Chapter 232 | Cultivating Through a Game, Becoming Unstoppable

No one went to disturb Ma Guniang.

Two days prior, the soldiers responsible for scouting had brought back two pieces of news.

The good news was that the waterway leading out of the secret realm that Nan Zhi had mentioned did indeed exist and had not disappeared.

The bad news was that the Golden-Winged Flying Centipede seemed to have sensed something amiss and had claimed that waterway as its nest.

Or perhaps the waterway had been its nest all along.

But at the very least, there was hope of returning home.

The members of the exploration team worked even harder. Every day, they actively hunted demon beasts, took samples, and preserved them. They took whatever they could carry and simply organized and buried the rest on the spot.

—Even if the possibility was slim, in case they could return one day, these would all be assets of Great Xia!

Qin Yue was also busy to the point of exhaustion.

The underwater portion of the secret realm was already fraught with danger, not to mention that Ma Guniang had to lead so many people through the long underground waterway.

She could only do her utmost to coordinate the various departments and have them prepare, waiting for Ma Guniang's arrangements.

During this period, under extreme mental tension, everyone seemed to view Ma Guniang as a sort of spiritual pillar.

Even Qin Yue herself had to admit that Ma Guniang possessed a reassuring quality that commanded respect and put people at ease.

She did not know whether this was a good or bad thing.

Qin Yue was very clear on this.

Compared to the Locust God possessing Professor Liu, who viewed human life as mere grass and ants, she was far more willing to trust Ma Guniang, who came from the Demon Suppression Division.

The Demon Suppression Division that, thousands of years ago, had been willing to run ragged for the common people, protect all living beings, and willingly perish along with the Lady of Grudge to die with the city.

They were of the same breed.

With faith in their hearts, they feared not the path ahead.

...

Soon, the day to depart arrived.

Even though Hongluo clamored to stay with her mistress, Nan Zhi was quite "heartless," arranging for her to hide in the karst cave along with the exploration team.

Though cruel, when Foundation Establishment cultivators clashed, any mortals accidentally caught in the crossfire would essentially be reduced to cannon fodder.

Thus, hiding away and not causing trouble, sparing her from having to distract herself to save them during the battle, was already the greatest help they could offer Nan Zhi.

—She believed Qin Yue could manage these people, and she also believed that in an official exploration team, there wouldn't be any fools like those in movies and TV shows who were bent on seeking death and causing trouble for the protagonist.

“Are those mortals all hidden away?”

On the altar, “Liu Ruhe” slowly paced over to stand behind Nan Zhi. Gazing into the distance at the underground river a thousand meters away, which seemed to show signs of movement, he couldn't help but chuckle:

“Let us make things clear beforehand. Having seized this body to be reborn, this old man cannot even be considered a Qi Refinement practitioner. While I have the intention to help, my strength is ultimately lacking.

If you die, this old man will give your bones a proper burial, which can be considered a fitting end to our chance meeting.”

“Actually, this isn't our first time meeting.”

Nan Zhi stared at the boiling underground river and suddenly tossed out this seemingly random remark. Before the other party could press for an answer, she sliced a deep gash from a distance across “Liu Ruhe's” forearm, which had only recently healed—

Instantly, fresh blood gushed out like a fountain, spraying a brilliant crimson.

“Hiss, hiss, hiss! Roar, roar, roar!!”

The corpse fragrance of the locust grew even heavier. A hundred-meter colossal creature erupted from the surface of the underground river. In an instant, the earth shook and the mountains trembled as countless massive Sun-Burning Stones rained down from the ceiling of the karst cave!

“Boom, boom, boom!”

“Rumble!”

“Boom, boom, boom!”

Huddled in the karst cave, the crowd, their faces smeared with wet blood mud, clung tightly to the ground. Even when the gales from the falling rocks occasionally swept across their faces, they did not make a single sound.

“That beast is indeed impatient. It looks like it can't wait to devour this old man.”

“Liu Ruhe's” face turned pale. Ignoring the blood still dripping from his forearm, he pointed at the centipede and whispered:

“Look, Fellow Daoist. Twelve inches below its head, right where the scales cover, is that monster's death point. Keep it in mind, and do not miss it under any circumstances.

This old man will remain here, awaiting your victorious return to offer my congratulations.”

“Very well, I am off.”

With a light tap of her foot, Nan Zhi soared upward against the continuously falling fragments of Sun-Burning Stones. Her movements were phantom-like, effortlessly dodging the countless falling rocks.

The wariness in “Liu Ruhe's” eyes deepened as he muttered to himself:

“The Demon Suppression Division indeed has a profound heritage. A mere junior at the Foundation Establishment stage can actually fly through the air. I wonder how many treasures she has on her. What a pity, though...”

A sinister grin appeared on his lips, only to vanish just as quickly.

...

As expected, the Golden-Winged Flying Centipede was lured ashore. Its massive, pitch-black jointed limbs writhed continuously, and its two antennae struck the ground with deafening booms, clearly determined not to stop until it had slaughtered Ma San.

“Hiss, hiss, hiss... Hiss, hiss, hiss!”

【Wood Manipulation Art】!

【Earth Mud Art】!

Before it could advance any further, ten thick vines suddenly erupted from the ground, wrapping around a hundred pairs of the Golden-Winged Flying Centipede's legs. The ground beneath it suddenly turned incredibly soft, transforming into a giant swamp that trapped the hundred-meter giant insect within!

Nan Zhi formed hand seals and chanted, unable to resist cursing under her breath.

This Golden-Winged Flying Centipede was simply too massive.

Even the swamp she had manifested could barely trap half of its body.

“Hiss, hiss, hiss! Roar, roar!”

Having suffered a setback, the Golden-Winged Flying Centipede twisted its massive, elongated head. Its pair of giant compound eyes blinked, and the tens of thousands of tiny, densely packed eyeballs within them turned in unison.

Finally, they locked onto a green figure suspended in the air.

“Hiss, hiss, hiss!”

It seemed utterly sick of this flying human. The scales on both sides of its head suddenly stood straight up like bristling fur, and its flanks pulsed continuously as it let out wave after wave of furious roars:

“Hiss, hiss, hiss, hiss! Roar, roar, roar, roar, roar, roar!”

It seemed to be summoning something.

Sensing something, Nan Zhi immediately flew outward and saw a swarm of hungry ghosts charging out from the depths of the secret realm like a pitch-black tide—

The hungry ghosts moved with astonishing speed, devouring anything in their path. Wherever they passed, not a blade of grass was left standing, leaving only a trail of blood and severed limbs.

Without needing any command, upon seeing Nan Zhi flying in the sky, these hungry ghosts immediately began stacking themselves one on top of another to build a ladder, continuously roaring and clawing upward.

Some of the hungry ghosts had even developed intelligence, choosing to gnaw at the vines trapping the Golden-Winged Flying Centipede!

One black hungry ghost after another leaped into the swamp, using their flesh-and-blood bodies to fill it, forcibly raising the centipede's trapped limbs out of the mud!

Nan Zhi suddenly realized something.

Since she could enter through that waterway, other things could naturally leave through it as well.

The Golden-Winged Flying Centipede must have cleared the waterway and used the locust corpse fragrance as bait to lure water ghosts and demon beasts from the Yellow River here to serve as its food.

That was why such a massive number of hungry ghosts had gathered in this secret realm!

She had naturally experienced the danger of a horde of hungry ghosts before. Fortunately, it only took her an instant to snap out of it.

She drew the Azure Sea Sky Hairpin from her hair and made a gentle sweeping motion toward the ground—

It seemed casual, but in the next instant, the ground hummed as an invisible blade of energy shot out, instantly slicing a fissure dozens of meters long and five meters wide into the earth!

“Plop!”

“Clatter!”

“Plop!”

The ladders formed by the hungry ghosts collapsed with a crash. Black hungry ghosts fell into the crevice like dumplings into a pot. Before they could struggle to climb out, Nan Zhi cast her spells again, sending several beams of spiritual light scattering through the air like falling flower petals—

【Earth Mud Art】!

【Wood Manipulation Art】!

【Flying Fire Art】!

A massive, solid sphere of earth, over ten meters in diameter, plunged from a height of a hundred meters with merciless weight!

Unable to dodge in time, numerous hungry ghosts were instantly crushed into paste, exploding as they died.

And that was not all.

The thick vines seemed to possess a consciousness of their own, swinging the massive earth ball back and forth to grind down the fissure repeatedly like a pestle in a mortar.

For a moment, a foul stench filled the air. The crisp, cracking sound of snapping bones echoed everywhere as the humanoid creatures struggled and wailed—

Some, with only half their bodies remaining, were still struggling, but in the next second, they were ruthlessly pulverized by the stone ball. Others had their heads smashed to mush, their green eyeballs bursting out and landing several zhang away.

Then, millstone-sized fireballs rained down from the heavens.

Screams rang out without end.

The air was thick with the stench of burning corpses and melting fat. The terrifying sounds of shattering bones and limbs turning to mush echoed continuously.