Chapter 71: The Golden-Winged Ghost King Scorpion

Chapter 71: The Golden-Winged Ghost King Scorpion

"Roar!"

After Xiao Li's death, the Blood Qi spreading across the ground attracted more and more mystic beasts from afar.

Finally, hundreds of ferocious mystic beasts charged madly toward Ning Xiaochuan and Qi Chan'er, shaking the entire mountain forest. Trees collapsed in rows as the beasts surged forward, their shadows densely covering the land, as if intent on devouring the two of them.

Qi Chan'er was startled, her thoughts of killing Ning Xiaochuan forgotten as she turned and fled, her slender figure darting away like a fleeting shadow.

Ning Xiaochuan was also terrified. Being surrounded by so many mystic beasts would mean certain death, even for a top-tier expert. He quickly took out a Blood Toad Pill and swallowed it, then grabbed the Mystic Artifact-level Battle Saber from the ground and chased after Qi Chan'er.

"Boom!"

The Elixir Qi and Blood Qi of the Blood Toad Pill exploded within Ning Xiaochuan's body, rapidly healing his injuries and replenishing his energy.

Channeling Profound Qi into his legs, his speed increased sharply, allowing him to quickly catch up to Qi Chan'er.

"Rumble—!"

Behind them, the frenzied mystic beasts devoured Xiao Li's corpse before charging after the two, their stampede shaking the earth and toppling trees.

Qi Chan'er glanced back, biting her red lips tightly. "Why are you following me? You'll get me killed!"

Ning Xiaochuan didn’t answer, merely keeping close behind her, narrowing the distance between them.

"Roar!"

From the forest behind them, dust billowed as the roars of mystic beasts echoed endlessly. The creatures were closing in, forming a semi-circle around them.

Qi Chan'er was so furious that veins bulged on her forehead. She deeply regretted not killing Ning Xiaochuan earlier when she had the chance.

"Turn left!" Ning Xiaochuan shouted.

Hearing his voice, Qi Chan'er turned her head and saw Ning Xiaochuan sprinting toward the left ridge. A flicker of relief crossed her mind—he was finally no longer following her.

Of course, Qi Chan'er didn’t turn left. She continued fleeing straight ahead.

The pursuing mystic beasts split into two groups—one continued chasing Qi Chan'er, while the other pursued Ning Xiaochuan.

After taking the Blood Toad Pill, Ning Xiaochuan's injuries had healed considerably. He sprinted desperately toward a Dangerous Area he had marked on his map.

"With my current cultivation, I can’t kill all these mystic beasts, nor can I shake them off. The only outcome would be exhaustion and death. The only way to survive is to lure them into the Dangerous Area and let the powerful mystic beasts there deal with them."

After careful calculation, Ning Xiaochuan knew this was his only chance. Initially, out of gratitude for Qi Chan'er sparing his life, he had wanted to save her. But she didn’t trust him at all.

Now, whether she lived or died was entirely up to fate.

Ning Xiaochuan dashed to the edge of a dense forest where towering trees stood, some so thick it would take five people to encircle them.

This was a Dangerous Area. Once, by accident, Ning Xiaochuan had stumbled inside and discovered the venomous nest of a seven-meter-long golden scorpion. He had barely escaped with his life.

Without hesitation, he plunged into the dark, towering woods, the pursuing mystic beasts following close behind.

But before long, those mystic beasts let out shrill cries of agony once more, frantically fleeing from the towering forest.

Chasing behind the herd of mystic beasts was a seven-meter-long golden scorpion, its body gleaming like polished metal. Its tail bore sharp, reverse scales that dragged along the ground, slicing through boulders weighing thousands of kilograms as if they were tofu, producing sharp clinking sounds and sending sparks flying.

The massive golden scorpion spewed a golden poison mist from its mouth. Any mystic beast touched by the mist collapsed instantly, their lives extinguished in moments as their flesh and blood dissolved into putrid liquid.

Ning Xiaochuan, hiding atop a massive tree, watched the countless corpses of mystic beasts below with a chill in his heart. The poison mist from this golden scorpion is terrifying. Just one breath of it killed at least a hundred mystic beasts. All the ones chasing me are dead now!

Could this be the sixth-rank mystic beast, the Golden-Winged Ghost King Scorpion? Probably not—it doesn’t have wings.

A sixth-rank mystic beast was already a king among its kind, capable of destroying an entire small town. If Ning Xiaochuan were targeted by such a creature, he wouldn’t even have a chance to escape.

Wait— Ning Xiaochuan noticed two triangular golden iron scales on the scorpion’s back, shimmering with Profound Qi.

It really is the Golden-Winged Ghost King Scorpion! But this must still be a juvenile, which is why its wings haven’t fully developed yet. If even a young one is this ferocious, how terrifying must an adult be?

Pressing himself tightly against the tree trunk, Ning Xiaochuan held his breath. If the Golden-Winged Ghost King Scorpion below detected him, he was as good as dead.

The scorpion roared below, its poison mist spreading in all directions, sending tremors of fear through the mystic beasts in the surrounding mountains. It was a warning—this was its territory, and any trespasser would meet a swift end.

After its display of dominance, the Golden-Winged Ghost King Scorpion retreated back to its nest.

Ning Xiaochuan exhaled in relief and carefully descended from the tree. The ground was littered with mystic beast corpses, and the air still carried traces of the golden poison mist.

Having witnessed the mist’s lethality firsthand, Ning Xiaochuan wrapped himself in Profound Qi, preparing to leave immediately.

Huh? Why isn’t the poison mist corroding my protective Profound Qi?

Given how potent the mist was, it should have eaten through his Profound Qi, yet his defenses remained unaffected. This puzzled him.

A bold idea surfaced in his mind. Slowly, he withdrew his Profound Qi and took a deliberate breath of the tainted air.

The golden poison mist entered his body—but instead of harming him, it was instantly refined by a strange power in his blood, transforming into a golden energy that merged with his flesh, bones, and marrow. His physical strength increased ever so slightly.

Far from harming him, the poison mist had actually enhanced his constitution.

What’s going on? What kind of power is in my blood that can refine poison mist into something beneficial? Does this mean… I’m immune to all poisons now?

Ning Xiaochuan began to breathe in the golden poison mist from the air, drawing it into his body and converting it into golden energy that merged with his flesh, blood, bones, and sinews. The wounds on his body visibly healed at a rapid pace.

Soon, the injuries on Ning Xiaochuan's body scabbed over, and even the bloody hole in his chest closed up.

"It must be the power of the demonic sword. Every time the demonic sword absorbs Blood Qi, it converts it into Martial Arts Profound Qi. At the same time, the Martial Arts Profound Qi carries a trace of Annihilation Qi, which merges with my blood, making my blood different from others—immune to all poisons."

"I nurture the demonic sword with my heart, and in turn, the demonic sword nurtures my body. Over time, my body will inevitably grow closer to the aura of the demonic sword. Perhaps it will even become a 'Sword Body' or an 'Annihilation Body.'"

A faint worry lingered in Ning Xiaochuan's heart. If he continued to be assimilated by the demonic sword, would it be a blessing or a curse?

The fourth-generation successor of the Annihilation Path!

Just the words "Annihilation Path" alone filled him with an inexplicable dread, and his mind involuntarily conjured images of mountains of corpses, rivers of blood, and shattered stars.

"The road ahead is still long. Why worry so much? Things will work out when the time comes."

Ning Xiaochuan's interest was piqued when he saw the dense array of mystic beast corpses on the ground—First-grade Mystic Beasts, Second-grade Mystic Beasts, and even six Third-grade Mystic Beasts.

Though the bodies of these mystic beasts had been corroded by the poison mist, their hides and armor remained largely intact and could fetch a considerable price.

Holding a battle saber in his hand, Ning Xiaochuan first targeted the six Third-grade Mystic Beasts.

This battle saber, named "Nishui Han," was a First-grade Mystic Artifact originally belonging to Lin Hen, the second disciple of the Lingxi Sect. After Lin Hen's death, it was seized by Xiao Li. And after Xiao Li's demise, this First-grade Mystic Artifact-level battle saber fell into Ning Xiaochuan's hands.

This was a First-grade Mystic Artifact, worth at least over a million Small Coins. Forged from thousand-year Profound Iron, it was incomparably sharp, capable of slicing through metal like mud.

Sealed within Nishui Han was a piece of Spirit Jade, and embedded in the hilt was a Profound Stone the size of a walnut. Even an ordinary person incapable of cultivating Martial Arts Profound Qi could unleash Profound Saber Qi simply by wielding this blade.

This was the power of a Mystic Artifact!

Some even more formidable Mystic Artifacts, once unsheathed, could summon wind and rain, call forth lightning and divine thunder, gain sentience, fly through the air, and kill from thousands of meters away.

A single sword could move mountains; a single sword could sever rivers.

However, the more powerful the Mystic Artifact, the more exorbitant its value—and the rarer it became.

In Ning Xiaochuan's eyes, obtaining a First-grade Mystic Artifact-level battle saber was already a treasure beyond measure.

From the six Third-grade Mystic Beasts, he extracted a Low-Grade Profound Stone from each, varying in size—some as large as a human head, others only the size of a fist.

Ning Xiaochuan then collected the hides and armor from over a hundred mystic beasts on the ground, storing them all in his Heaven and Earth Bag.

The Heaven and Earth Bag, crafted from unknown materials, appeared to be no larger than a palm-sized pouch. Yet its interior space spanned 60 square meters, with a depth of around 30 meters.

Such a massive bag could easily hold several houses.

After packing the hides and armor of over a hundred mystic beasts, the Heaven and Earth Bag swelled up, its space mostly occupied, and its weight exceeded 2,500 kilograms. With Ning Xiaochuan's current cultivation level, lifting something over 2,500 kilograms was a trivial matter.

Ning Xiaochuan had reaped a bountiful harvest, but he had no intention of leaving immediately.

"The most formidable aspect of the Golden-Winged Ghost King Scorpion is its Poison Mist. Since I’m immune to its Poison Mist, why not explore its nest? A sixth-rank mystic beast’s lair must hold many treasures."

Ning Xiaochuan suppressed his aura, concealed his presence, and silently sneaked toward the Golden-Winged Ghost King Scorpion’s nest.