Immortal Delicacy

The spiritual energy in the great hall stirred as Fang Huai swept his gaze across it, discovering a formation:

[Sinking Sand Spirit-Hiding Array]

[Spiritual Sense Blocked]

[Spiritual Sense Blocked: A quicksand array with a concealment function, difficult to detect for those below the Core Formation realm.]

Fang Huai was genuinely surprised. This seemingly crude and unremarkable sand-and-earth formation actually hid profound secrets.

Beyond its teleportation function, it could even block cultivators' probing, its stealth far exceeding expectations.

After further investigation, he detected another cold and sinister formation fluctuation beneath the main array:

[Soul-Locking Sha-Condensing Array]

And when he saw the label of this hidden formation, a chill ran down his spine.

[Piles of Bones], [Grievance Surging to the Heavens], [Death Sha Surging Skyward], [Soul Imprisonment]...

The grievance within the corpses of the Yellow Earth Society was difficult to condense into Sha.

But this formation was already complete, meaning there had to be a space beneath the earth.

That space was likely similar to where the Nanze Zheng family nurtured their Blood Jade Trees—used to stockpile corpses and forcibly cultivate Sha.

"All of you, rise."

The voice carried not a trace of a cultivator's tone; instead, it sounded like a ghostly whisper crawling out of the Nine Nether Cold Abyss, making one's skin crawl.

But that voice seemed somewhat familiar...

Lifting his head, Fang Huai identified the hall master's information through the black robe:

[Feng Wuwang] [Qi Refining Perfection Realm] [Blood Jade Body (Black)] [Gu Human (Black)] [Blood Jade Body: The ultimate fusion of Blood Jade Insects and flesh, irreversible.] [Gu Human: Beyond the scope of humanity except for consciousness—a living vessel for Gu insects.]

So this was the final outcome of cultivating with Blood Jade Leaves?

In just a few years unseen, Feng Wuwang had skyrocketed from the fourth layer of Qi Refining to Qi Refining Perfection.

Such a cultivation speed left even the two-spirit-root geniuses of the sect in the dust.

But the price paid was that his body had completely turned into a nest for Gu insects.

"I heard our Geng Hall has gained two new members? And one of them has no spiritual root?"

Seeing Fang Huai frozen in place, Luo Heng quickly poked him in the waist: "He's talking to you, answer up!"

Fang Huai rose and cupped his hands: "Greetings, Hall Master. Though this disciple lacks a spiritual root and has mediocre talent, I possess a sincere heart for seeking immortality and the Dao.

I humbly request the Hall Master's approval to join the Ascension Society and serve its cause!"

The other male cultivator also stood up: "I have four spiritual roots and have long been suppressed by the sect. I came specifically to seek the Ascension Society's protection."

Feng Wuwang nodded slightly: "Both of you, come up. I have prepared Immortal Delicacies for you."

Fang Huai clearly felt that Feng Wuwang's gaze lingered on him longer and burned hotter.

The male cultivator who stood up later, upon hearing "Immortal Delicacies," hurried forward, afraid that moving too slowly would cause him to miss a great opportunity.

Feng Wuwang clapped his hands, and a Sha Corpse stepped up from behind.

The Sha Corpse's body was bloated, its skin a greenish-black, holding a small white jade bowl in each hand.

Though it looked clumsy, its movements were surprisingly agile—clearly a finely refined combat puppet.

Feng Wuwang picked up one of the bowls and handed it to the male cultivator:

"This is purified and refined from Blood Jade Leaves. One bowl is equivalent to the effects of over a dozen Blood Jade Leaves, improving your physique and allowing your cultivation to advance a thousand miles in a single day."

The male cultivator was overjoyed, took the bowl, and downed it in one gulp.

As the Immortal Delicacy entered his mouth, his face twisted in pain, sweat droplets the size of beans rolling down his cheeks. Then he seemed to fall into an illusion.

At times he grinned foolishly, at others he threw his head back and roared, and then clenched his fists, shouting at everyone in the hall, "Don't bully a youth in poverty!"

After a hundred breaths, the male cultivator regained clarity. When he tried to absorb the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, his efficiency had indeed greatly increased.

He knelt on the ground, weeping with gratitude: "Thank you, Hall Master, for granting me a new lease on life!"

Feng Wuwang helped the man up and then beckoned to Fang Huai: "You come over too."

Fang Huai stepped forward quickly and took the small bowl from the Sha Corpse's hand.

His gaze swept over the crimson liquid in the bowl, which was densely packed with labels of [Insect-Leaf Body].

So it really was Blood Jade Insects!

He sighed inwardly. With this dosage of Blood Jade Insects entering his body, he had no idea how much spiritual energy it would take to expel them.

But under the current circumstances, he could only steel himself and down it in one gulp.

A heart-rending, lung-splitting agony suddenly engulfed his entire body.

Fang Huai felt as if he had swallowed countless tiny, razor-sharp shards of glass; these shards tore through his muscles and blood vessels, burrowed into his meridians, and kept slicing relentlessly.

The extreme pain nearly devoured his consciousness, and at the same time, bizarre and dazzling images appeared in his Sea of Consciousness:

He stood atop the clouds, looking down upon all living beings, arrogantly overlooking billions of cultivators.

And the countless cultivators knelt on the ground, shouting, "Eternal life to our Lord!"

At that moment, the Heavenly Dao spoke: "Fang Huai, today you wish to ascend to the Upper Realm, then let me see your true skill!"

He threw his head back and laughed wildly, charging toward the Star Abyss, spiritual light flickering around him as seventy-two Dharma treasures tore through space.

Just as he was about to battle the Heavenly Dao and ascend to the Upper Realm, the image shattered, and his consciousness snapped back to clarity.

The Blood Jade Insect was truly formidable!

Even with the Corpse Meteor Insect's help, he had still fallen into an illusion.

And the scene within the illusion was precisely the ultimate goal of his cultivation.

Having experienced it just once, he felt an almost uncontrollable urge to drink the Immortal Delicacy again, to relive the taste of reaching that supreme peak.

Terrifying... The Blood Jade Insect could not only accelerate cultivation speed but also stir up the deepest desires within a cultivator's heart.

"In the morning, hear the Way; in the evening, die content."

Fang Huai sighed inwardly.

For those low-level cultivators who would never glimpse the supreme realm in their lifetime, such an illusion that fulfilled their deepest wish might truly be worth trading their life for.

But the tearing pain of the Blood Jade Insect in his meridians was too excruciating.

He subconsciously circulated his spiritual power, trying to slightly resist this piercing agony.

The moment he moved, Feng Wuwang harshly stopped him: "If you want to escape mediocrity, do not use your spiritual power to resist!

Your low-grade spiritual root causes your spiritual energy to circulate slowly; over time, your meridians will become much narrower than those of high-talent cultivators.

The Immortal Delicacy can widen your meridians, fundamentally improving your spiritual energy circulation speed and spell-casting power.

From now on, you will no longer fall behind the prodigies."

Fang Huai immersed his mind in his physical body and discovered that while the Blood Jade Insect was tearing at his meridians, it was also widening them.

It seemed this Gu insect did have some benefits before it activated.

The most insidious thing about the Blood Jade Insect was its ability to confuse the host's perception and investigation.

If not for Fang Huai having the Corpse Meteor Insect to break the illusion, he might have thought it was a heavenly treasure widening his meridians.

In truth, the reason Feng Wuwang had spoken to warn Fang Huai was also because he valued his talent.

He had never seen a cultivator break free from an illusion so quickly.

In his eyes, although Fang Huai had poor physical talent, he possessed exceptional qualities in his divine sense.

Someone like this, with just a little guidance, would surely achieve great things in the future.

Finally enduring until the pain dissipated, Fang Huai stood up and thanked Feng Wuwang.

Feng Wuwang nodded in satisfaction, gestured for him and another person to step forward, then chanted a mantra as two streaks of black light appeared at his fingertips.

"This is the Oath Sha of the Sha Arts. You should know its weight, yes?"

Seeing the solemn expressions on the two men's faces, he continued: "Those struck by the Oath Sha must uphold their oath for life; if they break it, their soul will scatter instantly!"

He twisted his wrist, and the black light at his fingertips drilled into the Seas of Consciousness of Fang Huai and the male cultivator.

"Now, swear with me!

Be loyal to the Ascension Society, never reveal any secrets of the Ascension Society; if you break this oath, may your soul scatter and never be reborn for eternity!"