15: Chapter 15 Releasing a worm blows open a cage

The cyan light barrier completely sealed every inch of the gaps, and Yao Weng's Golden Core Late Stage Divine Sense, like two huge millstones, carried the fury to crush everything, repeatedly grinding over the entire herb garden inch by inch.

The blades of grass trembled under the invisible pressure, and the air became viscous and heavy.

Shen Xiao lay in the pit he had dug like a corpse, not moving a single bit.

He could clearly feel the mimic stone on his chest frantically drawing Spiritual Power from his Dantian like a bottomless pit; his originally fairly full Spiritual Power reserves were rapidly bottoming out at a speed visible to the naked eye.

On the cold System interface, a blood-red countdown appeared glaringly: [14:59].

He knew very well that these fifteen minutes were the limit of the camouflage time the mimic stone could provide him.

Once the time was up, or if his Spiritual Power was drained first, the camouflage effect would instantly vanish.

By then, he would be like a girl without clothes, nakedly exposed in front of this raging lion, Yao Weng.

It would be a dead end, the kind where even your ashes would be scattered.

Forcing down his heartbeat, which was thumping wildly due to fear, he roared with his mind: "System! Analyze! Optimal solution! Quick!"

The map in his mind instantly lit up, countless lines representing possibilities intertwined and flickered, only to fade away one after another in the next second.

Yao Weng's Divine Sense blockade was too perfect; all physical escape routes were marked as "99.9% lethality rate."

Just as Shen Xiao's heart sank to the bottom, a brand-new highlighted line suddenly appeared on the map.

One end of this red line connected to the "Earth Emperor Earthworm stone carving" he had just obtained in his Storage Pouch, and the other end pointed straight to the very center of the herb garden, to an exquisite greenhouse protected by an independent Formation.

Next to the red line, a line of notes popped up: [High-value resonance target: Jade Marrow Dragon Emperor Ginseng. The Earth Emperor Earthworm is its companion spirit object; forced separation will cause the Jade Marrow Dragon Emperor Ginseng to drop in grade and the Spiritual Vein within the garden to be in chaos.]

So that was it!

Shen Xiao's pupils contracted suddenly, and a thousand thoughts twisted into a single strand in the flash of lightning.

That Earth Emperor Earthworm was not a free gift at all!

Like the seven-star grass, it was an "Opportunity" hinted at by the System; in fact, its value was far above the seven-star grass!

It was the only fulcrum to pry open this entire dead end!

An incredibly bold, almost crazy plan instantly formed in his mind—release this worm, explode this cage!

He held his breath, raised his perception to the limit, and carefully felt the frequency at which Yao Weng's Divine Sense millstone swept past.

Once, and again... like a metronome, violent, but regular.

Found it!

Between the two scans, there was a gap of less than half a breath!

Now!

Seizing that fleeting gap, Shen Xiao's movements were as fast as lightning.

With a thought, the heavy "stone carving" in his Storage Pouch instantly appeared in his hand.

Without the slightest hesitation, he directly wiped away the Spiritual Power imprint on the Stone-Condensing Talisman!

"Crack!"

The gray-white stone shell shattered in response, and the Earth Emperor Earthworm, having regained its freedom, let out a silent shriek.

In the next second, the muscles in Shen Xiao's arm bulged, and he used all his strength to throw this slippery big worm towards the direction of the central greenhouse!

After doing all this, he didn't even have time to see the result; he reached back into his Storage Pouch, pulled out a Talisman, and threw it fiercely towards the southeast corner, which was completely opposite to the greenhouse!

"Thunder Talisman!"

The Earth Emperor Earthworm regained its mobility in mid-air.

Its desire for the seven-star grass and the temptation of the Iron-Backed Gray Wolf's urine were at this moment completely overwhelmed by another instinct originating from the depths of its Bloodline.

That was an absolute desire for its companion main herb—the Jade Marrow Dragon Emperor Ginseng!

It barely landed; its massive body twisted violently in mid-air, like a drill, and with a "puff" sound, it dove headfirst into the soft Spiritual Field soil, frantically drilling towards the direction of the central greenhouse at an incredible speed!

Almost at the same moment—

"Boom!"

A deafening loud noise exploded violently in the southeast corner of the silent herb garden!

The Thunder Talisman exploded in response, blue-purple electric arcs illuminating a small patch of the night sky, the commotion so great it was as if someone had failed at Undergoing Tribulation there.

"The thief is over there!"

Yao Weng's raging Divine Sense, like a shark that had smelled blood, was instantly attracted by the loud noise and swept towards the southeast corner like a landslide or tsunami!

Feinting to the east to attack in the west, it worked!

However, before Yao Weng's Divine Sense could lock onto that empty explosion point, a new change occurred!

"Hum—hum—hum—!!!"

At the very center of the herb garden, that independent greenhouse guarding the Jade Marrow Dragon Emperor Ginseng suddenly erupted with an extremely ear-piercing alarm buzz!

A thin layer of golden light shield flickered violently, as if it would shatter at any moment!

A terrifying aura of Spiritual Qi running wild and dropping in grade rose from the greenhouse like a volcanic eruption!

Yao Weng's Divine Sense, which had just rushed to the southeast corner, suddenly stalled, and in the next second, he let out a roar even more miserable and horrifying than if his own father had died:

"No—my Dragon Emperor Ginseng!!!"

When the seven-star grass was stolen, he was only angry.

But if something happened to the Jade Marrow Dragon Emperor Ginseng, it would cost him his life!

At this moment, whatever damn thief, whatever Sect loss, were all thrown to the nine heavens and ten earths!

He instantly abandoned the search for the thief, and poured his Golden Core Late Stage Divine Sense and Spiritual Power, which were as vast as the sea, into the central greenhouse without regard for the cost, desperately suppressing the Spiritual Vein riot that was about to collapse!

The energy of the entire herb garden's defensive Formation, like floodwater from an opened gate, frantically surged towards the central greenhouse to maintain Yao Weng's suppression.

In an instant, the energy regulation of the Formation had a fatal gap.

At the point of Shen Xiao's entry, the sewage channel node that had originally been repaired and reinforced, because its energy was forcibly drawn away, saw its cyan light barrier begin to flicker violently, flickering on and off, becoming extremely unstable!

The System's cold prompt sound, like the music of heaven, rang in Shen Xiao's ears:

[Alert! Formation gap appeared, duration: ten breaths!]

Shen Xiao, like a leopard that had been lurking for a long time, jumped up from the pit, his bones popping all over his body.

He used all his strength in his legs, transforming himself into a black shadow gliding close to the ground, rushing madly towards that flickering sewage channel node!

Nine breaths!

Eight breaths!

He could clearly see that the flickering light barrier was rapidly stabilizing, and the gap was about to close!

Without the slightest hesitation, he crashed into it!

Just as he passed through the gap, an out-of-control, extremely violent Formation turbulence, like a heavy hammer swung by someone, slammed fiercely into his back!

"Puff—!"

Shen Xiao only felt a sweetness in his throat, his vision went black, and a large mouthful of hot blood sprayed out uncontrollably.

His internal organs felt as if they were being tightly gripped by an invisible giant hand and then violently torn apart, and waves of stabbing, burning pain came from his Meridians.

This wasn't an act; this was a real, solid moderate internal injury!

But he didn't even have time to wipe the blood from the corner of his mouth; enduring the roiling injuries, he scrambled out of the herb garden, and without looking back, fled into the deep darkness, disappearing at the end of the overgrown mountain path.

Just moments after his figure disappeared, Yao Weng's roar of anger, suppressed to the extreme yet carrying a hint of relief, resounded through the night sky of the entire Qingming Sect.

"What a cunning thief! You actually used a feint to lure the tiger away from the mountain, and you were even backlashed by the Formation; you're lucky you ran fast! This old man will definitely drag you out, skin you, and pull out your tendons!"

The voice drifted far away with the night wind.

Shen Xiao, hiding behind a large tree several hundred meters away, heard this perfect "verdict."

He wiped away the bloodstain at the corner of his mouth, and a cold smile slowly curled up on his pale face.

Very good.

With both human and material evidence present, the identity of a perfect victim who "luckily escaped but suffered heavy injuries" had already been prepared for him.

Elder Yao, thank you for your cooperation. I will remember this favor.