You can see it.
Mentioning other dangers, the Huang family head’s expression turned solemn as he stated:
"Gu worms are the most common danger in Yunnan Worm Valley, but there are other perils. Some places are natural corpse-breeding grounds. Besides animals that die there and turn into zombies, there are also many explorers who died and became zombies."
"Everyone, Yunnan Worm Valley was discovered thousands of years ago. Over these thousands of years, not to mention how many people the emperors of the ancient Dian Kingdom sent in, but in later eras, countless individuals who learned of Yunnan Worm Valley and found their way in have entered."
"The most numerous among them were Gu masters. The more who entered, the more who died. The accumulated death toll over these thousands of years makes the possibility of becoming zombies in those natural corpse-breeding grounds very high. So, you must be careful of the omnipresent zombies."
"These zombies are different from those of corpse drivers. They are naturally formed. In that primitive environment, constantly competing with Gu worms, they possess peculiar abilities. For instance, the toxicity of their corpse poison is beyond that of ordinary zombies."
"And these zombies don't just include humans who die and turn into zombies; there are also animals that die and turn into zombies. Those are also very troublesome, especially pack animals. When they die and turn into zombies, it becomes a zombie horde."
At this moment.
As the Huang family head spoke to this point.
Huang Qingshan, standing beside him, took over:
"Everyone, please be extremely cautious. Zombie hordes of pack animals are very dangerous. According to participants who survived the previous expedition, two participants encountered a zombie wasp swarm. It was a swarm of dead wasps that had turned into zombie bees, numbering in the tens of thousands. Those two participants accidentally attracted the zombie bee swarm."
"And then?"
Zhang Chao couldn't help but ask curiously.
Huang Qingshan looked over upon hearing this and said leisurely:
"They didn't even have complete corpses. Those two individuals were directly harvested as honey by the zombie bee swarm, leaving no bones behind. The crucial point is... one of those two was a Gu master, and the other was a corpse carrier. They were both very knowledgeable about Gu worms and zombies, yet they still died in Yunnan Worm Valley."
Upon his words.
The Gu master who had previously taken out the Gu worm book twitched his eyelids, clearly startled. He then hesitated before asking:
"May I know who the deceased Gu master was?"
In response.
Huang Qingshan did not conceal anything:
"Old Gu Master Liu Tai. I believe Gu Master Lin, you should know him."
The next second.
The Gu master's eyes widened in shock:
"It was Old Mr. Liu Tai?! He died in Yunnan Worm Valley? Captain Huang, the Old Gu Master Liu Tai you're referring to, is it the Liu from Liu Guan Zhang, and Tai from sitting on the stage?"
"Yes, it is Old Gu Master Liu Tai."
"Hiss!"
The Gu master gasped, drawing in a breath of cold air:
"I was wondering why Old Mr. Liu Tai disappeared from the recent Old General Ranking update. So that's what happened. He had a very good chance of entering the top ten of the Old General Ranking. To die like this in Yunnan Worm Valley, damn it, can I even survive?"
With his words.
The Gu master hesitated for a moment, unsure whether he should still go to Yunnan Worm Valley.
Meanwhile.
As Huang Qingshan explained to Zhang Wei, Zhang Wei and the others also learned who the Liu Tai he mentioned was.
He was someone who had consistently ranked in the top twenty of the Old General Ranking. Although his strength was stuck at the half-step National Guardian level, his reputation was no less than that of a National Guardian. This was because his Gu worm techniques were so exquisite that he was considered a towering figure in the current Gu master community of Great Xia.
Even.
The Gu master community universally acknowledged that Old Mr. Liu Tai was one of the four Gu masters most likely to break through to the National Guardian level, becoming the next True Dragon Guard stationed in Yunnan Province. Many older generations and True Dragon Guards had high hopes for him.
However…
Such a towering figure among old Gu masters had died in Yunnan Worm Valley, and moreover, killed by familiar insects.
"Actually, Old Gu Master Liu Tai was originally on the list for the last batch of participants. I planned to have Zhang Wei and the others go with Old Gu Master Liu Tai, as the probability of finding Wan Taisui would be greater. But Old Gu Master Liu Tai said he had some insights and needed to enter seclusion early, hoping to see if he could break through to the National Guardian level during this seclusion."
"So, Old Gu Master Liu Tai had to participate earlier and was arranged into the previous batch. In fact, besides you, Zhang Wei, we also placed our hopes on Old Gu Master Liu Tai, believing he had a high chance of finding Wan Taisui. Who knew, alas, Old Gu Master Liu Tai died."
Silence.
The reception hall, which had been filled with lively conversation moments ago, was now so silent that even the sound of breathing seemed audible.
Until Zhang Chao couldn't help but say:
"Let's not call it Yunnan Worm Valley anymore. I suggest calling it Hell or the Yellow Springs Road. Even Old Mr. Liu Tai could die there. Damn it, Wu Nian, I take back what I said earlier. Forget about the National Guardian level magical artifact. What the heck, if you're dead, a magical artifact is useless. Let Zhang Wei refine it. Zhang Wei, maybe you shouldn't go either?"
The Huang family head and Huang Qingshan saw Zhang Chao's instigation but didn't blame him. They knew well the dangers of Yunnan Worm Valley and had already prepared for everyone to be scared away.
At this moment.
Upon hearing Zhang Chao's words, many participants felt a desire to retreat. They looked at each other, seemingly waiting for someone to make the first move.
Just as everyone was hesitating.
Zhang Wei's voice came:
"Yunnan Worm Valley is inherently dangerous. Captain Huang mentioned this to me before. Several batches of people have suffered casualties, so I was aware of it. However, since I've agreed, I will naturally go. Fortune favors the bold."
Wu Nian also clasped his hands in prayer and agreed:
"Amitabha, losing one's life for a National Guardian level magical artifact is indeed not worth it. But for the sake of saving Old Master Huang, it is worth the trip. Moreover, I have also agreed. Just as Zhang Wei said, I knew of the dangers beforehand, but since I've agreed, I am prepared to face the dangers."
Upon his words.
The other participants also hesitated for a moment, and finally, gritting their teeth, they did not choose to withdraw.
The Gu corpse spoke frankly:
"Mr. Zhang Wei and young master Wu Nian are right. Fortune favors the bold. Moreover, before we came, Captain Huang repeatedly emphasized the dangers, yet we still came. This means we were prepared for danger. At worst, we'll fight."
Others also nodded in agreement.
Following that.
The Gu corpse looked towards the Huang family head again:
"Patriarch Huang, please continue your topic. Besides Gu worms and zombies, what other dangers are there in Yunnan Worm Valley? There should be other dangers, right? I recall that some of the first batch of personnel died inexplicably. It didn't sound like the work of zombies or Gu worms."
The Huang family head took a sip of water and nodded directly:
"Yunnan Worm Valley does indeed have other dangers, far more than just two, otherwise so many people wouldn't have died. As for the inexplicable deaths of the first batch you mentioned, that's actually what I'm about to discuss."
"This is another known danger in Yunnan Worm Valley: poisonous winds!"
"Yunnan Worm Valley, perhaps due to its deep underground location, has an ecological environment that cannot be considered with normal logic. Sometimes, within a small area of a hundred meters, the ecological changes can be drastic. Strange poisonous winds occasionally blow. These poisonous winds contain various potent toxins, such as miasma and corpse qi."
"The inexplicable deaths of the first batch occurred when they found what they thought was a safe place to rest for the night. Unexpectedly, a colorless and odorless poisonous wind suddenly blew, causing one person to inhale it and die. If it weren't for a corpse stitcher at the time, who raised a poisonous corpse sensitive to toxins, and alerted everyone, the entire first batch might have been wiped out."