Strength Gu

Long Tu, with a stern face, scrutinized Xu Lingyin for a moment, then stepped forward and forcefully rubbed her head.

His palms were bigger than the little boy's head.

You're too weak right now.

Long Tu's voice was deep and resonant, yet his tone was calm. He lifted the little boy high and placed him on his shoulder:

"I'll take you to watch the battle, so you can see the scenery of the extraordinary realm. If your elder brother dies, remember their faces and risk your life to cultivate."

The elders frowned at his method of preaching, but at the same time, they didn't think there was anything wrong with it.

On the other side, Xu Qi'an retreated thirty miles in one go and stopped in a deserted mountain valley.

He had barely steadied himself when You Shi shot towards him like a sharp arrow, his cloak billowing wildly.

Looking at the imposing, unstoppable cloaked figure, Xu Qi'an grinned and said:

"I only gave you one move, look how smug you are. Do you really think you can contend with me with this Transcendent Realm corpse?"

Instead of retreating, he advanced to meet the corpse, pressing down on the cloaked man's head with one arm. The ring of fire behind his head suddenly exploded, like a rocket booster, and energy spewed from his palm.

With a loud bang, You Shi flew backward, his forehead ripped open, but no blood flowed.

The corpse, leaning backward, landed on its feet, stumbling back several steps, each step accompanied by a loud rumble.

He had barely steadied himself when Xu Qi'an appeared behind him, his palm like a knife, slashing towards his neck.

"Call out!"

A shrill whooshing sound came from the side, and a purple shadow attacked Xu Qi'an's face with speed exceeding that of an arrow.

He leaned back, tilting his head to avoid the purple shadow, letting it brush past his nose.

With a hiss, a purple shadow slanted across the ground, a pool of venom that immediately corroded a deep pit in the earth.

Xu Qi'an's nose was tinged with a light purple.

In the distance, Ba Ji puffed out his cheeks, ready to unleash his second venom.

At the same time, You Shi reacted, lunging forward and delivering a fierce back kick to Xu Qi'an behind him.

When!

The kick landed squarely on the lower abdomen, creating a ripple of energy.

Whoosh. The second poisoned arrow struck, right where Xu Qi'an had been kicked back.

There's no way to avoid it.

At this moment, the advantage of a martial artist with profound internal energy became apparent. Xu Qi'an's body seemed boneless, twisting into a "U" shape, causing the poisoned arrow to miss its mark once again.

Ta-da!

Taking advantage of the opportunity, You Shi closed in and used both fists and feet to strike Xu Qi'an with a loud, bell-like sound.

At the same time, Ba Ji continued to spew out poison arrows. With a "poof," when Xu Qi'an violently interrupted You Shi's combo, Ba Ji finally succeeded, and a poison arrow hit Xu Qi'an's knee.

The trouser legs were instantly corroded away, and the dark gold skin turned a deep purple.

The deep purple spots were confined to the knees by the dark gold protective light, preventing them from spreading, but the protective light also failed to expel the toxins.

Poison is the most powerful tool of the Poison Gu Clan; if it cannot kill experts of the same level, then it is meaningless.

Of course, a third-rank martial artist wouldn't be easily poisoned; Ba Ji's goal was clear—to wage a war of attrition.

Cutting meat with a dull knife.

At this moment, six figures rushed out of the mountain. They were wearing cloaks and hoods, and each held a bone knife.

"They're here!"

Upon seeing this, Ba Ji chuckled.

The six cloaked figures, carrying knives, did not rush in, but instead ran towards Baji.

The cloaked figures lined up in front of Ba Ji, their knives lying on the ground.

These knives have a simple and ancient style. They are made of bone, and the surface of the bone knives is covered with fine black spots and yellow marks, highlighting the traces of time.

The bone knife has a very ancient origin. About 1,300 years ago, a transcendent Gu beast appeared in the Abyss. It was like an abyss that could never be satiated, and wherever it passed, all life disappeared.

The leaders of the various tribes of the Gu clan joined forces to fight the Gu beast in the desolate wilderness of northern Southern Frontier. After ten days of fierce fighting, they finally managed to kill it.

Because this beast is a power-type Gu beast, its physical body is strong, its self-healing ability even surpasses that of martial artists of the same level, and its stamina is inexhaustible.

The six bone knives were forged from the Root Bone on the Gu beast, and after sixty years of work, they were finally completed.

The material and sharpness of the bone knife are comparable to those of a peerless divine weapon.

Ba Ji grasped the blade of a bone knife, made a light cut, and stained the blade with blood.

He made the other five bone knives in the same way.

"Go!" Ba Ji said in a deep voice.

"Yes, today we will use his blood to sacrifice the Six Star Gods."

The cloaked figure uttered the sound of a corpse.

Six bone knives suddenly appeared.

In an instant, Xu Qi'an felt that murderous intent all around him, but martial artists are completely unprepared for the danger.

The Heart Gu Master Chun Yan said softly:

"Seven people are one, so one person is seven, and with a powerful weapon like the 'Six-Star God' at his side, even without our help, You Shi's combat strength surpasses that of an ordinary third-rank martial artist."

Luan Yu licked her red lips and said in a sweet voice:

"You Shi, you mustn't kill him. I'm going to plant a love potion inside him, so he'll belong only to me."

Who was speaking? Was it that incredibly sexy woman with a fantastic figure, or the big-eyed beauty with two snakes hanging from her ears? Xu Qi'an's ear twitched.

When!

Two cloaked figures swept past Xu Qi'an from either side, their bone knives leaving two shallow purple marks on his waist.

The purple marks, like maggots clinging to the bone, could not be erased.

What kind of knife is this? It's not as sharp as the Taiping Knife, but it should still be at the level of a peerless divine weapon. Although it can't break my Vajra Divine Skill, it hurts a bit. Xu Qi'an frowned, feeling a burning pain on both sides of the knife's waist. He immediately lost interest in paying attention to the beauty.

The initial pain comes from the blade cutting into you, while the subsequent burning sensation is due to the toxins.

Just as two men in black robes swept past his waist, two more rolled on the ground, bone knives slashing towards his knees.

Xu Qi'an let the enemy on his left strike his knee, raised his right leg, and stomped hard on the enemy on his right, while simultaneously surging his energy to shatter the walking corpse.

Surprisingly, although his foot sank into the other person's chest and broke the sternum, he failed to shatter the walking corpse.

Aside from the walking corpse who fought hand-to-hand, the auras of the other cloaked figures were clearly not at the transcendent level.

Xu Qi'an suddenly recalled what he had seen and heard about the Chai family, and how Chai Xian collected and refined walking corpses, gathering their Qi and Blood, intending to use the Secret Method method of nourishing corpses with the bones to create an extraordinary puppet.

He immediately realized that the six new zombies that had joined the battle were created using this secret technique. Although their combat strength had not reached the extraordinary realm, the sturdiness of their physical bodies had already surpassed that of the fourth rank.

"My brother got slashed!!"

Xu Lingyin, perched on Long Tu's shoulder in the distance, had a clear view of the battle taking place in the mountain valley.

Further away, Mu Nanzhi was cautiously watching the battle from behind a tree, her brows furrowed, with Bai Ji looking dejected at her feet.

Long Tu patted his little apprentice's head, looked at the Grand Elder and the others, and said in a deep voice:

"You Shi's Seven Corpse Formation is something I can't quickly resolve. Combined with Ba Ji's poison, it's best suited for cutting flesh with a dull knife, wearing down a martial artist's Qi and Blood."

This was even with Ba Ji not going all out, his shadow remaining hidden, Luan Yu standing by and watching, and Chun Yan not interfering with him by summoning her beast.

The Grand Elder slowly said:

"It's not too late to run now."

His expression suddenly changed. "They've made their move."

Luan Yu, who had been observing from the sidelines, suddenly took a short distance forward and gently blew on her rosy, sexy lips.

It's like breathing into your lover's ear.

But the entire valley was instantly filled with an aphrodisiac gas, and rustling sounds filled the air. Insects hidden underground crawled out of their burrows and began to call out for their mates.

The birds on the branches let out excited yet mournful cries, and the large animals, their eyes bloodshot, frantically sought mates and began to mate. They didn't even care about species or gender; as long as the size difference wasn't too great, they would immediately mount up and thirstily follow their instincts to mate.

"Me too!"

Ba Ji strode forward and forcefully blew out a puff of thick, misty blue smoke.

The smoke, heavier than air, swirled like a veil in the mountain valley, enveloping the seven puppets controlled by Xu Qi'an and You Shi.

This poison is different from the purple poison arrow; it only targets living beings. If someone accidentally inhales it, the poison will travel through the bloodstream to all parts of the body, killing all the internal organs.

In the mountain valley, the chirping of insects seeking mates disappeared without a trace. The male, caught in the act of mating, fell off the female and died convulsing together.

All living things that smelled the poisonous gas—snakes, insects, rats, ants, birds, and beasts—died.

Luan Yu and Ba Ji exchanged a smile, and the latter said loudly:

"Shadow, get ready. If that kid escapes, force him back immediately."

Unless he stops breathing, as long as he dares to breathe, he will face the test of aphrodisiac gas and deadly poison.

Neither of them can kill a superhuman martial artist in a short time, but they will cause Xu Qi'an's condition to decline and weaken his combat power.

Walking corpses are dead people; they have no desires and are not afraid of poison.

Even the carefree Lina couldn't take it anymore and stomped her feet in frustration.

"Grandma, Grandma"

She rushed to Granny Tiangu's side in a panic, grabbed the old woman's arm tightly, and pleaded:

"Tell them to stop! I'll take Xu Qi'an back to the capital, okay? He's my friend, please don't kill him."

Lina never imagined things would turn out this way.

When she first thought of using Xu Qi'an's name to get the elders and her father to accept Xu Lingyin, Lina secretly applauded her own cleverness and resourcefulness.

If she had known things would turn out this way, she would never have brought Xu Qi'an along, even though it was Xu Qi'an who suggested coming to the Gu Clan in Southern Frontier.

"This is none of your business."

Granny Tian Gu patted the back of her hand, her smile calm and kind:

"Once the arrow is released, there's no turning back. This fight has to be fought no matter what, otherwise how will they vent their resentment? There's a saying in the Central Plains: 'One effort, then a second, then a third, and finally exhaustion.'"

"The Gu Clan wanted to form an alliance with Yunzhou, Xu Qi'an was unwilling, so he chose to fight."

She paused, then hinted, "The Gu Clan is only willing to sit down and negotiate with the strong."

Lina completely missed the hint, stomped her foot, and shouted:

"They're bullying us. Why don't you fight them one-on-one?"

Seeing that even Granny Gu couldn't be relied on, Lina was frantic and at a loss. Just then, a familiar feeling of palpitation suddenly came over her; someone from the Heaven and Earth Society had sent a message.

"The Heaven and Earth Society, if you need anything, go to the Heaven and Earth Society." Lina frantically rummaged in her bosom and pulled out a fragment of the Earth Book.

[Seven: Your Highness, do you have any armor or weapons? I want to arm my troops and then lead them to fight in Qingzhou.]

Li Lingsu sent a letter.

Huaiqing still hadn't replied, True Disciple a letter cursing him:

[Second: Wishful thinking. Military supplies are scarce in wartime; how can we use them on your rabble? If you want weapons and armor, go fight the enemy in Qingzhou yourself. Besides, I'm just a princess without real power.]

He also made a sarcastic remark about Huaiqing.

Huaiqing did not respond, seemingly disdainful of the Crouching Dragon and the Young Phoenix of the Heavenly Sect.

Lina composed herself, and using her fingers as a pen, she wrote:

[Five: Help! Xu Qi'an is dying! Our Gu Clan leaders are killing him!]

[1: What happened?]

Huaiqing was the first to send the letter.

[Five: The people of Yunzhou want to ally with the Gu Clan to attack Great Feng, but Xu Qi'an happens to be in the Southern Frontier, where the leaders are besieging and killing him.]

Lina recounted the events in disjointed sentences.

After about ten seconds of silence, Li Lingsu sent a message:

[I spent some time in the Southern Frontier. The Gu Clan has seven tribes, each led by a Transcendent Realm expert. The Gu Clan's methods are extremely bizarre; killing a third-rank martial artist isn't difficult. Moreover, the longer it drags on, the harder it is for them to escape.]

[Second: No, it's alright. He's a third-rank martial artist and possesses the Floating Pagoda; if he wanted to leave, the Gu Clan leader couldn't stop him.]

True Intention the danger of the situation. The various leaders of the Gu Clan were besieging Xu Qi'an. Anyone who knew the strength of the Gu Clan could understand what this meant.

[1: Lina, what's the situation now?]

[5: He was entangled by the leaders.]

Huaiqing's message followed immediately: [One: It shouldn't be like this. With his intelligence, he wouldn't put himself in such a deadly situation. Did the Gu Clan take Lingyin hostage to force him to stay?]

The quick-witted Huaiqing immediately realized something was wrong.

[Part 5: Xu Ningyan wants to stop the alliance between the Gu Clan and Yunzhou and save Great Feng.]

Suddenly, Huaiqing, number one, fell silent.

[Are you Gu clan courting death? Do you want to die? Believe me or not, I swear an oath to the Heavenly Dao to annihilate your Gu clan.]

Li Miaozhen was furious.

Lina had never seen Number Two so out of control, and was somewhat at a loss for what to do.

Huaiqing remained silent, Li Miaozhen flew into a rage, and seeing this, Chu Yuanzhen had no choice but to step forward and deliver the message:

[Lina, did you contact us for help?]

[5: I don't know what to do either.]

[Four: First, tell me about Lingyin's situation, and also about the Princess.]

He still habitually referred to Mu Nanzhi as Princess Consort.

[5: Lingyin is next to my father; she's his disciple, so she's safe. Who is the princess?]

[Four: The woman following Xu Qi'an, um, the one with average looks.]

Lina found out and replied via text message: [She's safe too.]

[Four: Don't worry, it's alright now. There aren't many things or people that would make Xu Qi'an risk his life. If it were a certain death situation, he would have escaped long ago. There's no possibility of ignorance leading to fearlessness. He's probably more familiar with the Gu Clan's methods than you are. You must have forgotten about the Seven Deadly Gu.]

Since he chose to fight, he must have some confidence.

Despite saying that, Chu Yuanzhen wasn't entirely sure, so he added:

[Tell us when the battle is over, we'll be waiting.]

"Yes, and there's also the Seven Deadly Poisons!" Lina exclaimed in surprise, finally remembering this thing.

The poison of the leader of the Poison Gu Clan is far stronger than mine; he truly is a professional.

The Dark Gu's "blinding" effect hadn't been used on me yet. If I were just a third-rank martial artist, I would definitely be slowly worn down and killed here. After dodging the six bone knives that came at him and getting a preliminary feel for the levels of You Shi, Luan Yu, and Ba Ji, Xu Qi'an stopped holding back.

Whether it was a love potion or poison, it didn't actually affect him.

The methods that the leaders were so proud of could only cause limited harm to an enemy whose Gu techniques were not much different.

As an experienced soldier, it is standard practice to hold back and test the enemy's strength.

He slid to the side, his right leg muscles bursting through his trousers, suddenly doubling in size, and with a "snap," he tore through the air, slapping hard against the zombie on his left.

The zombie that was being attacked was severed in half at the waist.

Violent!

With a Vajra physique combined with ferocity, one is indestructible and unstoppable.

Compared to when he fought Asura alone at Nanfa Temple, his combat power has increased significantly.

With a single whip kick, Xu Qi'an dispatched the first zombie. Then, a ring of fire exploded behind his head, blasting away the cloaked figure behind him who was trying to ambush him with a bone knife, causing his body to burst into flames.

The ring of fire behind his head was extremely yang and powerful, specifically designed to subdue evil spirits and demons. Even a fourth-rank Yin spirit of the Daoist School would be severely injured if burned by the flames.

Walking corpses can also be considered evil spirits.

Xu Qi'an turned around and swung his arm, his exaggerated muscles tearing his sleeves. The zombie's head behind him exploded instantly, splattering bone fragments and grayish-white brain matter everywhere.

"Power Gu?"

Yu Shi roared angrily, caught off guard. He manipulated the third-grade walking corpse to entangle the enemy and try to suppress him.

Xu Qi'an reached out and grabbed the neck of the third-grade walking corpse, making it look as if the corpse had deliberately run into him.

With a "boom," the fiery ring behind his head exploded, and his dark golden body swelled up, resembling a deformed muscular giant. At the same time, the energy within his body surged through his arms like a raging tide.

With a combination of superhuman strength and internal energy, Yu Shi's neck snapped, and he was sent flying.

Xu Qi'an did not pursue them, but moved among the zombies. Because he had no momentum, he was agile and nimble, as if he were dancing the tango or ice skating.

The remaining four zombies fell down without any surprise; some had their heads ripped off, some had half their bodies smashed, and some lost both legs.

At this moment, You Shi's third-grade walking corpse flew a distance before finally landing.

Xu Qi'an's knees sank slightly, and the ground collapsed with a "boom." He transformed into a black shadow and pounced on the third-grade walking corpse that had just regained its footing.

Astride the third-grade walking corpse, Xu Qi'an's arms were bulging with muscles and veins, completely deformed.

Bang!

He punched the third-grade zombie hard in the cheek, making its face jerk to the right and sending teeth flying.

Bang!

The left fist followed up, sending the zombie's cheek swerving to the left.

Bang bang bang!

He attacked with both hands, unleashing his violence to the fullest, leaving the face of the third-rank martial artist a bloody mess.

Off the field, Luan Yu, Chun Yan, Ba Ji, and other leaders who witnessed this scene, as well as Long Tu and others in the distance, were slightly stunned.

"Power Gu!" Luan Yu suddenly looked at Long Tu and the elders, raising her voice:

"Power Gu!

"Longtu, your Ligu tribe actually taught the secret techniques of the Transcendent Realm to outsiders!"

The elders stared in disbelief, and Long Tu looked utterly astonished. Then, they all turned their heads sharply and glared at Lina.

No, it wasn't me.

Lina was forced to retreat by the sharp gazes, waving her hands vigorously to protest her injustice.

P. S.: This chapter is 5,000 words long. 4,000 words are to pay back the debt, and 1,000 words are to make up for the previous chapter. Considering how meticulous I am, please give me some monthly votes!