-Person Ghost Pill.

Such actions are not prohibited within the Demon Suppression Division.

However, after personally witnessing the Mountain Ghost devouring people, few in the Demon Suppression Division are willing to use ghost pills refined from living humans to enhance their cultivation.

No other reason—it's simply too nauseating.

As a newcomer who had just joined the Demon Suppression Division, Qin Shuo had never personally witnessed the Mountain Ghost's gruesome feasts.

Moreover, the medicinal potency of the Thousand-Person Pill equals five to six years of arduous cultivation for a Condensing Truth Realm martial artist; using it to boost one's cultivation is only natural.

Though he understood the reasoning, Pang Tong still could not psychologically accept directly consuming ghost pills.

To him, it was no different from directly eating humans.

Thus, he hesitated before finally reminding Qin Shuo that if he wished to consume it, he should do so with tiger blood and deer meat to counteract it.

Qin Shuo roughly guessed the Flying Star General's thoughts, but he paid little heed.

Because from the start, he had never intended to consume the Thousand-Person Ghost Pill.

He stayed primarily to test the Taotie Cauldron's new function.

After activating the second-stage refining mode, the Taotie Cauldron gained a new function: storing energy by refining exotic beast meat.

More precisely, it refines the qi and blood power within the exotic beast meat.

Martial artists themselves inherently possess powerful qi and blood.

Thus, Qin Shuo wanted to test whether the Taotie Cauldron could refine the qi and blood within a martial artist's body.

Since obtaining the Buzhou Stone Box in the prefectural city, he had been trying to refine it these past days.

However, the Buzhou Stone Box is of too high a grade; even after converting tens of thousands of catties of exotic beast meat and tens of thousands of Blood Qi Pills from the treasury into the Taotie Cauldron's energy reserves, he still could not meet the refining conditions.

So he wanted to see what changes would occur in the Taotie Cauldron's energy reserves after absorbing the qi and blood of these dozens of mountain bandits.

As Qin Shuo placed his palm on the corpse of the burly, bearded man, a thought stirred in his mind, and a tremendous suction force surged from his palm.

Tremendous qi and blood power surged from the burly man's body, entering the Taotie Cauldron's wall where the golden whiskered, silver-armored Taotie mouth resided.

In a short moment, the burly man's entire qi and blood and true essence were completely devoured; the mountain wind blew, turning him into a handful of flying ash that scattered.

"Indeed it works!" Qin Shuo's eyes lit up.

He could sense that after devouring the full qi and blood and true essence of a peak Condensing Truth Realm cultivator, the Taotie Cauldron's energy reserves had increased significantly.

But when he looked at the refining conditions for the Buzhou Stone Box, it already stated that energy reserves were insufficient.

Even without having witnessed the Mountain Ghost devouring people, upon learning that this ghost pill was made by feeding living humans, Qin Shuo felt nauseated in his heart.

Eating one's own kin—even if he were not picky, he would find it hard to do.

However, offering this Mountain Ghost as a sacrifice to the Taotie Cauldron caused him no burden.

He placed his palm on the Mountain Ghost, wanting to see if the Taotie Cauldron could directly devour the qi and blood of a living being.

The moment his thought stirred, he immediately felt a strong will to resist coming from the Mountain Ghost's body.

Although some faint traces of qi and blood were being drawn from the Mountain Ghost, they were extremely thin and slow.

At this rate, even if he absorbed for a day and a night, the Mountain Ghost would likely suffer no serious harm.

"It seems only lifeless things without will can be devoured!"

Qin Shuo had figured out the Taotie Cauldron's devouring rules; he no longer hesitated, directly twisting and breaking the Mountain Ghost's neck.

As the Mountain Ghost breathed its last, the suction force on the Taotie Cauldron instantly turned violent; within a few breaths, it had devoured this demon that had eaten nearly a thousand people, reducing it to flying ash and vanishing smoke.

【Ingredient: Buzhou Stone Box】

【Grade: Divine】

【Refining yields Divine Intent: Mortal Touch Against Buzhou, with an extremely small chance to comprehend the ancient divine art 'Human Emperor Seal'!】

【Current energy reserves sufficient, can perform one refining!】

【Initiate refining?】

Huh~

Gazing at the prompt text welling up before his eyes, Qin Shuo felt his heart ease!

Finally, enough qi and blood had been gathered!

However, now is not a good time to refine the stone box; he could only suppress his excitement, harmlessly process the corpses of the mountain bandits, and then swiftly descend the mountain.

Returning to the garrison.

He Mingjing immediately approached, face full of shock: "How did you do it? You actually beat Ghost-Faced Rakshasa Situ Long into this wretched state?"

He couldn't help but be shocked.

Ghost-Faced Rakshasa Situ Long, who had dominated Mulin Prefecture for decades, had such great fame that even he, far away in Yunzhou City, had heard of him.

Such a green forest tyrant, even the Divine Catcher Division could do nothing to him, yet now he had fallen into Qin Shuo's hands.

Unlike the Xiaoyue Yaowang hiding in Heishui City, clinging to life with less than one-tenth of his strength remaining.

This Mulin Prefecture great bandit had already been a Refining Organs Realm expert over a decade ago.

His external cultivation, it is said, is not inferior to the Arhat Golden Body of Dalong Temple.

Even more terrifying is that his Weilong Divine Palm has already been cultivated to the stage of Furnace Fire Pure Blue, where gang qi takes form.

When several chief divine catchers from the Divine Catcher Divisions joined forces to surround and suppress him, he still managed to escape intact, after which his fame spread far and wide.

Who could have imagined that such a renowned regional tyrant would actually be beaten into a puddle of mud by three punches, unable even to stand?

"Just like that!" Qin Shuo shrugged.

He knew nothing of Situ Long's fame and battle records, only knowing that his external cultivation was not bad, only regretting that his luck was poor, having encountered himself who wielded divine arts.

"By the way, Pang General said he wanted to interrogate that green forest tyrant; he's down to half a breath now—can anything still be gotten out of him?" Qin Shuo changed the subject.

"You wouldn't know that."

He Mingjing gave a mysterious smile: "For interrogation, our Demon Suppression Division has a secret method; as long as he hasn't breathed his last, we have ways to make him tell us what we want to know."

"Oh? There's still this kind of method?" Qin Shuo's eyes lit up.

We're about to arrive in Yunzhou soon; regarding the Demon Suppression Division's secret techniques, he's still very interested.

"Of course!"

He Mingjing wore a look of arrogance, saying, "When it comes to interrogation, our Demon Suppression Division ranks second—no one dares claim first, not even the Divine Catcher Division, which specializes in hunting down murderers and evil-doers, can compare!"

Qin Shuo's eyes flickered with suspicion; he felt this guy was bragging.

"Don't you dare not believe me!"

He Mingjing suddenly felt competitive, lowering his voice: "Our Demon Suppression Division possesses a secret treasure called the True Word Gu, which only Demon Suppression Commanders may possess.

Once this thing enters a person's body, it can control their will and spirit—ask them anything, and they will answer exactly as asked, without uttering a single false word."

"That miraculous?"

"Of course. It's said that the Division Master's True Word Gu is even more powerful—it can not only control a person's spirit and will, but also make the dead rise and stand, walking, sitting, and lying down just like the living."

"This..."

Qin Shuo was indeed somewhat astonished.

Though this method isn't exactly unheard of, it is indeed somewhat eerie.

"It's not as exaggerated as he claims!"

Just then, Pang Tong stepped out from the independent army tent, his expression somewhat weary, saying: "The True Word Gu does indeed have the ability to make people reveal their true hearts, but that's all it can do.

Moreover, this object has little effect on martial artists with strong wills; only someone like Situ Long—half-dead, half-alive, with their will to resist worn down—would show any remarkable effect."

"General Pang!"

Qin Shuo and He Mingjing both rose at once to greet him.

The former pressed further: "General, do you have any results?"

Pang Tong shook his head: "The Ghost Mother Sect knows we possess the True Word Gu, so they have always acted with caution and low profile.

Although the other party agreed to cooperate with Situ Long, they left no means for Situ Long to initiate contact. They only said that if the mission succeeds, they will come to meet on their own."

Saying this, Pang Tong's expression turned solemn, and he sincerely clasped his fists toward Qin Shuo:

"Tonight, I thank Captain Qin for your intervention; otherwise, with Situ Long and his three brothers' strength, if they truly launched a surprise attack on our camp, we would inevitably suffer heavy casualties."

Through the True Word Gu, he learned from Situ Long's mouth their entire plan for tonight, and naturally also knew this group had come for him.

Therefore, Pang Tong's words of thanks are spoken from the heart.

Had it not been for Qin Shuo's covert following and decisive strike, once night deepened and the camp was ambushed by these bandits, even if he ultimately survived, his subordinates—the Cloud Pattern Captains—would surely suffer countless casualties.

"General Pang, you overpraise me!" Qin Shuo said humbly.

"This Ghost Mother Sect is truly audacious—daring to openly ambush and slaughter us!" He Mingjing snorted coldly.

"Alright, rest early; we must continue our journey tomorrow."

Pang Tong exchanged a few more pleasantries with the two, then flung the mud-like Situ Long into Qin Shuo's arms before returning to his own tent.

Qin Shuo showed no hesitation; in front of He Mingjing, he struck down this Green Forest bandit chieftain with a single palm, then, under the pretense of disposing of the corpse, used the Taotie Cauldron to completely devour his blood and True Essence.

Returning to his own tent, it was already deep night.

Qin Shuo sat cross-legged, regulating his breath; once his mind and body had adjusted to their optimal state, he then sank his spirit into the Taotie Cauldron.

"Refine the ingredient 'Buzhou Stone Box'!"