Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

The Heart-Devouring Insect! 𝚏𝕣𝐞𝗲𝐰𝕖𝐛𝐧𝕠𝕧𝚎𝚕.𝐜𝚘𝗺

It was a type of Gu Insect used to control people.

Those afflicted by this Gu must regularly take an antidote to alleviate its effects, or they will suffer the agony of ten thousand poisons eating at their heart.

Even someone with a will of iron would find it hard to resist.

Even if one used medicine or Secret Techniques to mask the pain, their brain would be devoured by the out-of-control Heart-Devouring Insect.

Cao Xiong was afflicted with this Gu, yet he showed no outward signs of it. He had clearly become a Puppet of the Five Poison Sect.

’When was he compromised?’

’Under the Five Poison Sect’s control, how many disloyal acts has Cao Xiong committed against the Sect over the years?’

Compared to that, who killed him was no longer so important.

In the main hall.

Pei Jingque’s pretty face was grim, a cold glint flashing in her beautiful eyes.

With the Sect Disciples investigating with all their might, everything about Cao Xiong had been unearthed.

"Cao Xiong!"

"Forty-nine years old. Half-brother to Inner Sect Disciple Cao Lei. An Innate Qi Refiner who had completed Breaking Three Acupoints."

"Senior Sister."

Shen You looked up and said:

"Cao Lei is away from the Sect for years at a time and rarely returns. Cao Xiong’s affairs should have nothing to do with him."

"Mm," Pei Jingque said, her expression unchanged:

"Continue!"

"Yes," Shen You replied:

"Cao Xiong had extremely poor Martial Arts Talent and was somewhat lazy. It was Cao Lei who gave him his own resources, allowing him to reach the Innate Realm and enter the Sect."

"Though he lacked Martial Arts Talent, he was skilled in management and prospecting. Thirteen years ago, after the mine supervisor had an ’accident’, the other disciple competing with him for the position was discovered hoarding Iron Evil Ore, so he was successfully promoted to supervisor."

"Looking at it now..."

"...it’s likely there was more to that incident back then. It’s highly probable the Five Poison Sect helped him become the supervisor."

He paused before continuing,

"For thirteen years, the mine’s annual output has decreased compared to the previous year. It didn’t seem like much each time, but a careful calculation reveals it’s a significant amount."

"Furthermore..."

"...we found that he secretly bought miners and hired prospectors. The whereabouts of the extra Iron Evil Ore they mined are unknown."

"Those miners were also quietly disposed of by Cao Xiong."

"..."

As the violations of the Sect’s rules were laid out, one by one, the coldness on Pei Jingque’s face grew more intense.

Thirteen years!

’Just how many resources belonging to the Dragon Head Lineage did he embezzle?’

Cao Xiong,

He deserves death!

"Someone ransacked the hidden room, but because their time was limited, they left behind many things for us to find."

"From these clues, we can tell that the Five Poison Sect, Tribulation Cultivators, and even several shops in the Xiao Family’s Marketplace all had connections with Cao Xiong."

"Even..."

Shen You sighed softly:

"Disciples from the Celestial Sword and Flying Phoenix lineages also secretly bought Iron Evil Stone from him at extremely low prices."

BANG!

The armrest shattered.

Pei Jingque shot to her feet, bellowing in rage:

"This is too much!"

’Outsiders are one thing, but for fellow disciples of the Bright Void Sect to discover this and not only fail to report it, but to even join in...!’

"Huuuh..."

Pei Jingque’s chest heaved as Powerful Qi surged around her. After a long moment, she spoke in a low voice:

"Arrest all disciples involved. The roster spots for the Celestial Sword and Flying Phoenix lineages will be handed over to the Sect for judgment."

"And Cao Lei..."

"Senior Sister!" Shen You looked up:

"I have known Junior Brother Cao for decades. I can guarantee that he knew absolutely nothing of Cao Xiong’s actions."

"I know exactly what kind of person Cao Lei is," Pei Jingque said, her expression softening:

"He has always cherished his reputation and would never allow his brother to commit such a grave error. But to say he was completely unaware... that might not be the case."

"Have him return for investigation!"

"...Yes." Shen You sighed inwardly, left with no choice but to agree.

"Report!"

Just then.

A person rushed in from outside.

"Brother Zhuang received a message that someone was smuggling Iron Evil Ore out of the mine. He has already engaged them."

"It’s people from the Five Poison Sect!"

"The Five Poison Sect?" Pei Jingque’s expression didn’t change:

"So they’re fishing in troubled waters."

"First, they stir up chaos, then they smuggle Iron Evil Ore out of the mountain. They’re certainly relentless when it comes to Iron Evil Ore."

"Junior Brother Zhuang..."

"I understand."

Zhuang Loupan was a Core Disciple of the Dragon Head Lineage, a Broken Six Acupoints Innate, and he carried several protective items left to him by his elders.

Even against a Late-Stage Innate Qi Refiner, he could fight and win.

Therefore, she wasn’t worried in the slightest.

And a Core True Disciple would never betray the Sect.

...

「Soon after.」

Two figures walked into the main hall.

"Outer Sect Disciple Xiao Bufan greets Senior Sister Pei!"

Xiao Bufan lived up to his name; he was extraordinarily handsome, and even his simple clothes couldn’t hide his captivating sharpness.

"Senior Sister."

In contrast, Zhuang Loupan, standing beside him, looked like an old farmer. Even in fine robes, his presence was unremarkable.

He cupped his fist in his palm, his voice hoarse:

"I received a secret message from Junior Brother Xiao that someone was smuggling Iron Evil Ore, so I followed them quietly."

"There were many oversights in the mine’s management. It is my fault."

"Junior Brother," Pei Jingque began slowly:

"The Bright Void Sect traveled thousands of miles to relocate to the Ten Thousand Mountains. Our foundation is not yet stable, and the times are difficult. We all share the responsibility."

"Without a Dao Foundation, there is no future."

"It’s a good thing that we Core Disciples have been in closed-door Cultivation to improve our Cultivation, but it has inevitably led us to neglect external affairs."

She wasn’t shirking responsibility for what happened today. It was a well-known fact that the mine’s management was lax.

It was just that...

...they were willing but lacked the power to fix it!

"Yes." Zhuang Loupan nodded:

"For the next few years, I will personally oversee the mine and sort out its internal affairs. I will never make such a mistake again."

"No," Pei Jingque said, shaking her head:

"Junior Brother, your Talent is extraordinary, and you have a chance at establishing a Dao Foundation. Let’s leave this matter to Junior Brother Shen."

Hearing this, Zhuang Loupan looked up at the impassive Shen You, his eyes filled with pity and guilt.

Managing external affairs might seem like a position of great power, but for a Cultivator, it meant losing the chance to advance further.

Every Core True Disciple had a chance of establishing a Dao Foundation.

Shen You was sacrificing his own future for the Sect.

"...Yes." Zhuang Loupan, never one for words, could only sigh, then gestured:

"This Junior Brother Xiao was originally one of Cao Xiong’s men, but he remembered the Sect’s rules and reported the situation as soon as he noticed something was wrong."

"His Talent is also quite good. If he hadn’t lacked a proper inheritance in his youth, he wouldn’t have waited until now to reach the Innate Realm."

"Senior Sister." Xiao Bufan took out an object and presented it:

"This is something I found on Cao Xiong. I don’t know what it is, but I imagine it must be very important."

"Otherwise..."

He gave a faint smile:

"Losing it wouldn’t have made Cao Xiong search for it like a madman."

"Oh?" Pei Jingque raised her hand and drew the object to her. After turning it over a few times, her face suddenly turned deathly pale.

*

*

*

Zhu Ju neither knew nor cared what would happen after Cao Xiong’s death or what kind of turmoil it would cause.

Right now, his face was filled with delight.

’No wonder the ancients said a man can’t get rich without a windfall, just as a horse can’t get fat without a midnight snack. They really weren’t lying!’

’If I had tried to accumulate all this through honest work, it would have taken forever.’

Now.

After just one risky venture, it was all his!

’Dozens of Spirit Stones, so many Iron Evil Stones, and even refined Evil Qi. Cao Xiong is truly my lucky star.’

’This risk was worth it!’

"Hm?"

Opening a wooden box, he saw a familiar-looking Elixir. Zhu Ju raised an eyebrow, picked one up, and examined it closely.

"Hundred Poison Body Tempering Pill!"

’It really is this stuff. No wonder Cao Xiong, who was only at the Breaking Three Acupoints level of Cultivation, had an Earth Evil True Body that was nearing Great Success.’

After advancing to the Innate Realm, the effects of external items on increasing one’s Cultivation and tempering the Physical Body drop dramatically.

Even with Zhu Ju’s daily consumption of Demon Beast Flesh, there hadn’t been any significant changes.

The same was true for Body Tempering Medicine.

But some Elixirs had miraculous effects even in the Innate Realm, and such Elixirs were naturally priceless.

The Five Poison Sect’s Hundred Poison Body Tempering Pill was one of them.

This Pill had miraculous Body Tempering effects, but it was expensive and rare, with few shops in the Marketplace selling it.

And now.

There were more than ten of them in the wooden box!

"Good!"

"Excellent!"

Zhu Ju couldn’t help but clap his hands together lightly:

"With these Pills, my Earth Evil True Body should be able to reach Minor Success, and my strength will increase even further."

"My safety will be better guaranteed when navigating the Magic World."

The gains from the Magic World were indispensable in killing Cao Xiong and his men this time.

The Skin Painting Technique was used to impersonate ’Pei Jingque’ and trick them into lowering their guard; the Hidden Element Technique concealed my aura, leaving no fear of later investigation; the Soul Control Technique sent a goshawk to scout the surroundings and confirm there were no witnesses; and Divine Soul Sword Control performed miracles time and again.

As for the Divine Summoning Skill, as my Cultivation and Divine Soul Power have grown, its usefulness has diminished.

All in all.

Without the Methods from the Magic World, it would have been impossible for him to kill Cao Xiong and his men tonight. Even if he had succeeded, it would have left lingering troubles.

With the help of Magic, he had even achieved his goal without using the Ghost God Limit.

"Hundred Poison Heart Sutra?"

"Upper Volume of the Gu Book?"

Sweeping aside the miscellaneous items, Zhu Ju picked up two thick books, his eyebrows raised slightly:

"Don’t tell me Cao Xiong wanted to cultivate the Five Poison Sect’s Methods?"

Soon.

He realized he had overthought it.

Cao Xiong’s handwriting was in the books. From his notes, it was clear he wasn’t trying to cultivate the Five Poison Sect’s legacy, but rather to find a way to remove his Gu.

’It seems he was afflicted with a Gu Insect and being controlled by someone.’

"Heart-Devouring Gu?"

Zhu Ju chuckled and shook his head:

"A pity!"

’Even the Five Poison Sect has no cure for this Gu. He himself had already lost hope, which is why his handwriting became so messy.’

’Why is this part marked so heavily?’

The Upper Volume of the Gu Book recorded thirty-six types of Gu. One of them had recently been marked with a thick brush, making it stand out.

"Dao Gu?"

"Shaped like a Dao-Containing Pill, it contains a Celestial Spirit Qi Mechanism. Consuming it can boost one’s Cultivation in a short period, but during a breakthrough, one will encounter Daoist Evil. In the best-case scenario, you die on the spot; in the worst, you suffer from Qi deviation, become a Fallen Demon, and turn into a man-eating Demon."

"Celestial Spirit?"

"Breakthrough?"

"Fallen Demon!"

Zhu Ju’s brows knitted tightly. He felt as if something was connecting, but he couldn’t quite grasp the thread.

’What is it?’

BUZZ...

Suddenly.

A powerful Qi surged from not far away.

Zhu Ju leaped out of his room just in time to see a streak of starlight break through the sky and shoot toward the summit of Dragon Head Mountain.

"This aura..."

"Pei Jingque!"

’She’s not a Broken Seven Acupoints Innate... She’s already broken through to the Eight Acupoints! She hid her true power deep.’

Zhu Ju looked astonished, then his brows furrowed:

’But what could have made her willing to expose her true Cultivation, rushing to the summit in such a hurry?’

"The summit?"

"That’s..."

His eyes widened:

"The place where Brother Zhong Wen is in seclusion!"

"Damn it!"

"The Dao Gu!"

A flash of Spiritual Light streaked through his mind.

In an instant, everything connected.

Ge Wen’s betrayal, Pei Jingque’s shock and rage, the Five Poison Sect’s Gu Poison...

’Brother Zhong Wen must have consumed the Dao Gu. He thought it was a Dao-Containing Pill, but it was actually a Gu Poison from the Five Poison Sect. Brother Ge Wen must have been involved, which is why he was targeted by assassins.’

"Sigh!"

Zhu Ju had a complicated look in his eyes:

’The Dragon Head Lineage is truly in a time of crisis!’

If Zhong Wen fails to break through to the Foundation Establishment Realm, the Dragon Head Lineage’s situation will surely become even worse than it is now.

And from the looks of it,

success was already impossible.