Becoming an immortal and ancestor begins with the golden toad spitting out money.

Chapter 149 Strange Insects, Remnants of Evil

Many people breathed a sigh of relief when the two exploration teams left the Spirit Realm, and then continued to pay attention to the battle situation within the Spirit Realm.

Unexpectedly, as the cultivators flew past Su Ji, Yan Tianchou sensed something was amiss.

"Based on the analysis, this person's ghostly body contains a lot of evil energy, and he has probably been parasitized or even possessed!"

According to Sanqiu Jun, the Qiu family patriarch was seriously injured and died after a major battle with demons more than ten years ago. After transforming into a spirit, he underwent some strange changes.

Originally, although the monsters generated by the anomaly in the spiritual realm were full of malice, it was not impossible that they were formed by the inner demons of the Qiu family patriarch by chance.

Unexpectedly, these monsters were not simple individuals, but could transform into fused monsters at the level of Ghost Kings, which made Su Ji and Yan Tianchou very vigilant.

Not long ago, Su Ji had heard that more than 10,000 years ago, the Azure Emperor of the East used his supernatural powers to transform into a whole mountain range of white rocks, and finally suppressed the evil spirits that had been causing trouble for hundreds of years.

The reason why the Azure Emperor did not act immediately was because the Earthly Fiends were like tumors on the earth; if they were not completely eradicated, they would cause endless harm.

Therefore, it took hundreds of years to gradually eliminate the Earthly Fiends and Demons before finally suppressing their stronghold in one fell swoop.

Earthly Fiends are a collective term for many evil spirits. They not only absorb the energy of the earthly fiends, but also devour all the available power of heaven and earth. If they can obtain enough flesh and soul, they can even cross multiple levels in a short period of time.

In the Lunzhou Demon Incident more than a decade ago, the demons, who were originally only at the level of divine soldiers, became at the level of divine generals not long after they occupied the seven counties. They not only threatened the remaining people in the seven counties, but also became a part of the earth like a tumor.

Later, the Golden Flame General made a move and ruthlessly killed the Lord of the Earthly Fiends. It can be said that the Golden Flame General was very powerful, but the strangeness of the Lord of the Earthly Fiends should not be ignored.

"Could it be that the Earthly Fiends were not completely eradicated, but instead, through some special ability, parasitized the Qiu family patriarch?"

Immediately, Su Ji took out the Mother Coin artifact and suppressed the cultivator whose body contained evil energy.

However, the cultivator who was suppressed by Su Ji was completely unaware of the problem and asked in surprise and doubt, "Why did the Sun-Watching Spirit General suddenly attack me?"

Immediately, some people were puzzled, some frowned, and some were about to ask questions.

Before these cultivators could make a move, countless black and yellow worms crawled out from the hair on the back of the suppressed cultivator's head and formed an extremely bizarre and evil face.

This scene was quite shocking to many cultivators, and many of the cultivators who were maintaining the formation were in their true forms, and they trembled with fear.

"What is this thing? It looks like a live insect!"

The Yin-Yang realm is not devoid of living things; there is the Earthly Yang Serpent Lord and the Earthly Yin Spirit, the tea leaves that Mo Linglong once brewed, and the earthly treasure spiritual root, the winter plum, which suppressed Mo Linglong's injuries...

Apart from these, they are all the souls of living beings after they die. Pigs, dogs, cattle and sheep are common, but insects are too low-level, and often a group of them cannot even gather a single soul.

As a result, the eerie face on the back of the monk's head was composed of at least a hundred worms, and could not possibly have been conceived naturally.

"Could these insects be products of the Ancestor's Spirit Realm? If so, wouldn't all cultivators who enter the Spirit Realm be in danger?"

In an instant, the cultivators who had entered the spiritual realm were all alarmed and hurriedly checked the condition of their own souls.

Just then, the cultivator who had been suppressed by Su Ji suddenly showed a look of pain on his face, and then his whole body shrank like a deflated balloon.

"not good!"

Su Ji originally wanted Yan Tianchou to analyze the situation a little longer before handing the cultivator over to the Qiu family to deal with, hoping to at least save his life. However, unexpectedly, another unexpected event occurred.

The yellow and black insects, with human bodies, snake tails, and black scales, were originally independent entities, but suddenly began to merge as if they were water and milk.

As a result, the yellow and black insects, which were originally only at the level of ghost soldiers, suddenly rose to the level of great ghost generals after merging with each other, and were even able to break free from the suppressing power and devour the souls of the parasitic cultivators.

"A superior lotus yang fire seed!"

Without hesitation, Su Ji summoned the treasure he had obtained from the Lotus Wonderland of the Great Sun Spirit Realm, instantly setting the cultivator before him ablaze.

These insects were inherently yin and evil creatures. When they encountered the power of the superior yang fire seed, they crackled and popped like insects in a frying pan, and soon burned together with the unfortunate cultivator into billowing black smoke.

"what!"

Seeing that the cultivators and insects were about to be burned to death together, many cultivators showed shock, and the members of the exploration team who had escaped from the spiritual realm showed even more fear.

Just then, Su Ji's eyes suddenly lit up: "[The Mysterious Gate to the Netherworld]!"

In an instant, a portal pierced through the Yang Fire and reached the center, after which a ghost general's inner core flew out.

Then, Su Ji, holding up the ghost general's inner core which was now just a remnant soul, said, "If it is discovered in time after being parasitized, the ghost general's inner core can still be preserved. Even if it cannot be restored, it can at least be reincarnated... Please cooperate with the investigation!"

"At this point, the Earthly Fiends and Demons are also involved. I urge all Qiu family cultivators to maintain formation and not let even a single insect escape!"

The strange insects were very likely related to the evil spirits of the earth, so Su Ji did not let his guard down at all.

The moment the words "Earthly Fiends and Demons" appeared, many cultivators showed expressions of fear. Although Jiuxiang County had not fallen, they had all heard about the ferocity of the battle.

Of the more than 100,000 people in the seven counties, more than 30,000 were killed in the demonic calamity. This was only because the Golden Flame God General killed the demon lord in time; otherwise, even more lives would have been lost.

If the evil spirits were to strike Jiuxiang County now, even if the gods could eliminate them in time, many people would likely die.

The Qiu family was the first to be affected, so how could these cultivators not be afraid?

As a result, one of the cultivators in charge of the formation solemnly said, "Activate the entire formation. Before the gods arrive, not a single cultivator inside can leave!"

The Qiu family inherits the Four Seasons Method, "Frosty Autumn Serenity Mysterious Technique," but not everyone has the talent to cultivate this method. The one speaking is the second elder of the Qiu family, who has cultivated the "Minor Yin-Yang Method" to the level of a Grand Master of the Cave Profound Realm.

The second elder of the Qiu family not only cultivates profound arts, but also the Dao of Insight. Now in his sixties, he has reached the Qi Refining level and led the cultivators of the present world to form a formation.

"boom!"

Just as the atmosphere was tense at the exit of the Spirit Realm, a loud explosion suddenly came from inside the Spirit Realm, and then Sanqiu Jun was blasted out by a fused monster's arm.

The Ghost King of the first squad quickly caught Sanqiu Jun, and then everyone's attention fell on the Spirit Realm.

At this moment, the patriarch of the Lingjing Qiu family, in his avatar, was fighting against the fused monsters in front of him with the silver-haired old woman. Originally, there were two fused monsters, each three zhang tall, on the left and right sides, but now they were merging together.

The cultivators were already panicked, and now they showed signs of despair.

"The spirit realm's membrane may take a long time to close, but the fused monster will soon possess two or more top-tier combat powers. Can we stop it?"

"Originally, I thought the gap in the amniotic sac in the spiritual realm wasn't big enough, but now I hope the gap is as small as possible so that the ancestor's spiritual consciousness can suppress all these evil monsters!"

"The formation that was originally meant to prevent danger has now become a means of isolating us. The number of lotus flowers containing the power of earth yang in the Sun Guardian Spirit is also running out. How are we supposed to deal with these monsters now!"

At this moment, Sanqiu-jun had roughly understood the whole story, and his expression changed drastically. He then quickly spoke up to comfort her:
"Rest assured, everyone, the Sun Watcher still has the power of the Sun's Light at our disposal. Any fused monster that dares to escape will be made to taste the power of the Sun's Light!" These words reassured many cultivators, and their previously anxious and desperate emotions eased considerably.

However, although Sanqiu Jun spoke calmly, he was still unsure and cautiously asked in secret, "I wonder how many rays of sunlight the Sun Guardian General brought this time?"

Su Ji truthfully replied, "This time we brought a total of five Blazing Crystal Treasures and four rays of sunlight, but we have no idea how many monsters are still in the Spirit Realm..."

From the beginning until now, a total of three fused monsters have appeared. Su Ji used most of the Earth Yang Lotus to destroy one, the Qiu family patriarch's spiritual realm avatar and the silver-haired old woman are attacking another, and the third is heading towards the exit of the spiritual realm.

This is only part of what Su Ji can see. If there are countless monsters merging together underground in the Spirit Realm, it's uncertain whether they can guard the exit of the Spirit Realm before the gods arrive.

Most importantly, the current crisis is not over yet.

"Sanqiu-kun, don't you feel anything is wrong with you?"

Others might not be able to see it, but at such close range, Yan Tianchou had already detected the evil insects on Sanqiu Jun's body.

"Something's not right?" Only after Su Ji pointed it out did Sanqiu Jun realize that something was wrong with him.

Unbeknownst to him, his soul body was filled with one strange insect egg after another, like countless tiny dots.

On the surface, there is no visible problem and no sensation whatsoever; these insect eggs appear to be an integral part of the body.

However, once Sanqiu-jun's gaze fell upon these insect eggs, all of them began to hatch.

"Not good—" Even though Sanqiu Jun was already a high-level cultivator of the Dongxuan realm, he was still only at the Ghost General level in the path of cultivation. He did not want to end up with only a Ghost General's inner core.

"It invites the cold wind!"

Without saying a word, Sanqiu Jun cast a spell on himself.

In an instant, all the insect eggs on Sanqiu Jun's body were frozen. Some insects that had already hatched tried to move, but they seemed to be stuck in slow motion. Before they could even reach the insects next to them, they were all wiped out by Sanqiu Jun's powerful mental energy.

Sanqiu Jun's actions left many cultivators astonished and puzzled.

Just then, Sanqiu Jun suddenly stared at two cultivators in the crowd and swung his fan sharply.

"Frost falls!"

For a moment, many cultivators were greatly surprised, and some even wondered if Sanqiu Jun had been affected by the strange insects.

Su Ji stepped forward at the opportune moment and said, "Both of these people have worm eggs inside their bodies. If this is not dealt with soon, it could very well lead to a major disaster!"

Upon hearing this, many cultivators were startled. As Sanqiu Jun used his spiritual power to peel the frozen insect eggs out of the two cultivators' bodies, the cultivators finally saw the truth.

The two cultivators, their souls covered in wounds, couldn't help but show lingering fear: "Entering the Spirit Realm could lead to contamination with these evil insects and their eggs. Fortunately, we had the Sun-Watching Spirit General and Lord Sanqiu here!"

Sanqiu Jun's gaze swept over each cultivator, and he said according to Su Ji's words: "These insect eggs may have already entered the depths of the soul. We are just the ones with the most insect eggs parasitizing us. You may not be safe."

"Fortunately, there is a way to deal with them. When these insect eggs are discovered, they will hatch directly, absorb the power of the soul body, and then merge with each other. Now, carefully check your own soul bodies to prevent any insect eggs from getting away with it!"

There's nothing that can be done about it. Even if Yan Tianchou can clearly detect details within a ten-foot radius, he will still be hindered by the cultivator's own energy.

To thoroughly investigate the problem of insects and their eggs, the cultivators themselves must conduct the inspection. If any issues arise, Sanqiu Jun and Su Ji will immediately take action.

At this moment, the fused monster seemed to notice the problem outside, and with a sudden flick of its other arm, it flew towards the opening in the amniotic sac.

Su Ji, who was on guard against the fused monster, immediately used his mystical arts to deal with it.

"The Spear of Earthly Yang!"

"The Spear of Earthly Yang..."

Currently, Su Ji's magic is powerful, but its only drawback is that it lacks tracking capabilities.

Fortunately, the bizarre monsters were not only bulky in size, but they also used primitive methods that used their limbs as weapons, so Su Ji's Earth Yang Spear never failed.

However, this monster, which was four or five stories tall, was extremely powerful. Even though Su Ji used two Earth Yang Spears, a part of its writhing body still managed to reach the opening in the amniotic sac.

Su Ji dared not gamble on whether there were insects or insect eggs inside these limbs, for fear of blowing up all the insects, so he had to change his methods.

"【The Mysterious Gate to the Netherworld】!"

In an instant, the fragments that should have flown out of the Spirit Realm all disappeared into the portal. Then, Su Ji sent the Earth Yang Lotus Yang Fire Seed forward, and those writhing limbs turned into wisps of black smoke in the Yang Fire.

After solving the problem, Su Ji did not show any signs of relaxation, because the fused monster was already close to the exit of the Spirit Realm.

What was most shocking was that four or five tall, monstrous figures appeared in the black and yellow smoke further away.

"Four...five...six..."

Three more fused monsters appeared in his field of vision, causing Su Ji's expression to become serious.

"Boom-boom-"

Every step the monster took etched itself into the hearts of the cultivators, bringing not only fear but also despair.

At this moment, the silver-haired old woman lost all will to fight and rushed towards the exit of the Spirit Realm in a panic.

Sanqiu Jun quickly responded: "Summon the cold wind... Descend the cold dew... A thousand miles of frost!"

Su Ji didn't sit still either; one after another, the Earth Yang Spears flew towards the fused monster, covering the white-haired old woman.

At this moment, the spiritual avatar of the Qiu family patriarch also flew over, his face grim, and said, "After the spiritual realm was sealed off, although I have been in slumber all these years, I have been sweeping away evil spirits under the influence of my subconscious. I never expected that they would still develop into such a massive force..."

After the death of the Qiu family patriarch, his soul had already transformed into the spiritual realm, and he could only act through his subconscious. If it weren't for the Qiu family using bloodline as a guide, he wouldn't even be able to maintain this moment of clarity.

"Evil!"

The Qiu family patriarch's personal admission finally confirmed the cultivators' suspicions: these strange monsters were not manifestations of inner demons, but rather true earthly evil demons!
Only then did they realize why the ancestor's spiritual consciousness had such an annoyed expression after being summoned. It turned out that their act of breaking the spiritual membrane was about to become the beginning of the next demonic calamity.

Su Ji, however, looked puzzled: "How could a newly formed spiritual realm give birth to so many demons?"

Within the Cai family's pseudo-ascended large-scale water vein spiritual realm, only an invincible bull-headed, snake-bodied monster and a group of top-tier combat power spiritual realm clones were conceived.

Upon hearing this, Sanqiu Jun was startled: "In order to seal off the Spirit Realm, we specifically suppressed it at the foot of the mountain. Could it be that the Spirit Realm absorbed some kind of power from beneath the mountain?"

(End of this chapter)