Chapter 019: Booger (Certain Death)

Ever since cultivators mastered the Cleansing Spell, they had never seen a booger; the moment they felt even the slightest bit of grime, they would use the spell to restore themselves to a pristine state.

Therefore, when everyone realized that the object in the hands of the early-stage Soul Formation cultivator was a booger, they recoiled with disgusted gasps and quickly retreated more than ten feet away.

"You brat, how dare you play with us!"

The Soul Formation cultivator flung the booger away in a rage and gathered flames to blast it into oblivion.

"Hum—"

The booger suddenly emitted a resonant sound, popping open a golden light barrier to protect itself.

Everyone was stunned.

A mere booger could withstand the attack of a Soul Formation cultivator?

"Death—Death—Death—"

The booger emitted a gloomy, reaper-like voice.

A cultivator exclaimed in surprise, "The booger can actually talk? Has it gained sentience?"

"Nonsense, how could a booger gain sentience?"

"What is it saying? Is it chanting its own name—'booger'?"

"It sounds like 'booger,' but it also sounds like 'certain death'."

"Do you think it might be a high-grade magical treasure, which is why it could block a Soul Formation cultivator’s strike?"

At that moment, the way everyone looked at the booger changed. They flashed forward in an instant, rushing toward it.

"Cer—tain—death—"

This sound from the booger was like a hellish soul-reaper declaring that one's time had come, the syllables drawn out long and slow.

Suddenly, *bang—*

It exploded.

It was as if an immortal had detonated their own core; the sound shook the heavens and the earth. Everything within a hundred miles was shattered, and a bottomless crater was carved into the ground. Everyone present, whether human or stone, was instantly reduced to ash, and even their souls vanished from the world.

Everything happened so suddenly that the cultivators had no time to react, let alone escape.

Nearby cultivators, hearing the noise, rushed to the scene. They had no idea what had happened, but upon seeing the crater—a gaping maw like that of a demon from hell—they were struck by an inexplicable dread.

Having flown far away, Ying Shu used her "Thousand-Mile Ears" to hear the blast. Unfortunately, she could not see, so she had to ask Cheng Shan, "I heard an explosion. It seemed to come from the direction we left. What happened there?"

Cheng Shan replied, "The booger you threw exploded."

"Ah? Boogers can explode? Did it hurt anyone?"

Cheng Shan: "..."

The people were blown away entirely; not even dust remained.

However, he did not say that, for he knew very well that a law-abiding modern person would find it difficult to accept their first time killing someone, perhaps even being unable to move past it for the rest of their lives.

"The cultivators were all injured by the blast; they won't be able to catch up for a while. Your booger is truly formidable. Just in case, you should quickly dig out a few more."

Judging by the power of that blast, even a Tribulation Stage cultivator probably couldn't withstand it.

Ying Shu’s mouth twitched. "That wasn't my booger. Besides, do you think this stuff is something I can just produce on demand? Why don't you try digging out a few boogers and show me?"

Cheng Shan chuckled. "Ever since I reached the Foundation Establishment stage and started practicing inedia, I haven't had any boogers, nor have I defecated."

Ying Shu rolled her eyes. "Are we safe now?"

"Safe?" Cheng Shan retorted sharply. "Only when we leave this secret realm and settle down somewhere where no one knows me will it be called safe."

Ying Shu furrowed her brows. "Does that mean I have to stay here for a while?"

She was most worried about Xixi; if the child woke up and didn't see her, she might cry and cause a scene, perhaps even worsening her condition.

"If you throw a few more boogers to protect us, I can make it out of the secret realm in two hours—that is, four hours in your time. Once we're out, we can hide somewhere before word spreads. It won't take more than half a day in total."

"I only had that one booger left."

She had not expected that something she found repulsive would be held in such high regard by Cheng Shan.

Ying Shu rummaged through her treasure box to see if there was anything useful; if all else failed, she would have to use her points to draw a prize.

Suddenly, Cheng Shan stopped.