All-class Gu Immortal

Chapter 250 Heading to Shuntian Prefecture, Heavenly Spirit Pill Completed
"It seems that person has already left." Qi Yandao used the power of heaven and earth to sense his surroundings, but he did not find the figure of the middle-aged Gu Master from before, and his expression became somewhat gloomy.

Although he had only recently broken through the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, he practiced lightning magic, which was one of the most powerful offensive techniques among all martial arts. His strength had always been among the top in his level, and he had never suffered such a great loss before.

Qi Yandao had been intimidated by the mysterious and unpredictable nature of the middle-aged Gu Master's Gu worms and had intended to test him, but the middle-aged Gu Master was not afraid at all and did not rush to leave.

Therefore, to be on the safe side, Qi Yandao chose to go find the Qi family's ancestor first.

Once a cultivator reaches the third level, their lifespan increases significantly, and they will not easily engage in conflict unless there is an irreconcilable hatred or an extraordinary opportunity.

The towering pillar of light just now led Qi Yandao to believe that a rare treasure had appeared in the world, and it was highly likely that it would fall into the hands of the middle-aged Gu Master.

If we join forces with the ancestor, we might be able to capture that middle-aged Gu master.

Unexpectedly, the person ran so fast that they left very few traces.

At this moment, the old woman descended from the sky and fell into the valley below.

Wow!
With a flick of her sleeve, a gust of wind swept across the valley, dispersing the thick fog and revealing the undulating mountains and the devastation within.

"This is..." Qi Yandao followed the old woman into the valley, and the scene before him caused his expression to change slightly.

In the center of the valley, apart from several huge pits, all the flowers, grass and trees were withered and lifeless, forming a stark contrast with the lush vegetation in the distance.

The old woman bent down, picked up a withered weed, brought it to her nose and gently sniffed it. The weed instantly turned into dust and disappeared with the wind.

"The plants here have all been drained of their essence."

The old woman pondered for a moment; she looked like she was on her deathbed, but her voice sounded like that of a middle-aged person.

"You just said that the Gu worm that person was controlling was a giant tree-man?"

The old woman looked at Qi Yan and said.

Qi Yandao nodded: "Reporting to the Ancestor, it is indeed so. That tree man was about thirty or forty feet tall, incredibly strong, and extremely fast. He could swing sixteen arms at the same time. I had to use up my life force to escape."

When a martial artist breaks through the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top, they can draw upon the power of heaven and earth to condense the Heavenly Vein within their body. True essence will then merge with the power of heaven and earth within the Heavenly Vein to form magical power.

The quality of magical power is ten times higher than that of true essence, which is the fundamental reason why a Grandmaster of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top can crush any Blood Exchange Realm Grandmaster.

Only by condensing the three celestial veins and filling them with magical power to promote their fusion, forming a 'human flower' within the body, can one be considered a true grandmaster.

Then, the four celestial veins are condensed, and the four veins are combined to form the Earth Flower.

The third time, it requires the condensation of five celestial veins, which must be combined to form the Heavenly Flower.

The three flowers gathering at the top represent the highly condensed essence, energy, and spirit of a martial artist.

Finally, when the three flowers gather together and the essence, energy, and spirit are completely integrated, one can break through the Five Elements and glimpse the realm of immortality.

Before the human flower is condensed, if the magical power in the celestial vein is used up and not replenished as soon as possible, it will damage the martial artist's essence and, over time, damage their foundation.

This is also why the world's great masters are rarely seen.

Because once someone reaches the Grandmaster level, no one would want to stagnate. Even if their talent and potential are exhausted, they will definitely try to condense the three Heavenly Veins to form the Human Flower.

Only in this way can one retain vital essence and ensure longevity.

At the same time, it can also restore its magic power on its own by relying on the flower.

However, for a Grandmaster to truly unleash their magical power without restraint, they still need to condense earth flowers.

For someone like Qi Yandao, who has just condensed a Heavenly Vein and is at the very bottom of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top realm, his combat power will drop significantly once he exhausts the magic power stored in his Heavenly Vein.

Of course, even so, it is still not something that the Blood Exchange Realm can match.

Because when a martial artist breaks through a barrier, the power of heaven and earth will cleanse their marrow. Even if only true essence is used, it is several times stronger than the peak of twelve blood exchange sessions.

“A tree-man that is thirty or forty feet tall must be a third-order Gu worm without a doubt, but…” The old woman looked strange and fell into deep thought.

It's rather unusual that a Venerable One who can use third-tier Gu worms would so easily let go of a Grandmaster who has entered the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top of the Head.

For Gu Masters, the bodies of high-level martial artists are excellent nourishment for raising Gu.

Of course, similarly, high-level Gu worms are also the best materials for martial artists to forge divine weapons.

If a third-tier Venerable and a third-tier Grandmaster are of the same level, the Grandmaster is almost certainly no match for the Venerable who possesses a combat-type Gu worm.

The third-tier combat-type Gu worm first consumes its own mana, and only then does it consume the Gu master's mana.

Martial artists directly consume their own magical power.

Before condensing the human flower, a Grandmaster's magic power can only be used as a trump card.

If that third-tier Venerable had gone all out, Qi Yandao might not have been able to hold out until her reinforcements arrived.

Thinking of this, the old woman's mind raced as she looked at the withered grass and trees around her.

"Could it be that person isn't a third-tier Venerable, but merely a second-tier Gu Master?"

The old woman frowned deeply; indeed, very few third-tier Gu Masters had ever set foot in the Central Plains.

The space here still retains a rich essence of plants and the power of heaven and earth, indicating that the third-tier Gu worm was quite powerful, enough to rival a Grandmaster who had condensed a Human Flower. Against Qi Yandao, who had only condensed a Heavenly Vein, it was an absolute crushing defeat.

However, the other side let Qi Yandao go, which shows that they did not want to linger in the fight.

Or, one should not linger in battle.

"Perhaps that tree-man fights purely with its own magical power, so it needs to absorb the essence of the surrounding plants and the wood-attribute power of heaven and earth," the old woman guessed.

However, since she hadn't had any contact with the other party, she couldn't make a judgment.

After pondering for a moment, the old woman said to Qi Yan:
"Let's leave it at that for today, as if nothing happened. I'll let the elders of the other families know about the presence of a Gu Master here. We can't let an unfamiliar Gu Master run rampant in the Central Plains."

"Yes, Ancestor," Qi Yan said, feeling slightly regretful.

The old woman nodded, then suddenly changed the subject: "I heard you've been suppressing the Xie family lately?"

“Ancestor, I…” Qi Yandao was taken aback.

"It's best not to go too far. Even if the Xie family doesn't form a marriage alliance with the Yao family, their rise is inevitable and they can't be suppressed."

Although you are over sixty, you have spent most of your time cultivating yourself. You lack experience and need to leave room for maneuver in your actions.

Such matters of competing for profits with other families can be left to subordinates.

As long as it doesn't harm the long-term interests of the family, there's no need to worry about short-term gains or losses.

The old man from the Yao family was a martial artist of the same era as me. Now, the Yao family has not yet produced a second Grandmaster. The future of Jinyun Mansion still belongs to you young people.

You still have nearly three hundred years of life ahead of you; you should focus your mind on spiritual cultivation.

The old woman gave her instructions.

"I will obey the orders of our ancestors," Qi Yandao said solemnly.

Three days later, in the evening.

Three thousand miles away from Jinyun Prefecture, there is a huge, crescent-shaped lake.

A tiger is lying on the lakeside drinking water.

"Wow!"

Suddenly, the lake surface not far away exploded, and a young man in a blue robe soared into the sky and landed steadily on the shore.

The tiger sensed the terrifying aura emanating from its opponent and immediately trembled with fear.

"It seems no one is chasing us."

Zhou Qing used his true energy to remove the water stains from his body and changed into clean clothes.

Three nights ago, after his battle with Qi Yandao, he felt that continuing to fly would make him easy to be discovered by a Grandmaster. So, after leaving the valley for several hundred miles, he plunged into Crescent Lake, held his breath with the Azure Sea Tide Technique, and squatted at the bottom of the lake for three days and three nights without coming out.

Upon discovering that there were indeed no pursuers, Zhou Qing left the bottom of the lake.

At this moment, Zhou Qing took a few steps, stopped, looked at the silent tiger beside him, and suddenly stomped his foot. The tiger was so frightened that it shuddered, leaped into the air, and plunged headfirst into the lake, causing the water to bubble and gurgle.

"Ha ha!"

Zhou Qing laughed loudly.

Once he disappeared off the shore, the tiger finally emerged from the water in a disheveled state.

For the rest of the time, Zhou Qing stayed in the mountains and forests.

The growth of the Wood God Gu consumed nearly ten years of his lifespan. Although his appearance did not change significantly, his sideburns turned white, which was quite noticeable.

Zhou Qing planned to stay in the wild for a while to recover his lost energy.

Lifespan cannot be restored in a short time, but you can get your hair back first.

More than half a month has passed quietly.

Zhou Qing left the mountains and came to a town, bought a fine horse, and headed towards the prefectural city.

Five days later, the towering city walls of Jinyun Prefecture came into Zhou Qing's view.

"There are no visible changes on her appearance."

Zhou Qing sat on horseback, took out a bronze mirror, and discovered that his sideburns had turned black again.

[Azure Emperor: Among spirit trees and plants below the third rank, the Wood God Gu possesses absolute authority akin to that of an emperor. It can absorb the essence of plants and the earth's energy to sustain its movements. With only a small amount of true essence to guide it, it can autonomously absorb the power of heaven and earth to condense its magical power. It can purify the essence of plants, condense their vital energy, promote the growth of plants, or strengthen the vitality of the physical body.]

"A third-tier Gu worm, truly wondrous!"

Looking at the effects of the Wood God Gu, Zhou Qing couldn't contain his excitement.

In just over half a month, with the help of the Wood God Gu, he not only recovered his vitality but also improved his physical strength. Although the ten years of lifespan he lost were not immediately restored, it was only a matter of time before he was fully recovered.

Moreover, his Green Wood Scripture made rapid progress under the effect of the [Green Wood Emperor], undergoing a qualitative change, which in turn greatly promoted the improvement of Qi and blood.

Zhou Qing has broken through to the eighth blood exchange stage, and after just over three months, he is already showing signs of another breakthrough.

This cultivation speed is simply beyond imagination.

Zhou Qing estimated that he would be able to break through again within a month.

Moreover, as long as it is a place with lush vegetation and abundant earth energy, one can cultivate by taking advantage of the Wood God Gu's [Green Wood Emperor] effect.

Zhou Qing was able to maintain this exaggerated cultivation speed.

In addition, with the help of the Wood God Gu, he can also sense the power of magic in advance and understand how to condense magic, which will greatly benefit his future breakthrough of the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top.

"As long as we keep a low profile, avoid trouble, and successfully refine the Heavenly Spirit Pill, this trip will be considered a success."

Zhou Qing, with his horse tucked under his flanks, slowly made his way into the city.

The trip was originally intended to help Yao Xuewei purchase medicinal herbs and obtain the right to choose her own marriage partner. However, the fourth branch of the Yao family unexpectedly possessed a thousand-year-old spiritual tree, which allowed them to cultivate the Wood Man Gu into a third-tier Wood God Gu in one fell swoop.

Now, Zhou Qing truly possesses a trump card to save his life in front of a third-tier powerhouse.

Of course, he wouldn't be so arrogant as to provoke a third-tier expert.

Three days ago, if Qi Yandao had really fought him to the death, the outcome would have been uncertain.

Although the Wood God Gu is self-sufficient and can be activated with just true essence, it has a major limitation: it cannot leave the ground.

Otherwise, without the essence of plants and the earth's energy, the magical power transformed by the Wood God Gu itself would not be enough to sustain a battle against a third-tier powerhouse.

At that time, Zhou Qing will need to provide his magic power to the Wood God Gu.

But where did Zhou Qing get his magic power?

Without breaking through the Three Flowers Gathering at the Top and condensing the Heavenly Vein, he simply couldn't withstand the immense pressure of the power of heaven and earth transforming into magical power. Therefore, the Wood God Gu could only rely on himself in the battle, and he also had to constantly change battlefields.

Because the essence of plants and the energy of the earth in the same area are limited.

Once their true nature is discovered, a countermeasure can be developed.

Zhou Qing himself has not yet broken through to the third rank, and does not yet have the ability to fight a third-rank expert head-on.

If the Wood God Gu's movements are restricted, Zhou Qing will also be unable to escape from the hands of a third-tier expert. At that time, it will be a life-or-death battle, a fight to the death.

In short, he now possesses third-tier combat power, but once the war begins, the initiative will no longer be in his hands.

After entering the city, Zhou Qing returned to the restaurant where he had previously stayed.

Because he paid for a month in advance, the room was still available when he returned to the restaurant.

He ordered a large table of fine wine and food, and after eating and drinking his fill, he asked the waiter to bring him hot water so he could take a comfortable bath.

Halfway through the soak, a series of hurried footsteps approached, followed by a knock on the door.

Brother Zhou, are you back?

Yao Ze's voice came from outside the door.

Seeing this, Zhou Qing stepped out of the large wooden tub and wrapped himself in a large bath towel.

"Brother Yao, please come in."

Yao Ze entered the room and was taken aback to see Zhou Qing had just come out of the bath. His previously anxious expression suddenly relaxed, and he bowed respectfully.

"I apologize for disturbing Brother Zhou's enjoyment."

"Brother Yao, please sit down. Let me change my clothes first." Zhou Qing nodded.

"Brother Zhou, please make yourself at home." Yao Ze sat down.

Zhou Qing went into the inner room to change his clothes and came out. "Brother Yao, you must have been waiting anxiously."

"It's alright, it's alright." Yao Ze couldn't bring himself to say anything nonchalant, so he could only force a smile.

"I have spent a great deal of money to finally gather all the auxiliary ingredients needed to refine the Heavenly Spirit Pill. I am just waiting for Brother Zhou to return. May I ask where your master is now?"

"My master encountered some trouble in Shuntian Prefecture and is temporarily unable to leave. So I came here to collect medicinal herbs and send them to Shuntian Prefecture. Once the pills are refined, I will send them back to the Yao family," Zhou Qing explained.

In addition, he did indeed plan to go to Shuntian Prefecture.

On his way back to Jinyun Prefecture, Zhou Qing heard that a large-scale auction, held once every three years, would be held in Shuntian Prefecture a month later.

High-quality alchemy furnaces with second-tier divine weapons will be available for sale, which will have a certain bonus effect on refining second-tier pills.

"This..." Yao Ze was taken aback.

"What's wrong? Brother Yao, is there a problem?" Zhou Qing asked.

"No, no." Yao Ze was afraid that Zhou Qing's master would not be able to concentrate on alchemy, which would lead to a decrease in the success rate of alchemy, but he could not say it outright.

"Don't worry, Brother Yao, I won't joke about my future in martial arts," Zhou Qing said with a smile.

"I'm entrusting everything to Brother Zhou," Yao Ze pleaded, handing over the medicinal herbs he had collected.

The next day.

Zhou Qing left Jinyun Prefecture and headed towards Shuntian Prefecture.

On the way, he cut off a quarter of the Heavenly Spirit Fruit and tried to refine the Heavenly Spirit Pill.

Unexpectedly, after only three attempts, a batch was successfully refined.

You obtained seven pills, four of which were of low grade and three of medium grade.

This immediately boosted Zhou Qing's confidence.

If they succeed just once more, they will have completed the deal with Yao Ze.

(End of this chapter)