Translator: CinderTL
"The cave seems to be narrowing," Mo Yexue said with a slight frown, her tone uncertain.
As the Corpse Qi grew denser, the Divine Sense perception of the four was further suppressed.
Song Wen could only sense a range of about two miles.
The dense Corpse Qi, now manifesting as a black mist, also limited their vision.
As a result, their awareness of the surrounding terrain was far less acute than before.
"It is indeed narrowing," Lan Chen responded.
"Could it be that we are nearing the end of the cave?" Mo Yexue asked.
Xue Mei chimed in, "That's possible."
Mo Yexue expressed her concern, "But we haven't found any Teleportation Array in this cave. How are we supposed to leave?"
Lan Chen turned to Song Wen and asked, "Yin Shuo, how did you enter this underground cave?"
Song Wen replied, "Through a barrier located deep within a cold pool."
"Where is the barrier?" Lan Chen inquired.
Song Wen shook his head, "The barrier is one-way. After Fellow Daoist Xue Mei and I entered the cave, we didn't find any barrier to return."
After a brief pause, Song Wen asked, "Fairy, how did you and Fellow Daoist Mo enter the cave?"
Lan Chen said, "We came directly here via a Teleportation Array from another Small Secret Realm."
Song Wen said, "There's still a section of the cave ahead that we haven't searched. Perhaps we can find a Teleportation Array there to leave this place. If not, it could be troublesome."
At that moment, Xue Mei, who was flying at the forefront, suddenly increased her speed noticeably.
Seeing this, Song Wen and the other two quickly urged their movement techniques to keep up.
Shortly after, a bamboo grove appeared about a hundred feet ahead of them.
The grove was small, consisting of only six bamboo stalks.
The appearance of these bamboos was vastly different from ordinary ones.
The bamboo stalks were about half a foot thick but only six feet tall, twisted and bent like a hunched old man.
The bamboo bodies were a sickly gray-white, covered in cracks resembling hideous scars.
The leaves were sparse and dry, their edges curled, bearing a dying yellowish hue.
The bamboo grove gave off a sense of discord and discomfort.
As the breeze passed, the grove emitted a mournful sound, as if countless spirits were whispering, sending chills down one's spine.
"What kind of spiritual material is this?" Mo Yexue asked.
She could clearly sense the extraordinary nature of this bamboo but felt an inexplicable aversion to it.
"Withered Corpse Bamboo, a spiritual material of the Corpse Dao that has long been extinct in the outside world," Xue Mei explained vaguely.
She did not reveal the true utility of this bamboo for practitioners of the Corpse Dao.
With a calm demeanor, she continued in a negotiating tone, "This bamboo is somewhat useful for Yin Shuo and me. For Fellow Daoist Lan Chen and Fellow Daoist Mo, it holds no value. How about letting Yin Shuo and me harvest these Withered Corpse Bamboos?"
Lan Chen and Mo Yexue knew that Xue Mei was withholding information.
However, they did not expose her and agreed instead.
Xue Mei was not wrong about one thing: the Withered Corpse Bamboo was of little use to them, so it was better to let Song Wen and Xue Mei have it.
For Mo Yexue, this bamboo could offset the debt of the Violet-Gold Spirit Wood.
As for Lan Chen, she set a condition: if they encountered any treasures she needed, Song Wen and Xue Mei would help her obtain them.
Song Wen and Xue Mei did not rashly attempt to harvest the Withered Corpse Bamboo. Instead, Song Wen summoned a third-tier Corpse Puppet.
The third-tier Silver Corpse leaped with all its might and landed beside the Withered Corpse Bamboo grove.
The Withered Corpse Bamboo grew amidst a pile of broken stones.
As the Silver Corpse landed on the stones, a skeletal arm glowing with golden light suddenly emerged from beneath the rubble and grabbed the Silver Corpse's calf.
Before the Silver Corpse could react, the skeletal arm yanked it downward, causing the Silver Corpse's body to sink into the rubble.
No matter how fiercely the Silver Corpse struggled, it could not resist the immense force from the skeletal arm and sank deeper and deeper.
At that moment, a cold glint flashed as a curved blade, about an inch long, struck the wrist of the skeletal arm.
With a loud "clang," the curved blade was sent flying back.
The skeletal arm, however, remained unscathed.
Immediately after, a Soul Breaking Awl shot toward the spot where the curved blade had struck.
The Soul Breaking Awl failed to harm the skeletal arm but instead turned into a black, sticky liquid that clung to the bone.
Instantly, the skeletal arm began to blacken, emitting wisps of black smoke.
A powerful surge of Corpse Qi erupted from the skeletal arm, flinging the black liquid away.
Then, still clutching the Silver Corpse, it disappeared into the rubble.
"Is that a zombie?" Lan Chen asked, his tone tinged with speculation.
"Indeed, it is a zombie, though the flesh on its arm is gone," Xue Mei replied.
"Why does it only attack the Corpse Puppet and not us? Has it developed intelligence?" Lan Chen continued to inquire.
Xue Mei explained, "It likely hasn't developed intelligence. It's merely guarding the Withered Corpse Bamboo. Moreover, the Corpse Qi from the Corpse Puppet can serve as nourishment for the bamboo."
"Fellow Daoist Xue Mei, are you suggesting that as long as we don't emit Corpse Qi and don't disturb the Withered Corpse Bamboo, it won't attack us?" Song Wen asked.
"Based on my observations, that seems to be the case," Xue Mei confirmed.
Song Wen then flipped his hand and took out the oddly-shaped Top-Grade Ghost Banner.
As the Ghost Banner waved, the third-tier Ghost King sealed within it appeared.
Over the years, Song Wen had acquired many Ghost Dao spiritual items, all of which had been consumed by the Ghost King, allowing it to advance to the late third-tier.
The Ghost King, enveloped in surging Ghost Qi, soared into the air and hovered above the Withered Corpse Bamboo.
Just as Xue Mei had speculated, the owner of the skeletal arm did not reveal itself.
After a moment of contemplation, Song Wen recalled the Ghost King and said to Xue Mei, "I'll lure it out, and you take the opportunity to harvest the Withered Corpse Bamboo."
Xue Mei nodded in agreement, "Alright!"
After a brief discussion to finalize their plan, Xue Mei, Lan Chen, and Mo Yexue advanced several hundred feet forward, positioning themselves on the other side of the Withered Corpse Bamboo.
Suddenly, a surge of Corpse Qi erupted from Song Wen's body, transforming him into a three-zhang-tall Giant Corpse.
The Corpse Qi spread out, sweeping toward the location of the Withered Corpse Bamboo.
"Roar!"
A deafening roar echoed as the ground's rubble churned, and a zombie leaped out from beneath the stones.
Unlike its skeletal arm, the zombie's body was not entirely devoid of flesh, though it was severely decayed, giving it a tattered appearance.
However, Song Wen did not underestimate it.
This was a late fourth-tier zombie.
The zombie leaped with all its might, lunging fiercely toward Song Wen.
Song Wen did not engage it directly but instead turned and fled.
The zombie pursued relentlessly, hot on his heels.
However, after chasing for about a mile, the zombie suddenly stopped.
It ceased its pursuit of Song Wen and turned back toward the location of the Withered Corpse Bamboo.
Song Wen was momentarily stunned.
This zombie's obsession with Withered Corpse Bamboo was unusually intense.
Song Wen raised his hand, and a blood-red tentacle extended from his palm, resembling a thick spear, thrusting towards the zombie.
Corpse Qi surged around the zombie, forming a thick shield of Corpse Qi that blocked the tentacle.
However, the immense force from the tentacle caused the zombie to stagger, nearly falling.
The zombie turned its head, its crimson eyes coldly fixed on Song Wen.
(End of the Chapter)
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