When they heard this, the Grand Elder and the remaining elders finally shifted their gaze away from their “little darling”, their eyes turning into green vertical pupils, and swept their surroundings with a ghostly look.
Next, stunned and bewildered expressions appeared simultaneously on the burly old men’s faces.
In their vision, the surrounding air was so fresh, and the power of the Gu God that used to drift through the air like fireflies was now scattered and pitifully scarce.
“A genius…”
The old men, led by the Grand Elder, trembled with excitement and all looked towards Xu Lingyin.
Had all the “power of the Gu God” around them been absorbed by her?
How on earth did she do this… The elders were both astonished and excited.
“Hmm, something’s not right.”
The Grand Elder shook his head, scrutinising Xu Lingyin. “The child’s physical strength has indeed soared, but she is still at eighth rank. The concentration of the Gu God’s power here is not as great as near the Abyss, but it is still beyond what she can withstand.”
The elders frowned in silence. With their wisdom, of course, they could not draw any conclusions.
So they all wore worried faces.
At this moment, Mu Nanzhi returned holding the little white fox. The Grand Elder glanced at this pale-skinned ugly girl and asked in broken Great Feng official tongue,
“Where’s that boy?”
“He said he’s going for a wander…” Mu Nanzhi replied.
The Grand Elder nodded slightly, not taking it to heart, merely assuming the outsider was curious about the Abyss and wanted to look around, to broaden his horizons.
As for safety, a beyond-mortal warrior capable of killing a Vajra, the surface primeval forest aside, would be safe even deep within the Abyss.
…
Elsewhere, Xu Qi’an, deep in the primeval forest, was sitting cross-legged atop a boulder, absorbing the power of the Gu God drifting in the air through breathing techniques.
Here, the concentration of the Gu God’s power was over ten times higher than on the periphery. With every moment of absorption, the vigor in Xu Qi’an’s body grew ever more robust, and his progress was extraordinarily swift.
Vitality had nothing to do with Qi, it represented physical strength. The more vigorous the vitality, the better the stamina, the greater the strength.
At the pinnacle of third rank, if Qi was not used, perhaps two Xu Qi’ans would not be as strong as Longtu.
The more vigorous my vitality, the more Qi I can refine. I must devour as much of the Gu God’s vitality as possible and make it my own, then find my Little Aunt to dual cultivate, and in the end pull out the Demon-Sealing Nails. Then I will be a true peak third rank. No, a third rank martial artist who could break through to second rank at any moment.
I’ll be even more powerful than the Zhenbei King back then.
He maintained his breathing posture, constantly absorbing the Gu God’s power. After a quarter of an hour, the Sevenfold Gu stopped absorbing.
It had reached its limit and could not digest any more of the Gu God’s power.
Xu Qi’an “examined” the Sevenfold Gu and found that the strength Gu’s power had not only caught up with the poison, corpse, and Dark Gu, but had even surpassed them.
He gained the strength Gu’s second ability—Berserk!
It could stimulate the cells, unleashing strength beyond one’s normal state for a short time. The price was that after the outburst, the body would enter a weakened state and require copious amounts of food to recover. Otherwise, the depletion of vitality would affect longevity.
Whoosh!
Just then, a howling sound split the air.
A massive shadow loomed overhead as a giant boulder spun towards Xu Qi’an.
He gently leaned aside, letting the boulder graze past him, crash into the ground with a huge crater, and then keep rolling, snapping two mutated giant trees.
The plants here, having absorbed the Gu God’s vitality, had mutated and were now tougher and thicker than ordinary trees.
Having dodged the boulder, Xu Qi’an looked ahead. In the dense forest, under the shadows, stood a tall and mighty black-backed gorilla.
Its eyes were blood-red, fangs protruding, the muscles above its long snout furrowed as it glared fiercely at Xu Qi’an. Seeing this human look over, the black-backed gorilla shrieked and thudded its solid chest.
Then, it grabbed a handful of stones from the ground and hurled them with force. In an instant, they showered down like a rain of arrows, bombarding Xu Qi’an from all directions.
This gorilla’s strength is terrifying… Xu Qi’an’s body melted away, slipping out from the shadow behind the black-backed gorilla.
He clenched his fist, his knuckles crackling explosively. The muscles of his entire right arm swelled to twice their original thickness, completely misshapen.
Bang!
It was like a cannon shot, the air itself exploding from his punch.
The black-backed gorilla’s body was torn apart, chunks of flesh flying in all directions, blood and viscera splattering all over the ground, the stench filling the air in an instant.
I suddenly feel the urge to arm-wrestle Longtu…
Xu Qi’an joyfully felt the changes in his body.
He did not tarry, but turned and headed east. Travelling directly east for thirty li, he would enter the region filled with the “power of the poison Gu”.
Soon, he arrived in an area shrouded with miasma, where the foliage was thick.
Xu Qi’an had originally thought that the region covered by the “power of the poison Gu” would be relatively sparse, with only a few toxic plants able to survive. Who would have thought that the trees here were tall and dense, their branches and leaves interlocking and almost completely blocking out the light.
Crack!
He broke off a branch, stripped off the leaves, and stuffed them into his mouth, chewing a few times.
“Poisonous, but poor quality.”
He then tasted some shrubs and weeds, all of which contained toxins, albeit not very potent ones. Nothing that would benefit the poison Gu, but useful as snacks to alleviate side effects.
As he walked, sampling things along the way, he occasionally grabbed poisonous insects or picked some poisonous grass. The deeper he went, the higher the quality of plants and poison bugs, and the stronger their toxicity.
Reaching a spot where the snacks were especially satisfying, Xu Qi’an sat down in the shade of a tree, breathing in the miasma and poisonous air to nourish the poison Gu.
Not long after, the Sevenfold Gu reached another bottleneck and was unable to absorb any more poison.
Xu Qi’an had gained a new poison Gu ability—Toxic Body!
Toxic Body had two major skills: Conversion and Absorption.
Conversion: It turned any non-toxic substance into poison, and any poison into a non-toxic substance.
Absorption: It absorbed any toxic substance and made it his own. This included enemies’ Qi and sword Qi attacks. In addition, by absorbing poison, he could repair his body.
Even if he lost arms or legs, as long as there were enough poisons around, he could absorb them and turn them into his own flesh.
However, for Xu Qi’an, this ability was somewhat redundant.
A coarse martial artist had little fear of losing limbs.
He then visited the other five areas suffused with the power of the Gu God. He did not go in deep, but gained a general understanding of the Abyss.
The corpse Gu tribe lived among walking corpses. There were animals and humans alike, roaming around their designated area like zombies. When living creatures entered, they would swarm upon them.
Not to eat, but to pass on the child Gu, transforming the living into more walking corpses.
The region of the desire Gu was saturated with an aphrodisiac scent, where birds and flowers proliferated, plants ran wild with growth, and everywhere one looked, there were “group activities”.
The animals single-mindedly engaged in the primal act of passing on their genetics.
Birdsong and roars were the only melody of this place. Xu Qi’an attempted to use the heart Gu’s power to listen in on the animals.
The chattering of birds could be classified into two types:
“Come fuck me” and “I’ll fuck you”.
What a land of birds and flowers it was.
The Dark Gu’s area was filled with constant danger, with Gu insects and Gu beasts leaping from every shadow to deal a deadly blow.
Xu Qi’an lingered here the longest, unable to settle down and relax for breathing exercises until he had slaughtered all the nearby Gu insects and Gu beasts.
Releasing the aura of a beyond-mortal was useless, as Gu insects and Gu beasts only feared the most dominant of their own kind.
The heart Gu’s territory was the most normal on the surface, but only on the surface.
In reality it was the most dangerous place, because all plants and animals shared a “unified” mind, like a massive army, cooperating closely as they devoured any living thing that entered.
For such an area, Xu Qi’an had no solution. He could only activate Vajra Body, letting the heart Gu-controlled animals and plants attack as they wished while he focused on absorbing the power of the Gu God in that region.
When the heart Gu further transformed under the pressure of a higher-level kindred, the heart Gu in the area no longer dared to attack him.
When Xu Qi’an had absorbed all seven powers of the Gu God one by one, and the Sevenfold Gu was balanced, his neck suddenly went numb.
“It’s going to transform…”
Xu Qi’an immediately sat cross-legged on the ground and sensed the Sevenfold Gu with his heart.
…
The Great Elder, together with the Third and Fourth Elders, ventured deep into the primeval forest. Their pupils remained green as they carefully examined the surrounding “power of the Gu God”.
“The concentration of the Gu God’s power here hasn’t changed…”
The Great Elder looked around, his gaze lingering for a moment on the east side, and said, “Let’s go and have a look over there.”
The three elders walked for several minutes, stopped in their tracks, and found that the “power of the Gu God” here was noticeably thinner, though the surrounding Gu God’s power had somewhat filled the void.
The Fourth Elder stroked his chin and analysed:
“Has a great Gu creature emerged?”
He was referring to a beyond-mortal Gu creature.
In the history of the shaman clans, beyond-mortal Gu creatures occasionally appeared in the depths of the Abyss, gaining sapience, and then emerging from the rift to prey upon the surrounding creatures, including shamans.
Roughly every six or seven centuries, a beyond-mortal Gu creature would be born.
The shaman clans’ response was for the various tribal leaders to venture together into the Abyss every sixty years, clearing out the powerful Gu creatures within.
But this could not completely prevent the emergence of beyond-mortal Gu, as the state of the Gu God was unstable. Sometimes its power would surge and be dense, sometimes it would be sparse and weak.
There was no fixed pattern.
Thus it might be that for hundreds of years, no powerful Gu creatures appeared, and all of a sudden in a few decades, a batch of strong Gu would emerge, even beyond-mortal ones.
And no chieftain could guard the Abyss at all times.
Suddenly, the Great Elder’s eyes narrowed and he said in a grave tone:
“Something has happened.”
The Third and Fourth Elders followed his gaze, and saw bits of flesh scattered all over the ground, with blood and entrails strewn everywhere.
The Great Elder hurried over with swift steps and grabbed a chunk of meat, saying,
“It’s still warm.”
The Third Elder found the head of a black-backed gorilla in the undergrowth nearby. “It’s a gorilla.”
The Fourth Elder said, “Let’s gather the meat and take it back to make a meat stew for the children.”
Both the Great Elder and the Third Elder gladly approved.
After collecting all the edible meat, the three elders finally began their analysis. The Great Elder raised a question:
“If it was a beyond-mortal Gu, why did it only kill but not eat?”
The Third Elder answered,
“Perhaps it was full?”
The Fourth Elder retorted,
“Have you ever been full before?”
After a brief silence, they decided to head home while the meat was still fresh.
When they regrouped outside with the other elders and Xu Lingyin and Mu Nanzhi, the Great Elder rubbed Xu Lingyin’s head vigorously, laughing heartily,
“I’ll make you meat stew when we get home.”
Xu Lingyin nodded happily and swallowed her saliva.
Watching this, Mu Nanzhi suddenly wondered whether Xu Qi’an’s little sister had been stolen from the Strength Gu tribe and brought back to the capital.
Though clearly an outsider, she fit in as if she were coming home, getting along surprisingly well with the Strength Gu people.
“Has your big brother not come back yet?”
the Fourth Elder asked.
“Eh, where’s big bwother gone?”
Xu Lingyin seemed only now to notice that her brother was missing.
The Great Elder glanced at the hunk of meat in his arms, paused as if he had realised something, and frowned, saying,
“Could it be that he was the one who killed this?”
The Fourth Elder pondered and said,
“It’s possible.”
The Great Elder asked again,
“Was the thinning of the Gu God’s power his doing?”
The Fourth Elder considered and replied,
“Impossible.
“He’s not one of our Strength Gu tribe. There’s no way Lina would have taught the clan’s secret arts to an outsider…”
As he spoke, the elders fell silent in unison, turning to Xu Lingyin.
Suddenly, they remembered that their beloved pupil, Xu Lingyin, had learnt her Gu arts from Lina, the reason being her exceptional talent.
What if, what if that youngster was also a genius in cultivating Strength Gu?
The Great Elder’s expression changed. “Come on, let’s go back and ask Lina.”
…
The Great Elder led his group back to the Strength Gu tribe, heading straight for the chief’s residence.
“Lina, Lina!”
The Great Elder bellowed at the top of his lungs.
Lina emerged, holding a wooden bowl brimming with a secret recipe,
“What…”
The Great Elder strode up, eyeing her with suspicion, and said, “Did you teach Xu Qi’an the secret Strength Gu arts as well?”
Lina replied between mouthfuls, “No, I only took Lingyin as an apprentice.”
The Second Elder immediately corrected her, “You merely teach on your father’s behalf. We are her real teachers.”
The elders breathed a sigh of relief, but felt somewhat disappointed.
Relief, because this silly girl, Lina, had not recklessly leaked the clan’s secret arts. Disappointment, because if it had been true, Xu Qi’an might have been an even scarier genius than Xu Lingyin.
“Why hasn’t Xu Ningyan come back?”
Lina looked behind, her face brightened with joy, “Dad’s back!”
Everyone looked over their shoulders to see Longtu striding towards them barefoot, his gait steady.
As he drew nearer, the elders noticed Longtu looked grave.
“Is something wrong?” asked the Great Elder, leaning on his staff.
There was no need for thought, those who knew Longtu well could tell.
Longtu nodded. “A foreigner’s come, says he’s from Yunzhou, wants us to send troops against the Great Feng.”
He recounted the meeting and the conditions offered by the Yunzhou arcanist to the elders.
“What do you think?”
The Great Elder did not rush to decide, but first asked Longtu’s opinion.
“Definitely not. It’d cost us disciples, and who knows how many would die. Besides, that so-called Jianzheng’s first disciple is no acquaintance of ours. Why should we be fools and go just because he said so?”
Longtu replied bluntly.
“But if it’s true, the other six clans will definitely fight,” the Great Elder declared.
“If we don’t, and they win, we’ll get no share of the spoils, and the Strength Gu’s standing will drop among the shaman clans,” the Second Elder said.
Longtu grumbled,
“I’m not worried. When Lingyin advances to beyond-mortal, our clan will have three beyond-mortal cultivators, our standing will only rise, not fall.
“I’ve thought this through already. Even if we don’t do much, we’re still the strongest of the shaman clans.”
The Great Elder beamed,
“You really are something, pup. We were right to pick you as chief all those years ago. What a sharp eye I had!”
Mu Nanzhi massaged her forehead and retreated several steps.
Longtu bared his teeth in a grin, then his expression sank once more:
“They’re planning to hunt Xu Qi’an. I said I wouldn’t interfere, but I can’t just ignore it either. It’s a delicate matter.”
He had just finished speaking when he frowned:
“They’re here.”
As he spoke, the shadows beneath the tall trees ahead twisted, slowly emerging into a mass of darkness.
When the darkness dispersed, five figures stood beneath the trees.
A cloaked, undead corpse; Luanyu, dressed in white chest-wrap and short pants, draped with a sheer gown; Chunyan, with two thin little snakes as earrings; Baji, in a long robe sewn from animal hide; and the Heaven Gu Grandma, her head silver-haired and face deeply wrinkled.
As for the chief of the Shadow tribe, he remained hidden, carefully tucked away in the shade.
The cloaked undead said blandly,
“Where’s the one called Xu?”
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