Chapter 352: Thousand Transformations, Ten Thousand Changes

Xu Yuan helplessly watched the scam ghost hide nearby and deliberately bump into three deadly foes.

It felt just like… an ant hiding and extending a leg, trying to trip up an elephant.

The leader of the trio was on par with Qiu Ningtai.

And Qiu Ningtai could trade blows with Ju Ya in matters of affliction.

The subordinate constantly sniffing the air with his nose was a Seventh-Rank Alchemist.

He burned the scam ghost to ash with a single burst of flame, finding it amusing: “Oh? There’s a scam ghost hiding here—I’ve never encountered such a malevolent spirit before.”

Xu Yuan sighed in resignation—this scam ghost… truly deserved to die.

The three burned the scam ghost to ash, then followed the scent to continue searching for Ghost Beard Wood, slowly walking away.

Xu Yuan hesitated, unsure whether to follow the three.

The official asked: “Why hasn’t Deng Linyue arrived yet?”

“I’ve already dispatched men to leak the Ghost Beard Wood’s location to him at the right time—he should be here by now.”

“He’s the bait I set out for Ghost Beard Wood. If he doesn’t come, we’ll need another bait. Ghost Beard Wood devoured a strong cultivator; when its fourteenth eye is about to form, that true seed reaches its peak ripeness.”

Another subordinate said: “Then shall we capture Qiu Ningtai?”

“No—he’s a hypocrite, but his family’s power is too great; it’ll bring trouble later.”

This official had narrow eyes, high cheekbones, a jujube-nut face, and a sinister, cruel expression.

What stood out most was a dark purple-black tattoo on his left cheek.

Xu Yuan was too far away, and the forest blocked his view—he could only make out that the pattern resembled a yin ghost or a demonic beast.

It opened a wide mouth, as if devouring something.

The subordinate said: “But there are no other living people in these mountains—let alone cultivators.”

“Heh!” the official chuckled bitterly: “How could there not be? Those mountain-runners in the village? I think they’re perfect!”

“Massacre the village?” the subordinate hesitated: “These mountain villages are all cursed—if the villagers fight back, it won’t be easy to handle.”

The official feigned anger and glared at him: “Nonsense! We are legitimate officials of the Imperial Ming! Do you think we’re bandits from the Demon-Slaying Army, randomly slaughtering villages? I have my own methods to find those mountain-runners.”

“They love wandering through the mountains; they spend little time in the villages. Just capture the mountain-runners.”

“Hehehe,” the two subordinates bowed apologetically: “We were wrong.”

Xu Yuan had quietly followed them, frowning as he listened.

The alchemist’s nose was clearly several times larger than normal—thick and coarse; upon closer inspection, it resembled a tiger’s snout.

He kept sniffing the air continuously.

After searching a while longer, he suddenly trembled violently and could no longer stand.

Another man supported him as he tore his nose off with all his strength.

A large patch of living flesh was ripped away.

The flesh refused to detach, spreading thick veins and muscle threads that wriggled, trying to burrow into his facial skin.

After wrenching it free, he clenched his fist tightly—a burst of flame erupted in his palm, turning the flesh back into a strange pill.

Blood streamed from his nose.

He quickly applied medicinal pills to treat the wound.

“The yin energy here is too heavy,” the alchemist said. “The duration of the strange pill’s effect is nearly halved compared to outside the mountains.”

If he didn’t remove it now, the strange pill would fully lose control, piercing through flesh and bone, drilling into his brain.

The official looked around helplessly: “We won’t find Ghost Beard Wood this way—capture a mountain-runner first.”

He led the two out of the forest and walked away; no one knew how he intended to locate mountain-runners in the vast wilderness.

Xu Yuan quietly followed again.

After they left, a small grass several dozen zhang from where the scam ghost had been burned to ash suddenly swayed.

Then yin energy surged forth like a geyser.

The grass rapidly grew larger.

In an instant, it transformed into a massive tree.

Its trunk was ancient, its bark rough and cracked.

Within those fissures glowed dozens of strange, dark-yellow eyes.

These eyes differed from human or beast eyes.

The irises were dark yellow, the pupils blood-red, yet extremely tiny—no larger than a needlepoint.

Each iris contained three pupils.

Thirteen eyes in total—most clustered on the trunk, the rest hanging from the branches, vigilantly watching every movement around.

The soil around it rapidly turned gray-black.

Below, its roots writhed ceaselessly; the ground rippled like waves.

Ghost Beard Wood’s “Thousand Transformations, Ten Thousand Changes” was not merely about altering its appearance.

It was a true metamorphosis—becoming an entirely different plant.

Even its scent changed into something else entirely.

Hence the alchemist sensed Ghost Beard Wood’s presence nearby.

But once he narrowed the area, he could not locate it at all.

Ghost Beard Wood was terrified and furious.

The scam ghost was its lookout—but it wasn’t guarding the river, meaning the river was no longer safe.

These three had been relentlessly tracking it; despite multiple transformations, it couldn’t shake them off.

At least two groups in this mountain were after it!

Ghost Beard Wood couldn’t decide: flee the mountains immediately, or risk one final gamble tonight by going to Pig Scream Rock.

On its trunk, a strange growth had already formed—a tumor.

It looked just like… a malignant boil growing on a human body!

For a human, such a boil was a terrible thing.

But for a malevolent spirit, it was a good thing.

To grow its fourteenth eye, Ghost Beard Wood needed external aid.

It had accidentally witnessed Ju Ya battling a human cultivator.

Those afflictions could not only help it grow its fourteenth eye, but also grant it the ability to wield afflictions itself.

If successful, anyone entering the forest would instantly fall ill.

The fourteenth eye was still lacking a final push.

Adding more “afflictions” tonight should be enough.

It hesitated deeply; the tumor on its trunk writhed as if something within was influencing its decision.

Suddenly, a large white bird flew in from afar.

The bird was extremely fat, so its flight was clumsy and ungraceful.

It wobbled through dozens of zhang, nearly crashing into branches; it flapped hard, barely lifted higher, awkwardly dodged several branches, then glided straight into Ghost Beard Wood.

Thud!

Ghost Beard Wood was stunned—what was this thing?

The white bird’s claws gripped the trunk but couldn’t hold firm, slipping downward.

One of Ghost Beard Wood’s branches drooped, dangling a single eye.

It saw clearly—the “claws” weren’t claws at all—they were webbed feet.

This thing wasn’t a white bird—it was a giant goose.

It clung tightly to the trunk, scrambled upward, then aimed at the tumor and began pecking at it with its flat beak—tap, tap, tap!

(End of Chapter)