The Elusive Gu Insects

All five of them could sense the residual power of thunder lingering on Yan Feng's corpse, yet Ji Yin was undeniably a demonic cultivator.

As was universally known, it was impossible for a demonic cultivator to master the power of heavenly thunder. This meant that Ji Yin's method of killing Yan Feng did not stem from his own power but rather from an external item.

For Ji Yin to defeat Yan Feng with thunder, he had likely utilized some special Dharma Treasure.

Such unique Dharma Treasures usually came with strict limitations and could not be used indefinitely. Otherwise, Ji Yin would not have fled continuously while they pursued him.

Therefore, if the five of them were to besiege Ji Yin regardless of the cost, there was a high probability they could slay him, though someone would undoubtedly perish as a result.

They had originally believed that hunting down Ji Yin would be an effortless task, but now that they were faced with the prospect of death, a sense of dread and hesitation crept into their hearts.

"Ji Yin must die. If he is allowed to live and bring news of our Yan family's betrayal back to the Corpse Demon Sect, not a single soul of the Yan family will survive."

After a brief silence, one of them spoke up.

The other four snapped out of their daze.

Indeed, Ji Yin had to die. If he lived, the entire Yan family would be annihilated.

"Collect Yan Feng's corpse. We will continue the pursuit. Since Ji Yin killed Yan Feng, the price he paid cannot have been small. He shouldn't be able to run much farther."

"Very well..."

A man clad in gray squatted down and reached toward Yan Feng's corpse, preparing to store it within his Storage Bag.

Suddenly!

Several small gray insects flew out from Yan Feng's corpse, lunging straight toward his face.

The distance was far too short, and the insects moved with lightning speed.

The gray-clothed man was completely unguarded. It had never crossed his mind that danger would still be lurking on Yan Feng's corpse. Before he could react, the insects had already latched onto his face.

Following his nasal cavity, the tiny creatures bored directly into his brain.

Overcome with terror, the gray-clothed man instinctively leapt back, screaming at the top of his lungs, "An ambush! There's an ambush!"

It all happened too fast. The other four had yet to grasp the situation and asked in confusion,

"Fifth Brother, what is wrong?"

"Something has tunneled into my brain!" the gray-clothed man replied, his expression twisted in horror.

He could feel five small insects crawling through the crevices of his skull, boring toward his marrow, yet he was utterly at a loss for what to do.

How could he force these insects out without destroying his own brain marrow?

"What exactly are they?" one of them asked anxiously.

"Insects!"

"Insects?" the other said urgently. "If they are just insects, can't you use your True Essence to force them out?"

"I cannot!"

The gray-clothed man shook his head. He had clearly already tried.

These insects were formidable. Even when he mobilized the entirety of his True Essence to suppress them, he could only slow their advance; he could not restrain them completely, let alone expel them from his body.

"Ah..."

The gray-clothed man suddenly clutched his head with both hands, collapsing to the ground as he howled in agonizing, heart-wrenching pain.

Listening to his wretched screams, the remaining four felt a chill run down their spines.

Just as one of them stepped forward to examine his condition, another voice cried out in sheer terror,

"Could they be... Gu insects!"

Hearing those words, the man who had intended to help immediately recoiled. All four of them retreated two steps in unison.

"Gu insects!"

The four stared in utter disbelief at the howling man on the ground. They could hardly credit their own ears. How could an outer sect disciple of the Corpse Demon Sect, who was merely at the third layer of Qi Condensation, cultivate Gu insects?

Could he be the disciple of some hidden grandmaster?

While the four stood frozen, unsure of how to proceed,

one of them suddenly felt a sharp, excruciating pain in the vulnerable area between his thighs, as though a steel nail had been violently driven through his vitals.

He instinctively raised a hand to strike the spot, but considering the extreme fragility of his groin, he hesitated for a brief instant.

Right then, another stabbing pain pierced his Shenque acupoint. A Gu insect had slipped through his navel and bored into his abdomen.

The other three met with the exact same fate, their vulnerable spots targeted by the elusive, ghostly insects.

In an instant, agonizing shrieks echoed through the forest.

Though the Black-bellied Beetle Gu were minuscule, their strength was genuinely at the fourth layer of Qi Condensation.

Having already breached the cultivators' bodies, a full-force strike from them was something the physical flesh of fifth-layer Qi Condensation cultivators could not withstand.

Whichever part the Black-bellied Beetle Gu attacked was instantly reduced to a bloody mess; even the sturdiest human bones shattered under their impact.

A moment later, the shrieks ceased.

All five had fallen completely silent.

At that moment, Song Wen's figure slowly emerged from the dense forest.

As it turned out, he had never gone far. He had been hiding in the thickets the entire time, using his Divine Sense to monitor the five men and command the Black-bellied Beetle Gu in their assault.

His Divine Sense was considerably stronger and possessed a much greater range than theirs. Thus, he had been able to watch their every move without exposing himself.

The moment he spotted the five, he had resolved to use his Gu insects to spring an ambush.

He had concealed the Black-bellied Beetle Gu within Yan Feng's corpse and the surrounding soil, using the residual power of thunder to mask their presence. Coupled with the Beetle Gu's natural aptitude for hiding their aura, the five men had failed to notice a thing, allowing the sneak attack to succeed perfectly.

Furthermore, having executed the Blood Escape Technique, Song Wen's speed was far superior to theirs, guaranteeing that he held the initiative. This was the source of his confidence to lay this trap.

When he approached the bodies, the twenty-odd Black-bellied Beetle Gu were still wriggling inside, feasting ravenously.

By now, very little remained of the essence blood, bone marrow, brain marrow, and internal organs-the parts most enriched with spiritual energy.

It was a wonder how the minuscule bodies of the Black-bellied Beetle Gu could swallow so much into their bellies.

Song Wen shook his head helplessly. He had originally intended to refine the essence blood of these five men, but it seemed their corpses no longer held any value for that purpose.

Nevertheless, since they had just died, their souls had not yet dispersed. They were prime materials for cultivating the Divine Restriction Technique to strengthen his Divine Sense, and could not be wasted.

Spending dozens of breaths, Song Wen completely devoured the souls of the five men, along with the essence blood and soul remaining in Yan Feng's body. He then swept the six corpses into his Storage Bag.

Turning on his heel, Song Wen sped off in the direction of the Corpse Demon Sect.

Before long, a massive river barred his path.

The river's surface was vast, stretching several miles wide. At a glance, it seemed boundless, its roiling, tumultuous yellow waters surging forward.

Seeing this river, Song Wen knew his bearings were correct. This was a mandatory crossing on the route back to the sect.

Reaching this place meant he had already completed nearly half his journey.

He glanced up at the sky. The sun had long since dipped below the western horizon, and the light was fading fast. The outlines of the surrounding forest were growing blurred and indistinct.

Song Wen produced a flying talisman and activated it. Rising into the air, he glided toward the opposite bank.

As he reached the midpoint of the river, he cast the six corpses into the depths below. They were instantly swallowed by the churning waves, vanishing without a trace.

Before the flying talisman's efficacy was completely spent, Song Wen spotted a crevice in a cliffside and concealed himself within.

He did not intend to travel through the night. For one, vision was restricted, and navigating an unfamiliar forest in the dark carried too many unknown risks.

Furthermore, after a succession of narrow escapes, the Qi within his body was nearly depleted, and he urgently needed to sit in meditation to recover.

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