All-class Gu Immortal

Chapter 104 How a Villain is Made (Bonus Chapter 2 for Alliance Leader)

Zhou Qing stood at the edge of the swamp.

According to the records in the Corpse Refining Manual that I just looked at, the stronger the corpse refinement, the more difficult it is to control.

There are three ways to strengthen control over the corpse-refining process.

The first method is direct blood refining. Starting from the corpse, the corpse is cultivated and refined into a refined corpse. Every few days, the refined corpse is fed with the essence blood. Once the corpse becomes a refined corpse, it will act according to the basic instructions of the feeder.

However, this method is effective for iron and bronze corpses, but its control over silver corpses will be greatly reduced.

The second method is to strengthen upon the first method.

When feeding a corpse, add Yin Sophora flowers to its essence and blood.

The so-called "yin hua" refers to the flowers that grow on a locust tree that has been imbued with spirituality.

Generally speaking, locust trees near mass graves are most likely to be associated with spirits and have the heaviest yin energy.

However, it takes at least two or three hundred years for a locust tree to develop spirituality, and it can only be found deep in the mountains.

The third method is rather bloody, which involves controlling the corpse using a method similar to refining the vengeful infant gu.

To refine the Vengeful Infant Gu, one must surgically cut open the abdomen of a pregnant woman about to give birth, remove the baby, strengthen the baby's physique with a secret medicine, and then use poisonous insects to devour the baby's body in a nibbling manner.

The Gu worms refined in this way will contain the resentment of pregnant women and infants before their deaths.

To control the corpse refining process, one only needs to replace the poisonous insects that devour the infant with corpse worms during the refining of the vengeful infant gu, and feed and stimulate the corpse worms with essence blood.

Of course, there are some differences between corpse worms and corpse worm gu; they are not exactly the same.

Because the corpse worms will completely merge with the refining corpse.

The Corpse Worm Gu will only stay in the brain of the corpse being refined. Once it leaves the body, the corpse will lose its ability to move.

Corpses controlled by Corpse Worm Gu will grow very slowly, and their combat power will be affected by the strength of the Corpse Worm Gu itself.

"None of the three methods seem to be applicable," Zhou Qing pondered to himself.

The first method is too late now; neither of these two silver corpses were created by him, nor was he involved in the entire process.

The flowers of the Locust Tree are a rare sight, not something you can seek out.

As for the Vengeful Infant Gu, it's too cruel. Even if he had the materials, he wouldn't refine something that would harm the natural order.

Once you lose your bottom line, you lose it completely.

"It seems that we can only use the Corpse Worm Gu to control the refining of corpses. However, it is too late to cultivate the Corpse Worm Gu now, and the Corpse Worm Gu King is probably not so easy to control."

Rather than controlling the Silver Corpse through the Corpse Worm Gu, Zhou Qing felt it would be better to directly subdue the Corpse Worm Gu King and use it to control the Corpse Worm Gu, thereby indirectly controlling the Silver Corpse.

Anyway, he didn't plan to make corpse refining his main profession; it was just a temporary way to enhance his combat power.

However, the problem now is that he doesn't know how to subdue the Corpse Worm King.

“Since Lin Tianzheng can control the Corpse Worm Gu, I obviously can too, especially since I have the help of the Jade Tablet.”

“A diary!” Zhou Qing’s eyes lit up.

Just because it's not in the Corpse Refining Chronicles doesn't mean it's not in the Gu Refining Chronicles.

Since Lin Tianzheng enjoys writing in his diary so much, there's no reason not to record such an important matter.

With that in mind, Zhou Qing headed towards the exit of the underground cave.

Seeing that Yao Xuewei's breathing was gradually stabilizing, he asked in a low voice, "Sir, I need to go back upstairs to check the method for subduing the silver corpse. Shall we go up together?"

"No need," Yao Xuewei said calmly.

"Okay, I'll go up first."

Zhou Qing nodded, puzzled.

Why doesn't Yao Xuewei go up to the next level to regulate her breathing, instead of staying in this foul-smelling underground swamp?

"Hmm." Yao Xuewei didn't even open her eyes.

The effects of the lust curse are long-lasting, but they will gradually weaken over time.

The stench here is just what suppresses the resurgent lust.

Zhou Qing went through the narrow underground passage and down the stairs back to the next floor.

"This place is really well hidden; it's practically a natural dungeon."

Zhou Qing stared at the cramped and dark corridor. No wonder prisoners in ancient times would confess soon after being locked in dungeons. They didn't even need to be tortured to confess. The dark and gloomy environment alone was enough to drive people crazy.

Moreover, if a few iron doors were embedded in this passage, even a Bone Refining Realm martial artist would have a headache.

A martial artist at the Bone Refining Realm can cut through gold and jade with their bare hands and slice through iron like mud, but in an underground environment, they have to be careful that their strength is too great and might cause the stone walls of the passage to collapse.

Even a Grand Martial Master at the Blood Transformation Realm cannot withstand the terrifying pressure brought about by the sinkhole.

"What a wonderful place!"

Zhou Qing was a little reluctant to leave.

This place is extremely well hidden. The dark swamp underground is not only used for refining corpses, but it is also a favorite breeding ground for many Gu worms.

The cave is located next to a tributary of the Blackwater River, making it very convenient to fetch water.

In terms of food sources, they can hunt in the mountains or fish in the water.

For ascetics, this place is practically a paradise for secluded spiritual practice.

If you want to go down the mountain, apart from the fact that the road is hidden and rugged, it is not far from the foot of the mountain.

"The Witch God Cult might know about this place, but they might not necessarily send experts. Furthermore..."

Zhou Qing narrowed his eyes.

"If we kill everyone here in the future, wouldn't that mean no one will know about this place?"

Zhou Qing instantly understood.

Of course, he doesn't yet have the qualifications to challenge the Witch God Cult. He wouldn't risk provoking them for a natural cave.

Zhou Qing returned to the stone chamber where the secret manuals were stored, took down the book on Gu Refining Records, and began to examine it carefully from the beginning.

The first half of the "Chronicles of Gu Refining" mainly records various methods of raising poisonous insects and refining Gu, precautions, and what kind of Gu insects are suitable for living and reproducing in what kind of environment.

Details such as temperature and humidity are recorded.

In addition, behind almost every type of poisonous insect were Lin Tianzheng's notes and insights.

Judging from the creases in the paper and the fading of the calligraphy, the dense text on the book is full of traces of time.

The latter half of the book is a record of Lin Tianzheng's travels to various places and his encounters with all sorts of strange and poisonous insects, similar to a travel diary.

From Fujiao Mountain west of the Heishui River to the Heishui River, then to Heifeng Mountain, Huanglong Mountain, and Jiulian Mountain near the county seat, and finally to Tianzhu Mountain near Nanli County, as well as the Qilian Mountains.

Lin Tianzheng's life was spent traveling across a large part of southern Xinjiang.

Although limited by his resources, he did not explore every place in depth.

But this travelogue is more valuable than anything else in the cave.

Because the Corpse Worm Gu King was the one Lin Tian discovered in the Nine-Linked Mountains.

He accidentally entered a cave in the Jiulian Mountains and found the cave where a first-level Gu Master had passed away.

The dying corpse worm king clings to the corpse of the Gu master.

Lin Tianzheng's unexpected appearance gave the Corpse Worm Gu King a new lease on life.

Because Lin Tianzheng lacked the qualifications of a Gu Master, he was unable to subdue the Corpse Worm Gu King.

The Corpse Worm King parasitized Lin Tianzheng, using him as nourishment for its revival.

However, as the saying goes, every cloud has a silver lining. Lin Tianzheng unexpectedly found a spiritual locust tree in the mountains and waited for three long years until the locust tree finally blossomed.

After being nourished by Lin Tianzheng's essence and blood for three years, the Corpse Worm Gu King has gradually recovered.

In the end, Lin Tianzheng gained the approval of the Corpse Worm Gu King by using the Yin Huai Flower.

Later, with the help of the Corpse Worm Gu King, Lin Tianzheng mastered a poison technique to an unparalleled level and successfully controlled the Wooden King Cauldron, a divine weapon left behind by the Gu Master.

From then on, Lin Tianzheng went from being a mediocre martial artist in his fifties at the Flesh Refining Realm to a master of raising Gu, eventually breaking through to the Bone Refining Realm at the age of sixty.

It should be noted that after the three milestones of twenty-five, thirty, and thirty-five, the chances of a martial artist breaking through to the Bone Refining Realm will decrease significantly, and the difficulty will continue to increase.

Many people break through to the Tendon Refining level before the age of 25, but by the age of 35 they still haven't achieved the Great Perfection of Tendon Transformation, let alone break through the Bone Barrier to become a Bone Refining Realm Martial Master.

Lin Tianzheng only reached the Flesh Refining Realm at the age of fifty; the Tendon Transformation and Bone Forging Realm was more difficult than ascending to heaven.

Lin Tianzheng was able to do this because he adhered to the principle of "any means necessary".

Rape, abduction, and the practice of sexual exploitation are all basic forms of violence.

In Qingfeng Temple in Ping'an County, he is Master Lin, a kind-hearted Taoist priest who adopts orphans and is known for his generosity and compassion.

In Jin Dao Village of Huanglong Mountain, he was the ruthless and vicious second-in-command, a man whose true nature was rarely seen.

In the Wuxi tribe of the Qilian Mountains, he was Tulei, a shaman among the Xiongman tribe with an eccentric temper but a miraculous healing ability.

Lin Tianzheng played many roles throughout his life.

In the end, he returned to himself.

In order to seize the last glimmer of hope of breaking through the Blood Exchange Realm, he wanted to pledge his allegiance to the Witch God Cult.

He deliberately exposed the heinous acts committed by Qingfeng Temple in secret, thus ruining his reputation.

He then killed his longtime friend, Feng Yixue, the county's chief constable, and completely broke with the imperial court.

He eventually gained the trust of the Witch God Cult and helped them refine corpses and raise Gu poison in exchange for the secret technique to break through to the Blood Exchange Realm.

As for using the Green Silk Gu to cultivate wine worms, it was just one of the many efforts he made in order to break through.

"Truly, the success of one general is built on the bones of ten thousand."

Zhou Qing looked at the words left by Lin Tianzheng.

At first, he struggled and suffered when he harmed people.

However, recalling his mediocre and subservient life in the first half of his life, he finally hardened his heart and completely extinguished his humanity.

Later on, killing people became just a number to him, like no one counting how many grains of rice they ate.

The number of people who died at Lin Tianzheng's hands was far more than ten thousand.

"Hmm?" Zhou Qing turned to the last page of the Gu Refining Chronicles and found a self-narration by Lin Tianzheng.

When I was young, my family was poor, and I was too playful to study, wasting my years without ever making any progress.

At the age of thirty, I find solace in nature and indulge in pleasures on my bed.

Looking back suddenly, I see my temples are gray, and my youth has passed. I can't help but shed tears.

Flowers may bloom again, but youth never returns.

Now that I am over ninety, I still cherish lofty ambitions. Looking back, I have no regrets.

Now, like a bird in a cage or a fish in a net, I struggle with all my might, hoping to soar like a bird into the blue sky or swim like a fish into the vast ocean, free from all constraints.

"If the spring breeze takes pity on the flowers, can you allow me to be young again?"

Zhou Qing put down the book and couldn't help but feel a sense of emotion.

"Time is truly the most ruthless thing in the world."

In just a few hundred words, Lin Tianzheng's life is summarized.

Even if one becomes a Bone Refining Realm Martial Master, one cannot live past one hundred years old.

PS: I'm adding 2 chapters for Alliance Leader 20230119123013779. 5 Alliance Leaders, so I owe a total of 20 chapters. 18 chapters remaining.

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(End of this chapter)