Deep in the Thousand-Spider Old Forest, where no light could penetrate, the Miasma Fog hung dark and heavy.
Azure Fields High Person, green-faced and fanged, his towering body monstrous, had fled for most of the day after his defeat before finally reaching these depths.
But the Miasma Fog here was so thick he could not see his fingers before his face. Even Azure Fields High Person could not tell which way to go.
After wandering back and forth for half a day without finding a path, he cursed under his breath and took a gu box from his Human-Skin Storage Bag.
Inside it lived a Five-Pattern Venom Spider.
Azure Fields High Person gritted his teeth, cut his finger, and fed the venomous spider a drop of his vital blood.
The listless Five-Pattern Venom Spider perked up after drinking it. As though drawn by its "mother," it began crawling steadily in one direction inside the box.
The spider in the gu box was like a living South-Pointing Needle.
Azure Fields High Person followed the direction it indicated.
After another two hours or so, the Miasma Fog around him began to thin.
Stone lanterns and pavilions appeared ahead. Half-hidden among bamboo and trees stood a secluded Daoist temple.
The temple was gloomy and deserted, with an air that warned the living to keep away.
At the sight of the strange temple, Azure Fields High Person grew more solemn. He carried his misshapen body through its gate.
Beyond the gate, spiderwebs clung to the roof corners and insect patterns were carved along the corridors. Low eaves drooped like a python's head, while the staggered towers stood like a centipede's legs.
Drifting mist made the place look like an immortal retreat beyond the mortal world, yet every corner was steep and perilous, like a