"What do you mean?" Bi Sun instantly focused on Lo Jik as his heart shuddered. He couldn't fathom the sudden change and also shot the mysterious gu immortal a discreet glance.
"What do I mean?" Jian Yi Sheng laughed. "I mean that this Fickle Consort Immortal is more impressive than he appears. Oh, brother Bi Sun, he contacted me the second he opened his eyes and schemed against Jun Ki. I'm sure Fairy Black Moon knew about it, too. Her acting was superb. Even I believed she truly encountered a backlash."
It was Bai Qing's turn to feel shocked as she looked at Black Moon. Unexpectedly, Black Moon stood straight and looked composed as if she wasn't begging for Bai Qing's support earlier. Truly, she was a wonderful actress. Lo Jik couldn't help but admire the woman even more.
"But…" Bi Sun stopped speaking as his expression changed.
"Are you wondering how I knew about your contract?" Lo Jik suddenly smiled as Bi Sun's eyes widened. He continued haughtily, putting on airs befitting an accomplished master. "Your alliance contract must have included a clause of not revealing any details, but I made an educated guess that it did not restrict you three from hurting each other. I have to thank you for this clue, Brother Bi Sun. I noticed that both Jun Ki and Brother Jian Yi Sheng avoided your beast groups a little too much, as if afraid of getting accidentally hit. But how could a great enslavement path gu immortal such as yourself make such clumsy errors? That led me to wonder whether you could hurt them or not."
Bi Sun's gaze shifted as he couldn't help but feel even more cautious.
Meanwhile, the three fairies floated closer to Lo Jik.
"What else did you deduce?" The mysterious gu immortal asked hoarsely, finally deciding on interacting with the group he ambushed. "It seems your wisdom path attainment is not low."
"Wisdom path?" Lo Jik smiled plainly. "You overestimate me, sir. I told you—I know."
"And what do you know?" The gu immortal behind the dark robes and mask chuckled.
Lo Jik fell quiet before sighing.
"I know… that you were hoping for this battle to continue longer. I know you wanted Brother Bi Sun to force Fairy Mi Yao's sparrow group out, causing damage to the beast groups of both sides."
"The beast groups?" Jian Yi Sheng felt alert. Even after he killed Jun Ki and took his corpse to increase his foundation, he did not suddenly move to Lo Jik's side. He was still very much the enemy. Killing Lo Jik would give him even more benefits. Such was the way of the gu immortals. Bi Sun and the mysterious gu immortal also did not scold his behavior. Jun Ki's death was his responsibility!
"Fairy Mi Yao unintentionally pointed out the truth." Lo Jik nodded at the woman. "This is no ordinary battlefield killer move."
A change occurred in the battlefield killer move the second he spoke these words. This was a soul path battlefield killer move supporting soul path dao marks and suppressing the rest. The world was filled with dark fog, raging winds, and ghastly cries. Currently, blue clouds rose from the darkness, shaping into different creatures of dark-blue hides and ghostly glows.
Soul beasts!
And so many!
The expression of every gu immortal on the scene changed.
"Could this be…" Bi Sun gulped. Even he had heard rumors of this battlefield killer move. After all, the legends of every venerable was sought after by the gu immortals and this peculiar battlefield killer move belonged to the venerable with the deepest murderous intent in the history of the gu world—Spectral Soul Demon Venerable!
"Soul Taker Battlefield." Lo Jik exposed the killer move. It wasn't heaven's will that informed him. It was another educated guess coupled with the use of Pool of Wisdom to deduce rapidly.
"Right you are… Fickle Consort. I'm surprised anyone would want to willingly adopt such a title, especially a gu immortal with your skills." The mysterious gu immortal's eyes gleamed with interest.
"You are too kind," Lo Jik replied. "But it is the truth. My heart is fickle, and I consort with plenty."
"Love Gu is not known to acknowledge anyone with a fickle heart—it only chooses those filled with obsessions."
Lo Jik did not reply any further and shrugged.
"Soul Taker Battlefield…" Mi Yao felt troubled. This was a vicious battlefield killer move Spectral Soul Demon Venerable deduced in his younger years before he became the number one gu immortal of his era, a venerable. This soul path battlefield killer move took in the souls of anyone killed inside the killer move, transforming them into soul beasts fully under the user's control! It meant that these soul beasts surrounding the gu immortals from Spirit Affinity House largely came from her sparrow army and Bi Sun's bull army!
Should she retract her sparrow groups in her blessed land? Unfortunately, it would lower their battle strength.
"I wonder if Sir will appease my curiosity." Lo Jik broke the silence. His voice cut through the bestial snarls and ghostly moans in the battlefield killer move. "I have yet to understand your motive."
"I want your Love Gu," answered the mysterious gu immortal with surprising honesty.
"I see." Lo Jik sighed. "You can take it. Why must you kill us?"
"He can try but we have the advantage." Black Moon sneered.
Shocking others, Lo Jik shook his head.
"No. We are all dead men. Even you two are dead: Brother Jian, Brother Bi. You just don't know. But I do."
The mysterious gu immortal finally felt slightly shocked as he waved his hand and interrupted coldly.
"You bark too much for a dead dog."
The soul beasts instantly flew out as the mysterious gu immortal commanded the two gu immortals.
"Attack him. What are you waiting for? He was trying to sow discord again. Or do you truly want to be captured by Spirit Affinity House? The quicker we deal with them, the better. Once we kill Lo Jik and drive off the remaining gu immortals, we will quickly invade Hu Immortal Blessed Land using my immortal killer move and plunder whatever we can!"
Jian Yi Sheng and Bi Sun nodded slightly and attacked at once. They appeared ferocious and relentless. However, Jian Yi Sheng stopped using killer moves. Instead, he used rank 5 gu worms. Sometimes, he attacked using rank 4 gu worms. On the other hand, Bi Sun allowed his bull groups to rampage and stomp, but he focused on evading the sparrow groups and did not let a single bull perish.
The mysterious gu immortal was infuriated seeing this. Killing intent rose in his heart as his attacks grew even more intense. Soul beasts surrounded the three fairies and one debauched consort. Even Lo Jik participated in the battle and destroyed plenty of soul beasts. Unfortunately, the soul beasts would turn into bits of soul before recovering under the effects of the battlefield killer move. Most annoying was the fact that the killer move affected and suppressed his usual output of strength. This was greatest quality of a battlefield killer move. It supported certain paths.
Among such killer moves, only Reincarnation Battlefield stood out as an oddity. It did not suppress others and even healed the gu masters who died inside that battlefield killer move.
"What do you mean by us being dead?" Jian Yi Sheng contacted Lo Jik secretly, demanding answers in an urgent voice.
"Let us discuss things, Brother Fickle." Bi Sun also inquired warmly. "What else do you know?"
The duo was already cautious of the mysterious gu immortal and wanted to switch sides despite the backlash from the information path alliance contract.
Lo Jik ignored the two and kept on beating the hordes of soul beasts using rank 4 Little Giant Bone Bow Gu. There were no desolate beast level soul beasts and even with the suppression of the immortal battlefield killer move, Lo Jik's output increased drastically. This was the effects of dao marks.
The act of being washed and nurtured by the three streams of qi was not just to elevate one's state of existence. In reality, a gu master luxuriates themselves in a shower of a certain aspect of the dao. With his life-bound vital gu worm being the Flying Bear Strength Immortal Gu Worm, Lo Jik enjoyed the benefit of the aspect of strength path uplifting his body. This caused a resonance of strength path with his body and the gu, allowing him to attack with greater ferocity. Similar to him, Black Moon was also a strength path gu immortal. Her output when using strength path gu worms was more impressive when compared to the use of gu worms of other paths.
Such was the distinction between other gu immortals.
That's the reason for their suppression. None of them were soul path gu immortals. If that were the case, the Soul Taker Battlefield would have instead provided them great support.
The mysterious gu immortal felt more frustrated as Mi Yao and Bi Sun decided to retrieve their beast groups. The number of soul beasts had yet to reach a dangerous number. Even if the battlefield killer move reformed the destroyed soul beasts, it could not increase their count without the death of more beasts.
"What are you two doing?" The mysterious gu immortal growled, "We have an agreement."
Jian Yi Sheng and Bi Sun made several excuses. They were seasoned gu immortals and also sensed something amiss. Furthermore, Bi Sun was quite scared of Lo Jik.
Defeating gu immortals was significantly less challenging than killing one. Yet, right after completing his breakthrough, Lo Jik schemed against Jun Ki and helped Jian Yi Sheng slay the former poison path gu immortal! Such a gu immortal needed to be feared!
"It's not too late, Sir," Lo Jik implored as the battle settled. The nearby soul beasts took shape yet again, snarling and growling furiously. "Just tell us what you want."
"Why are you so scared?" Black Moon inquired calmly. "They have no allies. They are alone. So what if they control this immortal battlefield killer move? We can capture and interrogate him at our leisure."
Lo Jik felt the mysterious immortal's scorching gaze and sighed deeply.
"Their allies are not Brother Jian Yi Sheng or Brother Bi Sun. Isn't that right, sir? You have a friend outside, controlling another battlefield killer move. And… there are more of your friends around us."
"What?!"
"Oh? Quite perceptive."
"It's not just a lucky assumption."
Voices echoed from different directions as three more immortal gu worms appeared dressed in similar dark robes and masks. Their voices varied greatly, shifting from a hoarse noise to a charming sweetness. They clearly disguised their voices, too.
Bi Sun and Jian Yi Sheng instantly broke out in a cold sweat. Meanwhile, the three fairies looked grim and neared Lo Jik even more. The bow in his hand vanished without a trace as Lo Jik observed the three gu immortals.
"How did you know about the other battlefield killer move?" The first gu immortal asked plainly.
"Your skills are breathtaking, Sir." Lo Jik flattered the mysterious gu immortal. "I can only imagine how complicated it is to overlay a battlefield killer move over another battlefield killer move without causing any conflicts between them. As for how I knew about it… I suppose I lied about knowing everything from the get-go. Fortunately, you did not appear rushed to kill me despite calling me your primary target. And any gu immortal knows better to try anything remotely threatening around Love Gu unless they are deranged, which you don't appear to be. Lastly, you attacked us here—Tian Ti Mountain."
Lo Jik shot the three new gu immortals curious looks, continuing, "You all have great guts. Not only did you ambush supreme elders of one of the ten ancient sects, but you did so on the number one mountain right beneath Heavenly Court. It's obvious the benefits you seek are greater than the rank 9 immortal gu worm, something you cannot even refine, for even the past venerables failed in the task."
"You wished to weaken us using Soul Taker Battlefield and the three lone gu immortals. Unfortunately, Brother Jun Ki perished and the other two are cautious of you. Also, there had to be a method giving you great confidence in avoiding the reinforcements from Spirit Affinity House the moment they realize our condition. What is it, Sir? A time path battlefield killer move? I'd wager not even a full minute has passed in the outside world, yes?"
Everyone's heart chilled as Lo Jik lowered his head.
"But information will only get me so far. So, I ask again, Sir. Please, just tell us what do you need. Let us avoid bloodshed and resolve this conflict peacefully."
"I…" the first gu immortal spoke slowly, "… want your life!"
The entire battlefield killer move let out a loud cry as every soul beast entered a berserk state. The four gu immortals alongside Jian Yi Sheng and Bi Sun attacked the other four at once. Although, the latter two were more cautious and did not dare get closer to the remaining four mysterious gu immortals.
Soul beasts surrounded Lo Jik's group while Black Moon, Mi Yao, and Bai Qing were forced to use their immortal gu worms and killer moves to defend and counterattack.
Whips of green wind in the shape of flood dragons, sharp threads that could cut mountains in half, giant balls of dark-blue flames, poisonous gas, countless needles, house-sized hands made of earth and covered in sharp icicles, strange creatures pitch-black in color, and more—the four from Spirit Affinity House defended bitterly. The attacks did not let up even for a second as the four huddled together and bit their lips. The enemies never used their real methods and maintained their guises.
"I did not think I would die the moment I became a gu immortal…" Lo Jik sighed softly as the other three remained quiet. Mi Yao and Black Moon constantly urged Bai Qing to finally reveal the gu house to put these demons in their place. However, Lo Jik insisted otherwise.
"Hold on, Fairy Bai," communicated Lo Jik. "We cannot connect with Treasure Yellow Heaven for reinforcements, but we don't truly need it. They are all rank 6 gu immortals. There is still a chance to turn things around."
Bai Qing agreed with this sentiment.
"Hurry, Sister Bai!" Mi Yao spoke again.
"We're going to lose, Fairy Bai!" Black Moon exhorted.
"Die!" One of the gu immortals roared excitedly as his attack slipped past Black Moon's defense. She had great offensive strength but lacked in other areas.
"Sigh… do we have to resort to that?" Fairy Mo's voice rang in Black Moon's mind when a change occurred.
*Swish*
A golden sparrow gleaming like actual gold shot out of Bai Qing and met the attack. It chirped loudly and expanded into a phoenix carved from gold, emanating aura of immortal gu worm among several other gu worms.
*Boom*
The mysterious gu immortal flew back as the remaining enemies found their gazes locked on the figure floating next Bai Qing and Lo Jik. She was a short but curvaceous woman with flowing golden hair and a petite body. Her blue eyes glimmered with arrogance and anger as the aura of rank 7 gu immortal flooded the battlefield killer move.
It was Bai La!
She recovered in time!
Clapping her hands together, Bai La instantly shot out a thin ray of gold from the tips of fingers. It instantly pierced the shocked Bi Sun as he retreated while coughing a mouthful of blood.
She flew high in the sky and released a proud cry not too different from an actual phoenix. The soul beasts instantly fell into a state of a disarray as the first mysterious gu immortal let out a grunt.
This was a gu immortal with great foundation—a rank 7 gu immortal. Bai Qing had several killer moves to deal with different situations.
Her display of might instantly intimidated Jian Yi Sheng and Bi Sun as others from Spirit Affinity House let out sighs of relief. Bi Sun, in particular, was deathly pale. His injuries worsened slightly instead of healing. After all, he was struck by an immortal killer move and did not have a healing killer move of similar strength. Furthermore, as an enslavement path gu immortal, he was physically weaker compared to other gu immortals.
Bai La looked around, her gaze momentarily pausing on Lo Jik before continuing.
<<<>>>
"We did it! Hahaha! We finally did it!"
A batch of refiner clones laughed loudly as Lo Jik's primeval essence activated the newly refined gu worms.
They turned into similar brown-haired clones but with distinctly sleepy expressions.
Dreamer Gu Worms!
Lo Jik finally deduced the recipe to refine Dreamer Gu Worms as the new batches of dreamer clones promptly fell asleep and started refining dream path gu worms.
Another avenue of production started in his blessed land as he prepared for worst-case scenarios yet again.
Unlike how he acted feeble and helpless in the grand scheme of things, Lo Jik happened to be the most dangerous of the group!
<<<>>>
Lo Jik smiled confidently and glanced at the supposed leader of the group.
"You won't be able to deal with us quickly, Sir."
"Hehe…" The surrounding gu immortals cackled slowly.
*Whoosh*
*Whoosh*
Two of the gu immortals suddenly revealed their true cultivation.
Rank 7!
'On the other hand… I spoke too soon.'
Lo Jik deadpanned.
***
Alternate Title: Growing danger; Wanting Love Gu; Endless soul beasts; Cautious and worried; Scared of Lo Jik; Reinforcements; Bai La emerges; Shocking rank 7 gu immortals; Hidden cultivation; Surrounded with relentless attacks; Lo Jik sees the truth; A well-deserved title; A new category of enemy emerges after Heaven's Will shenanigans; Deducing Dreamer; Ferocious but feeble attacks; Hidden intentions; Forcing out Bai La; The pillar of support: Gu House; Bow and arrows; A desperate situation
***
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