txolops Chapter 2624 Demonic Insect
Chapter 2624 Demonic Insect
Chapter 2624 Demonic Insect
"May I ask which esteemed guest has arrived?"
The tribal female cultivator leader also came over, bowed, and her voice was light and ethereal, which did not match her appearance.
The title "Supreme One" is quite interesting; it may be a respectful term used in the demon realm to address powerful individuals.
"I think I've gone the wrong way. I was just about to ask you for directions, so I thought I'd give you a handy." With that, Qin Sang tossed the wolf king out of his hand.
With a 'bang', the tribal cultivators' eyelids twitched when they saw the wolf king's corpse in front of them. Ever since this wolf king suddenly appeared, it had become a major threat to their tribe, but it had been inexplicably eliminated.
“Please inquire, Your Excellency, we will answer all your questions without reservation,” the tribal elder said respectfully. “However, we have lived in the wilderness for a long time and have little contact with the outside world, so I am afraid we may not be able to answer Your Excellency’s questions.”
"Oh?" Qin Sang's gaze swept across the mountaintop. The area was built in an orderly manner, seemingly capable of self-sufficiency, but it was impossible to completely avoid contact with outsiders.
Seeing his confusion, the tribal elder answered, "About every two years, merchants come here to replenish our supplies. Most other tribes in the wilderness do the same."
Only traveling merchants would come to such a place, and they only came once every two years, which shows how remote this place is.
Qin Sang hasn't resolved the legal conflicts yet, so being a bit remote isn't entirely a bad thing.
He looked at the cultivators and asked, "Did you also buy your inheritances from merchants?"
This question was somewhat presumptuous, and both the tribal elder and the female cultivator leader changed their expressions slightly. They exchanged a glance, and finally, considering that Qin Sang had solved a major problem for the tribe, they answered truthfully: "Reporting to Your Excellency, our cultivation method was brought back from the Yuan Tianhai by an elder. That elder had traveled abroad and brought back many things from the outside world."
"Yuan Tianhai?"
Qin Sang became interested and continued to ask questions, learning that Yuan Tianhai was indeed a place where cultivators gathered.
However, neither of them knew much about Yuan Tianhai, only that he was located at the westernmost end of the wasteland and had a considerable reputation that was widely known throughout the wasteland.
Next, he asked some more questions, but did not inquire about any forces near Yuan Tianhai, as this tribe's strength was not enough to access higher levels.
He planned to follow the clues step by step and patiently explore the area. Firstly, since the laws were not in accordance with the rules, he couldn't do anything significant right now. Secondly, he could personally experience the customs and culture of this unfamiliar region.
"Cough cough..."
A cough came from the shadows, interrupting their conversation.
The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw an old woman emerge from the shadows. She was hunched over, thin and emaciated like the other female cultivators, and leaned on a cane, looking more like a skeleton from a tomb.
Upon seeing her, the tribal monks exclaimed in surprise.
"Great-grandmother!"
"Master!"
The female cultivator leader and the tribal elder rushed to the old woman, carefully helping her up, and asked in unison, "Why have you come out of seclusion?"
"Our tribe has received distinguished guests; how can we be impolite?"
The old woman was a little weak, but her voice was still clear. She insisted on shaking off their outstretched hands and walked shakily to Qin Sang.
Qin Sang looked at the old woman quietly, not at all surprised by her appearance.
Even from outside the mountain, he sensed a powerful aura emanating from within, comparable to that of a Nascent Soul cultivator. He believed that if she were willing to intervene, the crisis could be easily resolved. However, she seemed to be in seclusion, oblivious to what was happening outside, and was unexpectedly alerted by Qin Sang.
"I am nearing the end of my life, may I ask your honorable title, fellow Daoist?" The old woman's cloudy eyes gradually cleared.
"Hmm, just call me Qingfeng."
Qin Sang glanced at Mu Yao and asked, "Are you the elder who once traveled to the Yuan Tianhai?"
The old woman smiled and said, "It is indeed I. Unfortunately, my cultivation was low back then, and I was filled with fear and anxiety. I only wandered around the outskirts for a few days. I was fortunate enough to obtain the cultivation technique, and then I hurriedly returned to the tribe. Later, I did have the idea, but unfortunately, time has passed. Fellow Daoist, look at my current state. I am unable to walk properly, and I can only sigh in vain."
As she spoke, the old woman smiled helplessly and coughed twice, seemingly in a truly bad state. It wasn't that she didn't want to help, but rather that she was powerless to do so. "However, I cannot forget your kindness in helping me. The journey to Yuan Tianhai is long and fraught with dangers. I am willing to personally escort you on your way."
Upon hearing this, all the cultivators in the tribe became very nervous, their faces filled with worry.
Unexpectedly, Qin Sang, understanding Mu Yao's health, refused, saying, "Fellow Daoist is unwell. If anything unexpected happens, it would be my fault. I dare not trouble you; simply point me in the right direction."
The old woman stubbornly shook her head. "Everything else is easy, but there is one dangerous pass that is not easy to pass. Considering our past relationship, the other party should give me some face when they see me. I'm just afraid that if Fellow Daoist Qingfeng goes alone, the other party will turn their back on you without mercy... It won't take long to go back and forth. Just be careful, it won't be a problem."
"Is that so?" Qin Sang no longer refused. "In that case, it would be impolite of me to refuse."
Seeing this, the old woman smiled with satisfaction, then her expression darkened. "Xi'er, why aren't you going to fetch the carriage?"
The female cultivator leader was extremely unwilling, but under the old woman's rebuking gaze, she dared not persuade her any further. Just as she was about to return to the mountain, Qin Sang made an unexpected move.
Qin Sang stared at the old woman for a moment, then suddenly raised her right hand and pointed a finger at the old woman's forehead!
"Grandma, watch out!"
"presumptuous!"
The tribal elder and the female leader roared in unison, and chaos erupted in the tribe.
No one expected that the benefactor who had just helped the tribe out of a crisis would suddenly turn ruthless and attack the old woman.
'boom! '
'Shuh! '
The demonic sound was like a tidal wave, and the giant fist was like a mountain.
The two reacted quickly and launched a fierce attack, but they couldn't get close to Qin Sang at all.
The heavy punch and the demonic sound failed to hit Qin Sang's arm, as they were blocked by an invisible barrier.
Qin Sang's finger pointed out steadily, seemingly lightly, yet it seemed to touch everyone's hearts, causing them to be greatly shaken.
The elderly woman, who was directly in the eye, seemed not to have reacted at first, staring blankly as the finger pointed towards her brow. The next moment, her expression suddenly became extremely distorted, making her look like a demon, especially given her already gaunt face.
'Hehehe...'
Her mouth opened wide, and strange, inhuman sounds came from her throat. Her fierce divine sense gathered into a demonic sound that seemed to have a physical form, and rushed towards Qin Sang.
'boom!'
The mountain peaks beneath their feet seemed to tremble, and an invisible wave of energy erupted between their fingers and the demonic sound, instantly blasting away the surrounding cultivators, including tribal elders and female cultivator leaders.
Qin Sang's fingers seemed to pause slightly, but only for a moment, before she forcefully suppressed the demonic sound, went against the current, and stubbornly tapped down.
At that moment, everyone could see that the old woman was facing terrifying pressure.
With a distorted face and flying white hair, he looked almost like a madman. A series of cracking sounds came from his bones, and his hunched body suddenly straightened up. At this moment, there was no trace of weakness left.
Seeing this, the cultivators, who were filled with shock and anger, were stunned.
Her eyes were filled with anger as she looked at Qin Sang, seemingly trying to speak up and question why Qin Sang had suddenly turned on her, but all her voices were silenced by a single finger.
'puff! '
A cloud of blood suddenly burst from the old woman's shoulder.
The body finally succumbed to the strain and split open its first bloody gash.
Immediately afterwards, bloody mouths appeared all over her body, turning her into a blood-soaked figure almost instantly. Then came a tooth-grinding sound as her bones broke inch by inch.
The demonic sound was like the painful wails of an old woman, but it had no effect on this finger.
She was still standing there, but her body was almost a pool of blood and mud. Her bloodshot eyes stubbornly stared at Qin Sang, and the questioning and anger in her eyes eventually turned into deep-seated hatred.
At that moment, her eyes underwent a strange change; black lines appeared in her pupils, making them look unlike human eyes.
At this moment, a strange light flashed in Qin Sang's eyes. He did not kill the old woman directly, but instead applied pressure to her little by little, waiting for this moment.
Sizzle!
The old woman's chest and abdomen suddenly split open, and what gushed out was not blood, but a strange viscous liquid, with a piece of bone protruding from her chest.
Everyone quickly realized that this was clearly not her sternum, but more like a tentacle!
'puff! '
With a scream, a crack pierced through the old woman's body, splitting her in two from head to abdomen.
Her entire body was covered in slime and attached to segments of tentacles. Following the tentacles, the crowd witnessed a horrifying sight: a strange worm crawled out of her body.
The strange insect had long, thin tentacles, resembling a spider, each one deeply embedded in her flesh, or perhaps fused with it, becoming one with the old woman's. Faced with immense pressure, the insect was forced to abandon its shell, attempting to break free.
The tentacles trembled, easily shredding the old woman's body into minced meat. Just as the strange insect broke free, Qin Sang sensed that all the vital energy within the old woman's body was transferred to it.
There was no old woman in the world, only a body manipulated by the strange insect. Perhaps the old woman did not know when she became the breeding ground for the strange insect, nor did she know that she had already lost herself.
The strange insect emitted a sharp hiss, but unfortunately, with its strength, it couldn't cause any trouble in front of Qin Sang.
The finger finally struck down, but it landed on the head of the strange insect.
In an instant, the strange insect stiffened, its hissing stopped, and its body rapidly shrank. Its true form was smaller than a mosquito or fly, and when it landed in Qin Sang's palm, it was just an insignificant black dot.
"The God-Snatching Lice!" the female cultivator leader suddenly exclaimed in shock.
All the cultivators who were attacking Qin Sang stopped. Looking at the strange, almost invisible insect and the pile of flesh and blood left behind by the old woman, they felt their scalps tingle and subconsciously took a few steps back.
"You recognize it?"
Qin Sang turned her head and looked at the female cultivator leader named Xi'er.
The female cultivator leader shuddered, as if only now realizing what was happening.
Despite being confronted with the murderer who killed her great-grandmother, the female cultivator leader couldn't bring herself to hate him. The facts were clear: her great-grandmother had long been infested with the God-Snatching Lice.
In an instant, all of her great-grandmother's irrational behavior came back to mind. She used to think that her great-grandmother's temperament was becoming increasingly strange, but now she realized that the person was no longer her relative.
"The God-Stealing Lice is... a kind of demonic insect..."
She swallowed hard. This knowledge came from the jade slip she had bought from the traveling merchants. "Legend has it that they are the minions of the Demon King, capable of parasitizing living beings and eventually taking their place. These insects are tiny and insignificant, their energy hidden, subtly plundering the host's essence and spirit. Especially when inside the host's body, they are extremely difficult for even the parasitized person to detect..."
At this point, she suddenly realized that the ancient texts said that these demonic insects had once caused great chaos in the world. Besides the God-Snatching Lice, there were other demonic insects and monsters with other abilities, all extremely strange and posing a great threat to all living beings in this world. Therefore, they were compiled into a book and circulated throughout the world to warn everyone.
When they first encountered these stories, they simply considered them amusing tales. Their tribe was so remote that the demonic insects wouldn't even consider them worth their attention. Moreover, it was said that after a united effort by powerful beings throughout the world to eradicate them, the number of demonic insects in the world had become extremely small.
To her utter surprise, someone close to her was parasitized by the demonic insects!
Even outsiders whose cultivation far surpasses that of the host of the God-Snatching Lice might not be able to recognize it, and would need to know the corresponding methods of identification. This person, who could directly see through the demonic worm within their great-grandmother's body, surely knew its origin. Was the other party asking this because they themselves also possessed God-Snatching Lice?
The most terrifying thing about the God-Snatching Lice is that the host is unaware that he has lost himself. The change in temperament happens quietly, as if the lice are slowly savoring a delicious meal.
The female cultivator leader suddenly trembled, her voice barely audible. Only after hearing Qin Sang's next words did she calm down slightly.
"Don't be afraid. This demonic insect is probably not mature yet and hasn't had time to lay its eggs on you."
Qin Sang stared at the God-Snatching Lice in her palm, thinking to herself that something was strange.
It almost perfectly integrated into its host; if Qin Sang's cultivation level hadn't been so much higher than the old woman's, she would have almost overlooked it.
The God-Snatching Lice lost its ability to struggle, and Qin Sang attempted to invade its consciousness. Its memories were very rich, but they were all the old woman's memories, or rather, the memories shared by the two after it parasitized the old woman.
Qin Sang traced its memories back to the beginning, eventually settling on a single image.
The God-Stealing Lice drifted down from a dark cloud, dancing in the wind, and finally landed on a female cultivator. She was an old woman who, in her youth, had been full of vigor and traveled with her companions.
Memory is severed here, making it impossible to trace the true origin of the God-Snatching Lice.
"Interesting..." Qin Sang examined it carefully and found that the God-Snatching Lice was completely controlled and had no ability to resist.
This demonic insect was completely different from the spiritual insects he knew.
It seems unable to cultivate alone, needing to rely on a host to incubate, develop, and mature within the host's body, growing alongside the host, but ultimately only achieving its own success. Everything the host painstakingly cultivates becomes its resources, which it can easily seize with a mere thought.
In addition, it also has requirements for its host. The old woman was unfortunately chosen by it. At the same time, as its cultivation level improves, it can also grant the host a certain talent, with the aim of making the host provide it with more resources.
"This guy is afraid of being discovered, so he's been hiding in this place and insists on leading the way for me. It turns out he's already drained the old woman's potential and is now targeting me," Qin Sang said, both amused and exasperated, but also secretly on guard.
Having only been in this realm for a few days, I have already encountered such a strange thing. Since there are such demonic insects in the world, there must also be terrifying beings that can even parasitize cultivators in the Integration stage.
Coming to her senses, Qin Sang noticed that all the cultivators were looking at her with complicated expressions. She didn't care and said to the female cultivator leader, "Take me to her cave."