All-class Gu Immortal

Chapter 154 Reencounter with Lu Yan, a Barbarian Expert (4400-word long chapter)
Zhou Qing, Wuchenzi, and Chen Feng entered the cave at midnight. It was still dark, and the estimated time was not yet 3 AM.

As dawn broke on the distant horizon, Zhou Qing had already run more than a hundred miles in one breath.

However, he did not continue on his journey, but instead rested in a natural cave.

Although the battle with the Xuan Spider did not last long, he was somewhat tired from being highly focused, and after traveling, he felt he needed to rest for a while.

After all, there are still hundreds of miles of mountain road to travel before we can leave the Qilian Mountains.

Zhou Qing released Erqing and Chiyan to guard outside the cave, and took out straw mats and cotton quilts from the storage space of the Wooden King Cauldron, spreading them on the dry, hard ground.

Immediately afterwards, he took out three small pills and swallowed them, then began to regulate his breathing, digest the medicinal effects, and restore his true energy.

By the time the wine worms transformed their true energy into true essence and replenished it into their primordial apertures, it had already been dusk outside the cave, from dawn.

The day passed like this.

"Luckily, we have Qi-restoring pills. It seems we should prepare more."

Zhou Qing opened his eyes, feeling his Yuanqiao (vital energy points) being replenished.

The battle in the cave consumed nearly 90% of his true essence. He used up all three Qi-restoring pills and had just refined three Lesser Rejuvenation Pills, which restored almost half of his true essence.

Although he can try to avoid taking risks in the future, he will inevitably encounter battles, so he must always keep some pills to restore his true energy and true essence on hand.

This Qi Pill is a rare medicine in the county town and can't be bought at all, but it should be available in the prefecture town.

If one could acquire the recipe for the Qi-restoring pill and learn how to refine it, then the need for the pill could be truly resolved.

"The two divine weapons can fetch at least tens of thousands of taels of silver, which should be more than enough to buy elixirs and medicinal herbs."

After leaving the Qilian Mountains, Zhou Qing decided to stay in Nanli County for a while.

Backed by the Qilian Mountains and Tianzhu Mountain, this area boasts abundant resources.

Staying here temporarily should allow us to acquire many resources that are not available in the county town.

"Let's continue our journey tonight."

Zhou Qing got up and stretched vigorously. Seeing the sun setting in the west, he didn't rush on his way. Instead, he grabbed a pheasant and grilled it on the spot. He enjoyed the grilled chicken while drinking the wine he carried with him.

When the sun set, he returned to the cave, lay down on his bedding, and fell fast asleep.

"Whoo~"

When Zhou Qing woke up again, it was still dark outside. He asked Er Qing and learned that he had slept for a day and a night.

"Great, let yesterday's pressure stay in yesterday." Zhou Qing felt refreshed and had recovered from her previous tense state.

He packed up his bedding and headed west under the cover of night.

As dawn approached, a tiger eagle that was patrolling in the sky suddenly landed and told him that a battle had taken place nearby.

"A battle?" Zhou Qing's gaze sharpened.

"Erqing, you and Chiyan go and check it out, be careful."

Zhou Qing immediately gave orders to Erqing and Chiyan.

"Pfft!"

Erqing excitedly flapped its wings and flew towards the mountains and forests to the north.

Crimson Flame, on the other hand, crawled rapidly through the bushes.

[It's someone I know.]

A moment later, Erqing reminded Zhou Qing through telepathy.

"What? Are there any acquaintances here?" Zhou Qing was taken aback.

[The Taoist priest and the little girl.]

Erqing added.

"A Taoist priest and a young girl," Zhou Qing mused to himself.

Could it be Lu Yan and Han Qingqing?
Qingcheng Mountain seems to be located south of Nanli County City, connected to Tianzhu Mountain. If the two of them were to appear here, there would be no problem.

Zhou Qingxin decided to go and see for herself.

He immediately used his lightning-fast movement technique and ran towards the mountains and forests to the north.

Halfway there, he put on a monkey mask.

When they arrived at the lower reaches of a mountain stream, bright red blood flowed down from upstream, and they could hear shouts of killing from afar.

Because it was dark and there was only the faint light from the torches, Zhou Qing could only see a group of people dressed in strange clothes attacking another group of people on the grassy area upstream of the mountain stream.

At first glance, there were about forty people dressed in strange clothes, but only about ten were surrounded, and there were already more than twenty corpses on the ground.

Zhou Qing ran upstream along the mountain stream and came to the canopy of a large tree a hundred meters away, where he stared intently.

Among those being besieged were a group of soldiers dressed in black armor and wielding swords.

With such fine armor and weapons, they must be the elite of the imperial court.

However, the barbarians on the periphery, dressed in strange clothes, were all difficult to deal with.

A dozen or so barbarians with skin that gleamed like brass could withstand the soldiers' swords with their bare hands.

"Copper-skinned Gu, the barbarian race?" Zhou Qing's gaze sharpened.

The barbarians behind them were all dressed in wide black robes that covered their entire bodies, and they remotely controlled flying ants, poisonous bees and other venomous insects to provide support.

Every now and then, barbarians would throw poison powder into the middle.

Among the eleven soldiers was a young man dressed in a blue Taoist robe, whose resolute face was deathly pale; it was none other than Lu Yan.

He was holding a palm-sized golden mirror, from which beams of golden light continuously entered the bodies of the soldiers in front of him.

Blessed by the golden light, these martial artists all had rosy complexions, as if they had received some kind of power.

As for the girl in the moon-white Taoist robe not far from Lu Yan, she was his cousin Han Qingqing.

Han Qingqing waved a small blue flag, creating gusts of blue wind that dispersed the poisonous powder.

These blue whirlwinds bypassed the soldiers in front of her, scattering the poison powder while also blowing towards the barbarians whose bodies gleamed with a bronze luster.

Although the blue whirlwind could not cause any real harm to the barbarians, it could make them lose their footing and their movements become distorted.

The soldiers' swords slashed relentlessly at the barbarians, leaving wounds on their skin. As time went on, it was only a matter of time before their defenses were breached.

With the help of the golden light released from Lu Yanjing, these soldiers fought with increasing ferocity and seemed to feel no fatigue at all.

However, while they weren't tired, Lu Yan, who was behind them, was exhausted, with large beads of sweat constantly appearing on his forehead.

Han Qingqing's movements as she waved the small blue flag gradually slowed down, and the blue whirlwind she released continued to shrink.

Although barbarians are occasionally killed by soldiers, the balance of this war of attrition will eventually tip in favor of the barbarians.

"Fourth Miss! Young Master Yan! You must leave now!"

At this moment, after a soldier had done his best to cut off the arm of a barbarian, he was punched in the neck, a vital spot, and collapsed on the spot, coughing up blood. With his last strength, he shouted out and died instantly.

"It seems I can repay this favor."

Standing in the treetop, Zhou Qing nodded inwardly. After confirming that there were no reinforcements around, Hu Ying mentally ordered Er Qing that they could make their move.

At this moment, Erqing shrunk in size, becoming a miniature peach blossom butterfly no bigger than a palm, hovering and swirling in the darkness, scattering a faint pink miasma.

"what?!"

"What's wrong? It's so itchy!"

"Why is my true energy suddenly being depleted so quickly?!"

"********"

A moment later, screams erupted from the barbarians controlling the poisonous insects on the periphery. Some scratched their bodies, while others collapsed to the ground, and the poisonous insects they controlled fell like raindrops. Among these people, many spoke the language of the Great Jin Dynasty, while others spoke a barbarian language that Zhou Qing couldn't understand, but judging from their behavior, he knew what they were saying.

"It's a Gu worm!!"

Finally, someone spotted Erqing spewing miasma in mid-air, but it was too late.

Most of these barbarians were not very strong. Once they inhaled Erqing's peach blossom miasma, they had little ability to resist.

However, some of the barbarians seemed to be Gu masters. After inhaling the peach blossom miasma, they not only showed no obvious reaction themselves, but their Gu worms were also not greatly affected.

"There's some skill involved," Zhou Qing nodded to himself.

At this moment, a Gu master suddenly took out a small golden ball from the leather bag Gu, which at first glance looked like a smoke bomb or a thunder fire bomb.

boom!
The small golden sphere suddenly unfurled a pair of colorful wings and flew rapidly into the sky, before exploding violently and forming a huge ball of colorful firework in the sky.

It painted almost the entire sky in color, and could probably be seen for miles around.

"He's calling for someone?!" Zhou Qing's gaze sharpened.

He had originally planned to ask Erqing for help, so he wouldn't have to lift a finger and could remain anonymous. But now it seemed he had no choice but to intervene and resolve the matter quickly.

"Oh no!" Lu Yan, standing in the crowd, exclaimed as he saw the small golden sphere explode in the sky.

"Fourth Miss! Young Master Yan! Let's go!"

Seeing this, several soldiers urged Lu Yan and Han Qingqing to go first.

Whoosh!
At this moment, the Gu Master who had just released the small golden ball suddenly attacked the soldiers. His speed suddenly increased several times in an instant, and his figure flashed like a ghost, passing between two soldiers.

His entire body was shrouded in a black robe, from which a slender, fair hand emerged. In an instant, it swelled up and turned into a piece of white jade. With one palm strike, it sent the soldier in front of Lu Yan flying, and then, without slowing down, it struck Lu Yan's face.

"Young Master Yan?!"

"cousin!"

Both the soldier and Han Qingqing were greatly surprised.

Bang bang bang!
Lu Yan's expression was solemn. He released three beams of golden light from the golden mirror in his hand, but they were shattered one by one by the jade-like palm.

At this critical moment, Lu Yan, holding the golden mirror, clashed head-on with his opponent through the divine weapon.

"Pfft!" Accompanied by a terrifying force, he coughed up blood and flew backward.

At this moment, the Gu Master pressed his advantage and, before Lu Yan could even land, flew after him with ghostly speed.

Lu Yan had just landed and hadn't even stood up properly when that jade-like, deadly palm came down towards his face.

"Am I going to die?" Lu Yan's pupils suddenly dilated.

clang!
However, the next moment, his waist was suddenly wrapped around by a strong arm, which pulled him behind him, and a huge roar sounded in front of him.

Lu Yan staggered a few steps and found a tall young man dressed in black and wearing a monkey mask standing not far in front of him.

The white jade hand was blocked by a golden hand, seemingly resulting in a stalemate.

However, the next moment, the Gu Master suddenly appeared behind the tall young man and slammed him hard in the back of the heart.

clang! !

"Little—" Lu Yan's expression changed drastically. He was the most qualified to comment on the power of this palm strike. However, before he could warn the young man, the palm struck the tall young man in the back of the chest. The loud impact made Lu Yan's head buzz.

After the 'one-hit kill', the Gu Master in black robes seemed to be affected by a powerful backlash, and was forced to retreat in Lu Yan's direction.

Lu Yan didn't have time to lament the loss of the person who had bravely saved him; the shadow of death loomed over him once more.

He retreated hastily, but his speed was far inferior to that of his opponent.

boom--!
Just when Lu Yan thought he was going to die, an invisible force gathered in front of him, stirring up gusts of fierce wind. A power and a loud noise even more violent than before appeared at the same time.

Bang!Bang!Bang!
The black-robed Gu Master was sent flying backward at several times the speed he had come from, crashing into three large trees twenty meters away like an arrow. The force of the impact dragged him for another ten meters across the grass, leaving a deep mark, before he finally crashed into a rock and came to a stop.

"This..." Lu Yan's lips moved slightly, his eyes looking blankly at the tall young man's back in front of him.

His shirt ripped open on the back, revealing a large hole that exposed his muscular latissimus dorsi muscles. His skin was entirely golden, as if it had been coated with gold paint.

There was a barely perceptible white handprint on the back of my chest, near the middle of my shoulder.

"The strength is truly astonishing; it almost hurt me."

At this moment, the tall young man tilted his head, looked at the handprint behind him, and said something that surprised Lu Yan.

Almost?
"Are you OK?"

"It's nothing, thank you so much for saving my life!"

Lu Yan quickly replied.

"That's good." Zhou Qing nodded and flew into the middle of the dozen or so barbarians who were using copper-skinned gu.

These men, with their bronze skin and iron bones, were no match for Zhou Qing's terrifying strength. He struck them down one by one, instantly reverting them to their original forms, each one severely injured.

"retreat!"

Seeing that reinforcements had suddenly arrived, the several Gu Masters dressed in black robes immediately mounted the Gu Master in black robes who had been defeated by Zhou Qing and chose to retreat.

Zhou Qing let them leave without giving chase, and instead dealt with the seriously injured melee Gu Masters one by one.

"Young Master Yan!" Several soldiers rushed forward to support Lu Yan, who was unsteady on his feet.

"Cousin, how are you?" Han Qingqing took out a porcelain bottle and handed it to Lu Yan, who tilted his head back and swallowed the pills inside.

"My benefactor." Lu Yan was about to express his gratitude when he noticed the tall young man squatting down and rummaging through the barbarian's body with practiced ease.

After Zhou Qing finished looting the corpse, he said in a low voice, "Farewell!"

After saying that, he turned to leave.

"My benefactor, wait a moment!" Lu Yan called out to him as he was about to leave.

"This place is dangerous, you should leave as soon as possible," Zhou Qing said in a deep voice, ignoring Lu Yan. However, he had only taken a few steps when he suddenly stopped and quickly walked back.

"My benefactor?" Lu Yan was taken aback.

"A barbarian expert is coming! He's incredibly fast! Let's go!" Zhou Qing arrived in front of Lu Yan, grabbed him by the collar, and carried him in a princess carry before speeding westward.

The soldiers and Han Qingqing were taken aback at first, but then followed.

Halfway there, Zhou Qing felt a loud rumbling sound coming from the woods behind him, and dust rose in the distance, with large numbers of trees snapping in both directions.

Just by looking at the commotion, Zhou Qing's face changed color.

The newcomer was either a Grand Martial Master at the Blood Transformation Realm or a Second-Order Gu Master.

However, he would rather be a Blood Exchange Realm Grand Martial Master than face a Second-Order Gu Master, since no one knows what kind of strange and unusual Second-Order Gu worms might appear.

"Please take Miss Fourth and Young Master Yan with you and leave first!"

Upon seeing this, the remaining soldiers stopped and ran in the opposite direction.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing simply nodded silently.

For these people, if their master were to die while they were still alive, it would be far better for them to die together.

If they die while their master is still alive, their families will naturally be able to enjoy generous compensation.

This is the tragedy of ordinary people.

boom!
boom!
boom!
Zhou Qing, along with Lu Yan and Han Qingqing, hadn't run far when they heard loud rumbling sounds coming from behind them, bursts of flame shooting into the sky, accompanied by the faint sound of thunder.

It should be the power generated by the close-range detonation of something like a firebomb.

"Roar~!"

Amid the explosion, a beast-like roar echoed, sending chills down one's spine.

(End of this chapter)