Chapter 598: Soul Gnawing Gu

Initially, Maximilian planned to reduce the discord between humans and beasts over the years and keep them from completely destroying each other.

This would give Gumiho enough time to increase her strength so that she could also have her say in important decisions. His next plan was to meet Gumiho and make her realise that this war could be brought to an end in a way that allowed both races to live in harmony. Of course, he had only decided to give her some pointers, leaving the final decision to her.

It was his plan to gain the trust of the future Nine-Tailed Divine Fox, the only being who possessed the potential to destroy the dragons. He had already decided to make her the key figure in his master plan.

However, after learning about the character of Bai Chengsheng, who arguably was a one-third ruler of the human cultivators of the Western Continent, he had decided to make some changes to his plan.

He spent the next six months in close-door cultivation under the excuse of healing his injuries. During this time, the Southern Legion had clashed two more times against the impenetrable fortress of the Tiger Clan.

Just as Maximilian had suspected, during the last clash, Bai Chengsheng finally used his hidden card against Vyomendra.

"Brother Max, your suspicion was correct," Wukong exclaimed as he bolted inside his camp. "That Bai Chengsheng really used a strange method to injure your friend Vyomendra."

Maximilian, who was sitting cross-legged on his bed, slowly opened his eyes and asked in a calm tone, "Tell me more about it."

"Vyomendra had transformed into a gigantic white tiger. In his beast form, he began easily overpowering both Mo Feng and Bai Chengsheng in the battle," Wukong recited what he had seen during the battle. "Everyone thought that the humans were about to lose the war, but then Bai Chengsheng attacked Vyomendra with a strange white needle."

Maximilian’s eyes narrowed, his brows knitting together. "Strange white needle?" he asked, tilting his head.

"Yes," Wukong nodded. "It pierced straight through all the defences of Vyomendra and stabbed into his skin. Moments later, blood gushed out from his mouth, and he muttered something about Soul Ga..Gra...Gno—"

"Soul Gnawing Gu," Maximilian finished the word he was trying to say.

"Yes, exactly this," Wukong aggressively nodded. "Although Vyomendra managed to retreat back to the stronghold, he seemed to be in extreme pain. After that, Bai Chengsheng and Mo Feng launched several attacks on the defensive arrays. They might be able to break through by the next battle."

Maximilian didn’t hear the rest of Wukong’s explanation, his mind clouded by his own thoughts, his jaw tightened in suppressed fury.

"Brother Max, you look furious," Wukong said, noticing the clear anger on Maximilian’s face as he settled beside him. "Do you know something about this insect?"

"Soul Gnawing Gu," Maximilian muttered, finally speaking up. "It cannot kill a cultivator with the flick of a finger like the Brain-Eating Gu. However, it is no less evil. It grows by feeding on the Soulforce of the cultivator, which produces excruciating pain. Once it has devoured all the Soulforce, it comes out by tearing through the guts of the cultivator."

"Th-that is so vile," Wukong gasped, his eyes widening just from listening to the explanation. "Then how is it any less deadly than the Brain-Eating Gu?"

"The Soul Gnawing Gu can only feed on the Soulforce when it comes out of its victim’s dantian, or in simpler words, when the victim attempts to use their power," Maximilian explained, barely keeping his voice calm. "If the victim doesn’t use their power, the Soul Gnawing Gu cannot harm the cultivator at all."

A brief silence followed.

"B-but Vyomendra is the Clan Head," Wukong murmured, his voice laced with concern. "He will definitely use his power to draw back the forces of the humans, even if it kills him."

"I know," Maximilian agreed.

For a brief moment, Wukong stared at Maximilian, his raven-black eyes filled with curiosity.

"What do you want to ask?" Maximilian sighed, sensing his curiosity without even looking at him.

"I know that you would never ever use these vile insects on anyone," Wukong chuckled awkwardly, rubbing the back of his head. "So how do you possess such deep information about these insects?"

"In my homeland, I’m seen as the most evil being, someone who should have been killed at the moment of birth, a reincarnation of death and destruction who would bring calamity upon this world," Maximilian revealed, his lips laced with a bittersweet smile. "Surviving the assassination attempts had become a daily routine for me. Your Sister-in-law, who was my guardian during that time, didn’t fear the blades bared at me. What she was truly terrified of were the poisons and deadly insects. She forced me to learn about every poison and Gu in existence that could even mildly threaten or control my life. Naturally, she also taught me the methods to cure them as well."

"Who dared to endanger your life, Brother?" Wukong demanded in a loud tone, his eyes burning with raw fury. "Just give me the name. I will wipe them off the face of Vyoman."

A smile bloomed on Maximilian’s face at his words. Since he had reached the Celestial Realm, or more accurately, since he had been separated from Evangeline, forget about laughing, Wukong had barely seen him even smile.

"I’m serious, Brother," he muttered, thinking that his declaration had been taken as a tantrum from a child by Maximilian.

Maximilian looked at him with eyes narrowed in delight. "Then I will count on you when the time comes."

Wukong just rubbed the back of his head, feeling a bit awkward and proud that Maximilian would be depending on him.

"By the way, Brother Max, I have one last question," he said, leaning closer to him in an attempt to plead.

"Ask away."

"If these insects are really dangerous enough to threaten even the lives of Demi-Gods, they must be incredibly difficult to obtain," he mumbled, his brows raised in thought. "How did Bai Chengsheng get his hands on them?"

"That is what I need to find out as well," Maximilian muttered in suspicion. "The Brain-Eating Gu could be found in the lower realm, so I didn’t think much about it. However... the Soul Gnawing Gu is an insect that could only be found at a specific location in the Upper Realm."

"H-huh!?" Wukong blinked, making sure he hadn’t heard wrong. "Then it’s impossible for Bai Chengsheng to get his hands on these insects unless..."

"Unless he either found them on the dead body of a phoenix or dragon in the lower realm, which is highly unlikely, or... someone from the Upper Realm is pulling the strings behind the curtain," Maximilian revealed, his grip tightening on his knees. "And I already have a suspicion about who that might be."

While they were conversing, Maximilian sensed Bai Chengsheng approaching them from several miles away.

He sent Wukong out of the camp by the time Bai Chengsheng arrived. This time, he didn’t even bother to ask for his permission, appearing straight inside the camp.

"I greet War Marshal Bai," Maximilian greeted in a calm tone as he rose from the bed. "Please take a seat."

With a sway of his hand, Maximilian summoned a chair from the corner of the tent.

Bai Chengsheng merely nodded at his greeting as he stepped forward. He moved past the chair, his fingers gently brushing his long white beard as he sat on Maximilian’s wooden bed, placed on a slightly raised platform.

Maximilian ignored the obvious offence and took the seat he had taken out for him.

"In the entire Western Continent, there are only two human cultivators who don’t bow to me or dare to take a seat in my presence without my permission," Bai Chengsheng began in a calm tone. "They are the leaders of the Righteous and Demonic Factions."

A complete silence fell inside the room, the air seeming to turn suffocating between the two. Maximilian clearly understood what Bai Chengsheng was trying to convey.

He slowly closed his eyes. When he opened them again, he stood from the chair and said in a respectful tone, "I have spent most of my life in close-door cultivation, so I didn’t get the chance to learn proper etiquette. Please forgive my transgression."

"Hahaha, I was just sharing a mere fact to begin the conversation," Bai Chengsheng laughed in his old, slightly broken tone. "Take a seat. I wasn’t threatening you or anything."

Maximilian nodded and took the seat again.

The smile slowly vanished from Bai Chengsheng’s face as he continued, his voice turning demanding and threatening. "It has been six months since you have been in close-door cultivation. I can see that most of your injuries have already healed. Will you participate in the next battle tomorrow, or will you give an excuse again?"

His eyes narrowed at Maximilian as if he was prepared to kill him right away if he dared to refuse this time as well.