Chapter 306: A Female Corpse is Better (Third Update)

The ground was barren, covered everywhere with deep, bottomless pits. There were numerous cracks in the sky, and occasionally several would connect before vanishing completely.

Collapsed structures could also occasionally be seen on the ground.

“That’s right, this is the place. Ancestor Xi once described this First Layer in detail,” Chi Hu’s eyes immediately lit up upon arriving here.

He then lowered his head and calculated silently, spreading out his Divine Sense as if searching for a specific location.

Wang Lin frowned, looked around, and suddenly asked, “Brother Chi Hu, the place recorded on that Jade Slip, which is where the fragments overlap, what layer is it?”

Hong Die, who hadn't spoken for days, snorted lightly and said, "Nonsense, naturally it's the Second Layer! It's already rare for this Immortal Realm to have two layers of overlapping fragments!"

Wang Lin’s gaze sharpened, and he said coldly, “Ignorant!”

Being called ignorant again, Hong Die’s eyes flashed with killing intent, and she immediately glared at Wang Lin.

Chi Hu gave a wry smile, looked up, and quickly said, “Brother Zeng, it is indeed the Second Layer, but our Ancestor Xi also speculated that there might be a Third Layer beneath it.”

Hong Die was startled, her eyes flickered, and she fell silent in thought.

Wang Lin remained calm. He had always felt that something was amiss. Earlier, he had sensed that someone seemed to be following them. This feeling was extremely subtle, unrelated to cultivation, but rather a faint awareness of danger brought about by Wang Lin’s years of slaughter.

“I found it, follow me!” After a long time, Chi Hu moved and flew forward.

Soon, the three stopped at a location in the northeast.

“It’s here! Ancestor Xi left a Plum Blossom Mark back then, along with a method for investigation and calculation. That’s right!” Chi Hu landed beside a Deep Pit, his face filled with joy.

Wang Lin looked down and saw that the surrounding Deep Pits indeed formed the shape of a plum blossom.

Chi Hu leaped and entered the pit. Hong Die glanced at Wang Lin and followed him in.

Wang Lin swept his Divine Sense, finding the pit bottomless. After a brief contemplation, he jumped inside.

Not long after the three entered the cave, the middle-aged man holding the gourd appeared beside the Deep Pit. He took a sip of wine, and with a flip of his hand, a Pagoda appeared. The corpse of the woman in white flew out again and was embraced by the man.

He looked at the corpse, shook his head slightly, and muttered, “Ting’er, these Juniors are probably making a trip for nothing. That Immortal Jade Coffin was turned into a Pagoda by me long ago. Unfortunately, you absorbed almost all of the Immortal Jade Coffin over the past few thousand years. Ting’er, don’t worry, I will go look for more Immortal Jade. The Third Layer should have Immortal Jade.”

As he spoke, he lightly kissed the female corpse’s brow. But just then, his expression suddenly shifted. With a shake of his hands, the female corpse and the Pagoda instantly vanished. He looked up at the sky.

He saw a roar coming from the sky. A person walked out from where the cracks connected. This person had white hair and a face full of wrinkles. He was extremely fast, flashing out from the crack in the blink of an eye.

“Why bother? I’ve searched this damned place for so long, wandering through almost every fragment, and still haven’t found an Immortal corpse.”

As he sighed, he descended from the sky, instantly spotting the middle-aged man, and couldn't help but smile, saying, "Hello, hello."

The middle-aged man frowned. Among the people who came from the Vermilion Bird Star, this old man was the one he feared the most. He could tell that this person's cultivation was the same as his own: Nascent Soul Transformation Middle Stage!

But throughout his long life, he had never seen this person. There weren't many Nascent Soul Transformation Cultivators on the Vermilion Bird Star, and the middle-aged man was confident he knew every single one of them.

He glanced at the old man, said nothing, turned around, and leaped into the deep cave.

"Uh… ignoring me, how rude!" The old man rubbed his nose. He looked at the Deep Pit the middle-aged man had jumped into, and just as he was about to leave, he suddenly twitched his nose and sniffed the air around him several times.

“Oh! Death Qi! That’s right, it’s Death Qi. I couldn’t mistake the scent of an Immortal corpse! It must be a female corpse. Haha, a female corpse is better, much better!” The old man’s eyes brightened. He looked around, then suddenly stared at the deep cave the middle-aged man had entered. He flashed and quickly rushed inside.

“Now I can complete the Sect Master’s mission and leave this godforsaken Vermilion Bird Star. It’s strange that the Sect Master insists on an Immortal corpse when my Corpse Yin Sect has every type of Physical Body imaginable. I wonder which planet’s customer has such unique tastes.” The old man thought to himself, his face full of delight.

Wang Lin and the other two traveled quickly. After entering the deep cave, they continuously descended. They didn't know how much time had passed, but they still hadn't reached the bottom. At the same time, a resistance, moving from bottom to top, grew stronger and stronger.

“This is it! Once we descend, we can enter the place recorded on the Jade Slip. Although there are some Seals and Restrictions there, with the power of the three of us, we can definitely break them, even if it takes some time!” Chi Hu's voice was filled with joy.

The further down the three went, the greater the resistance. At this moment, the resistance had reached a certain level, naturally slowing their speed.

After a long time, the resistance intensified. Wang Lin took a deep breath, circulating Spiritual Power throughout his body to resist the pressure.

He calculated silently that the descent had likely exceeded ten thousand zhang, yet they still hadn't seen the bottom. When his Divine Sense probed downward, a mysterious force prevented it from extending beyond a thousand zhang.

Wang Lin glanced at Hong Die, who was expressionless, emitting a blue light from her body. As for Chi Hu, the axe mark on his brow flashed intensely. Each flash reduced the resistance outside his body by a fraction, which was quite miraculous.

Time slowly passed. After an unknown duration, Chi Hu, who was in front, shouted in surprise, “We’re here!”

Wang Lin’s spirit lifted. Enduring the pressure, he slapped his Storage Pouch, took out the Restriction Banner, and quickly rushed forward. The three of them burst out from the bottom of the deep cave almost simultaneously.

The moment they rushed out, Wang Lin’s vision was overwhelmed by a blinding light, as if ten thousand zhang of radiance were piercing his eyes. He shook the Restriction Banner in his hand, immediately wrapping his entire body. His eyes were no longer stinging. He focused his gaze and his expression instantly turned rather strange.

This area was not large, measuring only about one hundred zhang.

In the center of this place, there was indeed a pool of water.

Except… there was no White Jade Coffin floating on the water, let alone the three Immortal Swords on the coffin shown in the Jade Slip’s image.

As for Spiritual Plants, there wasn't a single one.

Aside from the lack of treasures, this location was indeed exactly the same as the one recorded on the Jade Slip.

Chi Hu stared blankly at the scene before him, his mind completely blank. He had gone through such hardship, even damaging his Compass, to finally arrive here, but he never expected it to turn out like this… Hong Die sneered, a hint of anger in her voice, and said, “Chi Hu, this is the place you spoke of? This is where I wasted my Stamen to enter? If you don’t give me an explanation today, I will never let this go!”

Wang Lin looked around strangely and couldn't help but smile wryly. He wasn't as angry as Hong Die; after all, he hadn't lost anything on this journey, but had instead gained a Gold Purple Stone. If anything, he had profited.

Thinking this, he moved forward and began wandering around, searching carefully everywhere.

Hong Die's eyes filled with rage, and she also began searching quickly, hoping to find some treasures.

Chi Hu stared blankly at the scene before him, muttering, “How could this happen… impossible… Could someone have entered here and taken the treasures after Ancestor Xi discovered this place? Yes, that must be it!”

He shook his head bitterly, cupped his fists toward Wang Lin and Hong Die, who were searching around, and said, “Gentlemen, I was rash in this matter. Alas, I never expected it to turn out this way…”

Hong Die was nearly frantic. She turned back, staring at Chi Hu, and said word for word, “Can a single apology for being rash make up for the Stamen I lost? Chi Hu, I think you knew this place was like this all along. You probably deliberately used my power to come here for a specific purpose. If you don't explain yourself today, don’t blame Hong Die for disregarding our families’ long-standing relationship!”

Wang Lin remained composed. After a careful search that yielded nothing, his gaze finally fell upon the pool of water. He looked closely, finding the water pitch black and bottomless.

Upon hearing Hong Die's words, Chi Hu's expression immediately turned grim, but he forcefully restrained himself and said in a deep voice, “Hong Die, I will give you an explanation regarding this matter once we return to the Vermilion Bird Star. But as for saying I had ulterior motives, absolutely not. As the Young Clan Chief of the Giant Demon Race, Chi Hu, although I might not be as precious as you, Hong Die, I am a man of my word!”

Hong Die sneered, about to speak, when Wang Lin suddenly said, “Chi Hu, did you mention earlier that there might be a Third Layer here?”

Chi Hu was startled, then his eyes immediately lit up. He said, “Brother Ceng Niu, that’s right. Our Ancestor Xi analyzed that there should be a Third Layer here.”

“Ancestor Xi? Your Ancestor Xi also said there were treasures in this Second Layer!” Hong Die retorted sarcastically.

Chi Hu’s gaze was gloomy as he looked at Hong Die. After a long moment, he took a deep breath, turned, and walked toward Wang Lin, his eyes also falling upon the pool.

“If there truly is a Third Layer, then this should be the entrance!” Wang Lin said slowly.

Hong Die snorted lightly, moved forward, approached the pool, and looked inside.

Just then, a person suddenly floated down from the passage above. After appearing, this person immediately took a step forward, and in a blur before Wang Lin and the others, stood atop the pool of water.

A powerful force emanated from his body. Chi Hu’s face turned pale, he spat out a mouthful of blood, and his body was rapidly flung backward.

As for Hong Die, she cried out softly, retreated backward, and showed a look of shock.

Wang Lin had been vigilant all along. He knew someone was following them. At this moment, he retreated almost the instant the person appeared. Although he was still affected by the other party's force field, he was not injured, merely flushing slightly, and backed away several zhang.

“Oh?” The person glanced at Wang Lin, picked up the gourd in his hand, and took a large drink.

“Zhou Yi of the Five Elements Sect!!” Chi Hu cried out in surprise.

The middle-aged man smiled, revealing his teeth, and said, “Little guy of the Giant Demon Race, you know me?”

Hearing the name Zhou Yi, Hong Die’s expression immediately changed, and a deeply hidden look of disgust flashed in her eyes.

Chi Hu quickly and respectfully said, “Junior Chi Hu of the Giant Demon Race greets Senior. Junior has been familiar with Senior’s name since childhood.” As the Young Clan Chief of the Giant Demon Race, he had been groomed from a young age and had seen portraits of every Nascent Soul Transformation Cultivator on the Vermilion Bird Star. Seeing the red gourd now, he immediately recognized the man.

Especially since this Zhou Yi had an extremely bizarre hobby, a hobby later confirmed to be true. Because of this strange preference, Chi Hu naturally remembered him vividly.

——

The third update is complete. I said there would be three updates, and there are three updates. Everyone knows Er Gen’s character. Fellow Daoists, give me your monthly votes, you won’t regret it! Er Gen’s goal isn’t big, just to surpass third place and take its spot!