The crimson spider’s eight legs were clamped firmly onto the Foundation Establishnt Loose Cultivator’s head. When the light from Ma Kun’s Eight Trigrams Ancient Bronze Treasure Mirror hit it, the spider showed signs of agitation. Then, its eight legs suddenly tightened their grip, contorting the Loose Cultivator’s face in agony.
"Agh, it hurts! What did you do to ?"
The Foundation Establishnt Loose Cultivator shouted as he summoned his personal Magical Artifact, looking as if he intended to fight his way out.
However, with a dozen or so Foundation Establishnt Cultivators present, it would have been a joke if he’d managed to escape. The mont he produced his Magical Artifact, the others sward and subdued him.
Once the Foundation Establishnt Loose Cultivator’s Magical Power was sealed and his Magical Artifact confiscated, Fang Qingyuan saw that the danger had passed. He stepped down from the head seat, ca to Ma Kun’s side, and asked with a grave expression:
"This crimson spider... what exactly is it? A Spirit Beast? Or so kind of fiend?"
A mont ago, while Ma Kun was conducting his inspection, the Foundation Establishnt Loose Cultivator had appeared cooperative and obedient on the surface. Internally, however, he was in a frantic rage, filled with a murderous intent to kill every Cultivator in the room.
Such an emotion was definitely not normal. An ordinary Cultivator treated this way by the Beast Taming Sect would, at most, feel wronged. If they had a secret, they might also feel a bit of apprehension.
But soone who imdiately wanted to kill everyone could no longer be considered sane. Even Demon Cultivators, despite being insidious and cunning, still had their wits about them.
Fang Qingyuan hadn’t been aware of the Loose Cultivator’s true thoughts at first. But as he fixed his gaze on the man, watching Ma Kun use the Treasure Mirror for the examination, the Foundation Establishnt Loose Cultivator’s inner voice had abruptly entered Fang Qingyuan’s mind.
Fang Qingyuan recalled the Talent the Bee Queen had just awakened in the Immortal Mansion: Voice of All Things. A guess ford in his mind. ’Could it be that I can also benefit from this Divine Technique and use a sliver of its power?’
He rembered the wisp of soul he had implanted in the Bee Queen’s body all those years ago to control her. ’Could this be the effect of that wisp of soul?’
But now was not the ti to investigate this Divine Technique. Fang Qingyuan’s gaze fell on the ferocious crimson spider, and ripples of unease spread through his heart.
’So there really is a problem, and it’s so well-hidden. If I hadn’t insisted, this spider shadow would have likely slipped right past us.’
Although Ma Kun had put in the effort for this inspection, he would not have gone so far as to verify the man at the cost of his own essence blood.
A Cultivator’s essence blood was rare and precious. The mouthful Ma Kun had just spat out would take at least half a year to recover. If Fang Qingyuan hadn’t ordered it, he would never have been willing to part with it.
But now that the Crimson Spider Shadow had been revealed, the problem was out in the open. All that was left was to deal with it as it ca.
Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s question, Ma Kun hesitated.
"It doesn’t seem like a Spirit Beast. In fact, this spider isn’t even a physical entity. Sir, please look. Its body is crimson, but compared to a real spider-type Spirit Beast, it lacks many detailed features. It’s more like an illusory Divine Technique. This subordinate guesses that this spider is not sothing native to this Barbaric Wilderness, but rather sothing that has been deliberately raised by soone."
After Ma Kun’s lengthy explanation, Fang Qingyuan nodded. Ma Kun’s words were more or less in line with his own suspicions. Fang Qingyuan then looked at the others, asking them to share their thoughts on the Crimson Spider Shadow before them.
"It’s undoubtedly a Demon Technique, and a very sinister one at that. This Loose Cultivator is being controlled without even knowing it. Should we try using a righteous Magical Artifact for Demon Slaying?"
"What is the purpose of this Crimson Spider Shadow? Is it just using this Foundation Establishnt Cultivator as a nest? Could it be planning to hatch more spider eggs and spread them throughout the Loose Cultivator camp, corrupting countless living beings with Demonic Qi?"
"To possess such a Divine Technique, the mastermind behind it must be stronger than Foundation Establishnt. Could it be a Golden Core Cultivator?"
"A Golden Core would be manageable, but I’m afraid it might be a Nascent Soul. I have a bad feeling about this."
Hearing their speculation grow more and more outrageous, Fang Qingyuan coughed and said:
"There’s no need to panic. No matter how strong our opponent is, they’re still skulking in the shadows. If they truly had the power, they would have co out and killed us all by now. We of the Beast Taming Sect have never feared anyone in this realm!"
Hearing Fang Qingyuan’s bold words, the expressions on the faces of the crowd eased sowhat. However, when it ca to how exactly to deal with the ferocious spider shadow before them, opinions were divided.
So wanted to purify it directly with a righteous Magical Artifact, so suggested using a special Spirit Beast to suck it out and imprison it, and so even wanted to see what the Demon Spider tasted like.
It was then that Fang Qingyuan realized his fellow Beast Taming Sect mbers were truly an indiscriminate bunch. The one who suggested tasting it was a Cultivator from the South Sea Islands; the weather there was so hot, they were willing to try anything.
For a mont, Fang Qingyuan was unsure which thod to choose, and it wasn’t like they could split a single spider shadow. But then a thought occurred to him: there were still several other Foundation Establishnt Loose Cultivators who hadn’t been checked. If they found a few more, perhaps they could try all the different thods.
So, Fang Qingyuan had two Foundation Establishnt Cultivators place the Loose Cultivator under strict guard. He then instructed Zhan Zhi’Er to continue bringing people in from outside.
As soon as the next person ca in, the many Cultivators in the room moved at once, pinning him down first. Ignoring the man’s terrified expression, Ma Kun brought the Treasure Mirror before him, spat out a mouthful of essence blood, and began the inspection.
...
Half a day later, Ma Kun was slumped to the side, his face bloodless. He was completely listless, looking drowsy and weak.
After spitting out seven or eight mouthfuls of essence blood in succession, Ma Kun felt as if even his kidneys were shriveling up. Seeing his state, Fang Qingyuan quickly had a servant prepare and bring over so blood-replenishing dicinal cuisine.
Out of the seven Foundation Establishnt Loose Cultivators, only three had problems. Upon questioning them, Fang Qingyuan learned that all three were Cultivators who had had their organs harvested during the battle against the demon-possessed Elder Zhang.
A kidney, a lung, and most of a liver.
Foundation Establishnt Cultivators possessed powerful life force. Even if they were cut in half at the waist, as long as they didn’t die on the spot, it was possible to save them. The loss of a few organs was rely a fatal wound—nothing to worry about.
But as Fang Qingyuan looked at the list of missing organs, he began to wonder. ’Did Elder Zhang do this intentionally? Wasn’t his mind lost, his brain corrupted by Demonic Qi? Why would he deliberately take these organs?’
’If I follow this logic, then a heart and a spleen should also be missing.’
At this thought, Fang Qingyuan sent soone to compile a report on the injuries of the Foundation Establishnt Cultivators who were killed that day. When the results ca in, his heart sank. Just as he’d suspected, two other slain Foundation Establishnt Cultivators were also missing organs: one was missing a heart, the other a spleen.
’Things are getting complicated. This looks like a trap. Now that I know, should I just charge headfirst into it?’
For a mont, Fang Qingyuan was lost in thought. Just then, two figures walked in through the doorway. One of them spoke to Fang Qingyuan:
"Younger Brother Fang, why the long face? Let make an introduction. This is Uncle He from Zongshan. Hurry up and pay your respects."
The speaker was Shangguan You. He had been patrolling outside when he unexpectedly ran into Yu He, who had co alone. Shangguan You had t Yu He before in their sect; Yu He was sowhat acquainted with his master.
When Yu He learned that there were many disciples from the Beast Taming Sect here and received Shangguan You’s enthusiastic invitation, he decided to co and take a look.
He wore a black and white Daoist Robe, had an ordinary appearance, and possessed a calm and detached temperant. Though he looked no older than middle-aged, his cultivation was at Mid-Stage Golden Core Perfection, far more profound than even Lechuan’s.
Seeing Yu He’s arrival, Fang Qingyuan didn’t dare to be disrespectful. He quickly ca down from the head seat and, along with everyone else in the room, paid his respects to Yu He.
After accepting their bow, Yu He found a quiet place to the side and sat down. He didn’t inquire about the current situation, nor did he assu the air of a senior uncle and take charge. He appeared completely unconcerned.
Fang Qingyuan looked at Shangguan You, who returned a helpless glance. Fang Qingyuan understood. He then called for everyone to continue discussing their counterasures.
At that very mont, however, Yu He’s expression shifted slightly. A clear crane’s cry rang out. A small hole opened up in the head of the restrained Loose Cultivator in front of Fang Qingyuan. The next instant, the illusory Crimson Spider Shadow was snatched by sothing unseen and, with a GULP, vanished.
Before Fang Qingyuan and the others could even react, a hole opened in the head of the second Foundation Establishnt Cultivator. The Crimson Spider Shadow inside vanished in mid-air, just like the first one.
Seeing both spider shadows disappear, Fang Qingyuan finally snapped back to his senses. He was just about to shout the word "Alert!" when he saw Yu He rise to his feet. Yu He’s hand shot out, grasping at the empty air in front of him and seizing the neck of a translucent Xianhe.
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