Chapter 821

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Protagonist:

Xu Zhangqing

Xu Qiansui leaned close to the crack and carefully sensed it, but was blocked by the Decay Qi in the depths; he could only vaguely perceive fluctuations deep inside, yet could not make out the specific scene.

He slowly patrolled the vicinity and discovered that similar cracks were not limited to one spot; every crack emitted a faint fluctuation, and the shapes of the holes varied.

Some were round and smooth, as if gnawed out by some kind of soft worm.

Others had sharp edges, bearing a metallic Texture.

Through Shared Vision, Xu Zhangqing formed a judgment in his mind.

These traces were unquestionably left by insects.

He estimated that the Nine-Headed Worm that controlled eight insect heads had already been here.

And it had probed the surroundings, and might even have burrowed into the depths of the cracks.

Besides the "insect-gnawed" traces, Xu Qiansui also discovered a Damaged piece of Insect Armor.

The Insect Armor was pitch-black all over, its surface covered in Strange patterns; its edges were eroded and somewhat broken by Decay Qi, yet one could still feel the Life Force contained within.

This piece of Insect Armor was roughly Palm-sized, its texture hard, unlike that of ordinary insects.

Xu Zhangqing speculated that this might be a shed carapace from one of the eight insect heads controlled by the Nine-Headed Worm; most likely it was damaged by the Decay Qi in the depths while probing the cracks, and thus left behind here.

Xu Zhangqing had Xu Qiansui put away the Insect Armor and continue exploring the surroundings.

Suddenly, the rock underfoot trembled slightly, a low Roar came from the distance, and at the same time there was a "rustling" sound of something scraping against the ground.

Xu Qiansui immediately concealed his figure and looked toward the source of the sound, only to see over a dozen Moss Puppets gathering in this direction.

The leader was a Moss Puppet that was actually twice as tall as ordinary individuals; its body was wrapped in tattered cultivator Clothes, and a faint gray light shimmered around it.

From this it could be seen that its strength was Absolutely stronger than that of ordinary Moss Puppets.

The tall Moss Puppet seemed to sense something unusual nearby; it led the other Moss Puppets closer, their Four Limbs treading on the riverbed, emitting heavy Footsteps.

Xu Qiansui pressed against the crack, using the rock's cover to hide.

Fortunately the tall Moss Puppet discovered nothing; it merely lingered nearby for a moment, then led the other Moss Puppets to wander toward the valley bottom.

After the Moss Puppets had completely gone far away, Xu Qiansui rose and continued exploring.

He checked the cracks one by one along their length, trying to find traces of the Nine-Headed Worm, but discovered that most cracks were blocked by hard lumps condensed from rock and Decay Qi; only the first crack discovered bore traces of having been forcibly broken open inside.

Xu Qiansui tried extending his Arm, probing it into the crack, entering the depths bit by bit.

The Decay Qi in the depths was a few degrees denser than at the Entrance, and at the same time it was mixed with a wisp of extremely faint vitality.

This time, barely penetrating the Decay Qi, he perceived that deep in the crack was a Narrow passage; both sides of the passage were embedded with bizarre remnant shells.

Those remnant shells varied in shape: some resembled broken insect wings, some resembled Twisted Beast Bones; their surfaces were entwined with Law Fragments, and they emitted intense negative emotions.

Greed, fear, madness — in short, extremely chaotic.

Xu Zhangqing frowned: "What exactly is the Nine-Headed Worm looking for?"

From entering Qiong Valley until this moment.

Everything seen and heard has been things unseen from Outside.

Since the Nine-Headed Worm dared come here, there must be a reason.

Yet so far, not a single clue has been found, and the person himself hasn't been seen either.

Simply put, Xu Qiansui burrowed along the crack and soon Arrived at the passage.

The passage was Narrow, allowing only one person through; the Decay Qi on all sides grew ever denser.

His body was already covered in black spots; if he went deeper, it would likely cause irreversible damage.

The remnant shells on both sides of the passage released chaotic laws from time to time; though their power was Not big, they could Interfere with perception, making the situation increasingly complex.

Just like this, Xu Qiansui advanced several dozen zhang, and a stone chamber appeared ahead.

Stepping into the stone chamber, he saw a Stone Platform standing in the center; on the Stone Platform lay a Damaged Jade Slip, its surface covered in thick Decay Qi, causing its Spiritual Light to be completely lost.

On the rock walls around the stone chamber, Strange Spiritual Runes were carved; most were Blurred and illegible, only a few spots were still relatively Clear, yet their meaning was unknown.

Xu Qiansui walked forward and carefully Picked Up the Jade Slip on the Stone Platform, trying to inject a thread of Spiritual Energy into it to dispel the surface layer of Decay Qi.

Believe it or not, he truly could perceive the contents inside.

What was recorded in the Jade Slip was not a Cultivation Method or spell, but a cultivator's Comprehension and final words from participating in the Mayfly Sacrifice.

From the Jade Slip's contents it could be known that this cultivator was at Golden Core Late Stage, his Dao foundation Damaged, unable to Breakthrough Nascent Soul, so he pinned his hopes on stealing an opportunity at the Mayfly Sacrifice, but ultimately, while contending to cross the Qiong River, his life candle was extinguished, leaving only a wisp of Remnant Soul to transform into an Echo Soul.

The Jade Slip also mentioned that this place is called Bi'an Rock; in its depths lies the "Nine-Headed Centipede Banyan" Core, that thing contains vast vitality, usable both for refining Pills and for crafting Magic Treasures.

Even by borrowing its power, one can forcibly activate the Mayfly Divine Fire, opening the Ritual without waiting for the Mayfly Day.

Seeing this, Xu Zhangqing's mind suddenly cleared.

The Nine-Headed Worm's intrusion into Qiong Valley was most likely to seek the Nine-Headed Centipede Banyan Core, attempting to borrow its power to forcibly open the Mayfly Sacrifice and complete its own metamorphosis.

Xu Qiansui put away the Jade Slip and continued searching the stone chamber.

In the corner of the stone chamber lay scattered a few Dried Insect Eggs; the eggs' surfaces were covered in bizarre patterns, and it was unknown what creature left them.

Additionally, on the floor of the stone chamber were discovered a few Fresh footprints, similar in Size to Human Cultivators, yet with subtle differences at the toes.

He estimated they should have been left by the Nine-Headed Worm; presumably it once stayed here, perhaps studying the Jade Slip's contents.

Behind the stone chamber was another Deeper passage, but it was shrouded in dense Decay Qi, the chaotic laws contained within extremely intense, far surpassing the Limit Xu Qiansui could withstand.

He tried reaching a hand in to Probe; in just an Instant he withdrew it, his body Trembling slightly, fine cracks appearing on his skin.

From this it could be seen that once he continued deeper, trouble would certainly occur.

Xu Zhangqing immediately ordered: "Forget it, stop going deeper and come back."

He knew the dangers deep within the channel were far beyond what Xu Qiansui could handle, and forcing his way in would only result in the puppet's destruction.

However, it was now clear that the Nine-Headed Insect was seeking the Nine-headed Centipede Banyan Core, attempting to force open the Mayfly Sacrifice Ritual.

Xu Qiansui followed orders, collected several more Dried Insect Eggs, then returned by the same road.

Along the way he avoided the moss puppets and Echoing Souls en route, relying on the Spiritual Root Advantage of the Spirit Plant Puppet to pass smoothly through the Nine-headed Centipede Banyan's Root Channel, finally returning to the Rotten Moss Plain.

……

……

Deep in Qiong Valley, at the end of the channel shrouded in Decay Qi, the Nine-Headed Insect sat cross-legged on a stone platform, its eight ferocious insect heads constantly inhaling and exhaling Life Force; suddenly his human face curled into an evil smile: "Nine-headed Centipede Banyan Core, Mayfly Divine Fire… once I have collected them all, I can force open the Ritual, and then break through to Nascent Soul!"