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Chapter 378: Initiating the Poison Array
Chapter 378: Initiating the Poison Array
"Ghost Moth Poison Bug, the will of the Poison Puppet God?"
As the words of the Wu Clan Leader echoed with righteous indignation, the crowd remained silent for a long while. Earlier, some had been sealed by the poison, and a few had even lost their lives. They were all fearful and resentful of the person outside, but who would have thought that the Wu Clan Leader's hatred would surpass theirs?
However, they were still father and son, and the fact that the Wu Clan Leader intended to cultivate a Sacred Poison Egg specifically to kill his own son was something unheard of.
Moreover, the process of crafting poisons was always shrouded in secrecy. If someone were to witness it, the poison crafter would go to great lengths, even traveling thousands of miles, to hunt down and kill the witness to protect their secrets. Yet, this Wu Clan Leader was openly declaring his intention to cultivate such a poison in front of everyone.
"After receiving your news, I went to the Sorcerer's Cave and retrieved the Poison Cauldron that our clan has worshipped for a hundred years. It is the vessel our ancestors used for poison crafting, and it is the most crucial tool in the process."
Amidst the silence, the Wu Clan Leader fixed his gaze on Chief Zhuang and spoke in a low voice, "This cauldron has become our sacred artifact, passed down through generations. It is only in times of life-and-death crises that we dare to use it..."
"Of course, the Ghost Moth Poison Bug is extremely dangerous. Even with this sacred artifact, I fear I might lose half my life in the process of cultivating it..."
"..."
As he spoke, Wu Ya, the young woman who had been squatting on the ground with her body trembling, seemed to pale slightly. She lowered her head, hiding her expression from view.
The pale young man who had accompanied the Wu Clan Leader stepped forward and removed the bundle from his back. In front of the crowd, he unwrapped the layers of black cloth, revealing the contents within.
Everyone stared, and inside was a strange basin covered in copper rust. On its surface, one could vaguely see black substances, claw marks, mysterious spots, and peculiar indentations.
It was just a peculiar basin, but a single glance at it made one's heart inexplicably chill.
It was as if a sharp blade or a lurking venomous snake were hidden within; this unassuming copper basin seemed to evoke a natural sense of awe and avoidance.
"This..."
Chief Zhuang was momentarily stunned by the Wu Clan Leader's determination. He was at a loss for words, feeling that he should perhaps offer some words of discouragement or try to prevent this familial conflict. However, deep down, he knew that there was no better solution than the Wu Clan Leader taking action against that terrifying individual.
After all, it was a family matter, and it had nothing to do with him. So, with a somewhat embarrassed expression, he said, "You are doing a great service by eliminating a family member to protect the lives of the villagers. Thank you, Brother Wu."
"It is we Sorcerers who are at fault in the first place. How can I thank you enough for your words?"
The Wu Clan Leader's face remained somber as he spoke in a low voice, "I intend to eliminate this calamity for the sake of my clan, but I must also be clear about the consequences."
"If I engage in combat with that madman, whether I live or die is fate. If I fail to cultivate this poison or lose to him, then I will surely perish."
"But if he goes on a rampage and becomes intent on harming others, not only will the people in this valley be in danger, but even those in our seven villages may not survive..."
"He... he is truly mad..."
"..."
Chief Zhuang's heart skipped a beat. He stared intently at the Wu Clan Leader and asked, "Brother Wu, how confident are you?"
"If I can cultivate the Ghost Moth Poison Bug, I will be able to eliminate him."
The Wu Clan Leader spoke in a deep voice, "Unfortunately, this poison is a specialty of the Southern Clan Leader. When we migrated here, we brought seven eggs from the Southern Shaman Temple. We have attempted to cultivate them six times, but all attempts have failed, and now only one egg remains..."
"To successfully cultivate it, I will need to put in my utmost effort. In addition to the Poison Cauldron I brought, I have prepared Red-Eyed Vines, Earth Malefic Ash, and the heartblood of thirteen Sorcerer Poison Masters..."
"But this is still not enough. I will also require some Blood New Year Beast, the concentrated essence from the Dark Empyrean, the Green Bones extracted from the mine, and even..."
"I will need to directly utilize the energy veins of your Blood Feast Mine to complete this Poison Array."
"..."
At this point, he paused and said, "Of course, borrowing a bit of negative energy will not truly destroy your mine. You need not worry about repercussions from the authorities."
"Oh..."
Chief Zhuang, who had been full of anticipation, suddenly hesitated upon hearing the Wu Clan Leader's words. "You want to borrow our Blood Feast Mine for poison cultivation..."
"This has never happened before!"
"..."
The Blood Feast Mine was their lifeline...
He seemed genuinely taken aback. Sorcerers typically preferred to use Black Empyreans or leftover materials for poison crafting. He had thought that, at most, they would allocate some resources from the Blood Feast Mine for this purpose.
Who could have imagined that the Wu Clan Leader intended to initiate the array directly on the Blood Feast Mine and cultivate the Sacred Poison, which sounded incredibly sinister? If something unexpected were to happen, who could bear the consequences?
The Wu Clan Leader noticed his hesitation and remained silent for a moment before speaking in a low voice, "I have no other choice. If I have even the slightest chance of victory, I would go and confront Wu Song, the madman. But I know that I cannot defeat him."
"Perhaps you have other alternatives. I will not insist, and whoever ultimately kills that madman will be the great benefactor of our Sorcerer clan.
"..."
These frank words caused Zhuang Kuangshou, the mine master, to hesitate as well. He looked troubled but suddenly thought of something and glanced at Hu Ma before turning to Wu Gong, the clan leader. "Brother Wu, don't worry. Everyone knows your reputation. Who would dare doubt you?"
"However, as I mentioned earlier, we now have new people in our association, and I am no longer the sole decision-maker."
"This manager, Hu, is our new leader. If you wish to borrow this Blood Feast mine to craft your poison puppet, even for a good cause, you must seek his approval. Only then can it be done..."
"..."
Upon hearing this, Wu Gong was taken aback and turned to look at Hu Ma.
Not only him but also the miners around them all turned their gazes towards Hu Ma, their eyes filled with anticipation and concern. The invisible pressure that had built up over time seemed to have suddenly shifted onto his shoulders.
Hu Ma, meeting everyone's gaze, quickly thought it over and smiled. "Of course, it's possible. But apart from what you've mentioned, is there anything else we can help with?"
"Wonderful! Thank you, Manager Hu, for your willingness to help. With the mine's assistance, we can be confident about the poison puppet!"
Wu Gong's face lit up with relief at Hu Ma's prompt agreement. "The rest is simple. During my poison crafting, Wu Song will likely notice, and there will undoubtedly be other troubles."
"At that time, I'll need you powerful folks to help us block him for a while. Once my Sacred Puppet is crafted, everything will be settled!"
"As for the poison crafting, I'll do it myself without any assistance. However, the preparations for the crafting still require the help of the brothers from the mine."
"..."
Hu Ma nodded with a smile. "These are all necessary tasks. After all, it's about saving our own lives, isn't it?"
"Just tell me what you need."
"..."
Wu Gong, seeing Hu Ma's generosity, was in high spirits. He, too, had a straightforward nature. "Then I'll be direct."
"I need a place. Use the oldest wood from this mine, the older, the better. Build a shed in front of the valley, where there's no shelter. I'll use it as an altar to worship the Puppet God and start the poison crafting."
"Additionally, I need you to prepare some blood offerings—ten pounds of black blood, including three pounds of boneless and two pounds of three-patterned meat... Also, I'll need fresh Age God blood delivered to me promptly."
"During the poison crafting, miners born in the years of the Horse, Monkey, or Rooster must not approach my altar at night."
"..."
Wu Gong had clearly thought this through, and he explained everything in detail. However, to outsiders, his words were confusing and incomprehensible.
Hu Ma turned to Zhuang Kuangshou and smiled. "Can these be arranged?"
"No problem!" Zhuang Kuangshou quickly assured. "There's plenty of old wood in the valley, and many houses are already empty. We can dismantle them anytime. As for the Dark Empyrean, we usually don't use it, so there's an abundance of it. We typically discard it."
"The other requests are also simple. The miners here value their lives, and no one will disobey."
"..."
Hu Ma nodded and smiled at him. "In that case, you help this clan leader. I'm not very familiar with the ways of witchcraft, and my clumsy hands might hinder important matters."
"If you need anything else, just come to me."
"..."
"..."
After giving instructions, he said no more and assigned tasks to everyone. He returned to his residence, his previously smiling face now tense. He looked up and saw Old Abacus waiting for him, his expression equally serious.
Hu Ma furrowed his brows and spoke softly, "What do you think about what the clan leader just said? How much of it is true?"
"Don't speak for now."
Old Abacus also wore a grave expression. He placed an incense burner on the cabinet and lit three sticks of incense, appearing to be preparing for a worship ceremony. However, there was no deity statue on the cabinet.
He knelt before the incense burner, his hands clasped together and brought to his nose, silently muttering to himself for a moment. Then, he opened his hands, and three copper coins fell to the ground with a clatter, some heads up and some tails up.
Hu Ma was intrigued and watched from the side.
Old Abacus picked up the coins, muttered to himself again, and threw them to the ground three times before collecting them.
"The myriad things in the world change and transform, all stemming from Taiji, giving birth to Yin and Yang..."
After putting away the coins, he continued to mutter to himself for a while, his fingers moving rapidly as if calculating something. Finally, he opened his eyes, and his expression was surprisingly astonished.
"Strange... I also found it hard to determine the truth of the clan leader's words while listening just now. I thought I'd come back and ask Grandmaster..."
"The divination shows that everything he said is true!"
(End of Chapter)
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