67. What a Surprise
“This is…”
Gong Yiling had never imagined such a sight.
—It was a massive cave, no less impressive than the main hall, but instead of coffins, it was filled with people, hundreds of them, all young adults, both male and female.
They wore the uniforms of the various colleges, clearly disciples of Qian Yue Academy, with a few servants mixed in.
Their chests barely rose, and although Gong Yiling suspected they were alive, she couldn’t confirm it.
Because…
“Don’t go near them.”
Gong Muzhi stopped Gong Yiling, her beautiful face serious. “Ling’er, look closely at their bodies.”
Their bodies?
The light was dim, but Gong Yiling managed to see a thin, almost invisible veil covering them.
“That… what is that?”
“Finally, my dear daughter has something to ask me!” Gong Muzhi almost jumped with excitement, but quickly composed herself and coughed. “That’s a Mother Bug Cocoon.”
“Mother Bug Cocoon?”
“The Mingjue Sect is said to have three legendary insects: the original form of the Soul Abyss Gu, the Yuanli Nether Insect; the original form of the Mind-Controlling Gu, the Bliss Mother Bug; and the original form of the Corpse Gu, the Rotting Spirit Spider. This is the work of the Bliss Mother Bug.”
The Bliss Mother Bug… the name alone suggested its nature.
“So,” Gong Yiling crossed her arms thoughtfully, “these people are being controlled by the Mind-Controlling Gu?”
“Not just controlled,” Gong Muzhi explained. “The Mind-Controlling Gu erodes the mind, creates illusions, and siphons spiritual energy from the host, feeding it to the Mother Bug. Over time, the host becomes a living corpse, only good for nourishing the Gu.”
“Dead, but not completely dead?”
This method ensured their life tokens remained intact, allowing them to secretly use these marginal students for their own purposes. And given the number of victims, they must have been doing this for a long time.
As Gong Yiling pondered this, Gong Muzhi looked at her nervously. “Ling’er, don’t even think about saving them. The Mother Bug Cocoon is both a restraint and a trap. Touching it will lead to being enthralled by the Mother Bug, and you might never escape.”
“And the Mind-Controlling Gu is a truly evil Gu. Given the number of cocoons, they’ve probably been in a dream state for a long time. Their minds are already eroded. Even if they get out, they’ll be vegetables…”
“Why would I save them?” Gong Yiling smiled and retorted. “They have nothing to do with me. Why should I care if they live or die?”
“Mmm! That’s my girl! Then let’s go~” Gong Muzhi looked around. “There should be another way out of here…”
“Eh, Master?”
By the time Qiu Shui spoke, Gong Muzhi saw that Miss Gong had already jumped down.
“What!?”
She let out a cry in a language she didn’t even recognize and rushed after her.
But Miss Gong didn’t intend to get close to the cocoons. She landed on a sharp rock near the crowd and looked at them thoughtfully.
“Ling’er, what are you…?”
“Mom, you just said the Mother Bug’s only purpose is to drain their spiritual energy and turn them into a breeding ground for the Gu, right?”
A cold glint flashed in Gong Yiling’s eyes.
“Y-yes.”
“Mom, since we’re here, shouldn’t we leave them a little gift? A little, little surprise for the Divine King’s Court.”
“A surprise?” Gong Muzhi scratched her head, puzzled. “Ling’er, do you want to kill a few of them, shatter their life tokens, and attract the academy’s attention?”
“Honestly, Mom, don’t always think about killing.” Gong Yiling winked at her. “Your methods are just a minor inconvenience for them.”
“If we’re leaving a gift…”
Gong Yiling circulated her demonic cultivation technique, a technique her mother was quite familiar with.
“Shouldn’t it be a big one?”
The girl’s smile was radiant, like a spring breeze in the abyss.
And this was also a gift from them, her dear partners.
—
—
“Young Master.”
Not long after the others reported, Yin Wuzong arrived.
He saw the three men, practically dead, lying on the ground and frowned. “What happened to them?”
“When we found them, they were foaming at the mouth, their eyes vacant. We don’t know what they were looking at.” Another man replied fearfully.
“Poisoned?”
“There are no signs of poison on their bodies.” The man said, “It looks more like they were under an illusion…”
“An illusion?” Yin Wuzong placed his hand on their shoulders and felt a strange aura, but he couldn’t do anything about it.
“What’s the situation inside?”
“Reporting to the Young Master, we’ve sent someone to investigate. The initial report is that there are no changes in the main hall.” The man replied, “But the Lord in the main hall is guarding the entrance to the inner hall.”
“I suspect…”
“The inner hall…” A bad feeling welled up in Yin Wuzong’s heart.
The Bliss Mother Bug’s cocoon was a natural barrier to the inner hall, unbreakable by ordinary means. And anyone who touched it would be enthralled, becoming a puppet or a breeding ground.
But their opponent’s methods were unlike anything he had ever seen. And they had found the entrance to the inner hall without even harming the insect in the main hall.
This meant they were here for a reason.
If this place was no longer safe… had their plan been exposed?
The assimilation of the Leng family needed to be accelerated…
Just then, another man rushed out of the cave, his face pale, and knelt before Yin Wuzong.
“Y-Y-Young Master… b-b-bad news!”
“What is it?”
“The spiritual energy accumulated by the Mother Bug… is gone!”
“What did you say!?”
