Chapter 98 Fang Yuan First Opportunity

When Fang Yuan raised his head again, the first-generation Gu Yue’s withered hand was already stretched out before him. The blood-red, pill-shaped Blood Puppet Gu still rested in his palm.

“Then prove your loyalty to the clan by swallowing this Gu. Since this is your first offense, I will forget everything that happened as long as you take it.” The first-generation Gu Yue’s expression softened slightly. “And your ancestor did not lie to you. This Gu will indeed greatly benefit your cultivation.”

Fang Yuan stared at the Blood Puppet Gu, hesitation and struggle appearing on his face. After remaining silent for a long time, he finally seemed to give in. He reached out, took the Gu from the first-generation Gu Yue’s palm, placed it into his mouth, and swallowed it with a pained expression.

Seeing this, the first-generation Gu Yue nodded in satisfaction. With Blood Puppet Gu planted inside Fang Yuan, this cunning little junior would never be able to escape his control.

However, the instant Blood Puppet Gu entered Fang Yuan’s aperture, it encountered the aura of the Spring Autumn Cicada and was immediately suppressed. Even though the Gu contained the will of a Rank Five expert, such a thing was insignificant before a Rank Six Immortal Gu.

Fang Yuan did not allow the Spring Autumn Cicada to suppress Blood Puppet Gu completely. Instead, he carefully restrained its influence just enough to prevent the Gu from taking control of him while allowing it to continue functioning normally. If Blood Puppet Gu suddenly became completely unresponsive, the first-generation Gu Yue might notice something was wrong.

More importantly, Fang Yuan had his own use for this Gu.

“Heh, you actually want to enslave me? You couldn’t have offered me a better opportunity. I never expected my first Blood Path Gu in this life to fall into my hands like this.”

Fang Yuan had been a Blood Path grandmaster in his previous life. Although the Spring Autumn Cicada had brought him back to the time when he was only a Rank One Gu Master, his Blood Path attainment and experience had not disappeared with his cultivation.

Blood Puppet Gu was quite unusual. Although it was Rank Three, the Gu Master only needed to spend primeval essence once to activate it. After entering the target’s aperture, it would absorb essence blood and flesh to produce numerous fine blood threads. These threads would spread throughout the target’s body along their blood vessels until they eventually gained complete control over the body.

Compared with Enslavement Path Gu worms, however, this method had obvious shortcomings. Blood Puppet Gu needed time to spread its blood threads throughout the target’s entire body before it could completely enslave them, while many Enslavement Path Gu could directly control another Gu Master’s mind once successfully implanted.

Still, the first-generation Gu Yue had not lied about Blood Puppet Gu benefiting Fang Yuan’s cultivation. While parasitizing a Gu Master, it released a special substance that accelerated the recovery of primeval essence. Unfortunately, the Gu could not parasitize the Gu Master who had refined it, so the first-generation Gu Yue himself could not benefit from this effect.

Seeing Fang Yuan obediently swallow the Gu, the first-generation Gu Yue revealed a satisfied smile, though his withered face made it appear particularly sinister. He then led Fang Yuan into the passage from which he had emerged earlier.

After walking for some distance, the first-generation Gu Yue suddenly stopped and waved toward a patch of ground. “Since I am your ancestor, I naturally won’t let you follow me without receiving anything. Dig here.”

He knew perfectly well what Flower Wine Monk had hidden throughout this inheritance. Giving Fang Yuan something that already belonged to Flower Wine Monk cost him nothing, while allowing him to win the loyalty of this descendant.

Fang Yuan’s eyes flickered briefly, but he obediently began digging. The soil was loose, so it did not take him long before he uncovered something resembling a tightly closed cabbage, its thick petals pressed closely together.

It really is an Earth Treasury Flower Gu!

Fang Yuan secretly relaxed, but outwardly he showed only confusion. “Ancestor, what Gu is this? I’ve never seen it before.”

His expression perfectly displayed the ignorance and curiosity expected from a young Gu Master, without revealing the slightest flaw.

The first-generation Gu Yue laughed. “Then your ancestor will broaden your knowledge. This is a Rank Two Earth Treasury Flower Gu, a consumable Gu specially used to preserve other Gu. Once planted in the ground, it cannot be moved. This Gu isn’t found around Qing Mao Mountain, but merchant clans such as the Shang, Jia, and Yi Clans sell them.”

Earth Treasury Flower Gu did not need to be fed normally. Once planted, it absorbed earth qi from its surroundings to sustain itself. Its only ability was preservation. A golden liquid existed within the center of the flower, isolating whatever Gu was placed inside from the outside world and allowing it to remain dormant for long periods without starving to death.

Retrieving the stored Gu was equally simple. One only needed to peel away the petals.

“So there is such a wondrous Gu.” Fang Yuan looked suitably amazed.

With the first-generation Gu Yue’s permission, Fang Yuan began peeling away the thick petals. Once most of them had been removed, the golden liquid hidden at the center was revealed. A vague silhouette could be seen floating within it, but Fang Yuan pretended that he could not recognize what Gu it was.

“Boy, this Gu belongs to you now.” The first-generation Gu Yue looked down at him. “Follow your ancestor obediently from now on and there will naturally be plenty of benefits for you.”

Fang Yuan nodded respectfully. He had no parents or elders supporting his cultivation, so if this old monster wanted to provide him with resources, he was more than willing to accept them.

After peeling away the remaining petals, Fang Yuan reached into the golden liquid and removed the dormant Gu. It was a fingernail-sized ladybug with a plump milky-white body, a tiny head, and six pairs of small legs beneath its abdomen.

White Boar Gu!

A trace of genuine joy flashed through Fang Yuan’s eyes. This Rank One Gu was relatively rare and would be extremely useful to him at his current cultivation.