Chapter 97 Shenzhao Gu Congxing, what do you want in return?
Mingnan Prefecture, the heartland of the Ji clan.
In a valley teeming with rocky peaks, colorful butterflies fluttered, vines thickly covered the landscape, and all that could be seen was a pool of dark green. Five poisonous creatures crawled through the trees, and poisonous insects and beasts, startled by a loud cry, suddenly scurried away into the shadows.
"Ahhh! That damned Lan Jue!"
Xuannv Ji Ling roared in anger and viciously cut down the bushes in front of her with her sword.
Another Xuannv, Ji Meng, sat silently beside her, taking a magic pill herself. She then asked calmly, "Aren't you afraid of tearing your wound by moving around like this?"
"snort!"
Ji Ling chopped off all the leaves of the ancient tree to vent his anger, and then sat down next to Ji Meng in a huff.
"That guy! He's such a good-looking guy, but he actually dared to lure us into his trap!" Ji Ling clenched his fists and said, "I've never suffered such a serious injury since I left the valley!"
"That man is indeed very cunning." Ji Meng teased the butterfly resting on her fingertips. "But for some reason, he ended up getting stabbed by me on purpose."
"Is it to show off to that person? That handsome guy we met before..."
At this point, she puffed up her cheeks and said, "Damn it! Damn it! One by one, it's such a waste of that face!"
Ji Meng lowered his eyes slightly and fell silent.
"Xiao Meng?" Ji Ling bent down to look at her.
Ji Meng's eyes flickered slightly. "Lan Jue was willing to act out such a tragic story for him, but he's not the cultivator we know... Who is that person?"
Ji Ling couldn't help but look thoughtful when he heard this.
At this moment, the spiritual power in the teleportation barrier moved slightly, and a tall figure suddenly appeared.
"Lord Xuanyuan!" The two women opened their eyes wide and immediately half-knelt on the ground.
"Well, Xiaoling, Xiaomeng. Where is your master?"
Xuanyuan Chu was wearing a long robe with rolling gold and dark black. He was awe-inspiring without being angry, and powerful but not harsh. His handsome and elegant face was full of friendly smiles.
"The head of the family is in the hidden pavilion." Ji Meng said respectfully.
Xuanyuan Chu nodded slightly, and his figure disappeared into the air.
The two women maintained this posture for a while before standing up silently.
"Huh... Lord Xuanyuan's aura is so strong every time he appears. Is he a cultivator in the Mahayana stage?" Ji Ling sighed.
Ji Meng looked at the place where Xuanyuan Chu disappeared, thought for a moment, and then walked towards Dieju.
"Xiao Meng, are you going back?" Ji Ling followed her.
"Yes." Her expression was calm, but her steps were quick. "Every time Lord Xuanyuan comes, the headmistress's sister will work tirelessly to refine Gu. I have to prepare elixirs for her in advance."
Ji Ling nodded in realization when she heard that. She followed Ji Meng silently until they entered the house, then she pouted and snorted softly.
"Humph, if it weren't for the fact that he saved the Patriarch's sister, I wouldn't—"
"Ji Ling!"
Ji Meng suddenly interrupted her, her tone lowering a little.
"Be careful with your words." She stretched out her index finger and pointed at her sister Ji Ling's lips.
Although she is the younger sister, she always calmly controls her elder sister. And her elder sister also obeys her orders. She is arrogant and fierce outside, but like a docile cat in front of her.
“…Okay, I understand.”
Ji Ling pouted again, and her lips touched the white finger, and Ji Meng immediately withdrew her hand.
Ji Ling showed a triumphant smile: "Then, let me help you make the elixir!"
In the hidden pavilion, a slender figure in white was standing silently, but when she sensed the fluctuation of spiritual power behind her, she immediately turned around and saluted.
"Master."
This woman has a pure and elegant temperament, and she looks like an immortal. Who else could it be but Xie Qingnian?
She had already taken off the veil she had to wear when appearing in public, and her facial features were as delicate as a porcelain statue carved by a craftsman.
"Qing Nian. Very interesting things have happened in the world of cultivation recently." Xuanyuan Chu looked at the Five Poison Cauldron behind her and said with a smile.
Xie Qingnian looked at him calmly without saying a word.
Xuanyuan Chu was not surprised and said, "It's Gu Congxing. He has come back to life."
Xie Qingnian frowned slightly.
"Not only that, he and Lan Jue also used the power of Qianyan Hall to build up quite a bit of momentum. Now, not only have the Ganyang Sect and the Yuan Clan agreed to form an alliance with them, but even the people of the 'Nine Rings' have been shaken and want to leave one after another."
Although the situation was serious, he acted as if it had nothing to do with him and his expression remained calm.
"They've put a lot of charges on me." Xuanyuan Chu said calmly, "I guess most of the Nine Rings have left by now, right? Some of them wanted to leave anyway."
Xie Qingnian listened to him in silence until this moment when he lowered his head and spoke.
"Then, what should the disciple do?"
Xuanyuan Chu looked at her, and the smile on his lips became even wider.
He walked up to Xie Qingnian and put his hand on her shoulder.
"Good boy. Although they are weak, their fighting power is much greater than ours. We need more fighting power."
Xie Qingnian blinked, seeming a little confused.
"That's it, Qing Nian. Someone in your clan used it before. What was it called..." He frowned and thought for a moment, then suddenly an idea flashed through his mind. "Oh right, Corpse Gu! It's that magic technique, the one that uses Gu worms to control corpses!"
Xie Qingnian suddenly raised his head!
Her beautiful lake-blue eyes widened at this moment, and obvious emotional fluctuations appeared on her usually calm face.
"Master, that's evil. Blood Butterfly used this magic before, causing disaster to the area. The previous head of the family was unable to rest in peace because of it until his death..."
"But—it's very useful. With the Corpse Gu, we will have an inexhaustible supply of combat power. In order for the great cause to succeed, some sacrifices are necessary."
Xuanyuan Chu still had a friendly look on his face and was smiling, but his hand on Xie Qingnian's shoulder gradually tightened and his spiritual power moved slightly.
"Qing Nian, are you going to disobey me too? Or is it that Ji is also planning to leave me along with Jiujie?"
A layer of cold sweat suddenly appeared on Xie Qingnian's face.
She was silent for a long time, and after a while she lowered her head, like a white peacock with broken wings.
"I understand, Master."
Xuanyuan Chu looked at her for a moment, then withdrew his hand with satisfaction and nodded, saying, "Good girl."
He turned around, took a few steps forward, and suddenly looked back and said, "Oh, right, the mother Gu of your mind Gu is still with me... Will your power be restricted? Do I need to return the mother Gu to you first?"
Xie Qingnian shook his head without hesitation when he heard this.
She half-knelt on the ground, lowered her eyes and said, "No need. There will be no restrictions on the use of my skills."
After all, the mind Gu is just something that controls the mind of the person who is poisoned. Unless there are obvious abnormal thoughts such as rebellion, the mind Gu will not move at all.
Xuanyuan Chu smiled and nodded, then disappeared into thin air in the blink of an eye.
Xie Qingnian was still half-kneeling in the same place.
Her face, which was almost pale to the point of being transparent, was still covered with a layer of cold sweat. Until a poisonous insect crawled nearby, her eyes moved, she stretched out her finger to let the poisonous insect crawl onto the back of her hand, and stood up silently.
She walked to the window frame. Most of Ji's disciples were women. They were adorned with silver ornaments and played around while practicing. Their bracelets reflected the sunlight, like dancing butterflies.
Finally, those beautiful lake blue eyes fell on Ji Meng and Ji Ling who were running towards this place.
They smiled brightly, responding to the disciples' calls, holding the medicine bags tightly in their hands.
Xie Qingnian stood there and stared for a long time, with the corners of his lips silently raising slightly.
In a blink of an eye, her eyes became fierce, and she resolutely turned and left the window, with the hem of her white gauze dress rising slightly.
——Looking from below, it looks like a thin wisp of smoke blown away by the wind.
***
Travel to Beizhou and Yuanshi Qian'e Ridge.
After revealing his identity, Gu Congxing began a short period of seclusion to consolidate the spiritual power that had returned. He also used the Tianshu left by Gu Mingting to slowly absorb and refine it.
When he came out of seclusion ten days later, his cultivation had jumped to the middle stage of Nascent Soul, and was even close to the late stage.
Lan Jue was not idle during this period. In addition to practicing, he began to contact the Gan Yang Sect. As expected, the Gan Yang Sect's attitude towards the alliance was much clearer this time.
However, what was quite surprising was that Xiao Wangyou and Yao Qi came directly to Yuanshi together - according to them, they came here on the orders of their master to conduct an investigation.
They talked with Lan Jue for a long time and had officially confirmed the alliance before Gu Congxing came out of seclusion.
On the day when Gu Congxing officially came out of seclusion, Qianyan Hall had already spread the news of his resurrection, the truth behind his self-explosion that day, and Xuanyuan Chu's evil crimes, so much so that even the Tianqi Sect suffered a severe blow.
"So, now everyone from the 'Nine Rings' has left the Tianqi Gate?"
In the guest peak, Gu Congxing sat at the stone table and asked Xiao Wangyou who was sitting opposite him.
"Humph, that's natural. How could the pillars of each sect be willing to stay in such a hypocritical and filthy place?"
Xiao Wangyou still had that cold and solemn look on his face, his raven hair tied up high, and his gold-patterned red feather earrings swaying gently as he raised his glass to sip tea.
He was originally looking at the porcelain cup in his hand, but after a while his eyes turned to Gu Congxing like a magnet.
Yao Qi supported his chin, his eyes becoming much more direct. He stared at Gu Congxing and began to repeat for the eighth time: "Congxing, it's great that you're not dead!"
When these two people saw Gu Congxing for the first time, they were stunned as if they had been hit hard, and even wanted to touch him in disbelief.
However, Lan Jue's figure suddenly appeared in front of him like a ghost, and he invited the two of them to sit down and have tea and talk in detail.
Although they were reluctant, they still sat down in turn - Xiao Wangyou took the lead and sat opposite Gu Congxing.
Gu Congxing lowered his eyes and thought for a moment, then asked, "Qianyantang is making such a big fuss, aren't you afraid that Xuanyuanchu will take action?"
"Of course I will take action."
Xiao Wangyou spoke coldly, leaning forward a little: "Even though Yan Wujian is extremely good at hiding, it still took a lot of effort... Hey, do you want to give me some reward?"
Gu Congxing raised his eyebrows in surprise, but this made sense. Even if they were allies, they were not completely selfless in their dealings with each other.
He nodded neatly: "Okay. What do you want?"
Yao Qi's eyes lit up: "I also helped a lot, can I count it as my contribution?"
Gu Congxing was about to speak when Xiao Wangyou suddenly spoke:
"Come with me for some training and help me find treasure. Just you and me."
His expression remained calm and dignified, but when he spoke the last sentence, his fingers gripping the porcelain cup tightened almost imperceptibly.
Secret realms, treasure hunts? That's exactly his style.
Gu Congxing thought to himself that once he found the two magic weapons, it wouldn't take much effort to help Xiao Wangyou find the treasure.
"Well, no—"
“Click!”
The porcelain cup was suddenly placed heavily on the table, making a clear sound.
The faint smile on Lan Jue's face froze at his lips, exuding a chill.
"I've heard that Fellow Daoist Xiao is making rapid progress and has an unstoppable momentum. It turns out he's still a young man who doesn't even dare to train alone... What a young man."
Xiao Wangyou's expression suddenly darkened.
Yao Qi chuckled and immediately suppressed his laughter. His originally handsome and heroic face looked quite funny.
Lan Jue seemed oblivious and continued, "If Fellow Daoist Xiao doesn't mind, how about letting me accompany you? After all, if we're looking for treasure, my cultivation level is much higher."
"unnecessary."
Xiao Wangyou gritted his teeth and spoke each word.
"I see~"
Lan Jue took another sip of tea and said with a faint smile, "As expected, I knew that with Fellow Daoist Xiao's ability, treasure hunting in a secret realm would be no problem at all."
The corner of Xiao Wangyou's eye twitched, and Yao Qi couldn't help but burst into laughter.
"Hahahaha! I told you, you're not going to get any good results with Fellow Daoist Lan!" Yao Qi punched Xiao Wangyou's shoulder, and after laughing enough, he said, "Oh, by the way, I heard you're going treasure hunting next? Do you need us to come along?"
Gu Congxing remained silent, but if he guessed correctly—
"Thank you for your kindness, but it's not necessary."
Sure enough, I heard Lan Jue’s refusal.
"Eh? Your possessiveness is too strong, Fellow Daoist Lan." Yao Qi said dissatisfiedly.
"This is a matter concerning Master, and it is, after all, an internal matter of Zhuoguang Peak. I hope you can forgive me. I will need your help many times in the future, so I will not let you take this risk this time."
Lan Jue's reply was flawless. Although Xiao Wangyou smacked his lips in surprise, he had nothing to refute.
The four of them exchanged pleasantries for a while, and all the other parallel ideas proposed by Yao Qi were cleverly rejected. In the end, he had no choice but to leave with a frown on his face.
Xiao Wangyou's expression was still normal, but he raised the Mo Yu in his hand when he left, and Gu Congxing nodded silently.
I guess it means that if you have anything, please contact Mo Yu again.
Two days later, Gu Congxing and Lan Jue went to the border of Youbeizhou and lurked in the Turtle Swamp.
The two of them flew on their swords for nearly half a day before they finally arrived safely.
There is no other reason, it is because this swamp is deep in the Fushen Forest.
Fushen Forest serves as the boundary separating the demonic realm from the human realm, and there are countless demons in it. The deeper you go, the older and denser the trees become, reaching heights of more than ten meters.
They are closely connected, with branches and leaves touching each other, forming a new canopy that blocks the sunlight completely, leaving only a thick shadow.
It was still daytime, but the view was already dark.
Gu Congxing and Lan Jue walked side by side. They did not light a fire, but observed the surroundings with the sharp five senses of cultivators.
"When my brother was here, he pushed the outer boundaries of Fushen Forest forward quite a bit, forcing more monsters deeper into the forest, thus protecting the young disciples of the Gu family."
Gu Congxing spoke softly, and then reminded, "However, this also means that the number of magical beasts in the depths has doubled, and there may be quite a few difficult and high-level magical beasts. Big Brother, be careful."
"Okay." Lan Jue nodded solemnly.
From the air, it was impossible to locate the location of the Turtle Divine Swamp due to the dense forest. However, they had landed here and were already very close.
The two of them walked with their minds focused and breath held, when suddenly they heard an extremely subtle "click" sound.
Gu Congxing immediately turned around and thrust his sword towards the source of the sound!
"roar--!"
The monster that was struck emerged from the darkness, its huge mouth gaping in anger, and its blood-red pupils alone were the size of a human head!
It turned out to be the highest-level magical beast - Qiongqi!
Gu Congxing frowned and made a move. Lan Jue had already flown forward at this moment. There was a flash of water in the air and the sword was as powerful as a rainbow!
“Swish!”
The Sword of Forgetfulness hit Qiongqi's neck in one blow, and blood gushed out in an instant!
Lan Jue's expression did not change at all, and he cut down fiercely again, killing the Qiongqi completely!
Gu Congxing exhaled silently. Just as he was about to call Lan Jue, he saw the forest behind him become brighter.
In the darkness, a crimson light flickered like phosphorescence.
No, that's not phosphorescence—
Those were clearly dozens of Qiongqi's eyes!!
Gu Congxing's entire body was trembling, but at this moment he rushed to Lan Jue's side like a meteor, holding his sword high.
“Liuyun Wanxiang——!!”
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The author has something to say: I'm very sorry for the late update! I'm so tired! QAQ I got a fish bone stuck in my throat while eating eel rice. After fiddling with it for a long time, I decided to write first. I'll go to the hospital tomorrow, but it won't affect the update! Little angels must be careful when eating eels——(I was slapped away for talking too much nonsense)
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