Chapter 656: Chapter 656

Coincidentally, the severed arm of that ancient corpse was the left arm.

Qin Sang could not help but think deeply about it.

If that ancient corpse is truly me, then where exactly is the Seven-Kill Hall located? Why have I been teleported there, fallen from the sky, and eventually drifted down the river in Xijiang?

Their master’s name was Du Han.

Though all three of the men Qin Sang soul-searched were Du Han’s disciples, none were as close to him as Du Xian.

Du Xian was Du Han’s eldest disciple, highly talented and with a strong chance of reaching Core Formation. Du Han treated him like his own son and had shared many secrets with him. The mission to find the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit had also been meant to help Du Xian break through.

Du Xian’s cultivation was at the Fake Core Realm. Qin Sang had already decided to refine him into a corpse puppet, so he had refrained from using Soul Search Technique, avoiding the risk of shattering his soul completely. Instead, he interrogated him, then used the Spirit Seizing Spell to verify his answers.

After learning everything Du Xian knew, Qin Sang grew even more astonished.

He stood atop Five-Insect Sect’s mountain peak, gazing in all directions, momentarily at a loss.

According to Du Xian, the Seven-Kill Hall was actually a hidden realm discovered by the human race. It was not located on the Witch God Continent but within territory controlled by humans. It only opened once every few years.

Two years ago, Du Han had departed from the Witch God Continent in order to reach the Seven-Kill Hall and had only returned not long ago. Dıscover more novels at novel⚑fire.net

Now, Qin Sang was no longer sure what to believe.

If the ancient corpse from the Seven-Kill Hall is truly him, and that realm is located so far from the Witch God Continent, why have I appeared in a river in Xijiang? Is there some strange barrier inside the Seven-Kill Hall? Or has someone taken me out of it?

And why has Du Han come to Xijiang to search for the ancient corpse?

Qin Sang could not make sense of it.

He had thought he would finally discover the truth behind the drifting corpse in the river, yet now he found himself ensnared in an even greater mystery.

Seven-Kill Hall, Ziwei Palace...

What connection do these two places have?

Du Xian knew nothing about what had actually happened inside the Seven-Kill Hall.

After Du Han returned, he brought his disciples into Xijiang. Searching for the ancient corpse was only a side task. Du Han’s true purpose seemed to be locating a particular spiritual herb, so he had gone ahead alone.

Du Xian had led a few junior brothers to Five-Insect Sect to seize the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit. The information about the fruit had come from Du Han himself.

It seemed that if he wanted to uncover the truth, Qin Sang would have to find Du Han.

He fell into silent contemplation. From Du Xian and the others, he had learned that upon hearing the fruit had been stolen by a Golden Core cultivator, they had already sent someone to summon Du Han. He was expected to arrive in about half a month.

This gave Qin Sang ample time to prepare and set up an ambush to kill Du Han.

However, assassinating Du Han would not be so easy.

Du Han had been in the Core Formation Realm for several decades. Though he had not yet broken through to the middle stage, he was already nearing the bottleneck and far stronger than the average early-stage Core Formation cultivator.

Moreover, witch cultivators could not be regarded the same as human cultivators. Due to the existence of their life-bound insect gu, battling a witch cultivator often meant fighting two foes at once.

With Qin Sang’s strength, dealing with an early-stage Core Formation cultivator was easy, and even against someone at the middle stage he would not be afraid. But to ensure a flawless kill of Du Han, he would need to plan carefully.

More importantly, Qin Sang hoped to capture Du Han alive and get to the bottom of the matter.

He had been meticulous when soul-searching for information about Du Han, but to his surprise, Du Han had proven exceptionally cautious and had hidden his secrets well.

Even his disciples did not know what kind of spiritual insect his life-bound insect gu was. They only knew he possessed an astra gifted by Black Witch Palace after reaching the Core Formation Realm, and that its power was considerable.

Qin Sang returned to this familiar place. As soon as he neared the Poison Spring, he caught a faint trace of a strange fragrance lingering in the air. This residual scent was left behind by the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit after it had ripened. It had yet to fully dissipate even after all this time.

Back when Qin Sang last visited, there had not been the slightest hint of it.

When he reached the banks of the Poison Spring, he easily located the source of the fragrance. It came directly from the spring’s origin. The overflowing scent had even exposed the barrier at the spring’s mouth.

"What a subtle barrier. If the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit hadn’t ripened and revealed it, even if I stayed by this spring for a full year, I still might not have noticed anything unusual here," Qin Sang murmured.

After a few attempts, he quickly found the method to break the barrier and slipped inside.

Within was a square-shaped underground chamber, clearly excavated by hand. It was neat, orderly, and man-made. At the center of the chamber stood a small tree, about half a man tall, with slender branches and leaves. A single green fruit hung from its boughs.

This was the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit Tree.

Originally, it had borne three fruits. After Cui Xuanzi's senior uncle discovered the tree, he took the first one. The second ripened later and was also taken by him. This third one had yet to mature.

The Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit had a peculiar appearance, like two spiders tightly embracing each other. Its sides were covered in fine, intricate patterns resembling the interwoven legs of countless spiders.

When unripe, it was azure. Upon ripening, it would turn a deep purple-black, making it look even more like a venomous spider.

In truth, the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit was indeed a poisonous fruit. It could be used to concoct various potent toxins, and if devoured by poisonous insects, it would grant them considerable benefits. It was an extremely rare natural treasure.

Just as Qin Sang stepped into the stone chamber, the insect basket at his waist suddenly trembled.

That fat silkworm again.

Qin Sang plucked it out and found it staring directly at the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit, its eyes filled with longing. The fruit seemed to exert an intense allure over it.

Since capturing the silkworm, this was the first time Qin Sang had seen it show interest in anything besides Crimson Fire Gilded Gold.

The silkworm had been scolded many times and had become more obedient. Though it clearly craved the fruit, it dared not act on its own. Its tiny eyes looked up at Qin Sang with pitiful pleading, almost tearful, and it even let out soft whimpering noises.

"This fruit isn’t ripe yet. What use is it to you now? Eating it would be a waste," Qin Sang said flatly.

Unmoved, he summoned the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells to warn the silkworm to behave.

To his surprise, the silkworm was so determined to get the fruit that it no longer feared even the Devilish Flames of Nine Hells. It twisted its pudgy body and rubbed persistently against Qin Sang’s fingers, shamelessly begging. It seemed that even the unripe fruit could benefit it greatly.

Ignoring the silkworm, Qin Sang circled the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit Tree once and carefully examined the barriers within the underground chamber.

In the end, he shook his head. The barrier here was far too exquisite for him to tamper with. Yet even such a barrier failed to completely seal the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit’s fragrance. He could not think of any better method either.

This third fruit would need another hundred years to ripen. Once it matured, its scent would spread far and wide and could not be concealed. Unless he returned then to stand guard, it would be discovered.

Qin Sang silently considered his options. After ambushing Du Han, he certainly could not remain in Xijiang.

A hundred years later, if he were still alive, he would at least be at the middle stage of the Core Formation Realm. By then, the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit’s value might no longer matter to him.

Besides, some sects used secret techniques like the Soul Lamp on their Core Formation disciples. If Black Witch Palace learned of Du Han’s death, they would surely investigate this place.

Once Black Witch Palace sent experts to search, this underground chamber could not remain hidden. Rather than let it fall into their hands, he might as well put it to use and let the fat silkworm have the fruit.

Having reached that decision, Qin Sang released the silkworm and tossed it toward the tree.

The silkworm was ecstatic. It clung to the Thousand-Hand Spider Fruit and immediately began to devour it in large bites.