“These poison slaves were all Earth Immortal cultivators in their lifetime,” Mo Chen swung his sword, decapitating a stinging poison needle. “They’ve been controlled by the Ten Thousand Poison Valley using the ‘Heart-Eroding Gu,’ turning them into mindless puppets.”
David frowned as he looked at the poison slaves, their eyes etched with pain. “Is there any way to break their control?”
“Difficult!”
Hu Mazi threw an ice talisman, freezing a charging poison slave. “The Heart-Eroding Gu has penetrated the heart meridians. Unless the insect is killed instantly, the slave will explode and die.”
David no longer hesitated, and the golden light from the Dragon Slaying Sword grew even more intense.
He unleashed the new sword technique he’d learned at the Sword Tomb. The tip of his sword traced a mysterious trajectory, each strike piercing the poison slave’s heart with pinpoint accuracy.
Black murderous energy flowed in along the tip of the sword, instantly strangling the poisonous insect hidden within.
“Bang! Bang! Bang!”
The poisonous slave, whose poisonous insect had been killed, stiffened before turning to ash, without releasing a single drop of venom.
Seeing this, Mo Chen and Hu Mazi also changed their tactics, focusing on attacking the poison slaves’ heart meridians.
Half an hour later, the last poison slave was reduced to ash.
David sheathed his sword and stood, noticing that his evil spirit had intensified, evidently nourished by consuming these poisonous insects.
“The gate to the Ten Thousand Poison Valley is just ahead,”
Mo Chen pointed deep into the bamboo forest. “Through that ravine, we’ll find their core area.”
The three of them passed through the purple bamboo forest and a narrow ravine appeared before them.
The cliffs on either side of the ravine were dotted with honeycomb-like caves, within which could be vaguely seen wriggling dark figures.
“That’s the Ten Thousand Poison Valley’s Centipede Cave.”
“It’s filled with thousand-year-old poisonous centipedes. Disturbing them would be very troublesome,”
Mo Chen warned.
David noticed a flat rock at the entrance to the ravine, engraved with strange runes.
The runes glowed with a pale green light, echoing the surrounding miasma.
“This is a warning formation,”
David reached out and touched the runes. “Anyone entering the canyon will alert the poisonous creatures within.”
He channeled his spiritual power, and a murderous aura flowed through his fingertips into the runes.
The pale green light was quickly swallowed by the black energy, and the runes on the rock gradually dimmed.
“Done, let’s go,” David said, withdrawing his hand.
As the three entered the canyon, a sudden rustling sound came from the cave on the cliff.
Countless half-foot-long centipedes crawled out of the cave. They were pitch black, their shells gleaming metallically, and the poisonous stingers on their tails glowed a faint blue.
“Damn it, we’ve been discovered again! These are ‘Black Iron Centipedes,’ their shells harder than fine steel!” Mo Chen frowned.
Hu Mazi hid behind David, holding several runes.
David’s eyes sharpened, and he swung his Dragon Slaying Sword.
FAQ Novel
Q: What are the ‘poison slaves’ encountered by David and his companions?
A: Poison slaves are cultivators controlled by the Ten Thousand Poison Valley, often through insidious means like the ‘Heart-Eroding Gu’, transforming them into gaunt, bluish-purple, bloodshot-eyed puppets wielding venomous weapons.
Q: How are these cultivators controlled, and can they be freed from their torment?
A: Cultivators are controlled by parasitic entities like the ‘Heart-Eroding Gu’ that infest their heart meridians; freeing them is incredibly challenging, as instantly killing the insect is the only way, otherwise the slave will explode and die.
How do you think David will navigate the deadly defenses of the Ten Thousand Poison Valley and confront its shadowy masters? Let us know in the comments!