Schemes and Calculations
"Recently, there have been sightings of Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Corpse Path near East Birch Market, and there are at least three of them. The appearance of several Foundation Establishment cultivators in the Corpse Path at once can only mean they are from the Corpse Demon Sect."
"We suspect that these people were sent by the Corpse Demon Sect to hunt down traitors of the Corpse Demon Sect."
"Your master's death was very likely the work of a traitor from the Corpse Demon Sect."
Wang Ming transmitted his voice to Song Wen.
Then, he handed the note to Song Wen and continued.
"I've given you the information. As for the matter of Alchemy, I doubt Elder Wu will break his promise."
Song Wen took the note, picked it up, and couldn't help but show a look of astonishment.
There are three things Wang Ming is looking for: the Life-Saving Pill, the Beast Essence Pill, and the Silverhorn Grass.
The first two are relatively easy to make; Song Wen can refine them with a little time.
However, Silverhorn Grass is not so easy to obtain.
"Elder Wang, Silverhorn Grass is an item strictly controlled by the sect. How could I, a mere elder in charge of the Pill Peak, obtain it so easily? If it were only three or five plants, I might be able to find a way. But you need a full hundred. Let alone me, even a Pill Peak elder might not be able to get them."
Wang Ming said, "I believe Elder Wu will definitely have a solution."
Song Wen's voice turned cold.
"Elder Wang, you are making things difficult for me. Considering the information you provided, I can help you refine the Life-Saving Pill and the Beast Essence Pill, but as for the Silverhorn Grass, I have absolutely no way of obtaining it."
Wang Ming's face gradually turned sinister.
"Elder Wu, you should think this through before you answer me."
"Given your origins as Rogue Cultivator, the fact that you go to such lengths to gather information about demonic corpse cultivators makes one highly suspicious of your true identity."
"As it happens, I am a member of the Law Enforcement Hall, and I have the responsibility to investigate whether there are any spies from the demonic path lurking within the sect."
"I don't know if Elder Wu's past can withstand scrutiny."
Faced with Wang Ming's threat, Song Wen felt a surge of murderous intent.
His mind raced, and soon, the idea of using someone else to do the dirty work came to mind.
Having come up with an idea, Song Wen began to lure the fish into the trap.
As if Wang Ming's words had exposed a secret buried deep in his heart, a look of panic flashed in Song Wen's eyes.
Suddenly.
A faint, almost imperceptible Corpse-Baleful Qi appeared on Song Wen, but it vanished in an instant.
Song Wen's face turned somewhat flustered. Clutching the note, he hurriedly turned and left without even saying goodbye to Wang Ming.
Seeing Song Wen's flustered and confused appearance, Wang Ming revealed a sinister smile.
He believed that he had grasped Song Wen's biggest weakness, a weakness that was enough to make Song Wen submit to his orders.
"Elder Wu, I need to see everything on this note in three months. If even one item is missing, some of Elder Wu's secrets will be revealed to the Law Enforcement Hall."
Wang Ming sneered as he spoke to Song Wen's retreating figure.
Song Wen, who was about to take off on his sword, stiffened slightly upon hearing this.
Immediately, the flying sword accelerated and disappeared.
The next day.
Song Wen, who was cultivating in his cave abode, received a message from the Sacred Beetle Gu.
Outside the cave abode, a hundred meters above the cliff, a gray rat appeared in a crevice in the rock.
The gray rat was very small, less than half a foot long; it was also not very strong, only at the Late First Rank, but it was extremely good at concealing its presence.
If it weren't for the conflict with Wang Ming, Song Wen releasing the Sacred Beetle Gu to constantly monitor the movements outside the cave abode, he probably wouldn't have discovered the appearance of the gray rat.
"This gray rat is most likely Wang Ming's spirit beast, used to monitor him."
"Wang Ming must have concluded that I am a corpse cultivator. He's worried that I might resort to desperate measures, betray the Beast Taming Sect, and secretly flee."
"Perfect, I can turn the tables on them."
At this thought, Song Wen's eyes lit up.
He activated the formation and stepped out of the cave abode.
On the platform outside the cave abode, stretch your muscles and bones.
The moment he stepped out of the cave abode, a faint aura of death emanated from cave abode.
The corpse energy was swept up by the wind at the edge of the cliff and quickly dispersed.
A moment later, having stretched his muscles, Song Wen returned to his cave abode.
Meanwhile, in the crevice of the cliff above, a gray rat that had been dozing suddenly opened its eyes, trembled its limbs, and crawled out of the crevice.
Then, it climbed vertically up the steep cliff face and quickly disappeared without a trace, its whereabouts unknown.
More than twenty days later.
Song Wen once again refined the two-headed Man-Snake corpses.
This is the fourth time these two Man-Snake have been used to refine corpses.
After the corpse refining was completed, the two Man-Snake bodies were surrounded by corpse energy and churning with Sha Qi.
The once vibrant and energetic body has become quite withered.
The once smooth, mirror-like snake scales are now covered with cracks, as if they might shatter at any moment.
The current state of the Man-Snake is somewhat similar to that of Song Wen when he cultivated the Corpse King Blood Refinement Art. His physical body absorbed too much corpse energy but failed to truly refine it, resulting in his physical body turning into a corpse.
After completing the Man-Snake corpse refining, Song Wen opened the cave abode's protective barrier, exposing the cave abode.
After a few breaths, Song Wen closed the cave abode's protective barrier again.
The whole process seemed to have been accidental, as if the cave abode's protective barrier had been accidentally broken.
This exposed the existence of the cave abode and the two Man-Snake hybrids.
Time flies.
In the blink of an eye, the three-month deadline agreed upon with Wang Ming had passed.
The two-headed Man-Snake pair underwent six corpse-refining processes in total.
At this moment, the vigorous vitality and powerful physical regenerative ability of the Man-Snake gradually began to manifest.
If it were an ordinary person or a cultivator, having been refined into a corpse six times in just five months, with their physical body infused with a large amount of Corpse-Baleful Qi and corpse-path spiritual materials, they would have long since been refined into a true zombie.
But the life force of the Man-Snake remained very strong.
Corpse energy and life energy coexist in their bodies, showing initial signs of fusion.
It took Zhao Dapeng several years to get signs of the fusion of corpse energy and life energy in his younger brother.
On the Man-Snake hybrid, Song Wen only took five months.
This is because Song Wen's corpse-refining skills and understanding of the Dao of Corpses far surpass those of Zhao Dapeng.
Secondly, the powerful regenerative and vitality of the Man-Snake allow them to withstand more corpse energy and quickly adapt and recover after each corpse refining process.
Just as Song Wen released the Man-Snake back into the snake pit, the Sacred Beetle Gu outside the cave abode sent word.
Wang Ming has arrived.
"Elder Wu, three months have passed. I wonder if you have prepared all the pills and spiritual herbs I need?"
Wang Ming arrived outside Song Wen's cave abode and shouted loudly.
He waited a moment, and seeing no movement from inside the cave abode, he continued.
"Wu Sheng, stop hiding! I know you're in your cave abode. Come out and show yourself. Otherwise, don't blame me for forcibly breaking through the formation. If that happens and attracts other disciples, exposing your secret, don't blame me then."
As soon as he finished speaking, Song Wen opened the cave abode's protective barrier and stepped out.
"Elder Wang, what do you mean by this? What secrets do I have that cannot be known by others?"
When Song Wen spoke, his expression was evasive, and he seemed to lack confidence.