Cultivation: I Can Traverse Otherworlds

Chapter 254: Chapter 227: Essence Spirit 2

"A severed limb can’t be regrown, but it can be reattached."

Watching the monstrous claw of squirming flesh and blood rapidly reattach itself, Zhu Ju couldn’t help but remark:

’If it advanced any further, it could probably be reborn from a single drop of blood. That’s a power reserved for Nascent Soul Cultivators.’

Nascent Soul Cultivators have already refined their Primordial Spirit. As long as the Primordial Spirit remains, they are effectively immortal and can be reborn from a drop of blood.

Though the Flying Moth Gu had not yet reached such a Realm, it was still exceptionally terrifying.

Infinite Essence Energy, terrifying regenerative speed, and a formidable Physical Body—it could easily crush a First-Grade Grandmaster.

And on top of that, the bizarre poison it carried...

’As expected of the State Preceptor who protects the entire Southern Barbarians single-handedly... Shi Gongdu’s reputation is truly deserved.’

Four Flying Moth Gu and a National Preceptor suspected to be at the Vajra Realm... Even Zhu Ju wouldn’t be confident in facing such a force.

SKREEE...

The Flying Moth Gu shrieked again and again, scrambling backward, only to find it couldn’t leave the room no matter how hard it tried.

It was as if an invisible force was trapping it in place.

"Heh..."

Zhu Ju chuckled.

’A beast is just a beast. It doesn’t even watch where it’s stepping.’

The Investiture of the Gods!

He had deployed The Investiture of the Gods to envelop the room back when he was helping Yuee Xi suppress the Qi in his body.

The Array Power sealed off the room, so no matter what chaos erupted inside, no one outside would notice a thing.

’Let’s see what your limits are.’

Forming a Sword Pointing with his hand, Zhu Ju suddenly sprouted a pair of wings. Hundreds of feathers transformed into a storm of Flying Sabers that shredded toward the Flying Moth Gu.

SHINK SHINK...

THUNK!

In the blink of an eye, the Flying Moth Gu was covered in wounds, but they began to heal at an astonishing rate.

"Slash!"

The light of the blades converged, then slashed down.

*

*

*

Zhu Ju remained in the Quiet Chamber for three full days, torturing the Flying Moth Gu for the entire duration.

Death by a thousand cuts!

Gouging out its heart!

Piercing its eyes!

...

He subjected the Flying Moth Gu to all manner of cruel tortures to test the limits of the Essence Spirit and Divine Treasure.

’The Essence Spirit governs Essence.’

’Once this Divine Treasure is opened, the Essence in one’s Physical Body becomes virtually limitless. It’s nearly impossible to kill in a single blow, unless you take its head.’

’It’s a perfect match for a Poisonous Skill.’

Looking at the pile of flesh beside him, Zhu Ju mentally summarized the past few days of experiments and flicked his finger, conjuring a flame.

True Flame!

WHOOSH!

The Fierce Flame incinerated the flesh, leaving only ash behind.

’Yuee Xi’s Ten Thousand Poisons True Skill should allow him to open a Divine Treasure, but it’s missing a crucial component. Without that key, a breakthrough will only cause one to mutate into a Flying Moth Gu.’

’The Southern Barbarian State Preceptor has that key, which means he controls the advancement, and even the very lives, of his disciples.’

’He’s not teaching disciples; he’s breeding more Flying Moth Gu!’

...

「Baiyun Temple.」

"Master!"

"Master, you’re back!"

Qingfeng and Ming Yue came skipping over to greet him.

"Here," Zhu Ju said with a smile, pulling some treats from his satchel for his two young disciples.

"No fighting. Eat slowly."

"Yes."

The two took the treats, smiling.

"Thank you, Master."

With their treats in hand, Qingfeng and Ming Yue scampered off to the back courtyard, laughing and playing.

"Temple Master."

Huang Er dragged his lame leg forward and bowed respectfully to Zhu Ju.

"Gongdu came to the temple again yesterday."

"Oh?" Zhu Ju’s brows furrowed.

"What did he want this time?"

"To borrow silver, as always," Huang Er said, his face laced with bitterness.

"He said since you and he are both from Quguan County, you should help each other out. He claimed to be a bit tight on cash and wanted to ’borrow’ the temple’s silver for his emergency."

"Heh..." Zhu Ju paced over to the Three Pure Ones Statue. With a flick of his wrist, he lit a stick of God-Worshipping Incense and placed it in the burner.

"How many times is that now?"

"Did you tell him we wouldn’t lend him any?"

"I did," Huang Er said.

"He said he could keep quiet about the corpse buried under the temple tree... so I didn’t stop him."

"The silver in the Merit Box..."

"He took it all. It was over a thousand silver taels. Eight hundred of that was the fee from your last house call at the Jinghai Marquis Mansion."

?

Zhu Ju stared at the Three Pure Ones Statue, his hands clasped behind his back, as if he hadn’t heard a word Huang Er said.

After a long moment, he said:

"I understand. Be more careful when you dispose of the next body. If Gongdu could find it, so can the Unscrupulous People."

"Yes," Huang Er nodded, ashamed.

"This old servant understands."

He really wasn’t very good at getting rid of bodies.

...

As the most notorious den of pleasure among the Divine Capital’s One Hundred and Eight Workshops, Anle Workshop saw more than ten thousand taels of Gold flow through its gates each day.

Such staggering wealth naturally attracted all sorts of major powers.

Mingyu Tower.

Was one of them.

Rumor had it the Master of Mingyu Tower was a peerless beauty, with several Divine Treasure Martial Saints in her service.

Whether this was true or not, no one knew. In fact, very few even knew if the Tower Master was a man or a woman. But what everyone did know was that Mingyu Tower’s foundations ran deep.

Even its street patrols and guards possessed Third-Grade Cultivation.

Reeking of alcohol and cracking melon seeds, Gongdu swaggered into a dungeon and tossed a bundle of braised meat from his belt onto the table.

"This is for you boys," he said with a dismissive wave of his hand and a grin.

"Got a nice haul today. Don’t be shy."

"Brother Gong’s a generous one!"

"You bet!"

"..."

The dungeon guards laughed and joked as they unwrapped the oil paper, grabbing slices of meat to go with their crude wine.

"’Where’d you score this time, Brother Gong?’ a man with sharp, rat-like features asked with a grin."

"’The rest of us are barely scraping by, but you, Brother Gong, you’re always living large. Always seem to come into a bit of money.’"

"Haha..." one person laughed.

"You can’t compare. Brother Gong knows important people."

"Important people?"

"What important people?"

"’You lot don’t need to ask.’ Gongdu grinned, lazily pulling over a stool. He sat and glanced toward the cells behind him."

"’When are they moving this guy? I much prefer the lively streets to this freezing dungeon.’"

"No idea." A guard shook his head.

"I heard someone paid a fortune for him, and they need him alive. Apparently, they want to slice him into a thousand pieces."

"Heh..." Gongdu sneered.

"’A First-Grade Grandmaster, fallen to this... goes to show, you should never cross the wrong people.’"

RATTLE... RATTLE...

From a cell behind them, a figure abruptly lifted its head.

The man was bound in thick chains, iron hooks piercing his collarbones. His tattered clothes were soaked in blood.

"’What are you looking at?’ Gongdu’s expression soured. He snatched a nearby whip and cracked it into the cell."

CRACK!

Another bloody welt appeared on the prisoner’s body.

"Hmph!" Gongdu stood up with a cold laugh.

"’Looks like you’re just asking for it. A First-Grade Grandmaster has a tough body, right? Let’s see how many of my lashes you can take.’"

WHOOSH...

Just then, a faint breeze swept through the dungeon.

"Huh?" one of the guards looked up, startled.

’Where’d that breeze come from?’

This was a Mingyu Tower dungeon. It was heavily fortified; not even a fly could get in, much less the wind.

"Watch out!"

"Spread out!"

A barely perceptible glimmer of light flashed. The guards all shouted, unable to tell where the attack had come from.

SNAP!

CLANG...

A sudden gust of wind tore through the room.

When the guards came to their senses, they found the cell door had been opened and the prisoner inside was nowhere to be seen.

"Quick!"

"Quick! Report to the Vice Tower Master! The Double Extreme Hand Guard, Weii Zhengping, has been taken!"

"Wait!"

One person shouted:

"Gongdu?"

He stepped closer and gently patted Gongdu’s shoulder. To his horror, the man’s head slid clean off his neck.

The headless corpse swayed for a moment before toppling to the ground.