99: Chapter 99 Feigning Compliance

In the cold, bone-chilling underground cavern, it was so deathly silent that one could hear a pin drop.

Wei Lingfeng reached out to catch the glass bottle and red blood essence glue tossed by Gu Shen. He did not use them immediately, instead forcing out a thread of extremely fine Sword Qi to pierce into the essence glue.

The Sword Qi entered without resistance. Only a majestic, heart-palpitating, pure vitality erupted outward.

The mockery in Wei Lingfeng's eyes receded slightly, replaced by a touch of gravity.

"What domineering vitality. It lacks Spiritual Qi, yet it can regrow flesh and knit bones."

He no longer hesitated and pulled the stopper from the glass bottle. The pungent, potent purifying water was poured directly onto the deep, bone-visible black palm print on his chest.

"Hiss—!"

Wei Lingfeng gasped, the veins on his forehead bulging. As the purifying water entered his flesh, the Evil Qi that clung to the wound like bone-eating rot was forcibly cleansed and neutralized by this mundane water lacking any Spiritual Qi, dissipating into wisps of black smoke.

Immediately afterward, he pressed the mass of red blood essence glue onto the wound.

Granulation tissue writhed frantically. In less than ten breaths, a thick scab had formed over the fatal penetrating wound. Wei Lingfeng's aura, which had been extremely withered, finally stabilized.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, impressive methods."

Wei Lingfeng exhaled a long breath of turbid air and gave Gu Shen a deep look.

He raised his right hand and snapped his fingers.

From the gloomy shadows of the stalactites above and to the right of Gu Shen, a dull mechanical sound emerged. A tall figure, shrouded in black robes and exuding the terrifying Spiritual Pressure of a Foundation Establishment Initial Stage Cultivator, slowly took half a step back and completely vanished into the darkness.

The murderous intent was lifted.

Cold sweat had long since soaked Gu Shen's thousand-tough black silk armor, but his expression remained as calm as an ancient well.

"Fellow Daoist Wei is too polite. I take one's money, I perform the task." Gu Shen said in a hoarse voice, walking to the entrance of the cavern to sit cross-legged, his long saber resting across his knees. "For these three days, I will guard the entrance. Fellow Daoist, feel free to refine the blood marrow lotus in peace."

"Straightforward."

Wei Lingfeng laughed, which agitated his wound, causing him to cough up two mouthfuls of stagnant blood.

With a flip of his wrist, a cyan Jade Slip and a small black jade box with a Spirit-Sealing Talisman attached turned into two streams of light and landed steadily before Gu Shen.

"The complete secret technique for the Soul-Pulling Threads. And, three living Nine Nether Silkworms."

Wei Lingfeng closed his eyes, his voice growing low. "These three Nine Nether Silkworms were obtained by me with great effort from an Ancient Tomb years ago. I had intended to keep them to cultivate silk, but today, consider them the deposit for your protection. After three days, these fifteen Iron Corpse Puppets will also be yours."

Gu Shen's gaze sharpened.

He picked up the Jade Slip and scanned it with his Divine Sense. Sure enough, the method of controlling threads recorded inside was extremely detailed, far beyond the Incomplete Manual he had seen in the Ghost Market before.

He then picked up the small black jade box.

He peeled back a corner of the Spirit-Sealing Talisman. An extremely pure, extreme Yin and Evil Qi instantly spilled out, freezing a layer of white frost onto Gu Shen's fingertips.

Inside the jade box, three pitch-black worms the size of rice grains lay quietly. They were in a state of extreme, weak hibernation, as if they could die at any moment.

"Living Nine Nether Silkworms."

Gu Shen felt wild joy in his heart. As long as they were living creatures, he could bring them into the Spiritless Ruins!

The mutated jungle on the fourth level of the Wasteland, the poisonous swamp of Yin water on the fifth level—they were filled with mutated toxic light and Yin coldness far more terrifying and extreme than those in the Cultivation World. Raising these three Nine Nether Silkworms there would absolutely allow him to cultivate extremely powerful mutated silken threads!

Gu Shen calmly stored the Jade Slip and the jade box into his Storage Ring.

"Many thanks."

The cavern fell into deathly silence.

Wei Lingfeng swallowed the piece of blood marrow lotus, and a layer of rich, blood-colored Spiritual Qi rose around his body as he began to charge at the Bottleneck of the Foundation Establishment Stage with all his might.

Gu Shen, like a stone statue, stood guard at the entrance.

Gu Shen sat cross-legged, appearing to be resting his eyes, but in reality, he was constantly deducing the method of the Soul-Pulling Threads in his mind.

In his spare time, he took the black bone fragment he had seized at the Rootless Ghost Market from his Storage Ring, and by the faint Yin light, he repeatedly studied the route map on it.

One day. Two days.

By the morning of the third day.

Rumble—!!!

The originally dead-silent underground cavern suddenly erupted with a terrifying roar that sounded like a Dragon turning over!

Gu Shen suddenly opened his eyes and stood up abruptly.

On the stone platform, the blood-colored Spiritual Qi around Wei Lingfeng had become thick to the extreme, transforming into a massive blood-red pillar of light that crashed through the rock layer at the top of the cavern and shot straight into the clouds!

"What violent heavenly phenomena!" Gu Shen's pupils constricted.

The extreme Yin Evil Qi within a ten-mile radius of Baiyin Mountain seemed to be drawn by some terrifying force, forming a massive black funnel that poured crazily down onto Wei Lingfeng's head!

High in the air, a phantom of an extremely enchanting blood-red lotus, several zhang in size, slowly bloomed amidst the dark clouds.

Foundation Establishment phenomena!

Such a shocking commotion that altered the level of life could not be concealed at all!

"He's gone mad! With this commotion, the Blood Fiend Sect patrol team a hundred miles away will be able to see it clearly!"

Gu Shen did not hesitate and waved his large sleeve.

Four Formation Flags instantly submerged into the rock walls around the cavern. The earth-yellow light screen of the Thick Earth Array rose with a boom, tightly covering the entrance, attempting to forcibly suppress the terrifying Spiritual Pressure and blood light leaking outward within the cavern.

Bang! Bang! Bang!

The violent turbulence of Spiritual Qi smashed against the Thick Earth Array, and the three Low-Grade Spirit Stones on the Formation Plate dimmed at a speed visible to the naked eye.

"Suppress for me!"

Gu Shen bit his fingertip and flicked a drop of essence blood onto the Formation Plate, forcibly stabilizing the Formation's light screen.

A full half-hour passed.

The phantom of the blood lotus in mid-air finally emitted a crisp shattering sound, turning into a sky full of blood-colored light rain that submerged entirely into the crown of Wei Lingfeng's head.

Boom!

An extremely powerful, terrifying Spiritual Pressure, far exceeding that of the Qi Refining Stage by more than ten times, erupted within the cavern, instantly shattering the light screen of the Thick Earth Array!

Wei Lingfeng rose to his feet.

The wounds on his body had already healed, and as his eyes opened and closed, substantive Sword Qi could be seen flickering within them.

Foundation Establishment Initial Stage!

He had succeeded.

Gu Shen stood behind the shattered Formation Plate, gripping the hilt of his saber, his expression one of extreme vigilance.

Wei Lingfeng glanced at Gu Shen and suddenly burst into laughter.

"Fellow Daoist Chen, thank you for the concealment of this Formation. Otherwise, the mad dogs of the Blood Fiend Sect would have likely bitten their way to my doorstep by now."

He waved his large sleeve, and a pitch-black iron tablet flew toward Gu Shen.

"This is the Corpse-Control Tablet. These fifteen Iron Corpse Puppets are yours."

Gu Shen caught the Corpse-Control Tablet and scanned it with his Divine Sense. These fifteen Puppet skeletons were all refined from high-quality refined iron and the remains of Cultivators; they were extremely rare base materials.

"Fellow Daoist Wei, the phenomena have appeared; this place is not suitable for a long stay." Gu Shen stored the Corpse-Control Tablet into his Storage Ring and reminded him coldly.

"I know that naturally."

"Fellow Daoist Chen, are you interested in this remaining map of the Myriad Insect Tomb?"

Gu Shen's movements paused slightly as he held the bone fragment between his fingers: "Fellow Daoist recognizes this item?"

"Deep within Baiyin Mountain lies a treasure land of extreme Yin. The route on this bone fragment points to a Myriad Insect Tomb left behind by an ancient demonic Cultivator."

Wei Lingfeng's tone was calm, yet it revealed a composure that saw through everything. "That place not only nurtures massive amounts of extreme Yin spiritual materials, but it also hides the secret techniques of ancient demonic Cultivators for cultivating mutated Gu insects. However, the black bone in your hand is merely the Yin Key."