Li Lingsu’s eyes lit up as he excitedly rubbed his hands:

“What brilliant plan does Brother Yang have?”

Regarding beautiful companions, Li Lingsu had temporarily given up hope. Besides the flower-like imperial princess, just the First Beauty of Great Feng and Sect Leader Luo Yuheng of the Human Path was enough to make him willingly admit defeat.

Now hearing that Yang Qianhuan had thought of a way to suppress Xu Qi’an, the Holy Son was quite pleased.

Yang Qianhuan lifted his teacup and raised a corner of his veiled hat. Chu Caiwei and Li Lingsu immediately tilted their bodies, trying to catch a glimpse of his true appearance.

…Yang Qianhuan silently put down his teacup, deciding not to drink.

“Ahem!” The Holy Son cleared his throat: “Please continue, Brother Yang.”

He and Chu Caiwei wore looks of disappointment.

The three young women at the side looked bewildered, unable to understand Li Lingsu and the yellow-dressed maiden’s behavior.

Yang Qianhuan, his back to everyone, said:

“Xu Qi’an’s achievements only bring temporary fame. People like us should care about eternal reputation, not fleeting glory. Though I dislike the Confucians, they have one saying that’s quite good.

“A gentleman should establish virtue, establish merit, and establish words—these are the three immortalities. Why should I compete with Xu Ningyan for momentary satisfaction?

“I want to become someone whose name endures for centuries, recorded in the history books.”

At this point, Yang Qianhuan’s voice grew passionate:

“Brother Li, the Central Plains are now in chaos, the Yun Province rebels are fierce, and refugees are rising everywhere. This troubled era will surely be written into the history books. If during these chaotic times, I can gather the refugees and contend for the Central Plains…

“And finally quell the rebellion, restore peace to the Central Plains, and bring a prosperous era to the court, my name, Yang Qianhuan, will surely overshadow that dog Xu Qi’an.

“Let Xu Ningyan, who has repeatedly stolen my opportunities, know that fortune’s wheel keeps turning.”

If you could quell the rebellion, why not just become emperor? Then you’d outshine not just Xu Qi’an, but even your Bureau Chief teacher… Li Lingsu’s mind was full of retorts.

Hearing this, Zhao Susu roughly understood—this Senior Brother Yang from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau had a grudge against Constable Xu, apparently because Constable Xu had stolen his opportunities.

So Senior Brother Yang wanted revenge.

But something seemed strange—if he wanted revenge, shouldn’t he be targeting Constable Xu directly?

Yet it seemed he wanted to become more prominent and famous than Constable Xu—what kind of revenge was this?

Zhao Susu looked at her two sisters and saw the same confusion in their eyes.

“If you can build military prestige and become a mighty army, Senior Brother Yang could indeed be recorded in history books and achieve lasting fame.”

Despite her confusion, Zhao Susu still smiled and agreed.

She spoke truthfully—throughout history, those who gathered power, whether they eventually failed or succeeded, all left their mark in the history books.

“Clap! Clap! Clap!”

Chu Caiwei applauded vigorously, admiring her senior brother’s cleverness.

Li Lingsu hesitated briefly, then said:

“There’s nothing wrong with Brother Yang’s plan. Heroes rise in times of chaos, and with Brother Yang’s cultivation and methods, achieving historical fame wouldn’t be difficult.”

Hearing everyone’s agreement, Yang Qianhuan grew more confident, inwardly applauding his intelligence.

“However, to surpass Xu Qi’an might be a bit…” Li Lingsu shook his head slightly:

“Brother Yang, you might not know yet…”

Yang Qianhuan’s heart sank: “Know what?”

Li Lingsu said:

“Xu Qi’an allied with the Southern Demon to drive the Buddhist sect from the Ten Thousand Mountains, restored the Southern Demon’s nation, and revived the Myriad Demon Kingdom. This alone is a deed worthy of prominent recording in the history books. Moreover, by his strength alone, he changed the situation of the Nine Provinces and reversed the decline of the Central Plains—another feat destined for historical immortality.

“For Brother Yang to surpass him is truly… as difficult as ascending to heaven.”

After speaking, he noticed Yang Qianhuan sitting motionless, as quiet as a hundred-and-sixty-jin child.

The three women, including Zhao Susu, remained silent with pained expressions because even though they had just met him, they could feel Senior Brother Yang’s sorrow flowing like a reverse river.

…

Silkworm Island.

In the valley, miasma permeated everywhere, blocking both sunlight and sea breeze.

“The Netherworld Silkworm is an extremely formidable strange beast. Its silk can even bind supernatural martial artists, and it’s highly poisonous.”

Xu Qi’an held Mu Nanzhi’s hand, carefully walking to the valley’s edge to look down into the dark depths.

“What kind of silkworm could eat supernatural beings? I think you’re making this up, but I have no proof.” Mu Nanzhi pouted, holding the little white fox while standing on tiptoes to peer into the deep valley.

Though she claimed disbelief, her expression was very cautious.

Xu Qi’an gave her rounded bottom a firm slap, making her stumble and nearly fall into the deep valley.

“Xu Ningyan! I’ll fight you to the death…”

Mu Nanzhi’s face turned pale with fright. She tossed White Princess aside and, voice carrying a sob, brandished her claws wanting to fight him to the death.

“Want to hide in the Pagoda of Buddha?”

Xu Qi’an raised his head to avoid her scratching his face, asking with a smile.

Hearing this, Mu Nanzhi, after her burst of temper, felt somewhat curious yet also afraid.

“If danger comes, I’ll collect you into the pagoda.”

“Well… alright…”

Xu Qi’an wrapped his arm around the Flower Goddess’s slender waist and leaped into the valley.

The highly poisonous miasma rushed toward their faces but couldn’t affect either of them in the slightest. Along the way, Xu Qi’an had inhaled too much poison gas and had already fed his poison gu to satiation. Now he even felt somewhat regretful.

Because the poison in the valley was more potent and varied than outside.

White Princess covered her delicate nose with both paws, even though the child gu implanted in her body would absorb the poison for her.

“Crack!”

As the two slowly descended, a crisp sound came from beneath their feet—it was several dried bones.

Xu Qi’an looked around. The valley floor was deep black, with stark white bones scattered everywhere like carelessly discarded garbage. Most were from birds and fish, with some animal bones.

Human bones were almost nowhere to be seen, as this place was located on the southern frontier coast, which had originally been demon territory, and no human fishing boats would sail here.

“Where are the Netherworld Silkworms?”

Mu Nanzhi looked around, but all was quiet, without even a ghost’s shadow.

Xu Qi’an’s ears twitched slightly, and he smiled: “They’re coming!”

He heard movement, dense movement.

Shortly after, the fog-like miasma suddenly trembled, and a black light shot out from its depths.

“Whoosh!”

Xu Qi’an pulled Mu Nanzhi back as the black light embedded itself where they had been standing—it was a strand of pale gray silk covered in black fluid.

Not old enough… Xu Qi’an glanced at it and knew this wasn’t the Netherworld Silk he was looking for.

He took a deep breath, his cheeks puffing out, and blew forcefully.

The valley’s miasma instantly dispersed, briefly clearing the sky and earth. Distant miasma drifted over gracefully to fill the void.

Taking advantage of the clear visibility, Xu Qi’an and Mu Nanzhi saw their enemies clearly—more than ten half-human, half-silkworm monsters.

They had grayish-black skin, human upper bodies, and fat silkworm lower bodies.

Both male and female, all naked.

Their faces weren’t too different from humans, except their eyes were like black jewels without whites, and they had two small protruding fangs.

But judging by their features alone, the males were handsome and the females pretty—their appearances were quite attractive.

“Such rich blood essence!”

“What a delicious meal that’s fallen right at our doorstep, gaga~~”

“I want to eat his internal organs, they’re the most delicious.”

“Oh? The female beside him is strangely enticing.”

“Eat, eat, let’s eat them, haha!”

“I prefer watching them tremble and beg for mercy.”

The Netherworld Silkworms conversed freely, examining their two prey who had walked right into their trap. As for the White Princess, she was too small and was ignored.

Of course, to Xu Qi’an and Mu Nanzhi, their voices were just meaningless screeches.

I thought Netherworld Silkworms would be in silkworm form, but they’re human-headed silkworms. Can they even turn around to wipe their butts after defecating? Though their strength isn’t bad, they’re not even in the Supernatural realm—there must be stronger ones behind them… Xu Qi’an joined his fingers like a sword and tapped his brow.

Golden lacquer immediately lit up, quickly flowing to cover his entire body.

“Whoosh!”

The fire ring burst open behind his head, its scorching temperature vaporizing the miasma.

“Supernatural! It’s a Supernatural!”

A Netherworld Silkworm at the front screamed and turned to flee.

The rest scattered like birds and beasts, fleeing into the valley’s depths.

“They’re running away already?” Mu Nanzhi blinked, somewhat disappointed:

“This is completely different from what you said. You were just teasing me again.”

Still thinking about how he had scared her earlier, she angrily kicked Xu Qi’an again.

“Don’t be impatient. Let the small ones escape, and naturally, the big ones will come.”

Xu Qi’an smiled, deliberately releasing his Supernatural realm aura. The fire ring blazed fiercely, its scorching heat making the valley floor crack.

Mu Nanzhi only felt some warmth, completely unaffected by the Supernatural martial artist’s pressure. White Princess, however, was trembling like a quail in her arms.

About ten breaths later, Mu Nanzhi felt tremors from below. Then, from afar came the sound of rolling boulders, as if a mountain was collapsing.

In Xu Qi’an’s perception, a powerful and terrifying presence emerged from underground, heading their way.

The dense fog parted, revealing a huge silhouette. Gradually, the outline became clear, and what appeared before them was a massive monster—its upper body was that of an elderly woman with loose skin.

Its lower body was a fat, bloated silkworm body.

Unlike the gray Netherworld Silkworms from before, this giant silkworm’s skin was as dark as the deepest night.

Compared to this Netherworld Silkworm, Xu Qi’an and Mu Nanzhi were as tiny as ants.

“Who are you?”

The Netherworld Silkworm uttered strange syllables, examining Xu Qi’an.

In its eyes, Xu Qi’an not only had vigorous blood essence and unfathomable energy but there was also a familiar presence within him.

Those black jewel-like eyes stared at Xu Qi’an for a long while before its expression suddenly grew serious:

“It’s Gu!”

This Netherworld Silkworm is in the Supernatural realm, stronger than ordinary Third-Grade, but not quite Second-Grade… What language is it speaking? It doesn’t sound like meaningless screeches… Xu Qi’an knew this must be the true Netherworld Silkworm that the Nine-Tailed Celestial Fox had mentioned.

The kind that could eat Supernatural realm beings.

Killing it won’t be easy. I need to first get White Princess and Mu Nanzhi into the Pagoda of Buddha, but we don’t know what techniques this strange beast has, and its rank is high. Acting rashly might backfire… While thinking this, Xu Qi’an summoned the Pagoda of Buddha.

“You are Gu. Why have you come here? What do the affairs between you gods and demons from back then have to do with us descendants!”

The Netherworld Silkworm demanded loudly. Seeing this humanoid creature summon a glowing pagoda, it immediately arched its body, its abdomen swelling as if gestating something.

Both sides were poised for battle.

At this moment, White Princess in Mu Nanzhi’s arms said softly:

“It’s speaking the language of gods and demons.”

The language of gods and demons? Xu Qi’an remained ready to strike while asking:

“How do you know?”

White Princess said: “Of course I know. I can speak it too.”

Not just Xu Qi’an, but even Mu Nanzhi was shocked. In her impression, White Princess was just a constantly crying little fox cub.

“The Queen knows the language of gods and demons. I learned it from her when I was just born. None of my sisters learned it, only me.”

White Princess held her head high.

Look how proud you are… Xu Qi’an thought for a moment, then said:

“Tell it I’ve come seeking silk. What can we trade for it?”

If they could obtain the Netherworld Silk through trade, that would be better than bloody combat.

Hearing this, White Princess nodded and stretched her neck, squeaking out a series of strange syllables to the Netherworld Silkworm.

The Netherworld Silkworm, which had been poised to attack at any moment, heard the familiar divine demon language and first paused, then listened patiently. After a moment of silence, it said:

“Just wanting silk?

Little fox, first have him answer me—what is his relationship with Gu?”

White Princess translated the Netherworld Silkworm’s words.

“Tell it I’ve only received Gu’s power,” Xu Qi’an said.

After hearing the little white fox’s translation, the Netherworld Silkworm didn’t hesitate before stating its conditions:

“I want your essence blood. Not much, three drops will do.”

It also recognized Xu Qi’an’s strength and believed that if they could get what they needed through exchange, there was no need to fight.

The Netherworld Silkworm’s abdomen swelled like a ball, gradually moving upward through its chest cavity and throat before violently spitting out.

Puff puff puff… Strands of pure black, fine silk scattered through the air, falling into the valley and sticking to the rock walls, emitting an acrid poisonous gas.

After spitting out the silk, it panted slightly, having consumed significant energy.

However, this didn’t affect its combat ability, so it wasn’t afraid of the human going back on his word.

Netherworld Silk: black, highly toxic, incredibly tough, can connect to the netherworld, welcomes spirits… The records about Netherworld Silk flashed through Xu Qi’an’s mind.

This came from the Imperial Astronomy Bureau’s “Materials Science” secret manual.

Xu Qi’an opened his palm, generating a vortex of energy that drew up the Netherworld Silk and gathered it in his palm.

He stored the silk in the Territory Book fragment, then fulfilled his promise by summoning the Nation-Stabilizing Sword from the Territory Book and cutting his wrist to force out three drops of golden Vajra divine blood.

The moment the Nation-Stabilizing Sword appeared, the Netherworld Silkworm instinctively narrowed its eyes, grateful it had chosen to trade rather than fight.

“Catch!”

Xu Qi’an flicked out three drops of essence blood.

The Netherworld Silkworm crawled forward a short distance, eagerly opening its mouth to catch the essence blood Xu Qi’an had shot out.

“Delicious~~”

Accompanied by a groan of pleasure, the Netherworld Silkworm’s loose flesh quickly became taut, its rough skin became delicate, and its wrinkled face grew firm again. In moments, it transformed from a decrepit old woman into a fair-skinned, beautiful young lady with a bewitching air.

It looked at the two humans and one fox, sighing:

“I have survived since ancient times. Even though supernatural beings have endless lifespans, we still inevitably face decline. Supernatural realm essence blood can repair my increasingly decaying blood essence.”

Is it a divine demon descendant that has survived since ancient times? Xu Qi’an’s heart leaped after hearing White Princess’s translation.

At this moment, the Netherworld Silkworm stared at Mu Nanzhi and let out a soft “Oh?”, saying:

“The presence on her body is…”