189: Chapter 189 Infiltrating Liang Kingdom, Switching the Crown Prince with a Civet Cat!

Several months later.

North of the Yunjian Mountain Range, the night wind passed through the forest and rustled the leaves, emitting low, mournful whimpers.

Two dark figures, draped in wide cloaks, had their forms completely concealed, moving rapidly and silently through the dense forest.

The figure in front had a hunched back, with light, soundless footsteps, leaving no traces on the snow.

The one behind followed closely, with steady, soundless strides.

Both of them wore a grey-white jade tablet on their chests. This was the "Breath-Concealing Tablet" bestowed by Zixiao Peak, which locked their Demonic Qi tightly within their Qi Sea, preventing even the slightest leakage.

Their faces were covered with human-skin masks. The Green Ape Clan was already humanoid in form; they only needed to hunch their backs and retract their muscles and bones to look exactly like elderly men.

"The journey to the Liang Kingdom is long, crossing mountains and ridges; we must be extremely careful," Ancestor Cang Ya transmitted his voice secretly, his tone hoarse.

Bi Luo responded: "Rest assured, Clan Chief. Since our tribe has accepted the Old Ancestor's heavy trust, we will exhaust our efforts. The Liang Kingdom is divided among the four sects of the Righteous Path; among its four provinces, Youzhou is remote, which is perfect for us to take root."

The two apes traveled all the way, carrying their mission, trekking for months, sleeping in the open.

After crossing the border of the Qingcang Kingdom and traversing a region called the Black Wind Mountains, they officially stepped into the territory of Youzhou in the Liang Kingdom.

The administrative framework of the Liang Kingdom was generally divided into four major provinces, each with over twenty commanderies and hundreds of large and small counties. The four provinces—You, Han, Bai, and Ling—were under the jurisdiction of the four sects of the Righteous Path.

Youzhou had many marshes and was filled with Water and Wood Spiritual Qi.

Vegetation was lush, and for the Green Apes who cultivated the Dao of Wood, it was like a fish leaping into the sea, an indescribable pleasure.

One month later, Taizhen Commandery, Luoye County.

Ancestor Cang Ya had set his sights on an excellent target: the Old Ancestor of the Lin Family, Lin Changsong.

This person had the cultivation of the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment and was over one hundred and seventy years old. His blood and Qi were declining, and his Dao foundation was loosening. Recently, he had been frequently visiting major markets, searching for Spirit Medicine to extend his Lifespan, and his movements were quite regular.

At this moment, inside a swampy area called the Black Mud Swamp.

Toxic miasma never dissipated, and the muddy water churned. When bubbles burst, they released a nauseating stench. Ordinary Cultivators would never set foot in such a vile place, but it happened to be rich in a type of Spirit Medicine called "Bone-Corroding Ganoderma," which had miraculous effects in delaying the decline of blood and Qi.

Lin Changsong held a Spirit-Seeking Compass and raised a pale blue protective spiritual light.

He stepped on a flying shuttle, hovering a few feet above the swamp.

The Cultivator's face was withered, his eye sockets deeply sunken. Every breath was accompanied by strange noises from his internal organs, his breath was chaotic, and his vitality was withering.

"As long as I find the Bone-Corroding Ganoderma and combine it with those main ingredients, extending my Lifespan by another ten years will not be a problem," Lin Changsong muttered to himself, accelerating his search.

But at this very moment, a sudden change occurred.

The Void Realm in all directions flickered repeatedly. Several Formation Flags silently sank into the swamp, sealing off a hundred-foot radius. The surrounding toxic miasma was drawn by the Formation, turning into a thick wall of air, cutting off his retreat.

Lin Changsong was terrified and slapped his Storage Pouch with his backhand.

The Flying Sword shot out, its sword light flickering, turning into a sword shield that surrounded his body.

"Which expert is setting up a Formation here? I am the head of the Lin Family in Luoye County; if there has been any offense, I hope for your forgiveness!"

However, no one answered.

Deep in the swamp, thick vines broke through the soil, intertwined like poisonous pythons, heading straight to entangle Lin Changsong's feet. The Daoist Magic of Wood advocated for endless life.

The Flying Sword turned into a stream of light, severing several vines.

But at the cut, green sap gushed out, and before it even hit the ground, the vines grew again, as if endless!

"Wood-controlling technique, who on earth is harming me?"

Lin Changsong's thoughts raced. He bit his fingertip and sprayed his essence blood onto the sword body. Suddenly, the sword light surged several feet, cleaving a path to survival.

Just as he was about to retreat, the miasma on the side was forcibly torn apart.

Ancestor Cang Ya lunged forward, his wide sleeves billowing. He reached out a thick arm covered in green fur, his fist whistling with wind and rolling air waves, striking straight at Lin Changsong's face.

Lin Changsong had nowhere to dodge and could only block with his sword horizontally.

The fist struck the spine of the sword, emitting the sound of metal and stone clashing.

Amidst the sparks, the Flying Sword let out a mournful cry, its spiritual light dimming, and it flew back instantly. Lin Changsong felt as if he had been struck by lightning; the bones in his arms shattered, his internal organs shifted, and he spat out blood wildly.

"A Body Cultivator?!"

His face turned ashen; such terrifying, immense strength was definitely not something an ordinary Foundation Establishment Cultivator could possess.

Before he could steady himself, Bi Luo attacked from the other side. His five fingers formed claws, tearing through the thin layer of protective spiritual light and piercing directly through Lin Changsong's right chest.

Wood Spiritual Qi surged into his body, crazily destroying his Meridians and Qi Sea.

Two Foundation Establishment Great Demons combined their strength to surround and kill a Cultivator of the same level whose blood and Qi were declining; in just over a dozen rounds, Lin Changsong was bleeding to death on the spot, his vitality cut off.

Ancestor Cang Ya pressed his hand on the crown of his head and scooped out his brains to consume. Although they did not know the secret technique of Soul Searching, Ancestor Cang Ya possessed a talent for reading memories by eating brains, although it was not as good as Soul Searching.

But knowing part of the memories was enough.

He saw memory images flooding into his mind like a tide.

Lin Changsong, one of the only two Foundation Establishment Old Ancestors of the Lin Family.

His offspring were mediocre, and the Family was declining day by day, barely supporting itself with a few market shops and a hundred acres of spirit fields.

Within the Family, there were many factions; First Elder Lin Changhai was ambitious, and Young Clan Leader Lin Yue had a cowardly personality with no ambition...

Having generally understood the Lin Family, Ancestor Cang Ya already had a plan in mind.

Subsequently, Ancestor Cang Ya took out a thin-bladed dagger and moved it along Lin Changsong's hairline with skilled technique, peeling off the skin of his face intact.

Supplemented by the secret techniques of the Yao Race, he attached it to his own face.

His whole body's bones cracked and popped, his stature grew taller, the curvature of his waist and back adjusted, and in the blink of an eye, he was identical to the deceased Lin Changsong.

Bi Luo changed into a grey robe, disguised as an old friend who was a Loose Cultivator.

Ancestor Cang Ya cleared his throat, imitating the bellows-like coughing sound of Lin Changsong, and began rolling two iron walnuts he had searched from the corpse in his hands.

"From this day on, this old man is Lin Changsong."

Ancestor Cang Ya's voice was low, filled with a sense of twilight.

Bi Luo smiled, raised his eyebrows, and cupped his hands in a pretentious manner:

"Brother Lin, please!"

Afterward, the two apes quickly dealt with the traces at the scene. After destroying the body and removing the evidence, they flew away, heading straight for Luoye County.

East of Luoye County, the Lin Family mansion.

The vermilion gates were tightly closed, and the stone lions were covered in a layer of dust, highlighting the decline of this Family.

Ancestor Cang Ya returned, and the entire Lin Family was shaken.

"The Old Ancestor has returned to the manor!" the gatekeeper shouted, scrambling into the inner courtyard to report.

In the main hall, Ancestor Cang Ya sat upright in a grand master chair, his eyelids slightly drooping, slowly and unhurriedly rolling the iron walnuts in his hand.

First Elder Lin Changhai led a group of stewards and hurried over. This person had the cultivation of the Early Stage of Foundation Establishment, his temples were grey, and his eyes revealed shrewd calculation.

"Brother, did you find any items to extend your Lifespan on this trip?"

First Elder Lin Changhai bowed and saluted, his tone concerned, but his gaze was repeatedly sizing up Ancestor Cang Ya.

Ancestor Cang Ya coughed twice, picked up a teacup, and took a sip: "Not bad, I did have some gains. This is Fellow Daoist Bi, a life-and-death friend I met on this trip."

"From now on, he will be a Guest Elder of our Lin Family. Seeing him is like seeing this old man."

Bi Luo stood to the side, his expression blank, nodding slightly without saying much.

First Elder Lin Changhai glanced at Bi Luo. Unable to perceive the other person's depth, he was secretly wary, but on the surface, he smiled apologetically:

"Greetings, Fellow Daoist Bi."

"Brother, you are blessed with deep fortune to have the assistance of an expert; this is truly the good fortune of our Family."

After some pleasantries, they each left. Ancestor Cang Ya breathed a sigh of relief; it seemed he had not been exposed, and he felt a bit more at ease.

At nightfall.

Ancestor Cang Ya summoned Young Clan Leader Lin Yue alone.

Young Clan Leader Lin Yue was now nearly forty, at the sixth layer of Qi Refining, with a timid nature and indecisive behavior. Seeing the Old Ancestor sitting in the seat of honor, he didn't even dare to raise his head.

"Yue'er, the Family is declining, all because we lack a powerful Cultivation Technique to suppress our foundation."

Ancestor Cang Ya took out a Jade Slip and tossed it onto the table: "This is an ancient Legacy that I obtained after a life-and-death struggle, named 'Marrow-Cleansing Saint-Transforming Art.' Take it and study it carefully."

Young Clan Leader Lin Yue took it with both hands and probed it with his Divine Sense. A moment later, his face turned pale, and his hands trembled: "Old Ancestor, this Cultivation Technique... requires consuming raw meat and must be paired with five types of hearts as a catalyst."

"This... this is clearly the path of an Evil Cultivator!"