Gold-Silver Blood Snake!

Shu Mountain, Library Pavilion.

Ling Xuanxiao searched through books about reincarnation and the like.

Only cultivators who had survived their tribulation and reached the Mahayana Stage could possess such divine abilities.

Remembering what Fanyue had said before he died—that he had already searched for Lin Wanqing through three lives and three lifetimes.

"So... Third Senior Sister is also the reincarnation of some immortal?"

What a headache.

Ling Xuanxiao reviewed everything he had done from beginning to end once more. It had been flawless.

Even if Fanyue could still reincarnate, he probably would not guess that Ling Xuanxiao had plotted against him.

But who knew what abilities a Mahayana Stage cultivator might possess?

Would his little tricks really be enough to deceive him?

Just as Ling Xuanxiao was letting his imagination run wild, the jade pendant at his waist suddenly stirred.

Ling Xuanxiao left the Library Pavilion, found a secluded spot, and opened the jade pendant.

Once opened, it revealed a hidden compartment within.

Inside was a Twin-Life Gu Worm.

The other one was with Third Senior Sister, Lin Wanqing.

He had obtained these Twin-Life Gu Worms when he traveled through the Southern Border years ago.

Originally, Twin-Life Gu Worms were Gu Worms that lived and died together.

When girls from the Southern Border married, they liked to place this sort of gu on their husbands.

If either husband or wife died, the other Gu Worm would pierce through the other person's heart.

But that had all been from the previous era.

Now, after being improved, Twin-Life Gu Worms had become much gentler.

They were more like remote sensors, allowing one to sense the condition of the other half at any time.

At this moment, Ling Xuanxiao received a crucial piece of information from the Gu Worm.

Something had happened to Lin Wanqing!

After hesitating for a moment, Ling Xuanxiao swiftly left the sect.

With the Twin-Life Gu Worms, he did not need to worry about being unable to find Lin Wanqing.

At this point, it had only been a little over half a month since Lin Wanqing descended the mountain.

"..."

Within a desolate forest.

Ling Xuanxiao hid inside an ancient tree, looking suspicious as hell.

He saw Lin Wanqing not far away.

Lin Wanqing was still alive. Ling Xuanxiao was certain of that, though her aura was somewhat weak.

There were no visible external injuries on her body. It seemed she had been poisoned.

Had someone attacked her?

Or had she... discovered the Gu Worm and set a trap for him?

Ling Xuanxiao did not rush out to save her immediately.

Instead, his imagination went into overdrive.

Could it be that Fanyue's death had left her heartbroken, causing her to suddenly awaken the memories of three lives and three lifetimes?

Ling Xuanxiao released a puppet scorpion.

By now, Ling Xuanxiao had refined three puppet scorpions.

One of the puppet venomous scorpions had already reached the first level of the Qi Refining Stage.

The scorpion crawled toward Lin Wanqing and inspected her.

She had indeed been poisoned. Judging from the wound on her ankle, it should have been snake venom.

In the very next instant, a black shadow flashed past with a whoosh.

It moved so swiftly that even Ling Xuanxiao failed to catch its aura at once.

It was a venomous snake as long as an arm, yet as thin as an earthworm.

It bit down on the venomous scorpion.

Fortunately, the puppet venomous scorpion was immune to poison.

Ling Xuanxiao recognized the snake at a glance.

Legend said that Gold-Silver Blood Snakes grew only amid rare treasures.

Thus, before the previous era, they had become objects fought over by cultivators.

With one of them, one could find treasures, but Gold-Silver Blood Snakes could not be raised by humans.

Once they knew they had been captured, they would soon starve themselves to death. After that, Gold-Silver Blood Snakes vanished without a trace.

These snakes had extremely long lifespans, and their venom was extraordinarily potent.

After cultivating for a hundred years, one could poison a Golden Core Stage cultivator to death.

Their venom sealed the throat at the sight of blood, and the Gold-Silver Blood Snake before him had likely lived for more than a century.

Ling Xuanxiao broke out in a cold sweat. Fortunately, he had not acted rashly.

Gold-Silver Blood Snakes were exceptionally adept at concealing themselves. He would never have detected it.

If it bit him even once, death would be certain.

Ling Xuanxiao controlled the puppet venomous scorpion to attack the Gold-Silver Blood Snake. After failing to land its strike, the snake swiftly fled.

Gold-Silver Blood Snakes themselves had little combat power, relying only on concealment and venom.

Ling Xuanxiao controlled all three puppets, quickly blocking its retreat.

The puppets caught the Gold-Silver Blood Snake and prevented it from escaping.

Ling Xuanxiao still did not leave.

Where there was one, there was very likely a second.

"Wind, come!"

In an instant, violent winds surged in from every direction like wild horses breaking free of their reins.

The fallen leaves around them were swept into the air by the gale. Even the soil that had lain quietly upon the ground did not escape, rising in the wind and forming waves of yellow dust that rolled onward.

Even the thick trees toppled before the raging wind.

The powerful winds enveloped everything within a radius of one li, leaving the area in utter chaos.

In the end, it all vanished beyond the distant horizon.

Only land plowed by the gale remained around them, utterly bare and empty.

This way, the Gold-Silver Blood Snake would have nowhere to hide.

Ling Xuanxiao kept his feet on his flying sword, wary of the Gold-Silver Blood Snake burrowing out of the earth.

First, he forced the Gold-Silver Blood Snake to spray its venom, collecting it in a specialized container.

Then he killed the Gold-Silver Blood Snake.

The Gold-Silver Blood Snake itself held little value. Though rare, it was not even worth as much as an ordinary animal that had yet to become a spirit.

Ling Xuanxiao burned the Gold-Silver Blood Snake to ash with a single flame.

Then he checked Lin Wanqing's condition.

Lin Wanqing's condition was far better than he had imagined.

In truth, Ling Xuanxiao had noticed earlier that though Lin Wanqing was poisoned and her aura had weakened—

That aura was not like a candle in the rain or a leaf in the wind.

Instead, it showed signs of recovering at any moment.

"She'll be fine."

Lin Wanqing had already fallen unconscious, so Ling Xuanxiao helped her to one side.

But why had she come here?

Ling Xuanxiao checked every item in Lin Wanqing's Storage Ring.

Ignoring the many magic treasures and pills...

Ling Xuanxiao found an item that did not belong.

A crudely drawn map.

It was in Fanyue's handwriting.

Ling Xuanxiao had seen Fanyue's writing before and recognized it.

"..."

"Big Sister, here, here." Fanyue drew on the ground beside the river with a tree branch.

Lin Wanqing glanced at it. What Fanyue had drawn seemed to be a map.

"Where is this?" Lin Wanqing asked casually.

Fanyue shook his head. "Fanyue doesn't know either. I only remember that this place... seems to be somewhere important."

"Somewhere important? What is it?"

"I've forgotten too."

Lin Wanqing smiled, not taking it to heart.

"Alright. Once I accompany Big Sister back to Shu Mountain, when I have time, I'll bring you there, okay?"

"Mm."

Fanyue nodded, then added,

"Actually, I don't care whether the place is important or not. As long as I'm with Big Sister, that is what matters most."

Lin Wanqing reached out and could not help rubbing Fanyue's head.