Free Web NovelChapter 337: Chapter 272: Water of the Demon Earthworm
On a remote cliff on Fire Melt Island, creatures the size of wolfhounds, resembling seals, were silently crawling up from the sea.
As if driven by a clear purpose, they scattered in all directions upon reaching the shore. They didn’t hunt the various demonic beasts they encountered, choosing instead to bypass them and press deeper into the island.
From the sky, the thousand crawling creatures looked like a fine-toothed comb sweeping through the wilderness, their bodies flashing past the vegetation.
Eventually, the creatures arrived before a cave entrance and filed inside without hesitation.
The cave was a damp, dark labyrinth of passages crisscrossed by countless tree roots. A Cultivator would have surely found it difficult to navigate. frёewebnoѵel.ƈo๓
But for the Iron-Seeking Rats, which tunneled for iron ore to eat, this environment was their element.
The Iron-Seeking Rats broke off into small groups, entering different tunnels. As time went on, the faster ones had already burrowed several miles deep into the earth.
But the vast underground caverns were fraught with danger. Some of the demonic beasts lurking there had set their sights on the Iron-Seeking Rats, intending to make them a meal.
A giant python, seventy or eighty feet long, lay motionless in a corner like a stone statue. But as a few Iron-Seeking Rats passed by, it shot out and lunged, trying to swallow them in a single gulp.
But the python quickly realized it had made a grave mistake.
A dozen breaths later, the enormous python had been reduced to mincemeat. The Iron-Seeking Rats raised their three-foot-long steel claws and began carving out the most essence-rich parts of the python’s body before swallowing them.
The sweet taste of blood and flesh awakened the rats’ bloodthirsty instincts, but another consciousness within their bellies seized control of their minds, forcibly wrenching them away from the gory feast.
Dozens of miles from Fire Melt Island, deep beneath the sea, Fang Qingyuan hid inside the Water Spirit Xuanwu, his eyes shut tight as he remotely commanded the Iron-Seeking Rats.
Fang Qingyuan controlled the Iron-Seeking Rats via the Scorpion-tailed Bees in their abdomens. His powerful soul allowed him to effortlessly manipulate all one thousand of them.
However, the great distance created a delay of several breaths, rendering finer control impossible for Fang Qingyuan.
For now, Fang Qingyuan could only issue general commands, relying mostly on the Iron-Seeking Rats’ instincts in battle.
It was now the third day since Tuoba Ye sent his message. Fang Qingyuan had rushed over from Golden Turtle Island immediately, a journey that had taken three days.
’That group of Demon Cultivators must have relocated by now.’ Still, to be safe, Fang Qingyuan decided to dispatch his rat army to act as his eyes and ears.
As the thousand Iron-Seeking Rats delved deeper underground, losses inevitably occurred. The subterranean caverns were home to many demonic beasts equivalent to the Foundation Establishment Realm.
By the time the swarm of Iron-Seeking Rats followed the lingering traces of Tuoba Ye’s aura to the Demon Sect’s altar, their numbers had dwindled by about a hundred.
The nine-hundred-odd Iron-Seeking Rats began to scour the area, searching for any trace of hidden enemies.
Only after the Iron-Seeking Rats had thoroughly combed the area, clearing out various insects and finding nothing amiss, did Fang Qingyuan venture to the location himself, and even then, he waited several days.
After examining the still-vivid traces of the battle, Fang Qingyuan fell silent for a long time. In the end, he said nothing and continued to explore this Land Realm.
He took a cutting from a Longevity Vine out of his Immortal Mansion and tossed it onto the ground. The vine cutting grew rapidly before withering away. As it did, the branches and leaves on one side grew slightly more lush than the other.
Fang Qingyuan collected the remains of the withered cutting, a thoughtful expression on his face.
’It seems the Demonic Qi is more abundant in this direction.’ So, Fang Qingyuan took out more Longevity Vine cuttings and began testing repeatedly.
Eventually, he arrived at a completely unremarkable spot. Judging by the reaction of the Longevity Vine cuttings, Fang Qingyuan determined this was the source of the Demonic Qi in this Land Realm.
"Pierce the hidden, consume the Qi, release!"
Muttering the incantation, Fang Qingyuan used the Qi Eating Technique taught by Lechuan, focusing all his power to analyze the scene before him.
A few breaths later, Fang Qingyuan retracted his endlessly branching divine sense. He had made contact with a hidden Array.
’This Array looks like the handiwork of those Demonic Cultivators. I wonder why they left it intact instead of destroying it completely. Could the object underground be so precious that it’s irreplaceable once damaged?’
Faced with such an Array, Fang Qingyuan studied it for a moment but found he couldn’t grasp the key points. When it came to Arrays, he was utterly clueless.
’But no matter. This is a job for Jinbao. Its Golden Eye of Truth can see right through this Array.’
Sure enough, as Jinbao’s eyes turned gold, the Array before them appeared riddled with flaws to its sight.
As Jinbao waved its bear paws back and forth, a quarter of an hour passed before Fang Qingyuan heard a crisp cracking sound. The Array vanished, replaced by a black altar that was over ten square meters in area.
A hint of joy touched Fang Qingyuan’s face upon seeing the altar. He and Jinbao approached it.
On the altar was a space for placing an object, but it was empty. The altar itself was surrounded by black soil that radiated an ominous aura.
’It seems you have to offer an item to receive something in return,’ he thought. ’This altar is in excellent condition; it should still be usable.’
Fang Qingyuan tried placing a Middle-grade Spirit Stone on the altar, but there was no reaction.
’Spirit Stones don’t work?’
Fang Qingyuan removed the Spirit Stone. With a flicker of his will, one of the Iron-Seeking Rats beside him leaped onto the altar.
This time, the altar reacted. It began to glow faintly, and a moment later, a jet of black water shot out from it.
Fang Qingyuan dodged aside, allowing the black water to splash onto the altar’s edge. The black soil absorbed it in the blink of an eye, taking on an even deeper hue.
He looked at the Iron-Seeking Rat. Its body was now a withered husk; its blood, essence, and even its soul had been absorbed by the altar.
’So that’s what the altar requires,’ he mused. ’But what is this black water?’
’I’m sure I sensed Demonic Qi in that water. Where does it come from, and what entity is this altar connected to?’
These questions surfaced in Fang Qingyuan’s mind, and he immediately began another experiment.
This time, he collected the black water in a container. After doing this three or four times, Fang Qingyuan decided to seal off the altar, setting up a concealment Array to hide any trace of it.
Afterward, Fang Qingyuan left some of the Iron-Seeking Rats scattered around the area as temporary sentries before hurrying off toward the Black Market.
Upon arriving at the Five-finger Black Market, Fang Qingyuan paid the appraisal fee with Spirit Stones. He then produced a vial of the black water and handed it to the Black Market’s appraiser.
"Water of the Demon Earthworm, rich in Demonic Qi," the appraiser said. "Based on its quality, it’s considered a Tier One Upper Grade spiritual material. If you wish to sell, we’d be willing to purchase it at a price of one Middle-grade Spirit Stone per tael."
Fang Qingyuan took back the black water and shook his head, declining the offer. A thought surfaced in his mind: ’Could it be that on the other side of the altar, a hungry Demon Earthworm is waiting to be fed?’
