Gong Tianli: "If the leader could control the Gu King, today would have been much smoother for us."
Zhang Longsheng: "Don't worry, it'll be fine!"
At this moment, in the valley, six boys and six girls, all around three or four years old, sat on the ground with their eyes closed, motionless. Surrounding them was a group of shirtless men and women, performing a strange dance and chanting peculiar incantations.
A man wearing a black mask moved around the six children, his hands flowing like fish. In the center of the children stood an incense burner, over a meter tall, its lid on, with purple smoke billowing out. The smoke rose and fell, appearing and disappearing with the dance and chants of the group.
Ye Tian quietly appeared behind a large rock, about thirty meters from the incense burner. As soon as he arrived, the Xianji Gu within his body vibrated violently, as if sensing something. Simultaneously, the purple smoke in the incense burner suddenly retracted, and the entire burner trembled slightly, its contents seemingly in fear.
Ye Tian quickly instructed the Xianji Gu to conceal its aura, but the masked man had already sensed something. He immediately removed his mask, revealing a face full of malevolence, and asked sternly, "Who has disturbed the Gu King?"
However, he clearly didn't know Ye Tian was nearby, his gaze sweeping through the crowd, searching for the cause.
Fortunately, the creature in the incense burner had returned to normal, and purple mist began to emerge again. The group resumed their dance and chants.
The Xianji Gu communicated with Ye Tian, essentially saying it greatly desired to devour the Gu worms in the incense burner, calling them a great tonic. It also stated that by consuming this Gu, it would gain all of its abilities.
Ye Tian then asked the Xianji Gu about the abilities of the Gu in the incense burner. The Xianji Gu replied that the Gu had been nurtured for over a thousand years using a secret method, undergoing three molts and nine evolutions, possessing various abilities. For instance, this Gu could control others' consciousness and hypnotize almost all sentient beings. Furthermore, it could help the user instantly alter their appearance and voice, performing rapid disguises.
Ye Tian asked the Xianji Gu: "Didn't you just swallow a rune and were about to evolve?"
Xianji Gu: "Just a little bit more. This Gu is exactly what I need to complete the final step of my evolution."
Ye Tian curiously inquired: "What kind of evolution?"
Xianji Gu: "I can currently be called the King of Gu. But if I can advance further, I will become the King of Kings, known as the Gu Emperor!"
Ye Tian: "Alright, I'll create an opportunity for you. Take this chance to hunt the Gu worms in the incense burner."
After the man and the Gu conferred, Ye Tian allowed the Xianji Gu to leave his body, then leaped forward and ran into the distance.
As soon as he showed himself, the masked man spotted him and angrily exclaimed, "Do you think you can escape?" With that, he lunged in pursuit.
The two, one in front and one behind, soon arrived at a desolate mountain. Ye Tian, running ahead, suddenly stopped and turned to face his pursuer.
The pursuer stopped a few dozen meters away and asked coldly, "Who are you!"
Ye Tian said, "You brought six small children here to offer their lives as sacrifices to the Gu King in the incense burner, didn't you?"
The man was slightly surprised and asked, "How did you know?"
Ye Tian said sternly, "You murder innocent children. How could I stand by and do nothing?"
The other party snorted, "A person from the Central Plains, are you here to impersonate a hero in our Ling Gu Sect? I fear you won't succeed as a hero and will end up as a pile of rotten flesh!"
While the two were speaking, the Xianji Gu finally made its move, transforming into a golden light and falling into the incense burner. The incense burner shook violently a few times, a sharp whistle emerged, and then the golden light flew out.
The sound reached directly into people's souls. The man's face changed drastically, and he roared, "Someone tampered with the Gu King!"
He turned to leave, but Ye Tian said calmly, "You don't need to go back. That Gu has already been eaten by my Gu."
The man froze: "Your Gu?"
As he spoke, a golden light landed on Ye Tian's shoulder and then burrowed into his body.
The next second, the aura of the King of Ten Thousand Gu was released. The man trembled in fear, then knelt on the ground with a thud: "Greetings, Gu King!"
Ye Tian said, "You harmed innocent children to refine Gu. Now, I will execute you here. Do you have anything to say?"
Upon hearing this, the man quickly said, "Gu King, I didn't want to harm these children. They are also descendants of my relatives and friends!"