Chapter 348 - 343: Youth Threw My Back Out

Du Youqian walked at a leisurely pace.

His newly acquired body was still injured and couldn’t exert itself for long periods.

He didn’t particularly like this body, but since he had already gone through with the Possession, he had to take care of it.

Furthermore, he was still in the process of adapting to his new body. The original owner, the Zouma Gang’s Ghost Fire Youth Zong Li, had been dirt poor and owned no Magical Artifacts for transportation. So, Du Youqian simply decided to walk back slowly.

’It would be best if the Sanquan Gang members have all withdrawn by the time I get back. That would let me search for the Zouma Gang’s hidden treasure at my own leisure.’

’Not that I’m afraid of the Sanquan Gang, of course.’

Their strongest Martial Force was merely a petty Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Even though Du Youqian had just completed the Possession and hadn’t recovered his Cultivation, and even though his body was injured, he had a hundred ways to take the man out.

He just didn’t want to attract too much attention, lest some observant person guess that he was an old monster who had performed a Possession.

To keep this secret from getting out, if he were to act, he would have to slaughter everyone in the Oasis where the Zouma Gang’s headquarters was located.

Du Youqian was not a bloodthirsty man, so he preferred not to stir up trouble.

To some, this might seem cowardly.

Of course, Pang Master, Master Nine, and even earlier, Wandering Dragon and Yuan Liulang, as well as all those Cultivators in the Holy Blood Sect whose corpses he had stepped over to rise through the ranks, would certainly not think him a coward.

Du Youqian continued on, stopping and starting as he healed his wounds along the way.

Although the road was sparsely populated, he occasionally ran into Scavengers, merchants, and Horse Bandits.

The most ridiculous encounter was with a beautiful young maiden whose clothes were torn, revealing her fair skin. She was crying and fleeing in a panic, pitifully begging Du Youqian for help.

Du Youqian simply walked around her.

Their acting was terrible, their props were unprofessional, the makeup was awful, and the dialogue was poorly designed. It was a completely half-hearted performance.

Besides, the auras of the few Low Tier Tribulation Cultivators lying in ambush were as conspicuous as fireflies in the night; it was impossible to miss them.

More interesting were a few members of the Little Demon Race who looked quite amusing with their monkey-like heads and features.

They seemed to have frequent contact with humans, as they had learned some human customs and wore clothes stitched together from tattered strips of cloth.

They didn’t show much hostility toward humans, but they were highly vigilant, staring at Du Youqian with wide eyes.

This made Du Youqian realize: ’So in the Human World, the Human Race and the Demon Race don’t always have to fight to the death the moment they meet. The situation is quite complex.’

According to the youth Zong Li’s memories, in the Endless Desert Western Domain, there were even areas where demons and humans lived together, and some gangs had members from both the Demon Race and the Human Race.

It was just as Jie Yu had said: ’To the Human Race, they are all the Demon Race. But from the perspective of the so-called demons themselves, what Demon Race? We’re completely different damn races!’

This monkey-like race probably didn’t have any deep-seated hatred for the Human Race.

Seeing them reminded Du Youqian of Little Wukong.

Little Wukong had wanted to come along this time, but Du Youqian hadn’t allowed it.

Although Little Wukong’s Physique was powerful and he possessed the Copper Skin Iron Bone Divine Abilities, his physique was only on par with Du Youqian’s own.

And unlike himself, Little Wukong didn’t have a wide array of methods, the "Inch and Mile" Divine Ability, or the ability to burn his lifespan for "Instant Healing."

If he tried to force his way through the passage, his chances of survival would be slim.

In any case, his Celestial Lifespan was long, so he could definitely wait until Du Youqian returned to Momenan to get him.

The thought of Celestial Lifespan gave Du Youqian a sense of urgency.

The Celestial Lifespan of a Golden Core Perfection Cultivator was about nine hundred years.

He had already lived for 475 years in this life.

And before, in order to slay Pang Master and Master Nine, as well as during his two attempts to break through the passage, he had paid a price in lifespan.

All told, before this latest attempt to cross the passage, he had less than three hundred years of life left.

And during this most recent attempt, he had used Instant Healing twice on what would have been fatal wounds.

Thus, he now had only a little over a hundred years of life remaining.

This was precisely why, despite the body’s severe injuries, he chose to heal slowly. If he used this body’s Magical Power and Essence Blood to perform his Instant Healing Divine Ability, he was afraid that while the body might be healed, its Magical Power and Essence Blood would be completely drained.

After this Possession, this body only had a Middle Grade Spirit Root. He estimated he could re-cultivate to Golden Core Perfection within the next thirty to fifty years.

However, within his remaining lifespan, reaching the Nascent Soul realm was basically hopeless.

Just grinding away the incompatibility between the body and soul would take one or two hundred years of patient effort; there was no hope of doing it faster.

Fortunately, a Golden Core Perfection Cultivator was not considered weak anywhere. In the Western Domain of the Endless Desert Sea, it was a level of power sufficient to rule a city and dominate a region. This would be enough to help Du Youqian find the information he wanted, and then he could pass away with a smile... and move on to his next life.

By the time Du Youqian slowly made his way back to the Oasis where the Zouma Gang was based, it was already dusk the following day.

A few wisps of smoke spiraled up into the sky. Some buildings were still listlessly CRACKLING as they burned, but most of what could burn had already been consumed, leaving only embers.

The ground was covered in bloodstains, broken weapons, and severed limbs, but there were no corpses.

The bodies must have been collected.

In the lawless Endless Desert Sea, corpses were an important resource that could be sold for money!

The corpses of ordinary people could be used as fertilizer, while the corpses of Cultivators could be used to refine Evil Pills and Magical Artifacts!

If one could find a Cultivator with a Corpse Refinement Inheritance, the corpses of outstanding Cultivators could be sold for a fortune.

’The corpses of the Zouma Gang members, however, probably don’t qualify as outstanding.’

Du Youqian cautiously extended his Divine Sense and quickly scanned the area. Seeing no sign of any Sanquan Gang members, he sauntered out into the open.

He hadn’t taken more than a few steps when a small, dark figure suddenly darted out from the side. "Brother Zong! I thought it was you from a distance, but I didn’t dare get closer to look. It really is you! I’m so glad you’re okay."

The person patted their flat chest as they spoke, looking greatly relieved.

Du Youqian, of course, had long known someone was watching him. He now looked over coolly. The other person was a child with short hair.

The child had a good facial structure, but their skin was rough and dark, and their poorly-kept teeth affected the shape of their face. They were filthy, dressed in rags stitched together with no sense of aesthetics, only a concern for warmth.

Otherwise, she would have been quite the beauty.

That’s right. Although the child looked like a boy, she was actually a girl, and not that young, either. A sweep of Du Youqian’s Divine Sense revealed her bone age to be around fourteen or fifteen.

However, due to malnutrition, her body hadn’t developed, making her look very small and giving the impression that she wasn’t yet an adult. The age of majority in the Endless Desert Western Domain was fourteen; at fourteen, one could marry and join a gang.

Du Youqian, of course, didn’t know any of her personal information.

In the mind of the gang youth Zong Li, she wasn’t an important figure, so Du Youqian hadn’t bothered to Soul Search for those particular memories.

So Du Youqian just responded indifferently, "Hm?"

This was in line with Zong Li’s usual persona.

Zong Li, who was solely focused on arduous Cultivation, making a name for himself, and saving his sister, was this cold to most people.

The girl smiled. "Brother Zong, the Zouma Gang is actually so powerful! They had several powerful figures in hiding. Right after you left, those hidden masters made their move. The Foundation Establishment Honored Guest Elder hired by the Sanquan Gang knelt and begged for mercy, but it was no use. The Zouma Gang’s hidden masters extracted his soul and Essence Blood to refine a Demon Artifact."

"Oh?"

’What kind of plot twist is this?’

Du Youqian was very surprised.

’There’s no way the youth Zong Li didn’t know the Zouma Gang’s true strength!’

Although Zong Li wasn’t a core member, he was on very good terms with one of them—it was a life-and-death bond. The other party had no reason to hide things from him.

"After the battle, where did these masters you speak of go?" Du Youqian was certain they were no longer in the Oasis; otherwise, they couldn’t possibly have hidden from his Divine Sense.

The girl said, "I heard people say that the masters said since they’d already thrown all pretense to the wind, they might as well go and take over the Sanquan Gang’s Oasis. Then they took all the able-bodied men from our Oasis with them to help plunder valuables and do heavy labor after the battle ends."

Du Youqian was confused about the situation, had no opinion on it, and couldn’t be bothered to think about it.

As for the hidden masters the girl mentioned, he didn’t much care. ’It’s just a matter of a few more sword strikes.’

On the contrary, with all of the Zouma Gang’s masters and able-bodied men away, it was the perfect opportunity for him to check out the hidden treasures of the gang’s upper echelons.

’Don’t talk to me about the immorality of stealing.’

’As the saying goes, one learns propriety only when the granaries are full. Once his injuries were healed and his Cultivation was restored, he would naturally adopt the air of an outstanding and righteous True Cultivator.’

’But when it comes to survival, one must also have the courage to lower oneself and fight with wild dogs for scraps.’

’Believe it or not, if the kind-faced, immortal-looking Master Wu Fei were in his situation, he would do the exact same thing: take the Zouma Gang’s secret treasure first to overcome his predicament.’

Du Youqian patted the little girl’s head, then searched his own pockets, only finding a few Spirit Stones.

He felt a little awkward. It had been a long time since he had been this destitute.

But he quickly changed his mind. ’Giving too much to these low-level Cultivators and ordinary residents of the Desert Sea would only bring them harm.’

With a clear conscience, he took out a Spirit Stone and handed it to the little girl. "A reward for you."

The little girl shook her head blankly and handed the Spirit Stone back. "Brother Zong, I didn’t help you for Spirit Stones!"

Du Youqian chuckled. "I know, but it’s fine. Take it for now. You can use it as part of your dowry in the future."

The little girl looked even more confused. "Brother Zong, didn’t you say I wouldn’t need a dowry when you marry me in the future?"

Du Youqian felt as if youth itself had just sucker-punched him in the gut.

’That gang youth... you’ve really done it now!’