Xiuxian: I studied abroad in modern times

Chapter 562 Spirit Bamboo Cures Illness, Qingyan Makes Medicine

She's finally going to die.

The Golden Phoenix Fairy remained in a state of half-awake and half-asleep, unable to distinguish between reality and illusion.

Sometimes, her mind was filled with the image of her beloved's eyes when he fell, unable to close, with disgusting and strange worms crawling out of them, leaving only two dark, empty holes.

When she opened her eyes, it was as if she saw herself again, and she felt a tingling sensation on her stomach, no, inside her stomach... something was crawling inside.

She dared not think too much, closed her eyes again, and thought of that rice field once more.

In the pitch-black rice paddy, countless tiny gray dots rose up, like dust particles, but they seemed to have eyes, chasing after her.

The Golden Phoenix Fairy disregarded her beloved and turned to fly away.

Behind them came the panicked screams and painful wails of mortals, and most terrifyingly, the final silence.

The gray spots spread extremely quickly. She didn't look back and ran for her life, but she couldn't escape. Gradually, a buzzing sound came from beside her ears.

She thought she should have died back then.

But the Yuan Magnetic Array that the Nine Mountains Sect had just built saved her.

The drumbeats resounded on the black mountain peak, followed by a golden light that spread out in all directions from the mountaintop like a circular golden carpet.

Golden light enveloped her, piercing the gray haze behind her, like sunlight illuminating shadows.

Then, she saw the disciples of Jiushan flying towards her and fainted.

When she woke up again, she found herself lying in a room, her acupoints fogged up, and even her golden core was not as bright as before. She knew that she had not escaped and could only wait to die.

The door rang.

She slightly opened her eyes and looked towards the doorway.

The face was obscured, but the sunlight from outside the door shone on the person, as if gilding them with gold.

She fainted again. Before losing consciousness, she heard a familiar voice call out:
"Sister."

……

"Senior sister, this Gu worm seems to be different again."

Zheng Fa's eyes gleamed with a silver light as he scrutinized the Golden Phoenix Fairy. At this moment, he disregarded the difference between men and women and looked her over thoroughly, inside and out.

Even Senior Sister Zhang didn't pay attention; she was also observing Fairy Golden Phoenix's condition.

"These Gu worms are extremely tiny and easy to kill, but they spread incredibly fast—no, they reproduce incredibly fast," explained the disciple watching over the area. "Any living thing that gets contaminated with them will turn into one of these things..."

The disciple paused for a moment, then found a very unique way of saying it: "Automated machine tools."

"..."

Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang chuckled and asked again, "Have you collected them?"

"The sample has been saved."

Zheng Fa nodded to Senior Sister Zhang, who then held the Tranquil Bamboo and brushed it across the Golden Phoenix Fairy on the bed.

A bluish light, tinged with golden fragments, spilled onto the bed. The Golden Phoenix Fairy shuddered, exhaling a puff of black smoke from her ears and nose. Her brows, which had been furrowed for half a month, finally smoothed out.

"It looks like everything is alright."

"She's lucky," Senior Sister Zhang nodded. "She's close to the array, so the poisoning wasn't too severe, and her cultivation is also quite good, which is why she's been able to hold on until now."

Upon hearing this, Zheng Fa's expression also turned serious.

The Nine Mountains Sect suffered a considerable loss this time—although the dead were all mortals and cultivators who originally belonged to Haori Mountain, Zheng Fa and Senior Sister Zhang regarded them as the Nine Mountains Sect's wealth.

"How is the Divine Firmament Fleet doing?"

"Fairy Xie is rough around the edges but meticulous at heart. The Divine Firmament Warship can also connect to the Yuan Magnetic Array, so the reaction is very fast." Senior Sister Zhang shook her head and said, "But three squads were lost."

Three squads, which consist of thirty Divine Firmament warships and nearly a hundred disciples.

Just as Senior Sister Zhang said, as the vanguard, the loss was not actually that great, especially since the cultivation level of these disciples was relatively low.

But this was also one of the few major losses suffered by the Nine Mountains Sect.

Zheng Fa dared to say that the Nine Mountains Sect had put a lot of effort into each and every disciple.

Seeing his pale face, Senior Sister Zhang asked, "Is it the Gu God?"

"It should be. I went to the front line to investigate the origin of these Gu worms, but I found nothing."

Senior Sister Zhang nodded gently: "With your strength, if you can't find it, then it must be the Dao Fruit. In that case, among the Three Demon Ancestors, we can at least confirm that the Gu God has arrived."

Zheng Fa didn't speak, then looked at Jin Feng Xianzi's condition. Not wanting to disturb her rest, he led Senior Sister Zhang and the others out the door.

This is a newly built courtyard, located in a desolate mountain, with no one around, in order to prevent the spread of Gu worms.

After discovering the Gu worms, the Nine Mountains Sect immediately built more than twenty "battlefield wards." He led Senior Sister Zhang through these wards before arriving at a hilltop on the front line.

Xie Qingxue, Uncle Pang, and other high-ranking members of the Nine Mountains Sect were all on the mountaintop, gazing towards Haori Mountain.

"how is the situation?"

“There are more and more of them.” Uncle Pang’s expression was very grim. “Over there, it’s practically a nest of insects.”

Zheng Fa looked ahead and saw a distinct line of color on the ground.

On this side of the lines is the territory occupied by the Nine Mountains Sect, with yellow soil, green grass, and the golden light of the Yuan Magnetic Array constantly sweeping across it.

Over there, there was a patch of black and gray land, mixed with blood red and ghastly green, with waves undulating on the ground.

"Is this a Gu worm?"

"They are all..."

Looking at the black "tide," Zheng Fa felt a chill in his heart.

The swarm of insects was so dense that there wasn't a single gap, and it stretched to the horizon where the sea met the sky, forming a boundary line on the horizon.

The swarm of insects moved slowly forward, leaving behind a dark green slime on the ground.

It's obvious to everyone that the land across the street is no longer habitable.

Not only is it uninhabitable, but even plants cannot survive there.

The fate of the mortals and monks on this land is predictable.

"How effective is the Magnetic Array's defense?"

"Over 99%." Uncle Pang joked with a bittersweet smile, "The disciples' favorite task now is cleaning up those insect corpses. The disciples from the Alchemy Academy say they're very useful and worth some money."

"Anything missing?"

“We only discovered this recently.” Uncle Pang’s eyes gleamed with a silver light. “Look at the air.”

Zheng Fa also activated his Insightful Eyes and looked into the air, immediately noticing the anomaly.

Countless white dots floated in the air.

These white dots really look like dust, devoid of any vitality or spirit, except that they all have long, thin tails, like little white tadpoles, floating around in the air.

"These are... insect eggs?"

“We also think so. This thing has no spiritual energy, so the Yuan Magnetic Array can’t detect it. But if the disciples inhale it, mushroom-like Gu worms will grow on their heads within three to five days… Fortunately, these worm eggs are ignorant and can be defended against by the Cleansing Talisman and the Disease-Dispelling Talisman.”

Zheng Fa remained silent for a moment, then looked at the elders and asked, "What do you all think?"

Uncle Pang and Elder Yuan exchanged a glance, and Elder Yuan spoke up: "Our idea is to stop for a while. The Divine Firmament Fleet has also suffered some losses."

"Most importantly, what use is that place to us?" The elder pointed at the swarm of insects. "It's a barren wasteland, and it's also plagued by all sorts of diseases."

This was also Zheng Fa's idea—among the three Demon Ancestors, the Gu God was probably the most troublesome one for the Nine Mountains Sect.

It's not for any other reason than that the Nine Mountains Sect relies on its large population and even more Gu God Worms. If one worm dies, a large number of them will die, and this person doesn't seem to care.

The disciples of the Nine Mountains Sect dared not expend so much energy.

On the other hand, Zheng Fa also had to calculate the gains from the war.

That land has been polluted by insect swarms, and its value to any immortal sect is extremely low; it can be described as pure rotten land.

Adding the cost of eliminating the insect population, it's a complete loss.

This Gu God has taken the Qingye Fortification technique to its extreme. "Master means to focus on defense?"

"Unless we can find the God of Gu."

This is where the real headache comes in.

If the Gu God were to appear, they could try to capture the leader of the thief; that might be a viable option.

But when Zheng Fa went to investigate, he couldn't even touch the Gu God. In fact, he felt that the Gu God was deliberately avoiding him.

“It’s strange, this Gu God doesn’t seem to want to attack us either,” Xie Qingxue said. “These Gu worms are all limited in strength. As long as the disciples are careful, they won’t cause much damage.”

"With the strength of a True Immortal Demon Ancestor, he should have even more powerful methods."

Zheng Fa was stunned for a moment before he understood: "You mean, the Gu God just wants to stall us?"

"Probably."

Zheng Fa frowned slightly upon hearing this. Xie Qingxue's words were an objection to passive defense—he didn't know what the Gu God was planning to do by dragging things out, but it certainly wasn't for good.

He looked toward the swarm of insects, and one of the mottled white beetles raised its compound eyes and looked back at him.

"This is Zheng Fa?"

In a city on Haori Mountain, the naked Gu God leaned against the railing, completely unconcerned about the gazes from inside and outside the buildings around him—because there was no one else in the city.

Only a few members of the Lu, Yun, and Luo clans served her, not daring to look at her at all.

Upon hearing her question, one of the Lu clan members looked up at Zheng Fa, who was frowning in the light screen, and nodded, saying, "It is this thief! Why doesn't Your Majesty..."

"After hiding for so many years, I never expected that Xuanwei would produce such an outstanding person again."

"Your Majesty..."

“That formation is very powerful.” The Gu God’s expression was grim. “I have lost many of my descendants.”

The hearts of the three clansmen clenched at the thought of their descendants.

"Your Excellency, the backbone of the Nine Mountains Sect is Zheng Fa. As long as we kill him, no matter how strong the formation is, it will be useless!"

The Gu God glanced at him, seemingly satisfied, and smiled: "You have a good idea."

"I...uh, uh..."

The Lu tribesman who had spoken clutched his neck and slowly collapsed, a bright red mushroom growing from his head.

"A mind with ideas is best suited for cultivating the Thousand Thread Gu."

The other disciples from the three clans were shocked and took a few steps back.

The Gu God added, "That Zheng Fa is not easy to deal with."

"..."

“They are afraid.” A green moth flew from the Gu God’s fingertip. “Every Gu that gets close to him is afraid. This person must have something that can restrain me.”

"What should I do?"

"What should we do?" The Gu God chuckled. "I've stopped them for you, isn't that good enough?"

"Can……"

"What is Haori Mountain to you?" the Gu God said coldly. "You want me to fight and die for you?"

"Your Majesty, this..."

"Remember to bring more people, preferably those with cultivation." The Gu God looked at the torrent of Gu worms on the street. "I have lost too many of my descendants, so I need to raise more."

Several members of the Lu clan looked at the man lying on the ground, not daring to speak, only filled with sorrow:
Before the Nine Mountains Sect even attacked, the territory under Haori Mountain was almost empty.

The Gu Goddess didn't care about their thoughts at all. If it weren't for the primordial relics, she wouldn't care about Haori Mountain at all.

Zheng Fa must have some tricks up his sleeve. If I were to fight him, wouldn't that be giving Bai Gu and Zao Hua a chance?

Thinking of this, she looked back at Haori Mountain again. Once the matter of Haori Mountain was settled, the people from the Nine Mountains Sect would also be food for her child.

Now, his descendants are enough to deal with him.

……

“It’s very strange.” Zheng Fa led Senior Sister Zhang down the mountain, his brow furrowed. “Of the three Demon Ancestors, only one Gu God came. Something is very wrong.”

"What's wrong?"

“If they don’t care about Haori Mountain, then the Gu God doesn’t have to come. But if they do care, why did only one of them come, and why is it obvious that they’re just stalling for time?”

Senior Sister Zhang nodded knowingly and asked, "Do you think they have something more important to do?"

“Yes, and it’s within the Nine Luminaries Heaven.” Zheng Fa nodded. “Otherwise, these three Demon Ancestors wouldn’t have been squatting there all this time.”

The Nine Luminaries Heaven... it's hard to say whether it's related to the lack of the Fusang Tree.

The Fusang Tree can be considered a Taiyi-level opportunity, enough to drive the three Demon Ancestors mad. If there are any other great opportunities in the Nine Luminaries Heaven, the probability is relatively small.

Zheng Fa wasn't in a hurry at first because the opportunity behind the Fusang Tree wouldn't grow legs and run away.

But now that three demon ancestors are watching, things are different.

Therefore, it is even more urgent and necessary to explore the Nine Luminaries Heaven.

But putting aside the dangers of the Nine Luminaries Heaven, the Nine Mountains Sect is not without its own problems either—they haven't figured out the Gu God's methods yet. If Zheng Fa leaves, and something goes wrong at the Nine Mountains Sect, he will naturally regret it even more.

If he's going to leave, he needs to make arrangements for the Nine Mountains Sect.

The two walked to the outside of a courtyard halfway up the mountain. Instead of going in, they called out from outside:

"Qingyan!"

"Master!" Zheng Fa's second disciple, Mu Qingyan, came out from inside and bowed to Zheng Fa.

"Can we go in?"

"Yes! It's already been taken care of."

The two walked into the courtyard, which was a pharmaceutical laboratory, complete with petri dishes, beakers, and other such items.

Most of the Gu worms they had collected before were also sent here for research.

In the laboratory, there was also Elder Xiong, a master of alchemy, and some disciples from the alchemy academy beside him.

His eldest disciple, Gu Chang, came out of the side room and was walking towards him.

What were the results?

"We have made progress on the special medicine that Master mentioned."

"So fast?"

Elder Xiong laughed and said, "I've never heard of Fairy Mu's speed in developing new medicines in all my years of alchemy... I'm truly impressed!"

Mu Qingyan smiled faintly and lowered her head.

Zheng Fa felt a sense of pride. To be honest, Mu Qingyan's pharmacy group had never achieved much—the accumulation of Xuanwei Dandao over so many years was something that the Jiushan Sect could not catch up with in just a few decades.

However, in terms of research and development speed, Mu Qingyan, with her modern research system, is more than capable of crushing the Supreme Dao.

Since the Gu God had not ventured into the Mysterious Realm for a long time, no sect had any elixirs to deal with the Gu worms, and Mu Qingyan happened to come in handy.

This is why Zheng Fa had previously summoned Mu Qingyan.

Seeing Zheng Fa's approving look, Mu Qingyan quickly said, "Senior Brother's discovery is far more impressive than mine!"

"Gu Chang, what did you discover?"

Gu Chang bowed to Zheng Fa before speaking, "I think I understand now how the Gu worms transmit information... or rather, how the Gu God controls so many swarms of worms."

Zheng Fa was taken aback, then his eyes lit up.

He had never really thought about this; the reason he could command the disciples of the Nine Mountains Sect so easily was because of the Zizhi Tongjian.

The Gu God must have a set of methods to control the Gu worms, perhaps even more sophisticated ones—after all, these Gu worms are numerous, have low intelligence, and are quite difficult to command.

I never expected that Gu Chang would actually make a discovery?

(End of this chapter)