A plan of response

A numbness shot through my neck, followed by excruciating pain—a pain no normal human could withstand.

Having had two previous experiences, Xu Qi'an knew that this pain was caused by the Seven Deadly Gu further integrating into the body as it grew, stimulating the spinal nerves.

Xu Qi'an sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, concentrated, and endured the pain.

Half an hour later, the pain subsided and then disappeared. The Seven Deadly Gu had successfully passed through the second stage of maturity and entered the third stage, the "juvenile stage."

Xu Qi'an did not open his eyes, but examined the changes brought about by the Seven Absolute Gu. The Heavenly Gu's ability remained unchanged, still "Shifting Stars and Changing Constellations". As the foundation of the Seven Absolute Gu, the Heavenly Gu had basically been developed to its limit.

As for the Heavenly Gu's ability to glimpse fate, Xu Qi'an suspected that at least the Seven Absolute Gu would need to reach the extraordinary level, or even the second-grade level.

The "rage" of the Power Gu and the "poisonous body" of the Poison Gu remain unchanged, but the Love Gu has gained a new ability—absorbing the passion power of surrounding living beings.

This ability allows him to advance steadily without having to think about Kun every day. He can simply nourish the Love Gu by absorbing the desires of the surrounding creatures, just like a martial artist Qi Refinement breathing exercises.

Furthermore, these erotic powers can be stored up and released when facing an enemy.

Lust can sometimes be more deadly than poison because it stimulates bodily functions. A warrior's powerful vitality may not be afraid of potent poison, but it is absolutely unable to resist the rampant secretion of hormones.

Hormone secretion itself does not cause harm to the body, and the body's defense mechanisms will not resist it.

The growth of the Corpse Gu depends on two points:

First, it can manipulate the number and grade of zombies; second, the master's will can be infused into the zombies, creating a clone and controlling their abilities.

The Dark Gu has also undergone a transformation. Its abilities have increased in a balanced way at this stage, and its shadow leap range has expanded, reaching the point where it can "leap over anything within sight."

In addition, the number of people allowed to accompany the child has increased from one to four.

The time he could remain in the shadows was also extended. As long as Xu Qi'an wished, he could stay hidden in the shadows until he was exhausted.

In terms of attack, the Dark Gu has gained a new skill called "Deception".

He cast a shadow, blinding the enemy's senses and making him "blind," but he couldn't suppress the warrior's premonition of danger.

In terms of defense, the Dark Gu has also gained a new skill called "Shadow".

The simple explanation is that the body transforms into an invisible and intangible shadow, causing the enemy's attacks to miss.

Finally, there's the Heart Gu. Having reached this level, Xu Qi'an finally understands why the Heart Gu is also known as the Beast Taming Gu.

The Heart Gu Mother Gu is like a central processing unit, capable of perfectly mobilizing and controlling an army composed of beasts. There may be generals in the world who understand military strategy better than him, but no army in the world can match the coordination of a transcendent Heart Gu Master.

Furthermore, the Heart Gu can also affect creatures with low intelligence, including but not limited to humans, beasts, and artifact spirits.

The higher the IQ, the harder the mind-controlling Gu is; conversely, the lower the IQ, the easier it is to control.

However, this is not absolute. If a highly intelligent creature is controlled by the Heart Gu for a long time, it will become a low-intelligence creature and will find it difficult to escape the control of the Heart Gu Master.

This reminded Xu Qi'an of the forest area permeated by the power of the Heart Gu, where all living beings, regardless of their intelligence, had become undead soldiers who only knew how to obey orders.

However, the Heart Gu Master has a fatal weakness: low individual combat strength and insufficient survival skills.

"Only wizards can rival the Heart Gu Masters on the battlefield. I really don't know how Duke Wei won the Battle of Shanhai Pass back then. Hmm, the only way I can think of to counter the wizards' corpse control techniques and the Heart Gu Masters is artillery."

"Truth lies within the range of fire."

With a sigh in his heart, Xu Qi'an opened his eyes. His pupils suddenly contracted, and his back muscles tensed, like a cheetah poised to pounce.

Two zhang away, a yellow-haired monkey stood, scrutinizing him with gentle eyes.

Because he sensed no hostility, Xu Qi'an suppressed his urge to attack, but he didn't completely let his guard down, since the Gu Clan happened to possess the means to counter the danger prediction of martial artists.

Shifting stars and changing constellations!

"This old woman has come to see you."

The yellow-haired monkey spoke in a kind voice, like an elderly woman.

"Who are you."

Xu Qi'an's heart stirred, and a name surfaced in his mind.

The children call me Granny Tian Gu.

The yellow-haired monkey smiled.

As expected, Xu Qi'an remembered Lina saying that the person who entrusted the Seven Deadly Gu to her that day, asking her to take it to the capital to find a destined person, was this Heavenly Gu Granny.

The wife of the Old Man of Heavenly Gu.

"Everyone says that the Heavenly Gu has the power to glimpse the future, and now I've witnessed it firsthand."

Xu Qi'an remained vigilant, and said calmly, "Grandma is incredibly resourceful; she even knew I had come to Southern Frontier and that I was here."

The yellow-haired monkey laughed, its tone calm and gentle:

"No, it was Longtu who told me that Lina had returned to her tribe, and that's how I found out you were in the Southern Frontier."

"There are many limitations to peeking into the future; it's not something that can be done anytime, anywhere. Otherwise, the old man wouldn't have lost the Battle of Shanhai Pass. Hmm, it's also possible that the Superintendent of the Palace blocked the secrets of heaven, preventing him from seeing the outcome of the war. This trick is equally effective against wizards."

"Everyone says Wei Yuan is a rare military genius, and that's true. But your Central Plains supervisor has probably done even more behind the scenes."

Xu Qi'an nodded. "Why did Mother-in-law come to see me in person?"

The yellow-haired monkey slowly said:

"You must have many questions for me, and I happen to have something to tell you as well."

"However, I've come here to give you some advice. Just now, Xu Pingfeng's disciple came to me."

"He persuaded the leaders of various Gu tribes to form an alliance with the rebel army in Yunzhou, and together they attacked Great Feng and divided up the Central Plains."

"Damn it." Xu Qi'an's face darkened. "Have the leaders of each department agreed?"

The yellow-haired monkey nodded.

"Twenty-one years ago, the Gu tribe lost the Battle of Shanhai Pass. All the tribes were Qi Ingestion, and so many people died. This resentment has been suppressed for twenty years; it was bound to be unleashed sooner or later."

Xu Qi'an, who had studied history extensively in his previous life, nodded. Putting aside his stance, it was normal for a defeated nation to harbor resentment and seek revenge.

"Longtu didn't agree, but if the war situation turns unfavorable and the Gu Clan faces a crisis, the Li Gu Clan cannot sit idly by, and neither can the Tian Gu Clan."

"I understand my mother-in-law's difficulties."

The yellow-haired monkey nodded slightly and continued:

"The Seven Deadly Gu is a backup plan left by the old man. If Xu Pingfeng's uprising fails, he will be unable to fulfill his promise, and then the statue of the Confucian sage will be unable to be repaired."

"Therefore, he left behind the Seven Deadly Gu as a backup plan to continue this cause and effect."

"But what I must say is that if Xu Pingfeng's uprising succeeds, he must bear the consequences, help establish a country in the Southern Frontier, cede two states, use the methods of a first-rank Warlock to gather fortune for the Gu Clan, and repair the Confucian Sage statue."

"Then the Gu God will continue to slumber."

"From my perspective, there is really no reason for me to refuse."

Xu Qi'an remained silent.

"Several children are lying in ambush within the Li Gu tribe, waiting for an opportunity to kill you. If you don't want to die, leave quickly. After some time, I will send Lina to find you. I will convey your questions and desires to you through Lina."

Granny Tian Gu, manipulating the yellow-haired monkey, spoke.

It seems the Gu Clan is quite determined to send troops to Great Feng. Their resentment has been building for a long time, and even Granny Tian Gu is unwilling to act against the tide. Moreover, Xu Pingfeng's promise to seal the Gu God is a condition the Gu Clan cannot refuse. Xu Qi'an frowned:

"I understand why the Gu Clan wants to attack Great Feng."

"The outcome will either be the destruction of the Great Feng and the division of the Central Plains, or the dissipation of the Gu Clan's remaining fortunes, causing them to never recover and eventually become completely obedient."

"Mother-in-law, isn't there a compromise?"

Granny Tian Gu shook her head.

Xu Qi'an paused for a moment, then suddenly remembered something and said:

"Oh, by the way, I have a Law Artifact here that I snatched from Xu Pingfeng."

He reached into his robes, gently tapped the fragments of the earth book, and took out a bracelet with Southern Frontier style, adorned with copper pieces, multicolored stones, jade pieces, and other items.

Granny Tian Gu could no longer take her eyes off the bracelet; her gaze was filled with a complex mix of emotions, including sadness, joy, and remembrance.

"Mother-in-law, please think about it again."

Xu Qi'an said.

Granny Tian Gu hesitated for a moment, then changed her words:

"There are solutions, of course."

"Let me first tell you about the Battle of Shanhai Pass back then, so that you can understand why the Gu Clan is so hostile to the Great Feng."

"The Buddhist School sect mainly deals with the southern demons who dream of restoring their kingdom, as well as the northern barbarian demons. The Great Feng sect deals with the Witch God Cult, which has a grudge against Emperor Gaozu, and my Gu tribe."

"Among the seven tribes, the Corpse Bone Tribe's You Shi hates the Great Feng the most because his father died under Wei Yuan's Seven-Day Killing Formation. Next is the Love Gu Tribe. Back then, the Great Feng army abducted more than half of the Love Gu Tribe's women, destroyed their cultivation, and forced them into various Imperial Academy of Music."

"The Poison Gu tribe inflicted heavy casualties on the Great Feng army. In a fit of rage, Wei Yuan personally led 30,000 cavalry on a thousand-mile raid, wiping out the Poison Gu tribe's warriors in one fell swoop, capturing 5,000 Poison Gu tribe members, and then massacring them all."

"To this day, the Poison Gu Tribe still has the smallest population among the seven tribes. However, it was precisely because the tribe's chieftain, elders, and elites were almost all killed or wounded back then that Ba Ji was able to stand out and become the leader."

He himself did not harbor much hatred towards the Great Feng, and the Poison Gu Tribe relied on the abundant poisonous herbs and substances in the Southern Frontier border regions, and had no ambition for the Central Plains territory. He could be considered a neutral party. However, his attitude could not determine the attitude of his tribe.

"The Poison Gu Clan still harbors hatred towards the Great Feng."

"The Heart Gu, Dark Gu, and Power Gu don't necessarily harbor Great Feng hatred for Da Feng, but they certainly don't have any good feelings towards him."

"As for my Heavenly Gu Clan, hatred cannot shake the wisdom of the Heavenly Gu, but the Gu God has always been a matter of great importance to our clan. Whoever can seal the Gu God will gain our support."

"Duke Wei was ruthless back then. He was a vicious character who could cut down enemies from east street to west street without even blinking an eye. "Xu Qi'an frowned.

Such a Gu clan could never become an ally of the Great Feng.

Granny Tian Gu smiled.

I've said everything I needed to say. How you handle it is up to you.

After saying that, he waved his hand, took the bracelet, carefully put it on his wrist, and then the yellow-haired monkey swaggered away.

Faced with You Shi's questioning, the Grand Elder threw away his cane, puffed out his chest, displaying his bulging muscles, and coldly snorted:

Xu Qi'an is a friend of the Power Gu Clan.

You Shi said in a hoarse voice:

"They are also enemies of the Gu Clan, and we will not fight on the territory of the Power Gu Clan. But if you dare to obstruct us, don't blame me for being impolite."

The other elders discarded their canes, puffing out their muscular chests:

"Want to fight? Come on!"

Chunyan from the Heart Gu Department rolled her eyes and said irritably:

"Don't you know what kind of people these muscular wild monkeys are? They've ruined people's brains by playing games with them to death?"

The people of the Li Gu tribe are most susceptible to being provoked; once they get carried away, they will turn against even their own family.

Luan Yu smiled and said:

"Elders, please don't take it personally. The Gu clans are all of one mind, and we understand that the Li Gu tribe can't intervene."

"Just keep an eye on him, don't worry, I'll spare his life."

The six elders' expressions softened, and they snorted:

"It's your business if you want to cause trouble for Xu Qi'an, but get out of the Li Gu tribe's territory now. As long as he's still in the Li Gu tribe, you won't be allowed to act so recklessly."

They still wanted to save Xu Qi'an's life.

The Gu Clan leader mobilized his entire force; even without Long Tu's intervention, Xu Qi'an couldn't handle such a large number of experts.

Although he killed King Kong, even an Arhat wouldn't dare to attack the Gu Clan alone.

If Xu Qi'an dies here, Xu Lingyin, that little girl, will surely harbor resentment in the future.

The Heart Gu Master Chun Yan's ears twitched slightly. After listening for a moment, she whispered:

"He's not in the Power Gu Clan. He left with the elders of the Power Gu Clan not long ago and hasn't returned."

She communicated with the snakes, insects, rats, ants, and birds around the Li Gu tribe, and obtained intelligence from them.

It is worth mentioning that animals are extremely rare near the Li Gu tribe.

The snakes, insects, rats, and ants were only spared from being wiped out by the barbarians of the Li Gu tribe because of their excellent ability to hide.

Where did they go?

"You Shi asked in a deep voice."

"I don't know." Chunyan shook her head.

At that moment, her bright almond-shaped eyes suddenly lit up, and she turned her head to look at the end of the plain:

"He's back."

Without any hesitation, the leader of the Dark Gu stirred up a shadow, enveloping the several leaders and leading them away into the shade of the trees.

The elders and the others' expressions changed drastically. They looked into the distance and saw a young man in a green robe standing motionless at the edge of the plain, as if waiting.

"Oh no, why did he have to come back at this time?"

The elder cursed angrily.

P. S.: Typos will be corrected later.