After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 39: Chapter 40: Clue: Water

Even after being brought over, the two Puppets struggled relentlessly. It was clear the Three Corpses Insects could squeeze out every last drop of a person’s potential. The group had been in the city for a double-hour, yet the two still had strength.

But the soldiers guarding them weren’t made of iron, so they had simply bound the Puppets’ legs, allowing themselves time to catch a nap.

So the two of them were carried in and placed on the floor. They were curled up, shivering uncontrollably.

The Talismanic Robes they wore on the outside ensured the Three Corpses Insects were trapped within their bodies, unable to escape.

Situ Han asked curiously, ”Are they cold, or are they scared?”

”They’re scared. Do those infested by the Three Corpses Insects even feel the cold?” Hee Lingchuan crouched down to examine them closely. ”But it’s not us they’re afraid of.”

Their gazes were unfocused; it was clear they weren’t paying the slightest attention to anyone present.

But the vast Panlong Ruins were empty. What were they afraid of?

Nian Songyu added, ”Forget people, there aren’t even any other Three Corpses Insects in this ruined city. They don’t dare come near. Why is that?”

”Something here terrifies them,” Sunx Fuping said, standing up. ”Whatever it is, it must be near our objective.”

Hee Lingchuan asked in surprise, ”You want to make them tell you? Can the Three Corpses Insects even speak?”

’It seems Sunx Fuping brought these two Puppets along to run an experiment.’

”Normal ones can’t, but I wonder if those produced by the Grand Square Pot can give us a clue.” Sunx Fuping walked up to the Puppets. ”Your nest, the Grand Square Pot, must still be in the city. Point me to its location, and I’ll let you leave.”

The two Puppets continued to tremble, their gazes still vacant, acting as if he were invisible.

”These things have no respect for you!” Hee Lingchuan said angrily. ”Teach them a lesson so we can save some time.”

Sunx Fuping took a set of Golden Needles from his robes. He coated each with a medicinal paste, roasted it with a flicker of True Flame from his fingertip, and then inserted them into the back of the Puppets’ skulls, the center of their chests, and the soles of their feet.

The Puppets immediately shrieked in agony.

These three spots were where the Three Corpses Insects were entrenched. Sunx Fuping’s medicated fire was essentially setting their asses ablaze—an excruciating, bone-deep pain. Otherwise, even an attack from the Sword and Axe Divine Technique would only harm the host; the Three Corpses Insects themselves wouldn’t feel a thing.

They finally deigned to look at Sunx Fuping, but their gazes were exceptionally fierce, like wolves eyeing a piece of fresh meat.

To them, humans were nothing but fleshy vessels.

”I know you can understand human speech,” Sunx Fuping said in a calm voice. ”If you don’t give me an answer, you will suffer far more.”

And then he resumed his work.

His Golden Needles were hollow, making it easy to replenish the medicine and increase the dosage at any moment.

The onlookers saw the tiny red flames at the ends of the needles flare brighter, and the Puppets’ screams instantly jumped several octaves.

’Double the dose, double the pain.’

Sunx Fuping paused and asked, ”Are you going to talk?”

The Puppets only continued to scream.

So he increased the torment.

He repeated the process again and again.

As he continued, his movements grew slower. The Soul Bodies of these enhanced Three Corpses Insects were clearly a cut above the ordinary kind; otherwise, the poison would have killed them a quarter of an hour ago.

Unless the host severs the connection themselves, when a Three Corpses Insect dies, the host kicks the bucket right along with it.

This made maintaining the right balance increasingly difficult.

Finally, one of the Puppets let out a great roar, its head slumped to one side, and it stopped breathing.

’So it was no use after all?’ Sunx Fuping heaved a long sigh.

The Three Corpses Insects bred by the Grand Square Pot were supposed to be special. If they could communicate with humans, this trip to Panlong City would be much smoother.

’What a pity. It seems there are no shortcuts for this mission.’

In truth, he had only been clinging to a faint hope. After all, the Alliance Army that fought a war of attrition in this Wilderness over a century ago had likely tried every method imaginable to obtain intelligence.

He had simply thought that time might have changed things.

The other tormented Puppet flew into a frenzy, unexpectedly broke free of its bonds, and grabbed Hee Lingchuan’s arm!

Caught completely off guard, everyone was stunned.

Without a second thought, Hee Chunhua rushed forward and lopped off the Puppet’s head with one swing of his blade.

The shrieking came to an abrupt halt.

”Chuan’Er, are you all right?” Hee Chunhua asked, his hand still gripping his blade tightly.

Hee Lingchuan, who had also been given a fright, reflexively pried the dead man’s hand off his arm. He focused inward for a moment before saying, ”I’m fine.”

’That thing had gripped him so tightly its fingers nearly broke the skin.’

Fortunately, after running his True Power through a full Circulation, he found nothing amiss.

Everyone exchanged uncertain glances.

Sunx Fuping stepped forward to examine his pupils. ”Do you feel irritable, restless, dizzy, or light-headed?” he asked.

”I’m perfectly clear-headed. Nothing feels wrong. It seems it had no effect on me.”

Sunx Fuping nodded. ”The effects of the Soul-Preventing Powder haven’t completely worn off yet. That would also provide some resistance.”

Hee Lingchuan sighed. ”I guess the Three Corpses Insects here aren’t so special after all.”

Seeing that he was truly unharmed, Hee Chunhua finally breathed a sigh of relief. ”They’re just unwilling to leave the Panlong Desert. Or, to be more precise, they’re unwilling to stray too far from the Grand Square Pot.”

The principle of protecting the Grand Square Pot was ingrained in the Three Corpses Insects’ instincts. They could not betray it, even in death. The same loyalty can be found in ant colonies and beehives, where individual workers toil without complaint, show no fear of hardship, and consider even their own deaths insignificant.

That was why, despite fearing something in the city enough to not dare enter, the Three Corpses Insects still lingered on its periphery—in the Panlong Desert—unwilling to flee far away.

Hee Lingchuan shrugged. If the Three Corpses Insects could be interrogated like ordinary creatures, the Baling Xianyou Alliance Army would have long ago uncovered all the secrets of the Grand Square Pot and Panlong City. The Deities behind Panlong City would never allow such a loophole to exist.

”Although Zhugen didn’t say so, I believe the trigger for the Sandstorm Season can’t be that difficult to activate. He sent that last team to verify a theory...” Sunx Fuping mused. ”Before each Sandstorm Season arrives, is the desert always struck by thunderstorms?”

Zeng Feixiong nodded. ”That’s right.”

A light flickered in Sunx Fuping’s eyes. ”The Divine Temple in the city... it only has Sacrificial Offerings for the Mitian God?”

”Yes. It is said that the Mitian God is the only deity worshipped in Panlong City.”

Hee Chunhua let out a sound of realization. ”You can’t be suggesting...?”

”Let’s write it down and confirm with each other.”

So, Sunx Fuping and Hee Chunhua both dipped their fingers in water and each wrote a single word on the table.

When the others looked, they saw that the National Preceptor had written the word ”water,” while Hee Chunhua had written ”rain.”

The meanings were more or less the same.

Hee Lingchuan stroked his chin. ”The National Preceptor and my father are brilliant! The rainy season in Qiansong County is later than it is inland, arriving around late August or early September.”

Nian Songyu asked, confused, ”If it’s caused by rainwater, does that mean it normally doesn’t rain in the desert? As far as I know, deserts being arid doesn’t mean it never rains. Sometimes, a sudden downpour can even cause flash floods.”

”It really doesn’t,” Hee Lingchuan said with a chuckle. ”Don’t compare other deserts with Panlong. They aren’t worthy.”

Hee Chunhua said, ”I’m nowhere near as learned as the National Preceptor. However, Deputy Captain Zeng’s father is the only living person to have survived a Sandstorm Season in the Panlong Desert. Although his mind was addled when he returned, he spent his days muttering a single word: ’Water.’ I believe that’s the crucial clue.”