Chapter 123: Fire Spirit Illusion Carp

"We discovered a cavern overflowing with spirit fruits, spirit grains, and all sorts of edible spirit items. We were so excited that we didn't bother to properly survey the surroundings before rushing in to gorge ourselves. But before we could take more than a few bites, a massive horde of zombies surrounded us. There were too many of them and too few of us. We were completely outmatched, so I led everyone in a retreat. As we ran, the zombies chased, and later we ran into the Fire Lions, and eventually the Snake Tribe.

"We all gathered together, and with our combined strength, we started to fight back, launching constant raids to buy time for those who were injured or too exhausted to run. The rest, you already know. *Cough, cough*, and I, too, was affected by that thing." The dog spoke with a hint of embarrassment.

Qinghu scanned the three remaining dogs beside the little black dog and sighed helplessly. "You lot really need to be more careful. Don't be so stupid. When I first caught you, there were eight of you left. Now, including you, there are only four. You've lost half your numbers—how can you face your father?"

The real issue was that without the dogs, who would scout ahead? The little lions were fine in a fight, but they were definitely not professional scouts.

The black dog heard this, looked around at his remaining companions, and his face darkened. "I will be more careful."

Truth be told, he hadn't initially cared whether his canine companions lived or died, but the Fire Lions hadn't lost a single member. It made no sense that his side was down to almost just himself. *Bah*, he corrected himself—it wasn't "himself," it was "one person."

"Before I entered, I collected information on all the spirit caves on the first floor of the Xuantian Tower. Everyone said this cave was the largest and should hold the most treasures. The problem is, how could such a large cave be filled with so many spirit materials and items without any formations, seals, or defensive mechanisms? I suspect it's a fake," said She Shiyi.

Shou'an nodded. "Afterward, I also felt we were tricked from the start. It must have been an illusion array, and a very realistic one at that. The spirit materials were one thing, but there were also edible spirit items. Some people ate them on the spot. That worries me. If the illusion merely transformed dirt into food, the worst you'd get is an upset stomach from eating mud. But I'm worried it was something else transformed into spirit fruit or nectar. Could it have been parasites? Rotten flesh? Or attachments for remnant souls trying to possess someone?"

*Blech...* Someone immediately began to retch.

The stone egg was already bumping along, and hearing such a horrifying truth was too much. Especially for those who had actually eaten the items—their stomachs churned, and they began to vomit uncontrollably. A terrifying, sour, and putrid stench instantly filled the stone egg!

*Bam!* The stone egg slammed on the brakes and came to a stop.

"If you need to puke, do it now. I'm going to change the soil in a moment. That smell is unbearable!" Qinghu said with a look of disgust.

*Hurl, hurl, hurl.* As soon as she said it, more people started vomiting. They had been holding it in for a while. With such graphic talk of parasites and rotting flesh, how could they not? It was unbearable.

Those who were "letting it all out" cast resentful glares at Shou'an. If She Shiyi was annoying, Shou'an was insufferable—neither of them were any good.

Shou'an ignored the barrage of eye-daggers and resentful glares with a heart of steel. He even continued, quite cheerfully, "Actually, bugs aren't bad. They're quite nutritious. White and tender, or perhaps black and tender."

*Blech...* Even more people vomited.

Qinghu curled her lip, thinking this guy was truly twisted. She simply pulled out a Wind-Breath Boat and placed it in front of her.

Once the boat was released, it hovered before her, constantly blowing fresh, cool breezes that swept through the interior and then out of the stone egg. As for where the smelly air was blown, Qinghu didn't say, and no one dared to ask. In truth, she had sent the air out through a strange crack nearby by simply opening a hole in the stone.

*Hurl, hurl...* In another location, a group of unlucky souls trapped in a chamber were being tortured by this disgusting stench. It was infuriating—why was this foul odor pouring through the only crack that provided air? Where did that crack even lead? But they couldn't plug the only ventilation source, or they’d suffocate. So, they just had to endure it, sobbing as they continued to retch.

Back in the stone egg, once everyone was done vomiting, Qinghu immediately turned the soil. She transmuted the contaminated rock back into earth, buried the vomit deep beneath, and brought up fresh, clean soil, which she then petrified again to fuse with the stone egg.

This stop gave everyone a chance to clean themselves and their clothes, and the interior was renovated as well.

"Big Sister Hu, can you make us some seats and grab handles? Rolling around is too much. I've rolled my head until it's bleeding," a lion-dog—*cough*, a little lion—shouted.

"Fine, I'll make you some seats so you don't keep puking and forcing me to change the dirt," Qinghu agreed. She raised rows of stone chairs within the egg and installed armrests on every one. Everyone breathed a sigh of relief; if they had to keep rolling like that, they would have died.

Since there were chairs for everyone else, Qinghu equipped herself and her group with stone chairs and two small square tables. Qinghu and She Shiyi shared one table, while Shou'an sat with the little lion and the dog. Seeing this, Wei Dongting squeezed into the table with Shou'an, representing the humans. The four seats at the table were now full.

With everyone seated, the stone egg set off again.

At that crack—*oh thank goodness*, the foul smell was finally gone. But inside their chamber, the vomit and stench were hard to clear. *Blech*, they couldn't stop thinking about it, and the urge to retch remained.

The stone egg continued on, and the conversation inside resumed. With seats, the bumps were much more manageable. Everyone finally felt at ease. Even if the shaking threatened to rattle their brains, as long as they weren't colliding or rolling, it was tolerable. Compared to the rolling from before, this was heaven. One shouldn't ask for too much! The key was that they didn't want to offend Shen Qinghu and have her make them roll again.

"According to everyone, the people who were possessed must have been the ones who ate those spirit items back then, right?" Qinghu asked.

"Not necessarily," She Shiyi replied. "Possession is much easier than that. You just need to pick someone with a weak spirit or someone whose soul is already exhausted or confused from severe injury. You just wait until they're off guard and use the illusion array as cover to rush into their sea of consciousness. It doesn't require them to eat anything. Generally, those who don't practice mental arts are prime targets. For instance, the black dog."

The black dog's eyes widened, round and shiny. *What did I do to deserve this? Why are you all picking on me?*

"Dog, once you get back, hurry up and learn a soul-protection art. Otherwise, the next dog I see might not be you," the Fire Lion chimed in.

The black dog glared at him angrily. "Soul-protection arts aren't easy to come by. Our tribe doesn't have a single one."

"How about I give you one, as long as you acknowledge me as your big brother from now on?" the Fire Lion offered.

"No way. Who am I? I am a descendant of the Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf. I will awaken that bloodline sooner or later. Call you 'big brother'? Have you no shame? A Fire Lion without even an ancient bloodline wants to be my big brother? Dream on!" the black dog said haughtily.

Everyone turned their gaze toward him.

"Oh? You're a descendant of the Howling Moon Heavenly Wolf? I heard the bloodline had died out in both the Black Wolf and White Wolf tribes," She Shiyi said, surprised.

"Not true. A few years ago, the White Wolf tribe produced a successor," the black dog insisted.

"That's not true," She Shiyi countered. "I've never heard of it. The one you're talking about probably came from outside. I heard the White Wolf tribe has close ties with the Snow Wolf tribe in the Great Snow Mountain and even intermarried. That was likely a successor from the Snow Wolf tribe. They were probably using that name to intimidate you. If the White Wolf tribe really had a new successor, why would they give up the territory outside Wuding City and retreat to the mountains?"

She Shiyi's logic was sound. "During their trials, they didn't deploy that successor, did they? Why would someone from another tribe help them? Hiring a Heavenly Wolf descendant costs a fortune. Does the White Wolf tribe even have the wealth?"

"I think we should get back to the point," Wei Dongting interjected. "I feel like none of you are taking this trap-filled cave seriously. I'm starting to think I might die here."

"There's nothing much to discuss. We solve the bugs behind us, and when we run into that soul-possessor, we take them out. They must have mastered a powerful soul art to split their soul so many times," She Shiyi said.

"The opponent is also highly skilled in illusions," Shou'an added. "We can deduce who it is. In the Eastern Wilderness, only a few races are naturally gifted in illusion: the Mirage Clam, the Fire Illusion Carp, the Thousand-Illusions Grass, the Star-Maze Vine, and the Three-Eyed White Illusion Sheep. Which one do you think it is?"

"But many races can use illusions," Wei Dongting frowned. "How can you be sure it's one of those?"

"Everyone can use them, but illusions are a matter of talent. We've all grown up consuming rare treasures; common illusions don't affect us. If it can successfully deceive our senses, it's not a common trick. *Cough*, I forgot—you're a weakling; every illusion looks the same to you," Shou'an said with a pitying look.

Wei Dongting was so angry he almost flipped the table, but it was anchored to the floor. Honestly, Wei Dongting was the oldest of the group at twenty-nine. This was his first and last chance to enter the Xuantian Tower. He had been a top-ranked candidate for the Daoist court, but they had kept him back until recently, when Qi Dongxuan's rise pushed him out of the top hundred. This led to him being sent to guard the border, and worse, being forced to protect Qi Dongxuan on this mission. He found Qi Dongxuan arrogant and selfish, always sacrificing others for his own gain.

Yet, despite his frustration, he had been smart enough to stick with Shen Qinghu. If he hadn't, he would have been eaten by the bugs. He wondered what happened to Qi Dongxuan—probably eaten, he thought. But Shou'an was insufferable.

"The illusion they set up in the cave fooled even me," Shou'an said firmly. "It's definitely one of those powerful clans."

"If so, the list is narrowed down," She Shiyi agreed. "The Mirage Clam, the Fire Illusion Carp, the Thousand-Illusions Grass, the Star-Maze Vine, the Three-Eyed White Illusion Sheep. We can find traces."

"The bugs swim too fast in the underground river; they must be trained," the Fire Lion said. "The Mirage Clam or the Fire Illusion Carp are the most likely."

"The Mirage Clam is gentle and doesn't usually raise zombies," Shou'an reasoned. "So, it's the Fire Illusion Carp. And their base is likely underwater, where the most valuable treasure is."

"We need more cannon fodder," Shou'an continued. "The bugs are too numerous. We can't handle them alone, and we don't have enough Fire Lions."

"I told you, I didn't bring many clansmen," the Fire Lion apologized.

"Even if you did, your tribe has less than a thousand people, what's the point?" Shou'an jabbed.

"Are you looking for a fight?" the Fire Lion bared his fangs.

"Bring it on, who's afraid of you?" Shou'an sneered.

"Enough, both of you. Where are we going to find cannon fodder?" Qinghu asked.

The others went silent.

"Don't fall apart at the critical moment," Qinghu scolded.

"The problem is we don't know how many people entered this cave," She Shiyi said. "It has many entrances, and if our entry was this difficult, it should be even harder for others. But look, even humans managed to get in. Perhaps the difficulty varies."

"Maybe it depends on the person," Qinghu mused. "Maybe the controller doesn't want us inside, so they make it hard. But you humans are weak, so they view you as a snack—they'd love for more of you to wander in."

"Shen Qinghu, don't forget you're human too," Wei Dongting said indignantly.

"Does my race have anything to do with my strength? You're weak, so you're food—meat!" Qinghu stated proudly. She Shiyi nodded in agreement.

"If it picks and chooses, maybe we can summon some cannon fodder," Shou'an said thoughtfully.

"Where?" Qinghu asked.

"On the surface. We tell them there's a final treasure and we need allies. We'll share it equally, regardless of tribe or strength," Shou'an proposed.

"Is that how you recruited the Fire-Tail Chicks?" Qinghu asked.

"Not my idea—I learned it from She Shiyi," Shou'an clarified.

"Since the previous recruits have probably met their end, we need a new lure," Qinghu said. She waved her hand, and a pile of porcelain bottles appeared. "These are 'Turtle Essence Pills' from the Eight-View Mountain. Each one is ten times more potent than standard ones. Here are five hundred; take them, Shou'an."

Wei Dongting stared. *You despise humans, yet you take our pills? Hypocrite!*

"When you become a sect disciple, you'll get thirty a year," She Shiyi explained to Shou'an.

Shou'an took one and ate it. "I want these large ones."

"What will you trade for them? Pink Child Fruit?" Qinghu asked.