What on earth did Master Wu encounter? And who was it that turned the immensely powerful Master Wu into this state?
Venerable Green Face felt a chill in his heart as he watched Master Wu still trying every possible way to gouge out his own eyeballs.
Venerable Green Face had no choice but to take out four short daggers and firmly nail Master Wu's four limbs to the ground.
But even so, Master Wu still refused to give up. With his limbs pinned down, he pressed his face against the ground, grinding it until his flesh and blood became mangled, and eventually both his eyes were ground open.
Venerable Green Face watched with a heavy heart.
With Master Wu's eyes ruined, he finally calmed down a bit. It seemed that without his eyes, he could forget some of the things he had seen, thus instinctively feeling more at ease.
Master Wu's facial features had merged into one mass, and his four limbs slowly hung down like a corpse, no longer struggling.
The strange atmosphere in the hall gradually subsided.
Venerable Green Face slowly let out a breath. But before he could fully relax, Master Wu's limbs suddenly twitched again.
They lifted up again. Looking down, he saw that on Master Wu's mangled face of flesh and blood, something had suddenly begun seeping out. Master Wu's facial features had been ground flat by him, merging into a single mass.
Black blood then re-outlined a human face on this blurred flesh and blood. This face was also abstract, with only simple lines, but it exuded an indescribable innocence and strangeness.
Venerable Green Face's pores all stood on end, his whole body covered in cold sweat. Just as he didn't know what to do, he saw the abstract human face's corners gradually stretch open, seemingly smiling at him once.
Damn it! A chill shot up his spine and entered the back of his head.
Venerable Green Face's face changed color as if he had been struck by a plague. He immediately dropped Master Wu and retreated several dozen yards, his heart filled with fear. It was as if a great bronze drum was beating in his chest, making his liver and gallbladder tremble uncontrollably.
What the hell... is this thing?! It's just a smile, yet how could it be... so terrifying.
Even Venerable Green Face, who killed people like weeds and 'ate' people like poultry, felt his six spirits unsettled and seven emotions in disarray.
After Venerable Green Face retreated to one side, another strange change occurred. 'Master Wu' with that bizarre, blood-red smile on his face actually stood up straight with his hands inserted in the ground.
His four limbs were still pinned to the ground, but the four short daggers couldn't restrain him at all. Master Wu's limbs lost their bones, stretching out like leather bags, being pulled to an extreme length before he exerted force.
With four 'clicking' sounds, he broke free from the restraint of the four short daggers.
Venerable Green Face's eyelids twitched violently, his thoughts racing rapidly, 'No, no, that's not right. Should I just save myself first? Master Wu in this state was clearly possessed by some strange power from the Great Dao.'
If this continues, everyone in Myriad Spider Daoist Temple, all disciples and followers, would likely meet with disaster, turning into something neither human nor ghostly.
But Master Wu was crucial to him. The Qingzhou realm was already in chaos, with disasters continuing to spread. This was surely a great era of turmoil where living beings would suffer. Without the assistance of an Unorthodox expert like Master Wu, his great undertaking would be difficult to achieve.
Venerable Green Face was a body cultivator, charging into battle, seeing blood when killing, and seeing flesh when injuring. Unorthodox arts were different; they could kill without bloodshed and destroy life invisibly, which was what people feared most.
Without Master Wu's help, if he were to be killed in the future, he wouldn't even know how he died.
Venerable Green Face hesitated, unsure what to do. Finally, driven by instinct, he hardened his heart and decided to save himself first. Where there's life, there's hope.
Death cannot destroy the Dao. Master Wu brought this misfortune upon himself; that was because his cultivation of the Dao was not refined enough, and no one else could be blamed for it. His own great path to enlightenment could not be buried with him.
Venerable Green Face was about to leave, but when he glanced again, he suddenly hesitated. He had originally thought that after being possessed, Master Wu would definitely go find someone to kill or 'eat', but that didn't happen.
At this moment, Master Wu clearly had a bizarre, abstract 'smiling face' on his head, with his limbs on the ground like a human spider, but he was abnormally quiet, not attacking anyone. Instead, he was moving around in the hall as if searching for something with great concentration.
Looking for something? What was the possessed Master Wu looking for? What in this grand hall was worth finding? Venerable Green Face's curiosity was piqued, and he forgot about saving himself.
And in that brief moment, 'Master Wu' on the ground seemed to suddenly find a certain aura. In his pitch-black empty eye sockets, a glint of excitement bordering on madness flashed.
Venerable Green Face watched as 'Master Wu' used all four limbs to crawl to a pile of broken tiles and rubble, digging for a long time before pulling out a strand of hair stained with five poisons, pitch-black like ink.
After a moment of thought, Venerable Green Face immediately recognized it as the strand of hair he had taken from that handsome, yet detestable, black-robed cultivator, which Master Wu had used as a medium with his dark arts to place a curse upon him.
But... what was 'Master Wu' looking for this strand of hair for? Venerable Green Face didn't understand. Just as he was wondering, he saw the two pitch-black eye sockets on 'Master Wu's' face suddenly expand, black tears flowing from the corners. The already excited aura instantly reached a state of extreme madness.
It was as if he had found the most precious treasure in this world.
Found it... the true substance of its causal connection. Then, 'Master Wu' no longer hesitated, clutching the strand of hair, tilting his head back, his mouth splitting open almost to occupy half his face, wanting to swallow the pitch-black strand of hair into his belly.
The strand of hair fell bit by bit, as if falling into the abyss of causality. At that moment, within the great hall of Myriad Spider Daoist Temple, a sudden yin wind arose, cold energy spread, and thin ice almost froze the surface.
Boundless darkness surged from all around. It was as if some existence was about to be born, and even light was being swallowed.
Venerable Green Face, at late Golden Core stage, shivered. Experiencing it firsthand, he felt as if an immense fear enveloped him from above. Even breathing became difficult, and his heart nearly jumped out of his throat.
He was the most notorious villain in the Qingzhou realm, accustomed to killing people like weeds and devouring flesh and blood. Yet at this moment, with wide eyes, he watched as Master Wu was about to swallow that strand of hair.
Instinctively, he felt that this seemed to be the cruelest, bloodiest, and most terrifying thing in this world. Far more terrifying than his usual 'eating' of people...
It was as if once Master Wu truly swallowed that strand of hair, endless darkness would spread, a terrifying catastrophe would descend, and countless people would die. No one would be spared, all would be swallowed by darkness and die in unimaginable ways.
No amount of lives would be enough. Venerable Green Face exclaimed in alarm, "Master Wu, stop! Don't eat it!"
But Master Wu had already fallen into an extreme frenzy. Some formless, terrible consciousness was seeking a physical vessel. And he was about to make the formless and the physical merge into one.
Just as the strand of hair was about to enter his mouth, at this critical moment, the terrified Venerable Green Face didn't have time to think. He immediately transformed into a fierce wind, like a savage beast, and pounced on 'Master Wu', breaking his shoulder and grabbing his throat.
Master Wu's attempt to swallow the primordial strand of hair was blocked, and he flew into a rage, emitting an extremely sharp cry, like a newborn infant.
Venerable Green Face became even more terrified and dared not let go. Although he didn't know why, he knew that once he let go, the consequences would be unimaginable. He just tried to turn his head away, not facing 'Master Wu' directly.
Although Master Wu was clearly possessed and his flesh and blood were bizarre, fortunately he wasn't a body cultivator himself. In terms of physical strength alone, he naturally couldn't compare to Venerable Green Face. Therefore, in a short time, he was restrained by Venerable Green Face and pinned to the ground.
'Master Wu' struggled for a long time, then suddenly calmed down and became motionless. Venerable Green Face originally didn't dare to look at 'Master Wu', but when the piercing cry suddenly stopped, he still felt something was strange. So he slightly turned his gaze, using his peripheral vision to take a look at 'Master Wu's' condition.
But at this glance, all the hairs on his body stood on end; 'Master Wu's' skin twisted like a long serpent at an extreme angle, his face directly facing him.
Venerable Green Face turned his head and happened to make eye contact with 'Master Wu'. Those were completely empty eye sockets, yet they seemed to contain visions of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, cruel and terrifying.
The person was very vague, but even so, Venerable Green Face felt as if struck by lightning after just one glance. His whole body went cold, his bones turned soft, and the righteous energy in his meridians seemed to be drawn away by something.
It was as if tens of thousands of memories were feeding on him. The force in his grip also weakened. Meanwhile, 'Master Wu' gradually broke free from his restraint and was about to put the strand of hair into his mouth again.
Venerable Green Face knew that his vital energy was draining away, as if a zombie was biting him and consuming his flesh and blood. But he also clearly knew that his physical body was fine, that there was nothing wrong with it.
This kind of pain, both real and illusory, both torturous and substantial, was driving him mad. Watching as 'Master Wu' was about to put the strand of hair into his mouth, and the surrounding darkness began to rage, Venerable Green Face was truly both anxious and terrified.
He was a body cultivator, not practicing Unorthodox techniques or skilled in esoteric arts. To have struggled until now was already the protection of heaven. At this moment, he couldn't stop Master Wu at all. He could only mobilize his Golden Core power and shout with all his might, "Master Wu, wake up quickly! Otherwise everything is finished!"
This shout carried the power of the Golden Core and was extremely loud, like a great bell, causing the four pillars of the grand ceremony to tremble slightly. 'Master Wu' was also struck by the sound, blood flowing from his face.
The blood he shed was bright red, indicating that the shout had reached his true self. After this shout, Master Wu indeed regained some clarity. The black abstract face on his face slightly faded, revealing a bit of his original features.
Venerable Green Face was overjoyed and shouted again, "Master Wu, don't eat the hair! Absolutely do not eat it!"
Master Wu seemed to understand Venerable Green Face's meaning, and his facial features began to twist, showing intense struggle.
As an Unorthodox expert with years of immersion in dark arts and profound cultivation, his heart-spirit was much more steadfast than ordinary people. But the problem was, what he had seen exceeded the scope of Unorthodox arts.
This was something that even a master of Unorthodox arts could not handle. His own consciousness could not bear having this terrifying strand of hair, stained with five poisons, placed in his mouth, which would trigger some even more terrifying Dao catastrophe.
Driven by the desperation between life and death, Master Wu mobilized his last bit of strength, bit through his tongue with a pull, spat out a mouthful of essence blood, and used a life-saving technique.
The protective mirror on his chest responded with a sound. This was a protective treasure passed down from the Patriarch, but when Master Wu was contaminated, it was too late to defend himself, and there was no time to use it.
At this critical moment, he gained a moment of clarity, which allowed him to bite through his tongue, consume essence blood, and activate this protective mirror.
As the protective mirror shattered, a pale yellow consciousness energy enveloped Master Wu's heart, dispelling the gloom of evil thoughts bit by bit. Only then did Master Wu gain a small amount of control over his body from the contamination.
But the backlash of some evil thoughts immediately swept over, and Master Wu's heart-spirit was about to lose control again. He could only hold onto his last hope, activate his esoteric arts, bloody tears flowing from the corners of his eyes, his voice broken as he said, "Lady Myriad Spiders..."
Before the words could finish, a great silence fell, and nothing moved. After saying these words, Master Wu had already used his last resort, the 'Unorthodox Spirit Summoning Art', and had no more strength to struggle, that bit of clarity gradually fading.
The pitch-black strand of hair was also bit by bit falling toward his mouth. The surrounding darkness, like a tide, surged toward the grand ceremony, even threatening to turn the entire Myriad Spider Daoist Temple into an abyss.
Venerable Green Face's iron-gray face now turned as pale as paper. Master Wu's blood tears were almost exhausted.
Just as Master Wu was about to face his final despair, the entire grand hall suddenly trembled, a deep and unfathomable divine aura slowly filling the place. An invisible, bright purple phantom enveloped the entire Myriad Spider Daoist Temple, suppressing the surging darkness.
Then, a powerful divine sense surged forth, and Myriad Spider Daoist Temple to come alive. With rustling sounds, abnormal purple spiders began falling from the sky above the great hall.
Densely packed, like a spider rain, these strange spiders fell to the ground and crawled onto 'Master Wu's' face, some to his forehead, biting him and consuming his consciousness energy.
After just one sip, these spiders would be 'contaminated' and die on the spot. But there were enough of these spiders, one after another, climbing onto Master Wu's head, eating his consciousness energy.
One spider after another died. Master Wu's sea of consciousness was gradually being drained dry, but his contaminated divine consciousness was also being drawn out of his body. The surrounding darkness lost its supply and became agitated, but it was suppressed by the purple divine power.
Finally, after an unknown amount of time, Master Wu's sea of consciousness was completely drained. The pitch-black face on his face showed abstract but stable lines, full of resentment as it looked up at the grand ceremony, a cold smile appearing at the corners of its mouth, then gradually dissipating.
Master Wu was like a puppet that had been drained dry, looking extremely miserable, slowly falling to the ground. The divine consciousness weakened, and the contamination was temporarily cleared.
All strangeness, and that terrifying atmosphere that made people fearful, were all cleansed, only leaving behind the spider corpses throughout the great hall. Venerable Green Face lay on the ground, his heart filled with shock and disbelief, looking at the surrounding scene as if he had just woken from a nightmare.
On the other side, outside the Myriad Spider Ancient Forest, Mo Hua, who had been meditating, slowly opened his eyes, his brow slightly furrowed.
Gu Changhuai's injuries had not fully healed, his face still somewhat pale. Seeing Mo Hua awaken, he asked, "What's wrong?"
Mo Hua replied, "I was trying to learn how to harm people."
Gu Changhuai asked in confusion, "Do you even need to learn how to harm people?"
Mo Hua chuckled, "Just playing around."
Gu Changhuai sighed, not knowing if Mo Hua had learned some new tricks to harm people again, and asked, "Then what? Did you succeed?"
Mo Hua nodded, then shook his head, saying, "My skills are not refined enough, I had only just started playing when I was discovered..."
Gu Changhuai was startled, "That doesn't sound good at all."
Mo Hua pondered for a moment, then said slowly, "If it's me playing, it's not so bad, I'm very gentle. But if it's not me playing with it, but something else, then it's a bit... scary.'
"Something else?" Gu Changhuai asked with a frown, "...what kind of thing?"
Mo Hua's gaze darkened and he murmured, "It's a bit unclear, it seems to be..."
"Something very complex, ferocious, and chaotic..."