Rise to God with Life Skill Professions-Chapter 518 - 507: Thousand Poison Puppet

At this moment, a chilling wind howled through the canyon.

Deep in the darkness, it was impossible to see what might be lurking.

Even a cultivator could not discern the depths of this darkness.

Yet when Wu Yunfeng stood above the canyon and glimpsed inside, his face immediately changed.

Wu Yunfeng’s change in expression, naturally did not escape Qin An’s notice.

Qin An furrowed his brow and asked, "Lord Wu, what has happened in there? Could it be that the Thousand-legged Centipede has somehow caused more trouble?"

As Wu Yunfeng’s ultimate objective was on the verge of being realized, his surprise prior to achieving it led Qin An to suspect that Wu Yunfeng might have seen something in the canyon.

He had taken a look himself; the canyon was so dark that even he couldn’t penetrate its depths, so what could Wu Yunfeng have seen?

Qin An was very curious.

Wu Yunfeng regained his composure, a serious expression appearing on his face: "It’s bad, the Thousand-legged Centipede has disappeared."

Qin An slightly furrowed his brow and asked, "This canyon is so dark, Lord Wu, how can you be sure at a glance that the Thousand-legged Centipede is gone?"

Wu Yunfeng gravely said, "I once laid several hidden medicinal techniques in this canyon, intended to ascertain its condition, requiring me to be very close to them."

"Although we couldn’t see what’s inside from above, I secretly employed the techniques to investigate. But unexpectedly, the canyon’s appearance completely changed."

Qin An rubbed his chin and asked, "What did it change into?"

Wu Yunfeng waved his sleeve, "Let’s go down and see for ourselves."

Whether or not the Thousand-legged Centipede is down there, we must take a look.

If we can find traces of its departure, locating the centipede would make this journey worthwhile.

After some consideration, Qin An nodded.

He and Wu Yunfeng made some preparations before leaping down into the canyon.

Before jumping in, Qin An had come to terms with it.

This journey was to help Wu Yunfeng find the Thousand-legged Centipede, which meant it was akin to a trade, so naturally, they had to find it.

Should they fail to find it, they would have to seek alternative methods.

Since Wu Yunfeng suggested going down to have a look, he followed without wasting much time.

They were accompanied by the sound of the wind rushing past as the darkness ahead grew thicker, yet as Qin An and Wu Yunfeng descended, it began to gradually clear.

After the dull thud of their landing, only then did Qin An and Wu Yunfeng stand firmly on the ground.

Upon landing, a glow of the thaumaturgic appeared around Qin An.

The bluish-black aura enveloped him completely, without the slightest gap.

Only then did Qin An raise his eyes to survey the canyon’s interior, his brows furrowing slightly.

The poison gas permeating the canyon was unsettling, yet in the presence of Ten Thousand Poison Cloud Peak, it seemed utterly normal.

However, what Qin An found surprising was that the canyon was in complete disarray, with signs of strife everywhere he looked.

Some areas had numerous footprints.

Qin An stroked his chin, came to a place with the most footprints, and then counted them carefully before saying, "Lord Wu, they seem to be the tracks of the Thousand-legged Centipede; it fought with some presence here and then vanished."

Wu Yunfeng nodded, "Indeed, my techniques sensed two distinct auras lingering here; it seems that constant changes occur in Ten Thousand Poison Cloud Peak, just as you mentioned."

Speaking of which, Wu Yunfeng’s complexion grew increasingly grim.

This was a step closer to his treasure, yet now it had vanished.

Furthermore, while Qin An was searching earlier, he had also looked around.

Not to mention a clue, he couldn’t even find a single strand of hair.

If truly like this, finding the Thousand-legged Centipede seemed like a fool’s errand.

Qin An continued to search.

He searched for about the time it takes to burn a stick of incense, then shook his head and said.

"If we judge by the traces here, there’s no way to determine whether the Thousand-legged Centipede is dead or alive, nor where it might have run off to. Lord Wu, I fear we are about to return empty-handed for this journey."

The Evil Extermination Bureau excelled at tracking demonic creatures and pseudo-gods, but the Thousand-legged Centipede was neither, merely a potent creature, yet with so many traces, its whereabouts eluded detection, even if someone else were to try, they likely wouldn’t find it.

Wu Yunfeng took a deep breath, and said resolutely, "Let’s return."

Qin An raised his eyebrows, "Going back so soon?"

Wu Yunfeng nodded, "Once back, I’ll seek someone skilled in divination to help figure out its whereabouts."

"Then, I might trouble you to join me once more at Ten Thousand Poison Cloud Peak."

Qin An rubbed his chin, but said nothing.

Suddenly, Wu Yunfeng seemed to understand, and casually tossed a pouch toward Qin An.

Qin An was slightly startled, then caught the pouch.

As he opened it, a look of surprise appeared on his face.

"Is this Void Essence Grass?"

Wu Yunfeng nodded, "Indeed, in this transaction, regardless of whether we find the Thousand-legged Centipede, you’ve fulfilled your task, thus this Void Essence Grass is yours."

"For the next excursion, back at Ten Thousand Poison Cloud Peak, I’ll reward you with other treasures."

Qin An rubbed his chin and said, "But Lord Wu previously said that the Void Essence Grass was found within Ten Thousand Poison Cloud Peak."

Wu Yunfeng coolly replied, "Since I know the Void Essence Grass is there, it means I’ve seen it; why would I not collect such a treasure? It’s quite reasonable for it to be with me."

Qin An asked again, "Then why didn’t Lord Wu mention it outright?"

Wu Yunfeng shook his head, "The Evil Extermination Bureau is a place where power schemes intertwine, rich with networking relationships; if word got out that I possess Void Essence Grass, not only Golden Dao Marshal but also several Mountain Patrol Marshals would come petitioning for it, possibly on behalf of their descendants. So, in such a scenario, whom should I oblige?"

At this, Qin An appeared to understand.

"I see, Lord Wu’s thoughts are indeed meticulous."

He understood Wu Yunfeng’s reasoning.

If it became known that the Xuanxu Grass is in Wu Yunfeng’s possession, Wu Yunfeng would likely be pestered incessantly by his colleagues.

Moreover, deciding who to give the Xuanxu Grass to would be a very difficult choice at that time.

After all, no matter to whom he gives it, he will offend the others.

Wu Yunfeng said the Xuanxu Grass is within the Ten Thousand Poison Cloud Peak, presumably no one would dare ask him to retrieve it.

Thinking of this, Qin An stopped overthinking and used Void Essence to evoke the Xuanxu Grass.

The moment he evoked the Xuanxu Grass, it transformed into nothingness.

A stream of airflow penetrated into his body.

Qin An could feel that his supreme foundation had increased again.

"Lord Wu, since this transaction is over, let us set off to return."

"Lord Wu, rest assured, next time if you wish to enter the Ten Thousand Poison Cloud Peak, you can come find me at any time."

In Qin An’s mind, today’s matter had already concluded.

Wu Yunfeng nodded without saying much.

The two prepared to walk back along the gorge.

But at this moment, an anomaly suddenly occurred.

In the originally peaceful gorge, black mist suddenly emerged.

The black mist quickly sealed both ends of the gorge and even blocked the sky.

The gorge, originally dark, instantaneously became pitch black, with not a finger visible in front of the eyes.

Wu Yunfeng was slightly stunned, then reacted by taking out the Luminous Pearl from his bosom, using its light to observe the surroundings.

Qin An gripped the Cold Star tightly, focused and vigilant.

This was a Forbidden Area within the Heavenly Cloud Path, where even many Golden Dao Marshals dared not intrude.

Now that an anomaly had suddenly appeared, he naturally had to be a hundredfold more cautious.

"Something’s wrong, something’s very wrong with this poisonous gas." Wu Yunfeng suddenly spoke.

Qin An furrowed his brows and asked, "Lord Wu, what’s wrong with this poisonous gas?"

Wu Yunfeng snapped back to his senses: "This poisonous gas has combined multiple toxins into one, and in this poisonous gas, I can feel something very familiar. It’s from that flower sea, cave, and prairie we passed through earlier, even the poisonous gas in this gorge!"

"Wait, could it be that some big thing swallowed all this poisonous gas?"

With Wu Yunfeng’s explanation, Qin An also tried to sense it.

With a Level 17 healer profession, he could distinctly feel the abnormality in this poisonous gas.

Indeed, just as Wu Yunfeng said, it was a mixture of various toxins, including those from all the places they had previously encountered.

"Lord Wu, I think I understand something." Qin An turned and said, "Perhaps the thousand-legged centipede in this gorge was devoured by that mysterious thing, and along the way, this guy probably swallowed the cave flower sea and prairie too, that’s why it’s mixed with so many toxins."

"It seems its next target is us."

With Qin An’s narration, the same thought surfaced in Wu Yunfeng’s mind.

And while the two were conversing, the poisonous gas in the gorge became even more dense.

In the darkness, a figure was flickering.

The moment the figure flickered, accompanied by a rustling sound, it sent shivers down their spines.

Qin An could feel a chill on his back, as if a cold gaze was fixed upon him.

The cold gaze drifted, sometimes in the sky, sometimes on the ground, and at times even on the walls of the gorge.

"Over there!" Wu Yunfeng suddenly said, then raised a hand to point.

Several silver needles flipped from his fingertips, carrying poisonous gases, shooting toward a direction.

The silver needles quickly disappeared into the darkness, followed by a violent scream from within the darkness.

A silhouette fell from the darkness, harshly hitting the ground.

Qin An then saw the twisted features of the humanoid monster and slightly furrowed his brows: "What exactly is this thing?"

After the humanoid monster fell to the ground, it quickly clambered up, casting a venomous gaze over Wu Yunfeng and Qin An.

It seemed to dismiss Qin An, but intently fixated on Wu Yunfeng, as if a gluttonous beast glaring at a banquet table.

Wu Yunfeng felt a chill run down his spine under that gaze.

Suddenly, he thought of something, showing a hint of astonishment in his eyes.

"This is the Thousand Poison Puppet recorded in the Evil Extermination Bureau’s tome, there’s actually a Thousand Poison Puppet here!"

While Wu Yunfeng spoke, the Thousand Poison Puppet just fixedly stared at him without making any moves.

The atmosphere on the scene became suddenly heavy.

Yet Qin An, still puzzled, asked a question.

"Lord Wu, what is a Thousand Poison Puppet?"

Wu Yunfeng, while on guard, explained: "The Ten Thousand Poison Cloud Peak isn’t as simple as you imagine. Even the Mountain Patrol Marshals at the Ancient Battlefield relics dare not venture deep."

"And within the Ten Thousand Poison Cloud Peak, many terrifying existences are hidden; one of them is the Thousand Poison Puppet."

"It can absorb hundreds of thousands of toxins into itself, weaving them together without conflict; it’s an extremely terrifying entity. The reason it’s fixated on me now is that I possess Poison Skill, which it can devour."

"Qin An, be careful, while it may not harm you for now, no one can say for sure. If I engage it in battle, you will assist me with the medical arts of the Treasure Bead."

Qin An pondered, silently took a step back, and nodded in agreement.

And just as Wu Yunfeng’s words fell, the Thousand Poison Puppet that had been fixated on him finally moved.

With a low growl, the Thousand Poison Puppet blurred into a shadow, enveloping thousands of toxins, it fiercely lunged at Wu Yunfeng.

Wu Yunfeng instantly came to his senses, flicked his sleeve, and then a thousand silver needles appeared from his sleeve, spinning continually in midair.

Every silver needle carried poisonous gas and collided fiercely with the Thousand Poison Puppet.