Translator: CinderTL
Purple lightning streaked across the sky, relentlessly pursuing Gui Ni.
No matter how fast Gui Ni's escape technique was, it couldn't outrun the lightning.
In desperation, he unfurled the Black Ghost Banner. It expanded to thirty meters in size, forming a massive black shield above his head.
Boom!
A deafening thunderclap echoed through the air.
The purple lightning, like divine punishment, slammed fiercely against the Black Ghost Banner.
Protected by the banner, Gui Ni barely managed to withstand the Purple Mansion Divine Thunder. However, the immense energy contained within the thunder disrupted his escape technique, drastically reducing his speed.
Three Fourth-Tier Silver Wolves seized the opportunity to surround him.
"Yin Shuo, I swear I will never rest until I have avenged myself against you!" Gui Ni roared, his head thrown back in fury.
The scene was eerily similar to the one at the Gold-Eating Ant nest.
As he roared, Gui Ni glanced in Song Wen's direction.
He saw that Song Wen had been frozen solid by the icy breath of Wolf King Xiaotian, then shattered into pieces as he crashed down the Holy Mountain.
Yet Gui Ni felt no joy.
He knew Song Wen had used a Substitute Puppet to escape.
But the Wolf King seemed unaware of this. It turned its attention to Gui Ni and charged toward him.
Four hundred miles away.
Song Wen glanced at the Gui Ni, now surrounded by Silver Wolves, and turned to leave.
At the same time, a nagging doubt gnawed at him.
After using the Blood Escape Technique to escape the crevice where he and Mi He had been hiding, he hadn't seen her again.
It was as if she had abandoned her plan to steal the Millennial Rainbow Skirt Grass.
Or perhaps one Millennial Rainbow Skirt Grass was enough for her?
Puzzled, Song Wen's escape technique reached its peak speed. He soon left the Tuocang Mountains and arrived outside the Beastmaster Sect.
He used his Communication Jade Slip to contact Mi He, but received no response.
Unfazed, Song Wen disguised himself as a Foundation Establishment cultivator and entered East Huafang Market. He found a cultivator inn, settled in, and waited patiently.
Five days later, Song Wen received a message from Mi He.
"Ji Yin, are you in East Huafang Market?"
"Yes," Song Wen replied.
"Did you get the Millennial Rainbow Skirt Grass?" Mi He asked.
"I was fortunate enough to obtain one," Song Wen said.
"Name a place. Let's complete our agreement," Mi He said.
"How about the small river where we met last time?" Song Wen suggested.
"Good!"
An incense stick later.
Three hundred miles southwest of East Huafang Market, by the small river.
Song Wen and Mi He arrived as agreed.
"Ji Yin, where's the Rainbow Skirt Grass?" Mi He asked impatiently the moment they met.
Song Wen took out a jade box and opened it.
A Rainbow Skirt Grass, nearly three feet long, appeared before them.
"Where's what you promised me?" Song Wen asked.
Mi He raised her hand and handed Song Wen a jade slip.
Song Wen received the jade slip and probed it with his Spirit Sense. It contained the Gu Resonance Pill formula and the Gu Rearing Manual.
After confirming the jade slip's contents were correct, Song Wen handed the Rainbow Skirt Grass to Mi He.
"Daoist Mi He, may I ask what exactly this Rainbow Skirt Grass is used for?"
Mi He and Gui Ni had risked their lives to obtain it. Song Wen was certain it must have a significant purpose.
He also had three Millennium Rainbow Skirt Grasses in his Storage Ring.
Therefore, Song Wen was eager to understand its function, lest such treasures gather dust.
Mi He received the Rainbow Skirt Grass smoothly, a hint of unconcealable joy flashing in her eyes.
"Ji Yin, I'm afraid I can't reveal the true purpose of the Rainbow Skirt Grass. However, I can tell you this: it's only useful for demon beasts and offers no benefit to us humans."
"No use to us humans?" Song Wen was slightly taken aback.
Mi He nodded, appearing completely sincere, as if she wasn't lying.
A hint of disappointment flickered in Song Wen's heart.
"Fellow Daoist Mi He, as a cultivator of the Beastmaster Sect, you cultivate Spirit Beasts. Your need for Rainbow Skirt Grass is understandable. But why would Gui Ni, a Ghost Dao cultivator, go to such lengths to steal it?"
Mi He shook her head. "I don't know. If you want to know, you'll have to ask Gui Ni yourself."
Seeing that Mi He truly wouldn't reveal anything, Song Wen gave up and changed the subject.
"Fellow Daoist Mi He, do you know if Gui Ni managed to escape the Silver Wolf Clan?"
"He should have gotten away safely," Mi He said, her tone uncertain. "After you left, the Wolf King led three Fourth-Tier Silver Wolves in pursuit. They chased each other, but their trail vanished."
From Mi He's words, Song Wen sensed another layer of meaning.
"Were you still on Heavenly Wolf Mountain at the time?" Song Wen asked.
Mi He nodded, a hint of self-satisfaction in her voice.
"You and Gui Ni drew the Silver Wolf Clan's attention. Gui Ni even lured away the four strongest Silver Wolves, leaving only two Early Stage Fourth-Tier Silver Wolves behind. I seized the opportunity to sneak into the Holy Mountain and collect two Millennial Rainbow Skirt Grass plants."
"Fellow Daoist, you're quite resourceful," Song Wen remarked.
Mi He suddenly grew serious. "Ji Yin, I hope you can keep this matter confidential. Don't reveal a word of it to anyone."
Song Wen nodded.
After exchanging a few more pleasantries, they parted ways.
Song Wen hurried back to Qingluo Mountain without stopping.
He took out Nie Xing's Gu Rearing Manual and studied it carefully.
Nie Xing truly lived up to his reputation as a genius who had raised several Fourth-Tier Gu. The contents of his manual opened Song Wen's eyes.
Nie Xing had spared no effort in his pursuit of Gu refinement. His methods of cultivating Gu were often unconventional.
For instance, he would inject Gu embryo into a human body, using the host's essence to nurture the Gu. The Gu would be born when the host's essence was completely depleted.
Another method involved releasing a swarm of low-Tier Gu into Mortal cities, allowing them to slaughter the mortals indiscriminately. Nie Xing would then select the most bloodthirsty Gu from the carnage.
Even more extreme, he sacrificed his own family's bloodline to feed his Gu. His entire clan, including his descendants, became blood offerings for the Gu.
Nie Xing's Gu rearing wasn't entirely reckless; it also had a rational side.
"Gu are the essence of heaven and earth, born from the transformations of all things. To rear Gu, one must understand the principles of nature and follow the Dao of life and growth. Only then can one cultivate extraordinary Gu and make them serve one's purpose."
These words resonated perfectly with the Daoist concept of "following the Dao and nature," yet they came from Nie Xing.
In Nie Xing's view, there were only two ways for a Third-Tier Gu to advance to Fourth-Tier.
First, refine the Gu's bloodline.
This was the most common method for demon beasts and spiritual insects.
The fundamental difference between demon beasts and ordinary wild beasts, and between spiritual insects and ordinary insects, lay in the presence of a relatively powerful bloodline within them.
Some demon beasts and spiritual insects possessed extremely potent bloodlines, but these were often diluted and extremely thin.
To advance, demon beasts and spiritual insects had to continuously refine their powerful bloodlines.
Second, stimulate the Gu to undergo mutations, evolving into a stronger form.
The most common method was to have the Gu devour other Gu, demon beasts, powerful cultivators, or certain rare treasures.
Administering Gu Resonance Pill, however, fell under the first method: refining the Gu's bloodline.
(End of the Chapter)
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