Chapter 176 135: Blood Ghost Jade, Ghost Spirit Body
"However, for anyone without a Ghost Spirit Body, using this Blood Ghost Jade to improve their aptitude will almost always consume their Lifespan."
"My grandfather and my father both died because of the Blood Ghost Jade. Their Lifespans were exhausted prematurely."
Gong Shulan gave a sad, beautiful smile.
The meaning behind her words...
Wei Tu understood.
Gong Shulan was recounting her past and kindly telling him and Kou Hongying about the Blood Ghost Jade's effects to make them give up any desire they had for it.
The Blood Ghost Jade, a Demon Secret Treasure, was not suitable for him or Kou Hongying.
Of course, Wei Tu didn't readily believe Gong Shulan's words. That included her claim of being Hu Yao; he was only half-convinced and didn't truly trust her.
He had revealed his True Body after Kou Hongying and stated that "Gong Shulan" was the "Hu Yao" he had once worked with, all for the sake of maximizing their mutual benefit.
The moment Kou Hongying was discovered, his plan to trap Gong Shulan with an Array was ruined.
There wasn't enough time to travel to the Yuquan Mountain Marketplace and rent an Array.
If Kou Hongying hadn't been discovered, he could have secretly tracked Gong Shulan while waiting for Kou Hongying to rent an Array and return as support.
...
「On the cliff.」
Wei Tu and Kou Hongying faced Gong Shulan from a distance.
"Fellow Daoist Gong, your past is tragic, and I am moved. But these two Storage Bags... Fairy Kou and I will not let them go so easily."
Wei Tu spoke, cutting off Gong Shulan's sob story. A chill crept onto his face.
At his words, Gong Shulan faltered.
She frowned, glancing at Wei Tu several times before nodding. "Now that Fellow Daoist Wei and Fairy Kou have joined forces, and with a Sect Token as your insurance, I am indeed at a disadvantage. I can give these two Storage Bags to you and Fairy Kou..."
"However, I am willing to trade another Treasure for one of the Storage Bags. Would Fellow Daoist Wei be amenable to that?"
She said slowly.
She could tell that Wei Tu was the one in charge.
"Well..." Wei Tu put on a moved expression, as if contemplating whether he should trade a Storage Bag with Gong Shulan.
"It's best to leave a path for retreat, so that we may meet again on good terms."
Gong Shulan smiled faintly. "Fellow Daoist Wei has a cautious nature. If you were truly confident you could deal with me, you wouldn't have shown yourself so easily just to confront me and demand the Storage Bags."
"You would have just attacked and tried to kill me."
She had seen right through Wei Tu's thoughts.
"Fine."
Wei Tu nodded, agreeing to Gong Shulan's request.
'He and Kou Hongying weren't completely certain they could kill Gong Shulan, so it was indeed better not to force her into a desperate situation with no way out.'
"This is the Human Puppet Technique from the Ghost Puppet Sect, a Tier Two Puppet Inheritance."
Gong Shulan flipped her palm, produced a black Jade Scroll, and used her Magical Power to send it toward Wei Tu.
But—
Wei Tu didn't accept the black Jade Scroll. Instead, he summoned his Sky-Splitting Carving and had it grab the scroll to inspect its contents.
'He remembered all too well the miserable state Ren Yifeng was in after he took the Blood Ghost Jade a moment ago.'
Although the Sky-Splitting Carving's Guardian Map Divine Sense was limited and it couldn't see the full contents of the black Jade Scroll, just a corner of the information was enough for Wei Tu to confirm that the Inheritance in the scroll was real.
"A Tier Two Puppet Inheritance is quite valuable, but I don't have time to cultivate it."
After confirming the information on the Jade Scroll, Wei Tu raised an eyebrow and looked at Gong Shulan again.
"This is a piece of a Tier Three Demon Beast's Demon Bone. It can be used to create a Human Puppet. Consider it a gift to Fellow Daoist Wei. After all, you helped me quite a bit back on Danqiu Mountain."
Gong Shulan raised her hand and sent a long, pale-yellow bone, which emanated a faint pressure, into the air.
She showed no sign of resentment at Wei Tu's "looting a burning house."
Seeing this, Wei Tu nodded in agreement.
Next, Wei Tu ordered the Sky-Splitting Carving to snatch Chentang's Storage Bag, then watched as Gong Shulan fled into the distance.
Once Gong Shulan was some distance away, Wei Tu looked at Kou Hongying.
Kou Hongying immediately understood and crushed the Sect Token in her hand.
'Cut the weeds and pull out the roots!'
'Wei Tu didn't know if Gong Shulan was really Hu Yao. But even if she was, at this moment, he would not let her leave.'
'If she really was Hu Yao, given her nature as a Demonic Cultivator, she was probably just using him.'
Ying Bing and Zhuo Yan had hunted him.
Geng Wen had become his enemy.
All of these incidents...
...might be connected to Hu Yao.
A few breaths later, a pale blue Escape Light suddenly shot into the sky from the direction of the Yuquan Mountain Marketplace. It was far faster than any Foundation Establishment Cultivator, like a rainbow, as it streaked toward the cliff where Wei Tu and Kou Hongying stood.
The Escape Light stopped, revealing a beautiful Female Cultivator with a Phoenix Hairpin in her hair and elegant, slanted eyebrows.
"Martial Uncle Gongg," Kou Hongying said, curtsying in greeting upon seeing the beautiful Female Cultivator.
True Monarch Gongg glanced at Kou Hongying, her gaze lingering on Wei Tu for a moment before she asked, "Hongying, why did you crush the Sect Token?"
She had sensed a nearby Sect Token being crushed and, thinking a Disciple was in danger, had rushed over. But she found Kou Hongying was not in peril; on the contrary, everything seemed fine.
"A moment ago, this Disciple discovered someone who appears to be from the Ghost Puppet Sect. She brutally murdered two Foundation Establishment Independent Cultivators from Danqiu Mountain..."
Kou Hongying explained succinctly.
The moment her words fell, True Monarch Gongg immediately gave chase in the direction Gong Shulan had fled.
The Demon Dao was the mortal enemy of the Zheng Country's Cultivation Realm.
Even if Gong Shulan hadn't killed Ren Yifeng and the other man, True Monarch Gongg would not have let her go easily had she encountered her.
Hunting down Demon Cultivators was something Independent Cultivators might not care too much about, but it was the duty of the Cultivators from the Three Immortal Sects.
Wei Tu and Kou Hongying watched True Monarch Gongg depart, then waited where they were for news.
「Half a day passed.」
True Monarch Gongg returned, holding a dead Female Cultivator. She shook her head and said, "This Female Cultivator was just a Human Puppet from the Ghost Puppet Sect... She used the Human Puppet to create a diversion and deceive you both..."
"By the time I tracked her, her aura had already gone deep into the Yaolang Mountain Range..."
"Whether she's dead or alive is still unknown."
"My guess is she's trying to cross the Yaolang Mountain Range to reach the territory of the Five Demonic Sects."
"I've memorized her aura. If she does manage to escape the Yaolang Mountain Range, she won't escape the pursuit of the Three Immortal Sects."
Seeing the uneasy look on Kou Hongying's face, True Monarch Gongg smiled gently and comforted her.
Wei Tu had faith in the capabilities of the Three Immortal Sects.
For so many years, the Five Demonic Sects had failed to invade through the Yaolang Mountain Range. This was partly because the range itself was treacherous land, but also largely due to the blockades and interception points set up by the Three Immortal Sects.
It would be no easy feat for Gong Shulan to return to Zheng Country through the Yaolang Mountain Range.
Furthermore, venturing deep into the Yaolang Mountain Range was an extremely dangerous affair that even True Monarch Gongg dared not take lightly. Gong Shulan was essentially making a desperate gamble for survival; her chances were not high.