Thread Gu

These people hadn't gone to Wu'an Mountain or tried to snatch the martial art directly from Zhao Ping'an for one simple reason: Lightness Skill!

Zhao Ping'an had already revealed his Human Grade Perfection Lightness Skill. He was too fast, and these people simply couldn't catch up.

That included the Great Grandmaster leading them. He couldn't catch up to Zhao Ping'an either.

The reason was simple: that Great Grandmaster didn't have a Profound Grade Lightness Skill. He had trained his Human-grade Lightness Skill to Great Accomplishment Grade, but hadn't made any further progress.

"Thank you, City Lord Zhou, for delivering the letter. I have other matters to attend to, so I won't keep you any longer!"

Zhao Ping'an crushed the letter in his hand and dismissed Zhou Ruiming.

He didn't even wait for him to leave. In a flash, Zhao Ping'an appeared in his Master's study, picked up a brush, and began to write.

What he wrote was the Internal Cultivation Art he currently focused on, the Four Symbols Gathering Essence Art. As one of the finest Profound Grade Arts, once he had mastered it, he could break through directly into the Martial King Realm. It perfectly met the other party's requirements.

As for whether they'd still be alive to practice the art after obtaining it, only heaven knew.

Profound Grade Arts were extremely complex. Zhao Ping'an spent a full half-hour writing before he finished. He filled nearly a hundred sheets of paper, each covered in dense, tiny characters and a series of thumb-sized figures.

It was around two in the afternoon. Zhao Ping'an used True Essence to dry the ink, found two iron nails, and pinned the sheets together. He tucked them into his robes and set off alone from the city.

None of his four senior brothers and sisters knew what the letter said, and Zhao Ping'an hadn't told them. He had only instructed them to look after Master and promised he would bring Mistress back safely.

Just as Zhao Ping'an appeared at the city gate nearest the route to Thousand Guts Valley and left the city, a young master carrying a birdcage near the gate hurried out after him.

Once outside South Ridge City, while no one was paying attention, he opened the birdcage in his hand. A small bird, no bigger than his palm, shot out like an arrow and vanished into the woods a thousand meters beyond the city.

It was so fast that even a Great Grandmaster would have had trouble catching it.

It flew in the direction of Thousand Guts Valley.

"My bird!!!"

As for the young master, he shouted anxiously outside the city for quite a while, drawing a crowd of passersby who stopped to watch.

About fifteen minutes later, he finally trudged back toward South Ridge City, head hanging and birdcage empty.

The whole incident had taken place without a sound. The young master was one of South Ridge City's most notorious wastrels, an expert at drinking, whoring, gambling, and every other vice. No one would pay him any mind.

Zhao Ping'an had no time to pay attention to some wastrel either. Of course, as he left the city, he had sensed several gazes watching him, but he didn't care.

Near the middle of Thousand Guts Valley, inside a freshly excavated Stone Cave, several figures sat quietly around a bonfire.

At the very back of the cave, Zhao Ping'an's Mistress, Zhao Xiuyun, lay motionless on the cold ground, clearly unconscious.

Her steady breathing and neat clothing showed that these people hadn't done anything to her. They had only—

Outside the Stone Cave, twenty figures stood perfectly still, like lifeless puppets.

"Chirp!"

Suddenly, a shrill, urgent birdcall rang through the mist above, breaking the silence.

"Hm? My darling is back!"

Inside the Stone Cave, Scorpion Woman Qian Yingying suddenly opened her alluring eyes and gazed happily into the mist outside.

She immediately stepped out of the cave, answering with a series of shrill, urgent birdcalls.

"Chirp!"

Before long, a small yellow-and-green bird burst through the thick fog overhead and landed in Qian Yingying's outstretched palm. It pecked at a small seed-like nut in her hand.

Qian Yingying took a rolled-up piece of paper from the slender Bamboo Tube fastened to the bird's leg.

When she opened it, she found just four little characters written on it: "Zhao has left the city!"

"Has Zhao Ping'an already left the city?"

An elderly voice suddenly sounded behind Qian Yingying. It belonged to the strongest person among them, the Great Grandmaster.

"Yes, my lord!"

"Very good. Guan Liang, go to the valley entrance and bring him to the second rendezvous point. We'll wait for you there!"

"Yes!"

Guan Liang cupped his hands in salute, then swiftly disappeared into the thick fog.

Had anyone been able to see his palm clearly, they would have spotted a pitch-black insect crawling across it. Fine green lines ran over its dark shell, glowing faintly.

As Guan Liang moved, the insect, smaller than his little finger, kept adjusting its direction.

This was the key to how these people found their way through the mist: the Gu Worm known as Thread Gu!

A brood of Thread Gu contained one Worm King and one Worm Queen; the rest were Child Worms.

Once a Child Worm matured, its head would always point toward the Worm King, and its tail toward the Worm Queen. When the Worm King and Worm Queen gathered together, the Child Worms would curl into a ball.

The twelve green lines on their bodies could also connect them to twelve other Child Worms. But they first had to be activated with Inner Force (Qi), and each worm could only be activated once. The effect lasted for three days, after which the worm would die.

But Thread Gu's true power wasn't in finding the way. It was in control. A Child Worm could control an Innate Expert, the Worm Mother could control a Grandmaster, and the Worm King was at the heart of it all.

If the Worm King died, the whole brood perished!

Following the Gu Worm's guidance, Guan Liang walked this way and that for fifteen minutes before finally emerging from the mist at the entrance of Thousand Guts Valley nearest South Ridge City.

Zhao Ping'an had already been waiting there for a long time. He had even arrived before the little bird.

If he hadn't been concerned for his Mistress's safety, and if the appointed time hadn't still been some way off, he would have charged into Thousand Guts Valley already.

As for the mist inside and the stone paths through it, which even ordinary Grandmasters could barely damage, they posed no obstacle to him.

If he wished, he could level the entire place in no time.

"I hope Mistress is safe. Otherwise..."

Staring at the mist-churned valley ahead, Zhao Ping'an's gaze turned terrifyingly cold.

Suddenly, he saw a tall figure emerge from the mist and look around, clearly searching for him.

"Grandmaster Peak?"

Feeling the other man's undisguised aura, Zhao Ping'an murmured. He flashed out from behind a nearby tree, appearing a short distance in front of him.

"Were you looking for me?"

Zhao Ping'an's voice came from behind Guan Liang like that of a Fierce Ghost, hoarse as he asked the question.

Guan Liang leaped several yards away like a startled cat, moving far faster than he could at his peak. The sudden fright had clearly rattled him badly.

"Zhao Ping'an? In... out..."