C1415 Witch Bug!
Chiu Muge practiced the Evil Sword Technique, nurturing nine meticulously crafted miniature swords within his lower and middle dantian.
At present, any spiritual energy in his lower dantian and the Qi and blood in his middle dantian were instantly consumed as they emerged.
Within the nine swords, five contained the soul shadows of the women he cherished, along with a seven-tailed white fox and a tiny thunder snake, all now barely clinging to their faint soul energy.
Tiny venomous insects swarmed around his two acupoints, lying in wait rather than invading them.
Because as long as Chiu Muge lived, as long as he clung to his will to survive, he would continue to draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, consume pellets, and ingest medicinal herbs and elixirs.
His newly generated spiritual energy and Qi and blood served as sustenance for the venomous insects.
The insects were in no rush to kill him or deplete him entirely; they merely sought to use him as an incubator for breeding more of their kind.
Only when his body held no further value, when he succumbed to despair, and his soul energy was drained, would the venomous insects consume his organs and flesh.
Then, the insects would emerge from his body, taking flight to return to their original master.
— This was a classic, malevolent tactic of the Voodoo Cult.
"Why are you still hiding?"
Observing Chiu Muge, now gaunt and ghost-like, Yu Yuan struggled to reconcile this image with that of the once robust and imposing man. With a furrowed brow, he addressed Lyu Geng, "Senior Lyu, you've made a mistake."
"What mistake?" Lyu Geng responded, bewildered.
"The hiding you imagine is merely wishful thinking. The presence of these 'Witch Bugs' provides clear coordinates and evidence. The Voodoo Cult Elder who released the 'Witch Bugs' must be close by. And the Fiend Sect disciples pursuing you are likely not far off either," Yu Yuan asserted with conviction.
Upon hearing this, the women who had been commanded to stay hidden within the cave began to weep anew.
The last glimmer of awareness in Chiu Muge's eyes seemed to extinguish in an instant.
He gave Lyu Geng a look that implored him to leave, to abandon hope for himself.
Lyu Geng might not have been familiar with the Voodoo Cult's sinister venomous insect techniques, but after hearing Yu Yuan's explanation, how could he remain in the dark?
The Fiend Sect and the one who unleashed the 'Witch Bugs' were simply biding their time, waiting for the venomous insects to drain Chiu Muge dry! They planned to exploit every last drop of his blood, using his flesh to breed more 'Witch Bugs' before disposing of him.
"How cruel!" Lyu Geng exclaimed in a cold voice.
"Chiu Muge's cultivation is at the peak of the Yang God Stage, and his talent rivals Yun Hao's. He had the potential to ascend to the Unrestrained Stage. His body is incredibly valuable; it could provide the venomous insect planter with numerous high-grade 'Witch Bugs'. Remarkable!" Yu Yuan mused, then added, "The Voodoo Cult must have deployed an Unrestrained Stage Elder to assist, or else Chiu Muge wouldn't have been ensnared."
Lyu Geng nodded in agreement. "It's Lin Tianming from the Voodoo Cult!"
"That person?" A spark of recognition flickered in Yu Yuan's eyes as he suddenly recalled Luo Yue mentioning him.
"Lin Tianming was previously in the Outer Star River. He's only just returned." Lyu Geng's eyes were alight with hope as he asked, "Is there a way to resolve this issue with the Chiu surname?"
Yu Yuan, now widely known as the reincarnation of the Medicine God Hong Qi, was no longer a secret.
Without this knowledge, Lyu Geng wouldn't have posed the question.
The Medicine God, despite being reviled by both deities and mortals in his late period, had pioneered new methods in crafting poison pills and concocting various lethal smokes!
Wasn't Luo Yue's rise to prominence within the Voodoo Cult due to her apprenticeship under him in pharmacology?
Yu Yuan didn't respond immediately. Instead, he smiled and gazed into Chiu Muge's eyes.
A glimmer of recognition shone in Chiu Muge's eyes as well. He, like Lyu Geng, remembered Yu Yuan's former identity.
"You're fortunate. Even though I didn't create the Voodoo Cult's Witch Bug, the enhancement in its quality is due to Luo Yue, who, under my tutelage, crafted a unique poison pill. That pill endowed the Witch Bug with its extraordinary properties."
Without any unnecessary flourish, Yu Yuan gestured for Lyu Geng to step aside as he approached Chiu Muge.
In his current state, he didn't need to depend on pellets or wield any weapons or Spiritual Spells to handle the Witch Bug. It was unnecessary.
He simply placed a hand on Chiu Muge's chest.
A sliver of life-giving force from the Yang God emanated from his palm.
All the Witch Bugs residing within Chiu Muge, which depended on him for their existence, sensed this aura. They reacted like ravenous vicious beasts that had been starving for eons, catching the scent of blood they had longed for in their dreams.
The Witch Bugs went into a frenzy!
Two hundred miles away on an unnamed island shrouded by forest, Lin Tianming of the Voodoo Cult, accompanied by two male and one female disciple, treaded across the damp earth.
He was in the midst of clarifying doubts for his three disciples, instructing them on the identification of herbs and the art of hatching venomous insects.
His disciples were all ears, nodding frequently in understanding.
Lin Tianming, in the Early Period of the Unrestrained Stage and truly 250 years old, showed a particular fondness for his female disciple, displaying extraordinary patience with her.
The male disciples, on the other hand, received scolding whenever they dared to pose a question.
Suddenly, Lin Tianming stumbled, nearly falling.
"Master, are you alright?" the three disciples asked together.
Regaining his balance, Lin Tianming quickly retrieved a gray clay jar, extracting a small snake-like creature and peering into its tiny, sesame seed-sized eyes. He exclaimed urgently, "An extraordinary surge of blood energy has erupted within Chiu Muge's body! It's completely different from anything he's had before!"
"The Witch Bugs have gone mad!"
Lin Tianming yelled, pointing at the shorter male disciple, "Idiot! Go and get the Fiend Sect moving! They can't just lay around on this island. Head to Chiu Muge immediately!"
"And you," he directed at the taller male disciple, "prepare the venom needed for the Witch Bugs, and quickly! If anything goes wrong with the Witch Bugs inside Chiu Muge, you'll be their next sustenance!"
As soon as he spoke, the two disciples—one tall, one short—sprang into action. The female disciple, with a hint of allure in her demeanor, gently supported him and softly patted his chest, saying, "Master, try to stay calm. Chiu Muge and Lyu Geng are nothing but incompetent fools; they can't stir up any trouble."
"I'm aware they're not a threat. It's something else that concerns me," Lin Tianming replied.
"Something else?"
"I'm just hoping that Horror Land isn't getting involved with the Fiend Sect's internal purge. If that's the case, it could get complicated."
"The White Bone Ghost?"
Fear was evident on the woman's face as well.
...
The Witch Bugs, resembling centipedes with their dark green bodies and numerous tentacles, were like tiny spears capable of piercing into Chiu Muge's flesh to siphon nutrients and fortify themselves. At that moment, those Witch Bugs, which had been growing stronger within Chiu Muge, eagerly began to abandon their host.
They desperately surged towards Yu Yuan's palm, as if it contained the divine object of their desires, and they were willing to do anything for just a taste. Regrettably for them, as soon as they left Chiu Muge's body and appeared in Yu Yuan's palm, they were enveloped in a deep crimson glow and crushed by an overwhelming blood energy they couldn't comprehend.
Pop! Pop! Pop! Pop!
More than a dozen Witch Bugs burst one after another within the crimson light barrier of Yu Yuan's palm, transforming into a green mist. This mist, created by their demise, was completely contained, unable to escape his grasp.
Only after the last Witch Bug perished did the green mist begin to slowly coalesce in Yu Yuan's palm, condensing into droplets of blood and forming a small pool in the center of his hand.
"You can only absorb a little; it's an unfortunate limitation. After all, your origins lie with the Fiend Sect, not the Blood God Cult," Yu Yuan explained as he pressed the pool of green liquid into Chiu Muge's chest. Almost instantly, delicate green blood threads shot through Chiu Muge's body at the speed of light.
Chiu Muge's eyes had been shining with anticipation since the first Witch Bug had detached from him.
At that moment, the light in his eyes blazed with an intense fervor!
He thought his heartbeat had ceased, but now he could hear it once again.
His awareness gradually became attuned to the presence of flesh and blood, affirming to him that he was indeed alive.
"Yu, Yu Yuan, have you become... this powerful?" Lyu Geng was both astounded and thrilled, his words stumbling over each other. "That was a venomous insect raised by Lin Tianming!"
