Spirit-Devouring Corpse-Walking Bugs

Outside the mystic realm, when Su Mingyuan heard Xue Mingzhao's words, “even if something happens, someone else will hold the front line,” his old face flushed slightly, leaving him somewhat amused and exasperated.

He thought to himself that this child had actually blurted out her little calculations so bluntly. It was the kind of thing you should only think to yourself—no, he shook his head, silently correcting himself. You shouldn't even think like that in your heart.

The one in the best mood was undoubtedly Wu Lianfeng. The few disciples of the Taiyan Sect had finally caught up with the main group and were no longer running in circles on the periphery.

By the lakeside, Xue Mingzhao sat cross-legged on the grass, pretending to meditate, but she was grumbling in her heart. This dog of a Chaos Spiritual Root usually threatened and cajoled her just to get her to absorb a single breath of spiritual energy, yet today it had actually opened its gates wide and was chugging it down. The sun must have risen from the west.

It seemed it didn't reject all spiritual energy; it just had an issue with the toxic, low-quality spiritual energy at the Grand Primordium Sect. The moment it encountered pure energy, it completely changed its tune.

While others needed to run their Qi drawing scriptures to absorb spiritual energy, she didn't have to. The Chaos Spiritual Root would pour it in on its own; she only needed to sit there and act as a tool.

Just as she was putting on a show with her eyes closed, she felt a sudden prick of pain in her palm.

She opened her eyes and saw a tiny bug perched on her palm, sucking her blood. Flicking it away with a finger, she lamented in her heart that even the cultivation world couldn't escape having mosquitoes.

For once, the Chaos Spiritual Root didn't bicker with her, furiously pouring spiritual energy into her dantian.

Bored, Xue Mingzhao couldn't help but tease it, “Didn't you say you don't like spiritual energy? I think you're absorbing it more greedily than anyone else right now.”

“Does filtering not take effort?” the Chaos Spiritual Root retorted righteously. “A magnificent Chaos Spiritual Root like me absorbing toxic spiritual energy for you is already giving you plenty of face. What's wrong with taking a few extra gulps when I run into the good stuff?”

Xue Mingzhao casually painted a rosy picture for it: “Absorb it well. Once I become strong, I'll take you to the most spiritually abundant sacred lands in the world and let you soak in them to your heart's content every single day.”

The Chaos Spiritual Root sneered. “Can you not be so confident for someone only in the Qi Condensation realm? Besides, whether you can become strong or not still depends on me, doesn't it?”

“A dog doesn't mind a poor home, and a spiritual root shouldn't mind a weak master.”

“I can't be bothered to talk to a weakling like you—” Mid-sentence, the Chaos Spiritual Root suddenly paused. “Huh? Why did they all stand up?”

Xue Mingzhao opened one eye. The mist on the lake had completely dispersed at some point.

The surrounding cultivators were standing up one after another.

Utterly baffled, she also stood up, silently muttering in her heart: Did the Qi drawing scripture change to a standing posture?

In the next second, she sensed something was wrong—everyone's eyes were tightly shut, their faces completely expressionless, looking extremely eerie.

“Could they have been possessed?!” Just as the Chaos Spiritual Root finished speaking, a bizarre scene unfolded.

All the cultivators moved with slow, stiff steps. In unison, they turned around and began walking step by step toward the deeper parts of the lake.

Even Su Ye, who was right beside her, bypassed her and walked toward the lake.

Panicking, Xue Mingzhao quickly grabbed Su Ye's sleeve. “Senior Brother! Senior Brother! Stop!”

But Su Ye seemed unable to hear any outside noise. He showed no reaction, his footsteps never faltering as he stubbornly continued toward the water.

Seeing that his toes were about to touch the water, Xue Mingzhao grew desperate. She swung her arm in a wide arc and delivered a fierce slap to Su Ye's face.

Five clear finger marks instantly appeared on Su Ye's cheek, yet he still didn't wake up and continued walking into the water.

While desperately dragging Su Ye back toward the shore, she frantically called out to the Chaos Spiritual Root in her mind.

The Chaos Spiritual Root was also a bit panicked. “Don't ask me! I've just lived long, not seen a lot!”

Amidst the chaos, Xue Mingzhao managed to steal a glance in Shen Chaoyue's direction.

As expected of the female lead; she was different from everyone else—she was walking into the lake with her eyes wide open.

Xue Mingzhao almost slapped herself. What kind of time was this to be thinking about such things?

“Could it be poison?” the Chaos Spiritual Root suddenly suggested.

These words instantly woke Xue Mingzhao up.

She suddenly remembered the bug that had bitten her earlier.

Presumably, that bug was venomous. Since she possessed a special constitution that made her immune to all poisons, she hadn't fallen victim.

Aside from her, everyone else present had been poisoned!

Outside the mystic realm, the group of sect masters panicked upon seeing the translucent bugs on their disciples' hands.

“Spirit-devouring corpse-walking bugs.”

The bugs were as tiny as mosquitoes, specializing in biting their prey while they cultivated. Once their saliva paralyzed the prey's senses, they would continuously drain their spiritual energy.

Once the spiritual energy was depleted and the prey lost consciousness, the bugs could control their bodies. Even if they regained consciousness, they wouldn't be able to break free from the bug's control, forced to passively march forward while fully awake.

These bugs looked unremarkable, with bodies so fragile that a casual touch could kill them. However, their insidious nature lay in their silence.

If one failed to notice and handle it immediately upon being bitten, they would eventually be completely held hostage by the toxin, unable to control themselves at all.

Zhou Bupo was already in despair.

Why did this trial keep running into trouble one after another? First, two groups got into a fight; then, a once-in-a-century spirit field appeared; next, some cave popped out of nowhere, and they lost contact upon entering; and just when things had finally quieted down for a moment, a bizarre lake showed up.

He wiped the sweat from his forehead, wondering if this batch of disciples was collectively cursed this year.

The group of sect masters surrounding him chimed in one after another, urging him to quickly think of a way.

Huang Siqi's gaze was locked tightly onto the lake's surface, recognizing at a glance that Xue Mingzhao was the only one in the entire area who remained conscious and able to move.

He immediately ordered Zhou Bupo to activate the mystic realm transmission.

Zhou Bupo's head throbbed from the noise as he frantically activated the formation. He couldn't help but think that these mighty figures, who usually carried themselves with the dignity of sect masters, had all turned into ants on a hot pan now that their own disciples were in trouble.

As Xue Mingzhao was frantically hauling Su Ye back to the shore, a voice suddenly echoed across the entire lake, clearly reaching her ears: “Their minds have been bewitched. I will teach you a Mind-Clearing Spell to dispel the delusion and restore everyone's consciousness.”

The sudden voice out of thin air startled Xue Mingzhao. “Who's speaking?”

The steady voice fell once more, carrying an unquestionable authority: “I am Huang Siqi, the Sect Master of the Heavenly Origin Sect. I will now transmit the spell to you. You must commit it to memory—Heavenly and Earthly profound sect, the root of ten thousand Qi, clearing the mind and cleansing the turbid, returning consciousness to truth...”

Many cultivators on the lake had already walked deep into the water, which now reached their knees. They were still mechanically taking steps forward, and further ahead lay deep, dangerous waters.

Huang Siqi's heart was in his throat, his tone urgent: “Don't dither! Immediately activate the incantation with your spiritual energy, quickly!”

Xue Mingzhao immediately focused her mind and gathered her Qi, circulating her internal spiritual energy as she quickly chanted the Mind-Clearing Spell: “Heavenly and Earthly profound sect, the root of ten thousand Qi, clearing the mind and cleansing the turbid, returning consciousness to truth...”

Clear spiritual energy dispersed along with the chant. In an instant, the affected cultivators all shuddered. Their dull eyes regained clarity as they opened them one after another, their consciousness fully returning.

Relieved at the sight, Xue Mingzhao was just about to let her guard down when she heard a disciple beside her cry out in panic, “Why can't I control myself? I'm still walking into the lake!”

Another person cried out in despair, “I don't have a single shred of spiritual energy left in me!” The others quickly discovered that they were in the same plight.

Being fully awake yet unable to control one's body—this sense of helplessness was even more despairing than being unconscious.