179: He died from his body exploding?

Whenever someone left Cultivation resources for Lin Feng, he would mutter under his breath, "How can this Bottleneck be so difficult..."

The maids usually just set the items down without a word, but Lin Feng could feel that when they reported back, news of his "slow progress and fear of failing to reach Core Formation" would certainly reach You Ji's ears.

That was exactly the effect he wanted—to lower her expectations.

However, beneath this seemingly decadent exterior, Lin Feng was also trying to find a way out.

He summoned the Slug from his spirit beast pouch. This little guy was extremely sensitive to the aura of earth veins; it could be called an expert at scouting, perhaps...

Lin Feng established a close connection with the Slug through his Divine Sense. Immediately, the little guy burrowed into the ground.

Through their mental connection, Lin Feng saw the damp soil, the intertwined fine roots, and the faint, elusive underground airflow.

Suddenly, a slight vibration came from above—it was the sound of patrolling guards' footsteps.

Lin Feng's heart tightened, fearing the Slug had been discovered. He saw the Slug's body shrink slightly, and the luster on its surface instantly became indistinguishable from the surrounding damp, cold soil, to the point that even its weak life force was almost completely retracted, as if it had truly turned into a piece of cold, wet mud.

The guards' footsteps paused above for a moment, and a faint Divine Sense swept over the ground, but it did not linger and soon moved away.

Lin Feng, who had been holding his breath, finally released it slowly, but a great sense of surprise surged in his heart.

He had originally only hoped that the Slug would use its sensitivity to earth Qi to find a path, but he never expected it to have such an astonishing talent for concealment.

This accidental discovery opened up unprecedented possibilities for him. Over the next few nights, the Slug carried out bolder explorations.

He let it try to approach the invisible Formation barrier at the edge of the courtyard, and discovered that as long as the Slug simulated the aura of soil and stone that was of the same origin as the Foundation of the barrier, the alert Formation would not react to it at all.

He even risked letting the Slug crawl slowly past the feet of a dozing guard, and the guard remained completely unaware.

Each successful test made Lin Feng's heart beat violently.

Finally, after countless careful explorations, the Slug followed a cold underground water flow, passed through winding rock crevices, and reached a cliff wall outside the edge of the Sect's Formation.

The water seeped out from the cracks in the cliff and flowed into a deep pool hidden behind dense vines below.

The time was finally ripe. Lin Feng adjusted his state to the Peak, took a deep breath, and a flash of determination crossed his eyes. He began to "go all out for the Core Formation Breakthrough."

Inside the small courtyard, the previously calm Spiritual Qi suddenly became violent. Arcs of electricity flickered around Lin Feng, emitting crackling explosions.

Powerful energy fluctuations instantly destroyed several unimportant decorative Restrictions in the courtyard, emitting piercing buzzing sounds.

"What's going on?!" The guards outside the courtyard were alarmed by this sudden turn of events, their expressions changed, and they immediately wanted to rush in to check.

Just then, the energy fluctuations in the courtyard reached their Peak. Lin Feng's body trembled violently, his face turned deathly pale, and he opened his mouth wide, but could not make a sound.

Then, an extremely blinding thunder light erupted from his body, instantly swallowing his figure.

Boom!!!

A deafening roar exploded in the small courtyard, thunder light raged, blasting scorched black pits into the ground, and smoke filled the air.

A shockwave mixed with pure lightning Spiritual Qi suddenly spread out, throwing the two guards who had rushed in flying!

In the chaos, no one noticed that at the core of the lightning explosion, Lin Feng's real body retracted all his aura at a speed difficult for the naked eye to capture, and in the next instant, he was swallowed by the Slug, which had been lurking in the shadows, into the peculiar tiny space within its body.

The luster on the Slug's body flowed, and it instantly became completely transparent, perfectly blending into the pervasive smoke and the violent energy aftershocks.

The thunder light dissipated, and the smoke slowly settled. The small courtyard was in a mess; on the scorched black ground, apart from scattered gravel and flickering arcs of electricity, there was nothing.

Lin Feng's aura had completely disappeared, as if it had never existed.

"W-what's going on?!" One guard clutched his chest, climbing up in lingering fear, looking at the empty courtyard in disbelief.

Another guard's face was pale, and he said tremblingly, "Such... such a strong energy backlash! Did he... did he explode to death? Not even a remnant left?!"

The news reached You Ji at the fastest speed.

She was sipping tea in her palace, and when she heard the maid's hurried report, the hand holding the teacup paused slightly.

"Dead?" She put down the teacup, her voice showing neither joy nor anger, but the temperature in the palace seemed to drop suddenly, "Body and soul destroyed?"

"Y-yes, Saintess Your Highness." The maid knelt on the ground, not daring to lift her head, "The energy on the scene was violent, there were electric arcs, and when the guards arrived, the figure was already gone, and the aura had completely dissipated..."

You Ji stood up slowly, her black veil moving without wind. Her figure flashed, and the next moment she appeared in the ruined small courtyard.

Her gaze swept coldly over every corner, and her powerful Divine Sense swept over every inch of space, not letting go of any residual energy.

Her brows furrowed tighter and tighter, and her face became increasingly ugly. She had invested quite a few resources into this boy with the special Physique, even braving the criticisms of some Elders in the palace, just counting on him to grow up and become a powerful aid for her to break through her Bottleneck and even fight for the position of Palace Master in the future.

But now... everything was gone! Just like a piece of Spirit Medicine she had carefully cultivated, just as it was about to reach the harvest season, it was suddenly blasted to ashes by a heavenly thunder!

"Trash!" She finally couldn't help it, squeezing the word out through her teeth, her voice filled with irrepressible anger and disappointment, "What a piece of trash! It was a waste for this Palace to value you so much, investing so many resources, and you couldn't even pass the Core Formation stage! Truly... mud that cannot be supported onto a wall!"

She felt a tightness in her chest, as if she had punched into empty air. With expectations falling through and her investment completely lost, this feeling of frustration made her extremely unhappy.

She coldly glanced at the guards and maids kneeling on the ground, shivering, and finally let out a cold snort.

"Clean this up! Let this matter end here; no one is allowed to mention it again!" She flicked her sleeves and turned away, her figure disappearing into the air, leaving behind only one cold sentence and everyone in the courtyard trembling in fear.

Returning to the palace, You Ji still had lingering anger. She looked at the soul-controlling Magical Artifact on the table that she had originally intended to use after Lin Feng reached Core Formation, and felt it was incomparably eyesore.

She grabbed the Magical Artifact, wanting to crush it, but finally took a deep breath and threw it heavily back onto the table.

"Forget it... perhaps this is Heaven's will, one cannot force it." She comforted herself, but the melancholy between her brows did not dissipate for a long time.

An investment she thought was a sure thing ended up in such a state, leaving her quite unwilling, yet helpless.

She could only put her attention back onto her own Cultivation and Sect affairs, trying to put this unpleasant matter completely behind her.

And at this moment, deep in that cold and dark underground water vein, the transparent Slug finally carried its master, following the guidance of that faint water flow, and struggled to break through a layer of accumulated silt and intertwined vine roots.

Splash!

Accompanied by a slight sound of water, the Slug quietly surfaced from a deep pool in a desolate valley.

The long-lost daylight from the outside world pierced through the water surface, and although it was dim, it made the Divine Sense of Lin Feng, who was lurking in the Slug's body space, clear.