Gu insect

The third day.

Still no opportunity to escape had come. Chen Lin could only obediently finish refining all the remaining ingredients, producing another Blood Demon Pill.

This time, Yu Yuehai was standing guard outside. The moment the pill was finished, he flashed over to the door and pushed his way inside.

"Hahaha!"

At the sight of the round, dark-red pill in the Pill Cauldron, Yu Yuehai burst into delighted laughter.

With a beckoning gesture, he sent the pill flying into his hand.

He held it beneath his nose, looking intoxicated as he sniffed it and nodded repeatedly.

"Excellent. That's the wonderful scent I wanted. Good, good, good!"

Only after saying "good" three times in succession did Yu Yuehai put the pill away and turn to Chen Lin.

"Fellow Daoist Yu, the pill is finished. May I leave now?"

Chen Lin retreated behind the Pill Cauldron, one hand hidden in his sleeve, tightly gripping two Thunderbolt Beads.

In his other hand, he held a stack of Fireball Talismans.

He was ready to fight for his life at any moment.

As for a way to cure the Enlightenment Pill's aftereffects, or the information about the thin red threads that Yu Yuehai had promised earlier, he no longer dared hope for either.

Yu Yuehai seemed to be in a good mood. He smiled and said, "Fellow Daoist Chen, your skill is impressive indeed. But are you truly unwilling to leave this place with me? To tell you the truth, everything here was created by a Monstrosity that has yet to take full form-and that thing is about to finish forming."

"A Monstrosity?"

Chen Lin froze, then his heart sank.

He had already suspected as much, but had been unwilling to believe it. Now that Yu Yuehai had confirmed it, he had to believe it whether he wanted to or not.

Monstrosities were peculiar entities, each possessing terrifying abilities that defied imagination.

According to the original owner's memories, Monstrosities were rare. Some people might never encounter one in their entire lives. Yet his luck was so remarkable that he had run into one as soon as he transmigrated-and a big one at that.

"Indeed, a Monstrosity. You're an experienced cultivator yourself, so you should know what that means. As a reward for successfully refining the Blood Demon Pill, I'll give you another piece of information."

"What information?"

Chen Lin responded instinctively.

Yu Yuehai's expression turned serious. "This Monstrosity has been growing by drawing nourishment from the cultivators in the city for more than a decade. By my estimate, it will take full form within the next month or so. Once it does, everyone in the city will be devoured!"

Chen Lin's heart sank.

Given Yu Yuehai's knowledge and cultivation, his estimate was almost certainly close to the mark.

Yu Yuehai glanced at Chen Lin. "You may not know this, but for all these years, people have only been able to enter this city, never leave. Once someone goes beyond a certain distance from the city, the Monstrosity senses them. It either controls their thoughts and makes them return, or simply devours them ahead of time!"

"That happens too?"

Chen Lin shuddered with belated fear.

He had considered leaving earlier. Fortunately, he had not done so.

"Hmph. Did you think a Monstrosity was so easy to resist? Luckily, this one hasn't fully formed yet. Otherwise, there wouldn't be the slightest chance of survival."

Yu Yuehai's expression also grew grave. "To leave this place, you must first sever the red threads binding you and cut off its ability to sense you. Once the threads are severed, you must leave the area under the Monstrosity's control within a certain time. Otherwise, if it discovers you, it will reconnect the threads."

After speaking, he glanced at the bronze bell in the corner. "I know you have a secret that lets you see the red threads. But unless you reach the Foundation Establishment Realm, you cannot sever them. Without my help, you cannot leave this place."

Chen Lin also glanced at the bronze bell, but said nothing.

He had thought he had set the volume low enough that no one would hear it. He had not expected someone at the qi condensation late stage with extraordinarily sharp perception to be living in this courtyard.

Still, anyone unable to see the red threads would not have paid attention even if they heard the bell. He could only blame his terrible luck for landing in such a bad place right from the start.

"If you're willing to help me, what do you want in return?"

There was no such thing as love without a reason.

Chen Lin did not believe Yu Yuehai would be so kindhearted as to spare his life and even help him escape.

Sure enough, Yu Yuehai gave him a look that said he was worth teaching. "What I want in return is, of course, you!"

Before Chen Lin could react, Yu Yuehai's eyes suddenly lit up, and two nearly tangible beams of light shot into Chen Lin's eyes.

A buzzing filled Chen Lin's head, and he lost all control over his body.

Then he watched Yu Yuehai take a round bottle from his Storage Bag and pour out a black insect the size of a little finger. Yu Yuehai walked up to him, pried his mouth open, and stuffed the frantically writhing insect inside.

The entire process happened before Chen Lin's eyes, but all he could do was watch helplessly.

The insect traveled down his throat into his belly. First came a tingling numbness, then a stab of pain at his dantian, and after that, he felt nothing.

He immediately regained control of himself.

"What did you make me swallow?"

Shocked, furious, and nauseated, Chen Lin kept dry-heaving.

At the same time, he rapidly considered his options.

"Don't panic. That is a Melanin Insect, a gu insect that specifically targets the mind. It can alleviate the aftereffects of the modified Enlightenment Pill you took."

Yu Yuehai remained perfectly calm.

Chen Lin stopped dry-heaving, his expression shifting uncertainly.

He wanted to activate the Thunderbolt Beads and fight Yu Yuehai to the death, but he knew his meager tricks amounted to nothing in Yu Yuehai's eyes. They would only make the man angrier.

"Aren't you afraid of backlash from your inner demon for doing this?"

Chen Lin regained his composure.

Impotent rage was meaningless. If he wanted to live, he could only endure.

Yu Yuehai chuckled. "An inner demon oath may be formidable, but don't put blind faith in it. Nothing in this world is without a solution. If I wanted your life, I would have plenty of ways to take it."

Chen Lin fell silent.

His paltry attainments made him no more than an infant compared with Yu Yuehai. Their cultivation, knowledge, and methods were on entirely different levels, filling him with a profound sense of helplessness.

Yu Yuehai unhurriedly put the Pill Cauldron into his Storage Bag, then spoke at a leisurely pace.

"There's one more thing I should remind you of. I raised this Melanin Insect on my own blood essence. If anyone but me touches it, it will explode. But as long as it is properly fed, it will also help your spiritual sense grow to some degree, so this doesn't count as harming you."

With that, he walked out.

He did not spare Chen Lin another glance.

Chen Lin stood inside the room, his face showing neither sorrow nor joy.

Yu Yuehai's purpose was obviously to control him more effectively and use him as a tool.

It was hard to say whether this outcome was good or bad.

Being a tool was miserable, but it was still better than losing his life.

Only while he lived was there hope.

After standing there in a daze for a while, Chen Lin began examining his body again.

He carefully checked himself from head to toe, but could find no trace of the insect. In the end, he could only let out a helpless sigh.