Soldier Gu "Intestine Fish"

Chen Xiaocui died a miserable death on the spot, swallowed by a swarm of insects in the blink of an eye.

"Close your eyes, quickly!" Liu Xing and Niu Yuanshan shouted in unison, both shutting their eyes tight.

The black-and-white maze vanished abruptly. Once free from the illusion, the two men held their breath and steadied their focus, attempting to pinpoint Liu Feng's location through sound alone.

But where were they? With the shrill screeching of the insect swarm, they couldn't hear a thing.

"I refuse to accept this!"

After closing his eyes, Liu Xing swung his Ghost-Head Broadsword wildly in every direction, terrified that Liu Feng might strike him down.

On the other side, Niu Yuanshan fared little better; he retrieved the great shield he had discarded earlier and held it overhead, constantly shifting his position.

They had clearly obtained Exotic Gu and mastered such potent Gu arts, yet here they were, forced to keep their eyes shut.

But at this moment, closing their eyes was clearly futile.

Even when they kept their eyes open and their vision expanded through the use of Gu arts, they were still no match for Liu Feng in terms of movement and perception.

Without the keen sense of smell and hearing possessed by a Spirit Monster, they would die without a shred of suspense once they blinded themselves!

Squelch.

Liu Feng appeared at Niu Yuanshan's side, his Canine-Tooth Greatsword sweeping horizontally, cleaving him in two with a single strike.

Gurgle, gulp... The swallowing sounds of the Soldier Gu "Split-Tooth" rang out.

In the corner, Yan Hongda kept his eyes squeezed shut, hearing only the agonizing screams of Niu Yuanshan and the frantic howling of Liu Xing.

As the Ghost-Head Broadsword clattered to the ground, Liu Xing dropped his weapon and knelt, wailing, "The Valley Master said at most two people could leave! Kill the one surnamed Yan, let me live, I beg you, let me live... Senior Brother Liu."

The swallowing sounds of the Soldier Gu "Split-Tooth" continued; one didn't need to look to know how wretched Niu Yuanshan's end was.

Liu Xing shrieked, "That Yan fellow is a piece of trash! I have undergone the second planting of Exotic Gu; from this day forward, I will follow Senior Brother Liu's lead in all things."

"Ma Kun was the one who plotted against you, Senior Brother Liu. Once I get out, I will tear him limb from limb for you."

Liu Feng gave a sharp tug to the greedily feeding "Split-Tooth," pulling up a spray of blood as he looked coldly at Liu Xing.

"Ma Kun? I am leaving as the Fourth Senior Brother; I don't need half a word of nonsense to kill him."

As he closed in on Liu Xing, the Soldier Gu in his hand acted like a beast that had caught the scent of prey, its countless canine teeth interlocking and emitting a dense, grinding sound.

Hearing this, Liu Xing completely lost his mind.

He had struggled so hard to reach this day, surviving the second planting of Exotic Gu, only to die a miserable death here.

"I'll fight you to the death!"

With a sudden, wild roar, Liu Xing grabbed his Ghost-Head Broadsword with one hand and slammed the other hard against his own chest.

Forcing his blood to flow in reverse, he shattered his own heart-blood to feed his Gu with his own body.

In the blink of an eye, every Gu worm inside and outside his body went berserk, turning back to devour their host.

Buzz, buzz...

In his final death throes, Liu Xing charged forward like a madman, brandishing his Ghost-Head Broadsword, while the Gu worms, driven by his toxic Qi, swarmed outward.

Liu Feng did not bother to muffle his footsteps, which actually gave Liu Xing a chance to counterattack.

Facing the Gu worms that had just feasted on Liu Xing's heart-blood, Liu Feng kept half of his own Gu to protect his body, while the other half surged forth like black smoke.

In mid-air and on the ground, the Gu worms belonging to the two men collided, dense clusters of black dots devouring one another.

Just as Liu Xing was no match for Liu Feng, his Gu worms were likewise doomed to die without suspense.

When the two swarms met, one side became like lamp oil set aflame, turning into fodder in massive swathes.

Liu Feng glanced at the insects and said indifferently, "Your Exotic Gu can't compare, and even the Intermediate Gu you've raised in your body aren't as well-tended as mine."

With that, he sidestepped the Ghost-Head Broadsword Liu Xing swung at him. The ravenous "Split-Tooth" practically leaped from his hand, its hunting instincts driving the assault.

With several squelching sounds, five hideous insect legs pierced into Liu Xing's body.

His internal organs were shredded, and with the numbing, potent poison of "Split-Tooth" entering his system, Liu Xing collapsed, powerless.

He finally opened his eyes, and Liu Feng, naturally, did not bother to use any more Gu arts on him.

Meeting Liu Feng's gaze—eyes as cold and numb as his own—the dying Liu Xing suddenly realized: no one in the Insect Valley was normal!

He was like that, and Liu Feng was the same!

With the territory expanding, in the chaotic world outside the Insect Valley where demons and monsters ran rampant, how many people were truly normal?

"Liu Feng, no one from the Insect Valley will have a good end. I'll go first and wait for you on the road to the Yellow Springs..."

In the corner of the Stone Chamber, Yan Hongda opened his eyes to see Liu Feng searching through the three mangled corpses.

As the Soldier Gu "Split-Tooth" skittered about, it wasn't long before Liu Feng held three half-inch-long Gu worms in his palm.

Seeing the strange star-like spots on the insects, Yan Hongda felt a chill in his heart: "Those are the Exotic Gu we only hatched a few days ago. He dug them out—it really is as the Valley Master said, using Exotic Gu as fodder."

"We are going to see the Valley Master; this matter ends here." Liu Feng put away his Soldier Gu and, clutching the three Exotic Gu, walked toward the exit.

Yan Hongda took one last look at the three corpses covered by the insect swarm before hurrying to follow.

Inside the natural cave, upon a raised stone platform.

Valley Master Lu Huai's face showed a hint of surprise as he looked down at the two youths.

Without needing to look closely, his gaze locked onto Liu Feng.

Compared to Yan Hongda, Liu Feng was far superior in both his physical vitality and the Gu he had raised.

"Only one of you two shall live," Lu Huai said calmly.

Both youths kneeling on one knee changed expression, especially Yan Hongda, whose face turned as pale as paper in an instant.

At this moment, Lu Huai looked at Liu Feng and said, "Third Elder tells me your name is Liu Feng. From now on, you are the fourth disciple of Insect Valley."

The meaning of these words was clear: only Liu Feng would live!

Yan Hongda mustered his courage, looked up, and stammered, "Valley Master, didn't you say at most two could live? I can also serve Insect Valley."

Lu Huai looked down coldly at the terrified youth and said in a chilling voice, "I require a living host who has hatched the Exotic Gu 'Evolution Pupil' to understand this Gu. Otherwise, why would I have you Gu Children attempt to cultivate it?"

"I, I... but..."

Yan Hongda was incoherent. He wanted to ask why, if only one living host was needed, the five of them had been forced to fight to the death.

But then he realized: this was the way of Insect Valley. One would raise the strongest "Gu," and the rest would serve as nourishment.

"Valley... Master, if you require a living Exotic Gu 'Evolution Pupil,' the three I have here are still alive." Liu Feng now knew the name of this Gu.

His intent was clear: he wanted to trade one Exotic Gu "Evolution Pupil" for Yan Hongda's life.

Liu Feng had no close friends in Insect Valley, but Yan Hongda was open and easygoing. If he could save his life here, he would have another Gu Master as an ally in the future.

However, rules were rules!

"Those are left for you to consume. A newly hatched Exotic Gu is too weak and requires the same type of Exotic Gu as nourishment to grow strong."

As the words fell, Liu Feng had no further chance to speak.

"Wuu..." A strange sound suddenly rang out.

With Liu Feng's keen eyesight, he caught a black shadow looming over them, targeting Yan Hongda right beside him.

The shadow moved with such speed and ferocity that Yan Hongda, lacking Buddha Eye Insight, had no time to react.

"Bang." The shadow slammed into the ground, and Yan Hongda was swallowed whole in one gulp.

Liu Feng's entire body stiffened, his eye twitching violently as he struggled to turn his head toward his side.

A mass of intestine-like flesh, over half a zhang thick, hung in the air; one end extended from beneath Lu Huai's red robes, while the other had just swallowed Yan Hongda alive!

It was an Intestine-like Strange Fish, two zhang long, with a maw that split open a full zhang wide.

Where its mouth touched the ground, it hissed, the stone floor pitted and scarred by the corrosive Gu poison.

Without a doubt, this was Valley Master Lu Huai's Soldier Gu!