47. Result
A/N: I can’t believe this fiction received such a warm welcome. Thank you everyone for such overwhelming support. Truly, I mean it with as much sincerity as the tiniest particle in Great Love Venerable’s hair. Nah, but truly, thank you. Chapter 47 marks the beginning of the second volume—Another Slap.
***
The Gu World is what flat-earthers of Lo Jik’s previous world will cream for. The Gu World is not a ‘planet’ but an isolated plane divided by hundreds and thousands of layers! This plane, on the surface, is divided into five regions. Each region is several times more spacious than Lo Jik’s previous world—The Central Continent, Northern Plains, Southern Border, Western Desert, and Eastern Sea.
There existed two renowned Gu Masters in the Central Continent hundreds of years ago. They were righteous and chased the Demonic scum to the end of the world. Their synergy was unmatched! They flew on elegant cranes, controlling beast tides and punishing the sinners. They were called the Righteous Twin Cranes of the Immortal Crane Sect. They were closer than blood-related siblings and inspired awe among their peers.
On one such crusade against a demonic Gu Master, the brothers accidentally discovered an inheritance ground. It belonged to the famous Rank 7 Blood Sea Ancestor. It would have been fine if this was an ordinary inheritance. The Brothers would destroy it before it formed a Blood Calamity.
Only…
It wasn’t.
According to the tales, the Blood Sea Ancestor hid true inheritance within hundreds and thousands of ordinary sites! This inheritance possessed the means to change one’s fate and hint for the Immortal Realm! A True Inheritance! The Junior Brother moved quickly and won the inheritance! He earned fusion recipes and a set of Blood Gu that would make others sigh enviously.
The Senior Brother should have been happy. They were closer than others. They took care of each other and studied under the same master!
He wasn’t.
Rage and frustration burned within the Senior Brother’s chest. His Junior Brother had the better talent and their master’s love. Everyone sought after one of the Righteous Cranes and regarded the other as a mere stepping stone. Even his Junior Brother’s fortune was better, and he got such an enticing Inheritance. Did Heaven hate the Senior Brother so much? Did he deserve nothing?
Despite possessing lower talent, the Senior Brother worked several times harder! Was his effort meant to fade under his Junior Brother’s brilliance?
Hate!
He hated all this! He despised the unfairness of this world. If the world is destined to be Unfair and cruel, why must he be fair and righteous?
If Heaven doesn’t recognize his efforts, that’s fine. He will clench his fate in his palm! If his Master had no love to share, that’s fine! He will love himself more! If being Demonic will let him grow in this world—
He will become a demon!
And a demon he became!
The Senior Brother decisively stole the Gu and attempted to murder his Junior Brother. However, the latter escaped. Knowing he couldn’t stay in the Central Continent, the Senior Brother moved to a different land.
Senior Brother—First Gen Gu Yue.
Junior Brother—Lord Sky Crane.
Filled with hate against his senior brother, Lord Sky Crane refined a Kinship Bloodworm. This Rank 5 Gu detected the blood relatives of the person whose heart’s blood is used to refine it. Lord Sky Crane murdered Gu Yue First Gen’s two sons to refine this Gu! He would search for the bastard who stole his opportunity. The Immortal Crane Sect was also interested in the Inheritance and assisted Lord Sky Crane. However, the detection range of the Rank 5 Gu was small. The hatred in Lord Sky Crane’s heart deepened with every passing year. Too much time passed. Lord Sky Crane was given the Rank 5 Life-Retaining Jade Burial Gu to preserve his life and keep searching for the Gu Yue First Gen.
Lord Sky Crane traveled the Gu World to search for Gu Yue First Gen. He almost lost hope.
However, his perseverance paid off! Lord Sky Crane finally located the Gu Yue First Gen. Knowing his Senior Brother would have gotten more powerful, Lord Sky Crane used Tie Xue Leng. He sent a letter to the Divine Investigator, explaining the possible Blood Calamity brewing under Qing Mao Mountain.
However, Tie Xue Leng proved weaker than the Demonic First Gen Gu Master.
What was the inheritance?
Why did it cause so much hatred and massacres?
Blood Skull Gu.
This miraculous Gu can absorb the blood of blood relatives, refine it, and shower the Gu Master’s body with a sweet blood potion that raises their aptitude!
Too shocking!
This could make anyone rise to heaven! This Gu’s effect can change the outlook of Clans and will also incur the Super Clan’s envy!
The First Gen Gu Yue wanted his line to propagate. He admitted that he did not want to kill everyone. Why? He used one of the recipes of the Blood Gu to refine his bloodline. According to his calculations—a Gu Master with an Ancient Yin Desolate Physique would appear. Killing and refining that Gu Master would instantly raise Gu Yue First Gen’s aptitude to 99%, removing the need to kill others. However, Lord Sky Crane’s actions ruined everything!
The Senior Brother was also hateful, too!
He knew the Tie Clan would make a move, and he could not stay in Qing Mao Mountain. So, he decisively killed all the Gu Yue Clansmen to increase his aptitude. The Senior Brother also used the Blood Guillotine to kill other Gu Masters and multiply their numbers to deal with Lord Sky Crane. Unfortunately, the battle with Tie Xue Leng reduced his battle power. After all, Tie Xue Leng destroyed his Rank 5 Blood Frenzy Gu!
Rank 5 Blood Frenzy Gu is formless, like a ball of blood-red essence. This Gu corrupts other Gu Worms. It makes a Gu Master’s Gu absorb natural essence like the Wild Gu Worms before turning into a puddle of Blood!
Of course, Gu Yue Clan’s Ancestor’s conspiracy did not end there. He was fortunate enough to find a Rank 4 Yin-Yang Rotation Gu. This Gu is like the Rank 3 Undying Grass Gu. Using the Yin or Yang part of the Gu can fully heal a Gu Master for 10% of their aptitude. Gu Yue First Gen wanted to return to his human body after increasing his Aptitude. But fearing Lord Sky Crane’s retaliation, he promptly used the Gu and became a human, capable of regenerating Essence.
But Gu Yue First Gen and Lord Sky Crane underestimated Tie Xue Leng.
Tie Xue Leng used two Gu on the Gu Yue First Gen moments before his death.
Demon Suppression Iron Chain.
Nipping the Problem in the Bud!
The former restricts the target’s movements and seals the Gu within them. Gu Yue First Gen could not move and rouse his Primeval Essence! Hateful! However, his Blood Guillotine and Bladewing Blood Bat Gu were already a Blood Tide unmatched by the Crane Disaster!
Victory was possible.
Fortune favored the bold for once!
Did it?
Good things did not last long.
Lord Sky Crane was panicking. He was at his death’s door. All he cared about was killing the Gu Yue first Gen. The latter had already lost his Blood River Python to Sky Cran’s Myriad Crane King. It was a pyrrhic victory, riddling his Crane King with fatal injuries. But Gu Yue First Gen wanted to live!
Their desires, intensity, and means matched when Lord Sky Crane used a Gu that restricted both of them and consumed their Primeval Essence at a rapid pace. Since Lord Sky Crane had a better aptitude, he had more essence. The Gu Yue First Gen lost that small battle. He was without Primeval Essence. But he only needed a mental connection to move the Blood Tide.
At this moment, light burst from the talisman stuck on the Gu Yue First Gen’s head.
It revealed a Gu caught in a ball of light.
This was the effect of the Nipping Problem in the Bud Gu!
This Gu was a Crystal Skull the size of an Infant’s Head. This Gu was imprisoned by Tie Xue Leng’s Gu and could not be used by the First Gen Gu Yue.
One side panicked, and the other side almost cried tears of joy.
Gu Yue First Gen defended the Gu and kept Sky Crane from taking it.
At this point, another Gu Appeared from Gu Yue’s aperture.
The Yin Rotation Gu!
The pressure increased on Gu Yue First Gen as Lord Sky Crane ruthlessly attacked.
Before long, a third Gu appeared on the battlefield. Although Lord Sky Crane did not know this Gu, he knew it was the Rank 4 Water Curtain Sky Flower Gu’s variant. This Gu can form a defensive barrier that pushes everything away. The battle changed. Lord Sky Crane prevented the Gu Yue First Gen from breaking the restriction on that Gu to create a defensive barrier! After all, Gu Yue was also restricted by Lord Sky Crane’s Gu, and the Primeval Essence in his aperture did not regenerate.
The battle entered a stalemate.
Blood and Crane!
However, Heaven is fair.
Problem Nipped in the Bud Gu restricted the Gu inside. But it had no effects on the Gu outside.
Something strange happened.
One of the balls trembled.
The Blood Skull Gu showed a strange change as it seemed attracted by something.
The Gu Yue First Gen screamed loudly!
However, it also revealed a weakness.
Everything changed.
Hateful!
The repressed hatred in Gu Yue First Gen’s heart surged as he forgot everything, giving his life to take Lord Sky Crane’s life!
Ordinarily, the Gu Masters would destroy their Gu. Gu Yue First Gen knew about the nearby thief and wanted to self-destruct his precious Gu, letting the Blood Calamity Flow!
But the Problem Nipped in the Bud Gu cut his connection.
He could only watch his precious Gu float nearby as the Blood Guillotine and Bladewing Bats flew out of control, destroying everything with flesh and blood.
Strangely, the yellow ball around the Blood Skull Gu popped as the Blood Skull Gu drilled past the pile of cranes and ‘entered’ the ground.
Soon, the Yin Gu did the same.
However, the Water Curtain Skyflower Gu’s variant resisted once the restriction popped before flying away.
This was a Rank 5 Gu.
Why did Lo Jik and Bai Ning Bing know this?
The Turnip Womb House Gu ‘breathes’ and ventilates its interior. It also brought sound inside. So, they were the eventful battle’s spectators as they heard everything, including the duo killing each other!
‘It wasn’t a True Inheritance.’
Lo Jik knew that. He also understood why he got Blood Gu from Mo Yan and Shen Cui. Their ancestor had wild origins.
‘Blood Sea’s Mortal Inheritance can be divided into low or high qualities. They would have the Blood Skull Gu’s recipe had it been a True Inheritance. They did not have that and had to fight for a Rank 4 Gu.’
It also explained why Lo Jik got the recipe portion of the True Inheritance related to the Blood Skull Gu.
As for the Blood Skull and Yin Rotation Gu? They are inside Lo Jik’s Kindling Will Gu.
Two figures dart to the Gu Yue and Bai Village before leaving empty-handed.
The Blood Guillotine and the Bladewing Blood Bat left nothing!
A true disaster!
<<<>>>
*Chi* *Chi* *Chi* *Chi* *Chi* *Chi* *Chi* *Chi*
A white and brown figure dances around in the sea of Bladewing Blood bats, furiously cutting and destroying their enemies! Ice Blade and Blood-Layered hands carve a bloody path. Lo Jik and Bai Ning Bing don’t have time to toss insults as the thousands of bladewing blood bats follow!
They risked their lives to enter Gu Yue and Bai Clans. However, most of the Gu in the storage unit are refined by their respective Secret Hall Elder and placed for others to refine. The Elders destroyed those Gu before their death once they realized the severity of the Blood Calamity.
“Ugh!” Bai Ning Bing grunts. She isn’t used to the Stone Aperture yet. Her body cannot recover Primeval Essence. So, she’s already running on low fumes!
“We’re almost there! Let’s charge!”
Lo Jik shouts when he hears the fatal arrival of the Blood Guillotine Gu.
They cannot defeat the Rank 5 disaster.
Water Vapors converge into a sphere around Bai Ning Bing as the Bats try attacking her before flying sideways due to the swirling momentum. Meanwhile, other bats bite at Lo Jik, chipping and injuring his Bamboo Armor Gu.
The duo rushes down the slope before decisively jumping off a cliff!
*Fssssshhh*
Their bodies fall along the blood waterfall. The waterfall is connected to another tributary!
Ordinarily, the duo would control their fall. However—
*Bzzzzttt*
The massive fog of Blood Guillotine Gu covers the sky. There must be hundreds and thousands of worms around the Rank 5 Gu. They are nothing against the aggressive Rank 5 Gu.
Gu can be powerful or weak.
Humans will only have to pinch the Rank 5 locus, and it will die. However, the problem is getting past other blood-sucking worms produced by it!
Their bodies crash into the bloody river.
A Bloody light shoots out of Lo Jik’s aperture, forming into a 10-meter-long Blood Torrent Python. Bai Ning Bing and Lo Jik hug the steed Gu as it reveals its insane speed in the water!
Steed Gu have their specialties. For instance, the Blood Torrent Python cannot fly and has a natural weakness against flying-type creatures. It’s why Lo Jik didn’t use the Gu against the Crane Tide. However, the Blood Python series is one of the fastest creatures in water bodies!
The Rank 3 Gu Worm’s sleek body and aggressive nature make it swim faster and harder. Lo Jik and Bai Ning Bing struggle to hold their breaths until he decides to make the Gu return to the water's surface.
The duo holds the Gu like a log, exhaling and regathering their composure.
“Who knew there would be so many Bats,” Bai Ning Bing slowly crawls on the serpent’s back as Lo Jik grunts.
“Blood Guillotine only multiplies through Gu Master’s heart’s blood. But the Bladewing Blood Bat Gu uses the beast’s blood, too. Gu Yue First Gen’s death allowed them to freely expand.”
She glares at Lo Jik.
“It’s your damn fault!”
Bai Ning Bing is right.
Lo Jik revokes the injured Bamboo Armor Gu, revealing a tied Rank 3 Bladewing Blood Gu inside his robes. The Gu stops struggling once it feels the superior Blood Torrent Python. After all, all the Bat Gu Worms were under the Blood River Python’s rule. The Gu still fears the predatory species!
“Don’t be mad,” Lo Jik smiles. “Rank 3 Bladewing Blood Bats are ‘males’ that drink blood and produce a group of Female Bats. All the Bats birthed by the Rank 3 Gu follow its will. So, this Rank 3 Gu can act like a myriad-beast king under a Gu Master’s control. This Gu can be helpful to us in the journey. If we’re lucky, another Rank 3 Bladewing Blood Bat might emerge from the group of bats.”
Bai Ning Bing grows curious, asking questions as Lo Jik refines the Gu under the Blood Torrent Python’s influence.
“So, we’ll first have to find a safe spot for the Gu to lay more bats. The new bats will be battle-ready in half a day?”
“Yep,” Lo Jik exhales once he refines the Gu and lets it inside his aperture.
“These Blood Gu are amazing,” She mutters. “I would become a Blood Gu Master if not for my Physique.”
“Prompting others to chase you,” Lo Jik snorts.
“Power is power,” Bai Ning Bing smirks. “Just because others call me a demon doesn’t make my path demonic!” She looks at the river connecting with a tributary ahead. “I decide whom I kill! And I always return other’s favors! Hahaha! So, I will just cut others who want to kill me!”
“So?” She looks at Lo Jik. “Where are we going?”
“Shang Clan,” he replies. “Although, I haven’t decided which path to take.”
“Why don’t we travel on foot after escaping Qing Mao’s vicinity?” Bai Ning Bing offers. “I want to see if I can find other Gu. I don’t have food for my Gu, so they are only useful for about two months if uninjured.”
Lo Jik plainly nods.
The Yellow Dragon River is the Southern Border’s Third Great River. It originates from Mount Huang Guo and passes through mountains and hills like Mount Xuan Ming, Mount Gui Bei, Mount Qing Mao, Mount Bai Gu, and Mount Lei Ci before finally flowing into the ocean.
This river cuts a zig-zag figure into half the Southern Border if seen from a bird’s POV.
It’s home to many aquatic creatures, with raging tides crashing and creating a fierce environment. It has thousands of tributaries supplying fresh water to several parts of the region. The River Swallowing Toad washed up to Qing Mao’s foot through one of these tributaries!
Lo Jik and Bai Ning Bing rest on the Blood Torrent Python, escaping through one of the tributaries. However, the situation isn’t good.
Bai Ning Bing cannot recover essence naturally and must use Primeval Stones. Lo Jik cannot reveal the wealth inside his Primeval Elder Gu. Meanwhile, Mo Chen’s Eight-Sectioned Gourd Gu only has about 3000 Primeval Stones stored. Bai Ning Bing needs 2592 stones to recover all her essence!
Lo Jik only hands her half the amount with a reluctant expression. But his mind isn’t on that problem.
He constantly surveils the water using the Eye Gu. Even if a tributary, the waters are dangerous and accommodate creatures capable of killing Blood Torrent Python.
“We need to find some Gu Masters and kill them,” Bai Ning Bing snorts. “Primeval Stones need our immediate attention.”
“A safe location is our priority,” Lo Jik retorts. “Of course. We can’t stay in one spot until reaching the Shang Clan. Tie Clan’s Rank 5 Gu Master died on Qing Mao Mountain. They will send search parties. Tie Clan is top among its peers regarding investigation, and we didn’t have the time to destroy the Turnip Womb Gu’s remains. They will know someone survived and send Gu Masters after us.”
Bai Ning Bing reads between his words, sighing. “They might try and pin the blame on us before using ‘righteousness’ to reveal the truth about Blood Inheritance. They might even take the Yin Gu.”
“Or,” Lo Jik smiles at her. “They might have a way to treat Extreme Physique’s issue. Are you sure you don’t want to try your luck?”
“Betting on a clan that takes a bowl of righteousness for breakfast before shitting justice all over Gu Masters like you and me?” She sneers. “I’m better off searching wilderness.”
“Do you have something to eat?” She questions.
“The Gourd Storage Gu doesn’t have food for us. It has Gu Food, Primeval Stones, and wine.”
Of course, there are two command tokens for special Gu worms. However, they are useless.
“We should discuss some things,” Lo Jik suddenly speaks.
“What?”
“Loot division,” he looks at her. “The wilderness is full of fortunes. Do you want to leave this discussion for later or do it now? If we temporarily travel together, there are bound to be conflicts. Let’s discuss how we should solve them.”
Bai Ning Bing grows quiet before nodding.
The lack of Primeval Stones is already threatening her existence. Although the duo is amicable, why would Bai Ning Bing choose to trust Lo Jik with her life? So, she must use her advantages and play her cards safely.
That’s why she advised him to move on foot. She used her ‘excitement’ as a mask.
What will Lo Jik do once she has no essence?
He lent her the stones now.
But would he do the same when her Gu are dead?
And if she doesn’t have Gu or Essence, isn’t she just a deadweight?
Who will support a deadweight?
Not Bai Ning Bing!
The coming few days are the most crucial for her survival!
They are in the outside world, and they can only trust themselves.
***
Alternate Title: Flat Earthers Cream Dream; The Five Regions; From Central to Southern; The Righteous Duo; The Dynamic Devils; A True Inheritance?; A False Inheritance; A Demon They Became; Cornered Life; Most Sane Brothers in the Verse; Tie Xue Leng’s Perfect Fuck You From Beyond Life and Death; Causing Two Deaths; Nobody Wins; The Turnip Womb; Survival; The Resolved Blood Dilemma; The Immortal Inheritance; Escaping; The Yellow Dragon River; From West to East; Primeval Issue; Reluctance; Snek Gets Free!; The Cause of Chase; A Bladewing Bat; The Dangerous Insect Group; Out In The Real World; To Each Their Own