C1415 Blood Leech!
Chou Muge practiced the Evil Sword Technique, nurturing nine meticulously crafted miniature swords within his lower and middle elixir fields.
At present, any nascent spiritual energy in his lower elixir field or vitality in his middle elixir field was immediately consumed by the venomous insects.
Of the nine swords, five housed the phantoms of his beloved, along with a seven-tailed white fox and a tiny lightning snake, all now barely clinging to their faint Soul Power.
The venomous insects swarmed around his acupoints, patiently waiting rather than invading them.
As long as Chou Muge clung to life, as long as his will to survive endured, he would continue to draw in the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth, consume pills, and imbibe medicinal essences.
The fresh spiritual energy and vitality he generated were the very sustenance these venomous insects thrived on.
They were in no rush to kill him or consume him entirely; they merely intended to use him as an incubator for more of their kind.
Once his corporeal body was utterly worthless, when he had sunk into utter despair and his Soul Power was depleted, only then would the venomous insects devour his organs and flesh.
At that moment, they would emerge from his body, wings unfurled, and return to their original master.
— Such was the vile tactic of the Poison Cult.
"Why are you still hiding?"
Observing the emaciated Chou Muge, who now resembled a ghastly specter, Yu Yuan found it hard to reconcile the image before him with that of the once robust and valiant man. With a furrowed brow, he addressed Mr. Lyu, "You've got something wrong."
"What is it?" Lyu Geng asked, bewildered.
"Your idea of hiding is nothing more than a delusion. The presence of these Blood Leeches is a clear giveaway of your location. The Poison Cult Elder who released the Blood Leeches must be close by. And the Skyblight Cult disciples pursuing you are likely nearby as well," Yu Yuan stated with conviction.
Upon hearing this, the people who had been commanded to remain hidden within the cave began to weep anew.
The last glimmer of awareness in Chou Muge's eyes seemed to fade away completely.
He gave Lyu Geng a look that urged him to abandon hope and leave.
Lyu Geng might not have been familiar with the Poison Cult's sinister techniques involving venomous insects, but Yu Yuan's words left no room for misunderstanding.
The Skyblight Cult members and the one who unleashed the Blood Leeches were simply waiting for these creatures to drain Chou Muge completely. They intended to exploit every last drop of his blood, using his corporeal body to spawn even more Blood Leeches before disposing of them.
"So cruel!" exclaimed Lyu Geng.
"Chou Muge possesses peak Solar Spirit Realm cultivation and his talent rivals Yun Hao's. He had the potential to ascend to the Unbound Realm. His corporeal body is incredibly valuable; it could yield a significant number of high-grade Blood Leeches for the one who planted the venomous insect," Yu Yuan mused with a tsk.
"The Poison Cult must have deployed an Unbound Realm Elder to assist in this plot, or else Chou Muge wouldn't have been ensnared," Yu Yuan continued.
Lyu Geng nodded again, "It was Lin Tianming from the Poison Cult!"
"That man?" A glint of recognition flashed in Yu Yuan's eyes as he recalled Luo Yue mentioning him.
"Lin Tianming has only recently returned from the Star River beyond our world," Lyu Geng said, his eyes brimming with hope. "Is there a way to deal with the trouble caused by that Chou fellow?"
It was common knowledge that Yu Yuan was the reincarnation of the God of Medicine, Hong Qi.
Without this knowledge, Lyu Geng wouldn't have even posed the question. The God of Medicine, despite being reviled by both deities and mortals in his late period, had pioneered the crafting of poison pills and the concoction of lethal smokes.
It was Luo Yue's apprenticeship under him that had propelled her to the pinnacle of the Poison Cult.
Yu Yuan didn't respond immediately; instead, he smiled and gazed into Chou Muge's eyes.
A glimmer of recognition sparked in Chou Muge's eyes as well, as he too remembered Yu Yuan's former identity.
"Fortune is on your side. I may not have created the Poison Cult's Blood Leeches, but their enhanced quality is due to Luo Yue, who, under my tutelage, crafted a unique poison pill. That pill endowed the Blood Leeches with their extraordinary properties."
Without any unnecessary flourish, Yu Yuan gestured for Lyu Geng to step aside and approached Chou Muge himself.
At this stage in his life, Yu Yuan didn't need to depend on pills or spells to handle the Blood Leeches.
He simply placed his hand on Chou Muge's chest.
A sliver of life-giving force from the Solar Spirit emanated from his palm.
All the Blood Leeches residing within Chou Muge, which thrived on his existence, sensed this breath of life. They reacted like ravenous dire beasts that had been starved for eons, catching the scent of blood they had long craved.
The Blood Leeches went into a frenzy!
...
Two hundred miles away, on an unnamed island covered in forest, Lin Tianming of the Poison Cult, accompanied by two male and one female disciple, navigated the damp earth.
He was in the midst of clarifying doubts for his three disciples, instructing them on how to identify herbs and the art of hatching venomous insects.
The disciples listened intently, nodding frequently.
Lin Tianming, who was in the early period of the Unbound Stage and truly 250 years old, showed a particular fondness for the female disciple, displaying great patience with her.
The two male disciples, when they occasionally posed questions, were often met with his rebuke.
Suddenly, Lin Tianming stumbled and nearly fell.
"Master, what's wrong?" the three disciples asked together.
Regaining his balance, Lin Tianming quickly retrieved a grey clay jar, extracting a small snake resembling an earthworm. Staring into its tiny, sesame seed-like eyes, he urgently exclaimed, "An extraordinary surge of vital energy has erupted within Chou Muge's body! This vital energy is starkly different from what he had before!"
"The Blood Leeches have gone mad!"
Lin Tianming bellowed, pointing at one of the shorter male disciples, "Fool! Go find the Skyblight Cult members and tell them to stop lying around on the island! Get moving! Head to Chou Muge immediately!"
"And you!" he directed at the taller male disciple, "Quickly prepare the venom needed for the Blood Leeches! If anything goes wrong with the Blood Leeches inside Chou Muge, you'll be their next sustenance!"
As soon as he spoke, the two disciples—one tall, the other short—sprang into action. The female disciple, with a hint of allure, dutifully supported him, gently patting his chest. In a soft and soothing tone, she reassured him, "Master, try to remain calm. Chou Muge and Lyu Geng are nothing but trash; they won't stir up any significant trouble."
"I'm aware they're not a real threat. It's something else that concerns me," Lin Tianming replied.
"Something else?"
"I'm hoping it's not the Land of Terror getting involved with the Skyblight Cult's internal purge. If that's the case, then we're in for a challenge."
"The Bone Wraith God?"
Fear was evident on the woman's face as well.
...
The Blood Leeches, resembling centipedes with their dark green bodies and numerous tentacles, were like tiny short spears, capable of piercing Chou Muge's flesh to siphon nutrients and fortify themselves. At this moment, those Blood Leeches that had rooted themselves within Chou Muge, growing stronger and evolving his bloodline, began to abandon their host, frantically racing toward Yu Yuan's palm.
Yu Yuan's palm seemed to hold the very divine object of their desires, compelling them to exert all their efforts for just a taste. Regrettably, as soon as they left Chou Muge's body and appeared in Yu Yuan's palm, they were instantly enveloped by a deep crimson glow and crushed by an overwhelming vital energy they couldn't comprehend.
Puff! Puff! Puff! Puff!
One by one, over a dozen Blood Leeches burst within the Blood Pool of Yu Yuan's palm, transforming into a green mist. None of the green mist escaped; it was all contained within his grasp. Only after the last Blood Leech perished did the green mist begin to coalesce in Yu Yuan's palm, condensing into droplets of blood before forming a small Blood Pool in the center of his hand.
"You can only absorb a little; it's an unfortunate limitation. You hail from the Skyblight Cult, not the Colddeath Cult, after all," Yu Yuan explained as he pressed the small pool of green liquid into Chou Muge's chest. Almost instantly, delicate green threads of blood raced through Chou Muge's veins at the speed of light.
Chou Muge's eyes lit up the moment he saw the first "Blood Leech" detach from his body.
At that instant, the glow in his eyes intensified!
He could swear he heard his once-stilled heartbeat resound in his ears.
His awareness gradually acknowledged the presence of his corporeal body, and he felt alive once more.
"Yu, Yu Yuan, have you become... this powerful?" Lyu Geng was both shocked and thrilled, his words stumbling over each other, "That's a venomous insect cultivated by Lin Tianming, a poison practitioner of the Unbound Stage!"
