Chapter 106: Cold Soul Poison Scorpion

Deep within the Cold Ruins, a massive stone pit hundreds of miles in diameter stood abruptly amid the pristine white snow.

Three figures hovered above the giant pit, their robes snapping in the wind. The aura erupting from the trio churned the falling snowflakes into chaos, even the very air seemed to solidify around them.

Their gazes converged unanimously on a protruding boulder at the center of the pit below.

The boulder, spanning several hundred zhang, was shrouded in a strange cyan mist. Wherever the mist passed, the ground was corroded into pitted craters and scorched black, clearly hiding deadly dangers within.

And atop the boulder, several chunks of stone emitting a faint purple glow were faintly visible. Those were Soul Netherstones. The purple light rippled with bone-chilling cold, making it obvious at a glance that their quality was exceptional.

What drew even more attention was that around those Soul Netherstones, where the purple qi gathered, a bizarre half-man-tall spiritual fungus had strangely taken root. A wisp of ethereal soul qi coiled around the fungus, lingering without dispersing, perfectly blocking the cyan mist at its perimeter. The fungus was crystalline throughout, its spiritual light subdued and introverted, clearly no ordinary treasure.

"Hehehe, Daoist Brother Nether Luo, Soul Netherstones!"

On the left side of the trio, an ugly old Daoist with white hair and small eyes let out a piercing, grating laugh. He spoke to the man in blood-red robes beside him, greed blazing in his eyes.

"Didn't think that old geezer East would actually tell us the truth. Once we secure this spiritual mine, I can enhance the power of this old man's Natal Magical Artifact. And that Soul Spirit Fungus you need—just look at its quality, wouldn't it be at least ten thousand years old?"

This man's cultivation was not low—he was a Peak Early Nascent Soul old monster. His aura swelled and surged, clearly showing he was no pushover.

Among the three, besides the ugly old Daoist, there was also an elder on the far right with snow-white hair and beard, dressed in shabby, tattered robes.

This man looked every bit the beggar, yet he was a rogue cultivator of considerable skill, surnamed Yu. He remained silent and didn't speak, but green light flickered in his eyes as he stared intently at the Soul Netherstones below. His cultivation was also at Peak Early Nascent Soul.

Between the two, the man in blood-red robes was none other than the Fifth Elder of the Blood Abyss Sect who had bid against Jiuyou at the Precious Heaven Pavilion auction—Youluo True Lord. With Mid-Nascent Soul cultivation, blood qi faintly emanated from his body, his presence far surpassing the two beside him.

These two Peak Early Nascent Soul cultivators were naturally helpers invited by Youluo. Their purpose was simple—take the Soul Netherstones here to enhance their artifact power.

As for Youluo, he had other designs. If this succeeded, the credit would be his alone, and the Grand Elder would think even more highly of him in the future.

Youluo True Lord smiled, his gaze sweeping across the stone pit below. His eyes rolled slightly before he spoke slowly.

"Hehe, I'd advise the two Daoist Brothers not to let your guard down. These green baleful poisons clearly didn't appear out of thin air. There might well be..."

"Hm?"

Before he could finish, his expression suddenly shifted dramatically. He jerked his head up to look into the distance—toward the entrance they had used to enter the depths of the Cold Ruins.

"Daoist Brother Youluo, what's wrong?" the ugly old Daoist asked in confusion, then turned to look alongside Elder Yu.

Youluo True Lord's brows knitted tightly. His voice sounded strange, tinged with both anger and heartache.

"Not good. An expert has entered. Someone killed my mutated spirit leopard."

He paused, then his gaze snapped toward the two, his tone urgent.

"These Soul Netherstones will take some time to fully extract. Once we have them, the Soul Spirit Fungus goes to me, and the two Daoist Brothers split the rest evenly. However, there's surely a guardian demon beast near a spiritual herb of this caliber. Please help me set up the formation quickly."

As he spoke, he pulled several Formation Flags from his Storage Pouch.

"My mutated spirit leopard could burn its vital essence to briefly reach Ninth-Tier Demon Beast level. Combined with the 'Heavenly Cloud Illusion Formation,' even a Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator barging in rashly won't be able to retreat unscathed. By now, that person is most likely badly injured. If he still dares to come, we'll make sure he dies without a burial place."

The two exchanged glances, their expressions shifting slightly.

The ugly old Daoist nodded slightly, a hint of wariness in his voice.

"Daoist Brother Youluo speaks truly. Besides, we laid other formations along our route. Even if a Late Nascent Soul cultivator really came, they wouldn't make it here unharmed. Let's begin quickly."

The moment he finished speaking, the three transformed into streaks of light, flying toward the edges of the giant pit. Every hundred zhang they flew, they hurled a Formation Flag below.

In just a few blinks, over a dozen Formation Flags were planted across the entire pit. Spiritual light swayed, visible from afar.

Youluo True Lord formed hand seals with both hands and bellowed, "Formation, rise!"

A red light barrier suddenly blazed to life, rapidly enveloping the entire pit. Blood-colored light shot skyward, especially conspicuous against the pristine white snowfield.

A moment later.

The three hovered above the boulder, staring at the cyan mist for a long while.

In the end, the ugly old Daoist couldn't hold back.

"Heh, let this old Daoist give it a test first."

He snorted coldly, a flash of crimson light appearing in his palm—a red fan materialized in his hand. He moved closer to the mist, surging his magical power into the ancient relic, then slammed the fan viciously toward the green baleful poison.

The crimson magical power transformed into a massive scorching cyclone, howling as it tore through the air. Wherever it passed, the mist was blown apart, revealing the scorched black ground beneath.

A flicker of delight flashed across the old Daoist's face, quickly replaced by a dark scowl.

Beneath where the mist had been scattered, streams of baleful poison qi bubbled up from the earth, swiftly replenishing what had been dispersed.

"There's something wrong underground," Youluo True Lord said in a sinister tone.

The gray-robed Elder Yu beside him nodded in agreement.

"Be careful, Daoist Brother E Xuan."

The moment Youluo True Lord's words fell, a blood-red point of light appeared in his hand. The light condensed into a needle in midair, then expanded to the size of a full-grown man, extremely conspicuous against the sky.

The blood-colored light needle shot forth with a whistle, piercing straight into the earth.

An explosion erupted from underground—rock fragments and debris flying everywhere, followed closely by a miserable, agonized shriek.

Thicker clumps of cyan yin poison surged up from beneath the ground. Within the poisonous fog, a massive silhouette could be dimly seen moving rapidly.

Youluo True Lord's eyes flashed with blood light. He used his Divine Sense to discern what was within the baleful poison, then raised his hand to recall the blood light needle, his brow arching slightly.

"A Ninth-Tier Cold Soul Poison Scorpion. Be careful, both Daoist Brothers."

Before his words even faded, within the baleful poison, a blood-red gaze locked onto the ugly old Daoist, who was closest.

"Humans... you deserve death!"

A hoarse roar thundered from within the mist. In the next instant, a colossal cyan scorpion tail flashed with cold light in the baleful poison, emitting a piercing sonic boom. Its speed was so extreme that even a Mid-Nascent Soul cultivator's Divine Sense struggled to track it as it stabbed straight at the ugly old Daoist.

The stinger had yet to arrive, but the stench of blood already reached him.

The ugly old Daoist's face changed dramatically. He swung his fan with all his might, conjuring a crimson cyclone before him as a shield. But the scorpion tail pierced through the cyclone like a hot knife through butter, thrusting straight for his face.

At the critical moment, a beam of blood light shot in from the side, slamming hard into the scorpion tail and knocking it off course.

It was Youluo True Lord's blood light needle.

"Beast, you seek death!"

Youluo True Lord snorted coldly, waving both hands repeatedly. Several streams of blood light interwove into a net, enveloping the poison scorpion. The scorpion shrieked in pain and retreated back into the baleful poison, yet it did not flee—it continued to prowl in the shadows, waiting for its next opening.

Elder Yu finally made his move as well. A small gray sword flew from his sleeve, its blade shimmering with gray light as it silently vanished into the baleful poison, locking in combat with the scorpion.

With the three joining forces, they managed to suppress the Ninth-Tier poison scorpion for the time being. But relying on the baleful poison for cover, the scorpion moved with uncanny agility, nearly landing several sneak attacks.

Youluo True Lord's expression darkened. While activating the formation to suppress the scorpion, he spoke coldly.

"End this quickly. Don't drag it out. That person who broke in will likely arrive before long."

At his words, the two intensified their attacks.

Within the giant pit, spiritual light exploded, poison mist churned, and killing intent lurked everywhere.

And in the distance, a faint cyan glow was silently drawing closer.