Inside a spacious wooden cabin sat six hunters. Five of them stared at the newcomer with a mixture of caution and greed.
"Little brother, these are my fellow hunters from our village. We gathered here to exchange experience and information. As you know, we hunters must help one another when needed."
"What Brother Xing Lu says is true, little brother. No one in our village can rival him in masculinity and strength. It's your fortune—you can exchange experience with him!"
"You're simply lucky, kid!"
Fang Tian found himself in an odd situation. After entering the village, a burly hunter had forcibly dragged him into this cabin upon seeing his hunter-like clothing and learning that he came from another village. Fang Tian had a vague idea of what was going on. Despite all these familiar faces—people who would normally be considered kin—he felt nothing toward them.
They couldn't even connect him to the old Fang Tian.
And that was his opportunity.
"Haha, elder brothers, this junior is embarrassed. Even though I'm a hunter from another village, I can't compare to you in experience."
"No need to worry, kid. Just say what you know—we enjoy helping youngsters."
All of these hunters were middle-aged or older men. How could seventeen-year-old Fang Tian even think of competing with them in their own field?
Fang Tian put on an awkward, foolish smile and spoke innocently. But deep inside, he had already decided that these hunters deserved to learn about some "safe" hunting grounds.
"Ah, elder brothers, there's a place about eight kilometers south of this village. There are small herds of Wind Deer there. It's a very good hunting spot, but I'm too weak to try it myself. However, you brothers are strong—perhaps I could guide you there, and we could split the spoils."
The hunters laughed happily and nodded. They had already decided this boy was as good as dead. What harm was there in sharing information with a dead man?
"Little brother Shao, listen carefully. Since you were generous to us, we'll repay you in kind…"
Fang Tian had chosen Shao Mo as an alias to avoid contact with his former family, so the hunters addressed him by that name. He drank with them, laughed, called them brothers, and raised a toast to tomorrow's hunt. His behavior greatly lowered their guard—they believed he was nothing more than a foolish, inexperienced boy.
At sunrise, the six hunters gathered at the village entrance, preparing their bows and skinning knives. Fang Tian stood at the front, waiting.
Once preparations were complete, the burly hunter Xing Lu grabbed Fang Tian's shoulder and patted it enthusiastically. A glint of malice flashed in his eyes.
"Brother Shao Mo, lead us to fortune. We'll follow behind."
"Yes, brothers, follow me! Today is truly our lucky meeting. If we don't gain wealth, it'll be a lifelong regret!"
Fang Tian smiled and chatted with the hunters as if they were real brothers, while thinking inwardly:
"These men really plan to stab me in the back. Hah… you should curse your bad luck for meeting me."
Fang Tian ran ahead, with the hunters following. Their bodies were powerful and sturdy—capable of running continuously for over an hour without issue.
As for Fang Tian, he had grown accustomed to mountain travel over the past months, barely managing to keep pace while maintaining the appearance of a hunter. Although he was a Gu Master, without using Gu Worms, he was no different from ordinary people—perhaps even weaker.
Thus, despite being Rank Two, he needed to lead them hundreds of meters into the mountain before taking any action, so as not to be detected by the village's supervising Gu Master.
From the information Fang Tian had gathered, the Gu Master in charge of the village was a man in his mid-twenties at peak Rank One. Even though Fang Tian was Rank Two, he wasn't confident he could kill him and erase all traces.
And why kill him at all? Doing so would draw the attention of Yan Zu Clan, whereas keeping him alive maintained stability and prevented clan interference—though it limited Fang Tian's freedom of action.
The hunters ran for nearly forty minutes before one of the older hunters panted:
"Brother Shao, how much farther? We've come a long way, but haven't seen any Wind Deer."
Xing Lu replied impatiently:
"Idiot. If Wind Deer were that easy to find, the entire mountain would've been cleaned out already."
Indeed, Wind Deer were strange creatures—extremely fast, with small bodies compared to normal deer. What made them valuable were the males' antlers, which were in high demand by Yan Zu Clan. The clan paid two Primeval Stones per pair.
This greed drove the hunters to plan Fang Tian's death so they could keep the wealth for themselves. As the saying goes: birds die for food, humans die for wealth.
Thus, Fang Tian's death had already been decided in their minds.
"Elder brothers, just a bit farther—we'll arrive soon."
After moving another hundred meters, one hunter noticed a crack in the mountain where wind flowed inward.
"Brothers, come look—this fissure is strange. It looks man-made."
"Yes, Brother Xing, it does. Why doesn't someone go in and check?"
The hunters turned toward Fang Tian, smiling foolishly as they gestured for him to enter. Fang Tian feigned weak submission and stepped into the cave—one extremely familiar to him.
Twenty minutes later, he returned covered in dust and ash.
"Elder brothers, it looks like an old dwelling. I'm not sure what it was exactly, but there are strange materials inside. There's even a water spring—the view is amazing! You really must see it."
Greed and malice flashed in the hunters' eyes. Without thinking, they rushed inside, knocking Fang Tian to the ground as they scrambled through the entrance.
Fang Tian watched calmly as they surged forward, preparing to activate his Gu to suppress and enslave them.
"Brother Xing, you're stepping on my head!"
"Get your hands off my ass, damn you!"
The hunters rushed eagerly into the Inheritance Cave, while Fang Tian followed slowly behind. Once the last of them entered, Fang Tian stepped in effortlessly.
The hunters rummaged around wildly, searching for treasure—but found nothing.
"Brother Shao, where are the strange materials and the spring you mentioned? If this is a joke, it's not funny."
They glared at him with hostility, gripping their daggers, ready to rush him.
What greeted them instead were dozens of thick vines, like tree trunks, erupting from the ground and carving deep grooves into the stone.
"Y-you're a Gu Master!"
The hunters trembled, their faces pale as the vine limbs swayed threateningly within the narrow cave.
Xing Lu spoke with what little courage he had left:
"B-Brother Shao—no, Master Shao Mo… so you're a Gu Master, haha… I knew someone as outstanding as you couldn't be an ordinary human like us…"
He fawned nervously, fear shaking his voice. The hunters' bodies trembled as four vines seized Xing Lu.
"Elder Brother Xing Lu, what a smooth talker. No wonder you're the leader of this flock of sheep… So, you wanted to kill me? How stupid."
The hunters shuddered at his last words.
"We wouldn't dare, Master Shao Mo!"
"Forgive us, Master—we didn't know your noble identity!"
"Silence!"
At Fang Tian's command, they clamped their mouths shut—even Xing Lu, crushed by vines, held his breath.
"You plotted to kill me, steal my wealth, and lie to my face… I've never seen humans as shameless as you. Perhaps I should kill you all to atone for your sins."
Ignoring their cries, Fang Tian extended dozens of vine limbs, seized them all, and dragged them through a hidden passage into the First Inheritance Hall. He gestured at the chaotic mess he called home—and a mountain of Primeval Stones nearly eight meters tall.
"From today onward, you are no longer free humans—only slaves without will or opinion. Your lives and deaths are in my hands. If you dare steal anything or violate my property, you will die. You will do exactly as I say—no questions, no hesitation. If you resist, you'll end up like this."
With that, he crushed Hunter Xin with brutal force. His eyes bulged from their sockets as bones shattered, flesh and skin tearing apart. One hunter vomited; the others turned away in horror. Even Fang Tian felt disgusted—but he forced himself to continue.
A vine pierced Xin's body and tore out his bloody heart, delivering it to Fang Tian.
"Now clean this up and follow me."
The vines released the hunters, dropping them to the ground. When no one moved, Fang Tian kicked the nearest one hard in the stomach. The rest scrambled for tools to clean up Xin's remains.
Twenty minutes later, the area—including Fang Tian's living space—was completely cleaned and organized. Fang Tian nodded in satisfaction, tossed one Primeval Stone to each hunter, and ordered them to bring the corpse remains and follow him.
He led them to the Second Inheritance Hall. The massive door had been destroyed, leaving the entrance permanently open. Several Dragon Canopy Tree Beast shrubs—four to five feet tall—grew outside. They did not attack Fang Tian, recognizing him, but when they sensed the hunters' presence, their crowns trembled slightly.
The hunters placed the corpse remains before the Hundred Beast King, Dragon Canopy Tree. When the dragon head emerged, the hunters collapsed in terror—but the head ignored them, devouring the corpse before retracting.
"Good. This is your new home. If you try to escape, you know what will happen—so it's better to be obedient slaves."
Leaving them behind, Fang Tian headed deeper into the Second Hall to Refine a Gu that He going to need.