To Lin Tang, the person he owed the most was Lee Encai.
Ever since they t, aside from so initial friction, she had been wholeheartedly devoted to him, always putting him first.
And what was the result? When Shen Youling and Lee Encai both faced a life-or-death crisis, Lin Tang chose to save Shen Youling first. This led to her being hard by Yan Luoyang, forcing her into a premature evolution. Regardless of whether the evolution succeeded or failed, her life force was depleted. She was dood to not live much longer.
This filled Lin Tang with constant guilt and regret. Saving Lee Encai was the primary reason he had rushed to break through to the Nascent Soul Stage. The Innate Natal Qi of a Nascent Soul cultivator could replenish life force and restore a normal lifespan.
Although Lin Tang had just broken through and his reserves of Innate Natal Qi were scarce, he knew that consuming a large amount now could severely impact his cultivation, or even injure him. But he was willing to pay any price. He wouldn't delay another mont!
WHOOSH!
Lin Tang descended from the sky, landing at the hidden location where Lee Encai's giant cocoon was kept. A sweep of his Divine Sense confird that the Inverted Five Elents Formation was operating perfectly, and he breathed a sigh of relief.
Hmm? Where is Gu Zicheng? Didn't I tell him to stand guard here and prevent any mishaps? Lin Tang's expression darkened.
His Divine Sense continued to expand, covering a radius of ten thousand ters, but there was still no sign of Gu Zicheng.
Does he actually have the guts to run away? Lin Tang let out an angry laugh. Does he really think I can't find him? Has he forgotten about the special poison I made him ingest?
Lin Tang imdiately ford a hand seal and cast a Spell to sense Gu Zicheng's location. To his surprise, Gu Zicheng was not far away. After a mont of deliberation, Lin Tang decided not to rush to transfer his Innate Natal Qi to Lee Encai.
After all, what if Gu Zicheng was fighting an enemy? And what if, at the critical mont of his attempt to save Lee Encai, Gu Zicheng led that enemy here? Lin Tang himself had nothing to fear, but he had to eliminate any possibility of Lee Encai being affected.
Therefore, Lin Tang patted the giant cocoon, then tore through space and teleported away.
In the blink of an eye, he arrived in a mountain village where farmhouses were scattered about. So were as beautiful and stylish as modern villas, while others were old and outdated. There were even so mud-brick and tile-roofed houses that looked like they were from decades ago. Looking around, he saw hardly any young adults. The village was mostly populated by left-behind children and the middle-aged or elderly.
At that mont, Gu Zicheng was in an old farmhouse, swindling a free al.
When Lin Tang appeared behind Gu Zicheng like a ghost, the disheveled, hobo-like man was reading a plainly dressed middle-aged woman's palm and spinning yarns. His silver tongue made her erupt with laughter, and she didn't even seem to mind the stench of his unwashed body.
Lin Tang was speechless. What an eyesore. I fucking told you to guard Encai, and you ran off to the countryside to hit on won?
Lin Tang first rubbed his temples, then shot out a kick.
"Ouch! Who dares to kick this Daoist master's ass?" Gu Zicheng roared, spinning around to unleash his foul-odor attack. But when he saw it was Lin Tang, his tune changed instantly. "Oh! W-Why are you here?"
Like a mouse that had seen a cat, Gu Zicheng deflated. He shrank his neck and stamred, "D-Don't misunderstand, I was just..."
Just as Lin Tang was about to kick him again, he froze. His gaze fell upon a little boy peeking timidly at them from behind a door. The boy looked familiar, as if he had seen him sowhere before, but he just couldn't place him.
What truly astonished him was the realization. Why do I feel like he has no soul? Or perhaps... his soul is just very unusual?
It reminded him of Martial Saint Number Seven, but this was different sohow. In short, it was incredibly strange.
The middle-aged woman, startled by Lin Tang's sudden appearance, snapped, "Hey, who are you?"
"Apologies for the intrusion. I'm a friend of Daoist Gu, and I have so business with him," Lin Tang said pleasantly, his eyes still studying the little boy.
The boy's cheeks flushed red as if he were shy around strangers. Inside, however, he was extrely nervous. Because he was Yan Luoyang! Damn it, Lin Tang couldn't have recognized , could he?
With his current strength, he wouldn't survive a single poke from Lin Tang's finger. But he was unwilling to hide forever and give up on his revenge. That's why he was risking his life, pretending to be a village boy to get close to Lee Encai, waiting for the right mont to strike. If not for Gu Zicheng's watchful presence and the defensive Formation, he would have already made his move on Lee Encai!
"Hehe, Young Master Lin, so you've noticed how extraordinary this child is, too? To be honest, I stumbled upon him not long ago and imdiately felt a special connection! After a thorough examination, I discovered he is perfectly suited to cultivating Gu arts. So, I had the brilliant idea of observing him for a while before accepting him as my disciple," Gu Zicheng puffed out his chest, incredibly proud of his sharp eye for talent.
"Oh?" Lin Tang shot him a cold glare. "So you could take on a disciple, you just abandoned Encai? Tell , which is more important: taking an apprentice, or Encai's safety?"
"This... this..." Gu Zicheng's scalp went numb. He hastily apologized and admitted he was wrong. He didn't dare retort that with the Formation for protection, he'd been bored out of his mind. Besides, he was dying for so decent food. What was the harm in coming out for a bite?
The middle-aged woman's mind and mories had long ago been subtly influenced by Yan Luoyang. In her perception, Yan Luoyang was the grandson she had painstakingly raised since he was a baby. She didn't understand anything about Gu arts, so when she heard the word "disciple," she grew wary.
"You're not human traffickers, are you? I'm warning you, don't even think of getting any ideas about my precious grandson!" She spread her arms protectively, shielding the boy from the two n.
Yan Luoyang's eyes darted around before he bravely stepped forward. "Grandma, I think Grandpa Gu is a good person! He can even use Spells, he's like an immortal! I want to be his disciple! I want to learn Spells and beco an immortal too!" With that, he dropped to his knees and began to kowtow repeatedly.
In his heart, he completely despised Gu Zicheng's inferior Gu arts, but he was willing to endure the humiliation for his goals.
Seeing how obedient the boy was, Gu Zicheng grew even more pleased and quickly helped him up. "Good child, good child! Don't you worry, I'll be sure to pass down my entire legacy to you!" Since it had co to this, why bother with an observation period? He might as well accept him as a disciple right now!
Under Yan Luoyang's subtle influence, the middle-aged woman remained skeptical for a mont, but when Gu Zicheng took out a sum of money and gave it to her, her objections vanished.
Because Yan Luoyang carried no Gu insects and his appearance had changed after being resurrected as a child, Lin Tang didn't notice anything else aside from the odd feeling about his soul. He decided not to interfere. If Gu Zicheng wanted to take on a few disciples, that was his business.
"I've found a way to awaken Encai and restore her life force. Since there's no danger here, I'm going back to begin her treatnt," Lin Tang said before turning to leave.
A look of astonishnt crossed Gu Zicheng's face, and he hurried after him. "She's already in that state, but her life force can still be restored? In that case, I will go and guard you!"
Offering to stand guard was just an excuse. He was actually curious to see what kind of incredible secret technique Lin Tang would use.
"Master, wait for !" Yan Luoyang shouted, equally shocked. He didn't know if Lin Tang was telling the truth or just bragging. How could Lee Encai possibly be saved after her life force was completely drained by the Ti Moth? If Lin Tang actually saves her and helps her awaken as a Gu Immortal, I'll lose my chance to seize the fruits of her evolution! I have to find a way to sabotage this!
And so, as he chased after them on his short little legs, he secretly activated a contingency plan to contact Mu Fan.
Previously, the Lord of Pleasure had resurrected him and used that feat to establish a connection with the Gu God. When the Gu God learned of a promising specin like Yan Luoyang, it naturally wouldn't miss the opportunity. It sent down a divine oracle and established communication with him. Yan Luoyang had refused to worship the Mushroom God behind Mu Fan, but he and the Gu God hit it off imdiately, showing no resistance at all.
Once he began to worship the deity and offer his faith, he obtained a great number of precious and powerful Gu arts from the Gu God. He could now cast the corresponding techniques even without a single Gu insect on his person. He managed to make Mu Fan sense him from thousands of miles away.
Mu Fan opened his palm, revealing a strange, conch-like insect that emitted a faint sound. He listened for a mont, his expression turning thoughtful.
BOOM! RUMBLE! RUMBLE!
In the valley, massive boulders tumbled down the mountainsides. The entire area was a scene of devastation. Yan Renjie and the other three continuously utilized their newly re-ford sword seeds, coordinating their attacks. Not only had their proficiency risen, but their overall power had increased by a large margin.
WHOOSH! WHOOSH! WHOOSH!
They beca one with their swords, zipping through the air. Upon receiving Mu Fan's signal, they reappeared at his side.
"What is it?" Yan Renjie asked, his tone glacially cold. It wasn't that he had a problem with Mu Fan; as he continued to use the sword seed, he felt himself turning into an emotionless blade. He didn't mind this change. What was sacrificing re emotions if it ant he could beco stronger?
Watanabe Kouichi, Jin Shangyu, and Chen Shouyang felt much the sa way. Sotis they would fall into a daze, wondering if they were controlling the sword seed or if the sword seed was controlling them. It no longer seed to make a difference.
Mu Fan relayed the information from Yan Luoyang: Lin Tang was about to attempt to save Lee Encai.
Watanabe Kouichi clapped his hands together. "This is another perfect opportunity! We can ambush him while he's busy with the rescue and can't afford any distractions. We might actually be able to kill him this ti!"
"But what if we can't? What if he kills us again, just like last ti? We can't count on being lucky enough to be resurrected every ti," Chen Shouyang said, shaking his head.
"Hah. What, are you scared?"
"Scared? I've already severed the emotion of fear, so how could I possibly be afraid? I simply don't wish to make a aningless sacrifice."
"I also think we should plan this out more carefully," Jin Shangyu added.
They all turned to Yan Renjie, waiting for his opinion.
Yan Renjie stood silent with his head bowed. After a few seconds, he slowly drew his sword, his voice low and heavy. "My blade thirsts for battle. An opportunity this rare cannot be missed. With Lin Tang's absurd rate of growth, the longer we wait, the slimr our chances of killing him beco. We strike now!"
"Good! I agree!"
"I agree as well!"
"Fine!"
Just as they reached a consensus, Mu Fan was about to add his own thoughts when he suddenly began to tremble violently, as if seized by a fit. His head felt like it was splitting apart.
"Aaaargh!" he scread in agony. A cacophony of mad whispers echoed in his ears and mind.
Yan Renjie and the other three watched impassively, waiting in silence.
After a mont, Mu Fan managed to calm down, gasping for air. Then, a strange, guttural laugh escaped his lips. "The great god has given its divine instructions. It will grant us an exceptionally powerful weapon. This ti, Lin Tang is sure to die!"
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