A Tier One Middle Grade Vajra Gu?!
Fang Hen's expression froze. The Fire Gu on his body instantly flew out to intercept the Vajra Gu.
He had cultivated Gu techniques since childhood, so he knew how formidable the Vajra Gu was. 'If it bites through my flesh and burrows into my body, I'll be as good as dead.'
Over thirty Fire Gu formed a cloud of fire, surrounding the Vajra Gu and beginning a vicious battle.
A speck of golden light could be seen darting back and forth within the fire cloud, and from time to time, the corpses of Fire Gu fell to the ground.
Although Fang Hen had broken through to the Fourth Layer of Sensing, he had yet to cultivate a Tier One Mid-Stage Gu Insect.
Suddenly!
A flash of sword light flew over, striking the Golden Bell Light Shield once more.
Fang Hen hastily circulated his Magical Power to sustain the Protective Talisman, defending against the strike from Fang Cheng's sword light.
Meanwhile, his swarm of Fire Gu was being continuously defeated and killed by the Vajra Gu.
'Alas, the Feng Family has misled me!'
Seeing this, Fang Hen sighed inwardly, knowing his defeat today was certain.
If the fight continued, either his Protective Talisman would be shattered or the Vajra Gu would break through the Fire Gu's encirclement.
In either case, the result would be a fatal blow.
"Junior Brother, I surrender!"
Fang Hen announced loudly.
Hearing this, Fang Cheng stopped his attack.
A trace of regret appeared on his face. 'With just a few more moments, I could have shattered that talisman. The sword light is so sharp, Fang Hen probably wouldn't have even had the chance to open his mouth to surrender before his head hit the ground...'
'What a pity.'
He held no personal enmity toward Fang Hen; he simply wanted to eliminate this unpredictable element.
With a thought, the sword light and the Vajra Gu flew back to his side, and he put them away.
On the other side,
Only seven or eight Fire Gu remained before Fang Hen. The Tier One Middle Grade Protective Talisman in his hand had also grown dim, and several cracks had even appeared on its surface.
"Senior Brother, thank you for letting me win."
Fang Cheng said.
With a desolate expression, Fang Hen gave Fang Cheng a deep look, said nothing, and turned to fly off into the wind and rain beyond the island.
His Escape Light flashed a few times before vanishing into the downpour.
Fang Cheng flew down from the Seven Kills Platform and went into the pavilion.
A smile appeared on the Yu Sect Member's face as he said, "Junior Brother Fang, congratulations on your victory."
As he spoke, he handed over the Inheritance Jade Pendant and a jade slip.
"Many thanks, Senior Brother Yu. This is just a small token of my appreciation, please accept it."
Fang Cheng took the items and handed two Lower-Grade Spirit Stones to the Yu Sect Member.
The Yu Sect Member accepted them without reservation and smiled. "Junior Brother, your Sword Technique is impressive. It seems it won't be long before you can enter the outer sect to cultivate."
"I hope your auspicious words come true, Senior Brother."
Fang Cheng exchanged a few more pleasantries with the Yu Sect Member before taking his leave.
...
「Yinluo Sect Marketplace, Spirit Wind Lane, Jia Shen No. 19 Courtyard.」
Back in his room, Fang Cheng first sat down and entered a meditative state to calm his mind. Only then did he take out the Inheritance Jade Pendant to examine it.
The original owner's master had obtained this Jade Pendant by chance a hundred years ago. It recorded a legacy of Gu techniques. Unfortunately, the master's talent was not high, and he only ever managed to cultivate to the Sixth Layer of Sensing.
His Gu techniques were also only noteworthy for the Vajra Gu, Fire Gu, and Wine Gu.
This Jade Pendant was similar to a jade slip, but it had an extra layer of restriction. Without the corresponding Secret Technique to break it, it was impossible to open.
Attempting to break it by force would only destroy the Jade Pendant.
Fang Cheng unlocked the Jade Pendant's restriction and extended his Divine Sense into it, finally getting a full view of the Gu technique legacy.
This legacy was divided into seven volumes!
The first volume was a general outline, which the original owner had already learned.
The second through seventh volumes detailed the refinement methods for six different types of Gu Insects.
Among them was the Vajra Gu, which specialized in slaughter and consumption.
There were also Gu Insects like the Fire Gu, Ice Gu, and Poison Gu, which mainly consumed Spirit Fire, ice crystals, and deadly poisons, respectively.
Finally, there were two special Gu Insects: the Wine Gu and the Love Gu.
The Wine Gu loved wine and could increase the success rate of brewing. The Love Gu, on the other hand, could improve a Cultivator's romantic fortune, excelling at seducing, attracting, and bewitching the opposite sex.
...
「Abyssal Marsh, Flame Demon Island.」
Fang Hen walked into a Cave Mansion rich with Spiritual Qi. The furnishings and decor inside were exquisite and elegant, giving off a sense of lavish luxury.
In the main hall of the Cave Mansion, the woman in the black dress sat upon a Jade Couch. Her slender, snow-white feet were bare, and her fair, smooth skin glowed like fine jade.
"Fellow Daoist Feng, there was nothing unusual about his soul."
Fang Hen looked at the woman in black, his tone carrying a hint of doubt and blame.
The woman in black fixed her beautiful eyes on Fang Hen, her red lips parting slightly. "So... you lost?"
Fang Hen nodded, frowning. "My master gave him the Cyan Profound Sword Technique back then, but I never expected him to master it to this degree. He even refined a Tier One Middle Grade Vajra Gu."
Hearing this, the woman in black's slender brows furrowed slightly. "I did feel something strange that day, but... forget it. Perhaps your junior brother had some other fortuitous encounter that protected his soul."
Fang Hen said, "That's what I suspected as well. Without a fortuitous encounter, his strength wouldn't have improved so drastically."
The woman in black smiled, glanced at him, and asked, "What, are you thinking of killing him to steal his fortuitous encounter?"
Fang Hen stared at the woman's stunningly beautiful face and asked, "Aren't you tempted, Fellow Daoist Feng?"
"My Feng Family is large and powerful. Why would we need to covet someone else's good fortune?"
The woman in black gave a charming smile and said, "As for you, Fellow Daoist Fang... I wonder what your next plans are? Your constitution is a perfect match for my Feng Family's Flame Demon True Technique. If you marry into our family, you'll be able to practice this Cultivation Technique."
Fang Hen hesitated for a moment, then said, "This is a matter I still need to consider."
The woman in black's voice was soft and gentle, her words laced with a bewitching quality. "Rest assured, I will select a woman of exceptional beauty from the family for you to marry."
Fang Hen pondered. "If Fellow Daoist Feng can promise that I won't have to bear children for the Feng Family for ten years, then I will marry in."
He knew that the Feng Family wanted him to marry in for no other reason than his special constitution.
His master had passed the Fire Gu on to him back then for this very reason.
The Feng Family's goal was to use him to cultivate more descendants with a similar constitution.
If not for this, why would the woman in black have so easily agreed to his plot to harm Fang Cheng? At the time, they had agreed that after the deed was done, he would give the Feng Family the legacy of the Wine Gu to repay the favor of her assistance.
The woman in black giggled. "I can give you five years at most. For these five years, you can focus on your cultivation. After five years, you must show your sincerity and give back to the Feng Family."
Fang Hen was a decisive person and made his decision on the spot. "That works. In that case, I agree."
A smirk curved the corners of the woman in black's lips. 'I've rendered another service to the family,' she thought to herself.
Fang Hen added, "Fellow Daoist Feng, please keep the matter of my junior brother's fortuitous encounter a secret."
The woman in black smiled bewitchingly. "Once you've cultivated the Flame Demon True Technique, you won't even give a second thought to that little encounter of your junior brother's."
Fang Hen smiled but didn't reply.
The woman in black summoned a maidservant and gave a few instructions. The maidservant then led Fang Hen away to find other cultivators from the Feng Family to handle the subsequent arrangements for his marriage into the family.
The woman in black sat cross-legged on the Jade Couch, her expression returning to its usual cold indifference. She murmured to herself, "To think that man could withstand the Celestial Demon Curse... I'd like to see just what secrets he's hiding."
...