Chapter 100: Red Thread Worm

The flame in Yan Hua’s hand flickered, sometimes bright, sometimes dim.

She was actually just fiddling with it.

At times, the flame compressed into a small point; at others, it suddenly expanded.

The temperature in the room rose sharply, making her a bit worried it might disturb Master’s rest.

So, Yan Hua simply drew the flame entirely into her Great Stomach.

She sat cross-legged, her mind sinking into it.

Inside the Great Stomach, a space of its own existed, where the flame could toss and turn freely.

Release, gather, release again.

She played with it, thoroughly enjoying herself.

Suddenly, her attention was drawn to a few crimson fruits in the corner.

The “Divine Fruit” of Liushen Village.

Yan Hua sniffed them.

They smelled stinky.

Unwilling to give up, she sniffed more closely.

Sure enough, still stinky.

Master had said these things might be dangerous and forbade eating them.

So…

Should she just use her flame to destroy them?

Yes, destroy them!

She could get rid of this dangerous item and also test the power of her flame—two birds with one stone.

Yan Hua had always been one for action.

She immediately drove the ball of flame toward one of the red fruits and burned it.

With a “whoosh” sound,

the scorching flame instantly enveloped the fruit.

A stench a hundred times stronger than before exploded, along with thick black smoke.

Yan Hua’s endurance was astonishing; she kept all the foul odor and black smoke sealed within the Great Stomach, not letting a trace escape.

The flame continued to burn.

The outer shell of the fruit gradually melted, revealing what was inside.

It wasn’t pulp.

It was a wriggling, thread-like red worm, as thin as a hair.

These worms twisted frantically in the fire but didn’t immediately turn to ash.

“What is this thing?”

Yan Hua stared in confusion.

Her first instinctive thought was still: Can this…be eaten?

But looking at these three hair-thin, still-wriggling worms, she couldn’t muster any appetite.

There didn’t seem to be much meat; it probably didn’t taste good.

Besides, these worms had crawled out of the “Divine Fruit.” Who knew if they were poisonous?

She thought for a moment and decided this wasn’t a simple matter. She had to discuss it with her Junior Sisters.

Thinking so, Yan Hua withdrew the flame and turned to look at Mu Chenxi, who was meditating nearby.

“Chenxi, Chenxi!”

She called softly twice.

Mu Chenxi immediately withdrew from her cultivation state.

Although she was cultivating, part of her mind was focused on Bai Yue, guarding against any possible accidents.

After all, this was the eerie Liushen Village.

“What is it, Yan Hua?”

Mu Chenxi opened her eyes and asked quietly.

The commotion also caught Su Qiuyue’s attention. She silently emerged from Bai Yue’s shadow, looking at Yan Hua in equal confusion.

Yan Hua explained her discovery to the two.

Hearing it, both their hearts tightened.

They immediately released their Divine Sense, probing into Yan Hua’s Great Stomach.

Upon seeing the red Threadworms still twisting inside, their faces grew grim.

It was easy to imagine—if they had eaten those fruits directly…

Those disgusting worms would have entered their bodies.

“As expected, this Liushen Village and the so-called ‘Divine Fruit’ are nothing good.”

Mu Chenxi and Su Qiuyue exchanged glances, instantly understanding each other’s thoughts.

“If every villager in Liushen Village has eaten these fruits,”

Su Qiuyue’s voice grew cold,

“That means these worms are inside everyone’s body.”

As she spoke, she sent a thin strand of Divine Sense, carefully probing into Hei Ya’s room next door.

Her Divine Sense swept through Hei Ya’s body.

Sure enough.

Deep within Hei Ya’s brain lurked a worm exactly like the one before.

If she hadn’t specifically checked, it would have been impossible to find.

“There’s one in Hei Ya’s brain too.”

Su Qiuyue’s expression darkened completely.

“Then the other villagers are likely the same.”

“It’s very possible these worms are controlling Hei Ya and the entire population of Liushen Village,”

Mu Chenxi quickly analyzed.

“They’re all cultivating under the control of some Behind-the-Scenes Person.”

“Exactly.”

Su Qiuyue’s face was grave.

“Who knows what that Behind-the-Scenes Person intends. But with such strange methods, their strength is definitely not to be underestimated.”

The atmosphere turned heavy.

At that moment, Yan Hua spoke up.

“Then…what should we do with these worms?”

Yan Hua couldn’t help but ask.

“Can I eat one and see?”

Mu Chenxi and Su Qiuyue both turned to look at her, their expressions indescribable.

“Don’t eat it!”

Mu Chenxi said, holding her forehead in exasperation.

“Yan Hua, absolutely do not eat it!”

“Oh, fine.”

Yan Hua pouted in disappointment, still a bit curious about the taste.

“If we can’t eat them, I’ll just burn these worms to death.”

“That works,”

Su Qiuyue agreed with a nod.

“We should also see if these worms can really be destroyed by fire.”

She thought to herself—sooner or later, they’d have to face that Behind-the-Scenes Person. Learning more about their methods couldn’t hurt.

Although this might alert the enemy, there was no safer option for now.

They could only risk it.

With permission granted, Yan Hua acted at once.

She drove the flame inside the Great Stomach, wrapping it once more around the red Threadworms.

This time, she increased the intensity.

The worms let out silent screams in the blaze, twisting violently, until they finally dissolved into wisps of black smoke and dissipated.

The black smoke mixed with the earlier thick smoke from the fruit’s shell, swirling endlessly within the Great Stomach, unable to disperse.

Yan Hua didn’t dare release them, afraid it would alert the enemy.

Everyone held their breath, waiting a long time.

Su Qiuyue even extended her Divine Sense to the widest range, alert for any enemy that might appear.

Yet, all was silent.

The Behind-the-Scenes Person seemed not to have noticed at all.

“It seems either Yan Hua’s Great Stomach is too well isolated,”

Mu Chenxi speculated,

“Or…the loss of these few fruits means nothing to the Behind-the-Scenes Person.”

“The latter is more likely.”

Su Qiuyue withdrew her Divine Sense, her expression still grave.

She looked at Mu Chenxi and Yan Hua’s shocked faces and dropped an even more astonishing revelation.

“I checked—the village has over a thousand Cultivators.”

“Over a thousand?”

“Yes.”

Su Qiuyue slowly revealed her findings.

“Their cultivation levels vary—Foundation Establishment, Golden Core, Nascent Soul, and even Transformation God Stage. There are sixteen at Transformation God Stage alone…”

She paused, a hint of dread in her voice.

“And one Expert of the Wen Dao Stage, the Old Village Chief.”

The news made Mu Chenxi draw a sharp breath.

Over a thousand controlled Cultivators, including Transformation God Stage and even an Expert of the Wen Dao Stage.

Such numbers alone could cause them enormous trouble.

Not to mention the unknown strength of the Behind-the-Scenes Person.

She felt a headache coming on.

Protecting Master under siege like this would be unimaginably difficult.

“It’s fine.”

As the mood grew tense again, Yan Hua suddenly patted her flat belly, full of confidence.

“When the time comes, I’ll keep Master inside the Great Stomach, and they won’t be able to touch her!”

Mu Chenxi and Su Qiuyue were both stunned, then their eyes lit up.

That’s right!

Yan Hua’s Great Stomach was its own space, incredibly sturdy—a perfect refuge.

As long as the Great Stomach wasn’t breached, Master would be absolutely safe.

The weight on their hearts finally eased somewhat.

“Then, before trouble arrives, let’s continue to get stronger.”

Mu Chenxi sat back down and quickly reentered cultivation.

Su Qiuyue nodded and merged back into the darkness.

Seeing this, Yan Hua continued experimenting with her strange flame from the Fire Demon.

Night deepened.

Bai Yue slowly woke from her sleep.

She opened her eyes to see Chenxi and Qiuyue diligently cultivating beside her.

Even Yan Hua looked serious, playing with a small flame in the corner.

In the air, a tense atmosphere, as if a storm was about to break, seemed to linger.