128: Chapter 128: The Rise of King Kaku

Gu Shen's body was half-submerged in waist-deep black water, sliding slowly forward while pressed against the slippery rock wall.

The deeper he went, the thinner the green poisonous miasma of the Myriad Insect Tomb became.

In its place was an extremely intense, almost tangible, fishy-sweet scent.

That was the natural territorial pressure of a high-level poisonous creature.

Low-level poisonous insects dared not approach this place by even half a step. In the crevices along the way, there were only massive insect molts and pale bones that had been weathered for who knows how many years.

"Master. One hundred zhang ahead. The spatial structure has fractured."

A faint, isolated vibration frequency came from the black iron clasp at his collar, sent by Crab. To avoid being captured by high-level Divine Sense, Crab had voluntarily cut off all active detection radar, retaining only the most basic passive sonar collection.

"The energy source is extremely violent. Please suppress your vital signs to the minimum."

Gu Shen did not speak, only nodding imperceptibly.

He held his breath, switching to an extremely slow internal breathing technique. The Thousand Faces disguise locked every pore on his body. Even the vibrations of his dark gold iron bones were forcibly suppressed into the depths of his bone marrow, not leaking a single ripple of fluctuation.

The water came to an end.

Ahead was an extremely narrow rock fissure, only wide enough for one person to pass through sideways.

Gu Shen did not hesitate, silently pressing against the edge of the fissure and inching half his head out.

His field of vision suddenly opened up.

Beyond the fissure, it was no longer a cramped passage, but a subterranean basin so vast it was suffocating.

The basin was funnel-shaped. On the surrounding rock walls, countless thick, black stalactites hung upside down.

In the very center of the basin was a bone-white square spanning several hundred zhang. It was piled high with the remains of thousands of strange poisonous insects, resembling a grim monument of bones.

This was the final arena of the Myriad Insect Tomb.

Those able to leave their bones there had all been fearsome creatures in their lifetimes.

But at this moment, Gu Shen's gaze did not linger on those bones for even an instant.

His pupils were locked tightly onto the behemoth in the center of the bone square, which resembled a small mountain.

It was a terrifying, ferocious insect over three zhang long, shaped like a hybrid of a giant longhorn beetle and a mantis.

Its entire body was covered in a thick shell that looked like it had been cast from dark gold and was covered in ancient demonic patterns. On its back grew six pairs of blade-wings as thin as cicada wings but shimmering with a cold metallic light. Beneath its body were dozens of long, spear-sharp legs, deeply embedded in the pile of bones.

Most heart-stopping of all were the two thick antennae on its head, which were constantly emitting gray waves of poison into the air that were clearly visible to the naked eye.

Golden-Backed Gu King!

The Spiritual Pressure of a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator was like an invisible ocean, recklessly filling the entire underground basin.

Gu Shen only glanced at it once before feeling a stinging pain in his eyes; the unhealed cracks in his Sea of Consciousness felt as if they were about to split open again.

He immediately lowered his eyelids, shrinking his body completely into the shadow of the stalactite.

"With a ferocious creature like this, even if Xu Yin and Wei Lingfeng joined forces at their Peak, they would only be swallowed alive."

Gu Shen made this judgment in his heart.

Just then.

Crack.

A faint sound of bone breaking came from the edge of the bone square.

Gu Shen shifted his gaze slightly.

About fifty zhang away from the Golden-Backed Gu King, behind a collapsed giant stone pillar, Wei Lingfeng was leaning there.

This descendant of the Qianji Pavilion was in a wretched state. His tattered brocade robe had been corroded by poison until it was pitted and scarred, and his left leg was unnaturally twisted, clearly broken.

He was gripping a cyan longsword full of notches tightly in his hand.

Hiding behind the stone pillar, he carefully concealed his aura. His eyes, like a viper, were fixed unblinkingly on the Gu King in the center of the square, which was in a semi-slumbering state.

Wei Lingfeng's gaze was focused on an extremely hidden crack on the Gu King's abdomen. There, a blob of viscous liquid, as clear and translucent as jade, was faintly pulsating.

"gu king marrow." Gu Shen understood instantly.

This was Wei Lingfeng's true goal. He had used the blood marrow lotus to achieve a Foundation Establishment Breakthrough just so he would have the qualifications to come here and forcefully gouge out that mass of gu king marrow, which condensed the Origin of ten thousand insects, from this peerless ferocious insect!

But Wei Lingfeng had failed.

He had underestimated the Foundation Establishment Late Stage Gu King. After only a few exchanges, he had been severely wounded and could only rely on the Qianji Pavilion's concealment Formation Plate to hide behind the stone pillar and survive.

The entire basin fell into a delicate, deathly silence. The Gu King was sleeping to digest the previous battle. Wei Lingfeng was waiting for it to fall completely asleep. Gu Shen was waiting for them to both be defeated and injured.

However, this fragile balance was shattered extremely violently by an uninvited guest.

Boom!

At another tunnel entrance on the right side of the basin, the thick rock wall was shattered by a violent burst of Evil Qi. Xu Yin walked out.

On the stump of his left shoulder, a thick layer of foul-smelling black ointment was applied, forcibly stopping the gushing blood. The sword mark on his chest was deep enough to see bone.

His pale face was now twisted like a demon's due to blood loss and extreme bloodthirsty fervor.

He carried a blood spear in one hand, making no attempt to conceal himself. The Foundation Establishment Initial Stage Spiritual Pressure of a sea of blood erupted in the basin.

"Wei Lingfeng!" Xu Yin's hoarse voice, like a night owl, exploded over the basin. His scarlet, pupil-less eyes instantly locked onto Wei Lingfeng behind the stone pillar.

"Hand over... the blood marrow lotus!"

Xu Yin was mad. The fatal strike from the Talisman Treasure had not only severed his arm but also severed his sanity. He now had only one thought in his mind: get the blood marrow lotus and regrow his severed arm; otherwise, his Dao path for this lifetime would be completely ruined.

Behind the stone pillar, Wei Lingfeng looked at Xu Yin, who had charged out like a mad dog. A flicker of astonishment and anger first flashed in his eyes, then transformed into extreme coldness and cruelty.

He did not run. Because he couldn't. Xu Yin's Evil Qi had already locked down this space. Moreover, that roar had already provoked the most terrifying monster in this underground.

Wei Lingfeng slowly stood up straight. Leaning on his broken sword, he looked at Xu Yin's empty left arm, a smirk of undisguised sarcasm curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Xu Yin. A true disciple of the Blood Fiend Sect. You really are like a ghost that won't disperse."

Wei Lingfeng's voice was not loud, but every word was heart-piercing.

"You lost an arm and chased me here like a stray dog, just to ask me for the blood marrow lotus?"

"Give it to me!" Xu Yin roared, kicking off hard with one leg. The bones beneath his feet instantly turned into powder. His whole body transformed into a blinding blood-red light, holding the spear in one hand, like a blood-colored lightning bolt striking straight at Wei Lingfeng's throat!

"Dead men don't need to talk!"

Facing this violent strike, which was enough to instantly kill a Peak Qi Refining cultivator, the sarcasm on Wei Lingfeng's face intensified. He did not retreat. His right hand gripping the sword shook violently.

Boom! A Foundation Establishment Stage Spiritual Pressure, not in the least weaker than Xu Yin's, and even slightly superior in the purity of its mana, erupted from within Wei Lingfeng and soared into the sky!

Cyan Sword Qi spread out like a peacock displaying its tail, instantly weaving into an extremely sturdy sword net before him.

Clang—!!! The blood spear slammed heavily into the sword net. A deafening sound of metal clashing resonated through the basin. Air waves rolled out, blowing away all the bones within a ten-zhang radius.

Xu Yin's forward momentum came to an abrupt halt. He stared fixedly at Wei Lingfeng, who was within arm's reach; for the first time, extreme disbelief and shock surged in his scarlet eyes.

"Foundation Establishment Stage?!" Xu Yin's voice was trembling, "How is it possible... You only got the blood marrow lotus half a month ago, how could you possibly reach Foundation Establishment so quickly?!"

Wei Lingfeng held the sword in one hand, firmly resisting the blood spear, and sneered repeatedly.

"Because that blood marrow lotus had already entered my stomach long before entering the Myriad Insect Tomb."

"You mad dog, you chased me the whole way, but you were only chasing an empty shell!"

Pfft. Hearing these words, Xu Yin's already severely wounded chest stagnated, and a mouthful of blood sprayed out directly.

He had lost an arm. He had pursued with all his might. He had even prepared to kill Wei Lingfeng and immediately refine the blood marrow lotus to reshape his Physical Body. As it turned out, the other party had not only eaten the medicine but had also used it to break through to the same Foundation Establishment Stage as him!

"No... I don't believe it! I will rip you open and extract the medicinal power!"

Extreme despair made Xu Yin fall into complete madness. He roared at the sky, his blood began to burn, and he recklessly activated the secret technique of the Blood Fiend Sect, the light on the blood spear surging again.

But the massive Spiritual Qi fluctuations generated by the life-and-death collision between these two Foundation Establishment great cultivators finally crossed a dangerous red line.

"Hiss—!!!" In the very center of the bone square, the Golden-Backed Gu King, like a small mountain, slowly raised its head.

Those dark golden eyeballs, composed of countless compound eyes, were like two cold searchlights, instantly locking onto the two "little bugs" that were being presumptuous within its territory.

The terrifying, violent Spiritual Pressure belonging to a Foundation Establishment Late Stage cultivator, like a tangible mountain, smashed down onto the heads of Wei Lingfeng and Xu Yin without warning.

The Gu King had completely awakened.

In the shadow of the rock fissure, Gu Shen lay behind the stalactite like a dead thing, motionless.

His gaze was extremely cold and extremely patient as he watched below.

"Bite. The more tragic the fight, the better."

"Once you have bled dry, I will come and collect your corpses."