Chapter 1552: Ten-Thousand-Year Nine Aperture Profound Connection Mushroom
Time flowed slowly amidst Tu You and Lu Ling’s agonizing, venomous curses.
In the blink of an eye, five years had passed.
Every few days, Tu You and Lu Ling were forced to carve flesh from their bodies to nourish the Nine-Aperture Profound-Connection Mushroom. Yet, despite this torment, they remained remarkably vigorous, showing no signs of imminent death.
Tu You’s severe injuries had even begun to heal significantly. His severed tongue had partially regrown, though his severed leg, arm, and missing eyeball remained unregenerated.
To prevent any clandestine schemes, Song Wen used the Blood Sea Seal to invade their bodies, sealing their meridians and dantian. He also confiscated their storage rings, dividing the treasures within between himself and Rong Shao.
One day, Rong Shao was again carving flesh from Lu Ling’s chest to feed the Mushroom. The moment the flesh fragments landed at the mushroom’s base, a sudden transformation occurred!
The entire Mushroom erupted with a brilliant black light. The nine apertures on its cap expanded to an unprecedented degree, frantically devouring the surrounding nether ghost qi.
The ghost qi coalesced into visible streams of black energy, converging into the apertures like rivers flowing into the sea.
The ninth vertical vein on the mushroom’s stem pulsed with a faint crimson glow.
The crimson light gradually intensified, enveloping the entire mushroom.
Three days later, the crimson light finally began to dissipate.
By then, the ninth vertical vein had completely pierced through the stem of the mushroom.
“This Ten-Thousand-Year Nine-Aperture Profound-Connection Mushroom has finally reached maturity,” Rong Shao said, his eyes gleaming with excitement.
Song Wen’s eyes also blazed with anticipation.
Yet both men continued to examine the mushroom without attempting to pluck it.
“Fellow Daoist Rong Shao, I must trouble you to cultivate the other 9,000-year-old specimen to ten-thousand-year maturity as soon as possible,” Song Wen said.
“No problem at all. Leave it to me,” Rong Shao replied firmly, his confidence unwavering.
Several months passed. The second 9,000-year-old Nine-Aperture Profound-Connection Mushroom finally matured into a ten-thousand-year spirit medicine.
“Now that we have two Ten-Thousand-Year Nine-Aperture Profound-Connection Mushroom, shall we each take one?” Rong Shao asked tentatively.
“That seems fair,” Song Wen agreed.
A knowing smile spread across Rong Shao’s face. He glanced gratefully at Song Wen before turning to approach one of the ten-thousand-year mushroom.
He knew all too well the vast disparity in strength between himself and Gu Huang. If Gu Huang had wanted to claim both ten-thousand-year mushroom for himself, Rong Shao would have been powerless to stop him.
Watching Rong Shao’s retreating figure as he approached the Nine Aperture Profound Connection Mushroom, Song Wen maintained a calm expression, but within his sea of consciousness, he spoke to Gu Que:
“Gu Que, are you absolutely certain that each cultivator can only consume one Nine Aperture Profound Connection Mushroom in their lifetime?”
Gu Que replied, “Absolutely certain. Everything in the world has its limits. A cultivator’s first consumption of the Nine Aperture Profound Connection Mushroom can significantly increase their chances of breaking through the Great Ascension Threshold. However, consuming a second mushroom brings no benefits, only harm. It can damage their meridians, causing their cultivation to regress rather than advance. Even if their breakthrough fails, they cannot consume this item a second time.”
Hearing this, Song Wen abandoned his ulterior motives and walked to the Yin Spring, plucking another Ten-Thousand-Year Nine Aperture Profound Connection Mushroom and placing it in a jade box.
“Fellow Daoist Gu Huang, we’ve achieved our objectives on this trip. Shall we depart from Fallen Demon Valley immediately?” Rong Shao asked.
Song Wen nodded.
“It’s time to leave. But first, we need to deal with these two,” Song Wen said, gesturing to Tu You and Lu Ling lying on the ground.
“No need for you to dirty your hands, fellow daoist. I’ll kill them myself,” Rong Shao said, summoning his natal flying sword.
“Fellow Daoist, wait!” Song Wen quickly stopped him. “I have other uses for these two. There’s an exit about 1,500 li directly north that leads out of Yin Spring Cave. Please depart ahead of me and wait outside the cave.”
“Very well!”
A flicker of doubt crossed Rong Shao’s eyes, but he refrained from questioning further, turning to leave.
Yet after flying only a few dozen meters, he paused.
He retrieved a Soul Bottle and released the Shadow Rat’s ghostly form.
“What should we do with this demon?”
“It knows too much. Keeping it alive would only invite trouble. Eliminate it,” Song Wen replied coldly.
“Immortal, please…” Terror filled the Shadow Rat’s eyes.
But before it could finish speaking, Rong Shao pointed his sword at it, and the rat’s soul scattered and spirit vanished instantly.
Without lingering, Rong Shao soared into the sky and departed.
Once the shadow void confirmed Rong Shao’s departure, Song Wen activated the Blood Sea Seal, conjuring a thick barrier that enveloped the entire Stone Bamboo Forest.
Lu Ling, seemingly anticipating his imminent demise, looked up at Song Wen, his eyes filled with intense unease.
“Gu Huang, what are you planning now?”
Having spent several years together, Lu Ling had naturally learned the name “Gu Huang” from Rong Shao.
“Rest assured, I won’t torture you anymore. I’ll grant you a swift end,” Song Wen said.
As he spoke, the blood-colored tentacle binding Tu You suddenly reared up like a venomous snake, then shot forward, piercing Tu You’s skull.
Vast and pure spiritual power surged through the Blood-colored Tentacle, flowing into Song Wen’s body.
Song Wen’s cultivation level immediately skyrocketed.
But the surge didn’t last long. Tu You’s spiritual power was soon completely drained, yet Song Wen’s cultivation remained at the Late Body Integration Stage.
“You… you can actually devour another’s cultivation?” Lu Ling’s eyes widened in shock as he stared at Song Wen.
Song Wen slowly turned his head, a smile playing on his lips as he met Lu Ling’s gaze.
“Cultivators who practice the Corpse King’s Rebirth Art can devour the spiritual power of those who practice the Corpse King Blood Refinement Art. As a core disciple of the Divine Blood Gate, you should have known this all along, shouldn’t you?”
“But… but isn’t that supposed to require a formation?” Lu Ling stammered, momentarily stunned.
“I don’t need one.”
As Song Wen spoke, the tentacle binding Lu Ling suddenly pierced his forehead.
Instantly, Song Wen’s cultivation level surged again.
Within moments, his cultivation reached the peak of the Late Body Integration Stage, touching an invisible barrier that prevented further advancement.
The Corpse King’s Rebirth Art roared to life within him, his spiritual power surging like a relentless flood, ceaselessly battering against that invisible bottleneck.
Perhaps because his spirit root had advanced to the ninth grade, the bottleneck, under relentless assault, held for only a moment before crumbling with a thunderous crash.
Song Wen’s body surged with spiritual power, and a formidable aura erupted outward.
His cultivation had finally broken through to the peak body integration stage.
Exhaling a mouthful of stale air, Song Wen opened his eyes.
This journey had not only secured the Nine Aperture Profound Connection Mushroom but also unexpectedly led to a breakthrough in his cultivation—a truly delightful surprise.
Daring not linger, Song Wen summoned a blaze of fierce flames to incinerate the mummified corpses of Tu You and Lu Ling into ashes. He then retrieved the Blood Sea Seal and swiftly departed.
Emerging from Yin Spring Cave, he reunited with Rong Shao, who had been waiting outside. After a brief exchange, the two set off eastward.
After traveling over a hundred thousand miles at top speed, far from the third entrance, they soared upward again, arriving beneath the poisonous mist.
Following the same method they had used earlier, Song Wen employed thunder magic to carve a path through the miasma, weakening it.
Next, they activated Purifying Fire Talismans, closely pursuing the lightning’s wake. In less than half an hour, they had pierced through the poisonous mist and reached the skies above Fallen Demon Valley.
(End of the Chapter)