Chapter 43 Soul Summoning Gu

The old man took out a Gu resembling a pale gray flute.

Placing it to his lips, he began to play softly.

The deep, melodious tune soothed the mind and calmed the spirit.

Rank Three Soul Summoning Gu!

As its name implied, it could summon nearby souls and gather them together.

Soul Path itself was one of the oldest and most mysterious cultivation paths.

It has a long history, but it was only after the Red Lotus Demon Venerable damaged Fate Gu, allowing souls to linger in the world of the living, did it truly prosper.

Like Gu Master of every path, Soul Path Gu Masters could also advance through nine ranks.

Rank Five was the limit of the mortal realm, while Ranks Six, Seven, and Eight belonged to Gu Immortals.

Above them all stood Rank Nine.

Those who attained that supreme realm became the unrivaled rulers of their era.

The righteous were known as Immortal Venerables, while the demonic were known as Demon Venerables.

Throughout the long river of history, Demon Venerables and Immortal Venerables have been exceedingly rare.

Every one of them stood at the pinnacle of an era, unmatched beneath the heavens.

Each great era gave birth to only a single Venerable.

Never in history had two Venerables existed at the same time.

To become a Rank Nine was to stand truly invincible beneath the heavens.

Among them, the Red Lotus Demon Venerable was undoubtedly the most mysterious.

The world knew only that he came from the Central Continent, had once been a member of Heavenly Court, and cultivated Time Path.

Everything else, his origins, his life, and even the reason he turned against Heavenly Court, remained buried in the endless river of history.

The most widely known tale about Red Lotus Demon Venerable was that he had severely damaged Fate Gu, allowing all living beings to break free from fate’s absolute control.

According to The Legends of Ren Zu, Fate Gu was a legendary Rank Nine Gu Worm that governed the fate of all living beings.

Before it was damaged, every soul entered the Door of Life and Death the moment its owner died.

None could linger in the outside world.

Red Lotus Demon Venerable changed all of that.

After Fate Gu was damaged, the souls of the people of the Five Regions no longer entered the Door of Life and Death immediately upon death.

Instead, they would remain near their corpses for a period of time.

It was because of this change that Soul Path gradually flourished.

Without wandering souls, Soul Path could never have developed into the prosperous cultivation path it is today.

The Gu Worm the elder used to summon souls belonged to Soul Path.

Unfortunately, even after playing the flute for a long time, only a handful of souls answered its call.

“This is strange.

So many mortals died here.

There should be far more souls than this.” The elder frowned, unease growing in his heart.

“Could the murderer have taken them?

But that doesn’t make sense either.

If they were truly that meticulous, why leave this one behind?”

The moment she recognized the familiar face, the female Gu Master broke down in tears.

She was Chi Hong’s lover, and the two had been planning to marry the following week.

Yet a routine mission had separated them forever, turning what should have been a joyful wedding into a tearful funeral.

Unfortunately, the trauma of such a gruesome death had shattered Chi Hong’s sanity.

His soul screamed and cursed incoherently, completely oblivious to the woman’s cries.

It no longer recognized her, nor did it remember the love they had once shared.

The sight broke the female Gu Master completely.

Tears streamed down her face as her legs gave way, and she nearly collapsed to the ground.

The others quickly rushed over to support her, comforting her and vowing that this man-made tragedy would not go unanswered.

No matter who the murderer was, they would make them pay with blood.

The old elder let out a deep sigh.

The dead could not be brought back to life, and even he was powerless to change that.

The only thing he could do now was uncover the truth and bring the murderer to justice.

He reached out and grasped one of the pale blue souls floating before him, the mortal guard’s soul.

Aside from their pale blue color and translucent bodies, souls looked almost identical to how they had appeared in life.

Only Gu Masters who cultivated Soul Path could understand their speech.

The moment the elder’s hand closed around the guard’s soul, a sharp hissing sound filled the air.

Wisps of white smoke rose from the point of contact as the guard’s soul let out a shrill scream.

“My lord, spare me!

Please spare me!”

“Let me go!”

Ignoring the guard’s desperate pleas, the elder immediately activated his Rank Three Soul Search Gu and began searching through the soul’s memories.

Countless images flashed through the old elder’s mind as he searched through the guard’s memories from the past few days.

Inside a modest house, two men sat talking.

“I heard there’s a rare medicinal mushroom growing on the other side of the mountain that can cure children’s illnesses.

Brother, while I’m away, I’ll have to entrust my wife and son to you.

You’re the one I trust most.” The middle-aged hunter patted the guard’s shoulder.

“Don’t worry.” The guard thumped his chest confidently.

“We’re brothers.

I’ll take good care of my sister-in-law and nephew.”

The scene shifted.

“That won’t do.

I promised my brother I’d look after you.

If you won’t tell me, then I’m leaving.” The guard smiled smugly.

“N…

No…

I’ll tell you.”

The memories shifted once more.

A village drowned in blood came into view.

Corpses lay everywhere as a demonic Gu Master strolled through the carnage.

He casually wiped the blood from his face before returning the blood-soaked Gu to his aperture.

A grin slowly spread across his face, exposing a row of gleaming white teeth.

“Hehe…

thanks for the feast.

Before I leave, I’ll prepare a little gift for whoever comes next.

I hope they enjoy it.”

The old elder’s pupils contracted.

“Isn’t that Yang Kang, the newly appointed elder of Xu Village?”