337: Chapter 337 Southern Border Demon Palace

Extreme Yin Cave.

By the time Ye Jing arrived at the Extreme Yin Cave, the sky had darkened. The Yang Qi between heaven and earth seemed to be swallowed by something invisible, and the air was bone-chillingly cold.

In the distant horizon, everything was a hazy gray. A massive, pitch-black mountain could be seen spanning the earth. A deep fissure in the mountainside, like the mouth of a giant beast, was where the Extreme Yin Cave was located.

Ye Jing slowed down, hiding within the dense forest as he focused his gaze into the distance.

Near the cave entrance, Yin winds swirled, and the faint sound of ghostly wails drifted out. All the vegetation had withered and died, and the ground was covered in a layer of grayish-black decayed soil; not even an insect could be seen.

However, as Ye Jing landed, the Poisonous Variant Bees he had released were buzzing around his ears.

Ye Jing had upgraded the current Poisonous Variant Bees to Second-Order Demonic Beasts. Their perception of their surroundings had become increasingly sensitive; not even the slightest trace of Spiritual Qi could escape them.

"It seems someone got here first."

Ye Jing's eyes turned slightly cold as he thought to himself. This aura didn't belong to a Yao Beast; it belonged to human Cultivators.

Moreover, it was an aura he felt a deep loathing for.

Just like those demonic Cultivators from the Xuanyou Sect.

Ye Jing sent the Poisonous Variant Bees deeper inside. By utilizing his resonance with the Yao Beasts, he could scout the surrounding scene.

Outside the cavern, a group of Cultivators appeared, all surrounding a Woman in Red Gauze who wore a veil over her face.

She had a slender and graceful figure, her red gauze swaying gently in the wind. Her fair wrists were adorned with a string of black jade bracelets, each bead glowing with a dull light that faintly pulsed with evil energy. Furthermore, her raven-black hair was decorated with many silver ornaments that jingled as she walked.

"Senior Sister, is the Gu you planted truly effective against that Two-headed Nether Snake?"

Hearing this, the Woman in Red Gauze merely gave the speaking Cultivator a faint glance. Her voice was as cold as ice, yet carried a hint of bone-eroding bewitchment.

"The Heart-Devouring Gu I refined is specifically designed to counter sinister and evil creatures. Let alone a Nether Snake at the Peak of the Second-Order, even a true Third-Order Yao Beast would have its Divine Soul suppressed and obey me submissively once infected by the Gu."

As she spoke, she pinched her jade-like fingers together. A black insect as small as a speck of dust landed on her fingertip, wriggling slightly and emitting a nauseating, insidious aura.

"The ghost nether pearl is a Third-Order spiritual item. If we can allow the Nether Snake to successfully undergo its Breakthrough and then use the Gu insect to control it, we will have a ready-made Third-Order combatant.

When the time comes, even if the Yao Beasts of the Hundred Demon Valley show up, they'll have to make way for us."

A Cultivator nearby hurried to flatter her: "Senior Sister's methods are heavenly; this task will surely be accomplished with ease! It's just... I faintly sensed a fluctuation of Spiritual Qi outside the cave mouth just now. Could other Cultivators have caught wind of this and come here?"

A cold light flashed in the eyes of the Woman in Red Gauze as she looked toward the dense forest, her voice harsh.

"No matter who it is, if they dare to snatch things from me, just kill them. When the Southern Border Demon Palace acts, it's not for others to interfere."

Hidden in the shadows, Ye Jing was somewhat surprised to hear this: "Southern Border Demon Palace? Isn't that one of the five major powers of this Canggu Realm?"

However, Ye Jing saw that the woman was at the Late Foundation Establishment Stage just like him, and few of the others were even Foundation Establishment Cultivators. They looked easy enough to deal with.

Thinking of this, Ye Jing narrowed his eyes and suppressed the contempt in his heart. He didn't yet know the background of these people, and hearing the woman mention Gu insects and controlling that Two-headed Nether Snake meant they could not be underestimated.

He tapped his fingertips lightly, and several Poisonous Variant Bees quietly changed direction. They flew low against the decayed soil, avoiding the evil aura surrounding the Woman in Red Gauze, and headed deep into the cavern to investigate.

As descendants of Second-Order Demonic Beasts, these Poisonous Variant Bees were invisible when hidden, making them difficult for anyone to detect.

Ye Jing wanted to first get a clear picture of the situation inside the cavern, especially the location of the Two-headed Nether Snake and the specific strength of this group of demonic Cultivators.

The images sent back by the Poisonous Variant Bees became increasingly clear.

The interior of the cavern was pitch black, and the Yin Qi was even stronger than at the entrance. A thin layer of white frost had condensed on the stone walls, and the air was thick with a pungent, fishy smell and insidious poison, mixed with the unique halo of a spiritual item.

About dozens of zhang deep inside, in a spacious stone chamber, a massive Two-headed Nether Snake was coiled on a stone platform. Its entire body was pitch black, with scales shimmering with a dark purple luster.

Its two snake heads were slightly lowered, eyelids half-closed, and it flicked its forked purple tongues as it breathed. A faint Yin mist swirled around its body; it clearly possessed the aura of the Peak of the Second-Order, only a step away from a Breakthrough.

In the center of the stone platform lay a fist-sized pearl, pitch black yet translucent with an eerie light. This was indeed the Third-Order spiritual item, the ghost nether pearl. The Nether Snake's aura was closely linked to the ghost nether pearl, as it was clearly using the pearl's power to push for the Third-Order.

Ye Jing saw the snake very clearly through the Poisonous Variant Bees. He thought it was indeed strange, and wondered what Hei Feng would become if he fused with its ghost nether pearl.

"Senior Sister, the Nether Snake is currently pushing for the Third-Order. This is its weakest moment. Should we take the opportunity to strike?"

A tall, thin demonic Cultivator lowered his voice, his eyes full of urgency. He stared fixedly at the stone chamber as if he could already see the glory of controlling the Nether Snake.

The Woman in Red Gauze raised her hand to signal him to be silent. A trace of sinister intent flashed in her eyes beneath the veil, and her voice was kept extremely low, yet still carried a bone-chilling coldness.

"What's the rush? A Third-Order Breakthrough is most dangerous; it currently has its hands full. We must wait until its spiritual power is in disarray and its Divine Soul is turbulent before releasing the Heart-Devouring Gu. Only then can we strike successfully with absolute certainty.

If we rashly step forward now and disturb it, not only will we fail to control the Nether Snake, but we might also face its desperate counterattack, which would not be worth the loss."

Just then, a deafening roar suddenly erupted from the stone chamber. The Two-headed Nether Snake violently raised its two heads, its eyes blood-red. It spat out two clouds of purple-black poisonous mist, and the Yin mist around it surged instantly, shrouding the entire stone chamber.

The snake's body twisted violently, causing debris on the stone platform to tumble down. The eerie light of the ghost nether pearl suddenly became brilliant as strands of black Spiritual Qi gushed from the pearl, frantically pouring into the Nether Snake's body.

"It's coming! It's about to break through!" the tall, thin demonic Cultivator barked, a flash of wild joy in his eyes.

Ye Jing heard this through the Poisonous Variant Bees and began to secretly approach the area. Since they were all Foundation Establishment Cultivators, he didn't even need Hei Feng's light waves; he could hide his figure using only the Wind Transformation Art.

The people from the Southern Border Demon Palace had already rushed forward. They wanted to take advantage of the moment the Nether Snake was breaking through to capture it in one fell swoop.

The Woman in Red Gauze's figure blurred as her red gauze drifted forward like blood-colored clouds. The black jade bracelet on her fair wrist emitted a fine, eerie halo. The Heart-Devouring Gu on her fingertip was ready; the black insect wriggled rapidly in her hand, its insidious aura growing even more intense.

"Everyone, guard the cave entrance! No one is allowed to disturb us!"

She shouted coldly, her voice piercing through the turbulent Yin Qi with an unquestionable authority. Several Early Stage Foundation Establishment demonic Cultivators immediately dispersed, forming a simple trapping-killing array. Grayish-black Devilish Qi swirled around them as they warily scanned the surroundings.

The tall, thin demonic Cultivator was the first to reach the stone chamber's entrance. He performed a hand seal, and a bone blade glowing with black light appeared out of thin air. The blade was covered in strange runes, and its swings brought gusts of Yin wind as it stabbed toward the Two-headed Nether Snake's vital spot.

He completely disregarded the Nether Snake's current violent aura.

At this moment, because its Breakthrough to the Third-Order had failed (actually, its spiritual power had fallen into disarray, causing a frenzy), the Yin mist around the Two-headed Nether Snake had almost solidified. Its two heads roared frantically.

Purple-black poisonous mist continuously spewed from its mouths. When it landed on the stone walls, it instantly corroded pitch-black holes. Debris fell rapidly, and the entire cavern trembled slightly.