Deep Affection Between Senior Sister and Junior Brother
Song Wen lowered his head and did not immediately answer Xuan Ye.
Their previous cooperation had been relatively pleasant, but it was based on mutual exploitation. Xuan Ye needed Song Wen's help to obtain the Snake-Scale Fruit, Song Wen needed Xuan Ye to lead the way.
Now that both sides have lost their value to each other, continuing to travel together is not a good choice. Song Wen was wary of Xuan Ye's suggestion to retrieve the Sky Cicada Wood together.
Before Song Wen could answer, Zi Yi spoke first, standing up and saying.
"Junior brother, let's go too. It's really too dangerous here."
"Senior sister, is it your injury?" Lao Chun asked with some concern.
"It's alright, my father's health can't wait, we must hurry. Besides, as Xuan Ye said, this place is not safe," said the Zi Yi.
"What about him?" Lao Chun asked, pointing to the unconscious Yan Gu.
When he looked at Yan Gu, a murderous intent flashed in his eyes. Yan Gu had previously shifted the blame to others, causing him and his senior sister great suffering.
Xuan Ye glanced at Yan Gu and said, "His soul has been severely damaged. Without spirit medicine to repair it, it will be difficult for him to regain consciousness."
"Then let's kill him first, that will give him a quick death." Lao Chun leaped forward and smashed Yan Gu's head with a single palm strike.
Then, taking advantage of the situation, Lao Chun retrieved Yan Gu's Law Artifact and Storage Bag. He said to Xuan Ye, "Fellow Daoist, everyone who finds something gets a share. How do you think we should distribute them?"
Song Wen had no intention of wasting time with them. Before Lao Chun could make a move, he activated the Blood Escape Technique and quickly left, taking the opportunity to get rid of Xuan Ye.
Xuan Ye glanced at Song Wen who had left, then at the Storage Bag and Law Artifact in Lao Chun's hand, and finally decided to stay. After all, Yan Gu was a cultivator at the eighth level of Qi Refinement and had a lot of resources on him, so why not take them?
A moment later, they finished dividing the loot and walked out.
They hadn't gone far when they saw Song Wen return with a dark expression.
"Fellow Daoist Guo, what's wrong?" Xuan Ye asked.
Song Wen said, "Hundreds of White Bone Worm have gathered at the exit and are swarming this way."
"White Bone Worm!"
All four were startled upon hearing the name.
"How did they just happen to appear in this passage?" Xuan Ye asked, frowning.
"It must have been at the behest of that dwarf male ghost. When we were being chased by the Dwarf Ghost, a swarm of White Bone Worm followed behind us. These White Bone Worm were very likely raised by the Dwarf Ghost. It's just that the White Bone Worm were a bit weaker and were left behind."
"Damn it!" Xuan Ye cursed, then asked Song Wen.
"Fellow Daoist, how strong are those White Bone Worm?"
"The lowest Qi Refining Level One, the highest is Qi Refining Sixth Layer, and no less than half are in the Qi Refining Middle Stage," Song Wen said.
After listening, everyone frowned and remained silent.
There are too many White Bone Worm; even ants can kill an elephant. Breaking out won't be easy.
Song Wen said, "Gentlemen, we must hurry and work together to break out. The Dwarf Ghost hasn't returned yet; if he does, our escape will be even more difficult."
The others also understood the seriousness of the situation, and no one voiced any objection.
With a flick of her wrist, the Zi Yi summoned a Corpse-Nurturing Bag at her waist, and a Corpse Puppet comparable to the Qi Refining Ninth Layer was brought to life.
The moment the Corpse Puppet appeared, Song Wen and Xuan Ye were so startled that they took several steps back, increasing the distance between themselves and Zi Yi.
Sensing the immense corpse energy emanating from the Corpse Puppet's body, Song Wen couldn't help but click his tongue in amazement. This must be the true source of the confidence that the two people in Zi Yi dared to venture deep into the cave to search for Forsythia Yellow.
"Go!" The Zi Yi took the lead and rushed towards the exit.
"Senior sister, wait a minute, I have something to tell you."
Lao Chun seemed to have mustered all his courage, stopped Zi Yi, and said with eyes full of admiration.
"Senior sister, I'm afraid if I don't say it now, I won't have another chance to say it later."
"My feelings for you have never changed in twenty years. When I was fifteen, I fell in love with you the moment I first saw you, but you were in love with my senior brother, which made me lack the courage to express my love to you."
"Later, you and your senior brother became dao companion and had a daughter. I could only watch from afar and silently bless you. Several years ago, after your senior brother passed away, I finally dared to express my feelings to you, but you have always been distant and aloof towards me."
"This time, Master was poisoned, and the other five disciples were too afraid to come to the underground cave. Only I was willing to risk my life to come here, just to show Senior Sister that my love for you has never changed."
Faced with Lao Chun's sudden confession, Zi Yi was taken aback at first, but then immediately reverted to her original indifferent demeanor.
Perhaps it was because her father was dying and Zi Yi needed someone to rely on; perhaps it was because she was moved by her junior brother's long-term companionship; perhaps it was because she was touched by her junior brother's deep affection; Zi Yi said, "Junior brother, I promise you, if we can both return alive, I will marry you."
Lao Chun was overjoyed, her eyes seemingly welling up with tears of excitement, "Really? Senior Sister!"
The woman in Zi Yi nodded.
The sudden display of affection between the two siblings left Song Wen and Xuan Ye somewhat stunned.
Song Wen glanced at Lao Chun and thought to himself, "I didn't expect this guy to be such a devoted simp. I'm afraid he'll end up with nothing after all that licking."
The four of them used their individual skills to fight their way into the swarm of White Bone Worm.
The White Bone Worm range in size from the size of a fist to the size of a millstone, each with eight legs, and they resemble spiders somewhat. Their entire bodies are grayish-white, as if covered by a thick layer of hard bone armor, White Bone Worm greatly enhances their defensive capabilities.
Song Wen held the Corpse Puppet in front of him, wielding Bone-Slicing Knife, and continuously slashed at the White Bone Worm that jumped out from all directions.
Every now and then, Song Wen would also urge the release of a Fireball Talisman.
The swarms of White Bone Worm allowed the Fireball Talisman to unleash its full power; weaker White Bone Worm were instantly blasted to pieces, while the stronger White Bone Worm were mostly blasted back.
The Corpse Puppet controlled by the woman in Zi Yi, which was at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, displayed extremely terrifying destructive power.
The White Bone Worm are almost invincible under its attack; a single strike will either kill or severely injure them.
This is because Zi Yi only has the Qi Refining Seventh Layer of Qi Refining, and it is still somewhat difficult for her to control the Corpse Puppet at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, so she cannot bring out the strongest power of the Corpse Puppet.
The four of them were originally together, planning to break out together.
But there were too many White Bone Worm, or perhaps the people were outwardly harmonious but inwardly discordant, and they were gradually separated by the White Bone Worm.
With the help of Corpse Puppet at the Qi Refining Ninth Layer, Zi Yi and Lao Chun charged to the front.
Xuan Ye, with the two fierce ghosts and five lesser ghosts at his disposal, followed not far behind the two people in Zi Yi, feeling safe and secure.
Song Wen was left behind. His Corpse Puppet was only at the Qi Refining Sixth Layer, so its killing power against the White Bone Worm was limited. The Bone-Slicing Knife was also just a low-grade magic Law Artifact. Apart from being relatively hard and sharp, it had no other uses and it was difficult to kill the White Bone Worm over a large area.
But Song Wen also faces the least pressure.
Song Wen glanced at the group ahead. Xuan Ye, who was closest to him, was already more than two hundred meters away. The two people in Zi Yi were about to break through the encirclement of the White Bone Worm. She was facing the most White Bone Worm and was under the greatest pressure.
"It's time to show our true abilities. If they manage to escape first, they'll have dug their own grave by hiding their strength."