Old Acquaintance

Song Wen had specially commissioned two jade boxes designed for storing spirit medicine.

Each box was precisely an inch in length and width, offering just enough space to house a Heavenly Spirit Fruit, which was only the size of a walnut.

His plan was audacious.

He intended to swallow both jade boxes, using his Black-armored Gu to guide them down and embed them directly into the left and right atria of his heart.

Once inside, the essence blood pumping through his heart would coat the boxes, completely masking their presence and the spiritual aura of the Heavenly Spirit Fruits. By leveraging his physical control over his own vital energy, he could seamlessly blend the aura of his essence blood and the jade boxes together, hiding them from the outside world.

With this method, the Foundation Establishment elders tasked with screening disciples for smuggled goods would find it nearly impossible to detect them.

While the concept was straightforward, executing it was fraught with extreme danger.

Aside from the brain, the heart was the most critical organ in the human body-the absolute core of a cultivator's vitality. A single misstep would mean the immediate end of his path, resulting in nothing less than bodily death and the dissipation of his Dao.

Fortunately, he possessed the Black-armored Gu. They could assist him by rapidly suturing any incisions made to his heart.

Furthermore, Song Wen's body stored an immense reserve of essence blood. The loss incurred from cutting into his heart would not be severe enough to threaten his life.

To test the feasibility of his plan, Song Wen had already attempted placing the two jade boxes into his atria once before.

That trial had subjected him to excruciating agony. The moment his heart was pierced, it felt as though an unseen hand had violently crushed the organ within his chest. A tearing, agonizing spasm tore through his entire frame, leaving him temporarily incapable of mobilizing even a single shred of spiritual power or physical strength.

Thankfully, the Black-armored Gu had done their work perfectly, binding the wounds without delay.

After gradually conditioning his body to the severe pain, Song Wen had used his own Divine Sense to inspect his chest. Even with his heightened perception, detecting the jade boxes hidden deep within his heart proved incredibly difficult.

The central square soon filled with several hundred people.

Only a fraction of them actually intended to enter the Withered Blood Secret Realm. The vast majority were mere onlookers, hoping to see if their enemies would step forward. If they did, it would be cause for celebration; with a survival rate lower than one in ten, entering the secret realm was practically a death sentence.

The square buzzed with a chaotic din of murmurs and discussions.

"Silence!"

A voice boomed across the sky as ten Foundation Establishment elders rode the wind, standing atop various magical artifacts as they hovered in midair.

A burly man with thick eyebrows and a full beard stepped forward, shouting down to the crowd.

"I am Jiao Du, an elder of the Law Enforcement Hall, and I will be presiding over this secret realm expedition. All those who have volunteered to participate, step forward!"

"As for those who are just here to watch, fall back!"

Instantly, the noisy chatter died down, and the crowd began to shift.

Within moments, the cultivators on the square split into two distinct groups. The vanguard consisted of only a few dozen individuals.

Jiao Du swept his gaze across the assembled disciples. The number of volunteers was discouragingly low-only seventy-eight in total.

He glanced over his shoulder at a hunched old man standing behind him. Seeing that the elder remained expressionless and gave no objections, Jiao Du turned back and barked an order.

"Bring the flying vessel forward!"

From the distant horizon, a massive flying vessel stretching a hundred meters long cut through the clouds, rapidly approaching the square.

Faint figures could be seen moving across its deck.

Before long, the massive vessel came to a halt, hovering directly above the square.

"Board!" Jiao Du commanded.

The seventy-eight disciples cast their respective flight techniques one after another, leaping up onto the deck.

Among the crowd, Song Wen spotted several familiar faces.

The first was Wu Sheng, the man with whom he shared an old grievance.

Wu Sheng's current cultivation sat at the sixth layer of Qi Refining. With only four months remaining before their six-year novice period expired, he desperately needed to break through to the seventh layer if he wanted any hope of reaching Foundation Establishment in the future. It was this desperation that had driven him to risk his life in the Withered Blood Secret Realm.

Wu Sheng noticed Song Wen as well, but after a brief glance, he quietly turned his head away.

Years of scraping by within the brutal environment of the Corpse Demon Sect had tempered his disposition. He was no longer the arrogant, reckless youth he once was, and he knew better than to foolishly provoke enemies.

Another familiar figure was Wu Sui, whom Song Wen had encountered briefly in the Corpse Dismemberment Cave. As the grandson of the Yin Fiend Hall's master, he held the prestigious status of a direct disciple within the sect.

However, it was the third person who truly caught Song Wen off guard.

It was the provocatively dressed, alluring woman he had met years ago while purchasing the Ghost Head Shield in the market district.

Back then, his primary impression of her was a striking blend of seduction masked by an underlying innocence.

Yet, in the span of just a few years, that innocence had entirely vanished. She now exuded a mature, intensely sensual allure, with a subtle, worldly air hanging about her.

For her to change so drastically, she must have undergone significant trials during these past years.

She wore a low-cut palace gown that prominently displayed her generous cleavage, while the high slit of her skirt reached nearly to her waist. Whenever a breeze blew, her delicate, revealing undergarments would flash into view, captivating the minds of those around her.

At that moment, she was standing in the center of the vessel, laughing and chatting familiarly with Wu Sui.

Every gesture she made, every smile and glance, was filled with a soul-stirring charm. Her laughter was bright, her smile as radiant as a blooming hibiscus. With every breath, her ample chest shifted subtly, and her exposed, flawlessly rounded legs drew the eyes of nearly every man on board.

Even a few of the Foundation Establishment elders were stealing sidelong glances at her.

Yet, despite her provocative appearance, not a single person dared to step forward and interrupt her conversation with Wu Sui.

The reason was simple: her status.

Like Wu Sui, she wore the distinct robes of a direct disciple, signifying that a powerful Golden Core grandmaster stood directly behind her.

While running into this alluring woman and Wu Sui was unexpected, they were not the biggest surprise of the day. That distinction belonged to the person currently marching straight toward him.

It was the bloated, hulking female corpse dismemberer who stood nearly two and a half meters tall.

At this moment, she was staring intently at Song Wen with gleaming eyes.

"Junior Brother Jiyin, I can't believe you're heading to the Withered Blood Secret Realm as well. That place is fraught with peril. It is no place for a mere fifth-layer Qi Refining cultivator like you," she said, her voice dripping with apparent concern.

Song Wen felt a wave of revulsion rise within him. Throughout his time in the caves, he had completely ignored this woman, meaning they shared absolutely no friendship to speak of.

In fact, he didn't even know her name.

Where was this sudden concern for his well-being coming from?

Song Wen's mouth twitched slightly, and with a touch of stiffness, he asked, "Senior Sister, might I ask your honorable name?"

The massive woman laughed heartily. "Junior Brother, there is no need for such distance between us! My name is Chou Li. You may simply call me Senior Sister Chou."

After introducing herself, Chou Li sighed and shook her head. "Junior Brother, you are truly foolish. You are young, vigorous, well-built, and quite handsome. Why must you throw yourself into the muddy waters of this secret realm?"

"I gave you hints so many times in the past, yet you never once responded. If you had simply chosen to follow me, why would you ever have to suffer like this?"

"Still, now that you've boarded the vessel, there is no turning back. Attempting to desert will bring severe punishment from the sect."

"Don't be too terrified, though. Once you enter the realm, just find a secure hiding spot and stay put. Cultivators rarely venture into areas devoid of spirit grass, so you should be safe if you stay away from the resources."

Seeing that Song Wen remained silent, Chou Li assumed he was merely feeling bashful. A deeply unsettling smile spread across her fleshy face as she continued, "Junior Brother Jiyin, if the two of us manage to make it back alive, why don't you simply yield to me? I give you my word that you will never have to worry about cultivation resources again. You will be free to focus entirely on your quiet meditation."

Chou Li's face, thick with coarse features, carried an overtly predatory smile. Her gaze was incredibly aggressive, as though she were stripping him bare with her eyes.

Song Wen felt a wave of nausea hit the back of his throat.

Had they not been standing in plain view of the entire sect, he swore he would have struck her down on the spot.

Despite the anger burning in his chest, his face remained a mask of calm, showing not a single trace of his displeasure.

He simply replied in a cold, detached tone, "Senior Sister Chou, please conduct yourself with self-respect."

"Hah!" Chou Li let out a cold, mocking laugh.

Song Wen's blunt rejection clearly displeased her.

A mere fifth-layer Qi Refining insect is nothing more than a dog in my eyes. It is your ultimate fortune that I have taken a liking to you! You should be wagging your tail, begging to lick my toes.

To dare refuse me... do you truly think you've lived long enough?

"What a jest," Chou Li sneered. "A low-level cultivator like you thinks he has the right to speak of self-respect to me?"

"Mark my words, you will not escape my grasp."

With that, her eyes lingered crudely on the lower half of Song Wen's torso for several long moments. She let out a bizarre, twisted chuckle before finally turning on her heel and walking away.

Song Wen watched her retreating figure, internally shocked by the aura she exuded. She had actually reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining.

Furthermore, her vital energy and blood reserves were incredibly dense, roaring like a dragon or tiger. It was clear that she specialized in a powerful body-refining technique.

Perhaps her immense, bulky physique is a direct consequence of her cultivation method, Song Wen mused silently.

With Chou Li finally gone, Song Wen permitted his gaze to sweep across the rest of the deck.

He noticed that their group of seventy-eight was not alone. Long before they had even boarded, a separate contingent of roughly twenty individuals had already been seated on the vessel.

These people were clad in the standard robes of the Corpse Demon Sect's outer disciples, yet the energies radiating from them were wildly distinct. Some practiced the ghost path, others the corpse path, and a few carried the distinct scent of toxic poison arts.

These individuals must belong to the various clans and subordinate families blood-tied to the Corpse Demon Sect, Song Wen analyzed internally.

With a low hum, the massive flying vessel began to accelerate, surging forward toward the distant horizon until it completely vanished into the sea of clouds.

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