The good-evil tripod gave a loud hum. As its mysterious energy field suppressed them, the dozens of insects were instantaneously contained. They all dropped to the ground noisily. A few writhed a little, but soon were motionless.

Ning Tao stretched out his hand and wiped the cold sweat on his forehead. Recalling that dangerous scene just now, his heart s.h.i.+vered in trepidation. There were blood locks in the ruins of the Feminine-moon people, but he did not dare visit that place. He dared not guess what would befall those Shennongjia primitives. He had been trying his best to protect them, but the outcome was they casting stones on him when he was down. They were no better than beasts. How could he hope to live harmoniously with them and be their friends?

Did Tang Zixian manage to escape?

In fact, this question did not need much guessing. Tang Zixian would surely have a way to escape if she could activate the formation.

It would be hard to surmise Tu Wenjin's fate. His survival depended on his usefulness to Tang Zixian. Or perhaps, whether he remained useful to the overseas branch of the Tang Sect.

The mysterious energy field at Sky Clinic had disappeared. Black and white fumes were spiraling above the good-evil tripod.

Ning Tao also regained his former calm. He s.h.i.+fted his eyes to the insects on the floor. He walked over and tried to pick one up, but thought better of it, putting on a rubber glove used for surgeries. Then he gingerly picked up an insect.

It seemed heavy in his hand. These insects no bigger than a thumb weighed as heavy as an egg. Even the blood oozing out from them was black, emanating the fetid smell of rotting corpse. Their stench made him feel like vomiting!

“What's this d.a.m.n thing?” Ning Tao's heart was somewhat perplexed. His sight finally s.h.i.+fted to one of the insects on the floor.

That insect was still wriggling. It had not yet died.

Ning Tao felt a tremor in his heart. He put down the dead insect and took out his ledger of bamboo slips. Then, he picked up the insect which had yet to die and placed it on the ledger.

It was the first time he was doing a diagnosis of an insect. He thought he would not succeed. But this was the only way he could think of to know these insects.

A few seconds later, Ning Tao dropped the nearly dead insect casually to the floor and unfurled the ledger of bamboo slips.

The ledger of bamboo slips started to hover with information: Soul-Gnawing Spiders, dead insects which are exceptionally ferocious and a creature of extreme Yin. They love to devour human souls and can sleep for 3,000 years without food. The place where they spin their webs will be a family with no descent. They cannot be used as medical ingredients, but can be used as spiritual materials of Yin nature.

Ning Tao was dumbfounded.

So this insect was called the Soul-Gnawing Spider. It could sleep for 3,000 years without food and drink. The place where these spiders spun their webs would be a family without descent. Did that mean that the household where they had appeared would all die? They were truly vicious and dangerous!

Ning Tao's eyes fell on another line. Bewilderment suddenly overwhelmed his heart. “Dead insects which are exceptionally ferocious and a creature of extreme Yin… dead insects… does this thing come from h.e.l.l? Is there really a h.e.l.l beyond this heaven and earth?”

Suddenly in his mind floated the unlocked eye of the formation. Dark whorls seemed to appear and the Soul-Gnawing Spiders were gus.h.i.+ng out of these whorls. That scene really resembled the opening of h.e.l.l's gate, the release of evil beings from h.e.l.l onto the earth! His spine started to tingle. Was this stone eggs formation directly linked to h.e.l.l itself?

“The ledger of bamboo slips says that it can be used as a spiritual material of Yin nature. Does that mean a spiritual material from h.e.l.l?” The more Ning Tao thought, the more he believed in the presence of h.e.l.l.

Although he did not know how to refine pills using these Soul-Gnawing Spiders, leaving them here might mean polluting the environment, or even harming innocent people. Keeping them stored might prove useful in time to come. So why not store them?

The moment he thought of this, Ning Tao collected the dead carca.s.ses of these dozens of Soul-Gnawing Spiders. He kept them in two medicine containers on the rack. In the future, he might be able to unlock the Cla.s.sics Library and Elixirs & Equipment Store in Sky Clinic. He might find elixir prescriptions better than the Prescription Elixir. He might then find these spiders useful for refining powerful pills.

If stored adequately, Ning Tao thought that they would not prove a hazard. He opened the convenient door leading to the deep chasm and walked into it.

Rumble!

The moment he emerged from the convenient door, Ning Tao heard an earth-quaking clamor. The forest by the deep chasm was trembling. Huge boulders from the top were falling down, trees soaring into the sky were breaking and collapsing. Stones also fell into the eye-catching hot spring pools, sending up splashes many dozen of meters high. One of the huge boulders managed to level a pool.

An earthquake?

Before Ning Tao could clarify the situation, the sky above him had turned dim. A large portion of a cliff face suddenly collapsed, falling down and blotting out the sky.

Ning Tao turned and leaped into the convenient door, which was not yet shut.

Back in the Sky Clinic, Ning Tao sat down on his b.u.m and started to pant. He was really terrified.

Before he could unravel the mysteries of the Feminine-moon Civilization and that ma.s.sive formation, the cliff above the chasm had collapsed, overwhelming everything. He could not accept this outcome. He watched the blood lock symbol on the stone wall. The blood lock from which he had returned had disappeared. Even his blood lock left behind in the Feminine-moon City had vanished.

The situation now was this: Even if Ma Tongtong and Yang Chen could still remember the chasm and had reported it to the government, they would not be able to unearth it.

He sat quietly in this position for a long time. Ning Tao finally recovered. He returned to his rented apartment and printed out all the photos he had taken. There were 333 of them. Each photo contained a different rune. Unfortunately, he could not read any of them.

Ning Tao brought all the photos back to Sky Clinic and stored them on the equipment rack. Then, he unlocked the blood lock leading to the room in Suns.h.i.+ne Orphanage. Tang Zixian was a very dangerous person. Qing Zhui, Bai Jing and Yin Molan might be her next targets. He was worried and wanted to rush back.

The moment he stepped out of the convenient door, a faint fragrance wafted to his nostrils.

Qing Zhui was lying on his bed, asleep. A thin blanket was half-covering her body. Her long snowy-white legs and half her b.u.t.tocks were exposed to the air. Her skin was as fair as jade, her curves enticing.

Ning Tao started a little. This situation was obviously beyond his expectation. He had thought Qing Zhui would be in her cave together with Bai Jing. He had not expected her to be asleep on his bed. He wanted to leave, but before he could move his legs, Qing Zhui opened her eyes.

“Brother Ning, you…” Before she could finish her words, Qing Zhui pulled the blanket away and jumped down the bed. Her nerves seemed tense as she ran towards him.

The convenient door in Sky Clinic was shut. Ning Tao could not go back unless he opened the door again.

“What happened? Why is there so much blood on you?” Her eyes blinking, Qing Zhui had rushed to him, her face full of anxiety.

Only now did Ning Tao discover he was still in the clothes of that dead man. He was covered in blood everywhere. It was not because he was in a hurry, but because of the combats he had undergone the night before. Especially when he had been nearly buried when returning to the deep chasm. Exhaustion, terror and questions preying on his mind had overwhelmed his heart and body. He had forgotten about the clothes he was wearing.

“Say something, Brother Ning!” Qing Zhui was so anxious that she almost cried.

Ning Tao finally came to himself. He said gently, “I'm okay. These clothes are from a dead body. I'm not hurt.”

Qing Zhui instantly heaved a sigh of relief. Her action caressing her bosom had stirred up ripples in him.

Ning Tao did not dare look. He spoke to divert his attention. “By the way, why are you here?”

Qing Zhui said, “Sister and I had finished all the business in the company. We wanted to return to the cave, but Sister Su Ya called to ask me back for supper. You weren't around, so I came back alone. After supper, I stayed in your room. I thought you would definitely come back to your room, so I waited for you on your bed.”

“So I waited for you on your bed.” Such a simple sentence, and yet it had eased Ning Tao's weariness and tension somewhat. So nice to have a woman in the house. If a man suffered an injury or was tired outside, he could come back home and relax.

“Let me undress you. Take a bath and change into a clean set of clothes,” Qing Zhui said, her hands moving to help Ning Tao undress.

Ning Tao did not refuse her. He was enjoying the gentle service of “a homely wife”.

Qing Zhui did not ask him what he had undergone. To her, the most important thing was that he was back safely. Undressing him for a bath was a more meaningful task than all those killings outside.

However, when all he was left with was his underwear, Ning Tao could no longer enjoy her service. He said, somewhat tensely, “Leave this on. I will take my shower in it. Help get my clothes ready.”

With these words, he escaped into the bathroom.

Cold water showered him on the top of his head. Ning Tao shut his eyes. His mind was all enveloped by scenes of those looming, gus.h.i.+ng Soul-Gnawing Spiders. And the bloodied corpses of Shennongjia primitives, and those armed men of the Black Fire Company…

Such terrifying memories. How could anyone make them disappear just like that?

Whoos.h.!.+

The curtain was suddenly pulled away. Qing Zhui walked to him.

Ning Tao's thoughts were suddenly pulled back. He put down his hands hastily and asked nervously, “What… are you doing?”

Qing Zhui said, “You're so careless. You didn't take your bath towel and your shampoo. I'm bringing them to you. Otherwise, how can you take your shower?”

Her long-winded, wifely nagging rendered Ning Tao speechless. Yes, why were you so careless? You forgot your bath towel and shampoo. I brought them for you. You mean you don't like it?

Qing Zhui put the bath towel and the shampoo on the rack but did not leave. Her face was wreathed in smiles. “Brother Ning, let me rub your back for you. Your back's very dirty. You can't reach them yourself.”

The water from the showerhead had already drenched her clothes. The teal material was like a translucent sheet of paper glued to her skin, hazy yet distinct, clearly defined yet somewhat fuzzy.

“No need. I… I can do it myself.” Ning Tao was about to lose control of himself. From what he could see, no one could claim Qing Zhui was a snake demon. She was clearly an alluring woman of flesh and blood!

Qing Zhui would not give up. She stretched out her hand to rub Ning Tao's back, but Ning Tao dodged her hand instinctively.

The atmosphere in this narrow s.p.a.ce became somewhat awkward. Yet it was filled with some mysterious elements.

After a few seconds, Qing Zhui sighed. “Looks like I must find you a wife. Okay, I'll be waiting for you outside. Call me if you need anything.”

Ning Tao breathed a sigh of relief. “Okay.”

But he obviously did not dare to ask her in. Wouldn't that be getting himself into trouble?

After his shower, Ning Tao walked out of the bathroom in a towel. Qing Zhui walked over to him, carrying his clothes and was about to put them on for him.

“Should I just forget the fact she is a demon? Didn't Xu Xian live happily with Bai Suzhen?” As Qing Zhui attended to him gently, Ning Tao's defense was beginning to weaken.

Qing Zhui lifted a small pair of trousers and a wicked smile hovered over her lips. “Lift up your legs.”

Ning Tao suddenly plucked up courage. He did not lift up his legs but his arms instead. He wanted to embrace her and let nature take its course.

Ring, ring…

His cell phone started to ring.

Ning Tao's arms, which had not yet lifted, suddenly froze. He glanced instinctively at the sky outside, which was not yet bright. He felt quite upset in his heart. Who on earth was calling him so early in the morning? Just when he was about to take the first step, plucking up his courage…