Dugu Wu looked up to see a bee flying over.

This bee was somewhat unique, but in everyone's eyes, it was just an ordinary bee, albeit slightly larger.

But Dugu Wu recognized at a glance that this was not an ordinary bee, but the Parasitic Bee Queen hatched by Dugu Xiaojing.

Having hatched it, Dugu Xiaojin had made the Parasitic Bee Queen memorize the scent of family members.

It buzzed around Dugu Wu, and when he saw the Parasitic Bee Queen, a flicker of emotion flashed through Dugu Wu's indifferent eyes.

After Xiaojin entered the Dacang Mountain, the Parasitic Bee Queen followed her in.

Because it was hatched by Xiaojin, it was very close to her and almost always by her side, but at this moment, the Queen Bee suddenly sought him out, Dugu Wu's eyes flashed.

"Dugu Wu, you sure put on airs."

Xiao Junci had already grown impatient; he had been exposed to the elements during the journey and was eager to taste the delicacies and wines of Chu City, especially those of the Drunken Immortal Inn.

The snow on the Parasitic Bee Queen had not yet melted, as if confirming something.

Dugu Wu exhaled, his gaze fixed on the Dacang Mountain, and suddenly clenched his fist.

On his back… After several breaths, Dugu Wu discreetly withdrew his gaze, and his clenched fist abruptly relaxed.

At this moment, if someone looked closely, they would have noticed that Dugu Wu's face had suddenly turned much paler.

Fortunately, no one noticed, and Dugu Wu gave a command in a deep voice; the horse carriage then headed towards the direction of Chu City.

Xiao Junci glanced at the dean, Hong Xuan, Feng Luochen, and others, who were Dugu Wu's team members participating in the Competition Among Ten Countries. What shoddy goods, all wanting to compete in the Ten Countries event.

Xiao Junci wore an expression of disdain as his steed Greedy Wolf galloped forward, with representatives from other countries following suit, disappearing one by one on the main road.

Seeing Dugu Wu leading his team towards Chu City, Hong Xuan and Feng Luochen eagerly looked towards the dean.

"It seems there really has been some incident on the mountain, I need to go up."

The dean sighed; indeed, plans could not keep up with changes.

"Dean, we'll go with you."

Hong Xuan and Feng Luochen happily followed him outside.

The group once again headed towards the mountain, but upon reaching the entrance, the dean's expression drastically changed.

Not only him, but Hong Xuan and Feng Luochen were also stunned.

"Where's the mountain path to go up?"

Hong Xuan and Feng Luochen looked at each other in dismay.

The path was there when they descended the mountain, but within just a short span, it had disappeared, and not just the path, but all the other trails leading up the mountain had vanished into thin air.

Hong Xuan even rubbed her eyes, but when she opened them again, there were still no roads, only the dense forest everywhere.

"This is insane!"

Hong Xuan was dumbfounded.

The dean also furrowed his brows deeply, musing.

"It's not ghosts, it's people. Someone has used a Spirit Array in the mountains."

Hong Xuan and Feng Luochen did not understand Arrays, and the dean could only shake his head with a wry smile.

Someone on the mountain did not want them to ascend.

The dean anxiously turned his head back towards the main road, but sadly Dugu Wu and the others had long since vanished from sight.

The mountain peak of Dacang Mountain was still plagued by harsh weather.

Clear skies stretched for miles around the mountain, yet its summit was incessantly battered by blizzards. The Horned Snake crawled out of the Snake Cave, waiting as usual for food to come tumbling down to it.

But one quarter of an hour passed, then two, and soon, a whole half hour had slipped by.

Food, however, never fell from the mountain cliffs, and the Horned Snake was becoming impatient.

Originally, the Horned Snake was just a wild viper living on Dacang Mountain. About a few years ago, someone began to domesticate it.

That person was very powerful, and the Horned Snake could not resist and willingly submitted. The person would occasionally provide it with Ah Youcai and special food to strengthen it day by day.

It wasn't until a few months ago that the Horned Snake grew horns and gradually developed a vague intelligence.

To help it evolve into a Jiao, its provider offered even more diverse food.

Having grown accustomed to being fed by humans, the Horned Snake had grown too lazy to hunt, but today it was truly starving, as no new food was being dropped from above.

After nightfall, with its stomach growling, the Horned Snake had no choice but to venture out. As it was climbing up the mountain face to check on the situation, suddenly a corpse was thrown down from above.

Smelling the blood, the Horned Snake excitedly rushed forward, seizing the corpse in its maw and dragging it back to the Snake Cave.

After that, it indulged in a hearty meal.

Just as the Horned Snake was about to take a nap, more noises came from the top of the cliff.

The Horned Snake was somewhat puzzled, but its intelligence hadn't advanced enough to detect anything amiss.

With winter approaching, food for snakes was becoming more scarce, and the Horned Snake instinctively had the habit of storing food. So when another corpse was thrown off the mountain cliff, it hesitated not a second before snatching it and taking it into the Snake Cave.

But this time, having already eaten its fill, the Horned Snake didn't devour the body immediately. Instead, it tossed the corpse to the side.

As the Horned Snake dragged the second body into the Snake Cave, Dugu Xiaojin, who had been hiding on the mountain cliff all this time, observed everything.

Over the past day, neither Xiaojin nor Dongfang Yong had left, as they were waiting for the right opportunity.

Inside the Snake Cave, the second body lay motionlessly on the ground.

Having eaten its fill, the Horned Snake let out snoring sounds. It was then that the body suddenly opened its eyes.

The corpse was a ruse by Dongfang Yong, for only by doing so could he enter the Snake Cave without alarming the Horned Snake.

He held his breath and surveyed the inside of the Snake Cave. It was deep into the night by then.

Bright moonlight shone into the Snake Cave from the mountain cliff.

The Snake Cave was large, and Dongfang Yong could see everything clearly.

Yet having seen the interior of the Snake Cave, Dongfang Yong felt the hairs on his body stand on end.

The Snake Cave was filled with a large number of corpses— not just one or two, but dozens. Each body was mutilated and disfigured from being gnawed on.

Some corpses were already decomposing, but others were clearly fresher, having been thrown down recently.

Among them, Dongfang Yong could make out some faces. One had a dim Wuji Seal on the forehead, and another had a damaged Wenhua Seal.

These corpses turned out to be powerful individuals with the Gathering Seal, and judging by their clothes, they seemed to be from Great Chu.

Dongfang Yong finally understood that the Horned Snake must have been deliberately reared by someone.

Both Wenhua and Wuji Masters usually possessed extraordinary talents. Even in death, they had remnant Gang Qi and Wen Energy in their bodies. Their corpses were beneficial to the Horned Snake's cultivation.

With the Horned Snake sound asleep, Dongfang Yong started searching the Snake Cave. He had to find that set of Martial Arts.

On the mountain cliff, Dugu Xiaojin was waiting for Dongfang Yong to signal when to seize the opportunity to go down together and kill the Horned Snake.

It was at that moment that a rustling sound of clothes was heard from behind.

Startled, Dugu Xiaojin turned to see Hua Wushang leading a group of Dacang Monkeys to the edge of the mountain cliff.

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