Stone Fairy!

Countless worms surged toward the altar, climbed up it, and surrounded Li Lan in layers.

Li Lan stood in the center, motionless.

Everyone lowered their heads even further, their foreheads touching the ground, their bodies trembling as if they were under immense pressure.

The altar began to glow, converging into a dark red halo.

An ancient aura is awakening.

The atmosphere was heavy and oppressive, pressing down on everyone's hearts and making it hard to breathe.

Xie Ning stood atop the mountain, his hand gripping his spear tightly.

"Are we really not going to help?" Xie Ning asked in a low voice, her voice filled with barely suppressed urgency.

The old turtle perched on her shoulder, its emerald green eyes gazing at the altar.

"No rush."

"It's not time for us to make a move yet."

Suddenly, the green snake raised its head sharply and looked towards the horizon.

The old turtle sensed it too, and its emerald green eyes narrowed slightly.

Xie Ning followed their gaze.

On the horizon, a dark cloud was rapidly flying towards the Gu Village.

If you look closely, what you see are not dark clouds at all, but countless Gu worms flying in, blotting out the sun.

At the very front of that dark cloud stood a pale-faced young man.

The dark cloud arrived very quickly.

Just moments ago it was on the horizon, a hazy gray shadow, but in the blink of an eye it was close, covering the sky and obscuring half of it.

The swarm of insects circled once above the village before slowly descending.

The Gu worms spread out from the youth's feet in all directions like a receding tide, covering the open space in the center of the village in a dark mass.

The young man stepped off the insect's back, walking down step by step as if on flat ground, his robes remaining spotless.

Everyone in the village was stunned.

The villagers kneeling on the ground raised their heads and stared at the pale young man who emerged from the swarm of insects, their mouths agape, their eyes wide with disbelief.

"Li...Li Qing?"

Someone recognized the young man.

Li Qing, the holy son who was supposed to be sacrificed, the one who suddenly went mad on the day of the divine offering, rushed into the forbidden area behind the mountain, and never came out again.

Now not only have they returned, but they've also brought with them a swarm of Gu worms.

Li Qing didn't look at the panicked villagers; his gaze remained fixed on the ancient banyan tree as he walked forward.

"Li Qing! What do you want to do?"

An old and dignified voice rang out from the crowd.

An elderly clansman with white hair stepped forward, leaning on a cane. His face was etched with deep wrinkles, and his cloudy eyes were fixed on the approaching young man.

Li Qing stopped and turned her head, her dark red eyes looking at the clan elder.

His expression remained unchanged. He raised his hand, his fingers pale and slender, the tips tinged with a faint black.

However, the elder's expression suddenly changed.

His eyes bulged out, his mouth gaped open, and a hoarse sound came from his throat. His hands flailed wildly in the air, as if trying to grab something, but he couldn't grasp anything.

Then, to everyone's astonishment, countless Gu worms crawled out of his seven orifices.

The elder's body seemed to have been drained of all its energy, and he quickly withered away.

In just a few breaths, the old man who had been full of energy just moments before turned into a pool of blood.

The Gu worms that had crawled out of his body flapped their wings and flew back to Li Qing's side, obediently landing around him as if nothing had happened.

The village was deathly silent.

They didn't even see how Li Qing made his move.

"I'll clean up the mess." Li Qing's voice wasn't loud, as if he were answering the question from before.

"Some things should no longer exist."

Li Qing withdrew her finger and continued walking forward.

A middle-aged man stepped out from the crowd and blocked his way. The man was dressed in the robes of a village elder, with a row of bone whistles hanging from his waist, silver-threaded gloves on his hands, and a strong herbal scent emanating from him.

"Li Qing," the man's voice was a little tense, but he was still trying to keep it steady, "leave now, and we can let it go."

Li Qing looked at him, her dark red eyes devoid of any emotion.

The man's expression changed drastically. He took several steps back, pulled a bone whistle from his waist, put it in his mouth, and blew it sharply, producing a shrill sound.

At the same time, a strong odor emanated from him.

"Insect-repelling incense?" Li Qing said softly, a hint of amusement in her voice. "Unfortunately, it still didn't work."

Gu worms crawled out of the man's seven orifices, and his body quickly withered away.

Having witnessed Li Qing's methods, no one dared to continue to obstruct him.

Li Qing walked up to the ancient banyan tree.

Several people dressed as elders and wearing masks stepped forward and stood between Li Qing and the altar, holding various magical artifacts in their hands.

"Li Qing, don't force us," one of the voices said hoarsely.

Li Qing didn't speak, she just looked at them, her dark red eyes calm as still water.

At that moment, an old man wearing a mask stepped out from the crowd.

His mask was different from the others; it was pure white, with a huge insect-shaped rune drawn on it in cinnabar.

When the old man came out, the other elders spontaneously made way for him.

The old man walked up to Li Qing and stopped.

"Li Qing, you've improved quite a bit," the old man said, his voice hoarse but steady.

Li Qing looked at the old man in front of her, lowered her eyes slightly, and lowered her voice a few decibels.

"Master."

"You still acknowledge me as your master?" The old man's voice was flat, revealing no emotion.

"A teacher for a day is a teacher for life."

The old man nodded, and slowly removed his mask, revealing a weathered, wrinkled face. His face was crisscrossed with many striking scars.

The old man stretched his muscles and bones, and his joints made a cracking sound.

"Then let my old arms and legs test your progress."

No sooner had he finished speaking than the old man moved.

His speed is completely out of character for his age.

The hunched body straightened in an instant, like a fully drawn bow, and then shot out suddenly.

The old man's palms glowed with a bluish-black light, and five-colored mist swirled around his fingertips.

Li Qing raised his right hand and met the attack with a palm strike of his own.

The two palms collided in the air, producing a dull thud.

The bluestone slab beneath their feet, however, was riddled with cracks that spread outwards in all directions from them.

The old man flipped his wrist, his five fingers like hooks, and grabbed at Li Qing's throat. The five-colored mist at his fingertips transformed into five tiny venomous snakes.

Li Qing turned his head to avoid it, and with a flick of his left index finger in the air, a black thread shot out from his fingertip and wrapped around the old man's wrist.

The thread was as thin as a hair, yet incredibly strong. The old man struggled, but couldn't break free.

The old man reacted extremely quickly, taking out a ceramic jar from his waist with his other hand and smashing it with a single blow.

A swarm of golden beetles flew out of the jar, each the size of a fingernail, their shells shimmering with a metallic sheen.

The beetle buzzed as it flew toward Li Qing at incredible speed, leaving behind trails of golden afterimages in the air.

Li Qing opened her mouth and gently blew a breath.

His breath was thick and black, and when he exhaled it, it turned into a black mist that enveloped the golden beetles.

The beetles struggled in the mist for a few moments before falling to the ground one by one, their golden shells turning grayish-black, and they remained motionless.

The old man's pupils contracted slightly. He formed a complex hand seal in front of his chest and chanted incantations. Gu worms surging from his body gathered in the air.

Li Qing made a sweeping motion in the air with his right hand, and the dead golden beetles scattered on the ground suddenly came to life and shot towards the old man.

The old man grunted and retreated rapidly, disappearing several feet away.

He steadied himself, looked down at his arm; the sleeve was torn, revealing the bluish-black skin beneath.

The old man raised his head, looked at Li Qing, his gaze complex.

Soon, the bluish-black color spread throughout his body. The old man swayed, his legs went weak, and he finally couldn't hold on any longer, slowly collapsing to the ground.

The old man's chest was still rising and falling, but he was completely unable to move. His whole body was bruised, and only the faint rise and fall of his chest proved that he was still alive.

Li Qing looked at her master, remained silent for a moment, then turned around and walked towards the altar.

The other elders looked at each other, and no one dared to step forward to stop them.

Li Yun stood below the altar, at the very front of the procession.

Li Qing stopped in front of him.

The father and son stared at each other for a moment through the hideous mask.

"Father, leave." Li Qing spoke, his voice calm and devoid of emotion.

"I already know the truth." Li Qing's voice wasn't loud, but each word was clear and distinct. "The Li people should not continue in this way."

Li Yun's pupils contracted sharply, but he quickly regained his composure.

"It's no use knowing," Li Yun said in a hoarse voice, as if she were talking to herself.

"It's been too long, it's etched into our heritage, and it can't be changed."

Li Qing shook her head, a resolute glint flashing in her dark red eyes.

"It can be changed."

"You should know that there has never been any Gu God."

"There is only one: ourselves."

"Father, give me time, and I will be no less than our ancestor."