18: Chapter 18 Poisons Can Self-Destruct

Zhang Yan's 10,000-coin dagger had indeed come in handy at a critical moment.

The giant scorpion's abdomen had been pierced, leaking copious amounts of dark brown fluid. Xia Shaoxin hurriedly withdrew his blade, unsure if he had been splattered, and immediately consumed a detox pill.

After landing, the scorpion went berserk, spinning wildly with its tail hook sweeping back and forth.

Xia Shaoxin dodged cautiously, in no rush to attack.

A moment later, the scorpion's movements slowed. Seizing the opportunity, he swept his sword horizontally, striking its pincer and knocking it a zhang away.

Just then, the effect of the strength pill ended.

His vision went black, his head swam, but he forced himself to hold on, clutching his chest and taking a few deep breaths.

He picked up a stone from the ground and hurled it fiercely.

Clang! It struck the scorpion's back, but the shell was truly hard, not even leaving a dent.

However, the scorpion went completely still, its tail hook drooping.

Against things with hard defenses, blunt weapons are more effective than a Sharp Weapon.

Xia Shaoxin hunched his back, walked within three steps, and silently recited the Sacrificial Incantation.

Unsure if it would now belong to him, he didn't hold out much hope. Unexpectedly, a ray of light shot from between his brows, and the giant scorpion vanished.

His body suddenly relaxed, and he collapsed to the ground.

A flood of new knowledge surged into his mind.

He had acquired a new medicinal ingredient: Golden Silk Throat-Severing Scorpion!

It only grows in places where the poisonous miasma is thickest, has a very short Lifespan, and grows infinitely within three years. When it grows too large for its body to bear, it automatically explodes, and nothing will grow within several zhang for three years.

This piece of knowledge terrified him.

What did 'infinite growth' mean?

Did it mean that if its Lifespan wasn't only three years, it could grow to the heavens?

Two new varieties had cost him two strength pills.

And they were only at the edge of the barrier.

Xia Shaoxin was brave and extremely curious about the depths of Dawu Mountain, but he hadn't reached the point of risking his life.

'Perhaps I shouldn't recklessly venture deep inside; just searching near the edge is enough. I haven't even taken a wife yet!'

The discomfort from the strength pill faded. He climbed up, continued walking, and saw the third stone disk.

To his surprise, there was a stone tablet in front of the disk with the four large characters 'No Entry'.

He was stunned. Did this mean that even in the eyes of Sect Disciples, the depths of Dawu Mountain could not be entered at will?

He turned to the back, where there was also text, obscured by mud and water. He couldn't see it clearly, so he fetched some water, cleaned it, and found a long passage of text explaining the origin of Dawu Mountain.

'Since the opening of Grandmist, clear Qi has risen and turbid qi has descended, and the heavens have nine layers. Dawu Mountain is a place where turbid qi condenses; those who Cultivate the Dao of purity should not have long-term contact with it.'

This passage left him bewildered, not knowing what it meant, completely lost in the clouds.

'Chiyan Sect Disciples use Dawu Mountain as a trial ground, but they may only catch Poisonous Insects on the periphery and must not enter the inner layer to avoid erosion by the poisonous miasma, which would affect their Cultivation.'

'A Star-Galloping River-Rushing Formation has been specifically set up here to confine the inner layer's Poisonous Insects and prevent them from leaking to the periphery. This Formation can cause the Poisonous Insects of Dawu Mountain to grow rapidly, but it will reduce their Lifespan and make them more ferocious.'

Xia Shaoxin read with great interest. So, Dawu Mountain used to belong to the Chiyan Sect and was a place for Sect Disciples to conduct trials.

The Chiyan Sect used the Formation to gather poisonous miasma and alter the growth patterns of the Poisonous Insects. If these insects weren't caught, they would die rapidly the following year.

No wonder they could always catch Poisonous Insects with qualified growth every year when entering Dawu Mountain; it was all thanks to the Formation.

The Chiyan Sect surely didn't abandon Dawu Mountain because they couldn't defeat the Poisonous Insects; it must have been because it was detrimental to Cultivation, so they gave it to the Yue Kingdom's imperial court.

The reasons for other Sects were likely the same.

The imperial court was just working for the Sects.

'We Bug Catchers are not servants of the imperial court, but slaves doing this wicked work for the Sects.'

Xia Shaoxin looked toward the depths and finally understood why more formidable Dawu Mountain black rats and Golden Silk Throat-Severing Scorpions appeared inside.

Under the influence of the Formation, they absorbed more poisonous miasma, causing more severe mutations.

Although the Golden Silk Throat-Severing Scorpions were more poisonous and ferocious, they might not be on the medicinal prescription, so it didn't matter whether he collected them or not.

Thinking of this, Xia Shaoxin didn't really want to continue going inside.

First, killing one giant black rat or one giant scorpion required consuming a strength pill.

If he went deeper, he was afraid he wouldn't have enough strength pills.

Second, perhaps these Poisonous Insects truly had no value.

The fact that they became stronger was just a side effect of the Formation.

The risk was not proportional to the reward.

After reading the words on the stone tablet, he suddenly discovered a thread under the tablet.

He tugged on the thread and actually pulled out a white sachet.

Looking closely, it didn't look like a sachet. He opened the mouth of the bag, reached a finger inside, and touched a small scrap of paper, only the size of a fingernail.

Thinking it was trash, he casually pulled it out, but unexpectedly, the paper scrap grew in the wind and turned out to be a letter.

'Brother Yun, you tasked me with making a Storage Pouch. Your foolish younger brother is dull; this is the extent of my skill. This bag is only equivalent to five gunny sacks, wasting Brother Yun's Materials. I am deeply ashamed and hope for your understanding.'

Xia Shaoxin rubbed his eyes, unable to believe he had actually picked up a legendary immortal's Storage Pouch!

He hesitated for a moment, then placed a bamboo cage filled with Poisonous Insects at the mouth of the bag.

The mouth of the bag was only a finger wide, but with a hard push, it actually went inside.

Overjoyed, he stuffed all his harvest into the Storage Pouch.

'Haha, as expected, the depths of Dawu Mountain are full of treasures. With this Storage Pouch, I don't have to carry so many things!'

He was hesitating about whether to continue looking inside when a huge vibration suddenly came from afar.

It sounded like mountain rocks falling and smashing into the ground.

He looked up and saw trees in the distance falling one after another, as if a big guy was rushing towards him.

Thump, thump.

The ground trembled incessantly.

He hurriedly turned around and ran toward the outside of the barrier.

A flash of light streaked by as he left the inner layer. When he turned his head to look back, he couldn't help but be dumbfounded.

He saw a huge golden snake, standing two zhang high, sometimes slithering on the ground, sometimes standing up, and then falling to the ground again.

It seemed to be enduring immense pain.

Xia Shaoxin instinctively retreated again. Could this giant snake be chased by some even more terrifying Poisonous Insect?

The giant golden snake rushed to the barrier and lunged with all its might. The barrier emitted a flash of light, knocking the giant snake back.

The giant snake climbed up from the ground, struck again, and was knocked back again.

It seemed the creatures inside also knew they were trapped and wanted to leave.

The giant snake struck a few times, then suddenly stood upright—three zhang, four zhang—its whole body supported by its tail.

Could it escape from above?

Xia Shaoxin believed that even if he ate ten strength pills at once, he couldn't contend with such a Poisonous Insect.

Just as he was about to turn and run, the giant golden snake suddenly burst open at its so-called 'three-inch' spot.

Streams of green liquid sprayed in all directions, and wherever it landed, trees and weeds withered at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The spot where Xia Shaoxin had just been standing had now turned into a bare patch of land.

What terrified him most was that although the giant snake couldn't get out, the liquid on its body could flow out; the barrier did not block it.

Soon, the area outside the barrier also turned into a wasteland.

The giant snake collapsed to the ground, its body breaking apart everywhere, with liquid flowing out from under every inch of its skin.

Xia Shaoxin watched intently, sighing in his heart. The fact that this giant snake grew so large was entirely thanks to the poisonous miasma.

Growing rapidly for a few years, it turned into a terrifying monster, and today its Lifespan had reached its end, causing it to self-destruct.

Fortunately, he had changed his mind in time and didn't rashly walk inside.

He still held a strength pill in his palm and turned to retreat.

'I am just a Bug Catcher, not a Sect Disciple. One should only eat as much as one's bowl can hold; if I overestimate my abilities, I won't even have time to regret it.'

Today he had seen the world, obtained two new medicinal ingredients—though he didn't know what they were for yet—and picked up a Storage Pouch, so he could consider it a full harvest.

He still had a few miasma-repelling pills left, so he felt at ease catching Poisonous Insects on the periphery.

The combination of miasma-repelling pills and strength pills showed its Divine Might here, as he explored places no one had ever been to. In just a few days, his harvest was far greater than in previous years.

He put everything into the Storage Pouch, and walking became increasingly easy.