Chapter 211: Turn of Events

Jiangnan stopped, the light of the True Qi Flame illuminating ahead; deep in the cave, vague shadows could be seen faintly.

"There's movement ahead."

Jiangnan whispered, his tone carrying a hint of caution,

his eyes sharp, scanning the dark area ahead.

Xia Yurou and Feng Ying immediately held their breath, nervously watching forward; they could feel an unsettling aura spreading through the air.

"What movement?"

Xia Yurou lowered her voice and asked,

her voice trembled, clearly very nervous.

Jiangnan did not answer at once; he took a few slow steps forward,

the True Qi Flame in his hand moved with him, lighting more of the area.

"It seems to be a person."

His voice was low, yet clearly reached the two's ears.

Xia Yurou and Feng Ying's hearts suddenly rose to their throats,

they clung tightly behind Jiangnan,

daring not to make any sound, fearing to startle whoever was ahead.

The three proceeded forward cautiously,

and soon they arrived at a spacious cavern.

In the center of the cavern lay a huge deep pit,

around the pit were piles of white bones,

emitting a strong stench of decay.

At the bottom of the pit, faint black liquid could be seen,

which, in the weak light, glimmered with a nauseating sheen.

When Xia Yurou saw the scene before her,

she instantly covered her mouth, nearly shouting out,

her face turned pale, her body trembling slightly.

Feng Ying's condition was no better,

her complexion was ghastly, her body swaying as if about to collapse,

seeming ready to faint at any moment.

"What... what is this place?"

Xia Yurou asked in a trembling voice,

Jiangnan gave no reply; his gaze fixed on the deep pit, his eyes filled with shock and anger.

"These white bones... they're all human bones."

Jiangnan said slowly, his voice deep yet tinged with anger.

Hearing this, Xia Yurou and Feng Ying felt a chill of horror.

"Is this... a burial ground?"

Xia Yurou exclaimed, Jiangnan nodded; his eyes grew even colder,

He had already guessed that these corpses were likely linked to the Glowing Mushroom.

"Look at those Glowing Mushrooms."

Jiangnan said, pointing at the Glowing Mushrooms surrounding the pit.

Xia Yurou and Feng Ying followed the direction of Jiangnan's finger,

and found the Glowing Mushrooms seemed brighter than before.

"These Glowing Mushrooms... seem to be absorbing something."

Feng Ying's voice trembled, clearly having realized something as well.

"Exactly, they're absorbing nutrients from the corpses."

"Absorbing corpse nutrients? How... how is that possible?"

Xia Yurou cried out, her voice full of disbelief.

"The Glowing Mushrooms glow because they contain a large amount of phosphorus; when corpses rot they produce abundant phosphorus, so these mushrooms shine. They are not treasures that enhance cultivation; they are evil organisms that grow by absorbing corpse nutrients."

Upon hearing this, Xia Yurou and Feng Ying

instantly felt a shiver; they had never imagined

that those seemingly beautiful Glowing Mushrooms,

were actually evil organisms that grow by absorbing corpse nutrients.

"People of the Qijiu Sect are truly deranged!" Xia Yurou spat, her voice filled with anger,

her voice brimming with fury.

"They use the Glowing Mushrooms to lure others, then kill them, using the corpses to cultivate the mushrooms—how vile!" Feng Ying also said angrily,

her voice full of hatred.

At that moment, a voice came from deep within the cave.

"Today's luck is good, caught a few more," a man's voice said,

his voice carrying a hint of smugness.

"Indeed, thanks to Lao Zhang's help, otherwise we wouldn't have found people so easily," another man said.

"Lao Zhang? Which Lao Zhang?" Xia Yurou asked in confusion.

"It's that old man who sells medicinal herbs."

"It's him? How could it be him?" Xia Yurou exclaimed,

Her voice was filled with disbelief.

"He turned out to be a member of the Qijiu Sect?" Feng Ying said, shocked.

"It seems he has been after us from the start."

His gaze grew even colder,

He finally understood why that old man had voluntarily told him about the Glowing Mushroom.

"They've packed up the Glowing Mushroom, as if they're about to leave," Feng Ying said.

Jiangnan nodded; he knew,

now was not the time to clash with them directly,

he needed to first find out what the Qijiu Sect actually intended.

"Let's follow them and see," Jiangnan said,

his voice was low, yet carried a hint of resolve.

The three of them cautiously trailed behind the members of the Qijiu Sect,

passing through a narrow passage,

and arrived at a more spacious cavern.

In the center of the cavern stood a massive stone platform,

upon which were placed several luminous Glowing Mushrooms.

Members of the Qijiu Sect were stuffing those Glowing Mushrooms into a black bag,

their faces showing a trace of excitement and greed.

"This haul is good; it'll be enough for us to cultivate for a while."

"Indeed, thanks to Lao Zhang; next time we'll bring more people."

Jiangnan heard that and grew even angrier,

he hadn't expected the Qijiu Sect members to be so ruthless,

they would even sacrifice innocent lives for cultivation.

At that moment, a Black Shadow suddenly appeared at the cavern's entrance,

its speed was extreme, like a specter.

"Who?" the Qijiu Sect members instantly became alert,

they drew their weapons, pointing at the Black Shadow.

The Black Shadow said nothing, and slowly walked into the cavern,

by the faint light, one could see his features clearly.

It was a tall man,

his face covered by a ferocious mask,

making it impossible to discern his true visage.

"Who are you?" the Qijiu Sect members demanded,

their tone full of caution.

The Black Shadow gave no reply; it merely stared coldly at them, its eyes brimming with murderous intent.

"Bad, run!" the Qijiu Sect members realized the danger,

they immediately turned to flee.

But the Black Shadow's speed surpassed theirs,

it, like a specter, arrived before them in an instant.

"Ah…" a scream rang out,

a Qijiu Sect member was struck by a single palm of the Black Shadow and sent flying,

colliding with the stone wall, he died on the spot.

The remaining Qijiu Sect members, seeing this scene,

were instantly terrified, their souls scattering, and fled in all directions.

However, the Black Shadow gave them no chance to escape,

it, like the Grim Reaper, harvested their lives.

In just a few minutes,

all the Qijiu Sect members fell into pools of blood.

Jiangnan and the other two saw this scene,

and were instantly shocked; they hadn't expected,

that the Black Shadow's power could be so terrifying.

The Black Shadow slowly turned, looking at Jiangnan and the other two,

its gaze was icy, like frozen ice.