Once I enter the pass, great Confucian scholars will surely debate the classics for me.

Chapter 136 Ice Soul Frost Withered Bone Cicada, No Longer Existing to Protect the Gu Family

At the foot of Despair Slope, 4,900 feet high.

Sima Yan, holding a telescope, was reporting the latest situation to Ma Dalang.

"Mr. Ma, I have good news and bad news. Which do you want to hear first?"

Ma Dalang raised an eyebrow and, after a moment's thought, said, "This time, I want to hear the good news first."

Sima Yan chuckled: "Alright, the good news is that I'm now very close to the Xi Yi Treasure."

Upon hearing this, Ma Dalang's face showed a rare smile, after all, the Xiyi Treasure was a considerable fortune for the Ma family: "Well done, I'll give you an extra million as a bonus this time."

Sima Yan beamed: "Mr. Ma is so generous, thank you very much, Mr. Ma."

Ma Dalang asked, "What's the bad news?"

Sima Yan said, "The bad news is that your younger brother led the way and made great strides. The rest of us have fallen behind for the time being. However, there is only one way up the mountain, so I should be able to catch up if I work harder."

Ma Dalang nodded: "The news isn't too bad. Try to catch up as soon as possible. Those few crooks around Lao Si won't be of much use in a critical moment. Report back to me if you have any new developments."

"Received." Sima Yan disconnected the magic transmission, casually tossed the telescope into his storage bag, slowed his pace, and asked the attendant following behind him, "What is that grove of withered trees ahead?"

The attendants hurriedly unfolded the tattered map of despair, carefully studied and identified it, and then reported: "Miss Ma, according to the map, there is an extremely dangerous area ahead, inhabited by a type of insect demon called the Dry Bone Cicada."

"The skeleton cicada is small in size and looks very much like the cicada that sings in autumn. Its body is covered with colorful patterns, which are like the face of a beautiful woman painted with fine brushstrokes. However, behind the beauty lies a deadly crisis. Once a person touches it, he will quickly turn into a skeleton."

"These bone cicadas are accustomed to inhabiting rotten wood, especially trees that have been dead for many years. Their population is enormous and terrifying in scale. They rely on the complex ecosystem formed by dead trees to form a tight defense network, making it difficult for ordinary people to approach, let alone cross this area."

The attendant paused, then added, "These bone cicadas are in a dormant state for a long time, but they are particularly sensitive to the temperature of living people. Once they detect an abnormal temperature, the swarm will immediately become agitated and awaken, attacking in unison."

Sima Yan gave an "oh" and ordered his attendants to take out the Ice Soul Frost Pills that had been prepared in advance and swallow them.

The Ice Soul Frost Pill is a pill made from millennia-old ice marrow and a variety of rare medicinal herbs with ice attributes. The pill is crystal clear, like ice crystals, and contains a profound ice energy.

The user will feel a bone-chilling cold in a short time. The flow of qi and blood in their body will be forcibly frozen, causing their body temperature to drop sharply to near absolute zero, as if they have been transformed into an ice sculpture in an instant.

This elixir can be used by cultivators as a temporary aid to resist high temperatures or to cultivate ice magic and supernatural powers. However, non-cultivators who take it may fall into a state of suspended animation due to their inability to withstand the effects.

Sima Yan, accompanied by ten followers, cautiously passed through the area inhabited by the withered bone cicadas. Then, a mischievous smile appeared on his cute baby face, and he designated one of his followers: "You set a fire to boost the strength of our friends behind us."

The follower hesitated for a moment: "Miss Ma, isn't this a bit inappropriate? After all, we are allies. If they find out that we're deliberately setting a trap for our allies, we'll definitely be wiped out."

Sima Yan glanced at him sideways: "Do you want to do it or not? I'll do it with you."

Upon hearing this, the attendant's face turned green with fright. He immediately cast a spell with both hands, summoning two balls of flame and throwing them towards the withered forest.

The flames touched the dry tree and immediately blazed fiercely.

Then the scene was like a hornet's nest had been stirred up.

Numerous withered cicadas crawled out of the tree hole, densely packed and layered, emitting black light, red light, or blue light, the three colors mixed together, like the surging waves of the sea.

"Let's go!" Sima Yan smiled with satisfaction and immediately led ten followers to retreat quickly. Leaving behind such a mess would result in heavy losses if the people behind caught up and tried to pass through the dead forest.

Sima Yan has his own rhythm and ideas. If he takes Boss Ma's money, he has to do things perfectly for Boss Ma. With so many forces dividing the treasure, wouldn't Boss Ma get a lot less money?

If we could wipe out all the forces in the rear in one fell swoop, even if we couldn't wipe them all out, wiping out half of them would be fine. Even if we didn't wipe them all out, it would greatly slow down the speed at which the forces in the rear were catching up.

If they weren't present when the treasure was divided, then Mr. Ma would get a larger share.

If Boss Ma is happy, he will definitely raise his wages and give him bonuses.

Sima Yan waved his sleeve and left without a trace, but he caused enormous trouble for the various forces chasing behind him. What was originally an easy task instantly became a difficult one.

Representatives from the three collateral branches arrived at the withered forest an hour later. The First Duanmu, the First Yujing, and the First Jinse took out the Ice Soul Cold Pills they had prepared in advance and swallowed them, preparing to pass through this dangerous area silently.

However, the dormant cicadas had already been awakened.

After Duanmu led his men into the withered forest, a large number of skeleton cicadas surged out, instantly engulfing more than a dozen cultivators at the Devouring Fiend Realm in a sea of ​​black, red, and blue insects, turning them into skeletons in the blink of an eye.

The first team, which had three affiliated branches, had already lowered their body temperature to freezing point beforehand.

Unexpectedly, the cicadas awakened from their dormancy, catching the attackers off guard and resulting in heavy losses.

"Oh no! The map is wrong! That damned Gu family is setting us up!" First Jinse was shocked and furious. She retreated to the center and reached for the zither on her back, intending to use a sound-based suppression technique to subdue the swarm of insects.

However, the First Jade Capital, wielding a swift sword, quickly deflected the attacking withered cicada and stopped the First Brocade's reckless act: "Don't play the zither! The sound of the zither will cause a massive avalanche!"

First Jinse gritted her teeth, unwilling to give up, because if a large-scale avalanche were triggered, even if they were lucky enough to survive, they would fall from this height of thousands of feet to the ground, and everything would have to start all over again.

These deadwood cicadas are not only numerous, but they can also fly at low altitudes despite the gravitational pressure of Despair Slope. Even though their flight height does not exceed two meters, they still cause them great trouble and casualties.

To protect the three geniuses, the followers of the Devouring Fiend Realm risked their lives to protect them, shielding First Duanmu, First Jinse, and First Yujing in the center, even at the cost of their own lives.

"Don't panic! Listen to my command and charge forward with all your might!" Duanmu formed hand seals and slammed his hands on the ground. A large number of coffin boards containing calamity energy surged from the ground, forming a passageway leading out of the withered forest.

Upon seeing this, First Jade Capital and First Brocade immediately led their remaining elite followers in a rapid sprint. No one cared about the exhaustion at this moment; life was of the essence. Even if they were carrying a mountain, they had to grit their teeth and run.

After the group successfully escaped and moved away from the dead forest.

A group of people were so exhausted that they collapsed to the ground.

First Jinse knelt on the snow, her red and white woolen coat stained with the blood of her own men. She gasped for breath and said, "Damn it, we've capsized in a ditch."

First Jade Capital took stock of his manpower and found that of the thirty Devouring Fiend Realm followers he had brought, only seven remained. More than twenty Devouring Fiend Realm experts had been tricked and killed in the swarm of insects.

“Brother Duanmu, we have never suffered such heavy losses since we set off. It is because we trusted the map provided by the Gu family too much that we suffered such heavy casualties and almost lost our entire army.”

Upon hearing this, Duanmu calmly and expressionlessly said, "Yujing, this matter is strange. Don't rush to judgment."

First Jinse slowly stood up, her eyes filled with murderous intent, and said, "Brother Duanmu, what is there to doubt about this matter? It must be that the Gu family wants to keep the treasure for themselves and deliberately offered up a flawed map design to trap us."

First Duanmu glanced at the two of them and said calmly, "Don't let anger cloud your judgment."

"There are many possibilities for the bone-setting cicadas to attack us."

"Perhaps it was someone ahead who sabotaged things, trying to prevent us from catching up."

"Perhaps it was the end of the cicada's hibernation period that we happened to encounter."

"Of course, it's also possible that the Gu family tampered with the map."

"In short, do not act rashly before things are clear, so as not to ruin the overall situation."

First Jade Capital said coldly, "So we just swallow this insult? Twenty-three experts at the Devouring Fiend Realm didn't die on the battlefield, but were instead eaten by a swarm of Bone-Drying Cicadas. How are we going to explain this to our families when we get back?"

First Duanmu sighed and said, "I will inform Zhou Qingfeng about this matter. After all, he is a member of my family and will definitely investigate it thoroughly. The most important thing right now is to hurry on our way and catch up with Zhou Qingfeng as soon as possible."

For the three collateral branches, experts at the Devouring Fiend Realm are not readily available at any time. It takes a lot of resources and time to cultivate them, and each one can be considered an elite force of the three collateral branches.

The death of even one person is enough to make one feel sorry, let alone the loss of twenty-three elite soldiers in one go.

At this moment, the souls of twenty-three Devouring Fiend Realm followers floated up and caught up.

First Duanmu looked at them, summoned a small coffin artifact from his palm, and said, "You protectors have rendered meritorious service. Please rest in my Soul-Nourishing Coffin for now. After we return to the city, I will find a way to reshape your physical bodies."

The twenty-three Food Fiend Realm followers clasped their hands in unison: "Thank you, Young Master Duanmu."

In the Realm of Devouring Fiends, the destiny of the Four Fiends refers to the life soul.

Even if the physical body is reduced to ashes and the three souls and seven spirits are scattered, as long as the life soul still exists, it is not considered to have perished in this evil world; once a good physical body is found, one can still cultivate magic power again and live a second life.

In this turbid and evil world, people are like mayflies; even a cultivator as powerful as the Devouring Fiend Realm can perish at any time.

Because humans eat demons, ghosts, immortals, and Buddhas, and vice versa.

No matter how strong you are, you will still face life-or-death danger when encountering demons or monsters of the same level.

This is why it is said that in this turbid and evil world, it is easy to live a long life, difficult to avoid death, and immortality is even more of absurd.

After collecting the souls of twenty-three followers at the Devouring Fiend Realm, Duanmu rested briefly before continuing his pursuit of the summit with the remaining forces.

At a height of 5,500 feet, the thunderstorm clouds had not dissipated for two consecutive days.

Zhou Qingfeng could only stay outside and wait, with two people in each team taking turns to keep an eye on the movement of the thunderstorm cloud. As soon as there was any sign of it dissipating, he would immediately lead his team to rush over.

During this time, the teams behind also caught up one after another.

However, each one was more tragic than the last; less than one in ten of the team survived, and all the survivors were wounded.

Tang Yijun, the representative of the Tang family, suffered the worst fate. Only his head remained intact, and his body was reduced to a skeleton. If it weren't for his elite followers risking their lives to save him and using secret techniques to prolong his life, he would have been devoured by the withered bone cicada on the spot.

Fortunately, Zhou Qingfeng had a skilled doctor named Chen with him.

Thanks to Master Chen's miraculous healing skills, Tang Yijun's flesh and internal organs slowly regenerated, and his life was temporarily saved. However, he was still groaning in pain in the ice house, his body wrapped in bandages.

It was already dark, and there was no blizzard or hail.

The group sat around the campfire, each taking out their own dry rations to warm and cook their food.

Zhou Qingfeng said, "How did you get into this mess?"

Faced with Zhou Qingfeng's question, everyone's faces instantly turned ashen, and they all turned their gazes toward the Gu family head.

The Gu family head was all alone. All the elites who had followed him had perished in the mouths of the withered bone cicadas, leaving him all alone.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Do you suspect that I tampered with the map and deliberately caused this situation?"

The Gu family head angrily retorted, "Everyone, think about this calmly. If I had really done something wrong, would I have let myself end up in this state? I led ten experts at the Devouring Fiend Realm, and now they have all perished. My loss is no less than yours."

The crowd remained silent, their cold and suspicious gazes fixed on the head of the Gu family.

Although they may not necessarily believe that all of this was deliberately designed by the Gu family head, the huge losses they suffered were indeed caused by the incorrect map information provided by the Gu family head.

When no other clear enemy can be found.

The head of the Gu family naturally became the target of public criticism.

The Gu family head sensed something was wrong and was terrified. He had intended to make friends with other families by providing the map, but the result was the opposite, incurring their secret resentment, which was undoubtedly fatal to him.

So he hurriedly put down the dry food in his hand, stood up, clasped his hands and pleaded with Zhou Qingfeng to uphold justice: "Special Envoy Zhou, please do your best to help me."

"Please calm down." Zhou Qingfeng gestured for the Gu family head to sit down, and then learned about the specific situation from everyone.

His gaze involuntarily fell on Ma Ruyi.

Sima Yan, disguised as Ma Ruyi, noticed Zhou Qingfeng's gaze, revealed an innocent smile, and leisurely sipped a cup of hot water in her hand.

Zhou Qingfeng seemed to be deep in thought. He keenly sensed something strange, because Ma Ruyi and her men had not suffered any losses, while the entire team that followed Ma Ruyi had suffered heavy losses.

Despite suspecting that Ma Ruyi might be behind it all, the current situation is advantageous to them, regardless of the truth. Only by weakening the power of various forces can they better control the situation on the ground.

First Duanmu said, "Special Envoy Zhou, I hope you will investigate this matter thoroughly. I suspect that someone within our ranks is sabotaging us, because only our own people could be so vicious, ruthless, and accurate, causing us heavy losses, with only one in ten surviving."

Zhou Qingfeng said, "I will take responsibility for finding out the truth. Does Vice Envoy Duanmu have any suspects?"

First, Duanmu scanned the people present, his gaze finally settling on the head of the Gu family. Everyone else also turned their gazes toward the head of the Gu family, everything understood without a word.

Seeing this, Zhou Qingfeng said calmly, "I know you all suspect that Patriarch Gu deliberately framed you."

“But I think the Gu family head has no reason or motive to do this, because he plans to join our Sword Tower and intends to develop in Sword Tower in the long term.”

“He wouldn’t do something so short-sighted as to ruin the family’s future; if you’re not sure, I can vouch for the head of the Gu family.”

Upon hearing this, the crowd stopped pressing the Gu family head for answers, since there was no evidence and it was all just speculation.

If Zhou Qingfeng sits idly by, they can certainly take advantage of the situation and kill the Gu family head to vent their anger.

However, since Zhou Qingfeng has now stepped forward to protect him, they must produce evidence; otherwise, no one can touch the Gu family head.

Zhou Qingfeng also had his own plans. He wanted to use this opportunity to win over the Gu family so that when they went to the Sword Tower to develop their careers, he could bring the Gu family under his control and strengthen the Zhou family's power.

"Thank you, Special Envoy Zhou, for standing up for me and clearing my name." The Gu family head looked grateful, clasped his hands in a salute, and secretly thought that he was almost doomed. Fortunately, this fourth young master of the Sword Tower was willing to step in and vouch for him. Otherwise, no one could have saved the Gu family tonight.

Zhou Qingfeng smiled gently, turned his gaze to Ma Ruyi, and said in a calm tone, "Miss Ma, please come with me. I have a few words that I need you to convey to my elder brother."