Free Web NovelChapter 396: Chapter 354: The Woman in White
Wang Yu was startled, somersaulting to strike a protective posture with his halberd, but the new arrival showed no signs of attacking.
Looking up, he saw, atop a Ghost Hand Tree, a woman in a white dress standing there silently, or rather, a female corpse wearing a white gauze dress.
Her willow-like eyebrows were curved, her eyes clear, beneath her jade nose were delicate cherry lips. Her figure was slender, and her posture graceful. The hem of her long white dress fluttered in the wind, exuding a transcendent and ethereal aura.
At first glance, her appearance was exceptionally beautiful; if not for Wang Yu’s own intuition, he might not have realized she belonged to the Corpse Race.
Wang Yu’s mind was agile, adapting calmly: "Indeed, my master sent me to collect this herb."
The woman furrowed her elegant brows: "This Innate Red Grass is highly toxic to our corpse clan. What does Ying Kuo the ancestor want with it?"
Innate Red Grass?!
Wang Yu’s heart was greatly shocked. After several thousand years of development in the Cultivation Realm, the Innate Elite with supreme utility had long been exhausted. Anything that now carried the word "Innate" was certainly a remarkable treasure!
Moreover, he had heard tales of the rare Innate Spirit Grass before. In the past, Lu Qian had told him a story of how, through a stroke of fortune, consuming an Innate Spirit Storage Pill had directly advanced his cultivation to the tenth level of Qi Cultivation.
There were actually Innate Spirit Grass here!
The key point was, this was only the periphery of Corpse Prison Ridge. Who knows what world-shaking treasures might lie deeper within its core!
"Wait." The woman’s figure suddenly flashed, and a white light appeared before Wang Yu. Just as he reacted, preparing to swing his halberd, a slender finger had already pressed against his forehead.
Cold sweat instantly rolled down as Wang Yu remained frozen, not daring to move. He could clearly feel the immense power contained within that finger, enough to easily blast his head apart with just a touch.
No wonder he hadn’t sensed the woman’s cultivation earlier, it far exceeded his imagination, definitely above the Golden Core!
Thinking of it this way, this woman was the second speaking, spiritually intelligent being he had encountered here, aside from Ying Kuo, the Corpse Ancestor.
"You still have the breath of the living on you." The woman’s voice was cold, "Who exactly are you?"
Wang Yu forced himself to calm down, knowing that showing fear meant death.
At that moment, every detail magnified in his mind, various speculations and guesses flashing through his thoughts.
"I am the servant of the ancestor, the master’s Essence Qi cannot be faked." Wang Yu said in a deep voice, not daring to mention the name "Ying Kuo". For all he knew, the corpse clan might have rules against subordinates uttering the master’s name. Any slip would mean death, so he conversed in ambiguous terms.
The woman murmured, her expression softening, Wang Yu continued: "I am a recent offspring of the master, who said many fresh methods were used on me."
The woman’s heart was stirred upon hearing this. That Ying Kuo, indeed a mischievous and capricious figure, was known for his bold and reckless antics. Considering this, it was normal for him to create a living corpse with a human aura.
"My name is Jii Shu." The woman relaxed her brow, lowering her finger, "I’m the Seventeenth Patrol Envoy of our clan. Since it’s Ying Kuo the ancestor who sent you for the grass, then take it. However, what’s the purpose of the ancestor with this grass?"
Wang Yu struggled to suppress his rapidly racing heart, maintaining a normal pace as he approached the Innate Red Grass, taking out a complete set of herb digging tools, including a hoe, a pouch, and a pot.
"The master’s actions are beyond questioning."
Jii Shu said nothing more.
These years, the Yunshan Sect had devoted all efforts to advancing herb cultivation techniques and had recently overcome the "Sun, Moon, and Star Reincarnation Spirit Cultivation Technique". Everyone in the sect had some involvement with herb cultivation. Though Wang Yu wasn’t particularly skilled, he knew the procedures for harvesting spiritual herbs, especially such top-grade Innate Immortal Herbs.
Under Jii Shu’s silent gaze, Wang Yu swiftly but steadily excavated the precious Innate Red Grass, promptly storing it in a jade box, sealing it with a Talisman.
Even so, the spiritual mechanism of this Immortal Herb was so intense, it likely couldn’t be preserved for long. He needed to return to the sect promptly.
Having done all this, he let out a slight sigh of relief.
"Patrol Envoy, I shall take the grass. If there is nothing else, I will take my leave."
Jii Shu nodded, and Wang Yu bowed before turning to leave in the direction of the crevice.
He must not make any mistakes, and he prayed to the ancestors to keep Ying Kuo at bay for a little longer.
"Wait!" Jii Shu’s sudden call caused Wang Yu’s heart to lurch.
Exerting himself to suppress his thudding heart with Spiritual Evil, he turned and asked, "What other orders do you have, my lady?"
Suspicion tinged Jii Shu’s gaze as she looked at this odd living corpse: "The path to Celestial Corpse City isn’t in that direction, where are you going?"
Wang Yu maintained his calm demeanor: "The master gave me another mission to execute in that direction. He said it was confidential and must not be leaked. I beg your pardon."
Finishing his words, he turned and left.
Jii Shu remained silent. Once past a mountain ridge and out of Jii Shu’s sight, Wang Yu’s pace quickened, eventually breaking into a full sprint, carving a path through the ridge.
His heartbeat thundered, his face flushed; the tension impossible to contain. Should any living corpse block his way without time to dodge, they’d be sent flying by his halberd.
Sensing the aura of the Corpse Ancestor on him, the struck living corpses were all too frightened to resist.
Wanting to make up for lost time, Wang Yu dared not tarry, collecting only a large piece of Spiritual Ore glinting with green light within a crack along his path, along with two vitality-infused red fruits from a tree.
Wang Yu didn’t recognize what these treasures were, but they must be exceedingly rare and invaluable.
Initially, he fancied that with the Corpse Ancestor’s aura, he might fly directly without fear of airborne corpses or passing through the Cloud Miasma.
But after encountering Jii Shu, he quickly sobered; the air here teemed with formidable living corpses, the sky even more perilous. If he took flight, he risked encounter with terrifying beings, and a single misstep would mean certain death. The ground was safer.
After frantically running for several hours, he finally saw a narrow crevice appear within the Cloud Miasma on a hillside!
Heaven help me! It’s great that the crevice hasn’t shifted.
Without hesitation, Wang Yu leapt upward, but just as he reached the crevice, a stern shout sounded behind him.
"Stop!"
Wang Yu was alarmed, but his feet never halted, lunging forward through the crevice without looking back!
In midair, as he conjured the Escape Light to fly at full speed, he dared to look back, only to see the familiar white-robed woman standing angrily at the crevice’s entrance, staring at him in shock and fury.
