The Arrogant Immortal
Chapter 182 - 181 Severing the Path to Immortality

Chapter 182: Chapter 181 Severing the Path to Immortality

She took a deep breath, truly feeling nauseous at a physical level.

That cloud of black was not a cloud.

It was the Soul-Devouring Insect, a species that had disappeared from the Cultivation World.

As the name suggests, it is a very terrifying type of spiritual insect that always appears in swarms, led by an Insect King. The Soul-Devouring Insect requires harsh conditions to thrive and had vanished long ago.

If someone were to make a contract with a Soul-Devouring Insect King.

It would truly be a deadly weapon, invoking fear in everyone.

For the first time, she finally dismissed the thought of continuing forward.

There were abundant resources in the Secret Realm. There was no need to take risks simply to hinder an enemy, for she treasured her own life above all else.

Xie Jiuniang watched Gongsun Xue, who was walking in the depths of the valley.

It must be said that these scions of major aristocratic families do have some luck. Gongsun Xue had scavenged quite a few resources from the valley and encountered dangers from time to time, but had not run into any Soul-Devouring Insects.

This was one of the reasons Xie Jiuniang was wary of these prodigies.

They had just faced a great crisis and yet were still emerging with tricks up their sleeves...

Xie Jiuniang transmitted a message to Jian Lingyan, "Little Jianjian, stop mining Spirit Stones for now and come here. I have something I need you to do."

"Master, let me mine just a bit more."

"Come here quickly. Once you’ve done what I asked, you can continue mining."

"Hmph, what exactly is it?"

Jian Lingyan still obediently came over. It appeared as just a streak of light, moving so swiftly that it was invisible to the naked eye, "You lousy master, if you dare to deceive me, I will never let you off. Never ever without end."

"I saw in the valley..."

Xie Jiuniang recalled the vision she had of the Soul-Devouring Insects and the strange fragrance she smelled before having a clear view of what it was. With certain thoughts in her mind, she used her foresight skill again to understand the specific situation and environment.

Then, she shared her idea with Jian Lingyan.

Asking it to act according to her plan.

Once Jian Lingyan heard it was about causing trouble, it immediately assured her it would get the job done.

The Broken Sword flew into Miasma Valley, heading straight for the position of the Soul-Devouring Insects. The unusual scent was not from a Spirit Plant, but from a large piece of wood that seemed to be the nest of the Soul-Devouring Insects.

Xie Jiuniang knew this oddly fragrant wood was something valuable.

But she had no greed for it.

Jian Lingyan’s Blade Spirit enlarged in size, swooped down, and lifted the entire nest of the Soul-Devouring Insects, carrying it to the spot indicated by Xie Jiuniang.

It happened to be right in front of Gongsun Xue.

Gongsun Xue had lost his way in the grey fog but cleverly followed a stream that crossed the valley.

Xie Jiuniang, who was on the outside, knew that if Gongsun Xue kept following the stream, he would indeed be able to get out of Miasma Valley.

As he walked, Gongsun Xue caught the scent of the strange fragrance.

Usually, such fragrances signal an opportunity.

Gongsun Xue’s heart leaped with joy, and he quickened his pace.

Xie Jiuniang’s dark pupils were profound as she calmly watched Gongsun Xue walk step by step toward the nest of the Soul-Devouring Insects.

Jian Lingyan had already slipped back, boastfully seeking credit, "How’s that? I did a good job, didn’t I? I didn’t make a single noise."

"Yes, yes, you were quite impressive."

"That’s right, I’m better than you, master..."

Jian Lingyan’s words were cut off as Xie Jiuniang took over, "...compared to me, you’re just a little bit off."

"Tch tch tch, don’t give yourself too much credit!"

Jian Lingyan shook itself as if it was about to cheekily knock on its master’s forehead again, but at the critical moment, seeing the stick she brandished, it stopped its action in time, not continuing to tempt fate.

Gongsun Xue encountered the Soul-Devouring Insects, just as Xie Jiuniang had anticipated.

In her prior foresight, Xie Jiuniang had a narrow escape from the Soul-Devouring Insects, and it was only the effect of the Time Leaf that saved her Spiritual Soul. It was an extremely dangerous situation.

Xie Jiuniang indeed wanted to know if Gongsun Xue could escape this calamity.

Indeed, one must not underestimate these prodigies.

Gongsun Xue suddenly emitted a glow of fire from her body.

She resisted the first wave of the Soul-Devouring Insects’ onslaught and didn’t allow the creatures to get close.

Xie Jiuniang used her Divine Sense to probe and observe from above, not daring to approach Gongsun Xue’s body, "Little Jianjian, is that Spiritual Fire?"

"She possesses the Fire Spiritual Root, so what she’s applying should be a fire-related technique."

"Then it won’t be easy for her to maintain it constantly," Xie Jiuniang remarked. She had just finished speaking when she saw Gongsun Xue unleash a fire-related technique and immediately fled along the stream.

The Soul-Devouring Insects pursued her relentlessly.

Gongsun Xue’s speed was no match for the Soul-Devouring Insects.

She was caught up to before she could get very far!

Suddenly, an immense Divinity Transformation pressure burst forth from Gongsun Xue.

Fearing detection, Xie Jiuniang quickly withdrew her Divine Sense, grabbed the Broken Sword, concealed her own aura, and activated the Invisibility Talisman.

A strand of the Divinity Transformation’s Spiritual Soul appeared beside Gongsun Xue.

It was none other than Lord Wenzhong.

He raised his hand and annihilated that swarm of Soul-Devouring Insects.

Given that Soul-Devouring Insects are especially harmful to the Spiritual Soul, even for Lord Wenzhong, exterminating them was no easy task. After rescuing the unconscious Gongsun Xue from the valley, that strand of Divinity Transformation’s Spiritual Soul also dissipated.

Xie Jiuniang narrowed her eyes slightly.

"Little Jianjian, have the Soul-Devouring Insects been exterminated?"

"They should be clean gone, I was watching just now, and not one escaped." Jian Lingyan did not have much reverence for the means of Divinity Transformation, but at the moment, they were beyond its ability to deal with.

Xie Jiuniang pointed to a large piece of wood, which was the nest of the Soul-Devouring Insects, and said, "Go and bring that up, I suspect it’s a treasure, although I don’t know what it is, but something capable of housing Soul-Devouring Insects..."

"Hold on, I’ll go get it."

Jian Lingyan dashed over, and in no time, the Broken Sword returned with a large piece of wood on its back.

The large piece of wood had several fine holes, from which a faint fragrance could be smelt from a distance.

Upon getting closer, the scent grew stronger.

The aroma was revitalizing, indeed a remarkable item.

Xie Jiuniang quickly stowed the piece of wood into the Storage Ring.

She would examine it in detail after leaving the Secret Realm. She was afraid that the unusual fragrance might attract other people or Demonic Beasts.

With a few leaps and bounds, Xie Jiuniang arrived at the edge of the valley.

There was a stream nearby flowing out of the valley. A short walk into the fog led to a scene scattered with skeletons, belonging both to Demonic Beasts and to humans.

The area remained eerily quiet, without a single sound.

Xie Jiuniang approached Gongsun Xue, landing silently as though she were a falling leaf.

Gongsun Xue appeared to have suffered soul damage and was unconscious at the time.

If Xie Jiuniang made a move now, Gongsun Xue would undoubtedly die.

However, more than killing Gongsun Xue, she wanted the other to experience the taste of a broken path to immortality. To a cultivator, there’s nothing more despairing than a severed path to immortality, especially when it appears accidental.

Xie Jiuniang thought of the Soul-Chasing Old Crone.

Back then, it took her over a thousand years to kill the prodigies of the major families.

Their deaths did not lead to suspicion toward her.

Recalling the past life’s events, Xie Jiuniang did not wish for their deaths, so she wielded a Soul Art to lightly tap the core of Gongsun Xue’s spirit.

Truly, it was a very light tap.

Such that it compounded Gongsun Xue’s spiritual injury without leaving a discernible trace of interference.

And such injury was to the very core of the soul.

Recovery was nearly impossible, unless one encountered some heaven-defying fortune.