The Mantis Tries to Stop the Chariot

Lian Ai propped herself up, her entire body aching, causing her to frown. The impact of the spatial turbulence had broken her ribs and leg bones. More seriously, she felt internal injuries as well.

"That brat can still move?" Seeing the residual traces of Chen Luo's departure on the ground, Lian Ai wondered, "He was also hit by the spatial turbulence, yet he's not dead."

However, when she recalled that Chen Luo's single sword strike had shattered the protective mask that could withstand a Great Scholar's attack, and that the Literary Heart had willingly joined him, Lian Ai's face showed a look of interest.

"I originally just wanted to capture him and refine the Literary Heart again, but I didn't expect him to be such an interesting person. It was worth it for me to not forget to place a Gu on him during the spatial turbulence!"

Lian Ai's finely plucked eyebrows rose slightly. She had initially believed Chen Luo would surely die and worried his corpse would be swept away by the spatial turbulence. That's why she risked her own safety to place a Tracking Gu on him. She hadn't expected Chen Luo to survive the spatial turbulence. Judging by the traces of his departure, it seemed he wasn't even heavily injured.

This person had a secret!

Unable to get up, Lian Ai opened her mouth, and a white light flew out. The white light rapidly enlarged, eventually transforming into a human-sized monstrous figure. It was a praying mantis that had become a demon.

"I need to recover. Follow the Tracking Gu's scent and capture that brat!" Lian Ai commanded.

The mantis demon crossed its arms, its blade-like hands clicking. It made a fist-and-palm gesture, then turned. Its two pairs of wings on its back vibrated, and it flew off in the direction Chen Luo had gone.

Lian Ai then reached for a small bottle at her waist and opened it. A jade-green silkworm crawled out. The silkworm wriggled, spitting out a green silk thread that wrapped around Lian Ai.

After a full fifteen minutes, the green silkworm spun a green cocoon, enveloping Lian Ai within it. The silkworm then gradually turned black, finally exploding with a "pop" and turning into a pool of pus and blood.

A Mysterious Insect of the Gu Sect—a Life-Exchanging Spring Silkworm!

Chen Luo regretted it a little.

He should have opened the meridians in his legs first yesterday.

Now, running at full speed, his legs felt like they weren't his own. His arms, however, felt strong and powerful.

Perhaps walking on his hands would be faster than this mad dash.

Hmm, there's a technique like that in Stephen Chow's 'A Chinese Odyssey'…

Chen Luo sat on the dry ground, beating his sore thighs. He roughly estimated that he had run forty to fifty kilometers since yesterday.

"It's not safe enough!" Chen Luo pondered. "If this were my past life, I'd probably consider myself escaped. But this is a Xianxia world; they might be able to fly…"

Looking at the towering cliffs on both sides ahead, Chen Luo was annoyed. "Did I run in the wrong direction?"

But the situation was already like this, and he couldn't just turn back.

"Sharpening the axe doesn't delay the woodcutting. If I open a few more meridians, my chances of escaping might be greater," Chen Luo thought.

No sooner said than done, Chen Luo found a relatively hidden spot, sat cross-legged again, and prepared to continue opening his meridians…

"Foot Taiyin… No!"

Chen Luo, who had originally planned to break through the regular meridians next, suddenly remembered. According to martial arts inheritance, the six regular meridians plus the two extraordinary meridians would only be considered low-grade even after entering the Meridian Opening Realm. However, the Meridian Opening Realm would clearly greatly improve physical fitness.

"I'll open the Ren and Du Meridians first, and then I'll slowly open the other meridians later."

"Besides, the Ren and Du Meridians… what a dream for many boys in their childhood!"

Chen Luo immediately focused his mind and located the position of the Ren Meridian. At this time, the seven-colored mist in Chen Luo's body, which had been the size of a basketball after opening the six meridians yesterday, had shrunk to the size of a volleyball.

Chen Luo continued to mobilize the seven-colored mist, drawing out a wisp and channeling it into the Ren Meridian.

Fifteen minutes later, Chen Luo's brow furrowed slightly.

The difficulty and consumption of opening these extraordinary meridians seemed much greater than opening the regular meridians.

Time ticked by. After a full three hours, a series of low "poof poof" sounds echoed from within Chen Luo's body.

Ren Meridian, opened!

Chen Luo stood up and walked forward a dozen meters before sitting down again.

It wasn't for any other reason than the smell.

"This way of expelling impurities from the extraordinary meridians isn't suitable for secluded cultivation…" Chen Luo grumbled, then continued with his cultivation of the Du Meridian…

The mantis demon flapped its wings and flew straight ahead.

As a Gu guard bestowed by the Venerable Lord upon its master, it understood this was a rare opportunity to establish merit.

Ever since its master's cultivation ascended to the sixth-rank Life Gu, they, the seventh-rank Gu guards, had become like cannon fodder.

It wasn't that the master didn't want to dispatch more Gu guards to track the target, but the master seemed to be heavily injured and could only mobilize one Gu guard.

And this good fortune had fallen upon it.

As long as it achieved merit this time, given its master's personality, there would definitely be rewards. Perhaps it could obtain resources to evolve and become a sixth-rank Spirit Gu. It wouldn't have to be like its peers, silently summoned and then silently dying.

It was a mantis demon with aspirations!

As for the target, just an ordinary person.

Even if he possessed some special skills and could ambush its master, in the end, he was still just an ordinary person.

Thinking this, the mantis demon exerted force on its back, speeding up.

The sooner it captured the target, the more generous its master's reward might be.

Another four hours passed, and again came the familiar "poof, poof" sound.

Du Meridian, Open!

Chen Luo moved to a new spot before beginning to sense the changes in his body.

"Hmm, good. The soreness and hunger throughout my body have vanished without a trace. I can only sense that my body is filled with boundless vitality."

Looking up, he could see the patterns on the distant rocks with perfect clarity, and even hear the faint sound of the wind.

Then, Chen Luo tried holding his breath. He discovered that even if his mouth and nose weren't breathing, his pores were rhythmically opening and closing, and he felt no sense of suffocation.

"Is it isolating the external turbid air?" Chen Luo instantly grasped the key point.

Chen Luo saw a round stone at his feet. He lifted his foot and stomped down hard. The stone shattered like tofu under his foot.

Chen Luo was stunned. He had seen Ji Zhong demonstrate such a feat before, but Ji Zhong had to wrap his leg in Righteous Qi first. Chen Luo had teased him about it for a while, calling it "Armament Haki."

Just as Chen Luo was immersed in the information about his physical improvement, Zhong Kui's telepathic message sounded in his mind.

"Lord, I seem to have awakened a new talent!"

Chen Luo was first stunned, then overjoyed, and asked, "What talent?"

"Ghost Control! I can now control five minor ghosts."

Chen Luo came to his senses. Although Zhong Kui ate ghosts, he did indeed have countless minor ghosts under his command. If that was the case, as his cultivation increased, Zhong Kui might one day truly become the great judge of the underworld from his past life's myths...

"Master, don't forget me!" The Black Cat appeared on Chen Luo's shoulder. "This kitty seems to have evolved too."

"Tell me about it..." Chen Luo never expected that his breakthrough would lead to a collective upgrade for his Book Spirits.

"My senses are just more acute. The time needed for calculations when Master attacks has greatly reduced. Also, even when not in an offensive state, Master will be more sensitive to changes in the surrounding environment... Forget it, Master, just feel it yourself..."

As the Black Cat spoke, it merged into Chen Luo's body. Chen Luo suddenly felt the flow of the surrounding air, and the existences around him were mapped into his mind in another energy form.

"Holy crap, is this a domain? I..."

Chen Luo's internal exclamation was cut short. His expression suddenly changed, and he reflexively took a few steps back. A cold glint flashed across the spot where Chen Luo had been standing, and a gash appeared on his chest from the light.

A surprised voice echoed from the void.

Chen Luo frowned, closed his eyes slightly, and sensed spatial fluctuations to his left. He dodged sideways, and indeed, the cold glint appeared from his left, missing him again.

Chen Luo unleashed a flying kick, and a figure was kicked out of stealth by him. Chen Luo looked and saw it was a Mantis Demon.

An insectoid monster!

Chen Luo's expression turned cold. He asked, "Did Lian Ai send you?"

The Mantis Demon's voice was as cold as ice, "You are not permitted to utter your master's name..."

The Mantis Demon's bladed arms rubbed against each other again, emitting a grating "kacha" sound: "Surrender, or in the next attack, my twin blades will sever your head!"

Chen Luo stared at the Mantis Demon's bladed arms, and a slight smile curved his lips. He picked up a twig from the ground.

"What a coincidence. Seeing you, I also want to test my current strength."

The Mantis Demon narrowed its eyes, its killing intent surging. It brandished its twin bladed arms and charged at Chen Luo again.

Chen Luo held the twig, watched the charging Mantis Demon, raised the twig in his hand, and pointed it forward like a sword.

"Nine Swords of Dugu - Breaking Blade Style!"

North of Gushan Temple, west of Jia Pavilion, felt like riding a jet plane.

My collection surged yesterday, and I'm about to get a new badge. Thank you all for your support.

Brothers, don't stop, I can