Shengui Changsheng: Start from Zhenwuwei and add some points to cultivate immortality

Leaving Luoxia Ravine, the humidity and heat of the Southern Frontier intensified, with miasma in the forest like a pale purple veil, entwining the vines. Su Qingwan slung her pipa behind her back, her fingertips twirling a freshly picked antidote herb leaf, and said softly, "Although the Demon-Suppressing Sword is complete, it hasn't yet absorbed demonic energy, so I'm afraid it won't be able to unleash its full power. Ahead lies the 'Misty Swamp,' where it's said that the Gu Master's people often roam."

Wang Xiaohu gripped the Demon-Suppressing Sword at his waist. The dragon pattern on the scabbard seemed to respond, becoming slightly warm. He recalled what Old Master Ouye had said before his departure: Fu Shaoping's sword manual, besides recording the sword moves for the Return of the Stars, also mentioned the "Ten Thousand Gu Cave" in the Southern Frontier—the place where the Demon Lord stored the secret records of poisonous Gu, which were now mostly in the hands of his remaining followers.

“Aman said that the last place his father, Elder Shiqing, appeared was west of the Misty Swamp.” Wang Xiaohu unfolded the tattered map he found at Aman’s house, on which a crooked mark was drawn in cinnabar. “Perhaps we can find clues there.”

As they reached the edge of the swamp, the stench of humus mixed with the hissing of Gu worms assaulted their senses. Su Qingwan suddenly pressed down on his shoulder, and a clear, resonant note rang out from the pipa strings. Suddenly, the duckweed on the water's surface in front of them tumbled over, revealing a dense swarm of black insects beneath, each with sharp mouthparts.

“They are Soul-Eating Ants, raised in the swamp using a secret method to act as spies.” Su Qingwan plucked the strings, and the sound transformed into invisible blades of energy, cleaving the approaching ant swarm in two. “Someone is watching us.”

Before he finished speaking, the sound of a bone flute came from the dense forest on the opposite bank of the swamp. The soul-devouring ants retreated like a tide, leaving only a layer of fine shell fragments on the water's surface. Just as Wang Xiaohu was wondering what was going on, he saw a small boat drifting in from the reeds. On the boat sat a Miao woman in a black dress, her silver ornaments gleaming coldly in the miasma, holding a bamboo-woven Gu box in her hands.

"Guests from afar, the Gu Master invites you." The Miao woman's voice was like ice, and her pupils contracted slightly when her eyes swept over the sword at Wang Xiaohu's waist. "Especially guests who carry the Demon-Suppressing Sword."

Su Qingwan said in a low voice, "Gu Master is the master of the Ten Thousand Gu Cave. It is said that he can control hundreds of kinds of poisonous Gu. His name was among those who surrounded and killed Elder Shi Qing back then."

Wang Xiaohu stepped onto the small boat, and the Demon-Suppressing Sword suddenly emitted a soft hum. He looked at the wolf head tattoo on the Miao woman's wrist, exactly the same as that of the Black Stone Guard: "You use the Corrupting Heart Grass to control the Miao people, aren't you afraid of divine retribution?"

The Miao woman sneered and turned the copper lock on the Gu box: "Divine retribution? Why didn't you mention divine retribution when the people from the Star Sword Sect burned down our three Miao villages thirty years ago?"

As the boat traveled deeper into the swamp, countless white bones gradually surfaced on the water's surface—some human, some animal—all entwined by vines, forming a natural fence. Passing through an archway made of giant tortoise shells, a city suddenly appeared before them, built within a tree hollow. The city walls were constructed from the carapaces of poisonous insects, gleaming with an eerie rainbow light amidst the miasma.

“This is ‘Bone Gu City,’ built by the Demon Lord to imprison rebels.” Su Qingwan’s pipa strings tightened even more. “Be careful, there’s the smell of ‘Bewitching Gu’ in the air.”

Wang Xiaohu activated his Starry Sky Sword Qi to protect his heart meridian, and sure enough, he smelled a faint, sweet fragrance. The Gu Lord's main hall had no beams or pillars, but was supported by dozens of huge poisonous vines, with blood-red flowers blooming on them, and each flower embedded with a human skull with only its eyes open.

Seated on the throne was a gaunt old man, his face covered in layers of scales, his fingernails curved like hooks. He was using a silver hairpin to pick up a bright green centipede and feed it into the bronze cauldron before him. Upon seeing Wang Xiaohu enter, he chuckled, and the black water in the cauldron suddenly boiled, revealing a blurry human face—it was Elder Shi Qing!

"Shi Qing?" Wang Xiaohu's heart skipped a beat, and the Demon-Suppressing Sword automatically unsheathed half an inch, its blue light flowing.

"It's just a 'Memory Gu' made from his blood and bones." The Gu Lord licked his lips, the skin under his scales wriggling. "Back then, he brought people from the Star Sword Sect to investigate the Corrupting Heart Grass, and what happened? We still managed to refine it into the most powerful Gu Inducing Technique."

Suddenly, the human face in the cauldron let out a painful roar, and countless fragments of memories surged forth like a tide—Shi Qing carried young Aman on his back, running through the mountains and forests, pursued by the Black Stone Guards; he placed a silver bracelet engraved with the character "Star" on his wife's wrist, letting her take the child and hide in Black Stone Mountain; finally, he was pierced through the chest by the poisonous vine of the Gu Lord, and before dying, he hid a jade slip containing the secret passage of the Ten Thousand Gu Cave inside the centipede's belly...

"I see." A cold glint flashed in Wang Xiaohu's eyes, and the blue light of the Demon-Suppressing Sword soared into the sky, dispelling the bewitching Gu energy in the hall. "The jade slip he hid is inside the belly of the centipede you fed to the cauldron."

The Gu Lord's expression changed drastically, and he slammed his hand down on the bronze cauldron. Wang Xiaohu had already stepped forward with his sword, the sword light flashing like a meteor, precisely slicing open the centipede's body, from which a translucent white jade slip rolled out. At the same time, he swung his sword backhand at the poisonous vines, the blood-red flowers withering instantly, revealing the imprisoned living people beneath—all Miao people who had been kidnapped to refine poisonous Gu.

"You're courting death!" the Gu Lord roared, lifting his robe and unleashing countless poisonous Gu worms from his sleeves, transforming into a black torrent. Su Qingwan played her pipa urgently, the strings condensing into a golden barrier that held the Gu swarm in mid-air. Wang Xiaohu seized the opportunity, inserting the Demon-Suppressing Sword into the bronze cauldron. The dragon patterns on the sword lit up, emitting a purifying power. The black water in the cauldron instantly evaporated, revealing a mountain of white bones piled beneath.

“Those are innocent people who have been harmed over the past thirty years!” Su Qingwan’s voice trembled.

Wang Xiaohu drew his longsword, its blue light imbued with boundless anger and compassion: "Today, I will use this sword to seek justice for them."

Behind him, the dual phantoms of the Azure Frost Sword and the Demon-Suppressing Sword appeared, the two swords reflecting each other and generating an unprecedented power. When this sword was swung, there was no earth-shattering sound, but all the poisonous Gu were instantly reduced to dust, and the scales on the Gu Lord's body shattered inch by inch, revealing the body underneath that had long been eaten away by Gu worms.

"The stars... have finally returned..." Gu Zun turned to ashes in the blue light, and in his final moments, there was a hint of relief in his eyes.

When Wang Xiaohu escaped from Bone Gu City through the secret passage, he discovered that the jade slip contained not only the location of the Ten Thousand Gu Cave, but also Elder Shi Qing's last words: "The antidote for the Corrupting Heart Grass is in the Demon Lord's natal Gu, which is hidden in 'Burning Heart Valley'... My son Aman, if you see this slip, do not seek revenge, but only protect the peace of Miao territory."

Looking at the distant Burning Heart Valley shrouded in mist, Su Qingwan said softly, "It seems the road ahead will be even more difficult."

Wang Xiaohu gripped the jade slip tightly, then touched the Soul-Gathering Flower that Aman had given him in his arms; the dew on the petals dampened his fingertips. He looked up at the deepest part of the Southern Frontier, where the miasma was as black as ink, yet faint starlight pierced through the clouds—like the justice and hope hidden in the darkness, which would one day illuminate the earth.

The Demon-Suppressing Sword hummed softly in its sheath, as if urging them to continue westward.

Emerging from Bone Gu City, the miasma seemed to have been cleaved open by the azure light of the Demon-Suppressing Sword. Su Qingwan used the strings of her pipa to pluck the last poisonous vine blocking her path, the sap on her fingertips still steaming: "Burning Heart Valley is located deep within the earth's core, where the miasma is densest. It is said that even the stones there are hot to the touch."

Wang Xiaohu unfolded the jade slip, and Elder Shi Qing's handwriting became even clearer under the blue light, with a strange symbol drawn at the end—like flames surrounding a bird with outstretched wings. "What does this symbol mean?" "It's the totem of the 'Fire Phoenix Gu'." Su Qingwan's expression changed slightly. "Legend has it that the Demon Lord's natal Gu is the Fire Phoenix Gu, fed with the fire of the earth's core. It can burn the heart's meridians, but it can also cure all poisons in the world, including the Heart-Corroding Grass."

The two followed the secret passage marked on the jade slip, and the deeper they went, the hotter the air became. Instead of water droplets, scalding sulfur seeped from the rock walls, dripping onto the ground with a sizzling sound. Reaching a fault line, a thunderous roar echoed from below, and dark red flames could be vaguely seen rolling in the mist.

“There should be a suspension bridge here.” Wang Xiaohu looked at the cliff face opposite the fault line, where the marks of broken ropes were still visible. Su Qingwan suddenly plucked the strings of her pipa, the sound transforming into an invisible net that hooked a string of rusty iron rings from the cracks in the cliff face: “It was deliberately cut off.”

As they were talking, several dark figures suddenly emerged from the mist below the fault line. They were monsters with human bodies and snake tails, their scales gleaming metallically in the firelight. "It's the 'Snake-Man Gu,' Miao people mutated by the aura of the Fire Phoenix Gu," Su Qingwan said urgently. "Don't hurt them, there's still hope!"

Wang Xiaohu gripped the Demon-Suppressing Sword tightly, deliberately concealing the sharpness of the azure light emanating from its blade. He leaped into the air, stepping on the rubble at the edge of the cliff, and lightly touched the snake-men's heads with the tip of his sword. Starlight sword energy seeped into their bodies like spring rain. The howling snake-men gradually slowed their movements, and the black aura beneath their scales receded at a visible speed.

"This way!" Su Qingwan pulled out a hidden iron chain from the crevice in the rock. "It's a backup passage left by Elder Shi Qing."

The iron chain hung suspended in the scorching mist, and with each sway, the sound of churning magma below could be heard. Just as the two reached the middle section, the iron chain suddenly trembled violently, and a giant python engulfed in black flames emerged from the mist. Its mouth was wide open, and a dark red flame could be seen dancing inside its belly—it was the "Burning Sky Python" that guarded the Fire Phoenix Gu.

"Demon-Suppressing Sword!" Su Qingwan's pipa strings tightened suddenly, releasing three golden rays that coiled around the python's body. Wang Xiaohu drew his sword in response, and in the instant the azure light collided with the black flames, he suddenly remembered what Ou Ye had said: "The sword moves with the heart." He no longer thought of killing, but instead infused his starlight sword energy into the blade, allowing the azure light to transform into a giant net that wrapped the Burning Sky Python layer by layer.

"This beast possesses the spiritual power of the Fire Phoenix Gu within it; it cannot be killed!" Su Qingwan exclaimed. "Elder Shi Qing's jade slip says that its malevolent aura should be purified using the Starlight!"

Wang Xiaohu sheathed his sword as instructed and placed his palm on the python's head. The Burning Sky Python initially struggled violently, the black flames burning his palm with a stinging pain, but as the mark between its brows lit up, a gentle yet firm power slowly flowed into the python's body. The python's roars gradually turned into whimpers, and the black flames slowly faded, revealing golden-red scales beneath—it was a rare Crimson Scale Python.

"It was originally a spirit beast that guarded the Fire Phoenix Gu, but it was corrupted by demonic energy and turned into an evil creature." Su Qingwan gently stroked the python's body. "It seems that Elder Shi Qing had foreseen this day long ago."

The Crimson-Scaled Python obediently lowered its head, nuzzled Wang Xiaohu's hand with its nose, then turned and swam into the mist, creating a path ahead. At the end of the path was a huge cavern. On a stone platform in the center of the cave, a strange flower burning with azure flames was blooming, and nestled in its stamen was a phoenix the size of a fist, its feathers flowing like flames—it was the Fire Phoenix Gu.

Beside the stone platform lay a skeleton, its bones long since turned to white. Next to the skeleton was a medicine box with the character "stone" engraved on it.

“It’s Elder Shi Qing.” Wang Xiaohu looked at the silver bracelet on the skeleton’s wrist, which was exactly the same as the one worn by Aman’s mother. On the stone wall next to the skeleton, the last words were carved in blood: “The Fire Phoenix Gu needs to be activated with the sword soul. After the poison is cured, it must be sealed in the earth’s core to prevent evil people from obtaining it again.”

Wang Xiaohu inserted the Demon-Suppressing Sword into the stone platform. The azure light on the sword intertwined with the flames of the Fire Phoenix Gu, forming a cocoon of light. When the cocoon dissipated, the Fire Phoenix Gu had transformed into a glistening droplet, landing in his palm. The Crimson-Scaled Python let out a long roar and pushed the medicine box on the stone platform in front of him with its head. The box contained dozens of bottles of antidotes that had been prepared beforehand, each bottle labeled with herbal medicine from Miao territory.

"So he's been cultivating the antidote here all these years." Su Qingwan's eyes reddened slightly. "He wasn't turned into a Gu catalyst; he stayed here to guard the Fire Phoenix Gu until he was completely exhausted."

When they left Burning Heart Valley, the Crimson Scale Python escorted them all the way to the edge of the Misty Swamp. Wang Xiaohu carefully put the jade bottle containing the Fire Phoenix Gu Liquid Pearl close to his body, and also carefully put away Elder Shi Qing's white bones—he wanted to take this righteous elder back to Star Mountain for burial.

When they returned to Blackstone Mountain, Aman was squatting in front of his house drying medicinal herbs. Seeing the two return, he immediately rushed over: "My benefactor, my mother has started coughing again..."

"Don't be afraid." Wang Xiaohu took out the Fire Phoenix Gu liquid bead, dipped a small amount into it with a silver needle, and gently applied it to Aman's mother's brow. The woman's coughing stopped abruptly, and the sallow complexion quickly faded, revealing her originally delicate features. She opened her eyes, looked at the Demon-Suppressing Sword at Wang Xiaohu's waist, then at the silver bracelet in Aman's hand, and suddenly burst into tears: "It's...it's the aura of the Azure Frost Sword...Are you from the Star Sword Sect?"

It turned out that she not only knew Shi Qing, but also knew his final destination. Back then, to avoid implicating his family, Shi Qing deliberately created the illusion of being hunted down and went alone to Burning Heart Valley to find a way to restrain the Corrupting Heart Grass. In the letter he left behind, he said that if he could see the people of the Star Sword Sect return with the Demon-Suppressing Sword one day, it would be the time when he completed his mission.

“My father…” Aman’s voice trembled.

Wang Xiaohu took out Shi Qing's bones and said softly, "He is a hero."

Three days later, the Miao people of Blackstone Mountain sang and danced to celebrate their liberation from the control of the Corrupting Heart Grass. Wang Xiaohu distributed the antidote made from the Fire Phoenix Gu liquid beads to everyone, and following Shi Qing's last wish, he returned to Burning Heart Valley with the Crimson Scale Python, using the Demon Suppressing Sword to set up a star barrier in the cave, resealing the Fire Phoenix Gu.

Before leaving the southern border, Aman's mother gave Wang Xiaohu another jade slip left by Shi Qing: "He said that it records the hiding places of the Demon Lord's remnants, which are scattered throughout the Central Plains."

The map on the jade slip was densely marked with thirty-six red dots, the farthest of which was near the capital. Su Qingwan looked at the map and suddenly said, "It seems our journey has only just begun."

Wang Xiaohu gripped the Demon-Suppressing Sword tightly, its blade gleaming warmly in the setting sun. He recalled Nangong Wan's entrustment, Shi Qing's steadfastness, and Aman's expectant eyes. The road ahead might still be shrouded in mist, but he knew that as long as the sword in his hand remained true to its principles, the light in his heart would never be extinguished.

The two embarked on their eastward journey, the southern mountains behind them gradually fading into twilight. The sword at their waists and the pipa in their arms resonated softly in the evening breeze. (End of Chapter)