A Familiar Scent

Nan Zhi was not at all surprised that Ma San had ended up in such a state.

Generally, those who received incense were enfeoffed gods. They did not rely solely on incense to achieve godhood; they also had to widely accumulate merit and seek recognition from heaven and earth to achieve a golden body.

The Locust God was merely an unauthorized deity passed down through word of mouth among the common people, lacking both the recognition of heaven and earth and any divine enfeoffment, let alone the cultivation of merit.

As a cultivator who could hardly be considered righteous, Ma San had dared to claim a divine seat and enjoy the offerings of incense with a clear conscience.

Although he could enjoy a temporary moment of ease, the worshippers whose prayers he answered were likely those who took extreme measures—“believers” who sought the gods instead of cultivating merit.

Their hearts were filled with desires for fame and wealth, and their minds were crammed with dark, underhanded schemes.

Since their hearts were insincere, the quality of the incense was naturally low.

With the poor quality of the incense, Ma San had to work even harder to please his worshippers.

With spiritual energy depleted, he would naturally grant any wish to survive.

The good and the bad.

The reasonable and the unreasonable.

Even those that violated the order of the Heavenly Dao.

Could incense offered in this manner be anything but toxic?

Over time, this practice was even more hazardous than drinking poison to quench one's thirst.

Thus, he had only himself to blame for ending up in this state.

However, based on her understanding of Ma San, she knew she could only believe half of what he said.

Had Ma San really not noticed anything wrong over all these years?

How did the other cultivators in the secret realm die back then? And what was the deal with the endless swarms of hungry ghosts beneath the Western Xia underground palace?

The old ghost was clearly hiding a great deal.

Nan Zhi calculated in her mind, but she did not press Ma San on the matter. Instead, she asked about something else: “Daoist, if that is the case, is the Golden-Winged Flying Centipede outside your spirit pet?”

Qin Yue's expression was somewhat tense.

Over the past few days, they had searched for an exit multiple times but had found nothing.

As for the waterway Nan Zhi had mentioned, it was closely guarded by the Golden-Winged Flying Centipede, making it impossible to approach.

Who would have thought that this centipede was actually raised by the cultivator possessing Professor Liu?

“Hehe.”

“Liu Ruhe” chuckled, her facial muscles contorting into a rather bizarre smile. “I am ashamed to say that the beast was indeed a spirit beast raised by this old man. However, three hundred years ago, my soul became unstable. Sensing my weakness, that golden-winged centipede actually dared to turn on its master! Fortunately, despite its massive size, its intellect is like that of a foolish child. This old man was forced to fake my death and transform into a spirit body, hiding in the stone room to barely deceive it.”

Even though he didn't say what happened next, Nan Zhi could guess most of it.

Forced by the golden-winged centipede, Ma San's soul could only linger on the brink of death in the stone room. He had thought he was at a dead end, but to his surprise, the exploration team suddenly barged into the stone room that day, giving him a lifeline.

Afterward, Ma San possessed Liu Ruhe. Sensing the soul fluctuations of its former master, the Golden-Winged Flying Centipede pursued the exploration team. Fearing that the creature might escape the secret realm, Qin Yue and the others had decisively used explosives to destroy the passage.

Then, “Liu Ruhe” was chased until she fell into the water, where she happened to run into Hongluo, who was picking up stones by the river.

“The centipede turned on its master, but it has always feared the majesty of the deity corpse and didn't dare to approach.” “Liu Ruhe” snorted coldly, seemingly harboring a deep hatred for the centipede. “This old man had no other choice at the time. I didn't expect this woman I possessed to be a complete mortal, with a weak body and incomplete Five Elements, which is why I ended up exposing myself. This woman's body is truly a burden. Once this old man can leave, I must find a talented, handsome young lad...”

He did not finish his sentence, but everyone present understood his implied meaning. Soul-snatching was an evil technique, no different from murder.

Yet Ma San could speak of it so openly, showing that in his mind, mortals were nothing more than ants.

Qin Yue frowned deeply.

She understood that if they wanted to leave, they might have to rely on Ma San's strength.

Logically, she could accept this, but emotionally, it was impossible to tolerate. She wondered what Ma Guniang's stance was...

Qin Yue quietly looked at Nan Zhi, only to see that her expression remained unchanged. She didn't even bat an eye upon hearing Ma San's plans to possess someone. Instead, she said, “I checked earlier, and the entrance through which these mortals entered the secret realm has already disappeared. If we want to leave this secret realm, we must slay that Golden-Winged Flying Centipede. If you are willing, Daoist, could you tell me if that beast has any weaknesses?”

“Liu Ruhe” was taken aback at first, but then realized that Nan Zhi, who was only at Foundation Establishment Level 1, intended to slay the Golden-Winged Flying Centipede.

Although the beast was foolish, its cultivation was equivalent to a Foundation Establishment Level 2 cultivator, and its hard armor was impervious to water, fire, blades, and spears.

If this Ma Guniang wanted to leave on her own, she could have easily slipped away using an escape technique. Why go to the trouble of killing this monster?

He swept his gaze over the few mortals nearby, a trace of understanding flashing in his eyes. So, she's doing it for these mortals after all.

Ma San felt a faint sense of secret delight in his heart. He did not speak up to stop her, but merely feigned deep thought for a moment before hesitatingly saying, “This old man naturally understands that beast. However, you must promise me that once you leave, you will find a way to rescue me from this tiny, confined place. If I die in this secret realm, the woman I am possessing will naturally perish along with me.”

—This was a blatant threat.

Everyone knew that the people of the Demon Suppression Division were foolishly kind.

Ma San was counting on exactly this.

The stone room suddenly fell silent, with only the bubbling hot air continuously rising.

After a long silence, Nan Zhi finally spoke: “Very well. The people of the Demon Suppression Division keep their word. I promise that I will bring every single one of these people out, and I will not leave you behind in this secret realm either.”

Only then was Ma San satisfied. He readily informed Nan Zhi that twelve inches below the head of the Golden-Winged Flying Centipede, there was a death point hidden beneath the scales. Slaying or subduing it was as simple as piercing that spot with a gold needle.

“Daoist, have some tea.” Nan Zhi gestured for Ma San to drink, a smile gracing her face. “I wonder what secret that locust corpse holds, to be able to emit such a pungent fragrance. I ask that you enlighten me, Daoist.”

“Of course.” “Liu Ruhe's” expression turned slightly awkward. He merely let his lips touch the water before pulling back, laughing it off. “That body has long been saturated with incense. After the soul departed, the incense energy inside could no longer be contained, so it naturally leaked out. This scent can attract demon beasts, but it can also make them hesitate to approach.”

The tense atmosphere from moments ago vanished, and the two of them seemed like old friends reuniting in perfect harmony.

Little did anyone know, they both harbored their own hidden agendas.

“So that's how it is. Thank you for the explanation.” Nan Zhi smiled, concealing her thoughts.

—She had finally remembered why that scent was so familiar.

She had smelled a similar fragrance on Huiyuan before.

Just what was that monk's origin?

...

...

For the next half month, Nan Zhi stayed in the stone room, busy copying the teleportation formation and familiarizing herself with the rewards she had obtained from her last lottery draw.

As for the items Ma San had left in the stone room, she didn't touch them for now, only sorting and storing them in her system backpack.

—As long as the original owner was still alive, she couldn't let her guard down.

During this time, the exploration team was sensible enough not to disturb Nan Zhi, choosing instead to pass messages through Hongluo.

The Special Investigation Bureau was, after all, a well-trained official organization. Following a period of rest and recovery, and with guidance from the Locust God, they were now able to work together to hunt mid-sized demon beasts and harvest their demon cores.

These demon cores were still delivered to the stone room according to the seventy-thirty split.