Demonic Cultivator: Immune To Common Side Effects - Chapter 57

Chapter 57: Gu Cave Village—I’ll Retrieve Grandmaster’s Treasure on His Behalf

Deep within the earth, where darkness should have reigned supreme, Li Yan looked up to see a starry expanse twinkling overhead.

The cavern ceiling shimmered like a celestial river.

Focusing his gaze, Li Yan realized it wasn’t starlight at all, but countless luminous pearls embedded in the stone.

These myriad gems formed an artificial starlit dome, casting a faint glow across the cavern’s depths.

“This cave is colossal, and entirely man-made… How long did it take to excavate this?” Li Yan mused, running his hand along the chiseled walls. The uniform tool marks confirmed it wasn’t a natural formation.

Such a monumental feat would have required centuries of labor by mortal hands.

Raising the Lotus Lamp, he banished the shadows ahead.

Li Yan’s ears twitched, catching the distant clink of chisels.

With a swift hand seal, he conjured a Sub Shadow to scout ahead.

Within the labyrinthine cavern, riddled with branching tunnels that coiled like tangled roots, several cultivators were hacking at the stone walls with iron picks, unearthing brittle bones.

Li Yan’s Divine Sense swept over the cultivators, and he was surprised.

“They’re actually living people, not malevolent spirits?”

“Just a group of ordinary cultivators with low cultivation bases, all at the Blood Condensation Realm.”

The Blood Condensation Realm was the first stage, where cultivators had barely touched the threshold of cultivation.

The presence of these men immediately piqued Li Yan’s curiosity.

He manipulated his Shadow, silently approaching the low-level cultivators as they hacked away at the stone wall.

Amidst the clanging of their picks, the burly men dug out a basket full of withered bones and wiped the sweat from their brows.

One of them sighed, “If we keep chiseling like this, when will we ever finish?”

“Big Brother, we came here to seek discipleship, but now we’re doomed to work for Daoist Tranquil Void for the rest of our lives, only to become monsters and die here?”

The slightly older leader leaned against the stone wall to rest. After taking a swig from his waterskin, he sighed deeply.

“Daoist Tranquil Void tricked us into coming here. Do you think we can still escape?”

“Have you forgotten? This underground cave only allows entry, not exit! Once you’re here, you’re destined to die here.”

“Those who tried to escape, or who were no longer able to work, had their limbs severed by Daoist Tranquil Void and were turned into Human Pig Insect Gu.”

From their conversation, it became clear that they too had been lured into this Gu Cave through Daoist Tranquil Void’s deceitful schemes, only to be forced into servitude.

The world was indeed a treacherous place…

They had sought a reputable Master Sect to apprentice under, only to be tricked into this subterranean prison, reduced to beasts of burden ceaselessly hacking away at the rock.

A closer look revealed Servant Disciple badges hanging from their waists.

These men had spent their entire lives in this sunless cavern, toiling day after day for Daoist Tranquil Void.

The leading servant patted the shoulders of those beside him. “Look on the bright side,” he said. “By staying here and working in the cave, we might live to sixty or seventy.”

“Compared to the famine-ridden world outside, at least we can marry and raise families here, living out our days in peace.”

But among them, a young servant clenched his fist, grinding his teeth.

“But I was born in this cave!” he growled. “I’ve never seen the outside world.”

“My little sister and I… our greatest dream is to escape this place!”

Hearing the young man’s words, the old servant chuckled derisively. “Boy, the outside world ain’t as rosy as you imagine.”

“It’s a chaotic realm teeming with malevolent spirits and demons, crawling with Demonic Sects and wicked cultivators.”

Undeterred, the young man retorted, “So what? Even if it means death, I want to see the world beyond this cavern. Even a single glimpse of the sun would make my life complete!”

Unbeknownst to them, Li Yan was lurking around the corner, eavesdropping on their conversation. He had finally pieced together the situation: some had been lured into this place by Daoist Tranquil Void, while others had been born into this subterranean world, destined to be his slaves for generations.

What intrigued Li Yan most was what they were digging for. Why would Daoist Tranquil Void build an underground city within this cavern? Perhaps he could find the answers he sought by observing these servant disciples.

Li Yan continued to manipulate his Shadow, guiding it closer to the group. In the darkness, no one noticed the silent presence lurking nearby.

The lead servant patted his belly. “That’s strange. Why hasn’t this month’s food arrived yet?”

“Normally, we’d have gotten our rations yesterday, right?”

“If it doesn’t come soon, all six hundred people in Gu Cave Village will starve to death.”

Another servant swallowed hard and lowered his voice. “I saw the Human Pig Insect Gu going berserk earlier, scrambling frantically out of the caves.”

“You don’t think… Daoist Tranquil Void might be dead, do you?”

The young servant panicked. “If Daoist Tranquil Void is dead, and no one sends us food down here, we’ll all starve to death in these caves!”

A wave of fear washed over them.

They loathed Daoist Tranquil Void, but if he were dead outside, they would be trapped underground forever.

Just as panic began to grip them, they heard footsteps approaching in the distance.

“Listen… what’s that sound?”

The servants quickly grabbed their iron picks and assumed defensive stances.

Li Yan emerged from the shadows, clad in a Tranquil Void Temple Daoist robe and wearing a calm expression.

“I am Mingyan, an Inner Disciple of the Tranquil Void Temple.”

“My Grandmaster has ordered me to deliver your rations.”

As he spoke, Li Yan held up his identity plaque.

These were items he had kept from his time at the Tranquil Void Temple, now stored in his Storage Ring.

Now was the perfect time to use these props to deceive them.

Seeing Li Yan dressed as a disciple of the Tranquil Void Temple, complete with a waist plaque, the old servant Yao Yan stood at respectful attention and bowed deeply.

“Servant Disciple Yao Yan greets Senior Brother,” he said.

Though the man was in his forties or fifties, he showed utmost deference to Li Yan. All the servants working underground bore the generation name “Yao.”

Yao Yan cautiously inquired, “Senior Brother, Grandmaster usually leaves the items at the cave entrance for us to collect ourselves. Why has he sent you today…?”

Li Yan narrowed his eyes, radiating an oppressive aura. “Does a mere servant disciple dare question Grandmaster’s actions?”

Yao Yan paled with fear and immediately knelt. “Forgive me! We wouldn’t dare presume to fathom Grandmaster’s intentions. He must have sent you to retrieve the treasure, Senior Brother?”

Treasure?

Hearing that word, Li Yan’s drowsiness vanished instantly. Daoist Tranquil Void wouldn’t have undertaken such an elaborate underground project without a clear motive. The treasure the old Daoist had painstakingly excavated now belonged to Li Yan.

A smirk crept onto Li Yan’s lips. “Hmph, lead me there quickly. Grandmaster is waiting outside.”