"Kill!" Wang Da growled, ferociously leaping into the air from the tree branch.
As he was about to get near to his mortal enemy, three moonblades shot out from nowhere suddenly and intercepted him midway.
"Why is there a fourth Gu Master?" Wang Da's heart sank, twisting his body forcefully in midair, narrowing avoiding two moonblades. The remaining one, which he could no longer evade, hit his left leg.
Bang!
Wang Da crashed onto the ground, lowering his head to look at his left leg. There was a wound, deep and long, blood already dripping all over.
"Damn..." Wang Da gritted his teeth, his heart thinking, "Shadow Follower Gu!"
Immediately, he turned into a lump of dark shadow as his speed rose drastically, moving backwards without a sound.
At this moment
A Gu worm flew out from nowhere, at the same time an old and weary voice sounded out —
"Flash Blink Gu, explode."
The Gu worm exploded on command, turning into a blinding white light.
"Ah!" Wang Da shrieked. His body which had turned into shadows went back to his human form.
Even though the Flash Blink Gu was just a Rank One consumable, it was the perfect counter to Wang Da's Shadow Follower Gu.
Once the light shattered the darkness, the Rank Two Shadow Follower Gu would be rendered unusable for three full hours.
In nature, everything has its counter—no matter how powerful.
Despite the Shadow Follower Gu's formidable stealth, its weakness was just as severe.
Having been exposed, Wang Da felt a deep despair settle in.
This fourth Gu Master was clearly experienced—not only had he chosen the right Gu, but he had also remained expertly hidden.
Wang Da now had no escape route, his best method of retreat disabled.
"I am Gu Yue Sou, lad, if you surrender now, my clan might still spare your life!" A white haired, silver beard Rank two Gu Master appeared in front of Wang Da's vision.
"Spare me, hmph, I'll kill you first!" Wang Da knew that if it was dragged, there would be more Gu Masters appearing to deal with him, he had to kill this fourth Gu Master as soon as possible.
"My primeval essence only has 20% left, be it revenge or preserving my life, I have to kill this meddlesome old fellow first!" Wang Da picked up his spirits and jumped towards Gu Yue Sou.
Gu Yue Sou let out a snort as hair sprouted wildly from every part of his body—even from his pores—rapidly weaving together into a spiked, snow-white armor.
In just a breath, he resembled a living porcupine clad in a bristling battle shell.
Wang Da's expression darkened. This seasoned Gu Master's transformation made it impossible for him to find an opening.
His own Rank Two Gu, Love Life Separation, though lethally toxic, lacked offensive force—it was designed for ambushes, not direct confrontations.
With only the Shadow Follower Gu and Love Life Separation in his arsenal, Wang Da lacked any form of defense.
If he had a protective Gu worm, that earlier moonblade wouldn't have struck him.
"Hmph, if I cannot deal with you, I'll kill Fang Yuan first!" Wang Da was not stupid. The three years of living had made him cunning and ruthless.
He moved quickly, getting around Gu Yue Sou and attacking the culprit of his family's murder.
"Dream on!" Gu Yue Sou activated his primeval essence, and his body of spikes immediately shot out two sharp pins, spiralling and flying five to six metres towards Wang Da.
Wang Da's body shifted, narrowly avoiding the two snow white spikes.
On his hands, his ten nails were half a palm long, purple and dark, the fog state poison circulating them.
"Die!" Wang Da was already mad from battle, laughing maniacally as he rushed towards his target.
In his eyes, Fang Yuan's face was full of shock and panic.
Killing intent had overtaken Wang Da's brain, he could almost hear himself piercing Fang Yuan's skin, and his indignant last breath.
"You wish!"
Seeing that he was about to succeed, another person appeared, blocking Wang Da's way.
The fifth Gu Master rushed over from nearby!
"It's actually the Love Life Separation?" This middle-aged man was unmoved by Wang Da's crazy and ferocious demeanour.
Rock Skin Gu!
The middle-aged man surged his primeval essence, crimson-steel energy billowing out like mist.
In an instant, his bare arms shifted from a yellow hue to a pale, stone-grey, swelling rapidly like inflating bladders until they became massive, solid rock-like limbs.
As the two neared each other, Wang Da's face contorted further with madness, while the middle-aged Gu Master remained composed, extending both stone arms in an attempt to seize Wang Da.
"Trying to get me with this speed?" Wang Da showed a mocking expression.
The middle-aged man's limbs were covered by a thick rock skin, even Wang Da's nails could not penetrate. But the arms were really too heavy and slow. Wang Da felt that he could easily evade them.
"Really? Jade Wind Wheel!" The middle-aged Gu Master shouted, and suddenly a pair of jade-coloured cyclones circulated around his rock arm like armbands.
The rock arm's speed immediately rose!
"How can that be… urgh!" Wang Da's face was shocked as he was swept by the rock arm and flew away.
The middle-aged Gu Master was experienced in battle. If he had used the bee Gu Jade Wind Wheel from the start, Wang Da might not have fallen so easily.
Wang Da was sent flying by the rock arm, falling on the ground in a mess. The chest that was hit felt pain.
Puke.
He barely got up, but could not help but vomit blood.
"5% primeval essence left, I'm gonna die." He checked his aperture, laughing bitterly. Seeing Fang Yuan near him, he showed insane resolve on his face, "Even if I die, you will join me!"
Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!
He ignored his injuries and rushed out.
"Block him!" The middle-aged Gu Master was a pure close-ranged fighter with no long range Gu, at once he could do nothing.
The old Gu Master had already arrived, his body's white hair turning into finger-sized spirals as they flew like nimble snakes, extending five to six metres and reached from behind, piercing Wang Da's body.
But Wang Da did not care, rushing out regardless.
"Die!!!" He screamed loudly, his ten fingernails already fifty centimetres long.
The middle-aged Gu Master chased after, and upon seeing this scene, his expression changed as he could no longer stop it.
Seeing that Wang Da was about to get his way, a bright blue jade light burst from the other side.
"Jade Skin Gu!" Under the pressure of life and death, Fang Zheng screamed out loudly.
A tough layer of jade-like skin instantly coated his body.
Wang Da's fingers, sharp as blades, struck at him. Though Love Life Separation lacked direct offensive power, the Rank one Jade Skin Gu wasn't durable enough to resist his claw-like nails.
A furious roar followed!
An elder Gu Master, witnessing Fang Zheng on the verge of death, let out a desperate cry, his eyes widening in horror.
More snow-white hair needles exploded outward, penetrating Wang Da's body from every direction.
The quills, like living serpents, drilled through his back and out his chest, then coiled around his neck, arms, and legs.
Hot blood gushed from his wounds, soaking the white fur in crimson.
Now covered in thick white hair, Wang Da resembled a wild boar impaled on green bamboo spikes—frozen in place, unable to move.
A wave of overwhelming dizziness crashed over him. Wang Da let out a pitiful laugh, knowing the end had come.
What an unsatisfying way to go.
As his vision dimmed, a hazy blur overtaking the world, the clearest memory from his entire life rose one final time.
"Wan Er…." He subconsciously called out his wife's name, as the knife on his hand pierced her body.
"Why?" His wife looked at Wang Da, her beautiful face showing confusion and shock, tightly staring at Wang Da's eyes.
Wang Da's eyes were red, as his body shivered, forcing out a word from his mouth, "Sorry."
His wife smiled slightly, her smile full of love. There was not a single drop of hate.
"I understand," She said.
She reached out her right hand, wanting to gently touch Wang Da's face one final time.
But before she could, her hand fell limply.
He had killed his own wife, tearing out her heart to refine the Love Life Separation Gu.
From that moment forward, he gained power—stepping firmly onto the demonic path.
Did he regret it?
Since that day, he had asked himself this question over and over.
Yes.
He regretted it deeply—so much that death would have been easier to bear.
It was this regret that drove him to swear: he would protect the rest of his remaining family no matter what.
But.
But....
"If I could start from the beginning again, Wan Er, I would still do the same…." Emotional tears poured from Wang Da's red eyes.
Fang Zheng stood frozen, his entire body glowing faintly with jade-colored light.
From beginning to end, he remained filled with confusion and doubt.
A stranger—an unknown Gu Master—had charged at him with killing intent, but Fang Zheng had never seen him before.
Facing the oppressive presence of death, his body wouldn't move. His mind went blank, only reacting instinctively by activating his Jade Skin Gu.
Wang Da's claws broke through the jade defense slightly, piercing just a centimeter into his skin—but no further.
He collapsed and died.
Tears streamed down his face as he passed.
"Its… over?" Fang Zheng breathed roughly, his eyes losing focus and seemed rather hollow.
Then, a strong sense of dizziness overcame him.
Plop.
He also fell on the ground.
Love Life Separation, the strongest Rank two poison. Although it did not pierce through all the jade skin, the poison already invaded his body.