"Then we can't let them win. As long as Red Ganoderma Island is still under Bi Shuirou's control, we still have a chance to swallow him whole. But do they have a chance of winning against Karma Fire Island?" Luo Wanshan's eyebrows slanted in a furrow as he spoke.

"Better safe than sorry. We absolutely must do something, no matter what, to prevent them from winning tomorrow's competition," Island Master Liu nodded in agreement.

"Do you have a plan?" Luo Wanshan inquired.

"I have a vial of secret medicine, 'Crumbly Wind Powder', which can dissipate one's mana within three days, rendering them unable to muster it against their opponents. As long as that young man is poisoned by this drug, his defeat tomorrow is certain," Island Master Liu declared.

"Poisoning? How could such cultivators be easily poisoned?" Luo Wanshan voiced his doubts.

"It would be impossible for us to poison him, but what if Bi Shuirou did it?" Island Master Liu's mouth twisted into a grin as he raised his brow in question.

Upon hearing this, Luo Wanshan had a moment of realization.

"The critical point of success or failure hinges on whether Brother Luo's Silkworm Heart Gu can successfully control Bi Shuirou?" Island Master Liu said.

"Throughout the day, I have been carefully trying to communicate with the Silkworm Heart Gu and have already gained a slight response. However, to control Bi Shuirou without leaving a trace will undoubtedly take some effort," Luo Wanshan replied.

"We can't wait that long. We must act before tomorrow's competition starts. Even if we can't kill him, we must severely weaken his combat abilities so he cannot prevail in tomorrow's trial," Island Master Liu muttered after a long contemplation, then shook his head.

"If that's the case, we'll have to take the risk…" Luo Wanshan's brow furrowed tightly as he slowly said.

Late at night.

The lodgings of the people on Red Ganoderma Island were dim, and in the courtyard, apart from the sound of insects, there were only bursts of crows cawing.

In one of the guestrooms, Bi Shuirou, who had finally calmed her emotions and drifted off to sleep, suddenly felt an intense pain in her chest and jolted awake, sitting up on the bed.

She clutched the clothing over her chest tightly with both hands, beads of sweat the size of beans rolling continuously down her pale face to the extreme.

The gnawing pain from her chest caused her to clench her silver teeth; she didn't even have the strength to shout.

"Thud..."

Just then, she heard a muffled drum sound from outside the courtyard.

As the drumming started, a strong palpitation arose from within her chest.

"Thud thud…"

With the drumming becoming more distinct, Bi Shuirou's palpitations grew more intense, and her head felt as though it had been clubbed fiercely, growing heavier and more confused.

Before she could react, a drumbeat rang out right outside her door, and she lost consciousness.

Two sneaky figures quietly slipped into the room, naturally Luo Wanshan and Island Master Liu.

At this time, a small black drum was hanging from Luo Wanshan's chest.

In the center of the drumhead was a patch of fresh blood, which came from Luo Wanshan's middle finger and index finger.

"This Silkworm Heart Gu and the Insect Capturing Drum really are a perfect match, to think we could take down Bi Shuirou so easily," Island Master Liu glanced at the supple form of the woman lying on the bed, a flash of eagerness in his eyes.

However, he always knew how to prioritize, aware that now was not the time for such distractions, hence he reined in his stray thoughts.

"Perfect match my ass, forcibly using the Silkworm Heart Gu like this severely depletes my Essence Blood and Divine Soul. By the time the Silkworm Heart Gu grows, this woman will be ruined, turned into a walking corpse. What fun would there be in keeping her?" Luo Wanshan spat out and said.

This deal had him at a significant loss, not only did it fail to achieve his goal, but it also wasted his Essence Blood and Divine Soul. Furthermore, he would have to give up his treasured secret technique to this old fellow Liu—what a frustrating ordeal!

Now, his only hope was to poison the two men together; given their strong cultivation, they were sure to have valuable treasures to compensate him.

"Enough talk, let's get down to business," Island Master Liu urged.

Luo Wanshan did not speak further but fixed his gaze on Bi Shuirou. With his bloodied fingers, he made a gesture, pointing towards her chest.

A centipede-like shadow within her chest emerged instantly, its numerous legs spreading rapidly toward Bi Shuirou's heart and slowly wrapping around it.

The next moment, her eyes opened once more, and she sat up from the bed.

Her pupils seemed slightly listless, but if one did not look closely, it would be undetectable.

Luo Wanshan then took out a white jade wine jug from his bosom and handed it to her, silently reciting the command in his mind.

Bi Shuirou accepted the wine jug and walked out the door, heading straight for the chamber where Yuan Ming was staying.

"Let's hope your poison goes undetected," Luo Wanshan sighed softly, cautiously following her.

Since the Silkworm Heart Gu was not yet mature, he needed to control her closely to ensure nothing went awry; otherwise, he wouldn't have risked coming here personally.

In the courtyard, Bi Shuirou made her way through the corridors and halls to Yuan Ming's door.

"Knock knock…"

After two knocks, there was no sign of light inside, but the door creaked open.

Yuan Ming, just roused from his cultivation, looked puzzled at the slightly disheveled Bi Shuirou at his door, asking, "Fellow Daoist Bishui, at such a late hour, is there something you need?"

"May I come in for a chat?" Bi Shuirou asked softly, her eyes and eyebrows lowered.

Yuan Ming pondered for a moment before raising his hand to ignite the candles inside the room and then stepped aside to let her in.

After the door closed, two figures crept into the courtyard, shrouded in a dim light that isolated their presence. They hid in the shadow of an old tree, cautiously looking towards the house.

The light cast the silhouettes of Yuan Ming and Bi Shuirou on the door, depicting only their blurry profiles.

Nobody knew what the two had discussed, but suddenly, a wisp of smoke emerged from behind Bi Shuirou and quickly disappeared.

"How did it go?" Island Master Liu dared not speak aloud and communicated through a transmission.

"It should be done. That smoke just now must have been from her opening the bottle of Crumbly Wind Powder. It seems that both of them must have been poisoned by now," Luo Wanshan nodded and transmitted back.

"If that's the case, we can withdraw," said Island Master Liu with a look of joy, gesturing to leave.

But Luo Wanshan hesitated, standing still without moving.

"What's wrong?" Island Master Liu asked in confusion.

"I still think it's not secure enough. Why not take this opportunity to kill the lad? If he recovers his mana in three days, wouldn't he become a great threat to us? Who knows how many valuables he still has on him," Luo Wanshan pondered.

After hearing this, Island Master Liu also fell silent for a long moment before slowly nodding, making a gesture as if he was about to strike down someone with his palm.

Once they had made up their minds, they quickly approached the house.

Just as they were ready to launch a surprise attack, a voice came from inside the house, "Fellows, you've made us wait quite a while..."

The two men were startled by the words, realizing that something was amiss, and immediately tried to escape.

As they turned and dashed away, the scenery in front of them suddenly shifted, and two doors swung open on their own, causing them to collide headfirst into another room.

The room was brightly lit, with two figures sitting face to face calmly, and a woman who appeared to have fainted lying on the other side of a round table.

The two people sitting were none other than Yuan Ming and Xi Ying, while the one who had fainted on the table was Bi Shuirou.

"You said they would come tonight; I didn't believe it, but it seems you were right again," Xi Ying said to Yuan Ming with a frustrated expression on her face, as if she had lost a wager with him.

"If they did not come tonight, I would have had to look for them. Today is the second day; the Silkworm Heart Gu within Fellow Daoist Bishui can still be extracted. If it's left until after three days, when the Silkworm Heart Gu has wrapped around the whole heart and fused with it, it will not be so easy to remove," Yuan Ming said with a smile.

Luo Wanshan and Island Master Liu, seeing them chatting casually without taking the situation seriously, felt fear, doubt, and even anger boiling up inside them.

"Let's flee," the two said, exchanging a glance, and then spoke in unison.

With that, Luo Wanshan raised his hand and flung it toward Yuan Ming and Xi Ying. Two blood-red talisman papers ignited, and from the smoke, two green-faced, fanged evil ghosts emerged, opening their bloody maws and lunging at Yuan Ming.

Yuan Ming remained indifferent to this, merely giving Luo Wanshan a scornful glance.

Luo Wanshan and Island Master Liu, however, did not dare to look back, leaving the two evil ghosts to cover their retreat as they aimed to escape as quickly as possible.

Yet, they had hardly taken a step when the scene before them changed again, and they found themselves enveloped in darkness amidst swirling mists.

Suddenly, a series of green lights appeared in front of them, with gloomy green lanterns floating on their own, and a massive red archway loomed out of the fog, bearing the bold characters for "Ghost Gate."

"Damn, it's an Illusion Technique," Island Master Liu cried out in dismay.

"Force subdues the many; never mind what Illusion Technique it is, quickly cast and break through," Luo Wanshan tried to remain calm and shouted his orders.

Immediately after, from within the Ghost Gate emerged lanterns dancing in the air, followed by a horde of ferocious ghosts with various appearances rushing out towards the two men.

One of the ghosts, a colossal Red Robed Fire Ghost, was clutching two green-faced, fanged ghosts in its hands, stuffing them into its mouth.

It was clearly the very same two talisman-ghosts Luo Wanshan had used to cover their retreat, now being crunched and swallowed by the Red Robed Fire Ghost, eliciting a chilling sensation in both men's scalps.

Only then did they realize why the young man was so composed—he was an Evil Cultivator skilled in Ghost Path.

Suddenly, both men felt their courage waning.

At that moment, the darkness overhead parted like clouds dispersing to reveal light.

Before the two could relish the sight, they were struck with an even more terrifying vision.

A gigantic figure loomed above them, dwarfing their own bodies as if they were mere toys.

The figure held a pitch-black sword overhead, slashing down towards Island Master Liu.

In his panic, Island Master Liu hastily maneuvered a Silver Shield above him for protection.

However, the sword emitted a yard-long Black Sword Qi, exuding a wild aura as it cleaved through the void. The Black Sword wailed like a banshee.

In a flash, a black light streaked across, and the Black Sword Qi instantly penetrated the Silver Shield, striking Island Master Liu.

Simultaneously, a Curse Power invaded his body.

"Uh…"

A faint sound emerged from deep within Island Master Liu's throat. His body instantly stiffened, and he fell to the ground, lifeless.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.