Honey Trap

Song Wen already had twenty-one Black-Bellied Beetle Gu. The first five he had raised had nearly reached the strength of the fifth level of Qi Refinement.

In truth, if Song Wen had devoted himself fully to raising them, he could have bred even more Black-Bellied Beetle Gu. But they consumed far too many resources, forcing him to keep their numbers in check.

Even these twenty-one Black-Bellied Beetle Gu devoured roughly twenty spirit stones a day. That came to six hundred spirit stones a month, an expense Song Wen was truly struggling to bear.

As for ordinary Beetle Gu, they were no longer of any use to Song Wen, and he had already disposed of them all.

Song Wen had also discovered that controlling multiple Beetle Gu at once consumed his mental strength.

Thanks to his cultivation of the Soul-Banishing Technique, Song Wen's mental strength was now roughly on par with that of a seventh-level Qi Refinement cultivator. Otherwise, he would not have been able to control so many Black-Bellied Beetle Gu at once.

The benefits of powerful mental strength did not end there. As his mental strength grew stronger, Song Wen gained a deeper understanding of cultivation techniques, making cultivation much smoother.

With no one to guide him, he had relied entirely on his own explorations to cultivate the Corpse King Blood Refinement Art. There had once been many parts he did not understand, leaving him no choice but to imitate blindly and force his way through cultivation. Now that his understanding of the art had deepened, cultivating it had become much easier.

Greater mental strength also greatly aided Song Wen in cultivating spells and drawing talismans.

An ordinary fourth-level Qi Refinement cultivator needed about one breath to cast the Fireball Technique, while Song Wen needed only half a breath. The same was true of the Shield Technique: ordinary cultivators needed two breaths, while Song Wen required only one.

Song Wen considered the areas where he still needed to strengthen himself.

First, his close-combat abilities were decent. The Corpse King Blood Refinement Art had given him a powerful body, and with a Bone-Slicing Knife that was a low-grade magical artifact—coupled with his daily corpse dismemberment—he was fairly skilled with a blade.

His only weakness was that he lacked any true combat blade technique. But blade techniques could not be mastered overnight, so he could only set that matter aside for now.

Second, he had talismans and Black-Bellied Beetle Gu for ranged combat.

Third, he had the Flight Technique and the Blood Escape Technique for fleeing, and the Blood Sacrifice Technique for desperate, life-or-death moments.

The Blood Escape Technique and the Blood Sacrifice Technique were spells that could be cultivated during the early stages of Qi Refinement, and Song Wen had mastered them long ago.

As for the Flight Technique, which could only be cultivated in the middle stages of Qi Refinement, Song Wen once again displayed exceptional talent for spells, grasping its basics in merely two days. However, he still could not cast the Flight Technique with complete ease and needed some time to perform it. In a true fight to the death, that could be fatal.

He still lacked a protective magical artifact. The Shield Technique and Shield Talismans were still somewhat too weak in a life-and-death struggle.

Song Wen entered his cave dwelling, and the first thing he saw was a bright red coffin.

Inside the coffin lay a corpse puppet that had yet to be fully refined.

Two months earlier, Song Wen had spent a great sum to purchase the intact corpse of a late-stage Qi Refinement body cultivator.

When he first bought the corpse, Song Wen had only been at the third level of Qi Refinement. His cultivation was still too weak to support the successful refinement of a corpse puppet. If he had forced the process, he would most likely have produced an ordinary walking corpse with little combat power.

Only after breaking through to the fourth level of Qi Refinement did Song Wen begin refining the corpse puppet.

The talismans and formation patterns on the corpse puppet had long since been carved. What it lacked now was nourishment from yin-baleful qi and corpse-baleful qi.

This bright red coffin was no ordinary coffin either. Mixed with human blood, several yin-attributed spiritual materials had been used to draw corpse-nurturing runes across its surface.

Song Wen estimated that in another two or three days, the corpse would be successfully refined and burst from its coffin.

By then, the corpse puppet would possess at least the strength of the fourth level of Qi Refinement. Moreover, as it continued to absorb and refine yin-attributed treasures later on, its strength could increase even further.

For this trip to carry out a sect mission, Song Wen planned to openly reveal the corpse puppet. After all, the third-level Qi Refinement cultivation he displayed was somewhat too weak and made it easy for others to look down on him.

He had already been in the Corpse Demon Sect for a year. Having a corpse puppet at the fourth level of Qi Refinement was not too difficult to explain—after all, who did not have a few fortuitous encounters?

After giving himself a simple disguise and changing his aura, Song Wen put on a cloak and left his cave dwelling.

His cave dwelling was located in a remote area that few people visited, so he did not need to worry about running into acquaintances the moment he stepped outside.

Once he reached the marketplace, Song Wen headed straight for an exceptionally large magical artifact shop.

"Senior, what would you like to buy?"

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The moment Song Wen stepped inside, he saw a pretty-faced, tall, scantily clad woman approaching with a seductive smile.

The woman's cultivation was weak, only barely at the entry level of Qi Refinement, yet an unusual allure radiated from her entire body.

There was still a trace of youthful innocence in her features, but her every movement brimmed with the coquettish charm of a mature woman. This contrast did not feel jarring; instead, it only heightened her allure.

Her clothes were exceedingly thin, exposing a large expanse of snowy-white skin before her chest. The slit in her silk skirt rose almost to the roots of her thighs.

As she walked, the hem of her skirt swayed in the breeze, revealing and concealing her long, fair legs. Even her thin undergarments were occasionally exposed to the air.

When the woman came within a meter of Song Wen, she bent slightly at the waist.

At once, the two snowy-white rabbits upon her chest gave a slight bounce.

Song Wen pulled his gaze back before it could be swallowed by the ravine between them, unable to keep himself from sighing inwardly. Who would have thought that even in the cultivation world, they still used honey traps?

But I'm only here to buy a magical artifact. Is there really any need for a honey trap?

Song Wen steadied himself and said blandly, "Do you have any defensive magical artifacts?"

"Of course. Please follow me, Senior."

The woman swayed her willow waist as she led the way.

Song Wen followed close behind. A faint fragrance wafted from her body, seeming to possess some kind of magic. The moment one smelled it, one's mind could not help but sink into intoxication, unwilling to awaken.

The woman brought Song Wen before a display case and pointed at it.

"Please look, Senior. This small shield is a fine product among low-grade magical artifacts. Though it is only palm-sized, once infused with spiritual power, it can expand to the size of a person and withstand attacks from a fourth-level Qi Refinement cultivator."

"Then there is this low-grade magical robe. It can automatically adapt to its owner's figure and change size."

"And this low-grade magical artifact, the Ghost Banner, can..."

The woman's voice was like a succubus's moan, yet also like lovers whispering sweet nothings, making one unable to resist sinking into it.

Thanks to his powerful mental strength, Song Wen was not bewitched by the woman. However, he had caught a flaw in her words.

The cultivation he displayed was at the third level of Qi Refinement, while her cultivation had only barely entered the path. How had she seen through the cultivation he was showing?

Otherwise, without even asking, why would she recommend nothing but low-grade magical artifacts to him?

Since entering the shop, he had only said that he wanted to buy a defensive magical artifact. He had never said that he wanted a low-grade one.

This woman had clearly seen that his cultivation was at the third level of Qi Refinement. That was why she had recommended what she believed were the most suitable low-grade magical artifacts for him.

This woman had concealed her true cultivation!

Alarm surged in Song Wen's heart.

Song Wen was certain that he had never met this woman before. There should be no connection between them whatsoever. Nor should he have any enemies in the cultivation world.

Therefore, this woman's concealed cultivation and presence here should have nothing to do with him.

He had merely arrived at the right time and happened to run into her.

Song Wen relaxed slightly, but he decided to leave this shop as soon as possible.

"Do you have any mid-grade defensive magical artifacts?" Song Wen asked, staring straight at the display case before him.

By now, he was basically certain that the woman's cultivation was very high, at least in the late stages of Qi Refinement. Otherwise, with his mental strength, he should have been able to see through her true cultivation.

At the same time, he completely withdrew his mental strength, lest the woman notice that he had been probing her and bring unnecessary trouble upon himself.