Mortal: Starting with the Falling Cloud Sect, I proved my Dao through gacha pulls.

Su Mu raised his hand and activated the Azure Wave Mace, slamming it heavily against the wall beside him. The wall immediately began to peel away, and countless black threads fell down.

The entire pavilion was completely covered with the corpses of Netherworld Dust Insects!

A chill ran down his spine, and he almost activated the Qiankun Disc to escape on the spot. Fortunately, these ferocious insects had already died, so he managed to suppress his emotions, but the look of shock in his eyes lingered for a long time.

Seeing the curiosity on Jin Qing and Hu Yue's faces, he took a deep breath and slowly explained the origin of the insect.

"These Netherworld Dust Insects are ancient ferocious creatures, and in theory, they should have long since disappeared from the human realm."

Ancient texts describe this insect as having a body as slender as a thread, as fine as a cow's hair, its entire body dark and concealed in the void, almost imperceptible to the naked eye. Once in swarms, it is like a vast black tide, silent and impossible to defend against.

After a slight pause, Su Mu's expression grew even more solemn.

"The most terrifying aspect of this insect is its ability to devour divine consciousness and primordial spirit. If a cultivator is caught off guard and entangled, they will be trapped in an illusion, their primordial spirit completely devoured. Those grinning corpses in the building must have died because their primordial spirits were devoured by this insect!"

Upon hearing this, Jin Qing and Hu Yue immediately activated their magic to create a shield and hurriedly moved away from the wall.

"These insects are incredibly powerful! Could there be any still alive here? Just hearing Brother Xiao say that gives me the creeps."

Hu Yue rubbed her arms, feeling a chill all over her body and feeling uncomfortable.

Jin Qing, standing to the side, turned deathly pale, filled with apprehension.

Su Mu picked up a few insect corpses, rubbed them lightly between his fingertips, and the insect corpses immediately turned into fine powder.

"Please rest assured, both of you. The souls of these Nether Dust Insects have long been annihilated, having died countless years ago. The broken marks behind this pavilion are likely traces left by that powerful figure back then."

Su Mu was secretly shocked. Such a massive number of Nether Dust Insects could be considered a world-destroying calamity, yet they were all wiped out in a single blow. Just how terrifying was the cultivator's cultivation?

Upon hearing this, Jin Qing and Hu Yue's expressions softened slightly, but they were unwilling to linger there any longer. They quickly took down the jade-colored Ganoderma lucidum and handed it to Su Mu.

"Fellow Daoist Xiao is well-versed in alchemy and far more knowledgeable than we are. We would be grateful if you could carefully discern what kind of spiritual object this treasure is."

Su Mu took the Ganoderma lucidum and examined it closely. The entire Ganoderma lucidum was milky white and lustrous, with nine thin jade petals like cicada wings growing along its edge, and its surface was covered with fine black patterns.

"This looks like a Jade Soul Mushroom!"

Su Mu pondered for a long time, and suddenly remembered an item recorded in the Complete Record of Human Realm Alchemy Scriptures. The spiritual object in front of him was exactly the same as the one recorded.

"Jade Hunzhi?"

Jin Qing and Hu Yue looked bewildered and secretly felt ashamed. Neither the Netherworld Dust Insect nor the Jade Soul Mushroom had ever been heard of before. They secretly resolved to catch up on their knowledge when they returned.

Su Mu chuckled and shook his head, explaining, "This is a legendary immortal herb, taking ten thousand years to form. The Jade Soul Pill refined from it can repair the soul and nourish the nascent soul, making it a priceless treasure. However..."

He lightly tapped the Jade Soul Mushroom with his fingertips, producing a clear and melodious sound, and then changed the subject.

"This mushroom originally had purple soul energy surrounding it after it matured. Although this one has grown up, its soul energy has been completely absorbed by some unknown source, leaving very little medicinal power. I dare not say whether it can still be used to refine the Jade Soul Pill."

Jin Qing and Hu Yue quickly investigated and found that the medicinal power of the Ganoderma lucidum was weak and there was no trace of soul energy. Their expectations were dashed and they looked disappointed.

"You two don't need to be too disappointed. This is, after all, a ten-thousand-year-old immortal herb. Even if its soul energy is exhausted, I am still quite confident that I can refine a batch of pills to increase cultivation."

Su Mu immediately waved his hand and took the initiative to take on the task of refining pills.

Upon hearing that the Jade Soul Mushroom still had a use, Jin and Qing perked up and quickly clasped their hands in thanks.

"Then I'll trouble Fellow Daoist Xiao. You may dispose of this item as you see fit."

Su Mu nodded, put the Jade Soul Mushroom into his storage ring, and looked up at the top floor.

"Let's go, there's only one floor left. Once we've explored it, we'll leave this place as soon as possible."

After thoroughly searching the twelfth floor and confirming that nothing was missed, the group stepped onto the stairs leading to the thirteenth floor.

The top floor was not spacious; the space was cramped, and it felt quite crowded with just a few people inside.

A huge gap was broken in the roof, and the hall contained only a jade plate, which was completely empty. Everyone who saw it looked regretful.

The only thing lying on the ground was a stone scabbard, ordinary in appearance and without any spiritual energy fluctuations.

Su Mu stood by the gap and looked out. He immediately saw the shocking scar that cut through the entire ruins. Even today, it still exudes a chilling and sharp aura.

Jin Qing bent down and picked up the stone sword sheath. He held it in his hand and weighed it several times. After examining it for a while, he realized that the sheath had no spiritual energy and was made of ordinary material. It was just a common stone tool. He then casually tossed it to Hu Yue.

Hu Yue took the sword and, quite intrigued, drew her throwing knife from her waist and lightly sliced ​​it across the scabbard. She wanted to test the hardness of the material, but to her surprise, the blade left a clear mark on the scabbard, revealing its extremely soft texture.

He was speechless for a moment, then curled his lip and casually tossed the inconspicuous stone sword sheath back to the ground, completely losing interest.

"What a waste of effort. I thought there would be some rare treasure on the top floor, but in the end it's just this broken stone, which is completely useless."

"Alright, Lao Hu, stop complaining. We've gained quite a few spirit stones and Jade Soul Mushrooms from this expedition. It's already a considerable harvest."

Jin Qing turned around and whispered a word of comfort. Then, thinking of the strange nature of the Netherworld Insects here, his expression turned serious, and he made a suggestion to the two of them in a deep voice.

"Although all the Nether Dust Insects are dead, it's really uncomfortable to stay here. Now that we've finished exploring, let's leave immediately."

Su Mu naturally had no objection, and the group immediately left the pavilion, activated their escape light, and returned to the entrance of the restriction along the original route.

However, as he left, he also took the stone scabbard with him.

......

"Splash!"

The calm sea was suddenly churned with waves, and on the rocky island, Su Mu's clone was the first to break through the water.

He looked around and, after confirming that there was no danger, felt somewhat relieved and immediately signaled to his main body.

A moment later, three more splashes of water erupted on the sea, and Su Mu and the other two were safely escaping the ruins.

"Haha, we've earned so many spirit stones and even Spirit Distraction Pills this time! It's been so much fun working with my brothers!"

Looking out at the vast sea, Hu Yue, full of pride, cupped her hands in greeting to the two men, feeling extremely happy.

Su Mu was in a pretty good mood at this moment. He had finished the dungeon without any casualties, so it seemed that he wasn't as unlucky as Han Laomo.

"Brother Jin, Brother Hu, this cooperation has been very pleasant. We should return to Tianxing City as soon as possible. I still need to make careful preparations for the Jade Soul Ganoderma pill refining. I will inform you both as soon as the pill is refined."

After making a decision, the group immediately activated their escape light and sped towards Tianxing City at full speed.

Five days later.

Su Mu had safely returned to his cave. He first sat cross-legged and meditated for a while to regulate his breathing and stabilize his magical power. Then he entered the insect chamber and took out the Jade Soul Mushroom.

However, he did not intend to refine the pill immediately. Instead, he formed a blade with his fingers and cut the Jade Soul Mushroom in half.

Inside the heart of the sesame seed, there lay the corpse of a Netherworld Dust Insect, and beside the corpse lay more than ten tiny, pitch-black insect eggs.

It is obvious that the ten-thousand-year-old soul energy within the Jade Soul Mushroom was completely absorbed by this insect, which allowed it to survive for a period of time and lay its eggs.

If Su Mu hadn't possessed the Spirit Fire of Ten Thousand Beasts, making him exceptionally sensitive to the aura of insects, he would never have been able to detect this hidden secret before.

"This item is truly destined for me!"