Dong Fanzhi Inheritance was formed by two gu masters. They were a couple. The husband was a rank 4 gu master and the wife surprisingly surpassed her suitor, being a rank 5 gu master. Despite the inheritance offering a gu master a virtuous method of increasing one's offspring's talent, the couple were anything but kind and noble. They were a pair known for propagating violence and bloodshed.
They were feared for another reason.
Childhood friends and expected to grow as helpless mortals, they ended up discovering a blood path inheritance tucked away in their village and ended up eradicating a small sect during their growth.
Blood Path.
Dong Fanzhi was a blood path inheritance.
It made sense.
Human Path was rare—rarer than Bai Shou ever expected. Just the Human Adaptive Qi Gu moving a gu immortal indicated the wealth, prominence, and understanding yet to be derived from such a dao. Meanwhile, Bai Shou already possessed a blood path gu worm capable of altering a target's aptitude based on bloodline.
The Blood Skull Gu.
Dong Fanzhi Inheritance's result enriched the life of Di Qing's bloodline, who righteously murdered the demonic pair for the benefit of mankind. Of course, why the couple never managed to destroy the inheritance before their death was up for one's interpretation.
'That's why Di Qing also didn't mind selling it to Shu Zhe. Le Tao must have offered her something and she didn't have to hand over any blood path gu worms.'
The recipes enlisted in the inheritance all required one to commit demonic acts. One of the recipes even required the inheritor to cut off a freshly birthed infant's head, draining its blood into a paste of hundred female fetuses and then transferring the result onto a paste of placenta. The recipe boasted clear instructions on the state of the desired materials—and it was just one of the many demonic recipes.
'Using Blood Skull on the materials is a mercy when compared to this.'
Bai Shou mused quietly.
'Any thoughts?' she tested.
"No." Shen Cui deadpanned before twisting her lips with disgust. "You might have used this inheritance if it was useful."
'Indeed.' Bai Shou didn't deny. Sure, the thought of squishing, pressing, and mixing infants and placenta also momentarily made her stomach churn with revolt, but they were already dead. They were materials. And Bai Shou had stopped distinguishing between the morality of killing despite having a bottom line regarding her trait. To the giant emperor, there were only things you killed and preserved.
Survival of the fittest had never been more prominent to Bai Shou ever since she wandered into the gu world.
Privy to most of Bai Shou's intentions and thoughts, Shen Cui let out a soft sight, unable to offer any retort. Even she wasn't above thinking of killing someone. Mo Bei's maid, a mortal, was also willing to do anything to raise her chances of survival by pleasing her master.
"You died?!" Shen Cui suddenly shrieked, making Bai Shou freeze.
She blinked and glanced at the dramatic ghost.
'Shen Cui doesn't know.'
"I don't know what?" She asked quickly, only for Bai Shou to silently return to comprehending Dong Fanzhi Inheritance.
These apparitions somehow were unable to see-through Bai Shou's status as an otherworldly demon, access her past memories, peek through her trait, and now this. Shen Cui couldn't understand the secrets behind Bai Shou's strange revival and the fact she retained her memories of future events until her death.
It wasn't her trait somehow whipping a magical spell and creating new layers of defense. If that was possible, Bai Shou wouldn't be struggling with soul path!
Mo Yan was the same. She had been quite spiritual and perceptive, but was unable to see-through Bai Shou, claiming there were still some things—absolute secrets Bai Shou valued nearly as much as her life—eluding her senses.
Similarly, Shen Cui felt visibly uncomfortable at being in the dark.
'You're too free with your ability to understand me, Shen Cui.' Bai Shou adopted a reproachful tone.
"What do you mean?" she questioned.
'We are product of our surroundings, or so it goes. But I believe circumstances do not force us to do anything drastic. Whatever we do—we have always been capable of it. Such circumstances merely provide us with an opportunity to expand our list of choices and actions.'
Shen Cui grew quiet.
'Even if you had been able to see-through me entirely, I would be different the next day still.'
"That's scary…" Shen Cui admitted. "What if I or someone you trust suddenly changes? What if they want to harm you?"
'Didn't you change?' Bai Shou countered. 'Would you ever threaten an elder from the clan as you did with me? Even now, you grow and change. By understanding me, you're forced to understand yourself.'
Shen Cui parted her lips before closing them.
"But what would you do if I wanted to harm you now? What if I had means to spread your secrets?"
Bai Shou paused and considered her options and choices calmly.
'Are you still such a ghost in this scenario?'
"What if I'm not?" Shen Cui questioned.
'I'd fuck you. Hard. For old time's sake. Then I will soul search you, remove any secrets you might want to share and, hmm, let you go.'
Shen Cui was speechless.
"Let me go?"
The old Shen Cui would have focused more on the first bit, thought Bai Shou.
"We'll get there in a minute." She scoffed.
Bai Shou rolled her eyes and continued.
'And if you were still in this form… I would escape instantly. You know about it, right?'
Shen Cui nodded slowly.
'So?' Bai Shou chuckled. 'Do I need to escape?'
Surprisingly, Shen Cui lowered her head and shook it.
"You would truly let me go…" She muttered under her breath.
'Don't be mistaken. I'm not above killing a woman I recently slept with. But you…'
She couldn't put her emotions to words. Her understanding for Shen Cui shifted drastically the day she threw caution to the wind and stayed in his bed, naked. Heck, Bai Shou even admired Shen Cui.
Sure, her cheating on Fang Zheng didn't really cut her to be a symbol of virtue—
"Virtue your mother!" Shen Cui hissed angrily. "You…" She let go and exhaled. Things were perhaps clearer to Shen Cui than Bai Shou. She now knew Bai Shou hadn't even looked at her seriously until after Mo Yan's demise. To her well-stoked pride, it also wasn't due to Mo Yan's death opening a spot by Lo Jik's side but her daring act itself.
Perhaps…
She was also aware of the words Bai Shou could have used to express her true emotions. Those words weren't hard to find, and neither were they a challenge to convey.
"I'm sorry, Lo Jik."
Bai Shou raised an eyebrow.
"I truly don't know why or how we exist. But ever since I became like this, I felt it wasn't just to meet you."
"You're not right."
"You are vulnerable!"
She bit her bottom lip, shame flickering in her eyes.
"You might not understand what Sister Mo and I sensed, but you're in someone's game—"
Shen Cui disappeared in a blink of an eye.
Bai Shou sat still.
That intimate connection, the thread she once shared with Mo Yan and now with Shen Cui, snapped as easily as it bloomed to life.
'Shen Cui?'
The lack of response left Bai Shou more concerned than relieved about not having someone be so close to her.
Could she close her eyes to the truth and expect it to not blink back?
She briefly considered drinking more Thousand-Year Spirit Valley Wine before dropping the idea.
Sighing, Bai Shou leaned back and looked at the ceiling out of habit.
"?!"
Shock and fright struck her with a force of hundred gu worms as she met Mo Yan's equally incredulous gaze.
Bai Shou blinked and then there was none.
Her surroundings suddenly felt colder, the tips of her hair standing as she felt goosebumps like never before.
Shen Cui's stay, though considerably shorter than Mo Yan's, left a deeper impression on Bai Shou.
It took a moment for Bai Shou to regain composure. Surprise transformed into helplessness, then frustration.
She understood at this moment.
Mo Yan's sudden reappearance was not a trick of the mind but a haunting confirmation from an entity that could create these apparitions—the top-quality wine was NOT a requirement to summon them.
'Who the fuck is behind all this?'
Bai Shou gritted her teeth, considering if she should escape or not.
There was a limit to her tolerance. This sudden reminder went beyond odd mystery and the act of kindness or malice.
'I've earned enough already.'
Bai Shou decided after a moment. There was nothing worthwhile to stick around for. She sought growth in an ancient sect and managed to earn a lot of resources. Her strength path gu set and body refinement reached its completion, only needing more refinement.
Sure, there were still many opportunities to be exploited and profits to be earned, but nothing was worth more than her life.
'I'll never be able to leave the sect without a good reason especially because I was brought in by a gu immortal. Even if I leave, how would I know I'm not being monitored? I would never escape their clutches unless I use...'
She worked her jaw.
'I even received the Dong Fanzhi inheritance. Except for assistance against the tribulations during ascension, I wouldn't require a gu immortal's support. But I've become a target for a mysterious force again.'
She couldn't help but sigh. If possible, Bai Shou did not want to part ways with the brilliant sect system. However, her desires couldn't overcome her disciplined mind.
A wave of fragrance flooded her cultivation chamber alongside the unmistakable aura of a rank 6 immortal gu worm.
The rank 6 Divine Travel Immortal Gu was like a round yellow gem with a hollow interior. Inside moved a smoke-like purple cloud. Despite the sense of weakness from the immortal gu worm, the purple smoke shifted and transformed into different creatures and forces of nature. It turned into a winged golden snake, then it turned into a peal of fire.
It crashed like a tidal wave and transformed into a roaring djinn.
Without wasting another moment, Bai Shou brought the remaining top-quality wine to her lips and drank it without any gu worms to maintain her sobriety.
Although unaware of where the immortal gu would lead her, Bai Shou knew any place was welcome except this mystery-riddled shit hole.
'Goodbye, Spirit Affinity House!'
Bai Shou closed her eyes as her vision wavered. Her thoughts grew muddled with the wine, and all she was left with were the sweetest recollections of the women she'd come to care for. And beyond them was another creature, someone Bai Shou unfortunately never got a moment to spend with.
'What would have I named him?'
Her thoughts turned distant as she felt weightless. Everything turned into a blur.
<<<>>>
"I'm sorry for being a burden, Uncle Jirou." Wang Nu bowed her head in apology. Once well-regarded and welcomed by almost every inner disciple, Late Violent Sword's daughter quickly experienced the way of the gu world as her former friends, senior disciples, and junior disciples shunned her out. Even when the sect praised her bravery against two of the prisoners, Wang Nu realized she was not rewarded anything.
The curtain of desolation hid the fury she held for the world—for everyone. Her anger bubbled and grew by the day. First, she merely hated those escaped convicts and Bai Shou. However, the more she was pushed out from her former circles, the more resentful she became.
"You are not a burden at all."
Jirou Yi chuckled warmly. Wang Nu's performance was surprising, and the mask she considered infallible was thinner than a sheet of paper before his experienced gaze. He accurately understood the boiling rage inside Wang Nu's heart, and thought it was fitting to make use of.
Why wouldn't he?
His mother needed every soldier she could find, and Wang Nu's hatred against Bai Shou was worthwhile enough.
The entire sect was in a race of accruing wealth and human resources.
<<<>>>
"Sigh…" Elder Ya exhaled tiredly. He appeared older than usual, overworked and spent.
'What is Bai Shou doing?'
He felt slightly impatient. Many disciples began renting out the rooms available in Refinement Halls across the sect; even more sought the disciples employed by the hall to refine gu worms.
Elder Ya himself found the hall's neutral position difficult to defend.
Le Tao and Di Qing's faction wasn't as aggressive as Jirou Na's faction, however, Shu Zhe's silence scared Elder Ya the most.
He wasn't about to underestimate the silent sect leader, especially because he had so many dealings and transactions with her.
If the elders were able to acquire so many assets, it was because Shu Zhe let them!
'Not only that, but Sect Leader Shu also purchased many rare materials stored by the hall over the years for Bai Shou.'
The Refinement Hall had its personal storage accessible only to its members. Of course, outsiders could solicit one of the members and use them as a representation to get whatever they required.
Shu Zhe was the same. She almost cleaned out the Hall's storage.
It was what caused the start of this race!
Others already feared Bai Shou's capabilities as a refinement path gu master, her Giant King's Refinement Stall still fresh in their minds. The public achievement of refining a rank 5 elephant steed gu for Jirou Na's son was also intimidating enough.
Bai Shou cutting off contact with other disciples solidified the enemy faction's fears.
Shu Zhe was busy refining gu worms.
Being the sect leader and a wisdom path gu master with innumerable gu recipes and rare materials available at her fingertips, everyone expected her to refine peculiar gu worms to counter other's trump cards.
Wisdom Path gu masters were outstanding in deductions.
Others were sensible to fear such a cornered opponent.
It led to Elder Ya's current predicament.
Jirou Na and others wanted to refine several other trump cards. Heck, the ones they wanted the refinement hall to refine might not even be their most outstanding recipes. No. Every Elder was talented and would try to keep a few cards up their sleeves.
But with everyone throwing caution to the wind, the hall's workload shot through the roof.
Then, a few elders wanted to poach the few talented members of the hall.
Other elders would not have backed down if not for Elder Ya's tough and stubborn stance of cancelling all trades if the situation persisted. Though, Elder Ya was aware said poaching bastards never stopped and only became less open about their schemes.
'Why drag us all into your conflicts?' The old man lamented. 'Just give me all your inheritances and kill each other for all I care.'
He grunted, feeling his joints ache.
<<<>>>
Feng Jiu Ge chuckled as he finished reading the letter derived from the rank 4 letter gu. Overlooking the sect in this sensitive moment, he was the one to remain in contact with the sect's mortal sect leader.
'Anything less would have been a disappointment.'
He smiled, pocketing another gu worm.
Shu Zhe wasn't foolish enough to bribe a supreme elder. Disregarding its morality, she was wise and knew nothing she had could ever attract a gu immortal's attention. Instead, her letter gu worm detailed a few things she planned to do, alongside expressing her undying loyalty to the sect despite her grandmother's ire.
Feng Jiu Ge knew why Shu Zhe thought about sending this letter.
Earlier, Fairy Li Jun Ying and Shu Ye forced Shu Zhe to reveal her schemes regarding Bai Shou. That memory still fresh in her mind prompted Shu Zhe to take the initiative and reveal her current schemes without holding anything back.
To her peers, such was the way of cowardice.
However, to Feng Jiu Ge, this letter displayed Shu Zhe's extraordinary tolerance and insight.
'While Shu Zhe is an outstanding seed, her injuries are troublesome and might affect her tribulation.' He felt slight pity. It was as Shu Zhe anticipated. Her grandmother's allies would not help her. And Shu Ye's opponents, the Feng Faction, wouldn't lift a finger to help a case like her.
Feng Jiu Ge was no different. Geniuses and outstanding gu masters were present everywhere in the sect, much less Central Continent. To focus on one Shu Zhe and spend precious time and resources when there were many other options to consider was not efficient and wise.
'But recruiting her after she heals herself is something to be considered.'
He closed his eyes.
'I must relay this letter to second supreme elder and have her discuss the matter of appointing the next sect leader with the first supreme elder.'
Just as Feng Jiu Ge's thoughts drifted to his more immediate needs, ranging from feeding his gu worm to tending his blessed land, his eyes shot open. A divine light emanated from his sharp eyes. His gaze pierced through the barriers and landed on the residence built atop Banlu Peak.
Unknown to Bai Shou, she was already affected by an unknown killer move when she met Feng Jiu Ge the second time before the auction.
'So quickly?' Feng Jiu Ge stood up, slightly agitated. 'It took some time for Bai Qing to modify the killer move snatched from Phantom Soul Ji Ji.'
Phantom Soul Ji Ji was a demonic soul path gu immortal renowned for his ability to escape. He possessed an investigation killer move, allowing the user to assess the state of target's soul. Feng Jiu Ge chose to aggressively beat that demon and extort his killer move because the couple was concerned about their daughter, and how they realized after rounds of arduous deductions that the immortal gu worm on her could be activated with her soul.
How could Feng Jin Huang use an immortal gu worm as a mortal?
No matter how talented and fortunate she was, there would be a price to pay.
So, the couple used the killer move on Feng Jin Huang.
Expecting others to discover their tracks on Bai Shou, Bai Qing spent more time altering the killer move to maintain their cover and reasons. It was to especially prevent Xu Hao from growing warier of the couple and Bai Shou if he caught scent of their scheme, which could jeopardize a potential unity between the inheritors of the Hu Immortal Blessed Land and another very mysterious inheritance.
Feng Jiu Ge considered his options.
Trying to meet Bai Shou so quickly will enter Xu Hao's radar.
But he also sensed an odd disturbance.
'Human proposes and heaven disposes.'
For all his planning and schemes, Feng Jiu Ge realized he wasn't above circumstances.
Sighing, he left his residence and appeared at Banlu Peak, aware that his movement caught attention of the first supreme elder.
'Empty Heart Formation…'
Feng Jiu Ge examined the slight changes Bai Shou made to the formation. However, her lacking attainment and experience in the path was painfully obvious.
'So, she isn't a genius in formation path and used another method to steal things from different sects.'
Although indifferent to the matter, he did recall how the sect was slightly interested in her method of entering Yuan Yang City's treasury without raising alarms. Of course, that was before her talents in human path snatched the spotlight.
Breaking through the formation, Feng Jiu Ge used an investigation killer move to scan the residence before his eyelids shot up in surprise.
'How could it be?!' The gu immortal sensed something…
He instantly rushed inside the wooden house and slammed open Bai Shou's cultivation chamber.
"How… How is this possible?"
***
Alternate Title: Shen Cui Gets Sent to the Shadow Realm; Reverend Conjuring; Dong Fanzhi Inheritance; The Virtuous Couple; A Righteous Inheritance Liberated From a Demonic Couple Indeed; Bai Shou: Fully Capable of Destroying the World Without Batting an Eyelash *Also Bai Shou: Force Someone? *Gasp* I Have Standards, Bitch*; Virtue Your Mother!; Haunting Reminder; Bai Shou Realizes the Depth of the Water Around Her; Shen Cui: Run! You're in the Squid Gu Games; Decisive Retreat; Using the Rank 6 Immortal Gu; Feng Jin Huang Uses Immortal Gu: Coma *Bai Shou Uses Immortal Gu: Hangover*; Arms Race; Shu Zhe Lit the Fire Under Everyone's Ass; Shu Zhe Implying she Left Everything to Bai Shou Like Some One Piece *Meanwhile Bai Shou: Literally Fighting Her Demons*; Wang Nu's Rage; Feng Jiu Ge's Helplessness; Immortal Methods; Seen Through; Raise the Alarms!; Keeping Things from the Sect; Exposed; Invaded Privacy; Feng Jiu Ge's Surprise
***
A/N: The current chapter was quite different post mo yan jump scare. I'd delved deeper into Dong Fanzhi Inheritance. However, I felt it was similar to dragging things unnecessarily and felt dissatisfied with the next 1200 words or so. I'd written how gruesome the refinement process was for a few gu worms in the inheritance but all of that was a moot point since Dong Fanzhi was always going to be a reference for more human path shit for Bai Shou and not a particular investment in blood path since that would brand her demonic. There's also always the fear I have for things when we reach the final arc of a volume. But I decided to shift things because it is very much in Bai Shou's nature to retreat when circumstances become too hot to handle. And the trauma of going against a gu immortal is also still very much fresh in her mind.
I call it a trauma, but it's not in the way of ptsd, or I would have shown it in that manner. It's just that Bai Shou would rather not feel depressed again after stabilizing her life XD.
Ah, iirc, in the post mo yan jumpscare, I also wrote a critical passage that defined her future goals since she did achieve many things ever since her arrival. She is already a peak rank 5 specimen and CAN try to tackle her immortal ascension with so many attainments to the boot. However, it's wise for her to experience more. Lo Jik, after all, isn't Fang Yuan, with 500 years of experience, or an extreme physique holder that can create a shit ton of human qi.
***
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