Heart-controlling Gu?!
Indeed, that's a good idea, to control the prices from the shadows however isn't Holy Son too stupid?! One can easily track the mother Gu using the baby larva.
Venerable Bloodcrown and Elder Gu exchanged a subtle glance, the skepticism in their eyes barely concealed behind masks of deference, however calling him "Naive" or "Dumb" would be a fatal mistake.
"No... Disciple, using Heart-controlling Gu is too risky. The mother Gu can be tracked by a sufficiently powerful spiritual sense," Lou Shengxiu said.
Liu Xiu's smile didn't falter. In fact, it deepened, curving the corners of his lips in a way that made his youthful face appear eerily detached, like a doll painted with a grin.
"Master Shengxiu, your concern is valid for the mundane world," Liu Xiu said softly, his voice carrying a melodic lilt that belied the gruesome nature of his words. He reached into his sleeve and pulled out a small, jade box. With a slow motion, he opened the lid.
Inside lay a single, writhing maggot. It was not the usual sickly green or crimson of common Gu, but a translucent, void-like purple that seemed to absorb the light around it.
"This is not a Gu bred from the soils of our realm. It is a 'Phantom heart Gu', a variant I... acquired by chance."
He let the creature crawl onto his finger, where it pulsed with a faint, rhythmic energy that felt dampened, muffled.
He could freely travel to the world where it was taken over by Zombies thus, he had a lot of time to study and breed them. This is also why his cultivation has increased rapidly using demonic methods. And the mother Gu is sleeping in the zombie world, feeding on zombies' blood. There is no way to sense it.
Nevertheless, deep inside he is a pussy—not wanting to kill women and children. The typical hypocrites who think men are evil and women are untouched by the sin of the world, unless the woman is ugly.
He looked at the elders, his large, innocent eyes blinking slowly.
"It cannot be tracked... Even by powerful figures."
Luo Shengxiu leaned closer, her crimson eyes probing the pulsing maggot with a mix of fascination and revulsion. She had seen many Gu in her centuries of cultivation, but never one like this.
"How is that possible?" she asked, her voice barely above a whisper. "All Gu are connected to their mother through spiritual energy. It is the law of the Gu Dao. To sever the connection is to kill the insect."
"Unless the mother resides in a place where the laws of our spiritual sense do not apply, or it is extremely far away," she added, trying to make the situation logical.
Truth be told, she doesn't understand her student well, he seems morally invested in the world, but his cultivation is also making rapid progress.
Long ago, when she raided a mortal village, she killed everyone for her path to immortality aside from a little brat, who was clutching a small ring. She felt a strange connection to the boy and decided to take him as a disciple.
However, he was uninterested in demonic technique, however, from nine months ago, her disciple began to cultivate diligently making rapid breakthroughs. He even defeated other talented disciples and became the Holy Son of the Demonic Sect.
She even checked his soul to see if he was possessed by someone else, but he was completely normal. However, she is happy that he is cultivating.
..
Liu Xiu's smile didn't waver. He gently blew on the Phantom Heart Gu, sending it floating toward Elder Xue, who instinctively flinched back. However, the creature did not attach itself to him. Instead, it hovered in the air, pulsing with a soft, purple light.
"Master Shengxiu, Elder Xue, Venerable Bloodcrown, and Elder Gu, you are all correct. The connection cannot be severed. However, it can be... muted."
He closed his fist around the creature, and it vanished into his sleeve. The elders stared at him, disbelief evident on their faces.
"Impossible," Venerable Bloodcrown breathed, his face pale. "To suggest that such a thing exists... It defies all understanding of the Gu Dao."
"Not at all," Liu Xiu said calmly, his childlike face serene. "The universe is vast, full of mysteries beyond our comprehension. This Gu is merely one of them. I... acquired it from a wandering Daoist who claimed it was a gift from the gods themselves."
The lie rolled off his tongue with practiced ease. It was a half-truth, a sliver of reality wrapped in layers of deception.
Woosh!
With a wave of his hands, he summoned 10 boxes, each containing one larva.
"Elders, please distribute these to the Li Family and other families, I have left an imprint to attack anyone named or surnamed Wang, I believe we can soon find the depths of the Wang Family."
Everyone looked impressed... Aside from Elder Gu, from the Blood Fiend group. Logically he might be the smartest person here.
While others were thinking they could "test the depths" he could sense a profound aura from the ring within Liu Xiu's finger.
Hmm... He looked at his Hall Master Xue Feng and shook his head. It seems he needs to find a better place now. The best place would be to go to the Wang family. He can easily become an elder or a steward and might gain more benefits compared to the Blood Fiend Hall. The world is all about gain and benefits.
However, the Wang family has enemies hidden in the shadows planning their demise. The best course of action here would be to play a poly game. He should keep in contact with both the Demonic sect and the Wang family.
As long as you have bet on both parties, no matter what, you will always win, why lose when you can win?!
Just then,
"This boy named Tianmo also possesses Primordial void dragon Bloodline, my disciple was a Golden core but with a glance, my disciple's consciousness was trapped in the flow of dao, however judging the bloodline arena to be extremely thin..." Elder Xue said looking at Holy Son.
Primordial void dragon bloodline?! A joyous expression appeared on Lou Shengxiu's face, her blood boiling. Ah, how great it would be to refine it, and claim it as her own.
"Are you sure it's the Primordial Void Dragon and not just some mutated variant?" she asked, her voice trembling with suppressed excitement. The Primordial Void Dragon was a legend among legends, a beast of chaos that could devour stars and navigate the nothingness between worlds. Its bloodline was the key to supreme spatial attainments.
"I am certain, Great Elder," Elder Xue replied, his voice trembling slightly as he recalled the encounter. "The aura was distinct... a suffocating pressure that seemed to swallow the light. My disciple, who possesses a second-grade Spirit Root and was at the third stage of the Gooden core, couldn't even fight back. His dragon might is extremely powerful as well.
"Interesting..."
Luo Shengxiu's crimson lips curled into a smile that was equal parts predatory and intrigued. She tapped a sharp fingernail against the armrest of her throne, the click-clack echoing in the silent hall like a countdown to an execution.
"A Primordial Void Dragon... even a diluted bloodline is a heaven-defying opportunity. If we can extract his blood and refine it, my 'Blood Shadow Asura' technique could break through the final bottleneck of the Soul Emperor realm... And I may reach Void refining realm... What a heaven-sent opportunity."
Seeing this, Liu Xiu had an ugly face. He too wished to get his hand in a powerful bloodline, however, if his master wishes for this bloodline then he can only swallow his saliva and accept it.
"Master is wise," Liu Xiu said softly, his voice devoid of the greed churning in his gut. "If this Wang Tianmo truly possesses such a bloodline, he is indeed a walking calamity. However, a dragon that has not yet grown its horns is merely a treasure to be claimed. We must strike before he realizes the weight of his own inheritance..."
He looked at Venerable Bloodcrown, "Elder, let's start the game. Wasting time is useless lest something arises."
Venerable Bloodcrown nodded, his expression grave. The logic was sound, even if the risk was terrifying. In the cultivation world, stagnation was death. If the Wang Family truly possessed a connection to the Upper Realm, their growth would be exponential. Waiting for them to mature was akin to waiting for one's own execution.
"This Venerable will make sure all things are done accordingly..." A sinister smile formed on his lips as he took the jade boxes.
The Wang family is merely a meat on the chopping board. As long as other families wipe out the Wang family, he will immediately stay away from the demonic sect. He only sees his profit, the games of the demonic sect are beyond him. One must learn to fit the loss in time.
One by one, they all left...
**
"Hmm, these people are merely here for profit. Disciple, one something happens to the Wang Family, they will immediately distance themselves, everything works on the principle of profit. I know you have some tricks up your sleeve but when the time comes first one to suffer will be us," Luo Shengxiu said, her voice low and laced with a chilling amusement. As someone who has grown up, she can see easily.
Even the vessel sects have started to climb higher. What a time to live on.
Liu Xiu stood in the center of the dimly lit hall, the ghost fires casting long, dancing shadows across his youthful, innocent face. He clasped his hands together, bowing slightly.
"Master sees all," Liu Xiu replied softly, his voice devoid of any offense. "Indeed, the Bloodmist sect and blood Fiend group are like hyenas; they feast where the lion has already eaten. If the Wang Family proves to be a dragon, they will scatter like leaves in the wind. If they are merely a fat sheep, they will be the first to sink their teeth in."
He paused, his large, doll-like eyes blinking slowly. "However, hyenas have their uses. They are willing to get their hands dirty, to test the traps, so the lion can approach without risk."
"But my goals were never the Li Family or other trash families... Hehe, as soon as Bloodcrown opens the Jade box thinking, he is using someone else as a puppet, he will realize that he is THE puppet."
A deep sinister aura flared from his body, giving him a menacing look.
"Y-You mean?!"
"Yes... Using trash families such as Li, Zhao is meaningless, they can't check how deep the water is, we need a nascent soul powerhouse like Venerable Crown, the moment jade boxes are opened, Venerable Blood Crown will be affected by Gu... I have absolute faith in my Gus, they have been raised feeding in the blood of millions of people. Let's say, even if Venerable Bloodcrown is a cautious person, and he lets someone else open the Jade box... The jade box would open instantly, finding the most powerful person to latch on. The winner of this game was I, Liu Xiu from the beginning."
"Even the Wang Family will be my puppets in the end...."
He uttered, planning everything under his palm from the very beginning. The path of cultivation is treacherous, and trust is a luxury one cannot afford.
Luo Shengxiu looked at her disciple, a flicker of genuine surprise crossing her deep eyes. She had always known he was talented, ruthless, and possessed a strange, detached wisdom, but this level of Machiavellian scheming was something else. He wasn't just playing the game; he was rewriting the rules.
"You are willing to enslave a Venerable of the Bloodmist Sect... a Nascent Soul powerhouse?" she asked, her voice laced with a mixture of caution and dark delight. "If this is discovered, the consequences will be dire. The Bloodmist Sect will not rest until they have flayed your skin and hung your skull on their gates."
"Master, the Bloodmist Sect is already a knife at our hand," Liu Xiu replied calmly, his hands still clasped behind his back. "Venerable Bloodcrown is ambitious. He seeks the earth vein, not for the sect, but for his own breakthrough. He is a cancer within the body of the Demonic Path. It is better to cut it out and use it as nourishment than to let it fester."
He looked up at her, his eyes wide and guileless. "Besides, if I control him, I control the Bloodmist Sect's influence in the Azure Cloud region. Is that not a worthy goal for the Holy Son?"
"Haha..." Luo Shengxiu laughed, a sound like wind chimes in a graveyard. She walked down the steps of the dais and placed a hand on his shoulder, her long fingernails digging into his flesh.
"You are truly my disciple," she purred. "Very well. Play your game. But remember, if the knife slips and cuts your own hand, do not come crying to me. The strong do not make excuses."
"I would not dream of it, Master," Liu Xiu said, bowing low.
He turned and walked out of the great hall, the heavy stone doors closing behind him with a resounding boom that echoed through the cavernous lair.
Outside,
The air was cold and thin, the sky a bruised purple color. Liu Xiu stood on the edge of the cliff, looking out over the desolate landscape of jagged rocks and withered trees. The wind whipped at his tattered robes, but he stood as still as a statue.
His smile, which had been so polite and innocent inside, vanished. In its place was a cold, calculating sneer.
Woosh!
With a thought, he traveled across the dimension.