SWNOVELXO Chapter 223 - Ambush
“There’s actually a Dragon Gua Worm here?” Xu Chen immediately looked outside after hearing the news. Since the arrival of the purple baby, he had been paying less attention to Gu Yao, but now the Dragon Gua Worm caught his interest. “Are you sure it’s a Dragon Gua Worm?”
Upon hearing his doubt, Gu Yao sent the small vial of Dragon Gua Blood into the space for Xu Chen to examine. At the same time, he picked up the two halves of the creature’s body. The Dragon Gua Worm was fascinating. Although it was called a worm, it was actually a creature that existed between a worm and a plant. Its head had two horns resembling dragon horns, which explained the “dragon” in its name. Its body was like old tree bark, and it typically rooted itself in soil or stone but could also move and hunt.
“Ah, it really is Dragon Gua Blood! Kid, you’re lucky! You actually ran into such a good find. I rarely see them myself. Quickly, get more—if there’s one, there must be many,” Xu Chen exclaimed excitedly. Generally speaking, Dragon Gua Worms were social creatures, so if one was found, there would likely be more.
Gu Yao ignored Xu Chen in the space. Of course, he wouldn’t miss the opportunity now that he had encountered it. Meanwhile, outside, the cfatty boy and the others asked, “What exactly is a Dragon Gua Worm? What are the special properties of Dragon Gua Blood?”
Gu Yao explained the growth characteristics of the Dragon Gua Worm and then said, “Dragon Gua Blood is the main ingredient used to refine the Limb Regrowth Pill. As for how important the Limb Regrowth Pill is, I don’t think I need to explain.”
Tian Feirong and the fatty boy were stunned for a moment before their expressions turned into wild excitement. They knew, and they knew all too well!
They were more than aware of how rare the Limb Regrowth Pill was in the outside world. For instance, on the Tianlin Continent, Limb Regrowth Pills could only be found in some secret realms or ancient ruins, and most of them were ineffective and useless. So whenever a functioning one appeared, it would trigger fierce competition among many forces and cultivators.
Limb Regrowth Pill—as the name suggests—allows severed limbs to regrow. The importance of limbs to cultivators is self-evident, and regeneration is not an easy task. Having a Limb Regrowth Pill is like gaining an extra life.
“Then there must be more of these Dragon Gua Worms around. Let’s hurry and find them. But isn’t it a bit troublesome? If it weren’t for the little cub, I almost got attacked by this thing earlier,” Tian Feirong said, still feeling some lingering fear, not yet completely blinded by the allure of the Limb Regrowth Pill.
Gu Yao knew the danger, but he didn’t want to miss the Dragon Gua Worms. He recalled what he had read in the books and the methods Xu Chen had shared with him on-site. He told Chi Changye the method for tracking the Dragon Gua Worms, and then the four of them set off together to search for the worms.
Along the way, Gu Yao also gave them some knowledge: “Dragon Gua Blood contains an extremely strong life force, which is why pills made from it have such miraculous effects. However, when the origins of the Dragon Gua Worm are unknown, trouble is easy to come by. The Dragon Gua Worm views the bodies of cultivators with strong vital energy as its growth base, feeding on their flesh and blood to grow and reproduce.”
Tian Feirong and the fatty boy shuddered. Human cultivators coveted the unique properties of Dragon Gua Blood, and the Dragon Gua Worm coveted human cultivator flesh and blood. It was hard to say which one was more terrifying. But despite knowing this, their determination to find the Dragon Gua Worms was unwavering.
As they walked, Chi Changye flicked his hand, releasing a powder. It was something Gu Yao had prepared. Wherever a Dragon Gua Worm had passed, traces would immediately appear. Coincidentally, this powder was made from several local plants, native to Hei Feng Cliff, leading them to wonder about the connection between the Hei Feng Cliff and the Dragon Gua Worms.
Meanwhile, Gu Yao was preparing another medicine, specifically for capturing the Dragon Gua Worms. These recipes had appeared in the books on the third floor of the Pill Pavilion, which led him to suspect that the person who had left these records might have also visited places similar to Hei Feng Cliff. Chi Changye had never heard of such substances that could restrain the Dragon Gua Worms.
“Got it!” Gu Yao exclaimed as they walked forward, seeing a faint blue glow where the powder had fallen onto the ground. It was the result of the Dragon Gua Worm’s excretion reacting with the powder.
Gu Yao quickly finished preparing the other medicine and handed it out to each of them, instructing, “Scatter this when you find a Dragon Gua Worm. The worm will lose its ability to move when it comes into contact with the powder. The Dragon Gua Worm relies only on scent to detect things; it has no sense of hearing or sight, so it’s not a real insect.”
The further they went, the wider the space became, and the blue glow on the ground increased. The four of them grew more cautious, while the little cub widened its green cat eyes, looking even more eerie in such a place.
Chi Changye’s ears twitched, and he immediately called out, “Scatter it!”
The four of them formed a circle, their powder flying in different directions. They heard a series of thumping sounds as the powder was scattered. Only after most of the powder was used up did they stop. On the ground, strange-looking worms dropped down. Gu Yao was overjoyed, and Xu Chen in the space felt just as excited, even though the Limb Regrowth Pill was of no use to him now, with only his soul remaining.
Gu Yao quickly took out several jade bottles and tossed them to his companions. “Hurry, we must collect the Dragon Gua Blood immediately, or it will lose its potency.”
Leaving Chi Changye to stand guard, Gu Yao and the others quickly began collecting the Dragon Gua Worms’ blood. There were over a hundred Dragon Gua Worms here, and no wonder Xu Chen was so excited.
Holding several bottles of Dragon Gua Blood, Gu Yao was extremely satisfied. This was enough to refine hundreds of Limb Regrowth Pills. As his excitement gradually settled, Gu Yao made a decision. He took a deep breath and said, “Let’s go. We have enough Dragon Gua Blood now, and the Limb Regrowth Pills shouldn’t be spread around too much.”
He boldly speculated that the Dragon Gua Worms lived in such an environment because it was related to the conditions of Hei Feng Cliff. There might also be some other important treasure within that could produce these Dragon Gua Worms. That treasure would surely be more precious than the Dragon Gua Worms themselves. However, once the treasure was taken, the Dragon Gua Worms might be eradicated from this place.
After thinking for a moment, Gu Yao forced himself to suppress his greed and withdrew his foot that was about to step forward. Even if all the Dragon Gua Blood was used up, as long as the roots were not removed, he could always return to gather more.
Chi Changye smiled and said, “Alright.”
Tian Feirong and the fatty boy felt some regret but always followed the opinions of Chi Changye and Gu Yao. Besides, they weren’t alchemists, and even if Gu Yao made the pills, they wouldn’t be losing out on the Limb Regrowth Pills, so there was no need to continue searching.
The four of them turned around and headed back, not continuing to explore the narrow mountain crevice.
However, after taking a few steps, Chi Changye glanced back. For some reason, he had a strong feeling that continuing further might be disadvantageous for them. It seemed there was something inside that could pose a significant threat to him. Although it was only a vague, ungraspable intuition, and no clear signs had appeared, he still decided to trust his instincts and not stay in the area too long.
The group grew closer to the entrance, and their mood improved as they joked and laughed. The little cub also moved around energetically on Gu Yao’s shoulder. Suddenly, the little cub’s fur bristled, and at the same time, Chi Changye stepped forward, positioning himself between Gu Yao and the others. A purple light shot out from in front of him, charging toward the entrance.
“Boom!” Stones flew, and the black wind howled, accompanied by a muffled grunt. A shadow quickly retreated.
Gu Yao swiftly activated a spiritual talisman, creating a protective shield to block the flying stones and black wind. The talisman, activated with divine consciousness, wasn’t as effective as it would have been outside, but it still helped a bit.
After a long moment, the area finally settled down, but the black wind outside became much more violent due to the commotion, as if it could erupt into a violent storm at any moment.
“Is it that damned guy from Tailuo Sect again? Is he really stalking us from the shadows?” Tian Feirong exclaimed angrily.
A purple lightning dragon flew back toward them, and the others only realized after Chi Changye’s attack that the purple light was connected to the lightning dragon. The spiritual power in this place was severely restricted, but sword energy wasn’t purely made up of spiritual power, so Chi Changye had exploited this gap. When they first encountered Di Feng, Chi Changye hadn’t attacked, letting Di Feng grow overconfident. When Di Feng made another move, it was Chi Changye’s turn to strike, catching him off guard. While it wasn’t enough to kill him, it would be enough to severely injure him.
Chi Changye knew that Di Feng was probably more familiar with the Hei Feng Cliff’s environment and might even have tools or magical artifacts that allowed him to briefly channel spiritual power here. After all, this area had existed for a long time, and over the years, it was possible someone might have developed such tools or left behind some life-saving items, like those left by a Nascent Soul powerhouse.
The purple lightning dragon flew back into Chi Changye’s body. His face turned pale for a moment—he had to forcibly channel some spiritual energy, and the consumption was quite significant. However, his current condition wasn’t as bad as Di Feng’s.
Chi Changye sneered and said, “That Di guy is probably too confident, which is why he revealed some killing intent. Others might not notice, but I’m a sword cultivator.” He was particularly sensitive to killing intent, which was also why the little cub had bristled—it had noticed too, though it reacted a beat slower than Chi Changye and hadn’t had the chance to strike.
“Is he injured? Can we find him now?” The fatty boy asked, feeling that Di Feng was truly detestable. Leaving him outside like this, who knows what reckless actions he might take next.
Gu Yao frowned, and after a short while, the little cub that had chased after Di Feng returned, meowing at Gu Yao. Gu Yao sighed, patted its head, and said to the others, “It’s no use. The cub didn’t find any trace of him. It seems he used some method to escape.”
“Dammit!” Tian Feirong and the fatty boy cursed in unison.
A cold light flashed in Chi Changye’s eyes. He swore that if he got the chance, he would never let this guy go.
At the top of Hei Feng Cliff, Di Feng’s figure suddenly appeared. He clutched his chest with one hand, and “Wah!” he spat out a mouthful of blood. His eyes flashed with a crazed look. How dare they injure him? Fine, he would show these outsiders just how powerful he was. He originally only wanted to mess with them, but now, after being injured, he was taking things seriously.
Di Feng looked back at the increasingly violent black wind rising within Hei Feng Cliff. Without hesitation, he turned and left. If the sword energy raging inside his body wasn’t dealt with, it would cause him tremendous harm. So, he decided to let the four of them live a little longer. Once he solved his problem, he would personally come back to settle the score!