Transform into ancestral tablets and create a supreme immortal clan.

The cultivator frantically swung his longsword, the sword light weaving a dense net, yet three spiritual needles still managed to break through his defenses and pierce his right arm.

The needle disappeared as soon as it entered his body. He felt three wisps of cold energy travel up his arm, causing excruciating pain in his meridians and dissipating his true energy.

"Uncle Lingxiao, save me!" he screamed in agony.

Gu Lingxiao had already made his move.

His cultivation at the mid-Foundation Establishment stage erupted in full force, and the azure sword light pierced the sun like a rainbow, slashing straight towards the direction from which the spirit needles were shot.

It wasn't the source of the attack, but rather a prediction of the needle's possible trajectory.

The timing of this sword strike was so precise that three spirit needles were actually struck by the sword light, producing a faint colliding sound.

But that's about it.

More spiritual needles emerged from the shadows, densely packed like mist, surrounding the remaining three.

Moonlight climbed up the canyon, casting a cool glow that illuminated a chilling scene.

Countless tiny, milky-white needles floated in mid-air, their tips trembling slightly, locking onto every living creature.

Gu Lingxiao finally saw through the enemy's methods and understood why his companions had died so mysteriously.

These spiritual needles can completely conceal their aura, blending into the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, only revealing their killing intent the moment they launch an attack.

Once it enters the body, it can travel through the bloodstream, making it impossible to guard against.

"Who are you, daring to oppose my Gu family?" Gu Lingxiao asked in a deep voice, his sword protecting his entire body.

"If you have any requests, feel free to show yourself and let's talk!"

His answer was a magical needle that quietly emerged from the ground and pierced the sole of his foot.

Gu Lingxiao grunted, his true essence and magical power rapidly circulating, forcing the spiritual needles out of his body.

But the strange true energy attached to the needle had already invaded his meridians. It was cold, sharp, and carried a twisted life force, actually devouring his true essence and magic power to strengthen itself.

"What kind of evil technique is this?!" Gu Lingxiao exclaimed in horror.

He finally dared not hold back any longer, biting his tongue and spitting out a mouthful of blood essence onto the sword. The longsword hummed, its azure light surging, transforming into a phantom azure dragon that coiled around him.

This is the "Azure Dragon Body Protection Technique" passed down from the ancient family. It is activated by essence and blood and can raise the defense to the level of the late Foundation Establishment stage in a short time.

The spiritual needles shot out like rain, but bounced off the illusory image of the azure dragon.

With the pressure lessened slightly, Gu Lingxiao quickly scanned the area and finally spotted a figure in red, almost blending into the darkness, in the shadows of a rock wall.

"Found you!" A fierce glint flashed in Gu Lingxiao's eyes. He changed his sword technique, and the illusory azure dragon opened its mouth and spat out a condensed sword light, which shot straight at the shadow.

Where the sword flashed, rocks crumbled.

The figure in red floated out, landing lightly like a ghost, no more than ten feet away from Gu Lingxiao.

The moonlight finally illuminated his face completely.

Gu Zongyi's pupils shrank sharply: "Shen Muge?! Impossible! You clearly already..."

"Is he already crippled? Dead?" Shen Muge asked, her voice eerily soft, completely different from the proud young man she remembered.

"Thanks to Senior Brother Gu, I did indeed die once."

He took a step forward, his red robes billowing like blood in the moonlight. His face was breathtakingly beautiful, his skin so white it was almost translucent, his features exquisitely detailed, yet possessing an inhuman, eerie quality.

The most terrifying thing is his eyes.

Deep within his pupils, there seemed to be fine, needle-like shadows swirling, as if he could pierce a person's soul when he looked at them.

"You... what kind of evil technique have you been practicing?!" Gu Lingxiao's hand holding the sword trembled slightly.

The aura of Shen Muge before him was obscure and difficult to discern. Although he was only in the early stage of Foundation Establishment, he gave Shen Muge an unfathomable sense of crisis.

"Didn't Senior Brother Gu tell you?" Shen Muge smiled, but her smile was devoid of any warmth.

"He should have examined me very carefully when he destroyed my cultivation."

Gu Zongyi, standing to the side, frantically pounded the ground, screaming, "Uncle Lingxiao, run! He's not human! He's a monster! He'll kill us all!"

Gu Lingxiao gritted his teeth, suddenly turned around, and slashed at Gu Zongyi with his sword.

He's going to kill Gu Zongyi!

Since Shen Muge came for this person, let's put an end to his hopes first!

The moment the sword light struck, the surrounding ground suddenly exploded, and hundreds of spiritual needles gushed out like a fountain, forming a dense net that forcefully blocked the sword.

At the same time, Shen Muge's figure flickered, her movements as fast as a ghost.

He appeared behind Gu Lingxiao as if by teleportation, his pale, jade-like hand emerging from his sleeve, gently pressing against his back.

Gu Lingxiao's hair stood on end, and the illusory azure dragon returned to defend, but it was a moment too late.

The palm appeared gentle, but when it touched the protective blue light, it unleashed a terrifying penetrating force.

The sharp energy of countless spiritual needles converged at a single point, piercing through the illusory image of the azure dragon!

"puff!"

Gu Lingxiao coughed up blood and fell forward, leaving a large, bowl-sized hole in his back. Strangely, the wound didn't bleed; instead, it was covered with countless white needle marks.

Upon closer inspection, one could see milky-white filaments wriggling inside those holes.

He struggled to get up, only to find that his true energy and magical power were rapidly dissipating.

The needles that entered his body not only damaged his meridians, but also devoured his life force, transforming into some kind of cold energy that nourished the practitioner.

"You... what kind of technique is this..." Gu Lingxiao turned his head with difficulty, looking at Shen Muge who was slowly walking over.

Shen Muge did not answer, but simply raised her hand and gestured.

The spiritual needles inside Gu Lingxiao's body burst forth, carrying wisps of blood. When they returned to their master's hand, the needles appeared even more crystalline.

The last Qi Refining cultivator was terrified and collapsed to the ground, his crotch soaked.

Shen Muge glanced at him, and a spiritual needle silently pierced his brow, ending his life.

Thus, all seven escorting cultivators from the Gu family were wiped out.

Shen Muge walked towards Gu Zongyi, who was huddled to the side, trembling all over, her eyes filled with fear and despair.

He knew all too well the immense hatred Shen Muge harbored for him; falling into this man's hands, he feared he would be unable to live or die.

"Junior brother... please spare me. It was all my family's fault. I had no choice..." Gu Zongyi stammered.

"I can tell you the secrets of the Gu family, the method for refining the Blood Corpse of Shangshan, and their spies in Seven Star Mountain..."

Shen Muge listened quietly until Gu Zongyi's throat was dry from talking, then she softly asked, "Are you finished?"

Gu Zongyi was taken aback.

"What you've said, our ancestors have already investigated long ago." Shen Muge reached out and crushed Gu Zongyi's ten finger bones, breaking them inch by inch.

"Ah...have mercy..." A heart-wrenching scream echoed through the canyon.

Our ancestors needed people to live, and so did he.

He hated Gu Zongyi so much that killing him now would be too easy for him.

"I'm not here today for intelligence."

He only wanted to torment Gu Zongyi to vent his hatred.

As for any intelligence, he neither cared nor was interested.

First the finger bones, then the toes, and then...

With one slash, Gu Zongyi let out a piercing scream, and blood mixed with two ounces of flesh sprayed all over the ground.

This is Shen Muge demanding revenge for the hatred that led to Gu Zongyi's manhood being cut off. It's time for Gu Zongyi to taste the same bitterness.

An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth—that's what makes it interesting.

The wails echoed continuously in the wilderness, like songs from the depths of purgatory.

"It's jarring, but it sounds beautiful."

Gu Zongyi struggled in terror, but he didn't even have the strength to lift his hand.

"I'm here to collect a debt." Shen Muge leaned close to his ear, her voice as gentle as a lover's whisper.

"But don't worry, our ancestors wanted people alive, so I won't kill you now."

Gu Zongyi had just breathed a sigh of relief when he saw three special spiritual needles slide out of Shen Muge's sleeve.

The needle gleamed with a cold, eerie blue light, a result of the cold poison he had planted in Shen Muge's body.

"But we should charge more interest, otherwise how can we live up to the friendship we've built up over the years?"