âAh Jing, help scan for traps.â
Luo Yan stood cautiously outside the door, not making any move, not even using his Divine Sense to investigate inside.
After all, with a thing like the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu at stake, he simply didnât believe the ancient powerhouses would leave it unprotected, just lying carelessly on the opposite side.
âMirror Flower Water Moon, Silent Photographic Void!â The Kunlun Mirror readily shone its radiance over.
Thus, the scene before Luo Yanâs eyes changed once again:
The Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu was still placed on the stone table, only it had shifted positions.
Moreover, the floor, walls, and ceiling, which were originally bare, were now covered with countless Formation curse scripts drawn in black lines, twinkling with cold light and emitting a chilling atmosphere.
Upon a cursory glance, Luo Yan recognized three of the Formations.
The Myriad Souls Devouring Heart Formation, Blood Decay and Flesh Withering Formation, Soul Dispelling and Spirit Destroying Formationâall archaic and sinister formations, long lost and only recorded in ancient texts, caused Luo Yanâs back to break out in cold sweat.
If someone were to rush in and fall for these traps, itâs doubtful theyâd even have the chance for reincarnation; the owner of this dungeon was certainly ruthless.
However, even though he had now confirmed that the place was riddled with traps, he still felt somewhat at a loss about how to dismantle or bypass them.
Well, Qing Pingâs Daoist Magic âGreen Mist Veil Over The Mountains,â having its power halved for not being of the Water System, could be used to give it a try.
But even halved, the power of these formations was not something he could withstand at the moment.
âOr how about I give you a suggestion?â The Kunlun Mirror suddenly spoke, âYou canât pass through these traps unscathed, but she can.â
âShe?â Before Luo Yan could react, the Green Duckweed Sword started to scream:
âKunlun Mirror, you should accumulate some virtue!â
âHang on,â Luo Yan spoke calmly, âThe Green Duckweed Sword can remain unharmed under the power of these traps? Itâs my Life-bound Sword Artifact, and our auras have already started to connect. If it were to be severely damaged, I would be hurt as well.â
âShe can,â the Kunlun Mirror stated calmly, âIf you donât believe me, ask her yourself.â
After a long silence, the Green Duckweed Sword, seeing that Luo Yan had stopped talking, finally spoke in a low voice:
âI can indeed pass through these traps unharmed.â
âJust command me, Sword Master.â
âCommand?â Luo Yan couldnât help but laugh upon hearing this, âI wouldnât do such a thing.â
The Green Duckweed Sword seemed taken aback by his words, only to hear Luo Yan continue:
âAs a Life-bound Sword Artifact, do you still need the Sword Master to issue orders to you personally?â
âConsidering the Sword Masterâs interests should be something you do on your own initiative. If I have to command you for everything, whatâs the difference between you and a Flying Sword that has no Sword Spirit?â
Then, in the awkward silence, the Green Duckweed Sword finally laughed heartily:
âAlright, Sword Master.â
âPlease step back a bit.â
After Luo Yan retreated, the Green Duckweed Sword turned into a streak of black light and shot straight into the stone house.
Almost simultaneously, the entire stone house exploded violently from the inside.
In the rising Demonic Qi, among the shockwaves and dust spreading in all directions, the black light curled back and returned, stopping in front of Luo Yan, revealing its undamaged blade as well as items trapped under a mortar and cloche.
âSword Master,â the Green Duckweed Sword said cheerfully, âI have succeeded without shaming your command.â
âVery good,â Luo Yan nodded, but did not reach out to take them, obviously concerned there might be some toxins on them.
âThe eggs of the Golden Silkworm Gu inside seem to all be in a state ready to hatch at any moment,â the Kunlun Mirror reminded, âYou just need to drop your Essence Blood on top of the cloche, and it will permeate through, allowing you to Refine and hatch the Golden Silkworm Gu.â
After a brief moment of thought, Luo Yan did as instructed.n/ô/vel/b//in dot c//om
He held his hand above the cloche and used the Shangyang Sword Qi to pierce his fingertip, releasing a few Blood Beads.
Falling onto the cloche, they immediately soaked in like water on a sponge.
After a moment, the mortar and cloche began to shake violently.
Luo Yan frowned and stepped back a few paces, only to suddenly hear a rustling noise emanating from within his Sea of Consciousness.
That sound was extremely shrill, resembling the cries of a baby, and it seemed to be coming from the golden silkworm gu that had been refined from the bowl:
âSo hungry, so hungry, so hungry, so hungry, so hungry, so hungry, so hungryâ¦â
âEat flowers, eat flowers, eat flowers, eat flowers, eat flowers, eat flowers, eat flowersâ¦â
Before the echoes faded, the bell-shaped cover was finally lifted.
Several streaks of white light darted out quickly, rushing towards the nearby flower field in an impatient frenzy.
After a short while, the sound of incessant nibbling could be heard.
Just a few breathsâ time and about one-fifth of the Golden Fleece Jade Leaf flowers had been nibbled clean.
The three golden silkworm gu had had their fill and flew back from the flower field, landing in the palm of Luo Yanâs right hand, each curling up into a ball.
Luo Yan looked indifferently at the three insects. Hmm⦠pretty ugly.
The Hundred Poison Golden Silkworms, in appearance, were plump white caterpillar-like creatures with four segments to their bodies. Their skin wasnât soft flesh but the hard chitinous shell characteristic of insects.
Beneath each body segment were two pairs of tiny pincers, totaling eight pairs, which allowed them to cling onto objects like tortoise beetles and secure themselves.
Additionally, on the back of the first and second body segments, they sported two pairs of beetle-like elytraâouter layers of hardened shell with an inner layer of semi-transparent cicada wings.
On their heads, they had four half-convex, black-jade-like eyes, two pairs stacked vertically, their surfaces crisscrossed with countless grid lines, resembling the eerie structure of compound eyes.
Underneath the eyes were a pair of gigantic mandibles akin to those of a longhorn beetle, presenting a purplish-black sheen and occasionally snapping shut crisply, quite unnerving to witness.
Perhaps due to feeding on the Golden Fleece Jade Leaf flowers, a certain golden hue was spreading from the top of their heads down to their tails.
Once their entire bodies turned golden, these three Hundred Poison Golden Silkworms would be considered adults, ready to be utilized for combat and attack.
With a flip of his hand, Luo Yan tucked the golden silkworms into his sleeve, then continued his search.
After scouring through the remaining stone houses without yield, his effort turned out to be fruitless.
The owner of this dwelling had departed after a thorough clean-up, it seemed.
If it wasnât for the fact that the Golden Fleece Jade Leaf flowers were not easily transplantable, and the three Hundred Poison Golden Silkworms were probably not developed enough to be hatched at that time, this trip truly would have been in vain.
Riding the sword light once more, he passed through the membrane of water, bursting out of the deep pool. Luo Yan didnât hurry to leave. Instead, he stayed within the range of the Mount Sumeru Great Elaboration Formation, carefully scanning his surroundings with his Divine Sense.
Hmm, no ambush, time to leave!
He turned into sword light and soared into the sky, reaching Danzhi Island in no time.
Danzhi Islandâs market hosted the largest elixir trade in the East Sea, with even the alchemists of Yuqing View setting up a sales branch here.
Miss Shi, a woman of wealth, went on a shopping spree in the market until she couldnât stuff any more items into her storage bag.
When Luo Yan found her, the young lady was on the street corner, nonchalantly popping elixirs into her mouth as if they were candy beans, one after another.
âWhat elixir are you eating?â Luo Yan asked in alarm, âSenior sister! You can mess with food, but you cannot carelessly consume elixirs!â
âThis is a Licorice Pill,â Shi Liuli tossed an elixir into his mouth.
Luo Yan tasted it with his tongue, detecting a hint of sweetness.
Wait a minute, the Licorice Pill isnât an elixir; itâs just a snack for children!
Alright then, while Iâm outside fighting to the death with Demon Path Cultivators, youâre here happily shopping and snacking, completely unconcerned about your junior brotherâs well-being, right?
Luo Yan chuckled and then said:
âSenior sister, the formation has been repaired, and Li Dao-friend has also left. Shall we go?â
[Falsehood Persona, Synchronization Value +1.]
âItâs repaired already?â Shi Liuli was surprised; she had intended to enjoy herself for a few more days.
âYes, it went very smoothly,â Luo Yan replied with a faint smile, his hands tucked into his sleeves, feeling the three plump Hundred Poison Golden Silkworms.