Chapter 303: Chapter 214: Tier Four Gu King
It was a completely one-sided slaughter.
The Gu Cultivators, already weakened by the backlash from their Lifebound Gu, were panicked and in disarray, completely unable to mount an effective resistance.
Sword light flashed and heads rolled. Poisonous mist spread, melting flesh and blood...
It was like cutting down weeds.
In just a few moments, the once-bustling Valley of Ten Thousand Spiders had transformed into a mountain of corpses in a sea of blood.
Aside from Qin Xuan, Wu Yuanji, Qin Xin, and the Cultivators from Thousand Spider Ridge, there were no survivors.
The Blood Evil Array slowly receded.
The Purple Mansion Peak Master of Thousand Spider Ridge laughed heartily, cupping his hands toward Wu Yuanji and Qin Xin. "You two have worked hard. Our cooperation this time was flawless. The Sect Leader will surely reward you handsomely!"
Wu Yuanji and Qin Xin, still believing the man was one of them, went along with it and smiled. "It was merely our duty."
They looked at Qin Xuan, thinking to themselves, ’Master Qin truly conceals his abilities well.’
Although they didn’t understand how Qin Xuan had contacted this Holy Sect mole, his masterful strategy of using the enemy’s strength against them was truly admirable.
At that moment, Qin Xuan stood alone amidst the corpses.
The aura around him surged and climbed like the tide.
Although most of the Soul Essence and Blood Qi forcibly extracted from nearly a hundred Gu Insects had been devoured by the Golden Threaded Centipede, he had managed to forcibly refine a portion for himself.
CRACK!
It was as if some kind of bottleneck had been shattered.
Within his Purple Mansion, the Sun Fate Star flared with brilliant light.
The Spiritual Pressure around Qin Xuan abruptly rose by a notch.
Purple Mansion Sixth Level!
At the same time, Qin Xuan felt the Demon Slaying Sword Talisman on his Lifebound Longsword grow slightly hot.
He closed his eyes to look within. On the originally dark red Sword Talisman, in addition to the biting Demon-Slaying Sword Intent, a few new lines of verdant green and grayish-black had appeared. They squirmed and twisted as if alive.
They gave off faint wisps of a cloyingly sweet, metallic scent.
With a thought, he activated the Sword Talisman.
A streak of sword light, red tinged with green, shot across the ground toward a puddle of highly toxic Poison Blood from a Gu.
HISS—
The Poison Blood rapidly dissolved as if it were snow melting under the sun, devoured by the sword light.
Not only did it not tarnish the Sword Talisman, but it actually caused the green lines on it to brighten for a moment. It then fed back a trace of pure Poisonous Fiend aura, which he easily refined.
"Oh?"
A flash of surprise appeared in Qin Xuan’s eyes. ’It can not only devour the Soul Essence of Demon Beasts, but now it can even refine the poison of these myriad Gu and feed the energy back to me?’
"Congratulations, Fellow Daoist, on your great advancement in Cultivation!"
The Purple Mansion Peak Master of Thousand Spider Ridge, Zu Li, walked over with a broad smile. His attitude was even warmer than before, even containing a hint of subtle flattery.
He had personally witnessed Qin Xuan command the mutated Gu Insect to devour everything on the field. Now, seeing his Cultivation breakthrough, he was even more certain that Qin Xuan was a secret pawn of the Sect Leader, Yan Poshan.
"It was just a lucky break."
Qin Xuan replied with a smile, his gaze falling on his own sleeve.
The Dark Gold Centipede slowly crawled out, but its form had changed drastically.
Now, on the Dark Gold Centipede’s carapace, besides the dark blue spiderweb pattern, a very thin, crystalline shell like white jade faintly covered it.
This layer of white jade shell was particularly noticeable on its head and key joints.
Even stranger, in addition to its originally fine, sharp mouthparts, two extremely thin, almost transparent white threads extended from its upper jaw, vanishing in a flash.
’This is... it’s fused with the Bone Armor and Spider Silk Attributes of that White Jade Spider?’
Qin Xuan carefully probed it with his Divine Sense.
He discovered that a trace of power belonging to the Power Gu, the White Jade Spider, had indeed been integrated into the Golden Threaded Centipede’s origin!
Its defensive and control abilities both seemed to have been enhanced. This mutation far exceeded Qin Xuan’s expectations.
Zu Li also saw the changes in the Golden Threaded Centipede, a trace of envy flashing in his eyes.
"Fellow Daoist, your Tier Three Gu General is truly incredible! To think it could fuse with part of the White Jade Spider’s origin—that’s a characteristic of the Power Gu Race! Its potential is limitless. In the future, it might even have a chance to reach the realm of a Fourth-Turn Gu King!"
He paused, his tone becoming even more respectful.
"Fellow Daoist, now that business here is concluded, why not accompany me to the Ten Thousand Gu Sect’s headquarters? If the Sect Leader learns that you have performed such a great service and cultivated such a unique Gu General, he will surely reward you generously!"
Qin Xuan sneered inwardly but remained impassive. "I was just thinking the same. I’ll have to trouble Range Master Zhu to lead the way."
"Of course, of course!"
Zu Li nodded repeatedly, immediately ordering his subordinates to clean up the valley while he personally led the way.
Qin Xuan followed behind Zu Li, simultaneously stabilizing his newly broken-through Cultivation and sensing the new changes in his Demon Slaying Sword Talisman.
...
The headquarters of the Ten Thousand Gu Sect was located inside the hollowed-out belly of a massive mountain.
Countless honeycomb-like caves were carved into the surrounding rock walls, where various Gu Insects could be faintly seen squirming.
The most eye-catching feature was the huge, blood-colored pool in the center of the mountain’s belly, which pulsed slowly like a giant heart.
Ten stone pillars covered in insect-eaten patterns stood by the pool’s edge. The entire environment was oppressive and bizarre, faintly exuding the unique, brutish, and heavy feeling of the Power Gu Race.
’What a crude altar... It’s far inferior to my Holy Sect’s.’
Qin Xuan shook his head inwardly.
He looked at Wu Yuanji and Qin Xin; they both felt the same way.
The Holy Sect’s Blood Pool Sword Tomb was far more advanced than this so-called Ten Thousand Gu Pool!
When Zu Li arrived with Qin Xuan’s group of three via the Teleportation Array, quite a few people had already gathered.
Three other teams had also just arrived, each led by a Purple Mansion Gu Cultivator, and all of them wore triumphant expressions.
One team was from Hundred-legged Stream. Its leader, a Purple Mansion Cultivator, was as withered as a stick. Behind him, a disciple carried a purplish-black Thousand-legged Centipede. Its hundred legs were like blades, it crawled with the speed of lightning, and it could spit a highly corrosive poisonous mist.
Another team was from Moth Valley, led by a bewitchingly beautiful female Purple Mansion Cultivator. An Illusory Moth with a wingspan of nearly a foot rested on her shoulder.
As its wings fluttered, iridescent light flowed, capable of creating realistic illusions to bewilder the mind.
The last team was from Poisonous Toad Swamp. Its leader was a fat, burly Purple Mansion Cultivator. A Three-Eyed Toad the size of a millstone rested on his potbelly, its skin covered in disgusting pustules.
