Sima Kun then had his subordinates take the six of them down to rest and stay at the City Lord’s mansion.
After Su Luo and the others left, Sima Kun’s expression changed, and he began to smile sinisterly.
“Congratulations, my lord, on obtaining six death warriors, especially Granny Yin. She’s quite powerful! You’re sure to make a good impression on the Master when you go to the ancient ruins this time,” his confidant Lu Ming said with a smile.
“You’ve misjudged. While Granny Yin is powerful, those five young people are even more so.”
“Are they truly disciples of Emperor Haotian?” the confidant asked, confused.
“How is that possible!”
Sima Kun snorted lightly and said, “The Emperor perished long ago. How could he have taken them as disciples? I suspect their master is some old demon hiding in the mountains, cultivating in seclusion. But that’s not important, because these five are exceptionally strong and are definitely the best chess pieces in my hand.”
Lu Ming understood and said flatteringly, “Once they consume the Black Worm Pills, they will obey your every command. You are truly brilliant, my lord!”
Sima Kun chuckled, stroking his long beard with pride. “Dealing with these brash youngsters is, of course, effortless for me. With these six death warriors, it’s like having six obedient demonic pets. I’m sure I’ll earn merit before the Heavenly Lord this time.”
“Congratulations, my lord. You are wise.”
“That’s enough. Prepare immediately. We depart tomorrow,” Sima Kun waved his hand.
Meanwhile, in the backyard of the City Lord’s mansion.
Su Luo and the others were assigned to a luxurious courtyard with individual rooms and all necessities provided.
After the maids left, Su Luo saw that the courtyard was empty and no one was monitoring them. She immediately went to Chu Tianshu and the others’ rooms, instructing them to force out the black pills from their stomachs, one by one.
Moments later, five black pills were spat out, perfectly intact.
Su Luo dropped the pills into hot water. As expected, the pills quickly melted, and soon, five sesame-sized, constantly wriggling little worms appeared, bobbing in the water. Chu Tianshu and the others looked extremely displeased.
“There really was something wrong. It’s a good thing Junior Sister helped us trick Sima Kun.”
Su Luo said, “This is called a Black Worm. Once it parasitizes a human body, it grows in the brain. The toxins it emits can make people muddle-headed, only obeying the commands of the person holding the mother worm. And Sima Kun is a beast tamer!”
“What a vile old man! Such wicked methods!”
Shangye Shaoqing cursed, flicking his finger to ignite a small flame, boiling the water in the cup. However, even then, the worms still wriggled. Only when the water completely evaporated were they burned to death.
While angry, everyone was also curious about Granny Yin’s fate.
“That old woman has some skills. Could she have escaped?” Lu Jixing muttered.
“We’ll know if we go and see.”
Su Luo and the others secretly went to the outside of Granny Yin’s room. Hearing no sound from inside, they carefully nudged open a sliver of the window. Granny Yin was sitting on a chair, her expression blank, like a wooden carving. Her staff and gourd were placed on the table.
“She probably didn’t escape and has already been invaded by the worms in her brain.”
Su Luo directly pushed the window open completely. As expected, Granny Yin was still sitting there, as if she hadn’t seen them.
Lu Jixing pointed a finger, emitting a faint gust of wind, and tentatively struck Granny Yin.
She didn’t dodge. Only after being hit by the gust did her body sway, and she slowly looked towards them. But her expression remained dull and expressionless, as if she had become an empty shell, appearing extremely bizarre.
“These worms are so potent. This old woman is beyond saving,” Lu Jixing frowned, feeling a chill in his heart.
Fortunately, they hadn’t been affected, or they would have ended up like this.
Closing the window, the five returned to Chu Tianshu’s room. Wen Daier frowned, her beautiful eyebrows knitted together, and said sternly, “It seems there’s a big secret in the ancient ruins. It might even be a plot against the righteous path, which is why the demonic sects are going to such lengths.”
Su Luo nodded. “Whatever it is, we’re right to go and disrupt it. Anyway, to reach the Divine Chasm of Life and Death, we must pass through the Dark Forest. It’s good to check out those ruins. These people from the demonic sects will surely ambush and assassinate each other for various treasures. We can use this opportunity to attack them in large numbers.”
“Dogs biting dogs, black eating black, this is so interesting…”
Before Lu Jixing could finish speaking, Su Luo and the other three stared at him simultaneously. He quickly corrected himself, “No, I didn’t say we are dogs. I’m talking about those people from the demonic sects. We are acting on behalf of heaven, and we are not the same as them.”
Chu Tianshu chuckled. “Third brother, from now on, if you’re going to be a dog, don’t drag me into it. You can be one by yourself.”
Lu Jixing: “You!”
After a bit of playful banter, Su Luo said, “I still need to notify Eldest Senior Brother and the others. Keep up with them secretly, don’t get discovered.”
She walked to the window and sent out a wisp of her consciousness.
A skylark on a tree quickly flapped its wings and flew away.
Leaving the City Lord’s mansion, the skylark circled around and soon found Li Tianjue and his group waiting not far away. The skylark circled once, landed on his shoulder, chirped twice, and then Su Luo’s voice emerged, “Eldest Senior Brother, it’s me…”
“Luoluo!” Li Tianjue had been waiting for her for a long time.
He held the skylark in his palm, gently stroking its feathers, and listened as Su Luo explained the situation. “Eldest Senior Brother, I predict Sima Kun will leave as soon as possible, taking people to the Dark Forest to rendezvous with Heavenly Lord Hundred Eyes. You follow behind, making sure not to be discovered.”
Li Tianjue agreed, “Okay, but you must be careful. If anything unexpected happens, protect yourselves first, even if it means exposing your identities. Don’t take risks, understand?”
The skylark chirped, “Don’t worry, Eldest Senior Brother. One more thing, if Brahma’s secondary personality appears, remember to show him the painting I gave you earlier to stimulate him. He will then revert to his main personality.”
“Alright, I’ll remember,” Li Tianjue nodded.
Having finished giving all instructions, Su Luo said goodbye to the others. The skylark’s eyes flickered, and its divine radiance was gone.
…
The next day, Sima Kun, along with over a dozen elites and confidants, plus Su Luo and the six others, departed Black Wind City on a flying spirit ship.
On the spirit ship, two beautiful maids served Sima Kun. Before him were placed fresh spiritual fruits and tea. His confidant Lu Ming stood behind him, looking at Su Luo and the six others, who stood silently and expressionlessly, with great satisfaction.
Lu Ming chuckled and asked, “My lord, these brats were so arrogant yesterday, but today they are as obedient as grandsons. Should we test their real strength? Otherwise, if there’s a problem at a crucial moment, it might ruin your plans.”
Sima Kun, enjoying a grape fed to him by a maid, said casually, “You, step forward.”
He happened to be looking at Su Luo.
Su Luo sneered inwardly and stepped forward with a blank expression.
“Go and spar with Lu Ming. You must give it your all, understand!” Sima Kun said calmly.
“Yes,” Su Luo replied.
Immediately, Lu Ming grinned sinisterly and stepped forward. “You stinky girl, come on, let me test your skills…”
Before he could finish speaking, Su Luo struck him in the chest with lightning speed.
Boom!
Lu Ming crashed heavily onto the edge of the deck, his back of the head bleeding instantly. He grunted in pain and, opening his mouth, cursed, “Bastard, you dare to sneak attack…”
His vision blurred, and Su Luo, like a phantom, was already in front of him, grabbing his neck.
Crack, crack, crack, crack!
A series of crisp slaps echoed. Lu Ming’s face swelled like an inflated balloon.
Snap. Su Luo was about to twist his neck…