Chapter 655: Chapter 655

Outside the mountain gate, a tall figure suddenly appeared.

A terrifying aura swept in like a storm.

The already crumbling sect leader’s hall collapsed completely.

Dust and rubble filled the air.

Du Xian cried out in panic, summoning his artifact and fleeing in the opposite direction.

From his dantian, a blood-colored centipede with wings flew out and let out a mournful cry before turning back to charge at the intruder. Du Xian was ruthless enough. Knowing he was no match, he sacrificed his life-bound insect gu to buy himself time.

But the difference in strength was simply too great. Everything he did was destined to be in vain.

The Blood Centipede looked ferocious and was laced with a deadly poison that could kill on contact.

Most cultivators would retreat in fear just at the sight of it.

Yet before it could fly far, a ghostly claw reached out nonchalantly to grab it.

The centipede dodged in haste, but the ghost claw was faster. It effortlessly seized the creature, ignoring the potent venom. Corpse qi surged from the claw, engulfing the centipede completely before tightening its grip.

The Blood Centipede, after all, was a poisonous insect with a frail body. The onrush of corpse qi crushed it instantly.

Du Xian spat out a mouthful of blood. His body faltered, and suddenly he felt his entire body constrict. A dreadful premonition gripped his heart. Before he could react, it was already too late.

A flash of sword light broke through his protective artifact. The next moment, Qin Sang appeared beside him, gripping the back of his neck with one hand and effortlessly subduing him.

Meanwhile, the flying yaksha had already slain the Blood Centipede. Jiu Shan had only just risen from his chair when he was captured alive by the flying yaksha, completely helpless.

Qin Sang flickered back to the collapsed sect leader's hall, tossed Du Xian and Jiu Shan together, then waved his hand, sending out a surge of spiritual power that parted the debris and revealed Cui Xuanzi’s corpse beneath the rubble.

"Count yourself lucky for running fast," Qin Sang snorted coldly.

It was only after soul-searching that Black Witch Palace disciple that Qin Sang learned Five-Insect Sect had hidden a Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit tree deep within Black Wind Valley. Though he had searched every inch of the valley that day, he had found nothing.

It turned out the valley was protected by an ancient and peculiar barrier. Only when the fruit ripened would its unique fragrance leak out, merging with the Poison Spring and betraying its presence.

For some reason, the existence of the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit had been discovered by a Golden Core cultivator of Black Witch Palace. Coincidentally, his eldest disciple Du Xian had a poisonous insect as his life-bound insect gu. Consuming the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit might trigger its third metamorphosis.

Du Xian had come here with two objectives. One was to locate the ancient corpse. The other was to seize the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit to help his life-bound insect gu evolve.

Black Witch Palace’s hunt for Mute Girl was unrelated to their search for the ancient corpse. It had nothing to do with Qin Sang’s identity being exposed. Rather, Cui Xuanzi, in a desperate bid for self-preservation, had maliciously redirected the blame, accusing Qin Sang of stealing the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit. This led Black Witch Palace to target Mute Girl.

Qin Sang had no intention of letting Cui Xuanzi off easily after capturing him.

Unfortunately, Cui Xuanzi, knowing he was doomed, chose to end his own life. In doing so, he proved himself a true schemer.

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Just as Qin Sang was about to store Cui Xuanzi’s corpse into his Corpse Puppet Pouch, he sensed something unusual in the body. Channeling his true essence, he extracted the contents of Cui Xuanzi’s Qihai and found two Venomous Illusory-Tailed Scorpions.

Qin Sang was quietly astonished as he examined the pair, one large and one small, in his hands.

They were indeed both life-bound insect gu that had been blood-refined by Cui Xuanzi. Their lives were intertwined with his. The moment he killed himself, they had perished as well.

There were many legends about twin gu among the witch race, but no confirmed accounts had ever spread. Perhaps it was because Xijiang was simply too remote.

Of the two Venomous Illusory-Tailed Scorpions, one had only reached the peak of the first metamorphosis.

But the other was in an extremely unusual state. Its body curled tightly into a ball, a thin membrane covering its surface. Its entire form was beginning to turn ethereal, just like its tail.

"It’s undergoing metamorphosis. The scorpion’s head has already faded, and it’s near the final stage. In just a few hours, it’ll complete the transformation and become a third-metamorphosis scorpion. Cui Xuanzi fed it the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit and used the other scorpion to deceive Black Witch Palace, framing me for the theft. Then he used Mute Girl to divert their attention and buy time. Once the Venomous Illusory-Tailed Scorpion completed its evolution, its strength would skyrocket, and wiping them out would be effortless. What a cunning scheme."

Qin Sang growled through gritted teeth. In that moment, he had completely seen through Cui Xuanzi’s plan.

Every spiritual insect underwent metamorphosis differently.

Some took years to prepare, like the Sky-Eyed Butterfly or the Twilight Stink Bug.

Others completed it in just a few months, or even days.

The third-metamorphosis cocoon of the Venomous Illusory-Tailed Scorpion only required half a month to complete. Once refined into a life-bound insect gu, and with its master’s assistance, its transformation could progress even faster.

Cui Xuanzi had exhausted every possible strategy just for the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit.

For the past century, he had done everything he could, leveraging the lingering influence of the sect’s Golden Core cultivator to intimidate Thunderclap Village and Hundred Flower Palace. After Qin Sang appeared, he humbled himself completely, borrowing Qin Sang’s presence to scare off the two forces, and finally managed to preserve Black Wind Valley.

But fate was unpredictable. Just as success was within reach, the news of the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit somehow leaked and reached the ears of Black Witch Palace, which then stormed into the sect to seize it.

Though the enemy was overwhelming, Cui Xuanzi remained calm and maneuvered within the narrow cracks of opportunity, scheming relentlessly to buy more time.

As long as his life-bound insect gu completed its metamorphosis, Cui Xuanzi’s chances of forming a core would greatly increase. By then, he could simply flee the Xijiang, assume a false identity, and wait for the day he would rise again.

He had nearly succeeded.

Unfortunately, what he had not anticipated was that Qin Sang possessed Crimson Fire Gilded Gold, which allowed him to capture insects with incredible speed. Qin Sang had returned to the Bear Mountain region ahead of schedule.

Knowing he had betrayed Qin Sang and implicated Mute Girl, Cui Xuanzi saw his crimes as unforgivable. He chose to end his own life swiftly, sparing himself from the torment of punishment.

Qin Sang had to admit that he had truly underestimated this man.

Reflecting on himself, he realized that his mindset had subtly shifted after forming his core.

Reality had proven that even in the world of immortal cultivation, cultivation level did not define everything.

Underestimating anyone, even a mere Foundation Building cultivator, could lead to a disastrous downfall. Dongyang Bo understood this deeply.

And Qin Sang had paid a price for it as well.

His expression grew increasingly complicated. Yet gradually, his gaze turned sharp and cold, and even his aura seemed to undergo a subtle change.

He stepped before the three disciples of Black Witch Palace. Without wasting words, and right in front of Du Xian, he began soul-searching the other two.

The Soul Search Technique unfolded openly before Du Xian’s eyes.

After the soul search, both Jiu Shan and the other disciple perished utterly. Their souls were obliterated, leaving them not even the chance of reincarnation.

Hearing the heart-wrenching screams of his two junior brothers, Du Xian’s face twisted in terror. He had been frightened out of his wits.

"I ask and you answer."

Qin Sang locked eyes with Du Xian. His voice was ice-cold, devoid of any warmth. "What is the Seven-Kill Hall? Where is it?"

From the soul search just now, Qin Sang had seen a certain scene.

A colossal ancient tower loomed skyward, emanating a timeworn and desolate aura, as if it were a divine relic from a distant age. It pierced the clouds and seemed to connect heaven and earth.

From above, an ancient corpse shrouded in corpse qi and missing an arm descended from the sky. But just as it was about to fall out of the clouds, it suddenly vanished into thin air.

That scene had been called "ancient corpse from the heavens" by their master.

After visiting a place called the Seven-Kill Hall, their master had returned and ordered them to search everywhere for a one-armed ancient corpse.