From waterfowl, it began to transform into the Great Sun Golden Crow.

Gu Heting couldn't help but frown.

This person was somewhat overweight, even bloated. Though clinging to life, a closer look revealed that his days were numbered.

The man carried a sword on his back and rubbed a bronze mirror at his waist.

In the blink of an eye, he gulped down a mouthful of wine: "Damn it, I wasn't feeling well yesterday. I should have taken some heat-preventing pills." He wiped the dust off the bronze mirror. The man pulled back the corner of his eye, revealing bloodshot veins beneath it.

Upon seeing this, Song Baitao stood up.

The four of them also had doubts; the man's face was deathly pale, indicating poisoning. Song Baitao had just stood up when Jiang Qiushui firmly pressed him down.

In the world of cultivation, one must avoid entanglements with karma.

To accept the karma of others is truly unwise. It's not that they disregard others, but rather that people's hearts are treacherous. Gu Heting was curious, but also quite worried.

But seeing Jiang Qiushui press down Song Baitao's hand, she understood the reason behind it.

He was unaware of the causal theory of cultivating immortality, but he knew that it was better to avoid trouble.

The previously warm atmosphere among the four people turned eerie. The man kept drinking and slammed several spirit stones onto the table. His body had become a torso, fluttering like willow catkins.

"cough"

"Let's eat first, senior sister," Song Baitao said, breaking the awkward silence.

After a hearty meal, everyone looked much better. As evening approached, the three of them used spirit stones to book three rooms. As for Gu Heting, he was held in Xiang Wanqing's arms.

"Little waterbird, don't you think the man we met today was a bit too strange? With your high level of alchemy skills, could you figure out what was going on?"

Xiang Wanqing finally stopped calling him Little Sparrow.

This guy definitely did it on purpose.

If you ask a man today, how would he know?

He wasn't a miracle doctor. The breathing techniques and liver-protecting methods were just health-preserving exercises; he only knew this person was very unhealthy. However, his condition today reminded him of someone.

Qin Wuxie.

The magical artifact that guy changed into was filled with deathly aura, much like the man's today.

A vague unease began to surface in my heart.

Without thinking, he jumped off Xiang Wanqing's bed. His toes curled up, a sense that something bad was about to happen.

Gu Heting was certain of one thing: although the man was terminally ill, he possessed an aura of menace that filled the sky.

It wasn't out of curiosity, but simply because what happened with Jingli couldn't happen again.

"I am a waterbird, and also a small animal. A little preliminary investigation won't arouse suspicion. Wanqing, you stay here for now."

Where are you going?

When questioned, Gu Heting didn't even turn his head.

The man booked a room at the inn; his room was on the far left. It took only three breaths to get to the man's room after checking in.

Gu Heting is a waterbird, and he has webbed feet.

As long as he holds his breath and suppresses his water elemental energy to freezing point, he becomes a sparrow detached from worldly affairs.

Even if it's strange, it won't arouse suspicion from others.

A bird's beak pierced the paper windowpane. Looking around, the candlelight flickered. The wandering monk coughed incessantly. He sat slightly on the bed, a wooden basin at his feet.

He spat out foul-smelling black blood.

His eyes were bloodshot, but his fingernails had a blackish tinge. He coughed three times in succession, gushing out large mouthfuls of blood.

The entire wooden basin was filled with charred blood.

The blood in the wooden basin was thick and viscous, carrying a putrid stench. Even through the thin window screen, Gu Heting could smell the stench.

Isn't he a cultivator?

How could this be?

Questions filled Gu Heting's mind. Cultivators were supposed to eradicate human diseases. The fact that such a calamity had befallen rogue cultivators sent chills down Gu Heting's spine.

The man was in unbearable pain and began to writhe on his bed.

"I could manage after drinking strong liquor a while ago, but it's really gotten to me lately. I can't control it at all, it hurts, it really hurts."

The man dug his claws deep into his back.

Claws slashed across his back, leaving deep gashes. Coughing up blood, he cursed, "Damn it, I knew I shouldn't have gone. I got caught in a mass grave, and all that effort to collect magical artifacts and treasures has resulted in this!"

For some reason, a bizarre scene unfolded.

He coughed up a mouthful of blood, and white hair sprouted from his body at an alarming rate. White centipedes emerged from the corners of his mouth. His entire body was like a candle flickering in the wind.

What the hell?

Just as Gu Heting was taken aback, a hand suddenly grabbed him. Gu Heting turned around and saw it was Xiang Wanqing.

Following the example of late Qing dynasty, Gu Heting also peered out the window.

The man in front of me is no longer human.

His human skin peeled away, leaving only bloodied flesh. The centipede at the corner of his mouth writhed incessantly. And beneath the blood were white hairs.

"This is..." Xiang Wanqing exclaimed in horror. Just as she was about to speak, Gu Heting covered her mouth with his wings.

Gu Heting opened his small beak.

He spoke in a hoarse, inaudible voice, "What are you doing here?" His voice was barely audible, just a hissing sound from his throat. Only then did Xiang Wanqing snap out of her shock.

He pointed to the rogue cultivator's blood corpse inside the room.

He made a gesture.

The blood-soaked corpse flickered in the candlelight, its neck twisting and turning, turning its entire body toward Xiang Wanqing and Gu Heting.

"Impossible! Impossible!"

"My belief in the Immortal Corpse Dissection is just a rumor."

"This can't be true."

The man had completely lost his senses.

He turned and charged towards Gu Heting and Xiang Wanqing. His madness and murderous intent were palpable.

"Wan Qing! Watch out!"

Gu Heting shouted loudly.

A massive amount of water vapor condensed all around. Waves of vapor and water surged, whipping up a fierce wind. The streams of water resembled blooming lotus flowers.

This move was the [Nine-Leaf Water Lotus Shield] taught by Tunjiangyu. His spiritual power wasn't as surging as Tunjiangyu's, but it was more than enough to withstand the attack from this rogue cultivator.

The blood-corpse rogue cultivator crashed into the water shield.

His entire body was bounced away by the water shield. The blood on his body, however, could not be stopped again and again.

This rogue cultivator's mind is now in a state of confusion.

He started babbling incoherently.

"The cave with a thousand people is fake."

"It's all fake."

"They're all dead, they're all dead."

The rogue cultivators repeatedly lunged at Gu Heting, who used water magic to suppress their attack space. Finally, a water sword materialized in front of Gu Heting.

The water sword floated into the sky and pierced the blood corpse cultivator fiercely.

A gushing stream of foul-smelling blood.

The moment the blood trickled through the veins, a muffled explosion rang out. Almost everyone was jolted awake by the sound. Many rogue cultivators peeked out and witnessed a shocking scene.

Under the watchful eyes of everyone.

A bloodied man's body exploded.

His belly was replaced by a white centipede, connected to his body like an umbilical cord.

"What kind of heretical cultivator did this?"

"What exactly is it?"

"I've traveled all over the country and never seen anything like it," the crowd exclaimed. At that moment, Song Baitao and Jiang Qiushui each drew their swords. They stood on either side of Xiang Wanqing, blocking her path.

Although the two did not know what had happened, their expressions were solemn.

They recognized the inhuman-looking thing; it was the man who had been drinking during the day.

The bronze mirror on his body was still reflecting light.

But now, it is a crimson, blood-stained light.