connection:close There were a group of women kneeling here. None of these women were old; the eldest was barely twenty-seven or twenty-eight, most were around twenty-two or twenty-three, and a few were clearly young girls of seventeen or eighteen.

Zhang Yang had never witnessed such a sight and froze on the spot. Long Feng’s eyes widened even further.

He was worse off than Zhang Yang; he immediately turned his head away, refusing to look at these people. “You can rise now.

I can grant your request, but on one condition: you must find every single Gu insect here and hand them over to me!” Zhang Yang sighed softly and spoke these words to the women. When a person dies, their grudges dissolve.

No matter how terrible this old hag was, she was dead now. Zhang Yang was not the sort of person so heartless as to leave even the dead unavenged.

Even if these women hadn't pleaded with him, he wouldn't have prevented them from burying their master. “Thank you, thank you, Young Master.

Rest assured, we will definitely bring you the Gu insects you require!” The woman who had taken the lead immediately kowtowed again, looking at Zhang Yang with deep gratitude. To them, Zhang Yang was now the victor, the one who held dominion over their fates.

Even if he had refused, they would have been helpless. Qu Meilan raised her head at this moment, looking at Zhang Yang as if to speak, but the words caught in her throat.

She stood quietly to the side, while Long Feng watched them coldly from nearby. The women quickly separated.

A few carried the old hag’s corpse out. They had no coffins here, so they could only fashion a simple wooden box temporarily.

The others went to gather the Gu insects, and some went to notify those who were not in the main hall. For example, the gate sentries on watch, and the disciples who had been sent out earlier to receive punishment—none of them knew what had transpired.

Everyone who went out played no tricks; they obediently sat where they were, just as Zhang Yang had instructed. Before long, many of the Gu insects they had been raising were brought forward.

Zhang Yang demanded these insects because he intended to destroy them utterly. Gu insects posed a massive danger, and he had no intention of controlling such things.

He absolutely would not permit them to exist. At least, not within the scope of his knowledge.

Wu Ying spotted these fresh Gu insects and immediately cried out, nearly drooling. Although Wu Ying was small in stature, her appetite was considerable.

She had just consumed dozens of bugs, yet she still craved more. Zhang Yang had initially intended to burn the insects to death, but seeing Wu Ying’s state, he immediately shook his head.

He patted Wu Ying, signaling that she could let loose and eat. Burning them was no better than letting Wu Ying feast; the result was the same either way.

While everyone else was busy, Zhang Yang finally found something to sit on and rest a while. The great battle earlier had drained them considerably.

On the floor lay three unconscious, hideous figures. Zhang Yang and Long Feng felt no sympathy for these three.

In the end, Zhang Yang personally took action, shattering their Dantians and reducing them to ordinary people. These three women had been very powerful, and their character was appalling.

Letting them go would be like releasing a tiger back into the mountains. Zhang Yang wasn't foolish enough to kill them, but he wouldn't let them off lightly either.

Without their inner strength, and without their Gu insects, they were just ordinary people. To survive, they would have to labor like common folk and begin their new lives.

“You, come here!” After finishing everything, Zhang Yang pointed forward with his hand. Qu Meilan, who had been standing by feeling at a loss, suddenly froze.

She even pointed a finger at her own nose, asking, “Are you calling me?” “Who else would I be calling? Are there others here besides us?” Zhang Yang said, a hint of exasperation in his voice.

Everyone else was outside. Long Feng was supervising them; with Long Feng present, these women couldn't run away, nor would they dare harbor any further schemes.

They had clearly witnessed Long Feng’s strength earlier. In the hall, there was only Wu Ying, who was busy eating the Gu insects, and Shāndiàn, curled up on Zhang Yang’s shoulder resting.

Besides them, only Qu Meilan, who hadn't received an order and dared not leave, remained. “Yes, Young Master!” Qu Meilan immediately scurried over to Zhang Yang, hesitated for a moment, and then knelt right there.

“Get up. Who told you to kneel?” Zhang Yang frowned slightly, his tone unconsciously hardening a little.

Qu Meilan quickly stood up again, her face etched with boundless panic. She now understood that this young man before her was even more formidable than her master.

Combined with her inherent fear of Zhang Yang, she was nearly frightened to tears. “Just stand and talk!” Zhang Yang sighed softly.

He could sense Qu Meilan’s terror, but he made no deliberate effort to correct it. It was better that she feared him; if she was afraid, she wouldn't dare play tricks and would obey his commands.

Zhang Yang still needed someone to lure the Gu for Wu Zhiguo. “I ask you, what is Dragon-Luring Grass?” After a few seconds, Zhang Yang slowly asked the question.

The solution to saving Wu Zhiguo lay in the flower of the Dragon-Luring Grass; he needed to find this plant. Upon hearing the three words ‘Dragon-Luring Grass,’ Qu Meilan’s face instantly turned pale, overlaid with a thick shade of dread.

Her fear of these three words surpassed even her fear of Zhang Yang moments before. She paused, then immediately exclaimed, “Young Master, my master was trying to harm you!

You absolutely must not go to Dragon-Luring Mountain!” “Why?” Zhang Yang’s brow furrowed again. Qu Meilan’s reaction struck him as odd, and a seed of worry planted itself in his mind.

The old hag had told him earlier that the only way to save the person was to find Dragon-Luring Grass. Even when facing her own demise, she kept repeating this, emphasizing it several times, telling him that going to Dragon-Luring Mountain was the only way to save him.

Even then, he had sensed something was wrong. He just couldn't pinpoint what was amiss.

He only felt that the old hag’s final words were definitely not meant with good intentions. “Young Master, although Dragon-Luring Grass is not abundant, there is some on Dragon-Luring Mountain.

A long time ago, obtaining the flower of the Dragon-Luring Grass wasn't difficult. But at some point, a powerful Spirit Beast arrived on Dragon-Luring Mountain.

No one has ever seen this Spirit Beast, but legend says it is a Dragon!” Qu Meilan spoke softly, glancing anxiously at Zhang Yang as she talked. Seeing Zhang Yang show no reaction, she continued, “The Dragon-Luring Grass wasn't called that before.

After that Dragon arrived, it was renamed, and the mountain became Dragon-Luring Mountain. It is said that the Dragon came specifically for the Dragon-Luring Grass!” “A Dragon?” Zhang Yang’s frown deepened, and a hint of surprise touched his face.

Dragons were totems in Chinese mythology, with legends of divine dragons persisting since antiquity. However, practitioners of inner strength cultivation, like them, had never seen one.

Even the Xuanyuan Family, whose surname invoked the Dragon, had never encountered one. In their minds, the existence of dragons was simply unbelievable.

“Yes, a very powerful Dragon, which has been on Dragon-Luring Mountain for several hundred years. It is said that a top expert at the Fourth Layer of Inner Strength entered the mountain to slay the Dragon and never returned!” Qu Meilan nodded slowly, a fresh wave of fear washing over her face.

They lived in the Southern Border. They had grown up hearing the legends of Dragon-Luring Mountain and knew of the Dragon’s existence there.

Since childhood, it had been their forbidden zone. Moreover, there were always mischievous individuals who tried to venture into the mountain, but none who entered ever came back.

As time passed, the place became regarded as an absolute, perilous ground that could not be approached. To outsiders, the Southern Border was a dangerous place, but in their eyes, Dragon-Luring Mountain was the one place strictly forbidden.

“You say that someone at the Fourth Layer of Inner Strength entered and never returned?” Zhang Yang’s expression suddenly became intensely serious. This piece of information from Qu Meilan was crucial to him.

The Fourth Layer of Inner Strength signified a top master capable of projecting inner strength outward. It wasn't an exaggeration to say they knew the Six Meridian Divine Sword technique.

Such a master entering Dragon-Luring Mountain and not emerging suggested a terrifying level of danger. Zhang Yang was only at the mid-stage of the Third Layer, far below such an expert.

He didn't believe that he, Shāndiàn, and Long Feng combined could contend with a Spirit Beast powerful enough to eliminate a Fourth Layer master. Whether the ‘Dragon’ of Dragon-Luring Mountain was real or not, Zhang Yang was now certain it was a powerful Spirit Beast.

Humans could not live for several hundred years. He could now confirm that the old hag had indeed harbored ill intentions, deliberately luring him to Dragon-Luring Mountain to use the formidable Spirit Beast there to eliminate him.

An utterly malicious old hag—that was Zhang Yang’s new appraisal of her. “Yes, more than once.

Two experts at the Fourth Layer of Inner Strength successively entered Dragon-Luring Mountain and never reappeared. Since then, hardly anyone has dared to venture in to investigate!” Qu Meilan nodded immediately, her face still etched with fright as she spoke.

Dragon-Luring Mountain had left a deep impression on her since childhood; even mentioning it made her fearful. “Wait, you said the ‘Dragon’ on Dragon-Luring Mountain arrived hundreds of years ago.

Then how did your master obtain the flower of the Dragon-Luring Grass she possessed?” Zhang Yang suddenly thought of a question and pressed immediately. He didn't know what Dragon-Luring Grass looked like, but it was a plant nonetheless.

The flowers of any grass could not be preserved for long, much less for several hundred years. “Dragon-Luring Mountain isn't entirely inaccessible.

One can move cautiously in the outer perimeter. The Dragon-Luring Grass mainly grows deep within the mountain, but occasionally one or two stalks will sprout near the foothills.

If encountered, they can be picked and brought back. My master’s specimen was obtained by sheer luck back then!” Qu Meilan explained softly.

She didn't know why she was revealing these secrets to Zhang Yang. Logically, it would be best if Zhang Yang went to Dragon-Luring Mountain and died there; at least then she and her sisters would be free.

Currently, all the sisters were his captives, their lives and deaths held in his hands. The feeling of having one’s life controlled by another was unbearable; they all yearned for freedom.

Yet, once Zhang Yang asked, she naturally divulged this secret that he shouldn't have known. “There’s some in the outer perimeter?

Can we find any now?” Hearing that there was Dragon-Luring Grass near the outer edges, Zhang Yang felt a new spark of hope. “That is very difficult.

Finding Dragon-Luring Grass in the outer area is a matter of sheer chance. One might need to patrol the mountain for years to encounter it even once, and even then, it might not have flowers.

Young Master, finding the flower of the Dragon-Luring Grass in the outer area within a short time is absolutely impossible!” Qu Meilan shook her head immediately. She knew Wu Zhiguo couldn't wait, which was why she spoke so plainly.

As she said this, she worried again. After all, she was the one who planted the Gu in Wu Zhiguo.

If they couldn't save him, it would be trouble if they turned their anger onto her. ………… Third update, Chapter 38 of the one-hundred-chapter bonus.

To be continued. .RT