NOVPUBThe dusk deepened, and the damp mountain wind carried the fragrance of grass and trees, brushing past the village gate!
As the Twelve Gu Elders approached, a peculiar aura suddenly filled the air, a stench like a mix of ancient herbs and decayed blood, with an acrid insect-like undertone.
"Do these people have high status?" Chen Nan whispered.
Hu Die whispered back, "The Twelve Gu Elders usually seclude themselves in the Gu Cave, carrying an air of various Gu insects. Their status is esteemed; even my father finds it hard to summon them!"
Chen Nan’s lips curved slightly, "Seems like my face is not insignificant."
The leading Great Elder approached slowly, the centipede tattoo in dark green on his face appearing particularly ferocious under the torchlight!
A small red snake crawled out of his sleeve, its flicking tongue emitting a faintly sweet stench!
As the elder bowed, Chen Nan caught a whiff of a decaying mustiness emanating from his sleeve, akin to the air of an ancient tomb unseen by sunlight for years.
"Mr. Chen, your journey from afar brings honor to the Poisonous Insect Sect. Due to sect rules, we could not greet you at the airport. Please pardon us!" The Great Elder’s voice was hoarse but exceptionally polite!
"Regarding the matter of the Vice Sect Leader, it’s thanks to your righteous aid, Mr. Chen. Please come inside!" He gestured invitingly!
On the stone path leading to the village, both sides were lined with Gu Sect Disciples in black Miao attire kneeling. 𝙣𝒐𝒗𝒑𝒖𝒃.𝙘𝙤𝒎
They pressed their foreheads to the ground, holding various Gu Jars in their hands—a "Hundred Gu Welcome" ceremony, the highest honor of the Gu Sect.
The banquet was held in the largest stilted building within the village!
To Chen Nan’s surprise, a bronze mask rested in the master’s seat, its forehead inlaid with a blood-red gemstone, emitting an eerie glow under the candlelight.
"What is this?" Chen Nan curiously looked at the Great Elder.
"This is the Thousand Gu Mask of past sect leaders." The Great Elder’s voice was low, "Today, upon seeing Mr. Chen, this object rang spontaneously, suggesting it shares a fate with you!"
The other Gu Elders looked at Chen Nan with eyes full of awe and curiosity. Even though they knew Chen Nan was proficient in Gu Techniques, they hadn’t expected that he could cause the Thousand Gu Mask to ring!
During the banquet, each of the Twelve Elders stood up in turn, each holding a bizarrely shaped bronze wine jar!
Under the candlelight, one could vaguely see living creatures wriggling inside the liquor—sometimes swimming like fine threads, sometimes drifting like grains, emitting a sweet stench!
"Please." The Great Elder raised his cup first, and within the turbid liquor, a little green snake coiled!
When Chen Nan took over the wine jar, the little snake suddenly raised its head, its fangs glimmering with a cold blue light!
Chen Nan remained expressionless as he tilted his head and drank it in one gulp!
In an instant, a burning sensation flowed straight down from his throat, as if something was churning in his stomach!
But in the next moment, the King of Ten Thousand Gu, dormant within him, suddenly awakened with an excited hiss only Chen Nan could hear!
Chen Nan could clearly feel the poisonous Gu he swallowed being rapidly consumed by the King of Ten Thousand Gu before they could take effect, transformed into pure energy circulating throughout his body!
The power of the liquor and the Gu merged, becoming a surging True Qi rushing through his meridians!
Sweat beaded finely on Chen Nan’s forehead, and his skin flushed abnormally red!
After downing the twelve cups, a faint white mist rose around him, making him appear like a deity under the candlelight, but he remained calm and composed, giving off an impression as immovable as a mountain!
"Good!" The Great Elder suddenly slapped the table and stood up, his withered hands clapping thrice in the air.
The hall doors burst open, and four shirtless strong men slowly stepped in, carrying a three-foot-square bronze tripod.
The tripod was engraved with bizarre runes, the dark green liquid inside seething relentlessly, exuding a pungent stench like the essence of countless rotting poisonous insects!
Hu Die abruptly stood up, the clinking of her silver ornaments making a crisp sound: "Great Elder! The Ten Thousand Poison Soup is refined from the Ten Thousand Poison Essence, my father dared only taste half a spoon and was comatose for three days. Chen Nan has never cultivated Gu Techniques, and you’re letting him drink this...this isn’t appropriate!"
The Great Elder feigned deafness, his cloudy eyes fixed on Chen Nan, "This soup gathers the venom of a hundred Gu. If Mr. Chen can finish this cup..."
He drew a softly glowing bamboo scroll from his robes, "The ’Gu Divine Sutra’ will be presented to you immediately."
The hall was so silent a pin could be heard dropping.
Everyone looked at the Gu Divine Sutra with eyes flashing with undisguisable greed!
To know this is the most profound cultivation technique of the Gu Sect, but only the sect leaders of past generations were allowed to cultivate it!
Chen Nan chuckled lightly, strolling forward!
He took a specially crafted bone ladle, scooping up a full ladle!
The liquid was viscous like honey, with a rainbow sheen on the surface!
As he tilted his head back to drink, Chen Nan’s pupils constricted sharply, his tongue first stung, followed by a burst of sour, sweet, bitter, spicy, and salty flavors all at once, finally turning into a burning pain!
His tongue grew instantly numb, as if his throat had been pierced by a red-hot iron!
The change within his body was even more frightening!
When the Ten Thousand Poison Soup entered his stomach, it was like molten lava pouring down!
Chen Nan’s skin instantly turned crimson, the sweat evaporating into white steam the moment it surfaced!
At this life-and-death juncture, a dazzling red light suddenly erupted from his Dantian!
"Hiss—"
A sharp hiss pierced the sky!
Suddenly, a blood-red shadow shot up from Chen Nan’s crown, manifesting mid-air as a three-foot-long blood-colored centipede!
The centipede bore six pairs of transparent wings, its hundred legs like blades, a pair of golden antennae on its head!
It hovered mid-air, exuding a suffocating pressure!
The entire village erupted into a frenzy!
All the life-bound Gu within the Gu Sect Disciples emitted wails simultaneously; those with weaker cultivation spewed foam and fainted on the spot!
The Twelve Elders staggered backward, the ink on their tattoos starting to bleed!
The Great Elder dropped the bamboo scroll with a thud, exclaiming hoarsely, "The return of the Ten Thousand Gu...it’s truly the return of the Ten Thousand Gu!"
The blood-colored centipede circled in the air several times, then suddenly dove back into Chen Nan’s body!
Chen Nan’s crimson skin visibly returned to normal, his eyes shining brightly!
He picked up the Gu Divine Sutra from the ground, chuckling lightly: "Now, we can discuss the matter of saving people."
The Great Elder looked at Chen Nan with a complex expression and couldn’t help but say, "Being able to see this little fellow again in my life, I could die without regret!"
Chen Nan looked curious all over, "Senior, have you seen the Gu insect inside me before?"
A wry smile appeared on the old face of the Great Elder: "By seniority, you should call me Grandmaster!"
Hu Die seemed to think of something, drawing a sharp breath in shock: "Great Elder, is Wu Mazi really your son?"
Chen Nan was also stunned. He only knew Wu Mazi was from a certain tribe in the Miao Border, but he didn’t know he was part of the Gu Sect!
Although he and Wu Mazi had no mentor-mentee relationship, as a Taoist sect member, some rules couldn’t be forgotten!
He put down the bamboo scroll, bent his knees, and knelt before the Great Elder: "Disciple grandson Chen Nan, pays respects to Grandmaster!"
"Stand up!" The Great Elder, trembling, got up to support Chen Nan, patting him heavily on the shoulder: "It’s good to have you back!"
With that, tears welled up in his eyes!
