Master of Strange Dao

By the time it was discovered, it was too late.

"Did you bring back a sample?" Yu Ziqing asked.

"I brought it back." King Xiang produced a jade bottle sealed with a talisman and handed it to Yu Ziqing.

Yu Ziqing opened the jade bottle and silently sensed it for a moment.

Inside him, a calm, earth-toned toad that was constantly inhaling and exhaling suddenly opened its eyes and lifted its head to take a look.

The Bodhi Tree, which was usually quiet as well, started to emit a faint glow, responding to it.

Yu Ziqing opened his mouth and inhaled, drawing the spiritual energy sealed in the jade bottle into his body.

The earth-toned toad and the Bodhi Tree began to move simultaneously.

The toad absorbed it, circulated it once, and then passed it to the Bodhi Tree.

On the Bodhi Tree, a flower bud gradually appeared, and when it bloomed, a grotesque face was inside.

As the flower opened and withered, it passed from the Bodhi Tree to the Flying Eagle, which swallowed it and then spat it out, passing it to the irritable Fire Ape. The Fire Ape took a bite and then tossed it to the Two-headed Snake, ultimately being swallowed by the toad.

As this cycle completed, the trace of power completely dissipated.

Yu Ziqing silently received the information from the five manifested entities, and suddenly an understanding formed in his mind.

It was not an ordinary poison.

For someone who dared to consume Jinlan's sedative as if it were a regular meal, ordinary poison was utterly useless.

Nor would it provoke a reaction from those five beings.

Especially that earth-toned toad, which since its appearance, had been continuously inhaling, exuding a vibe that said, "I am only interested in cultivation, don't disturb me," with a serene, monk-like demeanor.

This was the first time the toad reacted to something from the outside.

Yu Ziqing opened his eyes and glanced at King Xiang.

"Can we find any traces, where did the person go?"

"Can't find out, there's some clue within the peninsula, but outside that area, there's nothing."

"I see, please, King Xiang, keep this matter quiet."

Yu Ziqing crushed a Jade Scroll, sending out a message.

After half a month, a wisp of black energy wandered outside King Xiang's villa, and seized the opportunity to quietly slip in while someone entered and exited from the back door.

In the room where Yu Ziqing resided, the wisp of black energy reconvened, transforming into Lou Huai.

"Brother, I'm here."

"I need your help with something, first, take a sniff of this." Yu Ziqing handed Lou Huai a jade bottle.

Lou Huai took a gentle sniff and immediately wrinkled his nose, covering it, and moved the bottle away.

"What is this stuff? It stinks."

Yu Ziqing leaned in to sniff the jade bottle but smelled nothing.

"Just as I thought."

He couldn't smell anything, nor could King Xiang.

Yet, strangely enough, Lou Huai, this Devil, could smell something foul.

This was the very jade bottle King Xiang had given him earlier, and though its contents were gone, a lingering scent remained.

"Remember this scent; we should set off now."

To avoid attracting unwanted attention, Yu Ziqing and Lou Huai boarded King Xiang's Flying Boat, traversing the eastern region of Dazhen and arriving at the far eastern peninsula region.

No one paid attention to King Xiang's Flying Boat, nor did anyone know Yu Ziqing was there.

Upon reaching the Grotto Heaven where the Yin Family had once temporarily stayed, from afar, Lou Huai's face turned ashen as he continuously retched, feeling slightly better only after using a Magical Treasure.

"Brother, is that a cesspool Grotto Heaven? The stench is unbearable."

"I can't smell that scent; only you can. Someone poisoned the spiritual energy there. Now, I want you to track the lingering scent. Can you do it?"

"No problem... Ugh..." Lou Huai removed the scent-blocking Magical Treasure and immediately started retching.

They flew farther, beginning to circle around the Grotto Heaven as the center, searching.

In less than half a day, Yu Ziqing noticed Lou Huai's expression change, his abdomen and throat contracting, and instantly understood that they had found a trace.

"Brother, there's a faint trace here... Ugh..."

Before he could finish, Lou Huai vomited outright.

Yu Ziqing patted Lou Huai's back, feeling fortunate.

To disgust a Devil to such an extent, it must smell atrocious.

Luckily, he couldn't smell it at all.

"Take it slow, no rush."

"I'm fine, Brother, let's continue."

Following the lingering scent that only Lou Huai could detect, they proceeded until they reached a place only a few hundred miles from the entrance of the Grotto Heaven.

Finally, they found what they were looking for.

A lake.

The scent vanished here.

Diving into the lake, Yu Ziqing searched inch by inch, eventually discovering an entrance on a stone wall at the bottom.

The entrance was unprotected and cloaked by a disguise formation that had no detectable fluctuations.

Entering it, they swam for several dozen yards and found a damp cave inside, where they discovered a fissure.

A mere four to five yards long and about one yard wide, an Abyssal Rift.

Yu Ziqing stared at this rift, then glanced back at the disguise formation outside.

It wasn't just similar; it was identical.

Just like one he had seen before, even the size was exactly the same!

Many things seemed to be connecting unconsciously.

Yu Ziqing sneered coldly at the rift.

Those of the An Family didn't die unjustly. Now, even Yu Ziqing felt that Song hadn't been ruthless enough; he should have uprooted the An Family's stronghold.

If he had, they might have uncovered more.