“Shadow” wrapped up the three leaders, used shadow leap, and returned to Heaven Gu Grandma’s side. Unlike usual, he did not hide in the shadow, but spoke directly, face pale:
“Grandma, we lost.”
His tone was filled with unwillingness and confusion.
Even now, he still could not accept the fact of defeat.
With the strength of the five of them, they could have easily killed any third-rank expert of any system. Even if their opponent was a martial artist with tough skin and flesh, it would only be a matter of taking a little longer.
When all seven tribal leaders worked together, even a second-rank martial artist would perish with regret.
Yet the truth was, they had been easily defeated by a young third-rank martial artist, easily, even, for that young man had not even suffered any serious injury.
The wounds they had inflicted on him would be fully healed in no time for a beyond-mortal martial artist.
“What should we do?”
As Shadow spoke, he looked towards Longtu, who stood not far away.
Longtu, owing to his friendship with the other side, had just watched from the sidelines. Now, if they wanted to calm Xu Qi’an’s wrath and prevent him from finishing everyone off, they would have to rely on the Strength Gu tribe.
Heaven Gu Grandma did not answer him. She walked to Baji’s side, reached into the cloth pouch he carried, took out several bamboo tubes, and pulled out the wooden stoppers at their mouths. She then placed the purple poison pills inside into Baji’s mouth.
Baji swallowed the pills greedily. Gradually, his complexion turned a deep purple, and he looked for all the world like a purple sweet potato.
Then, a remarkable scene occurred: at the wounds where Xu Qi’an had torn off his arms and at the tops of his thighs, purple flesh began to wriggle and grow. Not long after, his hands and feet were as good as new.
But Baji’s skin remained deep purple.
A Poison Gu Master who had refined a poison body possessed a form of undying flesh simiar to a martial artist, though it was different in essence.
Repairing a broken body required large quantities of poison. Afterwards, the body’s poison would become singular; whatever toxin was used in the healing, the body would become that type of poison.
For a Poison Gu Master, this was a significant weakening, they would need a long time to absorb other poisons before recovering.
“Extract the poison from Luanyu’s body,” said Heaven Gu Grandma.
Baji nodded, even eager to comply, he desperately needed to replenish his poison supply.
He walked over to the seductive and beautiful Luanyu and took a deep breath. Instantly, a stream of azure-black poisonous smoke drifted from Luanyu’s mouth and nose, which Baji absorbed.
Baji’s eyes lit up, and he exclaimed in surprise,
“What pure corpse poison! It’s even purer than all the corpse poison of the Corpse Gu tribe combined.”
Luanyu let out a soft moan and regained consciousness, her face pale. She had fractures in her ribs, arms, chest, over a dozen broken bones. Though a beyond-mortal expert with transformed vitality, there was no way she could recover as quickly as a Strength Gu master or a martial artist.
Her first reaction was to grit her teeth, endure the pain, and look towards the distant young man, her eyes filled with both dread and fear.
Heaven Gu Grandma continued,
“Luanyu, remove the Desire Gu from Chunyan.”
Luanyu nodded, retracted her gaze, pursed her lips, endured the pain, and got up. She came to the lovesick Heart Gu Master, whose face was flushed and who occasionally muttered dreamily.
So even you, when aroused, are no nobler than other women… Luanyu spat lightly under her breath, pressed her palm against Chunyan’s chest, and a few seconds later, the bewitched Heart Gu Master gradually calmed down and opened her eyes.
She immediately frowned, she could feel the pain from her broken bones.
Of course, beyond-mortal was beyond-mortal. Even if physical toughness was not their strength, such injuries were not particularly serious.
Chunyan’s reaction was exactly the same as Luanyu’s. She straightened her back, scanned her surroundings, then fixed her gaze on the distant vajra body.
“Who on earth is he? How does he know so many kinds of Gu arts?”
Chunyan bit her lip, eyes confused.
She voiced the question all the leaders had. This battle had been utterly stifling, for the methods they prided themselves on were useless against this young man.
Because he, too, was a Poison Gu Master, a Heart Gu Master, a Dark Gu Master, a Strength Gu Master, a Desire Gu Master, at present, only Heaven Gu and Corpse Gu seemed beyond his reach.
Throughout the history of the shaman clans, no one had ever been able to host so many Gu. Two was already the limit, anyone who had tried to control three or even four types of Gu arts had always ended up with their body disintegrating.
At that moment, they saw Xu Qi’an squatting next to the third-rank walking corpse, unlocking a small dark-gold pagoda.
At the top of the pagoda, an illusory dharma aspect appeared, it had a plump frame, kindly brows and eyes, and held a jade vial in its hand.
Golden motes drifted from the bottle’s mouth, like spring rain, falling onto the walking corpse.
The walking corpse’s ruined head began to regenerate at a speed visible to the naked eye.
Afterwards, the third-rank walking corpse stood up and saluted Xu Qi’an respectfully, saying loudly,
“Greetings, Sir Xu!”
Xu Qi’an, having gotten to act the captain, nodded in satisfaction.
There were two types of walking corpse: one was a pure puppet, possessing only brute strength.
The other was a newly dead person who had been refined into a waking corpse, thus retaining some of the skills and techniques from life.
He had shattered this walking corpse’s head with one punch. If it had been the second type, the lingering soul would have vanished, and with it the retained abilities.
But this third-rank walking corpse was entirely of the soul-less type, retaining nothing from life.
So when the Medicine Buddha Dharma Aspect repaired it, almost nothing was lost.
Luanyu, Chunyan, Longtu and the rest watched this in a daze, their hearts in turmoil.
“He even knows corpse Gu arts…”
Chunyan muttered.
The two little snakes dangling from her earlobes hissed angrily and tried to extend their bodies, as if they were about to escape their mistress and go sort out that hateful foe.
Cold sweat poured down the backs of the chiefs, they felt as if facing a deadly enemy, but also could not help but feel frustrated and hopeless.
“Other than the Gu God, no one can command so many Gu arts.”
The thoroughly purple Baji spoke in a low voice.
Gu God… Luanyu and the others exchanged glances, a nameless sense of horror rising in their hearts.
Just then, Luanyu saw the “mysterious” young man slowly turn his head, grin savagely in their direction, and start walking over.
“Hiss hiss~~”
The two little snakes on Chunyan’s earlobes immediately shrank back, curling up in fright.
“Longtu!”
Luanyu cried out, “Are you still just going to stand by?”
Shadow and Baji, the two leaders who were still relatively unscathed, stood in front of them, facing this formidable foe as if the sky were falling.
Longtu hesitated briefly, then walked over to stand with his tribesmen.
“Tui tui tui…”
Xu Lingyin, perched on his shoulder, spat hard at Baji and the others.
Heaven Gu Grandma, leaning on her walking stick, circled around the group, heading straight towards Xu Qi’an.
“Grandma?”
Shadow’s expression changed.
Heaven Gu and Heart Gu, like each other, were not famed for fighting abilities, their strengths lay elsewhere.
In front of such a brute, Heaven Gu Grandma would probably be killed in an instant, with not even time to save her.
“No need to worry.”
Heaven Gu Grandma smiled, walking straight towards Xu Qi’an. What happened next made Luanyu and the rest wonder if they had seen or heard wrong.
“Grandma, how did I do?”
Xu Qi’an bowed, smiling.
“You knew to hold back.”
Heaven Gu Grandma nodded. “Go and talk to them. You know what to do.”
Xu Qi’an nodded, brushed past Heaven Gu Grandma, and stopped in front of the leaders. He greeted Longtu with a nod, then swept his eyes over the baffled and wary leaders and smiled,
“If I wanted to kill you all now, do you think Longtu alone could stop me?”
Longtu, born of the Strength Gu tribe, raised his brows, looking unconvinced and itching for a fight.
Luanyu, Chunyan, Baji, and Shadow all fell silent.
What use were such words now? Of course, they were still unwilling, but their state was poor, so joining forces to counterattack with Longtu was impossible. At this moment, trying to talk tough served no purpose, the wisest course was to keep quiet.
“Don’t take it so hard. I haven’t even used my ‘intent’, nor have I called upon my treasures or peerless divine weapons. Even if all seven of your Gu chiefs joined hands, what could you do to me?”
Xu Qi’an raised his palm, the stupa tower resting on it, and smiled,
“This is the Buddhist Sect Dharmapara Bodhisattva’s Stupa Tower. Even if you haven’t seen it, you must have heard of it.”
The faces of Chunyan and the others changed repeatedly, all trace of defiance vanishing.
“So, all of you owe me your lives.”
Xu Qi’an said, “I am not someone who repays hatred with kindness. You wanted to kill me, so don’t blame me for returning the favour. Sparing your lives, remember it as a kindness, and one you will repay.”
“Who on earth are you?”
“What do you want?”
Luanyu and Chunyan spoke at the same time. Though their eyes remained wary, they realised Xu Qi’an had another purpose and that there was room for negotiation, so they lost all willingness to fight to the death.
Shadow and Baji did not speak, but it was clear they shared the same doubts.
“You all know very well who I am. Otherwise, you wouldn’t have surrounded me and tried to kill me. I suppose what you want to ask about is Gu techniques, isn’t it?”
Xu Qi’an spoke, glancing at Heaven Gu Grandma. Seeing that she did not object, he continued,
“My Gu technique came from the Sevenfold Gu.”
Sevenfold Gu… Chunyan and the others exchanged looks, their expressions confused. Clearly, they had never heard of this name.
Longtu of the Strength Gu clan and the six elders were just as bewildered.
“Let this old woman explain.”
Heaven Gu Grandma spoke slowly,
“The Sevenfold Gu was the life’s work the old man. It gathered the seven types of Gu techniques from the shaman clans, with the Heaven Gu as its foundation, accommodating the other six types. It was refined over several decades, starting from a single surviving larva.
“The Sevenfold Gu was a trump card that old man prepared for sealing the Gu God. Whoever obtained the Sevenfold Gu would have to bear this karmic consequence and help the shaman clans seal the Gu God. As for the details, I cannot say.”
Revealing Heaven’s secrets would bring Heaven’s punishment. Both Arcanists and Heaven Gu shamans must abide by the rules.
Everyone fell silent for a long while, struggling to digest Heaven Gu Grandma’s words.
To the shaman clans, refining the Sevenfold Gu in this way was an act that broke the established rules.
It would absolutely disrupt the current structure of the shaman clans, but the matter of sealing the Gu God made it reluctant yet acceptable for the clan leaders.
“Rest assured, the Sevenfold Gu is unique. There will never be a second. Moreover, this Gu cannot be contained by ordinary people. In the whole of Jiuzhou today, he is probably the only one who can receive it.” Heaven Gu Grandma comforted them.
So the so-called destined one was actually just an excuse. She had given the Sevenfold Gu to Lina, but it was actually intended for me… Xu Qi’an suspected Heaven Gu Grandma had foreseen something about the future.
Or perhaps that old man of the Heaven Gu tribe had foreseen something in the future, which was why such an arrangement was made.
Unfortunately, he knew he would not get an answer to his doubts. Heaven’s secrets could not be revealed.
“So that year, while the Heaven Gu Elder was scheming for the country’s fortune with the Jianzheng’s first disciple, he also planted the Sevenfold Gu into this person’s body, nurturing him in secret. If the Jianzheng’s first disciple were to fail in the future, there would still be someone to help seal the Gu God.”
Chunyan, the Heart Gu Master, said thoughtfully.
Her words made everyone present suddenly understand, and they felt that this was the truth.
“No wonder he’s become the number one martial artist in the Great Feng, no wonder his combat prowess is so great, with seven major Gu techniques close to beyond-mortal, it turns out he trained in our shaman clans’ secret arts since childhood.”
Longtu nodded. This differed slightly from his initial guess, but it was more acceptable and reasonable.
To possess seven types of Gu techniques at such a young age, and be nearly beyond-mortal, no matter how extraordinary Wei Yuan was, it was hard for anyone to accept.
But if he had received the “nurturing” of the Heaven Gu Elder and practised Gu arts since childhood, it was perfectly logical.
Heaven Gu Grandma shook her head, “It was I who had Lina bring the Sevenfold Gu to the capital.”
The scene suddenly quietened.
The clan leaders couldn’t help but look at Lina, their faces either stiff, perplexed, or shocked…
Lina nodded, “Yeah, it was Grandma who told me to take it to the capital and look for the destined one.”
So it all happened this year… Chunyan and the other clan leaders struggled to accept this.
They began to doubt who was the genuine orthodox heir of the shaman clans.
Longtu stared silently at his daughter and asked, word by word,
“Why didn’t you tell us?”
Lina replied matter-of-factly, “I forgot!”
Seeing Longtu snatch away the stick from the little girl on his shoulder, Heaven Gu Grandma hastily continued,
“As for sealing the Gu God, he is one possible choice, while the promise from that Jianzheng’s first disciple is another. We can choose to cooperate with Jianzheng’s first disciple, or with Xu Qi’an.”
Given the choice, the clan leaders would naturally prefer to cooperate with Xu Pingfeng.
That way, they could both seal the Gu God and take revenge.
In fact, that was exactly what they chose to do.
Shadow smiled bitterly, “Grandma, you knew this all along, why didn’t you tell us earlier, or stop us?”
If they had known Xu Qi’an was proficient in Gu techniques and unafraid of Desire Gu, Poison Gu, and Heart Gu, clearly aware of all their methods, they would never have come to throw their lives away.
Heaven Gu Grandma shook her head,
“You’re only blaming me because you were beaten scared. If I had told you beforehand, you’d simply have changed your plan. For example, using this little girl as a hostage.
“Having a fight isn’t so bad, getting rid of your murderous aura and anger first makes it easier to sit down and talk.”
No one could argue with that.
This is the so-called show of force before negotiation, destroy your fighting spirit, then offer benefits and discuss working together… Seeing that the groundwork was just about in place, Xu Qi’an continued,
“I didn’t kill you all because I hope you will reconsider working with the Great Feng.”
“Impossible!”
“The clansmen will never agree, nor will I.”
It was Baji who said “impossible”, and the other sentence came from Luanyu.
Except for the Corpse Gu clan, the Poison and Desire Gu clans utterly loathed the Great Feng.
“At least listen to my terms.”
Xu Qi’an smiled, “First of all, I will help your shaman clans seal the Gu God. Even though I don’t know how to do it, you should place your trust in the Heaven Gu Elder.”
Luanyu said coolly, “That is the karmic consequence you must bear for receiving the Sevenfold Gu.”
Xu Qi’an glanced sidelong at her, “The reason you’re still alive is my leverage.”
Luanyu fell silent.
Baji said indifferently, “We can refuse to ally with Yunzhou, and not attack the Great Feng. That is the limit of what we can do.”
Xu Qi’an ignored him and looked at Longtu,
“I can guarantee on behalf of the Great Feng that, after the rebellion is put down and farming resumes, for the next ten years, the Strength Gu clan will be given enough grain to fill your bellies every year.”
Longtu and the six elders’ eyes lit up with excitement.
He then looked at Baji, “For the Poison Gu clan, each year there will be a fixed amount of premium poisonous herbs and fruits, the exact number we can negotiate later.”
Baji opened his mouth. He wanted to refuse, but couldn’t bring himself to say the words.
Next, he turned to Luanyu, paused a moment, then asked,
“And what is it that you want?”
Among the seven clans of the shaman clans, the Desire, Poison, and Corpse Gu clans bore the deepest hatred for the Great Feng.
His “cured” walking corpse companion was a bargaining chip to negotiate with the Corpse Gu clan. He didn’t expect them to let go of their grudges, all he needed was for them not to ally with Yunzhou.
But as for the Desire Gu clan, Xu Qi’an currently had no leverage.
Luanyu sneered, “Stay with me in the Southern Marches for three years. Since you know Desire Gu techniques, you should understand perfectly well what I mean.”
Xu Qi’an instinctively looked around, spotting the timid Mu Nanzhi hiding far away and not daring to come over. He breathed a sigh of relief, then let his gaze sweep Luanyu’s curvy figure before giving a nod,
“Three years is impossible, at most three months.”
…Luanyu was momentarily stunned. She hadn’t expected the number one martial artist in the Great Feng to agree to such a request, and so readily at that.
For a moment, she didn’t know whether to accept or refuse.
If I agree, my clansmen would surely object and kick up a fuss. But if I refused… Luanyu glanced at Xu Qi’an’s powerful physique, and her mouth suddenly felt blocked, unable to utter the words of refusal.
Xu Qi’an then looked at Chunyan and Shadow, saying,
“I’ll arrange for the Great Feng to send envoys as soon as possible to discuss an alliance with the shaman clans. Whatever you want, feel free to state it.”
Everything he had promised so far was just an appetiser. To make the shaman clans send troops to aid the Great Feng, it was never going to be as simple as this.
Just like when the Yao and barbarians sent an envoy to the capital for help, the alliance treaty stipulated that the Yao and barbarians must pay a huge number of livestock, wool, and other resources.
If the Great Feng wanted the shaman clans’ assistance, they’d certainly need to pay a suitable price.
Shadow frowned,
“Youshi will never agree, his hatred of the Great Feng runs very deep.”
“If you all agree, what does it matter if the Corpse Gu clan doesn’t?” Xu Qi’an smiled,
“I don’t need him to send troops, there will always be a way to make him choose neutrality.”
As he finished speaking, a giant bird flapped toward them in the sky, circling over the mountain valley.
It was a corpse puppet of a bird, Youshi had arrived.
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