"But, isn't Shang Yan Fei a practitioner of the Blood Path? Why hasn't he gotten into trouble and can still peacefully serve as the Clan Chief of the Shang Family?"
Yuan Fang asked, full of confusion.
Fang Yuan responded indifferently:
"What kind of person is Shang Yan Fei? He was the righteous leader during the great battle at Yi Tian Mountain! Central Continent loathes the Blood Path so much, yet which of the mighty Ten Great Ancient Sects doesn't possess Blood Path methods? The Heavenly Court's Demon Judgment Board is even an immortal gu house of the Blood Path!"
The Blood Path is indeed useful. It's just that the Righteous Path uses it secretly, the Demonic Path dares not use it, and Blood Path Gu Masters are forced to use it out of necessity. In the face of absolute power, all talk of benevolence and morality appears so pale and feeble.
After exploring the flower wine inheritance, Fang Yuan stepped into the Clan Leader Pavilion again and said directly to Clan Chief Gu Yue Bo:
"Clan Chief, I need to leave the village for a few months."
"What?"
Upon hearing this, Gu Yue Bo's expression turned stern, and he confirmed again;
"You want to leave the village?"
"The next clue for the flower wine inheritance lies at White Bone Mountain. To continue exploring this Legacy, a trip to White Bone Mountain is absolutely necessary."
When Fang Yuan said this, his gaze was resolute, as if the dangers of White Bone Mountain were nothing to him.
Of course, the Flower Wine Walker didn't know White Bone Mountain held a Legacy. If he had known, how could the Legacy have remained until now? Fang Yuan even suspected that the Flower Wine Walker had never been to White Bone Mountain at all.
"White Bone Mountain..."
Gu Yue Bo fell into silence. He was well aware of the dangers of White Bone Mountain, especially the back mountain, where even a Ten Thousand Beast King had taken up residence.
"Correct, the Legacy location is on the back mountain. It's said there's even an origin spring nearby."
"The back mountain? An origin spring? Wait, White Bone Mountain actually has an origin spring? Is this true?"
"It is indeed true."
Gu Yue Bo deeply understood the importance of an origin spring—the one in Gu Yue Village had been used for a thousand years and would inevitably be depleted in a few hundred years. If a new origin spring could be found at White Bone Mountain, it would pave the way for the Family's future.
"Very well, this is a matter that kills two birds with one stone. Although perilous, it's worth the risk."
Having made up his mind, Gu Yue Bo then said to Fang Yuan:
"Fang Yuan, you are the hope of our clan. Venturing outside makes you an easy target for assassination, and White Bone Mountain is extremely dangerous. Therefore, you must advance to Rank Three before you can go."
Fang Yuan nodded upon hearing this. In this life, being reborn with A-grade talent had brought him countless benefits, but now, it had instead become a stumbling block for him.
Yet, Fang Yuan showed not a trace of disappointment or surprise, which struck the observing Yuan Fang as very strange.
Fang Yuan listened to this Rank Four Gu Master not out of so-called Family interests or moral principles. Yuan Fang already knew this, but then he heard Fang Yuan say:
"Yuan Fang, do you remember the blood wing gu?"
"blood wing gu? That's the unique Gu insect you created when you founded the Blood Wing Demonic Cult back then, right?"
"Didn't you only deduce the recipe for the blood wing gu up to Rank Three to Rank Five? Do you plan to use a Rank Three blood wing gu for an extended period with a Rank Two cultivation?"
Fang Yuan didn't respond to Yuan Fang. Instead, he bid farewell to Gu Yue Bo and walked out of the solemn Clan Leader Pavilion.
Just after leaving the pavilion, he saw the Qing Shu Group approaching head-on. Group Leader Gu Yue Qing Shu, upon seeing Fang Yuan, smiled and waved. The other group members behind Qing Shu looked at this number one Genius of Gu Yue Village with curiosity.
The only difference was Ancient Moon Fangzheng beside Qing Shu. Fang Zheng kept his head lowered, his face flushed with shame, not daring to meet the gaze of his dazzlingly brilliant older brother, Fang Yuan.
Fang Yuan simply ignored his younger brother Fang Zheng's behavior. He just smiled and said to Qing Shu:
"Lord Qing Shu, my funds are... a bit tight lately."
Upon hearing this, Gu Yue Qing Shu didn't even blink. Under Fang Yuan's slightly surprised gaze, he pulled out three hundred Primeval Stones from a Rank Two storage-type Gu insect, the 'Big Belly Frog,' and handed them directly to Fang Yuan:
"Fang Yuan, here are my three hundred Primeval Stones. From now on, I am your creditor."
At this moment, several group members beside Qing Shu also contributed some Primeval Stones. Even Fang Zheng took out five. This wasn't because Fang Zheng was stingy, but because he genuinely had no money.
Gu Yue Dongtu wanted Fang Zheng to succeed but was unwilling to invest too many Primeval Stones, skimping on him everywhere. As a result, Fang Zheng couldn't even come up with ten Primeval Stones.
It could be said that the main reason Fang Zheng's cultivation progress lagged behind Fang Yuan's was precisely this.
With a single sentence, Fang Yuan received nearly a thousand Primeval Stones, making Fang Zheng both envious and jealous—he had never seen so many Primeval Stones in his life.
"Lord Qing Shu, I respectfully accept. I'll take these five hundred Primeval Stones."
"Lord Qing Shu, I wish to go to the Internal Affairs Hall to accept a Family Property Mission, to inherit my parents' estate, to fund my cultivation and repay my debt as soon as possible."
Fang Yuan's usually cold expression now held a touch of sincerity, and his eyes even feigned gratitude.
Of course, repaying the Primeval Stones was impossible. First time is unfamiliar, second time is familiar; next time, he would borrow again.
Upon hearing Fang Yuan wanted to inherit his parents' estate, Fang Zheng was greatly shocked. He wanted to say something but helplessly swallowed his words.
"Fang Yuan, that is certainly possible. However, we just accepted a cooperative mission. We need to join the Chi Shan Group first to hunt the Wild Boar King on Qing Mao Mountain."
Qing Shu said with a kind smile.
Yuan Fang had a strong impression of this Gu Yue Chi Shan. In fact, Chi Shan's experience was very similar to Fang Yuan's in his previous life:
Fang Yuan was hailed as a Genius in his youth. Chi Shan was also exceptionally gifted, possessing strength greater than an adult's even as an infant. Both were regarded as A-grade geniuses from childhood.
Unfortunately, during the Aperture Opening Ceremony, Fang Yuan was only C-grade, and Chi Shan was only B-grade.
Despite this, Gu Yue Chi Shan remained the number one Strongman of Gu Yue Village.
Without the aid of Strength Path Gu insects, he could kill a full-grown tiger with one punch. Without being a Strength Path Gu Master, he could engage in hand-to-hand combat with Bear Strength, who possessed the strength of two bears.
Gu Yue Qing Shu was the number one Rank Two in Gu Yue Village, while Gu Yue Chi Shan could be called the number two Rank Two.
As for Gu Yue Mo Yan, although she shared their fame, in terms of actual strength, she was not on the same level as Qing Shu and Chi Shan.
As for Gu Yue Qing Shu, Fang Yuan believed that even a Rank Three Gu Master might not necessarily defeat him.
In the original work, Gu Yue Qing Shu, relying on his Rank Two cultivation, nearly killed Bai Ning Bing, only to die by his own hand due to overusing the wood charm gu.
The Wild Boar King for this mission was very strong—a Thousand Beast King, powerful enough to battle a Rank Three Cultivator.
In the forest, a giant wild boar was foraging, surrounded by hundreds of other wild boars.
These boars had just engaged in a great battle with a wild Grass Skirt Monkey Group, losing many of their own. The giant Wild Boar King was also wounded.
At that moment, a water-blue Moon Blade flew in. The Wild Boar King grunted, a bloody gash appearing on its body. A spider web shot out, enveloping the Wild Boar King. Over a dozen Rank Two Gu Masters charged forward—it was the Qing Shu and Chi Shan Groups.
Seeing their leader wounded, the boar herd raised their stark white tusks. Hundreds of boars surged forward like a tide.
Seeing this, Qing Shu signaled for everyone to halt. Fang Zheng also activated his Rank Two defensive Gu, "moon shawl," enveloping everyone within a blue membrane of light.
The boar herd drew closer, but the group remained utterly calm.
Qing Shu activated his Pine Needle Gu. Dense, sharp pine needles flew from behind him, directly skewering a row of boars. The boars in the back rows also turned into porcupines.
There were too many boars. In the end, they crashed against the light membrane released by the moon shawl.
Seeing the light membrane about to fail, Gu Yue Chi Shan directly punched a wild boar to death, activated his defensive Gu, and charged straight towards a Hundred Beast King-level boar.
"Thud!"
Chi Shan's fist struck the Hundred Beast King's head, instantly dazing it. The Gu Masters behind him also unleashed Moon Blades to assist Chi Shan.
Fang Yuan said nothing, merely shielding the group behind him.
"Brother! What are you doing?"
Fang Zheng looked furiously at Fang Yuan, who stood watching with arms crossed in the distance. Fang Zheng was exerting all his effort to maintain the moon shawl, and was already drenched in sweat after just a short while.
"My foolish brother, are you blind? I'm providing cover, to prevent the wild boars from escaping."
Fang Yuan spoke with righteous conviction, utterly unashamed, infuriating Fang Zheng who was hopping mad.
"Brother! There are so many wild boars, what kind of cover are you even providing!" Fang Zheng, both angry and anxious, immediately began cursing.
"Shadow Following Gu."
Fang Yuan couldn't be bothered with his brother. With a thought, he vanished into the darkness.
Fang Zheng had never imagined his brother could be so shameless.
The battle raged on. Just then, the Wild Boar King broke free from the spiderweb restraints, roared, and charged forward.
Seeing this, everyone paled and immediately unleashed a barrage of Moon Blades, Pine Needles, Fire Bullets, and other attacks. However, these attacks landed on the thick-skinned Wild Boar King to little effect.
"Green Vine Gu!"
A green vine shot from Qing Shu's hand, coiling around the massive Wild Boar King like a giant python.
The Wild Boar King kept charging, the vines on its body constantly snapping. Its hill-like body slammed directly into the moon shawl's light membrane, shattering it on the spot.
Everyone scrambled to dodge, but one female Gu Master couldn't evade in time and was impaled by the boar's tusks, dying instantly.
"Yao Hong, heal everyone." Qing Shu said to a female Gu Master named Yao Hong.
Yao Hong didn't hesitate, immediately activating her healing Gu worms. The wounds on the surrounding Gu Masters began to heal instantly, and the Chi Shan Group's healing Gu Masters also treated everyone.
The Wild Boar King shook its head, and the Gu Master's corpse on its tusk fell off.
At that moment, a Moon Blade flew from the darkness, slashing at the Wild Boar King's neck, immediately tearing open the flesh.
Fang Yuan emerged from the darkness, raising his hand and sending two more Moon Blades towards the Wild Boar King's neck.
Three consecutive Moon Blades struck, all hitting the Wild Boar King's neck with pinpoint accuracy. Even with defensive Gu worms on its body, blood now gushed from its wounds.
"Well done! Fang Yuan."
Qing Shu praised. He had been about to activate the wood charm gu, but Fang Yuan's few Moon Blades had turned the tide, which naturally pleased him.
Although the wood charm gu was powerful, its side effects were severe. It was best not to use it if possible.
Seeing the Wild Boar King's injuries worsen, Qing Shu didn't let this opportunity slip. Activating the Green Vine Gu, a vine lashed out, and countless Pine Needles rained down like a storm.
The Wild Boar King was now covered in wounds. Seeing it was outmatched, it turned and fled.
"After it! Quick!"
Gu Yue Qing Shu and Gu Yue Chi Shan led the charge, with over a dozen Gu Masters behind them forming a 'V' shape as they charged towards the boar herd. The boars fought desperately to protect their king, but the formidable Qing Shu and Chi Shan swiftly slaughtered a large number of them.
Seeing the Wild Boar King getting closer, Gu Yue Chi Shan leaped into the air, landed on the boar's back, and began raining down punches. The flurry of fists was dizzying, each blow drawing blood. In no time, his fists were a bloody mess.
The Wild Boar King tried to flee, turning its head to charge at the group.
It headed straight for Gu Yue Chi Cheng, who had just stepped out of the academy. Seeing this, he froze in panic, only to see a green vine fly over, bind him, and then fling him behind Qing Shu.
Seeing Gu Yue Qing Shu use the vine to save him, Chi Cheng was immensely grateful and was about to thank him. Suddenly, the Wild Boar King shook its head, throwing Chi Shan off its back.
At that moment, a sudden change occurred.
A figure shot out from the darkness, holding a one-meter-long chainsaw. Descending from above, with a single strike, the Wild Boar King's massive head was severed.
Everyone looked. Fang Yuan remained expressionless. The Serrated Gold Centipede in his hand spun its silver-edged teeth, emitting a terrifying 'whirring' chainsaw sound.
Ignoring everyone's gazes, Fang Yuan shouldered the Serrated Gold Centipede and began sawing flesh from the Wild Boar King's body.
At that moment, a Gu worm escaped from the Wild Boar King's body. Fang Yuan grabbed it and refined it instantly.
It was a black swine gu, with the same effect as the white jade gu, capable of adding the strength of one boar. Seeing it was a black swine gu, everyone finally reacted.
"Fang Yuan! What are you doing? We all killed this Wild Boar King together! The spoils should be shared equally!"
Gu Yue Chi Cheng's face flushed red with anger. Although Gu Yue Chi Shan beside him remained silent, his grim expression clearly agreed with Chi Cheng's words.
"Brother! How could you do this!"
Fang Zheng was even more furious and anxious, filled with indignation.
However, no matter how the others accused or cursed him, Fang Yuan paid no heed. The Serrated Gold Centipede in his hand hummed continuously, and his work of cutting the Wild Boar King's flesh never stopped.
This was Thousand Beast King-level flesh, containing Rank Three-level combat power, an excellent raw material for refining blood path gu materials.
Another Gu worm darted out from the Wild Boar King's corpse. Fang Yuan, quick as lightning, snatched it and refined it instantly.
It was a Rank Three Pig Skin Gu. While its defense wasn't top-tier, it fed on pigskin and was very easy to raise.
"Fang Yuan, that's enough..."
Gu Yue Qing Shu couldn't bear to watch any longer, his tone full of helplessness. Fang Yuan's greed was simply too blatant.
"Understood, Lord Qing Shu."
Fang Yuan replied without looking up.
Hearing this, Qing Shu's expression softened slightly. Although Fang Yuan acted outrageously, at least he was willing to listen. But he never expected that Fang Yuan's next move would shock and enrage even someone as mild-mannered and steady as himself.
"Rank Three Pig Skin Gu, who wants to buy it?"
Fang Yuan continued cutting the Wild Boar King's flesh while loudly calling out his price. Before his words faded, another Gu worm darted out, which he grabbed and refined instantly.
It was a Rank Two tusk Gu, an attack Gu.
"Rank Two tusk Gu, priced at five hundred Primeval Stones! Also, the Pig Skin Gu, two thousand five hundred Primeval Stones. Anyone want it?"
Fang Yuan paid no attention to the crowd's stares, hawking his wares as if it were the most natural thing.
Gu Yue Qing Shu finally couldn't suppress his anger. He stepped forward, forcibly pulled Fang Yuan away, and said angrily:
"You've gone too far!"
"So what?" Yuan Fang thought to himself.
"Fang... sigh..."
Qing Shu ultimately couldn't bring himself to fully reprimand him. If not for Fang Yuan's final decisive blow, this hunt wouldn't have concluded so smoothly.
Therefore, he didn't actually demand the spoils back. Seeing this, Chi Shan also broke his silence, looking at Fang Yuan and saying solemnly:
"How many Primeval Stones for the black swine gu? I'll pay seven hundred for it."
"The black swine gu isn't for sale. Want any of the other Gu worms?" Fang Yuan's tone was indifferent.
"Here are two thousand five hundred Primeval Stones. I want that Pig Skin Gu." Someone immediately offered.
In the end, both the tusk Gu and the Pig Skin Gu were successfully sold.
At the same time, Fang Yuan also traded that tusk Gu with a logistics Gu Master from the Chi Shan Group for a Big Belly Frog Gu—
This Gu worm was a storage-type Gu, exactly what he urgently needed right now, perfect for holding Primeval Stones and boar meat.