The Terror of the Heavens Begins with Gu

Chapter 173 Burying Oneself
At this moment, the Gu Clan Ancestor was dragged down to the ground by the tentacles of the Ghost Fetus. The vampire took the opportunity to grab the Gu Clan Ancestor and pin him to the ground.

Taking advantage of the situation, the ghost fetus used its tentacles to pierce through the body of the Gu clan's ancestor, firmly binding it to the spot.

Large amounts of foul-smelling slime flowed from the Gu clan ancestor's body, and its struggles became increasingly feeble.

The ghost fetus took several vicious bites at the Gu clan's ancestor, leaving several huge wounds on his body.

Li Zhen did not allow the vampires and the ghost fetus to kill the Gu clan's ancestor.

He walked up to the Gu clan ancestor and observed him for a while.

Although the red-eyed bats can take off on their own, they are not big enough to carry Li Zhen, but this Gu clan ancestor seems to be able to.

The suppressed Gu clan ancestor managed to roar at Li Zhen before reverting from its terrifying alien form back to that of a dried-up corpse.

This thing has a very strong recovery ability.

The arm that had been torn off by the vampire was now completely gone, with no visible signs of its loss.

One of Li Zhen's tasks was to eliminate this ancestor of the Gu clan.

To complete this task, it's not necessary to completely annihilate the Gu clan's ancestor. Erasing its consciousness and re-refining it should also count as completing the task.

He summoned the banshee to his front and took out three coffin nails that he had already cursed from behind her.

Using a coffin nail as a pen, Li Zhen dipped himself in some prepared ink and carved some talismans on the body of the Gu clan's ancestor.

This is not some profound method for dealing with ghosts; it is merely a method passed down from the Magusu school for dealing with minor ghosts.

Although this method is nothing special, its power should not be underestimated when performed by Li Zhen.

Before the inscriptions were even finished, after only covering the face and neck of the Gu clan ancestor, the Gu clan ancestor fell into a deep sleep and collapsed limply to the ground.

The ghost fetus and the vampire simultaneously released the Gu clan's ancestor.

Li Zhen was not in the mood to refine the item again, so he had the ghost fetus drag the Gu clan ancestor to the side of the coffin and let the Gu clan ancestor drink some of the blood that had flowed on the ground in order to keep him alive.

Seeing that the matter had been resolved, Yuan Zhenxia breathed a sigh of relief.

He carefully bypassed the vampire and walked to Li Zhen's side, asking, "Why did you let this monster absorb your blood? Aren't you going to get rid of it?"

Li Zhen didn't hide anything: "I will refine this thing again and turn it into a mount that can take me around."

Yuan Zhenxia glanced thoughtfully at the terrifying vampire zombie and the ghost fetus, realizing that these monsters were probably subdued by Li Zhen in the same way.

The demon opened its mouth and stared at Yuan Zhenxia with its terrifying eyes.

"Hello." Yuan Zhenxia greeted Gui Tai and forced a smile.

The demon's eyes narrowed, and it slowly extended one of its tentacles toward Yuan Zhenxia.

Yuan Zhenxia hesitated before reaching out to touch the tentacles of the ghost fetus.

“It wants to eat you.” Li Zhen glanced at the ghost fetus.

The demon fetus reluctantly withdrew its tentacles.

"This guy looks cute, but he's actually so cruel?" Yuan Zhenxia withdrew his hand with a hint of fear.

You think this weird thing is cute?

Bazhu, who had followed, glanced speechlessly at Yuan Zhenxia.

She looked at Li Zhen and asked hesitantly, "Didn't you say you were going to annihilate the Gu Clan? Why did you let the High Priest go?"

Li Zhen stated frankly, "I need him to do things for me for the time being, so I can't kill him."

He looked at Yuan Zhenxia, ​​who had a thoughtful expression on his face, and said, "I also need your help."

Yuan Zhenxia patted his chest and promised, "I will definitely help if I can."

Li Zhen walked around the coffin from which the ancestor had crawled out before saying, "I will stay here for half a month, and you cannot leave during this time."

Using the method of surviving nine deaths to bury oneself for the first time, there are several different rituals.

Each ritual has subtle differences, and each has a different effect on the time it takes for the body to decompose and for the body to regenerate.

Li Zhen wanted to shed his old body and grow a new one as soon as possible, so he planned to use the bloodiest and most violent method.

However, even though this is the least time-consuming method, it still takes half a month for him to regrow his body.

During this two-week period, his body will gradually rot over seven days, and new flesh will gradually grow over the next seven days.

During this period, his primordial spirit cannot leave his old body and needs to witness the decay and rebirth of his own body.

The most unbearable thing is watching yourself rot, as well as the side effects of the ritual.

With Li Zhen's current primordial spirit cultivation level, he should not encounter any problems during the previous transformations.

The ancestor of the Gu clan has now been sealed away by him. As long as the destruction of the Gu clan is postponed until after he is released from his coffin, nothing unexpected should happen.

After examining Li Zhen's face for a few moments, Yuan Zhenxia said, "You...you are pale, bloodless, and those spots look like lividity..."

Li Zhen turned to look at Yuan Zhenxia.

As an adventurer, Yuan Zhenxia had been to many places and met many people, but very few people could make him feel the pressure that Li Zhen was putting on him at this moment.

However, he was not afraid, but calmly asked, "Is this where you're going to get treatment?"

Li Zhen nodded and said, "I have a special method to bury myself. After I rot, I will grow a new body. During this time, I need you to complete the tasks I assign on time."

"There are such bizarre methods in the world?" Yuan Zhenxia raised an eyebrow. "Just give the order, and I will stay here until you recover."

He was clearly very interested in these strange things.

Bazhu said, "Just like our ancestors, as long as they aren't completely killed, their flesh can regenerate?"

Li Zhen picked up the high priest's hair and teeth from the ground, and then used the hair to dab some of the high priest's blood.

He trusted Yuan Zhenxia completely, but he had absolutely no trust in this high priest.

The reason for leaving these things behind by the high priest was to make it easier for him to perform witchcraft on the high priest and send him away at the right time.

The high priest went out to make arrangements for a while, then ran back to report to Li Zhen: "I sent people to look for what you wanted overnight. They have already set off. Those things are not hard to find, and they should be able to get them back by tomorrow."

He glanced discreetly at his ancestor lying beside the coffin, his heart now devoid of any remaining hope.

Even the ancestor is like this, what other choice does he have but to obediently listen?
Li Zhen pointed to the coffin and said, "Go find someone to dig a pit under the coffin so that it can be buried."

"I'll go right away." The high priest turned around and took two steps, then stopped and hesitated, saying, "My little devil is gone, and those people... those people don't really listen to me."

Bazhu sneered, "You are cruel, heartless, cold-blooded, and bloodthirsty. You've killed too many people in the past. Who wouldn't hate you? Only with the intimidation of the little devil did the clansmen listen to you. Now that the little devil is gone, your prestige has plummeted. You're lucky that those people didn't kill you outright."

The high priest said coldly, "I am cruel, heartless, and bloodthirsty? How much better was your father? The decision to worship our ancestors was not made by me alone. Wasn't your father involved?"

"When he was alive, he never chose you; he always chose other people. Don't you know why? What right do you have to judge me?"

Baju was furious: "You..."

Yuan Zhenxia pulled Bazhu aside, preventing her from continuing to speak.

The high priest sneered at Bazhu, then fawned over Li Zhen, saying, "Although Bazhu holds a grudge against me, what she said makes some sense. Many people in the tribe hate me now and don't listen to me much..."

"The sacrifices to the ancestors and the refinement of the little ghosts were not my decisions alone. It was by relying on the little ghosts and the ancestors that the Gu clan's territory continued to expand. They seized women and wealth, and in the end, they blamed everything on me. These people are really... really..."

Li Zhen didn't say anything.

A moment later, the little devil, holding a cat in his left hand and carrying a big-headed little devil in his right, appeared beside Li Zhen.

At this point, the big-headed imp was covered in wounds, and even his neck was half broken. He looked like he was on the verge of death.

Li Zhen glanced at the little devil and pointed at the high priest, saying, "He's going to do things for me. You keep an eye on him. If anyone disobeys, kill them when necessary."

The kid is very clever; he'll definitely have no problem doing these things.

"I promise I'll do it!" The little imp ran up to the high priest with a grin and tugged at his sleeve. "Come on, let's get to work!"

The high priest, his body stiff, was dragged outside by the imp, who didn't even dare to look at him the whole time.

At this moment, Bazhu suddenly said, "There are many women in the Gu clan who were kidnapped from outside. They are not Gu clan members and are innocent."

Li Zhen said, "Don't worry, I won't kill innocent people indiscriminately."

The high priest quickly led several trembling men back into the cave. Following Li Zhen's instructions, they moved the coffin where the Gu clan's ancestor lay and began digging a pit in the ground.

There's a layer of damp soil underneath, so digging a hole here isn't difficult.

Sensing the heavy yin energy emanating from the soil, Li Zhen grabbed a handful and sniffed it. After a moment's thought, he abandoned the ancestral coffin and decided to bury himself directly in the soil. The yin energy of this soil was no less than that of the coffin, and it possessed a peculiar aura. If he were buried directly in this soil, it would definitely corrode much faster.

After those people dug a pit half a meter deep enough for a person to lie in, Li Zhen told them to stop.

After thinking for a moment, he asked the high priest to prepare some things needed for opening the altar, including several kinds of poison that could kill.

Li Zhen had nothing to do all night. After tidying up the burial ceremony, he began to ponder the knowledge of destiny and divination methods he had obtained from Fang Xinzhong's memories.

Li Zhen had not systematically studied divination before, but he knew it was a very important thing.

After acquiring Fang Zhongxin's memories, he placed even greater emphasis on divination.

Fang Zhongxin had never met him before. The reason why he had the Wang family set up the altar at that time and chose a method that could restrain him was all a choice made through divination.

The art of divination is profound and complex. Li Zhen never imagined that he could become a master of it after studying it for a day or two.

In just these few days, he hasn't even been able to fully digest the memories he's acquired from Fang Zhongxin, because the amount of information contained within them is simply too vast.

However, Li Zhen only wanted to reach a point where he could prevent others from using divination to avoid being schemed against.

That's not difficult to do.

Fang Zhongxin recalled that there were some methods used to do this.

During the remaining time, Li Zhen did not forget to cast spells on the high priest.

He still needed the high priest to do things, so he didn't use a spell that could directly kill the high priest, but rather a slow, insidious one.

During the first five days, the high priest under this spell will experience intermittent headaches that become increasingly severe.

Over the next five days, the high priest will gradually begin to experience hallucinations.

In the final five days, the high priest's entire body will gradually rot and become infested with maggots.

But the high priest will not be killed directly.

Because Li Zhen still needs the memories in the High Priest's mind.

The next day, the high priest, who was being constantly urged by the little devil who was acting as the supervisor, did not dare to delay for the slightest and found what Li Zhen wanted.

After checking that everything was in order, at 8:00 PM sharp, Li Zhen officially began setting up the altar.

The altar required for the entire ceremony has very strict requirements in terms of its setup.

The north is associated with water, which governs death and concealment. Therefore, the altar must be set up facing south, which is exactly where the pit is dug.

The altar needed to be covered with clean linen cloth, which was traditionally used to wrap corpses, to symbolize the isolation of life force.

Afterwards, Li Zhen placed a white porcelain bowl at each of the four corners of the altar.

In the northeast corner, a white porcelain bowl contained some corpse oil taken from the ancestor of the Gu clan.

In the porcelain bowl in the southeast corner, some cold water from a deep well, which is never exposed to the sun, was placed.

The porcelain bowl in the southwest corner contains freshly taken heart blood from a black dog.

Moldy fresh flowers were placed in the northwest corner.

The object enshrined on the altar was not a deity, but a self-portrait sculpted by Li Zhen from the mud at the bottom of an ancient tomb coffin.

Li Zhen had drawn mysterious and complex runes on the statue.

The offerings in front of the statue included fresh blood, raw meat, moldy rice, and a small piece of internal organs.

After the altar is set up, the pit also needs to be prepared.

Li Zhen first hung a mirror over the pit, with the mirror facing the pit to reflect the yin energy of the earth.

Subsequently, Li Zhen threw a large amount of cow entrails into the bottom of the pit.

After covering the entrails with a layer of soil, he laid the golden feathers of the rooster that the high priest had brought in into the pit.

In the Nine Deaths and Resurrection Finger Technique, the golden feather symbolizes the feather of a phoenix, representing the power of rebirth.

The lizard blood naturally symbolized dragon blood, and Li Zhen sprinkled it on the edge of the pit.

These two items are relatively difficult to obtain, so Li Zhen first asked the high priest to find these two items.

After arranging everything, Li Zhen took off his shoes and stood barefoot in front of the altar.

After adjusting his breathing, he endured the pain and applied a mixture of cinnabar and ash to his face. Then, from his face down to his chest, he drew a strange talisman.

Around 9:30, Li Zhen officially began casting the spell.

He first lit the candles on the altar, then inserted three lit incense sticks into the incense burner, and finally burned a pile of paper money in front of the altar.

Standing up, Li Zhen picked up the Soul-Capturing Bell from the altar.

He took a deep breath and shook the Soul-Capturing Bell in his hand.

Amidst the piercing, ear-piercing sounds, Li Zhen, barefoot, stepped before the altar, performing the reverse Big Dipper Steps while chanting incantations.
"The Yin decree opens the Nine Netherworlds... a new form is born... rotting flesh becomes soil, decaying bones become the foundation, resentment becomes the guide, and Yin essence becomes the embryo... peel away the old skin, shed the mortal body's barriers! Only when flesh and blood have turned to mud will a glimmer of true spirit appear! The Yin decree regenerates from decay..."

The Soul-Capturing Bell was even more piercing, like a ghostly wail.

A gust of cold wind arose, causing the candlelight to flicker and dart like a ghostly eye.

An indescribable sense of mystery enveloped the cave.

In such an atmosphere, anyone would feel uneasy.

Bazhu, who remained inside the cave, carefully retreated behind Yuan Zhenxia.

Yuan Zhenxia swallowed hard and reached out to pat Bazhu on the shoulder.

Despite his extensive knowledge, he had never seen such a bizarre ritual before, and his curiosity compelled him to observe every detail of the ceremony.

Even though he wasn't terribly afraid, he couldn't suppress his racing heartbeat, because it was completely out of his control.

The incantation continued.

Li Zhen placed his right hand over the candle flame and heated it until liquid flowed out, but he did not remove his arm.

Bazhu, whose breathing was becoming increasingly rapid, dared not look any longer and buried her head behind Yuan Zhenxia.

After walking around the altar, Li Zhen dripped the liquid flowing from his arm into four porcelain bowls placed on the altar.

He then placed another bowl and poured some liquid into it, creating a mixture.

Li Zhen shook the Soul-Capturing Bell over the bowl, then poured the liquid inside onto the soil beside the pit.

A wisp of smoke rose from the soil.

The soil seemed to come alive, sprouting hideous human faces.

Yuan Zhenxia, ​​who witnessed this scene, was also frightened and took a few steps back.

Bazhu, who had stolen a glance, let out a soft gasp.

Unmoved by the sudden turn of events, Li Zhen walked around the pit, changed the rhythm of shaking the Soul-Capturing Bell, and made the incantation more rapid.

"By the decree of Taiyin, the Nine Netherworlds open... Rotting flesh forms the soil, decaying bones the foundation, and vengeful spirits the guide..."

The mirror hanging over the pit emitted a hazy halo, reflecting a ball of light into the pit.

Knowing the time was right, Li Zhen stopped shaking the Soul-Capturing Bell and said to Yuan Zhenxia, ​​"Remember my words. If you hear any strange noises, do as I say. Your actions will greatly affect whether I wake up or not."

Carrying the Soul-Capturing Bell, Li Zhen did not hesitate. He returned to the altar, drank several poisons prepared by the High Priest that would be fatal to ordinary people, and then lay down in the pit in a curled-up, infant-like position.

Yuan Zhenxia realized what was happening and quickly ran to the edge of the pit, picked up a shovel, and swiftly covered Li Zhen with soil from the edge of the pit.

The vampire and the banshee stood motionless not far away.

The Mahjong Ghost also appeared next to the Vampire Zombie, watching Yuan Zhenxia fill the pit with soil.

As his vision gradually became covered by damp soil, Li Zhen felt a little uneasy, after all, this was the first time he had been buried in the ground.

I don't know if it will succeed...

Li Zhen wasn't worried about whether Yuan Zhenxia would do as he was told.

Besides Yuan Zhenxia, ​​he had other plans in place. He was more worried about whether the ritual could restore his body to normal.

(End of this chapter)