Record of a Demon's Cultivation

Chapter 58: Ambush!

Translator: Cinder Translations

---

Song Wen's every move appeared casual, but it attracted special attention from the Yan family cultivators on the ship.

None of the Yan family cultivators on the ship noticed that a small gray bug followed Song Wen's hand on the ship's side and crawled down along the hull.

This was an ordinary Gu Worm.

After months of nurturing Gu Worms, Song Wen had also summarized some experiences.

Although the combat power of the Black-bellied Gu Worm was stronger and its emitted aura more powerful, it was easier to be detected by people. In contrast, ordinary Gu Worms were weaker in strength and emitted a faint aura, similar to ordinary insects, making them difficult to detect.

With Song Wen's current fifth layer of Qi training, his spiritual power could sense within a radius of over a hundred meters, which was still insufficient to perceive the spiritual field.

However, when he attached his spiritual power to the Gu Worm, he could extend his perception range to over four hundred meters, enough to sense the range of the spiritual field.

Controlling the Gu Worm, Song Wen landed the Gu Worm on the nearest clump of Rainbow Grass.

Instantly, with the help of the Gu Worm, Song Wen's spiritual power enveloped this clump of Rainbow Grass, perceiving everything about it.

Firstly, the spiritual energy was sparse.

The aura of this Rainbow Grass felt unusually sparse to Song Wen, not at all like a hundred-year spiritual herb, more like a herb barely reaching ten year.

Song Wen felt strange and began to carefully examine this Rainbow Grass.

After a moment, Song Wen could confirm that this Rainbow Grass was indeed a ten-year herb.

The rainbow colors on its leaves and the black patterns on the edges of its leaves had been dyed with dyes, making it look like a hundred-year spiritual herb from a distance.

'I didn't expect that even in the cultivation world, one could encounter fraudulent merchants.'

Song Wen sighed inwardly. It seemed that even the most peripheral spiritual herbs in the spiritual field had been swapped by the Yan family's scheming. It was feared that all the hundred-year spiritual herbs in the spiritual field had disappeared, and even those seventy-year spiritual herbs were likely taken away by the Yan family.

Later, the Yan family would disguise low-year spiritual herbs as high-year ones, deceive the Corpse Demon Sect, and complete the inventory of the sect.

However, Song Wen was somewhat puzzled. Who gave the Yan family such audacity to steal from the Corpse Demon Sect, monitoring and stealing their personal possessions?

Song Wen also couldn't understand why the Yan family, having already transferred the high-year spiritual herbs, continued to linger in the poisonous marshes, seemingly unafraid of being discovered by the Corpse Demon Sect and having the entire Yan family wiped out.

Could it be that the Yan family had no choice but to temporarily stay in the poisonous marshes?

"Perhaps there are still some high-year spiritual herbs left, and the production volume is low, so the Yan family has to take risks and stay in the poisonous marshes to cultivate Rainbow Grass."

Song Wen speculated as he looked at the distant spiritual field.

A hundred-year spiritual herb did not necessarily mean that the herb had grown for a hundred years.

Various factors such as the spiritual energy of the heavens and earth, climate conditions, and soil spiritual power would affect the growth of spiritual herbs.

For example, in mundane places with thin spiritual energy, the probability of wild spiritual herbs appearing was very low, and herbs above a hundred year were almost impossible to appear.

In some rich spiritual environments, there would often exist extremely rare high-year spiritual herbs.

This was the result of the influence of the environment on the growth of spiritual herbs.

The Yan family had cultivated Rainbow Grass for many years and had also developed a set of optimal planting methods most suitable for Rainbow Grass.

By using the best planting methods and the suitable environment of the poisonous marshes, they greatly accelerated the growth rate of Rainbow Grass.

Therefore, Song Wen speculated that the Yan family was very likely cultivating a batch of high-year Rainbow Grass, and when they matured this batch, they would probably flee as a whole.

Thinking silently in his heart, Song Wen paced back to the bronze mirror, pretending to watch the images inside.

"He had already discovered the Yan family's embezzlement of the Rainbow Grass secrets, effectively completing the sect's inventory mission. Now, his priority was to return to the sect alive and report the matter to the sect leaders.

Meanwhile, Yan Zhengping, accompanied by his people and Guo Tao, spent nearly two hours casually inspecting the high-yield spiritual field area, then returned to the large ship.

As soon as they boarded, Guo Tao, with a smile on his face, loudly addressed Song Wen.

"Junior Ji Yin, there are no issues with the spiritual herbs. I have just meticulously counted the high-yield spiritual herbs in the field, and there are no discrepancies in quantity. I believe Brother Ji has also inspected the field through the bronze mirror and seen everything."

Song Wen nodded and said, "Brother Guo's words are accurate. Our mission this time has been successfully completed. When shall we depart for the sect?"

Upon hearing this, Guo Tao and the senior Yan family cultivators all showed a hint of joy in their eyes.

Yan Zhengping said to Song Wen, "Young Ji Yin, why the rush? After returning to our Yan family residence, let us host and entertain both of you properly. There's no rush for you to leave. Otherwise, if our sect colleagues find out, they might criticize our Yan family for being impetuous and neglectful."

Song Wen hesitated and looked at Guo Tao, waiting for his decision.

He knew he couldn't appear too eager; if the Yan family detected any suspicions, it wouldn't be good.

Seeing Song Wen's gaze, Guo Tao, as the ostensible leader of this expedition, gave Song Wen a reassuring smile and then turned to Yan Zhengping, saying, "Thank you, Master Yan, for your hospitality. However, we still have sect missions to complete, so we can't stay long."

Yan Zhengping replied, "Then let's have a banquet tonight, and tomorrow morning, you can depart."

Guo Tao added, "It's all up to Master Yan's arrangements."

Standing aside, Song Wen silently observed their performance. He had to admit that their performance was very professional. If he hadn't already known something was amiss, Song Wen would have definitely seen Yan Zhengping as a warmly hospitable elder and Guo Tao as a responsible fellow sect member.

The large ship slowly started and headed towards the Yan family residence.

At that moment, suddenly, a crisis emerged.

Over a dozen figures clad in black armor leaped out from the depths of the swamp forest.

Upon emerging, they immediately launched a variety of long-prepared spells and techniques towards the large ship.

There were blazing fireballs, invisible wind blades, eerie specters exuding gloomy aura, and blades shrouded in malevolent qi...

Seeing the ambush, everyone on the large ship's expression changed drastically.

"Not good, it's an ambush! Activate the defense barrier!"

Yan Zhengping's face turned cold as he shouted loudly.

As soon as he finished speaking, an invisible barrier appeared out of thin air, completely enveloping the entire ship.

Countless attacks landed on the barrier, accompanied by deafening explosions. The barrier ruptured in several places due to the impact, causing the ship to sway violently as if it could capsize at any moment.

Fiery red flames, eerie ghostly aura, poisonous green miasma...

Various energies erupted around the ship, obscuring the sky. Combined with the splashes of water everywhere from the explosions, Song Wen felt as if he were in a world on the brink of apocalypse.

(End of the Chapter)