Chapter 150: The Iron Thread River Runs Wild

Who is Pan Dehai?

What territory does he rule as its lord?

Is his status the same as Lü Huazi and Feng Daiku?

Li Banfeng asked the singing machine, but the singing machine fell into deep thought, momentarily ignoring Li Banfeng's question.

Li Banfeng stared at the flesh on the table for a long while—he was truly hungry.

He didn't want to eat this flesh; he had run a long distance, exhausted his physical strength, listened to his wife's lengthy explanations, drained his mental energy, and now he was genuinely starving.

He found some biscuits and canned food and wolfed them down.

The singing machine pondered the matter: "Feng Daiku and Pan Dehai fought, right on Lü Huazi's territory—this makes no sense at all.

This flesh should be from Pan Dehai's heart-core; Feng Daiku, that vile woman, was wounded by Pan Dehai, and Pan Dehai himself was badly hurt too—but… Master, why did you fight Feng Daiku? Did you fancy her? Or are you Pan Dehai's friend?"

Li Banfeng shook his head: "I didn't fancy that woman. I don't know Pan Dehai. But this matter is connected to a friend of mine—he fell into Feng Daiku's hands. She said he must stay to heal her wounds. I wanted to rescue him, but I fell for her technique.

What kind of technique was that? A Joy Cultivation one? The lord of Kudai should be a Joy Cultivator, right?"

Chit-chit~

The singing machine replied: "Feng Daiku isn't a Joy Cultivator—she's an Emotion Cultivator. Master, you were struck by her Emotional Root, but I've already dispelled it."

Li Banfeng didn't understand: "If she's an Emotion Cultivator, why are there so many Joy Cultivators in her territory?"

Chit-chit~

"Joy Cultivators can generate emotion!"

"Isn't emotion supposed to grow over time?"

"Joy Cultivators spend a lot of time together. Very long." His wife explained plainly.

Thinking of Feng Daiku, Li Banfeng grew angry—she had detained Ma Wu, and nearly forced him into the Iron Thread River.

"Wife, I think Feng Daiku's wounds haven't healed yet. Let me find a way to kill her!"

"Master, don't act rashly."

"Then I'll lure her to the Portable Dwelling—let you kill her!"

Huff-huff~

Gentle steam kept washing over Li Banfeng, helping him calm down quickly.

"Master, if my combat power were restored, dealing with that vile woman would be easy. But in my current state, I fear I can't defeat her—you absolutely must not act rashly."

Indeed, even when facing the Cloak Moth Lady, his wife barely won at great cost—how much harder would it be against a territory lord?

Chit-chit~

His wife continued: "Moreover, among territory lords, Feng Daiku is relatively benevolent. Your friend helping her heal only loses some essence—she's a person who knows gratitude and won't let your friend suffer.

But when territory lords fight here, others inevitably get caught in the crossfire. This place isn't safe to stay in. Master, we'll discuss the details later—right now, we must leave quickly."

Li Banfeng pushed open the door of the Portable Dwelling to retrieve his key, when suddenly a swarm of Iron Thread Worms wriggled in.

He'd nearly forgotten—he'd thrown the key on the riverbank. Encountering Iron Thread Worms was perfectly normal.

Li Banfeng lifted his foot, ready to crush them, when his wife cried out: "Master, beware—this smell is wrong!"

Hearing her, Li Banfeng noticed the damp air outside was far heavier, different from the riverbank's scent.

He tried to step forward to examine the situation, but suddenly his whole body shivered with cold.

The technique of avoiding misfortune and seeking fortune.

Great danger lies outside.

Li Banfeng slammed the door shut. His wife spat a cloud of steam, scalding every worm on the floor to death.

What's going on?

At the riverbank, I did throw the key to the other side.

Could it be I didn't throw hard enough and it fell into the river?

That's troublesome—if the key truly sank into the worm mass, how do we get out?

More critically, the worms might have dragged the key away—we don't yet know where. But judging by that smell, it's not the wasteland.

After a moment's thought, Li Banfeng pulled out the Blood-Infused Pendulum and asked: "Can you swallow poison?"

The pendulum shuddered: "Master, why do you want me to swallow poison?"

"To survive," Li Banfeng said, holding out a poison pill. "Eat this."

He wanted the pendulum to consume the poison pill, exhale toxic mist, and drive away the worms so he could retrieve the key.

But the pendulum refused: "Master, I can't eat this…"

Li Banfeng grew angry: "Why not? Don't Poison Cultivators drink blood?"

The Thread Earrings whispered: "Master, don't listen to her—she can eat anything!"

Tang Dao chimed in: "Sword sharpness comes from grinding; plum blossom fragrance comes from bitter cold. The pendulum's taken so many advantages—it's time she endured some hardship."

The pendulum trembled: "Master, they're bullying me!"

Chit-chit~

The singing machine spoke fairly: "Making the pendulum swallow poison is too much. Let her take some steam instead."

Huff!

Watching the singing machine spew steam, the pendulum's body instantly flushed red: "Master, I'll eat the poison pill! Master, you can't make me eat this! Master…"

Huh~

A thick cloud of steam forced itself into the pendulum.

The pendulum glowed red like a heated iron—luckily, the handle wasn't too hot.

Li Banfeng tightened his pant legs, gripped the pendulum, and stepped out the door. Before closing it, he glanced back into the room.

If he stepped out and couldn't find the key, he'd never return.

Take his wife out?

Take Red Lotus too?

Take all his hard-earned belongings?

Then what?

Abandon the Portable Dwelling?

Stop daydreaming!

Find the key—protect what's yours!

One foot stepped over the threshold—his sole sank into sticky slime, thick with worms.

Iron Thread Worms scrambled rapidly up his shoe—frighteningly fast. Li Banfeng activated the pendulum, spewing steam to scald a large group to death.

Under the heat, the remaining worms quickly retreated, their curled bodies showing clear fury.

As the worms curled up, Li Banfeng spotted the key amid the corpses.

He reached to grab it—when suddenly the key began sinking into the pile of corpses.

Not just the key—his foot was sinking too.

Beneath the corpses lay living worms, shifting positions rapidly, as if a vortex had opened within the Iron Thread River.

Li Banfeng twisted the pendulum's screw and released another burst of steam.

Sizzle~

Thick, acrid smoke filled the air; countless Iron Thread Worms died. Li Banfeng seized the chance to snatch the key and searched for his next move.

Only now did he have time to observe his surroundings.

This wasn't the riverbank, nor the wasteland—it was a cave.

The cave walls were slick, wet rock—no footholds anywhere.

At the cave's bottom flowed the ceaseless Iron Thread River. Its depth was unknown. Beneath Li Banfeng's feet lay a thick layer of scalded worms, beneath which writhed living ones—he had no idea how far down the bottom lay.

The steam's power was fading; Iron Thread Worms surged toward his feet.

Are these Traveler Cultivators? How can they move so fast?

The Blood-Infused Pendulum had only one breath of steam left. After that, he had no other means to repel the worms.

The key was still in his hand—he could return to the Portable Dwelling.

But if he returned, he'd abandon the key to the worm mass, rendering all his efforts useless.

If he didn't return to the Portable Dwelling, where else could he go?

Which way should he go next?

Run!

Run toward the cave's exit.

But where was the exit?

Li Banfeng had two choices: run in the direction the worms were moving.

Running with the worms felt smoother—but the problem was, following their path might not lead out of the cave.

Their endpoint might not be outside—it could be deep within the cave: perhaps a worm king's nest, or a deity's dwelling.

The other choice: run against the worms' direction.

Running against them had one advantage—he'd definitely exit the cave, retracing how the worms entered.

The downside: he didn't know how long the cave was, or where the worms came from.

If they entered through an underground river, the situation would be dire.

From the technique of avoiding misfortune and seeking fortune, both directions seemed dangerous—but still within his tolerance.

But if he encountered a higher-level entity, the technique might not work at all.

After a moment's thought, Li Banfeng made his decision: he ran against the direction of the worms.

No matter how long this path was, at least the outcome was predictable—running against the worms would lead him to an exit.

Li Banfeng gripped the key and began to sprint.

Running against the iron-thread worms meant moving opposite their crawling direction; time and again, the worms were kicked squarely in the face by Li Banfeng.

Kick them—they were just iron-thread worms, not very intelligent.

That's what Li Banfeng thought, but things weren't so simple; these iron-thread worms were unlike ordinary ones.

They possessed a certain degree of awareness, though limited, and knew how to seek revenge.

Having been scalded before, now kicked again, as soon as they sensed Li Banfeng, the worms writhed and burrowed into his flesh.

Fast!

Must go faster!

If he ran fast enough, he could evade the iron-thread worms.

They couldn't catch up to Li Banfeng—he was certain of that.

Though the iron-thread worms weren't as swift as Li Banfeng, they weren't far behind, especially when enraged, clinging tightly to his heels.

Moreover, these worms sensed one another; those behind couldn't catch up, so the ones ahead began to coil in place.

Li Banfeng stumbled over a tangle of worms; the swarm scattered, and his foot slipped into the vortex of the "Iron-Thread River."

The pitch-black swarm of worms, once only ankle-deep, now reached waist-high.

Li Banfeng struggled desperately within the writhing mass, but the worms had learned from experience—they spun beneath his feet, robbing him of any purchase.

The worms burrowed and bit fiercely, soon tearing through his clothes and sinking into his flesh.

Li Banfeng pulled out the pendulum and released its last puff of steam, scalding a vast swath of worms to death.

Using the corpses as stepping stones, and relying on his Traveler's stride, Li Banfeng crawled out of the vortex and kept sprinting forward, stepping on the dead worms.

Ahead, another vortex of worms was forming; Li Banfeng swiftly dodged aside using his instinct for fortune and misfortune.

In this deadly place, every step forward was like walking ten li on level ground; ten steps earned him a full day's cultivation.

After sprinting seven or eight hundred meters, several vortices appeared at once; Li Banfeng dodged left and right, but accidentally stepped into one, sinking further.

Now that he had no steam left, if he sank again, escaping would be nearly impossible.

At the brink of life and death, Li Banfeng's sinews bulged, his eyes bloodshot, fixed intently ahead.

The iron-thread worms drawn by the scent of blood lunged forward to bite—but missed.

Silent Step!

Li Banfeng's form flashed forward a single step, landing on another vortex.

Not here!

Li Banfeng flashed again, avoiding a vortex and landing squarely atop a cluster of worms.

He didn't know how he'd managed to activate Silent Step twice in a row.

The worms beneath his feet hadn't had time to scatter; his footing was firm, and those two Silent Steps granted him over five hundred li of cultivation.

Now Li Banfeng had no time to calculate his gains—he was racked with agony, over a hundred iron-thread worms burrowed into his body, oozing blood that drew others toward him.

He dared not pause a moment, continuing to sprint forward; after another two li, a faint breeze brushed his face.

At the cave mouth!

Li Banfeng's heart leapt with joy; he poured all his strength into a final sprint—and burst out of the cave into a vast wasteland.

Out! Finally out!

Li Banfeng was about to survey his surroundings when he felt something wriggling on his cheek.

An iron-thread worm had burrowed into his cheek, crawling from his jaw to his cheekbone, about to emerge from his eye.

PS: Thank heaven I stopped here—this worm was just about to break through.

(End of Chapter)