The underground cave grew narrower and lower as they ventured further in. Before them lay a dense thicket of thorns, blocking their path and their view.
This toxin spread with the pollen and fragrance, unseen, traceless, colorless, and odorless. Xiao Fei’s various defensive measures proved useless.
His clone, tormented by an intense itch, scratched violently and found himself breaking his own ribs, exposing his internal organs.
At this moment, he suddenly realized that if he continued scratching, this body would be completely ruined.
He gritted his teeth, enduring the physical discomfort, and forced himself not to scratch.
However, as Xiao Fei’s body endured the torment, his heart was filled with overwhelming joy.
He wondered what kind of poisonous creature this thorn bush was, so vicious and tenacious. He had been worrying about lacking a potent toxin in his space.
If he could obtain this poisonous plant and successfully transplant it into his space, even sacrificing one or two clones would be worth it.
Finally reaching the thorn bush, he took out a medicinal hoe and began to dig furiously.
As he dug, a lot of pollen from the thorns fell onto him, and much of it was inhaled into his body.
The itching intensified, as if countless worms were slowly crawling all over him, inside and out.
To endure this intense itch, Xiao Fei had bitten through his tongue, his lips, and his very teeth.
"Ah… Ahhh…"
He finally dug it out successfully and quickly sealed it in a jade box, ensuring no scent escaped.
Having dealt with this thorn bush, a small goal accomplished, Xiao Fei finally breathed a sigh of relief. His hands could no longer resist, and he began to scratch his entire body with all his might.
The more he scratched, the itchier and more comfortable it became!
"Ah… Oh…"
As Xiao Fei sat on the ground, scratching himself frantically, his eyes gazed forward.
Ahead, the area was densely packed with more of these thorn bushes. A thick demonic energy was emanating from the front.
Xiao Fei surmised that there must be something behind the thicket of thorns.
These thorns were likely planted intentionally to conceal some secret in front of them.
Xiao Fei was very curious about the secrets the God-Demon race wanted to hide. The more the enemy tried to conceal something, the more he wanted to understand it.
After scratching himself for a while, leaving his entire body bloody, he once again forced himself to endure the piercing itch and moved forward.
He laboriously stepped over the thorn bushes. A large amount of pollen integrated into his flesh, causing it to melt.
As he continued to advance, his flesh continuously melted and fell off, revealing his bare bones.
Xiao Fei walked, scattering flesh along the way, until he was reduced to a mere skeleton.
Xue Shi had said the toxin was not very lethal, but that was relative to Golden Immortals. His clone, with only Heavenly Immortal cultivation, could not withstand it at all.
Xiao Fei had long planned to sacrifice this clone. Even now, reduced to a skeletal frame, his steps remained firm as he moved forward.
"Crack… Crack…"
Affected by the toxin, his bones began to become brittle. As he advanced, his bones broke and fell off piece by piece.
"Thump!"
Ultimately, the skeleton could not hold on any longer. It completely shattered, falling to the ground, becoming a pile of broken bones.
This clone was utterly ruined.
However, his immortal sense had vaguely glimpsed what appeared to be a demonic脉 (vein) ahead.
The Immortal Realm had Immortal veins, and the Demonic Realm had Demonic veins, which continuously produced vast amounts of immortal or demonic energy for the world.
But since the Immortal Realm began to decline, the Immortal and Demonic veins also started to shrink, their numbers dwindling.
Currently, only a few Immortal and Demonic veins remained in the Nine Heavens.
The entire human race possessed only one precious Immortal vein left in the Jun Tian Realm.
Since the location of the Demonic vein had been discovered, the loss of this clone was worthwhile.
A flash of light appeared above the pile of white bones, and another clone of Xiao Fei materialized.
The moment this clone appeared, without any hesitation, it gritted its teeth and charged towards the location of the Demonic vein at its fastest speed.
Along the way, its flesh and blood continuously melted and fell off, scattering throughout the thorn bushes.
By the time this clone also turned into a skeleton, it had finally reached the location of the Demonic vein.
The white bones could no longer hold on, and with a crackling sound, they shattered on the ground again.
This time, Xiao Fei’s clone did not reappear. He intended to wait for a more opportune moment.
In front of this small pile of white bones, a black dragon formed from condensed demonic energy was coiled, resting above a black river.
…………………………
Meanwhile, Xue Shi led Ji Wudi and Xiao Fei through a secret passage.
Xiao Fei broke through several more layers of sealing formations, and the three finally emerged from a well in a dilapidated courtyard.
The courtyard had long since withered, leaving only crumbling ruins.
Xue Shi, seeing her once bustling residence now in such ruin, couldn't help but feel a pang of sadness.
"You two, conceal your presence and follow me!"
Xue Shi beckoned Xiao Fei and Ji Wudi, leading them skillfully through the ruins.
When she reached a stone wall, she finally stopped.
Her hand, extended into the air, hesitated slightly, unsure if her secret chamber from years ago had been discovered.
Finally, Xue Shi mustered her courage and moved aside a large stone in front of her, revealing a dark opening.
Her underground secret chamber did not employ any formations or defenses, as any formation would emit energy fluctuations, making it easier to detect.
The large stone she moved was made of a special material that could block demonic consciousness.
Xue Shi scanned the interior with her demonic consciousness and found that the items were arranged exactly as they had been before.
Only then did she breathe a sigh of relief, beckoned the two behind her, and walked in first.
"This place is very hidden. You two should hide here for a while. I will go out and scout the exact location where Huang Feifei is being held."
Xue Shi left the two in the secret chamber and alone slipped out of the ruined courtyard.
There were only a few hundred members of the God-Demon race in the entire Immortal Realm, and almost everyone knew each other by sight.
To avoid being recognized by acquaintances, Xue Shi had to disguise herself as an ordinary demon servant as she walked on the God-Demon Mountain.
Every place had a spot where people idly gathered to brag and gossip.
This God-Demon Mountain was no exception, with such a place located in a small tavern at the summit.
The God-Demon race members liked to go there for a drink and chat with acquaintances when they had nothing else to do.
Xue Shi, disguised as an ordinary demon merchant, delivered a batch of ten-thousand-year-old immortal brew to this tavern.
She then found an excuse to stay and help with odd jobs in the tavern, eavesdropping on the conversations of the patrons.
The topics of conversation in the tavern were varied.
Sometimes they might discuss the war between the Demon Alliance and the human race, and sometimes they would talk about the Dao worms in the chaotic void.
More frequently, they discussed the impending great tribulation that would lead to the extinction of the Immortal Realm.
Xue Shi waited patiently in the tavern for several days, finally overhearing two God-Demons discussing Nightfall.