Gateway of Immortality-Chapter 372: Ghost-Headed Wasps

"How many people?" Wandering Man asked.

Qin Sang replied, "For now, I've only spotted one."

Wandering Man pondered for a moment and said, "We've been careful in the market, not provoking any enemies. They shouldn't be coming for us specifically. Could it be someone else's enemy?"

"Could it be that Kong Xin accidentally leaked information about the Cold Gold's mother lode?" Qin Sang glanced at Kong Xin’s back. He was earnestly leading the way, behaving very obediently now.

As for the red-clothed woman and the others, none of them had acted suspiciously. Qin Sang and Wandering Man hadn't noticed anyone leaving marks or passing messages outside.

"Hard to say!"

Wandering Man mused. "I'll keep an eye on the rear. Brother Qin, you watch Kong Xin and the others. If it has nothing to do with us, then all the better. But if things take a turn, we either capture their leader first or escape using the Spiritual Bamboo Flying Boat. Ideally, we should take Kong Xin with us. Endless Valley is treacherous and ever-changing; a few words won't be enough to navigate it. We still need him to lead the way..."

Qin Sang nodded. "Senior, when the time comes, help me buy some time. As long as I can summon a talisman astra, no number of fiends or ghosts will be a threat."

"Alright!"

...

The passage twisted and turned, and after walking a certain distance, it gradually began to ascend. Qin Sang set up several warning barriers along the way, but none were triggered.

After nearly an hour, the exit finally appeared ahead.

Confirming that the outside was safe, the group filed out one by one, at last escaping from the oppressive darkness of the passage.

The cave's exit was halfway up a mountain, with the ghost nest looming directly above. No one dared to make a sound, carefully following Kong Xin on foot through the mountain.

Before they reached the base, Kong Xin suddenly halted, turned to face the master-disciple pair, and pointed to the left, speaking in a hushed tone, "The spiritual herb you need grows on that cliff over there. I'll take you there now. The rest of you may rest here for a moment—I’ll be back shortly."

Looking in the direction Kong Xin indicated, they could only see a vast expanse of blood-colored mist.

That area lay directly beneath the ghost nest, where the blood miasma churned, and ghostly wails filled the air. One look was enough to tell it was far from a safe place.

The red-clothed woman and the others had no intention of risking themselves for someone else's sake and were about to agree. But before they could speak, Qin Sang suddenly interjected, "This place is right at the edge of the ghostly creatures' lair. If Daoist Kong goes alone and encounters danger, I fear we may not be able to rescue him in time. It would be safer for us all to go together and watch each other's backs. What do you two think?"

Qin Sang's proposal wasn’t out of concern for the master-disciple pair but rather to test something.

If Kong Xin was lying and there were no spiritual herbs there, it would be clear he had other intentions.

Wandering Man immediately understood Qin Sang’s reasoning.

The red-clothed woman and the cultivator surnamed Bao exchanged a glance, contemplated briefly, then agreed.

Shaking his fan, the cultivator surnamed Bao turned to the master-disciple pair and said playfully, "Daoist, you’re not afraid we’ll steal your spiritual herb, are you?"

The master and disciple exchanged looks before the master chuckled. "The herb we need is the Blood Poison Flower. Its quality isn’t high, but its medicinal properties are unique. Aside from curing my disciple’s illness, it has no other use and likely wouldn’t interest you. If you’re willing to escort us, I couldn’t ask for more."

With that, the group changed direction. They crossed the mountain without incident, only to find the path ahead suddenly cut off, revealing a bottomless abyss before them.

From within the abyss came not only the shrill howls of ghostly creatures but also a strange buzzing sound.

Kong Xin raised his hand and pointed to the cliff on the opposite side. "Daoists, look. The Blood Poison Flower is right there."

Everyone looked over and saw a crack in the cliff face. Inside, sure enough, a strange blood-colored flower the size of a silver platter bloomed—it was precisely the Blood Poison Flower the master and disciple sought.

What was strange, however, was that beneath the Blood Poison Flower, several enormous black spheres hung from the rock wall.

The moment they got a clear look at the spheres, everyone involuntarily drew a sharp breath.

Wasp hives!

These were wasp hives, pitch-black as ink. More terrifying still, from time to time, large black wasps flew out of the hives, each one as big as an adult’s fist!

The buzzing sound they had heard earlier came from these venomous wasps in flight.

The wasps looked incredibly vicious, with three pairs of blood-colored wings and barbed stingers at the tips of their tails, shimmering with a sinister blue-green glow—one glance was enough to tell they were highly venomous.

One wasp alone would be manageable. But with so many hives, there had to be thousands, if not tens of thousands, of them.

Moreover, from the way their wings stirred the air, it was clear that these wasps were no ordinary creatures. After growing in the blood miasma for countless years, they had likely undergone some form of mutation.

Even Foundation Building cultivators like them wouldn’t stand a chance if they got caught in a swarm. Their fate would be nothing short of miserable.

"Daoist, do you intend to harvest the Blood Poison Flower while facing these venomous wasps?"

The cultivator surnamed Bao looked at the wasps buzzing chaotically through the air, his scalp tingling with unease. A trace of horror flickered in his eyes, and he instinctively took a few steps back, afraid of being noticed by the swarm.

The master and disciple had not expected so many strange venomous wasps to be guarding the area either. Their expressions turned grim.

The elder, however, remained resolute and said firmly, "I have spent years searching far and wide to find this one Blood Poison Flower. No matter the risk, I must try." freёnovelkiss.com

Kong Xin spoke in a low voice, "As per our agreement, I have brought you here. My task is complete. Harvesting the Blood Poison Flower is up to you. As for the remaining half of my payment..."

The elder tossed a Mustard Seed Pouch to Kong Xin and cupped his hands. "Thank you, Daoist."

Kong Xin checked the contents and, seeing that everything was in order, revealed a satisfied smile. "These venomous wasps are not to be taken lightly. Daoist, you must proceed with extreme caution. We, however, must continue deeper into Endless Valley, so we’ll take our leave."

Qin Sang, who had been silent at the side, suddenly flickered into motion. In an instant, he appeared at the edge of the abyss. After a moment of contemplation, he retrieved his Spirit-Binding Rope.

With a wave of his hand, he dimmed the glow of the Spirit-Binding Rope. Then, with a flick of his fingers, the rope silently drifted toward the hives.

Seeing Qin Sang’s actions, the others, afraid of getting caught up in any danger, immediately stepped back.

Only Wandering Man remained behind him, ready with his artifacts, prepared to intervene at any moment.

Everyone was curious about the venomous wasps, yet no one wanted to test them firsthand and risk provoking them. Since Qin Sang was willing to take the lead, no one, not even the elder, tried to stop him.

Qin Sang ignored the thoughts of the others. His goal was simply to capture a few of the venomous wasps.

If he was not mistaken, these creatures should be a species of rare insect known as Ghost-Headed Wasps.

Among the possessions of Di Que, there had been a jade slip left behind by a Golden Core cultivator from the Yuling Sect. That jade slip recorded information about Ghost-Headed Wasps—an exceptionally rare species.

However, these venomous wasps differed significantly from the ones described in the jade slip. The most notable difference was their three pairs of blood-colored wings. True Ghost-Headed Wasps had transparent wings.

Moreover, the venomous wasps before them were also larger in size than the Ghost-Headed Wasps recorded in the jade slip.

Since obtaining the jade slip, this was Qin Sang’s first time encountering such rare insects.

Unlike Di Que, he did not have the time or energy to search the world for various rare insects. But now that he had stumbled upon them, he certainly wouldn’t let the opportunity slip away.