Raising Gu

Looking at the venom gland in Niu Geng's hand, a faint, almost imperceptible smile tugged at the corner of Lu Yuling's lips as she watched Hua Nongying, still saying nothing. But upon hearing Niu Geng's words, Hua Nongying was stunned; she never imagined that Niu Geng, who seemed so honest and straightforward, was actually a master of using poison.

Poison—there was no denying it was a force to be feared, yet also immensely powerful. The utility of poison, when used well, was unquestionable for challenging those above one's level or providing support.

In the Endless Mountain Range, venomous insects were indeed plentiful, making poisoning easy. Having someone who understood toxins around would make things much safer. With this thought, Hua Nongying nodded, acknowledging Niu Geng's role, and the four finally formed a team.

Niu Geng collected more items like the gall from the Five-Colored Poisonous Python, while Lu Yuling took out a small jade bottle to gather some essence blood from the python's heart meridian. The group quickly left, as the scent of the demonic beast's blood spreading through the air could easily attract other beasts.

Using branches to make a simple stand, they set up the Yin Gu Pot. Beneath the pot, dry branches were burning. The gall of the Five-Colored Poisonous Python inside the pot had been completely crushed. Niu Geng's expression was solemn, his face full of concentration.

Beside him were arranged many collected poisonous herbs, insects, and fruits, all mashed into juice and mixed with the python's bile before being placed into the pot. He slowly simmered it over the flame, his movements practiced, clearly very skilled at this work...

Zhuge Xiang, Hua Nongying, and Lu Yuling all watched quietly from the side, unable to understand the poison Niu Geng was concocting, but none of them disturbed him. There was less than an hour until dark, and the Endless Mountain Range at night would be even more dangerous. Being able to prepare some poison would relatively increase their safety.

Poisonous herbs, fruits, insects, mixed with the bile of a demonic python nearing One-Star High-Grade, formed a highly toxic substance. As the flame simmered, waves of colorful poisonous mist rose, spreading out with a foul, fishy odor.

"Although this poisonous mist won't harm humans, it can attract venomous creatures from a ten-li radius. Do you want to step back?" As the mist rose, Niu Geng turned his head and said to Zhuge Xiang and the others.

Zhuge Xiang and the others nodded, sitting on a large tree not far away, looking down from a height. They knew little about poisons, and staying might cause trouble for Niu Geng. Besides, Hua Nongying and Lu Yuling were girls, likely repulsed by such things.

Soon, a venomous snake slithered out from the depths of the forest, as if drawn by some inexplicable attraction, heading straight for the Yin Gu Pot. Following this snake, other venomous creatures appeared one after another—spiders of various colors, snakes of different sizes, scorpions, centipedes, toads...

In just a moment, the ground below was covered with a dense mass of venomous creatures. Their target was all the Yin Gu Pot. Whether snakes, spiders, or other creatures, they all aimed to enter the pot and suck the boiling venom inside.

However, the lid of the Yin Gu Pot was specially made, with only a few small holes. Even the thinnest snake couldn't squeeze in, yet the creatures still lingered around the pot, desperately trying to get in. The rising mist held a fatal allure for them.

All the venomous creatures wanted to get in, and near the pot, this naturally sparked conflict among them. All the poisonous insects began slaughtering each other.

Hundreds of venomous creatures fought to the death for a pot they could never enter—this was entirely the method of raising Gu. Watching this primal slaughter from the tree trunk, Zhuge Xiang and the others felt their scalps tingle; there were simply too many of these creatures.

After the carnage, only one creature remained: an unknown Poison Bee, different from ordinary ones. The stinger on its tail was a shimmering blue, clearly extremely toxic just from looking at it.

Using the Gu-raising method, this surviving Poison Bee had absorbed the toxins of hundreds of other creatures, undergoing mutation and evolution. At that moment, Niu Geng opened the lid of the Yin Gu Pot, and the bee hurriedly crawled inside.

"Alright, let's go. After cultivating it for a while, this Poison Bee will become a powerful ally for us," Niu Geng said, putting away the Yin Gu Pot after the last surviving bee had entered. Seeing that it was indeed getting late, Zhuge Xiang and the others quickly left.

Roar...

As they moved through the forest searching for a safe place to stay, a sudden roar rang out. The powerful, forceful roar clearly came from a strong demonic beast. With five thousand disciples fleeing, many had naturally entered this forest, so encountering one wasn't surprising.

Zhuge Xiang and the other three exchanged glances, all indicating they should go check it out. If it was a relatively strong disciple, they might have a chance to help. In this extremely dangerous forest, having a few powerful companions increased the odds of survival.

Having made up their minds, Zhuge Xiang and the others crouched low, carefully moving forward. After only about two hundred meters, they finally saw the battlefield. But upon seeing the fight, Zhuge Xiang's eyes narrowed slightly.

It was a clearing. In this dense forest, such a clearing was rare, and this one had been completely cleared by the battle. A Demon Bear stood upright, over three meters tall, its earth-yellow fur standing up like steel needles. Facing a bear over three meters high, just its size alone was enough to impose immense pressure.

Its massive bear paws swung with tremendous force, shattering half-man-high boulders and trees that two people could barely wrap their arms around. If such an attack landed on a person, they would surely die.

In front of the Demon Bear, two men were locked in combat with it, and they were both acquaintances: Ling Wufeng and Ji Wuxue. Ling Wufeng's Flying Daggers flashed continuously, while Ji Wuxue had already activated his Bloodthirsty Technique, his sharp sword technique sweeping toward the bear. However, whether it was Ji Wuxue's sword or Ling Wufeng's daggers, they had no effect on the Demon Bear. All attacks were blocked, not even breaking its skin.

"Is this Demon Bear really that thick-skinned?" Niu Geng's eyes widened. The strength Ling Wufeng and Ji Wuxue had shown in the Grand Tournament was undeniable, yet their combined attacks couldn't even wound the bear—it was shocking.

"No, this can't be explained by thick skin alone," Lu Yuling said, her gaze growing serious as she sensed the powerful demonic aura emanating from the bear. "This is a Two-Star Demonic Beast, equivalent to a cultivator in the Body Tempering Realm."

A Two-Star Demonic Beast? Hearing Lu Yuling's words, Zhuge Xiang and the others' expressions grew even more grave.

A Two-Star Demonic Beast was fundamentally different from a One-Star one. Like human cultivators, if a One-Star beast had high attack but low defense, a Two-Star beast used demonic energy to temper its body, making its resistance to attacks much stronger.

In a fight between a One-Star beast and a Qi Cultivation Realm cultivator, there was a chance of punching above one's weight due to the beast's low defense. But a Qi Cultivation cultivator against a Two-Star beast had no chance of winning. Your attacks had no effect, while the beast's terrifying attacks could crush you—how could you fight?

Although Ji Wuxue and Ling Wufeng were strong, and sticking together would increase their chances of survival, the Two-Star beast made them hesitate. If they rushed out, they might not save anyone and only get themselves killed.

Should they save them? The group discussed in low voices, uncertain. Meanwhile, under the Two-Star Demon Bear's assault, Ling Wufeng and Ji Wuxue were already in dire straits. Any blow from the bear could shatter all the bones in their bodies.

After a moment of discussion, Zhuge Xiang nodded, signaling to act. Facing a Two-Star beast, he formulated a battle plan. Hua Nongying and Lu Yuling didn't object. Although a Two-Star beast was strong, if they could win, they would gain two even stronger allies—it was worth the risk. Hearing Zhuge Xiang's plan gave them more confidence.

The Mechanical Puppet and Fox Demon puppet charged forward to assist. Hua Nongying activated her Ghost Step at the Mastery Level, circling the Demon Bear like a fly, her dagger stabbing repeatedly. Though she couldn't deal substantial damage, her ghostly movements and attacks greatly annoyed the bear.

Although a Demon Bear on all fours could run faster than a human in a straight line, once upright, its reactions were slow. If anyone was the most relaxed here, it was undoubtedly Hua Nongying.

With Lu Yuling and Hua Nongying joining the fight, the pressure on Ling Wufeng and Ji Wuxue eased considerably. However, against a Two-Star beast, even if only Two-Star Low Grade, they still had no advantage.

Hua Nongying was like a fly, making the Demon Bear roar in fury. Its massive paws swished through the air, but Hua Nongying's Ghost Step was agile enough to dodge nimbly. Faced with this persistent fly circling it, the bear could only roar in frustration, unable to do anything. Despite its strength, it was helpless against Hua Nongying's Ghost Step.

Hidden to the side, Zhuge Xiang took advantage of the distraction Hua Nongying and the others provided, activating his Bloodthirsty Technique. His center of gravity dropped slightly, his scarlet eyes fixed on the bear's roaring mouth.

Although a Two-Star beast tempered its body with demonic energy, Zhuge Xiang didn't believe it could also harden the soft tissue inside its mouth.

He applied some of the Five-Colored Poisonous Python's venom gland toxin to his Blood Refinement Saber. Seizing the moment, he suddenly activated Explosive Steps, turning into a blood-red shadow. A dazzling blood-colored saber light shot straight for the Demon Bear's mouth.

(PS: Our index is over 18,000, and the second place is only 19,000—less than 100 indices away, just 20 recommendation votes. Brothers and sisters, let's overtake them and break into second place in the category for new books!)