The ancestral hall was silent.
Gu Yue Bo and the clan elders knelt before the memorial tablets. Blood dripped from several elders' wounds and landed on the floor.
No one spoke.
The first generation clan leader had been dead for a thousand years. Although the clan records had written of this final method, no one knew if the method left behind would still work after so much time.
Suddenly, a buzzing sound came from above.
The elders raised their heads.
Outside the ancestral hall, a red cloud descended from the sky and landed on the village square.
The Gu worms inside the red cloud were small, only around the size of a fingertip. Their bodies were scarlet, shaped like locusts, with fierce faces. They flew in a swarm, giving off an ear-piercing buzzing sound.
Blood Guillotine.
Rank five Gu.
The injured Gu Masters seated in the square had already been informed. They knew why they had been gathered here. Some were pale, some had broken limbs, and some had wounds that could not be healed in time. But none of them fled.
The Blood Guillotine entered their bodies.
Miserable cries sounded in the square.
Blood and primeval essence were drawn out together. In a few breaths, one Blood Guillotine became two, two became four. The red cloud grew larger and larger.
On the square, bodies turned into white bones.
Gu Yue Bo's hand tightened on the railing.
The other elders also had heavy expressions.
These were all Gu Yue clansmen.
But at this moment, they were also the fuel for the clan's survival.
Fang Ming stood among the elders and watched silently.
He had known that this world was cruel.
But seeing the clan use its wounded Gu Masters as food for a Rank five Gu still made the truth clearer.
The clan protected its people.
The clan also consumed its people.
When survival was placed above everything, even loyalty became a resource.
The Blood Guillotine multiplied until it became a red tornado. Then it rushed out of the village and swept into the wolf tide.
Wherever it passed, lightning wolves fell one after another. Their blood was sucked dry, and their corpses collapsed onto the ground like dried wood. Ordinary lightning wolves could not resist at all.
Bold lightning wolves and frenzy lightning wolves could release lightning currents to kill some Blood Guillotines, but the swarm was too large. After killing a small portion, they were still swallowed by the red cloud.
The wolf tide's attack on the village weakened quickly.
The red tornado finally reached the Thunder Crown Wolf.
The Thunder Crown Wolf had already broken free from the Iron Chain Snake trap. Its body was covered with wounds, and its blood had not stopped flowing. Seeing the red cloud rush toward it, the myriad beast king raised its head and howled angrily.
Blue lightning burst from its body.
Large amounts of Blood Guillotines were electrocuted and fell like rain.
But the swarm was not afraid of death.
The Thunder Crown Wolf's huge body became a weakness. Blood Guillotines drilled through its wounds and into its flesh, sucking blood from inside. The Thunder Crown Wolf had no choice but to release lightning across its own body, burning its flesh together with the Gu worms.
The smell of cooked meat spread in the air.
The Thunder Crown Wolf struggled violently.
The wolf tide began to fall into disorder.
After a long while, the red cloud had become much thinner. The Thunder Crown Wolf's blood had also been drained by almost half. Its aura weakened greatly, and the lightning around its body became scattered.
Howl—!
The Thunder Crown Wolf turned and fled.
Once it fled, the remaining lightning wolves also lost their fighting spirit. The wolf tide retreated like water.
Gu Yue village survived.
Many Gu Masters collapsed to the ground. Some laughed, while others cried. More people simply stared blankly at the battlefield, unable to believe they were still alive.
Gu Yue Bo did not relax.
"Yao Zhong, Ge Yan, stay behind and settle the village. The rest of the elders, follow me and pursue the Thunder Crown Wolf!"
The Thunder Crown Wolf had been badly injured. Its body contained several valuable Gu worms, and its materials were also precious. If they could kill it now, the clan could recover some of its losses.
Fang Ming followed the elders out of the village.
The Thunder Crown Wolf was heavily injured and could not move quickly. The blood trail it left behind was obvious. After half an hour, the Gu Yue elders finally caught up.
But they were not the first to arrive.
In a valley ahead, the Bai clan leader had already brought several Bai clan elders and blocked the Thunder Crown Wolf.
Gu Yue Bo's expression became cold.
"Old geezer Bai, you truly know how to choose timing."
The Bai clan leader laughed. "Gu Yue Bo, your words are wrong. This Thunder Crown Wolf was stopped by us. Since it has entered this valley, it is naturally our Bai clan's prey."
The two clan leaders looked at each other.
The wolf tide had not yet fully passed, but the cooperation between the clans had already begun to crack.
The Thunder Crown Wolf lay on the ground, breathing heavily. Its body was covered with wounds, and its eyes had dimmed. It was near death.
But the Gu worms inside it were still alive.
This was enough to make both clans fight.
Fang Ming stood among the Gu Yue elders and did not speak.
His gaze swept over the valley.
Bai clan elders.
Gu Yue elders.
The dying Thunder Crown Wolf.
The surrounding terrain.
And the places where someone could hide.
At this moment, a cold laugh came from above.
A white-clothed youth descended from the mountain wall, holding an iceblade.
Bai Ning Bing.
Below him, Gu Yue Fang Yuan's figure flashed.
The two had already clashed earlier. Bai Ning Bing's expression carried madness, while Fang Yuan's movements were cold and direct.
"You forced my hand!" Bai Ning Bing shouted.
The iceblade in his hand grew larger.
At the same time, fierce winds gathered.
A white storm began to form around him.
At first, it was only a small gust. But in a few breaths, the wind expanded, and countless iceblades spun inside it. The ground froze wherever the storm passed.
Iceblade Gu.
Swirl Gu.
Fierce Wind Gu.
The three Gu combined into a dangerous move.
The white storm chased after Fang Yuan, roaring like a beast.
Fang Yuan used Thunderwings Gu and flew out of its range. Instead of avoiding the valley, he rushed directly toward the Thunder Crown Wolf.
"Do not come here!"
"Fang Yuan, get lost!"
The Bai clan and Gu Yue clan Gu Masters shouted angrily.
But Fang Yuan did not slow down.
The white iceblade storm chased behind him. Wherever it passed, Gu Masters on both sides hurriedly dodged. No one wanted to block Bai Ning Bing's attack head-on.
The Thunder Crown Wolf raised its head.
Lightning gathered between its teeth.
Even near death, the pride of a myriad beast king would not allow it to die quietly.
Fang Yuan seemed as if he was about to collide with the Thunder Crown Wolf. But at the last moment, his Thunderwings Gu flapped, and he suddenly rose into the sky, flying out of the valley at a sharp angle.
The iceblade storm did not stop in time.
It smashed into the Thunder Crown Wolf.
Howl—!
The Thunder Crown Wolf's howl mixed with the roar of the storm.
Iceblades cut into its already ruined body. Flesh and blood flew everywhere. Bones were exposed, then ground into powder.
The two clans' Gu Masters cursed at the same time.
The Thunder Crown Wolf's body was a valuable material, but Bai Ning Bing's storm had ruined much of it.
Bai Ning Bing did not care.
His laughter sounded from within the white storm.
At this moment, several rays of light flew out from the Thunder Crown Wolf's body.
The wild Gu worms were escaping.
"Catch them!"
"Stop those Gu!"
The two clans shouted almost at the same time.
The scene immediately fell into chaos.
The Gu worms flew in different directions. Some were wrapped in lightning, some moved like shadows, and some fled close to the ground. The Gu Yue elders and Bai clan elders attacked each other while chasing them, each side trying to stop the other from obtaining the Gu.
Fang Ming's Thunderwings Gu flashed.
He did not chase the brightest light.
The most obvious Gu would draw the most hands. Attack Gu and defensive Gu always attracted the most attention.
His gaze locked onto a faint electric light that moved erratically in the rain.
That Gu did not fly very fast, but each time someone approached it, it shifted direction in advance.
Detection Gu.
Fang Ming already had Snake Tongue Gu, but Snake Tongue Gu was only Rank two. During the wolf tide and the coming chaos on Qing Mao Mountain, Rank three detection ability could decide life and death.
He moved.
Thunderwings Gu pushed him forward. His flying path was steady, not like a newly promoted Gu Master struggling to control the Gu. This was because he had already copied flying skill mastery from Fang Yuan.
But he still restrained his speed.
Too fast would attract attention.
A Bai clan elder also noticed the electric light.
"Move aside!" the Bai elder shouted, sending a water ball toward Fang Ming.
Fang Ming activated Sky Canopy Gu.
The white canopy blocked the water ball, but the impact slowed him slightly.
The electric light tried to escape.
Fang Ming raised his hand.
Moon Edge Gu.
A thin crescent moonblade did not strike the Gu worm directly. Instead, it cut across the air before it, forcing it to change direction.
The electric light turned.
Fang Ming's Thunderwings Gu flashed again.
This time, he appeared beside it.
A small Gu worm appeared in his vision. It looked like a blue eye with thin lightning patterns on its surface.
Lightning Eye Gu.
Rank three detection Gu.
Fang Ming reached out and caught it.
The Gu immediately released electricity, trying to escape. Fang Ming's Sky Canopy Gu trembled as the electric current struck it. He used white silver primeval essence to suppress the Gu, forcing it into a prepared jade box.
The whole process took only a few breaths.
He could not copy it.
His monthly chance had not recovered after copying Eclipse Moonlight Gu.
If he wanted this Gu, he could only seize the original.
Fang Ming sealed the jade box and placed it away.
A Bai clan elder saw this and shouted angrily, but before he could rush over, a Gu Yue elder blocked him.
The scramble continued.
In another direction, Fang Yuan grabbed a Gu worm covered in blue light, but soon gave it up and chased another. Bai Ning Bing pursued him with an iceblade, laughing wildly.
Several elders from both clans fought until their eyes turned red.
Five clan elders had already died in this pursuit and scramble. Some were killed by the Thunder Crown Wolf before it died, while others died under the attacks of the opposing clan.
Benefits had appeared, and the alliance between clans had become thin paper.
Fang Ming did not continue fighting over the remaining Gu.
He had already obtained Lightning Eye Gu. Greed at this point would only increase danger.
He retreated to the side and watched the battlefield.
At this moment, a wolf howl sounded from far away.
The sound was deep and long, like a horn from the mountains.
The elders stopped almost at the same time.
Another wave of wolves appeared from the forest.
Behind them, a huge figure slowly stepped into view.
Its body was like a small hill. Blue scales covered it, and golden fur stood like a crown above its head.
Thunder Crown Wolf.
Another Thunder Crown Wolf.
The expressions of the Gu Yue and Bai clan elders changed.
"There is a fourth Thunder Crown Wolf?" someone shouted.
Fang Ming's hand tightened slightly around the sealed jade box.
The Gu Yue clan had just used its final trump card.
The Bai clan and Gu Yue clan had just fought over spoils.
The elders were injured, tired, and scattered.
Now, another myriad beast king had appeared.