Chapter 124: The Despair of Dugu Shang-Cellular Universe(The Path Lit by a Pale Lantern)

"After decades of hard work, everything’s back to square one overnight!" Reflecting inwardly on his past experiences, his gaze then fell upon the sword’s spiritual power and the Greedy Wolf Primordial Sword in his hand. Feeling the aura emanating from the gourd beneath the gourd figure before him, an idea suddenly surfaced in his mind.

He had never seen these gourd figures before, but after observing them for so long, he suddenly recalled their origin.

The gourd beneath the gourd figure was called the Blackwater Poison Gourd, containing the Blackwater Poison Smoke!

The Blackwater Poison Smoke drew from the utmost yin of water, transforming into a deadly toxin. Without proper protection, inhaling it would cause dizziness, disorientation, and bodily harm. Within a short span, one would inevitably turn into a pool of poisonous water.

Hence, these gourd figures were known as Blackwater Taoists.

Du Gu Shang’s strength was indeed formidable, but when compared to the Blackwater Taoists, they were on par. The real trouble lay in the Blackwater Poison Gourd beneath each of them—he had no confidence in facing that and emerging unscathed.

What made matters worse was that there wasn’t just one Blackwater Taoist here; they appeared in droves, as if they were endless.

Du Gu Shang was confident he could calmly escape from one Blackwater Taoist, but that was all he could do—escape.

If there were two, it would already be difficult, let alone the many Blackwater Taoists before him.

Even if he exerted all of his strength, he only had a faint hope of barely escaping. There was a high chance he would lose his mind amid the Blackwater Poison Smoke in the gourd and be reduced to a puddle of poison within moments.

“Fight for it!” Du Gu Shang gritted his teeth, watching the Blackwater Taoists patrol back and forth within his sight. His sorrow quickly hardened into resolve.

If he overexerted the sword’s spiritual power to its limits, maximizing its effect, then used it to trigger the Greedy Wolf Primordial Sword—drawing the attention of all the Blackwater Taoists—he might be able to make a run for it. Perhaps, he... could survive!

A simple feint—this was the only plan Du Gu Shang could conceive here.

With the quality of the Greedy Wolf Primordial Sword and the power unleashed by his overdrawn sword spiritual energy, the commotion would certainly be significant. At the very least, it could tie up the Blackwater Taoists for a while, and that moment was the time he needed to secure his escape.

“Come!” With firm resolve, Du Gu Shang no longer hesitated. The sword’s spiritual power surged to its peak within him. He sprang to his feet with a swift motion, waving his arm as he infused power. The Greedy Wolf Primordial Sword, initially just an inch long, expanded rapidly, radiating a fierce aura.

“Hmm?”

Du Gu Shang’s sudden appearance drew the attention of the Blackwater Taoists, who had been wandering aimlessly. Upon seeing him, they all exclaimed in surprise—there was actually someone here.

“Come on!” Du Gu Shang shouted, leaping into the air. His right hand grasped the expanding Greedy Wolf Primordial Sword, using its momentum to spin his body. The sword tip traced a circle in the air, releasing slashes of killing intent sword energy that surged toward all the Blackwater Taoists within range.

“Hmm?”

The same word, yet now laden with different meaning. Before, it was surprise at the unexpected presence; now, it was anger at this foolhardy audacity. Seeing his unimpressive strength and his brazen attack on so many of them at once, they thought he was courting death recklessly.

After a cold snort, nearly all the Blackwater Taoists turned their gaze toward him. Their inner power surged as the gourds beneath them whistled and swiftly appeared before Du Gu Shang.

Puff~

Their eyes, cold as if looking at a corpse, fixed on Du Gu Shang. The gourds trembled simultaneously, followed by the sound of corks being pulled one after another.

Whoosh!

As the corks of the Blackwater Poison Gourds were removed, tendrils of black smoke curled out.

Suddenly, a chill ran down Du Gu Shang’s back. An icy coldness seeped deep into his bones, and a fierce sense of danger crashed over him like a tidal wave.

His gaze fell upon the swirling Blackwater Poison Smoke. He fought to suppress his discomfort, but the coldness on his body made him swallow nervously. The fear in his eyes was nearly impossible to conceal.

Although he had achieved his goal—successfully drawing the attention of all the Blackwater Taoists—Du Gu Shang felt no triumph. Instead, dread gripped him.

Though he had already overestimated the power of the Blackwater Poison Smoke as much as he dared, now he realized how naïve his thoughts had been. With the Blackwater Poison Smoke surrounding him, turning into poisonous water would not take mere moments. He estimated that even surviving a single breath might be beyond his reach.

The Blackwater Taoists, the Blackwater Poison Gourd, the Blackwater Poison Smoke—all three were intertwined. Du Gu Shang suddenly fell into despair, realizing he had made a grave mistake, a fatal error.

He had overestimated his own strength, and most critically, he had underestimated the enemy’s power.

Judging by the current strength displayed by the Blackwater Taoists, they didn’t even need more than a wisp of the poison smoke. Even facing one of them head-on, he was absolutely no match and would struggle even to escape.

"Damn it! Absolute Island is truly a colossal trap!" In the face of life and death, Du Gu Shang felt desolate but bore no hatred toward the Blackwater Taoists—they were pitiable souls. The real villain was Absolute Island.

“Let death come then!” After cursing, Du Gu Shang quickly adjusted his mindset. Sternly watching the tendrils of smoke slowly coalescing into a dark cloud, a flicker of helplessness crossed his eyes before being replaced by determination.

Misjudging the situation had plunged Du Gu Shang into a desperate fight for survival. Yet he blamed no one; the greatest mastermind, Absolute Island, could only be cursed silently in his heart—nothing more.

Since even the greatest puppet master was beyond his reach, what meaning was there in resenting these equally pitiful foes?

With a resolve to accept death, Du Gu Shang let go of all else and resolved to proceed with his original plan. Though aware that his chances of survival were virtually zero, he refused to surrender.

If he was to die, then he would die with honor.

Channeling his spiritual power, he reversed the cauldron bottom technique, forsaking all his future cultivation. In one fell swoop, he poured all his sword spiritual power, including the Taibai Profound Technique originally used to nurture his acupoints, into the Greedy Wolf Primordial Sword. At the same time, he quietly gave the sword a command.

Boom!

In an instant, a tremendous roar erupted as the Greedy Wolf Primordial Sword exploded after absorbing everything from Du Gu Shang.

White vapor billowed, coalescing into a mushroom cloud that spread like a magnificent canopy. The immense force radiated outward in all directions!