Cultivating in Different Professions

Chapter 178: Chapter 128: Corpse Demon

Physical Divine Techniques were mysterious and profound; the average person had no true understanding of them.

Luo Anning could only attribute Su Mu’s incredible power to the Physical Divine Techniques that came with reaching the Body Tempering Limit.

”Senior Brother Su, something’s not right.”

Luo Anning whispered, ”That Corpse Demon was only at the level of an ordinary Blood Transformation Realm cultivator. With Feng Zhengqian’s power, he should have been able to deal with it easily. I’m afraid there’s more than one Corpse Demon in here!”

Su Mu nodded. He had realized the same thing.

Feng Zhengqian himself was a master who had completed fifty percent of his Blood Transformation, and he cultivated the Hundred Herbs Blood Exchange Method, which had nine times the normal effect. He was stronger than other Martial Artists at the same level.

On top of that, Feng Zhengqian had more than ten subordinates in the Blood Transformation and Body Tempering Realms.

A single Corpse Demon in the Blood Transformation Realm was nowhere near enough to pose a threat to them.

The two screams they had just heard had clearly come from two different people.

Either Feng Zhengqian’s group had gotten separated, or they had run into real danger.

The pitch-black tunnel ahead looked like the gaping maw of a great beast, ready to devour all in its path.

The best course of action right now would be to immediately exit the cave. They could ignore Feng Zhengqian and his men, get far away from this place, and return to the city for reinforcements.

However, that would mean their mission was a complete failure.

If Feng Zhengqian died here while they returned unharmed, one could only imagine how the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect would use the incident to their advantage.

In that case, they could forget about the Blood Strengthening Pills, let alone the Nine-Turn Blood Transformation Technique. They might even be punished by the Taiping Bureau.

But this path had the advantage of safety, of not having to face unknown risks.

Just as Su Mu was hesitating, another bloodcurdling scream echoed from deep within the tunnel.

”Oh no! We can’t let anything happen to Feng Zhengqian! Our mission!”

Luo Anning cried out softly, her figure flashing past Su Mu as she dashed toward the source of the scream.

Su Mu reached out to stop her, but he wasn’t quick enough.

He couldn’t help but sigh.

It wasn’t that Luo Anning was reckless, just that she was too much of a stickler for the rules.

Once she accepted a mission, she would see it through to the letter, never considering retreat.

In Su Mu’s words, Miss Luo was too idealistic. She hadn’t taken enough of a beating from the real world.

Seeing Luo Anning already far ahead, Su Mu felt a wave of helplessness. He could abandon Feng Zhengqian and the others; they were irrelevant. But he couldn’t leave Luo Anning behind.

’She is a colleague from the Taiping Bureau, after all,’ he reasoned.

...

Deep within the cave, the narrow passage suddenly opened into a cavern dozens of yards long and wide.

Within this vast space, dozens of Corpse Demons had now trapped Feng Zhengqian, Hu Guangshao, and their men, surrounding them completely.

Feng Zhengqian brandished a treasured saber that radiated a chilling aura, his expression as dark as a thundercloud.

He scanned his surroundings and saw that only five or six of his men remained. The others had been scattered while trying to evade the pursuing Corpse Demons.

”Damn it! How can there be so many Corpse Demons here?”

Feng Zhengqian said coldly, though he didn’t seem overly panicked.

With his power, he was confident he could still fight his way out.

Besides, there were two Taiping Captains outside to provide support. They would surely come running once they heard the commotion.

Though he found the two of them irritating, their skills weren’t half-bad. He was especially envious of that brat Su Mu’s powerful physique, a product of reaching the Body Tempering Limit.

”Senior Brother, I swear I don’t know where all these Corpse Demons came from. When I was here last time, there wasn’t a single one!”

Hu Guangshao dropped to his knees before Feng Zhengqian with a THUD.

”It’s not unusual for demons to gather where Profound Pearl Grass grows. This isn’t your fault. Get up.”

Feng Zhengqian said casually, ”We’ll fight our way out together!”

”Yes, Senior Brother.”

Hu Guangshao replied, his head bowed. Suddenly, his kneeling form lunged forward.

SHLICK!

A dagger plunged into Feng Zhengqian’s abdomen, its tip piercing through his back. A few drops of blood dripped from the point.

”Aaargh!”

Feng Zhengqian let out a pained scream, his eyes flashing with disbelief.

BANG!

In a fit of rage, Feng Zhengqian kicked Hu Guangshao, sending him flying.

Just as he was about to press forward and finish Hu Guangshao for good, a searing pain made him stagger and fall to one knee, a mouthful of blood spraying from his lips.

”Senior Brother Feng!”

The disciples from the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect that Feng Zhengqian had brought with him cried out in alarm, rushing forward to frantically support him.

Feng Zhengqian clutched the wound in his abdomen, his eyes fixed on Hu Guangshao, who was scrambling to his feet in the distance.

”Why?!”

He roared with what little strength he had left.

”Senior Brother Feng, don’t blame me. If you must blame someone, blame yourself for coming to Wuling City at this time!”

Hu Guangshao wiped the blood from the corner of his mouth, his face twisting into a savage grin. ”Once you’re dead, I’ll kill Su Mu and Luo Anning to ’avenge’ you. I’ll be your savior, Senior Brother Feng! The Feng Family is bound to reward me generously, and I’ll finally make a name for myself in the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect!”

”You—”

Feng Zhengqian was so enraged his face turned crimson, and he couldn’t stop himself from coughing up another mouthful of blood.

”You want to kill me over this? Didn’t I promise you—”

Feng Zhengqian said in disbelief.

He couldn’t believe that someone would want to kill him—that someone would *dare* to kill him—for such a ridiculous idea!

”Why should I be your dog when I can be my own man? Did you think I enjoyed waiting on you hand and foot all this time?”

Hu Guangshao roared, ”Let me tell you, I’ve been poisoning all the water you’ve been drinking these past few days!

”So much for the great disciples of the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect! You couldn’t even detect my poison!”

A triumphant look spread across Hu Guangshao’s savage face.

The faces of the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect disciples around Feng Zhengqian changed drastically. They had been feeling a sense of weakness earlier but had chalked it up to the foul air in the cave.

They never imagined they had been poisoned!

Everyone scrambled to pull out Antitoxic Pills and shove them into their mouths.

If there was one thing disciples of the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect never lacked, it was Elixirs.

Someone also stuffed a few pills into Feng Zhengqian’s mouth.

The wound in Feng Zhengqian’s abdomen actually stopped bleeding.

”It’s useless. Even if you neutralize the poison, you’re not getting out of here.”

Hu Guangshao sneered and suddenly let out a sharp whistle.

At the sound of the whistle, footsteps echoed from the passage, and a figure emerged.

The person looked like a beggar, with hair hanging in matted locks. They held a globular flute carved from white bone and began to play a wailing, mournful tune.

The Corpse Demons instantly flew into a rage, roaring as they lunged at Feng Zhengqian and his men.

”Senior Brother Feng, you go first!”

The disciples of the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect roared, mustering what strength they had left to clash with the Corpse Demons.

Feng Zhengqian gritted his teeth, enduring the excruciating pain in his abdomen as he staggered into another tunnel.

The screams of his subordinates and martial brothers echoed from behind, but Feng Zhengqian didn’t dare look back. He forced himself onward, the wound in his abdomen reopening and leaving a trail of blood in his wake.

”Senior Brother Feng, why bother? Why can’t you just accept your death gracefully? It would save us both the trouble. When you die, you’ll have Su Mu and Luo Anning to keep you company. Wouldn’t that be nice?”

Hu Guangshao’s voice echoed from behind, growing closer and closer.

Feng Zhengqian was so furious that his qi and blood roiled within him. He pressed a hand against the wall to keep from collapsing and couldn’t help spitting out yet another mouthful of blood.

”From the moment you stepped into this cave, there was no escape.”

Hu Guangshao finally appeared in Feng Zhengqian’s line of sight, and with him came an innumerable horde of Corpse Demons.

”I’ve even revealed the Hu Family’s greatest secret just to kill you. How could you possibly survive?”

Hu Guangshao said coldly, ”It’s not just you. Everyone has to die, including Su Mu and Luo Anning. And I, the young master of the Hu Family, will drag my ’grievously wounded’ body back to Wuling City.

”The story will be that Su Mu and Luo Anning, overcome by greed, murdered you, Senior Brother Feng. And I, fighting desperately to avenge you, managed to bring back the Spiritual Medicine needed by the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect. I will be the great hero of both Wuling City and the Shennong Hundred Herbs Sect!”

Hu Guangshao spread his arms wide, as if to embrace the cheers of an entire city, a look of rapture on his face.

”For the sake of my glory, Senior Brother Feng, please die.”

Hu Guangshao opened his eyes, looked at Feng Zhengqian, and spoke with grave sincerity.

Several Corpse Demons roared and pounced.

A look of despair washed over Feng Zhengqian’s face. He had never imagined he would die such a pathetic, ignominious death.

Suddenly, a figure leaped over the heads of the Corpse Demons, landing gracefully in front of Feng Zhengqian. With a flash of sword light, she drove back several of the monsters.

”As long as I’m here, you won’t kill him.”

Feng Zhengqian stared at the slender figure before him, an intense emotion surging through him. In that moment, he felt Luo Anning was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen.

”Perfect timing! You can die right alongside him!”

Hu Guangshao screamed. The mournful notes of the bone flute rang out, and an endless tide of Corpse Demons surged forward.