All-class Gu Immortal

Chapter 240 Genuine Golden Silkworm Gu, Deal Completed (Two Chapters Combined)

North of Tianzhu Mountain, in the towering mountains near the eastern part of Wuxi, lies a very secluded valley.

This place is shrouded in colorful miasma year-round. Even a Grand Martial Master at the Blood Transformation Realm who accidentally wanders in would find it difficult to resist this complex miasma, so it is rarely visited by people.

But few people know that this valley is the headquarters of the Witch God Cult that roams the southern border.

Followers of the Witch God Cult usually take the Nine Insect Pill, a special product made by the cult.

The Nine Insect Pill is a poison pill made from nine special poisonous insects. If the antidote is not taken in time after ingestion, the internal organs will suffer pain as if being devoured by thousands of insects.

But it was precisely because of the extreme toxicity of the Nine Insect Pill that the followers of the Witch God Cult were able to ignore the miasma that filled the area around their headquarters.

In the Witch God Cult, strength is paramount, so strictly speaking, the Witch God Cult cannot be considered a true martial arts force. As long as they can improve their strength, the members will practice various secret techniques.

Some people practice martial arts, some raise Gu (a type of poisonous insect), and quite a few practice both Gu and martial arts. A very small number of people also practice witchcraft.

So-called witchcraft is a branch of the Gu Dao (a form of witchcraft), which uses various bizarre and cruel methods to cultivate evil Gu worms in order to perform witchcraft.

Some powerful witchcrafts only require knowing the enemy's birth date and time, and obtaining items such as hair and blood, to be cast from a distance and cause damage to the enemy.

However, it is said that practicing witchcraft is against the natural order, and all witchcraft practitioners who practice witchcraft will die young.

Of course, in reality, it may be because the Gu Master who practices witchcraft is not qualified enough, so he chooses to take a risky approach. Many witchcraft techniques emphasize harming oneself first, and then harming others. The stronger the witchcraft is, the faster one dies.

Zhou Qing also learned many secrets about the Witch God Cult from Lan Canghai's memories and the books he left behind.

The Witch God Cult was originally founded by martial arts families in the Central Plains to establish a foothold in the southern border and monitor the Gu Masters deep in the Hundred Thousand Mountains.

As a buffer zone between martial artists and Gu masters, the Southern Frontier does not allow the emergence of third-tier Gu masters. Similarly, even grandmasters at the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top realm cannot act casually.

That was indeed the rule at the beginning, but over time, the nature of the witch god religion has changed.

Although the Witch God Cult is nominally still affiliated with the martial arts families of the Central Plains, it has actually long since become independent.

Lan Canghai's rapid rise to power and subsequent defeat of the previous leader was not only due to his own good fortune, but also inseparable from the support of the Gu Master faction.

From his generation onwards, the Witch God Cult also maintained close ties with three tribes among the Five Streams Barbarians: the Wild Barbarians, the Beast Souls, and the Flying Feathers.

The colorful feathered robes worn by the holy maidens and female elders in the church are characteristic attire of the Feathered Clan.

Of course, everyone knows these things but doesn't say them aloud.

The Witch God Cult had been rampaging through the southern border for years, yet the Shuntian Prefecture hadn't sent anyone to suppress it. Now that Sima Changhe had guessed Lan Canghai was dead, he finally remembered the suffering people in the nearby Ping'an County. In reality, it was nothing more than a territorial grab.

For the major powers in the Central Plains, all they care about is using the power in the Southern Frontier to gather resources; they don't care about the people or things there at all.

Just like how Zhou Qing was once at odds with the Witch God Cult, now that he has found the Witch God Cult's headquarters, he is not here to cause trouble, but to seek cooperation.

Ultimately, there are no permanent enemies, only permanent interests.

Whether a settlement can be reached depends on whether the interests involved are significant enough and whether they are the most important.

The previous Witch God Cult was too strong, which was disadvantageous to Zhou Qing. Now the Witch God Cult is too weak, which is still disadvantageous to Zhou Qing.

"This is it. The miasma is so strong!"

Zhou Qing stood on a cliff and looked down, his eyes filled with colorful miasma.

With the help of his divine authority as a mountain god and his immunity to all poisons, the effects of the miasma on him were greatly reduced. Even so, he still felt a tightness in his chest after inhaling the miasma.

Of course, it was just feeling bored.

Zhou Qing used the [Aura Observation Technique], and the multicolored miasma shrouding the cliff became much thinner in his vision, greatly improving visibility.

At the same time, Zhou Qing 'saw' the faint power of heaven and earth in the valley below.

"Everyone says that the road to the Witch God Cult is shrouded in terrifying miasma, but the real killer move is this power of heaven and earth."

Zhou Qing's gaze sharpened; the Witch God Sect's foundation was deeper than he had anticipated.

Although I knew from Lan Canghai's memories that the headquarters of the Witch God Cult was shrouded in an array, I did not expect the array to be so terrifying.

Even before the formation was activated, just observing it from afar using the Qi Observation Technique gave him a feeling of unease, as if he were being pricked by needles and his skin was tingling.

"It seems that the Witch God Sect once produced at least one master of formations, who may have come from the Central Plains."

Zhou Qing seemed to be deep in thought.

Once he breaks through the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, he should take the opportunity to visit the Central Plains.

There are still eighteen years before the Blessed Land of Ten Thousand Beasts opens. The best-case scenario is that martial arts and Gu cultivation will advance in tandem and both reach the third tier.

"Pfft!"

Zhou Qing left the cliff, preparing to search for the entrance to the valley in the miasma, but Erqing in the Yuanqiao took the initiative to volunteer, saying that it had a way.

"Go, Erqing."

Seeing this, he released Erqing from his Yuanqiao. Erqing flapped its pink wings and quickly disappeared into the miasma.

"Found it? So fast?!"

However, in a short while, Erqing brought the news.

"It seems this formation doesn't have the ability to sense or warn," Zhou Qing nodded to himself.

At this moment, Zhou Qing flew away from the cliff and, under Er Qing's guidance, arrived at the outside of a natural, steep valley.

"Ok?"

However, just as Zhou Qing appeared outside the valley, he was suddenly warned by Er Qing, and then he lost contact with Er Qing.

"what happened?"

Zhou Qing's face instantly darkened.

At this moment, a commotion arose from the miasma at the entrance of the valley.

An old woman dressed in a black robe walked out with a cane, her steps faltering.

This was an old woman, frail and nearing the end of her life, with a full head of silver hair, skin like the bark of an old pine tree, a face covered in dark yellow age spots, and lifeless eyes, looking as if she were about to die.

"You are."

However, upon meeting the other person's murky eyes, Zhou Qing suddenly felt a tightness all over his body, and a terrifying sense of threat, as if his scalp would explode, rushed through him.

Almost instantly, he released the Ice Fiend Gu and merged with it.

Immediately afterwards, he took out the Heavenly Fire Lava Centipede from his Yuanqiao. Although the Heavenly Fire Lava Centipede was currently asleep, it would still be able to fight if forcibly awakened.

Of course, Zhou Qing's decision to take out the Heavenly Fire Lava Centipede was more of a show of force.

"Young man, don't be so impulsive. This old woman has no intention of fighting you."

The old woman spoke slowly, looking at the Heavenly Fire Lava Centipede in Zhou Qing's hand, a strange light flashing in her eyes, her voice so weak it seemed she was on her deathbed.

However, Zhou Qing dared not relax in the slightest. He trusted his senses and believed that the opponent's strength might be even greater than Lan Canghai's.

If the old woman hadn't shown no malice and if Erqing hadn't been in their hands, Zhou Qing might have simply taken to the air and fled.

"May I ask who you are, senior?" Zhou Qing asked, lowering his tone. "This old woman is just a useless person whose neck has been buried in yellow earth. So many years have passed, and now in the Southern Frontier, no one should remember my name."

The old woman shook her head.

Zhou Qing's eyes changed slightly. He hadn't expected that the Witch God Cult had such an old monster. No wonder it could stand firm in the Southern Frontier.

“Young man, I sense the aura of the cult leader on you, and the Divine Wood Cauldron seems to have fallen into your hands as well. It seems the cult leader is dead,” the old woman suddenly said.

Upon hearing this, Zhou Qing's heart skipped a beat, but he remained outwardly calm: "What do you mean, senior? This junior doesn't understand."

"It doesn't matter if you don't understand. I'm not a member of the Witch God Cult. I'm just bound by a promise I made back then to ensure the Witch God Cult's safety for two hundred years."

The old woman said lightly.

"Two hundred years?!" Zhou Qing exclaimed in surprise. "Senior, are you a Venerable One? Or a Grandmaster?"

“Young man, go back to where you came from. This old woman hasn’t laid a hand on you in many years.”

The old woman did not answer Zhou Qing's question, but instead took out a palm-sized earthenware jar from her sleeve.

With a light tap of her finger, the lid of the earthenware jar opened, and a panicked Erqing was seen flying out of the jar.

"Puff puff!"

Erqing landed on Zhou Qing's shoulder, excitedly accusing him, like a bullied child complaining to his parent.

"Thank you, senior." Zhou Qing felt relieved when he saw the old woman release Erqing.

At this moment, a golden silkworm pupa crawled out of the jar. The pupa was plump and as cute as a silkworm. It was only as thick as a thumb, with eyes as small as two black dots. It had dozens of claws on both sides of its body and two pairs of thin, cicada-wing-like wings on its back. One of the wings seemed to be degenerating, becoming very small, as if it would shrink at any moment.

Upon meeting her gaze, Zhou Qing felt a strange, eerie light emanating from the silkworm's eyes, and a sudden stinging sensation shot through his own.

"This is..." Zhou Qing's pupils dilated sharply.

"What? You also recognize the old woman's Golden Silkworm Gu?" The old woman closed the earthenware jar, then suddenly realized, "That's right. To have such profound Gu cultivation at such a young age, one must be exceptionally talented. It's not surprising that you've heard of the Golden Silkworm Gu."

"Is the Golden Silkworm Gu in your hand, senior?!" Zhou Qing couldn't help but ask. Unlike the 'Golden Silkworm Gu,' Ice Silkworm Gu, and Heavenly Poison Gu he had concocted himself, the Golden Silkworm Gu in the old woman's hand looked more like the genuine article.

"That's right." The old woman didn't keep him in suspense.

"Golden Silkworm Gu!!!" Zhou Qing's eyes flickered, and after a moment of intense thought, he finally gave up the idea of ​​testing the waters. However, he was extremely envious of the Golden Silkworm Gu in the old woman's hand.

The true Golden Silkworm Gu is the rarest of the third-tier Gu worms, and it can be further refined and cultivated into the fifth-tier Gu worm, the Hundred Poison Golden Silkworm Gu.

This "Hundred Poisons" refers to a terrifying Gu poison that can kill even a high-level Gu master upon contact, comparable to the Ten Deadly Poisons, or even more potent.

There is also a final combined cultivation route for the Golden Silkworm Gu, which is the Six-Winged Golden Silkworm Gu.

The Six-Winged Golden Silkworm Gu is a sixth-order immortal Gu that eats everything, with its favorite food being true dragons and phoenixes, which shows how terrifying its strength is.

The Six-Winged Golden Silkworm Gu only appeared a few times in ancient times, making it virtually indestructible.

Although the Golden Silkworm Gu in the old woman's hand looked sickly, if it were a real Golden Silkworm Gu, Zhou Qing would at least be confident that he could revive it and continue to cultivate it.

Of course, despite his envy, Zhou Qing wasn't blinded by the Golden Silkworm Gu and wasn't really ready to fight the old woman whose background he didn't know.

"Are you interested in the Golden Silkworm Gu in the old woman's hand?" the old woman suddenly asked.

"As a Gu Master, it would be a lie to say I'm not interested," Zhou Qing replied truthfully.

"If you agree to one condition from this old woman, I might be able to give you this Golden Silkworm Gu." The old woman smiled faintly.

Zhou Qing's heart skipped a beat, but he quickly calmed down and asked:

"Your conditions are..."

"This old woman wants you to swear an oath that after I pass away, you must guarantee that the Witch God Cult will flourish and never be extinguished during your lifetime," the old woman said solemnly.

Zhou Qing was taken aback.

"What? This condition shouldn't be difficult for you. With your age and cultivation level, becoming the number one person in the Southern Frontier is only a matter of time." Although it was their first meeting, the old woman seemed to have a lot of confidence in Zhou Qing.

"If I were to live for hundreds or thousands of years, wouldn't I be bound by this oath forever?"

Zhou Qing said seriously, "Making the Witch God Sect immortal and ensuring its long-lasting prosperity are not the same thing."

"Hundreds or thousands of years?" The old woman was taken aback, then suddenly snorted coldly, "You've got quite the nerve!"

"It's rare to find someone with such ambition! Are you of first-rate talent?"

As she spoke, the old woman suddenly changed the subject and narrowed her eyes.

"No," Zhou Qing immediately denied.

"I can give you ten years to think it over. After ten years, when my time is up, you can come back here."

The old woman pondered for a moment.

"Actually, the reason I came here today is also for the sake of the survival of the Witch God Sect, and I want to cooperate with the Witch God Sect." Zhou Qing changed the subject.

"Cooperation?" The old woman became interested.

"A captain has arrived in Shuntian Prefecture, intending to wipe out the influence of the Witch God Cult in the Black Wind Mountain, Yellow Dragon Mountain, Nine-Link Mountain, and Heavenly Pillar Mountain area."

At the same time, they must unite with local martial artists to carry out a strategy of exterminating the Witch God Cult.

This will be a huge blow to the Witch God Cult.

Therefore, this junior wishes to help the Witch God Cult solve its problem at its root and eliminate this captain.

Zhou Qing said seriously.

"You want the Witch God Cult to take the blame for killing the captain?" the old woman realized.

"After all, a junior cannot openly kill a high-ranking general of the imperial court."

Zhou Qing didn't try to hide it.

"In this way, the younger generation will also have something on the hands of the Witch God Cult, and there will be more protection for both parties when cooperating with the Witch God Cult in the future."

"The current Witch God Cult cannot offer you any help."

The old woman said in a deep voice.

"This matter can be handled by me alone," Zhou Qing said hastily. Once the Heavenly Fire Lava Centipede has hatched, killing Sima Changhe will not be difficult for him. If he is well prepared, he can even kill him with a single blow.

On that day, they met Lan Canghai briefly. Although the Heavenly Fire Lava Centipede made its move, the onlookers could not discern its true strength, since it had not yet gone all out. Wan Shentong and Su Tiancheng then appeared.

To outsiders, at most, Zhou Qing barely managed to withstand Lan Canghai's casual attack, proving that he possessed combat power far exceeding that of his peers thanks to his Gu worms.

Otherwise, Sima Changhe wouldn't have treated him that way before.

After all, no matter how young one is when they break through to the Blood Exchange Realm, a genius is still just a genius. Without reaching the Blood Furnace Realm, one cannot be considered a top expert.

In particular, Zhou Qing came from an ordinary background and was unwilling to serve the imperial court.

(End of this chapter)