Chapter 414: I Never Said There Were No Other Methods

Lu Sangjiu and Xie Ningyuan arrived at the Golden Elephant Sect.

Chi Yan was already waiting at the main gate. The moment he saw them, he rushed over joyfully.

"Lu Sangjiu, long time no see! I’ve missed you to death!"

He spread his arms, about to give her a bear hug.

Unfortunately, Xie Ningyuan took a step forward, blocking Lu Sangjiu and intercepting the enthusiastic embrace himself.

"Mr. Chi, it’s been a while. I, too, have missed you greatly."

Xie Ningyuan said this with a perfectly straight face, but Chi Yan instantly let go in disgust and leaped back. "Lu Sangjiu," he said, quite aggrieved, "why is it so hard just to give you a hug? Someone always gets in the way!"

Lu Sangjiu poked her head out from behind Xie Ningyuan and said with a grin, "Let’s not talk about before, but now, Xie Ningyuan is definitely qualified to block for me."

With that, she stepped out openly, took Xie Ningyuan’s hand, and said, "Let me reintroduce you. This man... is now my Dao Companion."

Chi Yan’s jaw dropped in astonishment. "Wh-what? But isn’t Mr. Xie a Buddhist Practitioner?"

Xie Ningyuan calmly retorted, "What’s wrong with being a Buddhist Practitioner? Am I not allowed to break convention?"

Chi Yan: "..."

’Isn’t... isn’t this breaking it a little too thoroughly?’

But they were already holding hands, so it was unlikely they were just messing with him. He had no choice but to sullenly accept this reality.

Then, he suddenly realized something else. "Huh? Lu Sangjiu, your cultivation is already at the Nascent Soul Stage? That’s way too fast!"

When they had first met, he was at the Late-stage Golden Core, while Lu Sangjiu was only at Early-stage Foundation Establishment!

And now, he had only just broken through to the Nascent Soul Stage a short while ago, yet Lu Sangjiu had reached it too!

’For her cultivation to increase this fast, what kind of powerful pills must she have taken?’

Lu Sangjiu blinked. "It just sort of happened. If you don’t work harder, Mr. Chi, I’m going to surpass you."

Chi Yan suddenly felt like crying. ’I just came to welcome a friend, so why do I have to suffer one blow after another?’

He sighed dejectedly. "Forget it. I’ll take you to see our Ancestor first."

After speaking, he added with full confidence, "Lu Sangjiu, don’t you worry. Our Ancestor is incredibly powerful. That Gu Worm you have? I’m sure he can get rid of it with no problem at all!"

Lu Sangjiu hadn’t told Chi Yan about her visit to the Lingjian Sect’s Ancestor, so Chi Yan was blindly optimistic about his own Ancestor.

This was why, despite knowing about the Gu Worm, he was still in the mood to joke around when he saw them.

She didn’t correct him, just smiled and nodded. "Yes, I think so too."

When it was time to meet the Golden Elephant Sect’s Ancestor, Lu Sangjiu took the initiative to have Xie Ningyuan wait outside.

After she was brought before the Ancestor, she said to Chi Yan, "You should wait outside for me too. Xie Ningyuan will probably worry if he’s out there by himself. If you keep him company, he’ll feel better."

Chi Yan, being simple-minded, didn’t suspect a thing. He immediately nodded and said, "Alright, then. I’ll go keep Mr. Xie company. With me here, you don’t have to worry!"

The Ancestor of the Golden Elephant Sect was a middle-aged man, but he didn’t have a brawny, muscular physique like Chi Yan.

On the contrary, he was a male cultivator with a handsome, elegant face and a well-proportioned figure.

Only after Chi Yan had left did the Ancestor speak. "You sent him away on purpose. Is there something you wanted to say to me in private?"

Lu Sangjiu nodded. "There is indeed a conversation I didn’t want him to hear."

’If things go as I expect, he will probably suggest transferring the Gu Worm to someone else.’

And Chi Yan, unlike Gu Jue, couldn’t keep a secret. If he were to let it slip to Xie Ningyuan, Xie Ningyuan would definitely use that method to save her.

That was something she absolutely refused to let happen.

So, it was better to clear the room.

With that thought, Lu Sangjiu bowed to him. "Senior, I must first explain my situation to you..."

This time, with no interruptions, she fully explained her Immortal Demon Dual Cultivation to him.

The Golden Elephant Sect’s Ancestor wasn’t one to view Demon Cultivators as enemies to be eliminated at all costs, so his expression remained relatively calm after he finished listening.

He nodded. "The Sect Leader of the Golden Elephant Sect gave me a general account of the role you played in the peace talks during the recent Immortal Demon War, but he certainly didn’t mention your Immortal Demon Dual Cultivation."

"Your Sect Leader is likely unaware of this matter."

In truth, back at the Ten Thousand Buddha Sect, Lu Sangjiu had used Demonic Qi, and He Guang would certainly not have hidden this for her.

But she didn’t know if it was because of some measure taken by Hua Jianzhi and the others; the matter seemed to have been suppressed. At least, when she attended the peace talk meetings, no one had mentioned it.

’They were probably afraid that bringing it up would only complicate things, I suppose.’

With that in mind, she cupped her hands in a salute. "Senior, although I practice Immortal and Demon Dual Cultivation, I would never do anything to harm the interests of the Immortal Gates, nor am I in league with any Demon Cultivators."

"Otherwise, I wouldn’t have been afflicted with this Love Gu and come to you for help, Senior."

"It’s just that, as you must know, Senior, the world is full of prejudice. If too many people learn of this, I’m afraid it will attract a great deal of unnecessary trouble."

"So I ask that you keep this a secret for me, Senior. At least until the peace talks are concluded, please keep my secret."

The Golden Elephant Sect’s Ancestor stared at Lu Sangjiu for a moment before suddenly smiling. "I was just asking casually. You don’t need to be so nervous."

"Rest assured, I’m just an old bag of bones. I know how to keep a secret. As long as you haven’t done anything truly wicked, I won’t meddle in your affairs."

With that, he gestured. "Come here."

Lu Sangjiu stepped forward. The process of the Golden Elephant Sect’s Ancestor examining her was practically identical to that of Senior Feiyun.

After a moment, he spoke. "There is a very simple method. Find someone to take the Gu Worm from your body and..."

She finished his sentence for him, "...transfer it into their own body?"

The Golden Elephant Sect’s Ancestor raised an eyebrow. "It seems someone has already given you this advice. Then why did you come to me?"

Lu Sangjiu sighed. "Because I’m not willing to let someone die in my place, of course."

"Forget it. This result was within my expectations. Thank you for your help, Senior. In that case, I’ll..."

"What’s the rush?" he interrupted. "Young people are always so impatient."

Lu Sangjiu looked at him, confused, and then heard him say, "I never said I didn’t have any other methods."

Hearing this, Lu Sangjiu’s heart leaped with joy. She asked excitedly, "Senior, you have another way?"

"Of course I do. It’s just... the requirements for this method are extremely demanding. You may not be able to do it."

Lu Sangjiu dropped to her knees at once. "Please enlighten me, Senior!"

The Golden Elephant Sect’s Ancestor smiled. "If, before the person with the Mother Gu dies, you can cut open their heart, take out the Mother Gu, and swallow it whole, your Gu Worm can also be cured."

"However, once the heart is cut open, it’s very difficult to ensure that person doesn’t die. Furthermore, the Mother Gu dies the moment it leaves the host’s body, so it would be extremely difficult for you to swallow it before then."

"In short, the situation with this method can change in an instant. A single misstep will lead to complete failure, and if you fail... you will die without a doubt."