Chapter 168 The Realm of Trials (19)
"Sorry, I was startled," Jiang Gu said expressionlessly.
Lu Liyu looked at him suspiciously, then her expression changed. "Oh no, he's catching up."
"You go first." Jiang Gu made another sound in the teleportation array.
Lu Liyu disagreed, saying, "No, you—"
“I am neither a disciple of the Eight Pavilions nor a traitor. The Golden Spirit Mace is useless against me. Delaying you for a while will not be a problem for you to escape.” Jiang Gu quickly dispelled his doubts. “As long as you can help me kill Jiang Gu.”
Lu Liyu nodded, "Okay, come find me in Qisheng City after that day."
Jiang Gu pushed him into the innermost formation with a backhand.
Almost the instant Lu Liyu left, a cold, bloody mist followed, and Wei Feng's voice, full of hostility and irritability, rang in Jiang Gu's ears: "Tsk, you even missed a piece of trash."
"..." Jiang Gu was silent for a moment.
The golden mace that slammed down was blocked by the overlapping curved blades, and Wei Feng's other hand, with its five fingers forming a claw, aimed straight at Jiang Gu's brow, seemingly intending to crush his head.
Jiang Gu jerked his head back, sharp fingernails grazing his cheek, leaving a long, bloody mark at the corner of his eye. He took a few steps back, looked up at Wei Feng, and asked, "Is Chu Guanshan your master?"
Wei Feng's anger intensified. He gripped the long mace tightly, veins bulging on the back of his hand, and swung it down at Jiang Gu without hesitation. His impatient voice clearly reached Jiang Gu's ears, "None of your business!"
Jiang Gu nimbly dodged his attack. Wei Feng's cultivation level was at least at the early stage of Taiyi. Without revealing his identity, the chances of winning were slim, but not impossible—Wei Feng's fighting style and source of spiritual power were both problematic.
He seemed to be driven by the Golden Spirit Mace, using the object to control people, without much skill or technique. The formations were all inherent to the Golden Spirit Mace, and his spiritual power only came from tearing and consuming his primordial spirit, which couldn't last long. Even if the Blood Sea could remelt and condense his primordial spirit, it would still take some time. Moreover... Jiang Gu's gaze fell on Wei Feng's chest, where a blood-red fruit was continuously providing him with crimson spiritual power, echoing the Golden Spirit Mace. This should be the key to Wei Feng's ability to leave the Blood Sea at the Tenth Realm.
Reason told Jiang Gu that he should leave immediately.
But he remained motionless, and layers of arrays slowly rose behind him. The moment Wei Feng rushed up, he suddenly disappeared from the spot like a ghost.
Wei Feng narrowed his eyes and immediately transformed into black mist, which then suddenly condensed upon sensing the opponent's aura. However, his judgment was off by a hair's breadth. This tiny error gave Jiang Gu an opportunity. He stepped on the golden spirit mace and struck Wei Feng's nape with his elbow. Caught off guard, Wei Feng staggered forward and immediately flew into a rage. He spun around and swung his mace at Jiang Gu.
Jiang Gu vanished from his spot, the surrounding sea of blood churning up huge waves as the golden mace cleaved through it. The curved blade in Jiang Gu's hand flew out, one blade wrapping around the golden mace, the other slashing towards Wei Feng's back. Wei Feng dodged, but was struck squarely in the chest by a palm strike. He looked up and met a pair of calm, unwavering eyes.
Jiang Gu formed his five fingers into a claw and gripped the Bodhi fruit in his heart, but before he could exert any force, Wei Feng grabbed his wrist and squeezed it hard. The sound of bones breaking could be clearly heard. Jiang Gu's expression did not change. He directly abandoned this piece of primordial spirit, turned over with his severed arm, dodged Wei Feng's next attack, and then slammed the prepared Concentration Array onto Wei Feng.
This formation is meant to nurture the primordial spirit, and is often used to condense it. However, Wei Feng is now using his primordial spirit as spiritual power, and condensing it actually slows down his speed of transforming his spirit into a spiritual being. He is furious and roars as he tries to break the condensing spirit formation with his golden spirit mace. Taking advantage of this opportunity, Jiang Gu kicks the golden spirit mace again, and the curved blade he has retrieved glides down Wei Feng's back, severing the thickest Bodhi branch at his heart. Wei Feng immediately roars in pain, ignoring the condensing spirit formation, and transforms into a surging mist, with countless ghostly patterns stabbing towards Jiang Gu's primordial spirit.
Jiang Gu sank into the sea of blood behind him, kicked the golden spirit mace that was piercing his dantian, and dropped the last spirit-shattering talisman. The three talismans formed an array, and he also used his transformed primordial spirit as spiritual power, tearing off most of his primordial spirit and wrapping it around the golden spirit mace. The moment the ghost pattern pierced and nailed into the primordial spirit, he severed the connection between Wei Feng and the golden spirit mace.
Suddenly losing the divine artifact, Wei Feng was momentarily stunned. Jiang Gu let the ghostly patterns devour and tear at his primordial spirit, then slapped the sea of blood beneath him and leaped up. He grabbed the ghostly patterns with one hand, gathered immense power, and suddenly pressed down. The spiritual power of the other formations all surged into the Concentration Formation, forcing the black mist in the sky to transform into a human shape and press heavily into the sea of blood.
Wei Feng lay on his back in the sea of blood, the ghostly patterns on his body writhing wildly and unwillingly. The man knelt on one knee on him, his knee bearing a magic array pressed firmly against the Bodhi fruit in his heart. With just a little force, he could shatter the Bodhi fruit into mud, forcing him to dissipate back into the sea of blood.
The man kneeling on him had lost an arm and most of his primordial spirit. The remaining primordial spirit was also pierced by his ghostly markings. He had one hand gripping Wei Feng's neck, the veins on the back of his hand bulging. A deep, bone-revealing bloodstain ran from the corner of his eye to his chin, dripping blood onto Wei Feng's cheek.
His eyes were clear, yet a hint of anger simmered within them as he looked down at Wei Feng.
Wei Feng struggled angrily, but his freed hand was pierced by two curved blades and pinned to the sea of blood.
"Being controlled in battle by a mere divine artifact, unable to even absorb spiritual energy, you're truly remarkable." Jiang Gu stared at him expressionlessly. "Is this how Chu Guanshan taught you?"
"You—uh!" Wei Feng tried to speak, but the hand gripping his neck tightened suddenly, almost snapping his neck.
Jiang Gu tensed his jaw, forcibly suppressing the rising killing intent, and slightly loosened the grip on his hand.
Wei Feng coughed violently, blood instantly spilling from the corner of his mouth and staining half of Jiang Gu's palm red. Yet he remained defiant, grinning, "Trash, if you have the guts, kill me. Otherwise, as long as you remain in this tenth realm, I'll kill you sooner or later."
"Kill me?" Jiang Gu's eyes turned cold.
The knee pressed against Wei Feng's chest suddenly exerted force, and a sharp pain instantly spread to every part of his body. Wei Feng groaned in pain, his eyes turning red, and a layer of moisture instantly appeared in his fierce eyes.
Jiang Gu's expression was tense, but he finally relaxed his grip and said in a deep voice, "Did Chu Guanshan send you to kill Luo Xiaoyuan?"
Wei Feng sneered: "So what if you manage to subdue me by luck? Your cultivation is inferior to mine, and your primordial spirit is injured like this. It's only a matter of time before your soul is scattered. Call me grandpa, and if I'm in a good mood, I might leave you with a whole corpse."
He was deliberately provoking the other party, so that he would have an opportunity to take advantage of Jiang Gu's actions. However, what was infuriating was that the other party was very calm and seemed not to mind wasting time with him in this sea of blood.
Jiang Gu stared at him and said slowly, "How long can this Bodhi fruit keep you active outside? Six hours? Or twelve hours? How many did Chu Guanshan give you?"
Wei Feng was startled, but remained outwardly calm. "Stop talking nonsense, just kill me if you want!"
As long as he makes a move, I will have a chance.
"I won't kill you." Jiang Gu activated his spiritual power, and the golden spirit mace that had been thrown aside slowly floated up. The Bodhi tree roots on it rushed towards Wei Feng, trying to connect with the Bodhi fruit in his heart. A hint of disgust flashed in Jiang Gu's eyes, and his spiritual power transformed into a long sword, severing those roots cleanly. He lowered his eyes to look at Wei Feng, "Is your master Chu Guanshan or Jiang Gu?"
Wei Feng's expression changed drastically, his face instantly contorting into a ferocious grimace. "Who exactly are you?!"
Jiang Gu held him down so he couldn't move, and said calmly, "Since you've taken Chu Guanshan as your master, you've also served him tea and kowtowed to him?"
Wei Feng immediately ignored the hand gripping his neck and the Bodhi fruit in his chest, and struggled angrily, roaring with a terrifying and ferocious expression: "You! Are! Looking for! Death!"
Jiang Gu almost lost control of him for a moment. Despite the shattering of the primordial spirit he had gathered, he forcibly gathered spiritual power and a mind-concentrating array to push him back into the sea of blood. Crimson blood splattered everywhere. Wei Feng was panting heavily, his teeth bleeding from clenching, and his eyes were almost bursting with rage.
But a very subtle and faint spiritual energy tainted his ghost pattern and rushed straight into his nasal cavity, causing Wei Feng's expression to change drastically.
It tastes like Jiang Gu's.
His overwhelming anger suddenly turned into horror and fear. He looked at the stranger who was pressing down on him but had not yet killed him, and his bloodied lips trembled slightly.
Jiang Gu's gaze was indifferent. "Just say yes or no."
Wei Feng shook his head frantically, but his hand was firmly clenched, and he could only manage a hoarse voice: "No! I've never had a formal apprenticeship ceremony with him! I've never kowtowed or offered him tea! It was just that he wanted to use my primordial spirit to nourish his natal magic weapon, so he taught me some things before asking me to call him master. I... I only did it to survive, and to have a moment of freedom, otherwise I couldn't do anything..."
Jiang Gu sneered, "What's your hurry?"
Wei Feng was more than anxious; he was practically going crazy. His eyes were bloodshot as he stared intently at Jiang Gu, desperately trying to prove himself. "I only have one master, and I will never betray him. I... I really had no other choice but to accept Chu Guanshan as my master. Otherwise, I would have been turned into a weapon spirit. Believe me! I swear to the heavens!"
"..." Jiang Gu frowned slightly.
They were recognized.
Frustrated, he slammed his knee down to crush the Bodhi fruit in Wei Feng's chest, but Wei Feng was faster. He tore apart the hand that was being pierced by the curved blade and was now covered in blood. Ignoring the surrounding killing formation, he recklessly reached out and hugged him.
The tattered spirit clung tightly to him, refusing to let go, its voice trembling, "Master, you must believe me."
Jiang Gu dispelled the surrounding formation, pushed the person aside, and stood up. "I still have a use for Lu Liyu and Luo Xiaoyuan. Go back and find a way to report back to Chu Guanshan."
But Wei Feng did not leave. He knelt down in front of Jiang Gu with a thud, completely losing his previous arrogant and domineering demeanor. He looked up, his eyes red, staring straight at Jiang Gu, "Master, I was wrong, please don't be angry."
Two bloodstained hands gripped Jiang Gu's hands tightly, along with his tattered primordial spirit that was almost completely devoured by the ghost pattern. Wei Feng slowly condensed the damaged primordial spirit back and obediently placed it back on Jiang Gu's body. The ghost pattern even carefully pinched the loose parts and wrapped around Jiang Gu's ankles in a fawning manner, as if afraid that he would really leave.
Jiang Gu's gaze fell on the Bodhi fruit in his heart.
Wei Feng reached out and hugged his waist, blocking the fruit, and looked up at him pitifully, "Master, without this fruit I can't get out of the Blood Sea. Please don't crush it. I can stay outside for three days if I have three fruits. I'll leave as soon as three days are up. Please, Master."
Jiang Gu raised his hand and wiped away the tears from the corner of his eyes with his fingertips. He then lifted Wei Feng's chin. Wei Feng swallowed uncontrollably and rubbed his cheek against Jiang Gu's palm.
"I don't care what you want to do." Jiang Gu looked down at him, his voice cold, "But you can only be my disciple, understand?"
Wei Feng nodded vigorously.
"Get up." Jiang Gu released his hand. "You're not convincingly playing the victim anymore."
Wei Feng froze, stood up and walked to his side, but before he could touch Jiang Gu's sleeve, Jiang Gu had already stepped into the teleportation array. Wei Feng stared at his back with a gloomy look, then suddenly turned into mist and chased after him, wrapping him up tightly.
"Get out," Jiang Gu coldly ordered.
Wei Feng angrily transformed into human form, stubbornly grabbed his hand, and gritted his teeth, saying, "I'm not pretending to be pitiful, I really am pitiful. It's not my fault that I was forced to acknowledge Chu Guanshan as my master!"
Jiang Gu frowned and turned to look at him, only to be met with a face full of tears. Wei Feng's expression was fierce, even ferocious, with a sharp anger and hostility that he couldn't suppress. His eyes were so red they looked like they were about to bleed. "I didn't want to!"
Jiang Gu suddenly realized that he must be feeling wronged.
Before Jiang Gu could finish his thought, a sudden pain shot through his hand. Wei Feng grabbed his hand and bit down viciously, his sharp fangs piercing through the palm instantly. He bit down while crying, as if he wanted to tear Jiang Gu's bones through.
Jiang Gu stared at him expressionlessly until he had bitten enough and let go, then said calmly, "No kowtowing or tea offering, so it doesn't count as becoming a disciple."
Wei Feng was taken aback, his blood-stained lips moved slightly, and he said in a hoarse voice, "I know."
He paused, then frowned and said, "I've never considered him my master."
"Hmm." Jiang Gu withdrew the hand that had been bitten and was bleeding profusely, but was pulled back by him.
Then Wei Feng lowered his head, leaned over, and carefully licked away the bloodstains, leaving only a warm, damp mark on his palm.
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