The four Great Saints entered the Ganoderma Cave Heaven together.

This type of cave heaven, in the West, is called a half-plane and has always existed dependent on the main world, something Zhong Shenxiu was very familiar with.

As they traversed, he couldn't help but recall the records about the Great Evil - [Black Tai Sui].

'[Black Tai Sui], was initially discovered by the Daoist sect in the fifth year of the Dragon Phoenix…'

'At that time, someone in Jingling unearthed a huge white meat mass from the ground, the fragrance that emanated upon opening it was irresistibly mouthwatering, leading people to consume it raw…'

'Consuming this meat raw did not cause any immediate side effects; instead, it had the effect of replenishing vital energy, promoting health and longevity, thus it was offered up to the prefecture…'

'It wasn't until forty-nine days later that all who had consumed the white meat mass found their bodies stiffening, their divine senses numbed, transforming into 'living dead' who delighted in devouring the living. Moreover, they carried a deadly poison, infecting any ordinary person who came into contact, causing them to also transform into 'living dead'… Even cultivators could not cure this and could also be infected…'

'This was the 'Disaster of Tai Sui', affecting hundreds of miles and involving tens of thousands of people, ultimately alarming the Daoist sect, until a Great Saint intervened and finally slaughtered all the living dead… Yet, just before these living dead were annihilated, they sacrificed themselves to one another, their flesh and blood merging into a Great Evil Demon, named - [Black Tai Sui]!

"This whole thing is simply a biological disaster… However, cultivators tainted by this poison do not turn into living dead but into a higher form - corpse variants! In the West, these are also known as ghouls… It is said they still retain sanity, but their craving for flesh and blood often drives them into a frenzied state…"

Zhong Shenxiu mused to himself: "According to research, these living dead and corpse variants are actually both dead; what really lives is a fungus residing within them, which can even control nerves and infiltrate the brain… It's hypothesized that these fungi are all part of [Black Tai Sui], capable of endless proliferation once leaked, possessing exceedingly terrifying and resilient vitality, hence [Black Tai Sui] is sealed within the grotto heaven, never to be exposed…"

"Hmm, formidable vitality, this is a common trait among earth-affiliated demons, but [Black Tai Sui] is even more accentuated; from the perspective of Western alchemy, [Black Tai Sui] is essentially a pan-consciousness entity residing over numerous fungi."

As he pondered over this, the world opened up before him.

The Ganoderma Cave Heaven, was here!

Zhong Shenxiu gazed into the distance and saw a lush and verdant scene.

Red flowers, green willows, lush vegetation, teeming with life…

Truly an exquisite grotto heaven.

But all present were Great Saints; how could they be deceived by mere appearances?

Zhong Shenxiu's eyes flashed with insight, dispelling the greenery, leaving his sight occupied by black and white hues.

The formerly verdant vegetation turned decayed with clusters of lingzhi mushrooms growing on them…

The clear pond water turned murky and foul-smelling, bubbling like a fetid swamp…

The void was filled with multicolored spores, attempting to integrate into the bodies of the newcomers…

"Hehehe…"

Among the four Great Saints, even the weakest, Ziyi Great Saint, was unfazed, and with just a flicker of True Fire, all those spores were incinerated.

Dream Nanhua's figure lingered between reality and illusion, beyond the reach of the mists.

Banshan Great Saint simply shielded his entire body with robust mana.

Zhong Shenxiu extended his right palm, which seemed to turn into a bottomless void, endlessly devouring everything around.

Countless spores, lingzhi, and vegetation were sucked in, transforming into a pitch-black meatball, covered with numerous eyes and spreading numerous tendrils along its edges.

"[Black Tai Sui]!"

Banshan Great Saint gazed at the black meatball with a look of dread: "This fiend can split into thousands, making it exceedingly difficult to kill… Even when the various Daoist Great Saints defeated it back then, they could only seal it within this grotto heaven, hoping to slowly burn it away with a Great Saint's True Fire from the outside, yet after so long, unable to eradicate it, it has instead tainted this grotto heaven!"

"Indeed, though this is merely a trivial replica, it's extremely difficult to kill…"

Ziyi gazed at the black meatball in Zhong Shenxiu's hand, perceiving a mighty mountain of gathered vitality, unyielding, and her face changed; her jade finger pointed, and a wisp of purple flame fell upon the meatball, burning furiously.

Aaaargh!

The black meatball convulsed violently, emitting screams that could drive ordinary cultivators to mental collapse, while the burnt parts were constantly healing, over and again…

"This replica… can even withstand a Great Saint's True Fire?"

Ziyi Great Saint exclaimed.

"No, the meatball's aura weakened just a little, which suggests that with persistent effort over several months, you, Ziyi fellow Daoist, might completely refine it…"

Banshan Great Saint's eyes flashed with insight, muttering.

"Spend several months of hard work?"

Ziyi upon hearing this, immediately shook her head with a wry smile.

"Why not… let me try!"

Zhong Shenxiu chuckled, forming a sword with his fingers, which emitted an invisible sword radiance formed by the power of Taiyin, piercing down.

Release!

Release!

The Great Saints, upon seeing this sword radiance, couldn't help but feel a sense of release, yearning to merge into the sword light.

Ziyi and Banshan quickly turned their heads, trembling internally, this sword technique was indeed extraordinarily fiendish.

The black meatball, struck by the sword radiance, suddenly let out an intense, high-pitched scream, then stilled as if dead.

What's more, the blackness on its body completely faded, revealing a fragrant flesh tone, exuding a rich vitality and fragrance.

"This… Fang Xian Dao's meat lingzhi? A genuine meat lingzhi, which supposedly can extend a mortal's life span by a hundred years with no side effects…"

Ziyi Great Saint, seeing this, her eyes brightened: "Such a technique that eradicates [Black Tai Sui]'s spirit without harming its vitality is truly exquisite!"

"You flatter me!"

Zhong Shenxiu looked at the lingzhi in his hand, casually storing it away, planning to reward Cen Hongyue in the future, and then he gazed at the grotto heaven, understanding: "I see…"

"Fellow Daoist, what did you discover?"

Dream Nanhua assumed the role of a little helper, immediately inquiring.

"Fang Xian Dao's grand scheme, perhaps, was to use this grotto heaven as a furnace to thoroughly refine [Black Tai Sui] into a genuine 'meat lingzhi', turning it into a Primordial Pill greatly beneficial even to a Great Saint… Unfortunately…"

Zhong Shenxiu shook his head.

The ideal is rich, the reality is skinny.

Fang Xian Dao couldn't eradicate [Black Tai Sui], instead allowing it to demonicize the grotto heaven, having to occasionally extract some of [Black Tai Sui]'s offshoots to be refined by Great Saints into 'meat lingzhi', barely utilizing this grotto heaven.

"Fellow Daoist's words… Does it mean…"

Banshan Great Saint stated: "I understand, we aren't merely within the grotto heaven, but within [Black Tai Sui]'s belly, no wonder Chongshan and Siluo were defeated…"

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