The reason he had nearly fallen into an irreversible predicament was simply that Zou Feng had taken a gamble, wanting to devour the ant queen larva himself.
In comparison, the Immortal Fate rewards Gongsun Jinghong and the others received were pitifully small.
It couldnât be helped. Their teamâs exploration mission had only just begun. Before they could find anything valuable, they suffered such heavy casualties that they could no longer continue.
Having withdrawn early, even with their injuries, they only earned "credit for their troubles."
Thus, Gongsun Jinghong ultimately received just over a hundred points of Immortal Fate.
As for Teng County and Qiu Lan, since they were still Outer Disciples, their compensation was even lower. They were each given a token fee of just a few dozen points of Immortal Fate for their trouble.
For this kind of Outer Realm exploration mission, the disparity between Immortal Sect Disciples was truly a case of the rich getting richer and the poor getting poorer.
Not long after Leng Jing left, Su Qingyu, whom he hadnât seen in a long time, surprisingly paid him a visit.
After arriving in the Outer Realm, Zou Feng hadnât seen Su Qingyu or his other old acquaintances from Biyou Palace again.
Their team had clearly explored the caverns from a different direction and were among the last to return to the Flying Celestial Ship, right before the Outer Realm was transferred.
The fact they explored the caverns for so long was proof enough that their harvest had been plentiful.
When Zou Feng opened the door to greet them, he saw that, as expected, Su Qingyu wasnât the only one who was beaming and in high spirits.
The othersâBai Chen, Liang Shunan, Zhong Zheâalso had excitement written all over their faces.
This was definitely the sign of a group that had struck it rich.
For a Poison Cultivator, this realm was indeed full of wonderful surprises.
"Palace Master, congratulations!" Zou Feng said directly as he went to greet her.
Su Qingyu had come with a question. "I heard youâre going to face Luo Yingningâthe one with the Natural Spirit Boneâon the Dao Discussion Platform?"
Zou Feng said, "Iâm just giving her what she wants. As you know, Palace Master, ever since we first arrived at the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect, she has been relentlessly making trouble..."
Su Qingyu was about to speak again, but something about Zou Feng suddenly caught her eye, leaving her speechless.
She stared for so long that Zou Feng began to feel awkward. Finally, she sighed and said, "I think I understand now why sheâs so obsessed with you..."
"You should take a good look at yourself and see just how âdelectableâ youâve become!"
The comment made Zou Feng quite awkward, especially since Su Qingyu was visibly swallowing as she spoke.
It was obvious she could tell his Poison Skill had advanced greatly and that his body now held another incredibly appetizing toxin.
In truth, Zou Feng was also aware that after the Refinement and absorption of the ant queen larva, not only had his Five Poison Skill reached the state of Unity of Heaven and Man, but his own body had also undergone an extraordinary transformation.
In short, it had become similar to Su Qingyuâs Calamity Poison Body, making him exceptionally attractive to other Poison Cultivators.
"Now you should understand how Iâve felt all this time..." Su Qingyu said, a gloating smile spreading across her face.
She was, of course, referring to how, because of her Calamity Poison Body, every Poison Cultivator around her back in Great Yan had coveted her body.
Zou Feng included.
Zou Feng recalled their first meeting. The moment Su Qingyu extended her leg, the sound of every Poison Cultivator in the room swallowing audibly had filled the air.
It had nothing to do with her looks; it was a Poison Cultivatorâs craving for a "gourmet meal."
He never imagined he would now be receiving the same kind of attention.
At this thought, the smile on Zou Fengâs face grew even more strained.
"Youâre going to face her on the Dao Discussion Platform. Although youâre playing along with her plan, sheâs undoubtedly doing the same to you..." Su Qingyuâs tone shifted. "A Natural Spirit Bone is no small matter. You cannot be careless!"
Zou Feng suddenly asked, full of curiosity, "Palace Master, do you happen to know the specific name of Luo Yingningâs Natural Spirit Bone?"
"The Heavenly Corpse Bone!"
"I looked it up specifically. Setting aside its other uses, just scraping off a bit of its dust can turn all the residents of an ordinary city into corpse fiends."
"And if those corpse fiends bite others, theyâll spread the infection rapidly, creating more and more of them..."
âUh, isnât that basically the T-virus?â
âWhat a coincidence, though. I happen to have practiced the Corpse Luo Heart Scripture. If I could achieve Refinement of this bone, wouldnât my Corpse Luo Heart Scripture...â
It was worth noting that although the Corpse Luo Heart Scripture had already been integrated into his other Poison Skills, that didnât mean Zou Feng could no longer use it.
He hadnât used it before simply because he hadnât needed to; as a Skill, its power in direct combat was always somewhat lacking.
"By the way," Su Qingyu continued, "that Dao companion of hers from the Tianxiang Association, the one who spoils her rotten? In my opinion, she probably doesnât have good intentions either. Itâs likely sheâs also after the Heavenly Corpse Bone..."
âAre the schemes really that deep? Couldnât it just be true love...â
After complaining internally, Zou Feng immediately grew suspicious. "Palace Master, how do you know so much about Luo Yingning?"
Su Qingyu smiled sweetly. "Did you think you were the only one who covets her body?"
"So, Palace Master wants a piece of the pie too..."
"If you succeed, remember to save some for me. Of course, Iâll provide appropriate compensation!" As she spoke, a flirtatious glimmer appeared in her eyes.
To Zou Feng, if he could obtain the Spirit Bone, Su Qingyuâs Spirit and Flesh would become relatively less appealing.
However, the benefits he could still gain from her were by no means small.
So this was indeed a deal worth making.
"Alright, Iâll do my best!"
With that, the two of them spontaneously broke into sinister cackles.
This sight filled Bai Chen, who stood behind them, with deep worry.
He realized that if this kept up, the Palace Master would sooner or later end up completely in Zou Fengâs grasp...
ăSeveral days lateră
The Flying Celestial Ship arrived safely at the Pinnacle Celestial Immortal Sect.
It felt much safer here than in the Outer Realm.
During the return journey, Jiang Wanzhao still hadnât summoned Zou Feng for a meeting.
She was presumably still somewhat displeased after Zou Feng had rejected her proposal.
Zou Feng didnât care. Once he also became a True Inheritor, which shouldnât be long, her little bit of displeasure would vanish like a passing cloud.
Although choosing to follow Jiang Wanzhao would have solved many of his current problems, he saw no need, nor did he have any desire to "serve" her.
âAfter all, it wonât be long before she might be the one following me around...â
After returning to the Hongxing Inn, Zou Feng focused his Cultivation on the Silent Extinction Poison Flame.
The Skill was on the verge of the Great Success Realm, so it naturally became his top priority in Cultivation.
Meanwhile, he quietly awaited the good news: Luo Yingningâs invitation to the Dao Discussion Platform.
He ended up waiting for more than ten days, but there was still no word from Luo Yingning.
âDid she chicken out?â
âThat doesnât seem right, given her violent temper...â
Little did Zou Feng know, Luo Yingning hadnât chickened out at all. Instead, just two days after her return, Mu Wanrou had shown up and blocked her door.
This high-ranking member of the Tianxiang AssociationâLuo Yingningâs same-sex Dao companion, who was on the verge of establishing an Earth Tier Dao Foundationâhad unexpectedly come out of seclusion early...
"Yingning, youâre not his match!"
ăTianxiang Association, Orchid Heart Pavilion.ă
Dressed as a male cultivator, her features androgynous, Mu Wanrou gazed at Luo Yingning with an expression of pure adoration.
Upon hearing this, Luo Yingningâs anger flared. "Nonsense!"
"Mu Wanrou, you failed to reach Foundation Establishment in your seclusion, and you have the nerve to say Iâm not Zou Fengâs match?"
She fumed while Mu Wanrou smiled. "And why do you think I failed to reach Foundation Establishment this time? Wasnât it precisely because my mind was unsettled?"
"I had a premonition, a feeling that something terrible was about to happen. Thatâs why I paused my attempt at Foundation Establishment to come out and check..."
"And just as I thought. You... youâre too arrogant. An existence who can make the Celestial Dao Cauldron ring has enough destiny on his side to overwhelm you!"
Though her words were a reprimand, Mu Wanrouâs tone remained gentle and melodious.
"I donât believe it!"
"Weâll see whoâs stronger after we fight!" Luo Yingning retorted stubbornly.
Mu Wanrou sighed softly. She stepped forward, patted Luo Yingningâs shoulder, and then simply pulled her into an embrace. "If you want to achieve his Refinement, you donât need to go to the Dao Discussion Platform. Just leave him to me."
"When the time comes, I promise Iâll scrub him clean and deliver him to you, whole and complete!"
Hearing this, Luo Yingningâs eyes lit up. "Really!?"
"When have I ever lied to you?" Mu Wanrou said, lightly tapping Luo Yingningâs nose.
"Then youâd better be quick. What if that kid reaches Foundation Establishment before you do..."
This finally made Mu Wanrou laugh. "If he can reach Foundation Establishment before me, Iâll go to the Spirit Beast Garden and eat ten pounds of spirit dung!"