Chapter 128: Madam, Oh Madam!
The scorpion's pupils gazed deeply at Cheng Guang.
Just by being stared at by the creature, Cheng Guang instantly felt an overwhelmingly heavy mountain pressing down upon his head, making his breathing extraordinarily difficult.
Beside Cheng Guang, Cheng Zhihai and Qin Beiwen—even as powerful Ninth-Grade Martial Emperor cultivators—possessed almost no capacity to resist in the face of this unknown, scorpion-like entity.
Their bodies grew slightly stiff.
They wanted to move and block this pressure from the scorpion for Cheng Guang, but at that moment, they discovered that even moving their limbs had become immensely arduous.
Empress Da Wei shifted her lotus-like steps, arriving before Cheng Guang and making him feel a bit more at ease.
Her beautiful eyes stared at the scorpion on the roof, her exquisite face freezing slightly before her brows slowly knitted together.
This scorpion was much stronger than the chicken monster inside the shrine just moments ago.
Its strength was truly extraordinary.
If a real battle were to break out with this scorpion, even she could not guarantee absolute victory.
Just as Empress Da Wei was scrutinizing the scorpion with vigilance, the scorpion no longer cast its gaze upon Cheng Guang. Sitting atop the roof, it seemed neither to care about them nor wish to converse, merely uttering:
"Little things from who knows where. I neither care nor wish to deal with the lot of you. Be off while you still can."
With that, it resumed sitting on the roof and drinking its sorrowful wine.
At that very moment, a series of auras rose in the distance.
Several Celestial-realm beings rushed over from afar in disheveled states, their bodies covered in wounds and scars. Looking at the scorpion on the roof, their complexions turned pale white, their expressions filled with hard-to-conceal horror.
They remained standing in the distance, not daring to approach.
Clearly, these Celestial-realm experts had just clashed with the scorpion, and the encounter had been a near-total, one-sided suppression.
No matter how many Celestial-realm experts there were, they were no match for the scorpion.
Li Longhu glanced at the scorpion, then looked at Cheng Guang and his party standing before the Abode of Immortality.
Li Longhu could not comprehend how Cheng Guang and the others could remain standing so close to the scorpion. Weren't they afraid the scorpion would attack them?
Li Longhu could not figure it out at the moment, and the Emperor of Da Zhou beside him was equally baffled.
Following the scent that could enhance their cultivation, they had rushed all the way to this Abode of Immortality. At first, they hadn't noticed the gigantic scorpion on the roof and had immediately begun fighting over the liquid inside the wine vat.
Just as they were contending with one another, the bizarre scorpion had suddenly appeared.
With a single strike from the bizarre scorpion, before a Celestial-realm expert could even react, he was cleaved into two halves and torn into a mist of blood.
They had no time to continue fighting over the wine vat and were forced into battle with the scorpion.
After a bout of fighting, the scorpion killed a few people and, having vented its spleen slightly, departed.
Otherwise, the Emperor of Da Zhou secretly doubted whether he could have survived in the hands of this bizarre scorpion.
The Emperor of Da Zhou now dared not approach the Abode of Immortality and could only watch from afar.
When he saw Cheng Guang and the others standing right in front of the abode while the scorpion made no move to attack them, a wave of bewilderment washed over him.
Under the gaze of the Emperor of Da Zhou, he suddenly saw Cheng Guang move.
Cheng Guang stepped forward, walking toward the Abode of Immortality.
Seeing this, the Emperor of Da Zhou and the various Celestial-realm experts narrowed their eyes, immediately assuming that in the next instant, the scorpion would strike and tear Cheng Guang—this reckless Marquis of Zhenguo's Heir—into a mist of blood.
Cheng Zhihai and Qin Beiwen were also startled, but because they were accustomed to being shocked by Cheng Guang's actions, they did not immediately step forward to stop him.
Empress Da Wei, who had been closely trailing behind Cheng Guang, was stunned, failing to react for a moment.
Since this bizarre scorpion hadn't attacked them, shouldn't they be leaving first?
Why did the Marquis of Zhenguo's Heir still want to go inside the Abode of Immortality to explore?
Was he courting death just for the sake of fortune?
Empress Da Wei's heart was filled with doubt and suspicion. Following that, she recalled the methods Cheng Guang had previously used to deal with those white worms, and she inexplicably felt that Cheng Guang might actually have a way to handle this bizarre scorpion.
Hesitating for a moment, Empress Da Wei followed in Cheng Guang's footsteps and walked toward the Abode of Immortality.
Cheng Guang walked slowly toward the Abode of Immortality.
The bizarre scorpion on the roof drank its sullen wine. Noticing Cheng Guang's movement, it glanced at him with dark brown pupils. Seeing him step across the threshold and enter the main gate of the abode without touching the wine vats placed outside, it lost interest and looked away.
Passing over the threshold, Cheng Guang stepped inside the building and swept a brief glance around, noticing several gold-plated wooden chests placed in the corner.
Cheng Guang's eyes lit up. He strode over and opened the gold-plated wooden chests. A cloud of dust billowed up; the items placed inside were sparse.
There were only some tea sets and garments very similar to the Taoist robes worn by the monkey demon outside the mountain gate, though these looked slightly more high-grade.
After opening all the gold-plated wooden chests, Cheng Guang discovered that aside from some clothing, there were also weathered, low-grade, pitch-black Taoist scripture scrolls.
Without even opening them, the mere act of holding them in his palm—
Between the heavens and the earth, he could sense a series of voices ringing in his ears.
It sounded like a sermon; it sounded like a message left behind.
Cheng Guang listened closely.
"The Great Dao flows everywhere, it can go left and right. All things depend on it for life yet it turns none away; its work is accomplished, but it lays no claim to a name. It clothes and nourishes all things yet does not act as their master. Always without desires, it may be named small."
"All things return to it yet it does not act as their master, it may be named great. Because it never defines itself as great, it is able to achieve its greatness..."
Most of it consisted of profound and abstruse scriptures. Having listened to merely fragments, Cheng Guang felt a slight pain in his head and a trance in his mind, as if he saw sitting right before him an ugly, aged Daoist dressed in rotting Taoist robes, earnestly preaching the Dao to him sentence by sentence.
Listening and listening, Cheng Guang inevitably became mesmerized.
At that exact moment, upon hearing these scriptures, the divine figure inside Cheng Guang's mind seemed to suddenly open its eyes, a radiance blooming from the divine eyes, bright and golden.
A flash of clarity surged through Cheng Guang's mind.
Cheng Guang snapped back to his senses in a daze, inwardly shocked. Merely touching the scrolls had plunged him into an illusion, nearly making him lose himself beyond recovery!
This thing was extremely eerie as well!
Cheng Guang hurriedly put down the scrolls and swept them all together into his storage ring.
At this time, Empress Da Wei followed Cheng Guang's footsteps, crossing the boundary into the secret realm.
She stared at Cheng Guang, as if wishing to see through every single hidden secret he possessed.
Noticing the Empress's gaze, Cheng Guang turned his head to look at her before ignoring her entirely, sweeping all the contents of the gold-plated wooden chests into his own storage ring.
Right now, he and the Empress maintained a delicate equilibrium: she dared not harm him, and he could not harm her.
Therefore, Cheng Guang naturally wouldn't stand on ceremony with Empress Da Wei. First come, first served; gathering all these items meant they were now his.
After Cheng Guang stowed everything from the gold-plated wooden chests into his storage ring, Empress Da Wei did not say anything further.
After all, Cheng Guang had been the first to enter the Abode of Immortality.
Had Cheng Guang not entered first, giving Empress Da Wei a hundred bolts of courage, she would never have dared enter the abode to seek fortune under the gaze of that bizarre scorpion.
Following him inside, aside from the sense of safety she felt trailing behind Cheng Guang, she was driven mostly by the desire to see what on earth Cheng Guang intended to do by entering the abode.
She always felt that Cheng Guang knew far more than she did.
It seemed as though Cheng Guang had visited this secret realm long ago. Whether it was his casual, effortless demeanor or his indifferent expression, it all made him appear immensely confident.
After glancing at Cheng Guang, Empress Da Wei remained silent, quietly trailing behind him as she thoroughly searched the interior of the Abode of Immortality.
Cheng Guang looted every single item of value clean.
At the same time, Cheng Guang noticed that ever since Empress Da Wei came to his side, she hadn't shown much interest in the items inside the abode; instead, she displayed an extraordinary, out-of-the-ordinary interest in him.
It seemed he was the existence that fascinated Empress Da Wei much more.
Cheng Guang shook his head with a chuckle and said nothing. After lingering in the abode for a little longer, he slowly walked out.
Stepping out of the gates, he cast another glance at the wine vats by the entrance.
The wine inside those vats held immense benefits for practitioners.
A Celestial-realm expert taking even a single sip might break through on the spot.
However, with that scorpion present, trying to get the wine in those vats was no easy feat.
Looking from the wine vats to the gigantic scorpion on the roof, Cheng Guang felt a trace of helplessness and decided to simply give up for now.
Once his cultivation and strength grew stronger, if he ever had the chance to visit this secret realm again, perhaps he could defeat this scorpion spirit and enjoy the fine wine then.
Just as Cheng Guang was about to call out to Cheng Zhihai and Qin Beiwen to leave, the numerous Celestial-realm experts who had been watching Cheng Guang enter the Abode of Immortality and emerge completely unharmed could no longer sit still.
At that moment, they were filled with disbelief and profound shock.
Why could Cheng Guang, this Marquis of Zhenguo's Heir, be ignored by that bizarre scorpion, walk straight into the abode, and emerge completely unscathed?
Simultaneously, most of them realized something.
If the wine vats casually placed outside the abode held fortunes that even made Celestial-realm beings drool, wouldn't the items inside the abode be even more valuable?
The moment this thought crossed their minds, numerous Celestial-realm experts moved toward the mountaintop with a tacit understanding.
As they approached the abode, even though they noticed that the gigantic scorpion was not looking at them and continued to drink its wine, they still synchronized their movements, carefully slowing their footsteps.
A rich aroma of wine permeated the air.
Taking a single sniff, many of the Celestial-realm experts felt as though they had consumed a potent divine pill; their blood surged, and their faces flushed crimson.
Cheng Guang noticed several Celestial-realm figures—including Li Longhu and the Emperor of Da Zhou—walking toward him.
The moment those experts drew near, Cheng Guang could feel a scorching heat. Their surging martial blood burned like a raging furnace, radiating an intense heat that made him quite uncomfortable.
Anticipating that many Celestial-realm experts would approach, Cheng Guang had prepared himself long ago, so he showed no panic, watching the incoming group with a calm expression.
Li Longhu walked up to Cheng Guang, his aged eyes scrutinizing the youth with an expression that seemed a mix of appreciation and astonishment. After observing him for a moment, he asked, "Marquis's Heir, what did you obtain upon entering the Abode of Immortality just now?"
Cheng Guang smiled and shook his head. "I didn't obtain anything much. There wasn't much inside that abode to begin with."
Hearing this, Li Longhu didn't believe it for a second.
The wine water placed in the vats outside the abode alone was already extraordinary, let alone whatever objects were concealed within.
Li Longhu still couldn't figure out why the bizarre scorpion sitting on the roof hadn't attacked Cheng Guang when he entered the abode.
With that thought, Li Longhu looked back at the bizarre scorpion on the roof, only to see it still drinking heavily, paying not an ounce of attention to them.
In the eyes of that bizarre scorpion, perhaps people like them were nothing more than ants.
That realization made Li Longhu's expression turn rather unsightly.
At this moment, the Emperor of Da Zhou nearby smiled and spoke, "Guang'er, what did you see when you went into the abode just now? What did you take? You might as well bring it all out for us to see."
The Emperor of Da Zhou was also rather curious about what treasures Cheng Guang had acquired from the Abode of Immortality.
Cheng Guang showed little reaction to the Emperor of Da Zhou's words.
However, Cheng Zhihai beside Cheng Guang wore a strange look upon hearing them.
In the past, whenever the Emperor of Da Zhou addressed Cheng Guang, at least on the surface, he would always display an attitude of doting fondness.
Why didn't he even want to keep up appearances this time?
Or could it be that he, too, coveted whatever fortune Guang'er might have obtained?
Cheng Zhihai didn't understand.
He wanted to say something, but with numerous Celestial-realm experts watching all around, a heavy pressure weighed upon his heart.
Just as he was about to move and step in front of Cheng Guang, Cheng Guang smiled and spoke.
"What is my uncle saying? If you all wish to see what I obtained, I'll simply show it to you."
With that, Cheng Guang didn't hesitate in the slightest. He took off the storage ring worn on his finger and tossed it directly to the Emperor of Da Zhou.
The Emperor of Da Zhou instinctively caught the storage ring, freezing in place for a moment.
He failed to react immediately.
Clearly, he had never expected Cheng Guang to so easily hand over everything he had acquired from the secret realm.
At the same time, the Emperor of Da Zhou could clearly sense that Cheng Guang had truly given him everything he possessed.
In his perception, Cheng Guang no longer carried a single spatial treasure.
Aside from the Emperor of Da Zhou, the other Celestial-realm experts presumably understood this as well, shifting their gazes away from Cheng Guang and onto the Emperor of Da Zhou.
The Emperor of Da Zhou smiled and remarked, "This child Guang'er is really something, so devoted to his uncle. They're probably just some little trinkets."
As he spoke, the Emperor of Da Zhou's divine sense moved, using his will to open the storage ring and take a look.
Yet the moment he peeked inside, his expression shifted drastically, horror flashing across his face. Before his voice even faded, he sprang into motion, streaking off into the distance.
He looked as though he didn't want to stay another second in that spot.
After the Emperor of Da Zhou's figure vanished, Li Longhu and the other Celestial-realm experts froze for a moment before their faces darkened with anger.
Everyone had traveled here together; did you, the Emperor of Da Zhou, actually intend to hog the treasures for yourself?!
They hurriedly followed after the Emperor of Da Zhou's retreating figure, their soaring speed cutting through the air with loud sonic booms.
At the same time, the various Celestial-realm experts still harbored a certain amount of dread toward the bizarre scorpion atop the abode. Although the creature hadn't attacked them immediately, out of caution, they instinctively wanted to stay as far away from it as possible.
That bizarre scorpion's strength was far beyond what any single one or two Celestial-realm experts could compare to.
Its true might likely far exceeded their imaginations.
Guarded by that bizarre scorpion, the wine in the vats that could elevate their Celestial-realm cultivations was probably out of reach.
Acquiring some treasures from inside the Abode of Immortality would have to suffice.
All of it was exceptionally good.
Driven by this thought, they frantically churned their vital energy, hurtling after the Emperor of Da Zhou.
As expected of a Celestial-realm practitioner of the spiritual path, the Emperor of Da Zhou's cultivation and realm were vastly superior to the majority of martial-path Celestial realm cultivators.
In the span of just a few moments, he had already sprinted out of sight.
Li Longhu and the others would likely need to expend quite a bit more time to catch up to him.
Cheng Guang rubbed his chin. Although this secret realm was vast, its space was ultimately limited; no matter how well the Emperor of Da Zhou tried to hide, he wouldn't be able to evade them for long.
At this moment, Cheng Guang did not feel distressed about giving his entire stash to the Emperor of Da Zhou.
Surrounded by so many Celestial-realm experts, he had little room to resist. Even with Empress Da Wei by his side, a single Empress Da Wei could not possibly hold off that many Celestial-realm beings.
Instead, Cheng Guang was now somewhat curious about what the Emperor of Da Zhou had discovered inside his storage ring to make him instantly ditch the other Celestial-realm experts, willing to brave the risk of being hunted down by them just to take the ring and flee headlong.
Cheng Guang couldn't quite fathom it.
There were indeed quite a few good things in his storage ring.
Most of which he didn't even recognize.
Judging by the Emperor of Da Zhou's panicked urgency just now, he had clearly recognized a specific item inside the ring.
Regardless, his storage ring didn't just contain good things; it also held some filthy items.
He wondered if the Emperor of Da Zhou would discover the grand gift he had prepared for him shortly.
Pondering this, Cheng Guang's gaze drifted back to the bizarre scorpion atop the Abode of Immortality in the distance.
"Marquis's Heir, you went through such hardship to obtain that fortune, and you just handed it over to the Emperor of Da Zhou like that?"
Empress Da Wei stared at Cheng Guang, her red lips parting slightly as she slowly spoke.
She couldn't quite understand.
Among the fortunes Cheng Guang had acquired earlier were items that even made her drool with envy, yet he had discarded them so carelessly, handing them straight to the Emperor of Da Zhou.
Why would the Marquis's Heir do such a thing when she was right there protecting him?
Empress Da Wei couldn't make sense of it.
Cheng Guang smiled. "It's fine, he's just temporarily keeping it safe for me. Under those circumstances, if I hadn't handed it out, those Celestial-realm experts wouldn't be targeting the Emperor of Da Zhou right now—they'd be targeting me."
Hearing this, Empress Da Wei wore a thoughtful expression before nodding slightly.
"Putting it that way, giving it away was indeed quite wise."
"Naturally. If you were capable of handling so many Celestial-realm experts, I wouldn't have given it away. It's just that you're too useless."
Cheng Guang spoke in a flat tone, his handsome face fittingly displaying a hint of disdain.
Noticing the look of disdain on Cheng Guang's face, Empress Da Wei's red lips twitched as she stared at him incredulously for a long while.
How on earth are you qualified to look down on me?!
I am a Celestial-realm expert, no matter what!
And what about you?!
Empress Da Wei's slender fingers tightened into light fists before slowly relaxing.
This wasn't because she had completely let the matter go, but rather because she discovered she simply couldn't touch Cheng Guang.
She had already sworn an oath.
As a Celestial-realm being, once she violated the oath, the consequences would be more than she could bear.
Without the constraint of the oath, Empress Da Wei would have loved nothing more than to hang Cheng Guang from a tree and whip him soundly to vent her anger.
Right now, however, she could only bite her teeth and imagine it in her mind.
Seeing a figure as formidable as Empress Da Wei being thoroughly handled by his own son, Cheng Zhihai couldn't help but feel a secret wave of amusement.
This was Empress Da Wei.
A pinnacle figure standing at the extreme apex of the mortal world, right alongside the Emperor of Da Zhou, yet she was being looked down upon by his son.
This was truly extraordinary.
Cheng Guang paid no mind to the thoughts of Empress Da Wei and Cheng Zhihai. Shifting his gaze away from the Empress, he looked back at the bizarre scorpion in the distance.
Although the Emperor of Da Zhou had taken his storage ring, he was merely holding onto it for safe-keeping.
Later, once the Emperor of Da Zhou discovered the grand gift he had packed inside, he would likely jump for joy.
Right now, he still needed to figure out how to get his hands on the wine in those vats.
The scorpion on the Abode of Immortality had ignored him entering and leaving the abode purely because it simply didn't care about the building itself.
The only thing the bizarre scorpion cared about was the wine vat.
If he were to harbor any designs on the wine vat, he reckoned he'd be dead the moment he made a move.
Taking it by force was out of the question.
He would have to use his wits.
Just as Cheng Guang was pondering this, a series of booming noises suddenly echoed from the distance.
The Emperor of Da Zhou fled anxiously in all directions, shouting in desperation, "What on earth are these damn things?!"
"How can such bizarre bugs exist inside a storage ring?!"
Behind him, one could see numerous white worms the size of rice grains, their tiny eyes gleaming with a fierce, malevolent luster, charging frantically toward the Emperor of Da Zhou as if they had caught the scent of something supremely delicious.
The Celestial-realm experts trailing behind the Emperor of Da Zhou seemed to be pursued by a swarm of white worms as well.
Having spent just a short moment circling the area, it seemed they had also attracted the minuscule, invisible white worms from the chicken monster's shrine.
The air shook incessantly, explosions and booms ringing out without stop.
"Damn it, damn it! What on earth are these things?!"
"We can't do a single thing to these white worms... What are these bugs even made of? How can they be so tough?!"
"Run! Run! Don't let the white worms touch you! Ah—!"
Shouts of anger from Celestial-realm experts resounded through the heavens.
Yet after ringing out for mere moments, the movements of one of the Celestial-realm experts abruptly hitched, followed by a series of shrill, miserable screams.
That expert had his flesh bitten into by the white worms, causing his aura to stall momentarily; the immense pain caused the energy within his body to spin out of control.
Filled with despair and terror, he frantically attacked the white worms that were continually burrowing into his flesh.
Terror and desperation made him completely disregard whether such reckless actions might injure his own body.
Unleashing his divine abilities as if they cost nothing, he blasted attacks straight into his own body.
Series of explosive echoes erupted from within that Celestial-realm expert's body.
With every explosion, his body shuddered uncontrollably. At the same time, great mists of blood sprayed from his pores like fountains.
The vault of heaven.
Was once again stained red with blood in no time at all.
Simultaneously, due to the expert's hurried and haphazard countermeasures, the injuries originally caused by the white worm bites worsened dramatically.
Within moments, his piercing screams grew fainter and fainter.
At the same time, beneath his shattered skin and among his blood-soaked flesh, white spherical balls the size of rice grains began to emerge out of thin air.
Those white spherical balls were individual white worms, which immediately rooted themselves into the Celestial-realm expert's body, alternately sucking and draining him.
The lively intelligence in the expert's eyes instantly dimmed, meeting the exact same fate as the old ancestor of the Dayuan Dynasty before him.
He was already dead.
Yet he wasn't completely dead yet.
The miserable state of that Celestial-realm expert caused the expressions of the other Celestial-realm experts targeted by the white worms to change drastically.
Especially the Emperor of Da Zhou, who had released the white worms himself and plunged himself into such a perilous trap by his own accord.
The Emperor of Da Zhou's complexion was hideously pale.
He couldn't understand it, nor could he make sense of it.
Why would Cheng Guang's storage ring contain such a bizarre existence as these white worms?
The attacks of Celestial-realm experts inflicted zero damage upon those white worms.
He could still briefly escape the white worms' attacks for now, but if this dragged on and his internal energy depleted, his fate would be no better than the Celestial-realm expert who had just been parasitized!
"What is to be done?!"
The Emperor of Da Zhou's stern and majestic face darkened. Scanning his surroundings, he saw that most of the surrounding Celestial-realm experts were in the exact same plight as him.
The sudden appearance of these white worms wasn't entirely without any silver lining, at least.
They had helped him stall the other Celestial-realm experts who wanted to rob him of the storage ring.
Moreover, soaring high in the sky, the Emperor of Da Zhou suddenly discovered that these strange, abruptly appearing white worms showed little interest in beings below the Celestial realm.
Instead, they found Celestial-realm beings exceptionally appetizing.
Every single Celestial-realm expert was currently under siege by the white worms.
Connecting the dots, the Emperor of Da Zhou's peripheral vision caught sight of Empress Da Wei standing beside Cheng Guang atop the Abode of Immortality, her expression calm.
Wait, hold on.
If all the Celestial-realm experts were currently targeted by the white worms, why wasn't Empress Da Wei affected at all?!
The Emperor of Da Zhou's eyes flickered with deep incomprehension.
Had he not been surrounded by white worms and unable to move quickly, forced to fend off the countless worm attacks with all his might, he would have already rushed to Cheng Guang's side to investigate.
"Aside from the white worms I took out of Guang'er's storage ring, more than half of the other white worms flew up from the foot of the mountain."
"That means Empress Da Wei, Guang'er, and the others, who arrived from the mountain later, must have encountered these white worms long ago."
"It's normal that these white worms only care about Celestial-realm beings and left Guang'er and the others alone, but why is Empress Da Wei also completely unharmed?"
While parrying the tide of white worms surging madly toward him, the Emperor of Da Zhou's majestic eyes flashed as he pondered within his heart.
From the very beginning.
He had found it very strange that Empress Da Wei had appeared by Cheng Guang's side, stepping closely behind him every step of the way.
It seemed as though sticking close to Cheng Guang provided Empress Da Wei with a greater sense of security.
This feeling was far too absurd, and the Emperor of Da Zhou hadn't taken it to heart initially.
He figured Empress Da Wei was perhaps just acting on a whim.
He neither understood Empress Da Wei nor wished to have excessive contact with her.
However.
At this moment, linking Empress Da Wei's actions to these white worms.
Perhaps he could deduce a thing or two from it.
Could it be...
When Empress Da Wei encountered these white worms earlier, she had been saved by Guang'er?!
Thinking of this, the Emperor of Da Zhou's mind shook violently. Even someone as unflappable as a mountain collapsing before him could barely keep his composure.
For a moment, the Emperor of Da Zhou simply could not comprehend what kind of methods Cheng Guang possessed to help Empress Da Wei repel these fierce white worms.
And thinking further, the white worms he had pulled out of Cheng Guang's storage ring were likely the result of Cheng Guang's deliberate arrangement.
This Guang'er...
Was actually trying to trap and harm him?!
He was trying to harm his own uncle?!
This simply wasn't something Guang'er should be capable of doing!
In the Emperor of Da Zhou's view, back when he attempted to assassinate Cheng Guang, the youth had been completely oblivious to it.
Moreover, the impression Cheng Guang had previously left him with was nothing like this current incarnation of cunning and deceitfulness.
The Emperor of Da Zhou's expression grew gloomy. Listening to the constant hissing of the white worms echoing around his ears, his mood grew increasingly irritable.
"Get lost, all of you!"
With a gloomy face, the Emperor of Da Zhou let out a furious roar that startled the surrounding white worms. A formidable wave of divine will surged outward from between his brows.
All the white worms in close proximity to the Emperor of Da Zhou retreated slightly.
Having temporarily scared the white worms back with a roar, the Emperor of Da Zhou held nothing back, pouring his divine sense outward to form a barrier of moderate size around his body.
It was capable of temporarily isolating all the white worms on the outside.
Transforming his body into a streak of light, he hurtled toward the location of the Abode of Immortality in the distance.
A distance of barely a hundred zhang felt to the Emperor of Da Zhou as though he were physically trudging through a sea of blades and a blazing inferno.
As he walked, he felt as if he were passing through a great terror; his face was pale, and large beads of sweat continuously slid down his forehead.
By the time he reached the vicinity of Cheng Guang, the Emperor of Da Zhou was already struggling to withstand the relentless attacks and bites of the surrounding white worms.
The moment he relaxed even slightly, the white worms would swarm over and engulf him.
"Guang'er! Quick, come and help your uncle!"
The Emperor of Da Zhou called out sharply, the tension in his eyes entirely genuine.
Hearing the Emperor of Da Zhou's cry, Cheng Guang turned his head to look. Not far away, the Emperor of Da Zhou was stepping forward with extreme difficulty amidst the heavy, oppressive air, making his way toward him.
Circling around the Emperor of Da Zhou were a few clearly visible, oversized white worms. Unlike the other invisible white worms, they weren't rushing blindly to tear him apart.
Instead, like old fishermen sitting steadily on a Diaoyutai platform, they hovered with a fierce look in their eyes, quietly crouching aside as they waited for the Emperor of Da Zhou to reveal a flaw.
"Uncle, what are you talking about?"
Cheng Guang wore a look of utter bewilderment, staring at the Emperor of Da Zhou with complete incomprehension.
At this moment, the Emperor of Da Zhou knew that the vast majority of the white worms surrounding him were invisible entities, so he didn't suspect anything amiss.
He hurriedly said, "There are countless white worms all around me!"
"They're the things from inside your storage ring! Guang'er, do you have any way to deal with these things?"
Cheng Guang's expression froze slightly, fittingly displaying a trace of shock before he shook his head.
"Uncle, even you can't do anything about these white worms, so how could I have a way?"
The moment Cheng Guang uttered those words, the Emperor of Da Zhou's expression turned uglier than ever.
The corners of his mouth began to twitch wildly.
He didn't believe a single word of Cheng Guang's nonsense.
At first, Cheng Guang might have successfully acted the part of someone completely clueless about what he had encountered.
But now, he had already told Cheng Guang what was happening, yet Cheng Guang was still trying to tell him that he was powerless to help?!
How could that be possible?!
If Cheng Guang himself were truly powerless, how could his storage ring contain so many white worms...?
The Emperor of Da Zhou gritted his teeth inwardly. Knitting his brows, he realized that Cheng Guang apparently had no intention of helping him, so he simply dropped the pretense and spoke bluntly:
"Guang'er, what will it take for you to help me?"
Hearing the Emperor of Da Zhou say this, Cheng Guang wore a conflicted and hesitant look before speaking up:
"Uncle, I really don't know how to help you. Perhaps you should return my storage ring to me first, and only then can I consider what to do."
Upon hearing this, the Emperor of Da Zhou didn't hesitate for a split second. He tore off the storage ring right then and there, hurling it straight toward Cheng Guang.
The white worms were only interested in Celestial-realm beings; they cared nothing for a mere storage ring.
Thus, the storage ring easily pierced through the shroud of white worms and landed squarely in Cheng Guang's palm.
Catching the storage ring, Cheng Guang opened it up for a quick check.
He found that aside from the minuscule, bizarre white worms being gone, everything else remained completely intact.
Cheng Guang breathed a sigh of relief, slowly turned around, and walked back toward the Abode of Immortality, completely ignoring the Emperor of Da Zhou's plight.
The Emperor of Da Zhou froze for a moment.
Then he watched as Cheng Guang's figure gradually walked further away.
He was completely stunned.
Could it be...
From the very beginning, Cheng Guang had never intended to save him at all?!
Was this whole thing Cheng Guang's own plan...?!
Or had Cheng Zhihai taught him to do this?!
Grief and fury mingled in the Emperor of Da Zhou's heart, and he let out an angry roar, his stern and majestic face now twisted with ferocity.
"Guang'er! You've gone too far!"
Before the Emperor of Da Zhou's voice could fade, it was completely swallowed up by the white worms.
Following that, a piercing, miserable scream rang out.
Cheng Guang paid no attention to the Emperor of Da Zhou.
Though the Emperor of Da Zhou had treated him exceptionally well at the very beginning, that was all in the past now.
Whether it was the previous assassination attempt or the stunt he pulled trying to seize the storage ring just now.
Neither could be washed clean.
Cheng Guang's expression remained calm, whereas Cheng Zhihai beside him carried a complex mood.
He had always held deep reverence for the Emperor of Da Zhou.
The mindset of the dynasty, the mindset of absolute loyalty to the ruler and filial piety to the father, had long been deeply engraved in his mind.
It was thanks to Cheng Guang's prior encounter with the Emperor of Da Zhou's assassination attempt that his mindset had shifted somewhat.
If not for that.
Cheng Zhihai wouldn't have been able to sit still right now, and would only have wanted to rush out and help the Emperor of Da Zhou.
Yet at this moment.
Cheng Zhihai couldn't force his legs to move no matter what.
The disappearance of the Emperor of Da Zhou—who had always wanted to move against the Marquis of Zhenguo's Manor—was perhaps a blessing for the manor.
Whoever ruled Da Zhou in the future, it absolutely could not be Wushang.
Cheng Zhihai took a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the impulse to look back, and shifted his gaze away from the Emperor of Da Zhou.
He slowly followed in Cheng Guang's footsteps.
Cheng Guang walked toward the Abode of Immortality. When he arrived beneath the bizarre scorpion, he halted his steps once more.
At that moment, the bizarre scorpion wasn't drinking wine; instead, it was watching the Emperor of Da Zhou in the distance, who was enveloped by countless white worms.
Deep within its dark brown pupils, a hint of sorrowful melancholy welled up.
It tilted its head and poured a mouthful of wine down its throat.
"Pathetic, lamentable. This path to sagehood ultimately nurtured a brood of such things."
"Call this sagehood? It's closer to becoming a demon."
With that, the bizarre scorpion took another swig of wine from its jar, ignoring the Emperor of Da Zhou entirely. Instead, it cast its gaze upon Cheng Guang, a look of mild interest crossing its face.
"You, you're rather interesting. How did you know the function of the three-flower grass?"
It was the first time the bizarre scorpion had initiated conversation with Cheng Guang.
When Cheng Guang had first approached the abode, he had wanted to test this bizarre scorpion as well.
The system's quest prompt had stated that as long as the wine vats weren't smashed, the bizarre scorpion wouldn't attack him.
Thus, within this specific range, Cheng Guang was safe.
Hearing the bizarre scorpion's question, Cheng Guang was slightly startled; he hadn't expected the creature to also be able to smell the scent of the three-flower grass on him.
It seemed the bizarre scorpion was not completely oblivious to what was happening within this secret realm.
Moreover, the bizarre scorpion had referred to the existence of these white worms as the path to sagehood.
Coupled with what the chicken monster had mentioned earlier regarding the Dao fruit of sagehood...
What kind of cultivation were the Daoists of the Five-Path Mountain conducting with these bizarre white worms?!
Cheng Guang felt a wave of doubt in his heart.
Yet facing the bizarre scorpion's inquiry, he replied, "I found out by chance."
Hearing this, the bizarre scorpion didn't press further, merely nodding slightly.
"Consider yourself lucky. Otherwise, you would have died long ago. Be off with it, leave early, lest you throw your life away for nothing."
"Come to think of it, it's strange that the vicious fowl below didn't trouble you."
"Is it dead?"
The bizarre scorpion's gaze landed on Cheng Guang as it posed the question.
Hearing the bizarre scorpion refer to the chicken monster as a "vicious fowl," Cheng Guang was momentarily stunned before quickly deducing that the creature must be speaking of the chicken monster.
Cheng Guang shook his head and slowly said, "Are you talking about that chicken monster? It's already dead."
"A chicken monster?" Hearing this, the bizarre scorpion froze, looking as though it hadn't reacted for a moment, before suddenly letting out a booming laugh. "The chicken monster is a good name. It was never anyone important—just a chicken monster."
The bizarre scorpion laughed heartily for quite a while, after which tears suddenly rolled down from its eyes.
"It's just... I never expected that it would already be dead."
It laughed aloud once more, its voice carrying a desolate tone.
"Wife, oh wife! It is my incompetence! Though our deep revenge has been avenged, it is only a pity that the chicken monster did not die by my own hands!"
The bizarre scorpion chuckled a few times, the aura of sorrow upon its body growing increasingly dense. After taking a long moment to steady itself, it calmed down once more.
It stared at Cheng Guang.
Its voice grew slightly cold.
"Did you kill it?"
Hearing the bizarre scorpion's words, Cheng Guang did not answer directly. "Does that matter?"
"Perhaps it died a long time ago."
The bizarre scorpion fell silent.
For a long, long time.
Only then did it slowly exhale a breath, turning its head to gaze at the tall mountain in the distance with complex eyes.
"Indeed, perhaps it died a long time ago."
"Aside from me, many, many others have already died as well."
"How long has it been since anyone came to this Five-Path Mountain? How many years?"
"Countless. Truly countless."
By the end, the bizarre scorpion's voice grew faint and low. Shaking its head, it reached out with a grab, lifting a gigantic wine vat into its grasp. Then, scooping out a portion of the liquor, it offered it to Cheng Guang.
"Come, it's rare to encounter a truly living thing. Keep old me company for a drink!"
…………(End of Chapter)