However, at that moment, Chen Zheng spoke coldly, "A Gu insect lineage, you say? Since you dared to come, I will obliterate you!"

Chen Zheng's voice was like a bolt of lightning, instantly igniting a furious flame in Chi Mu's heart.

Before he could even respond, a burst of Sword Qi condensed into an ink-black longsword. The blade ripped through the void, aimed straight for Chi Mu's heart.

Immediately after, the longsword transformed back into Sword Qi. Under this formidable power, Chi Mu's internal organs instantly shattered.

Blood gushed from the wound. Powerless, Chi Mu's eyes widened as the fire of his life gradually extinguished.

At the same time, the Life Gu Insect that shared his fate also began to fade in radiance after Chi Mu passed away.

Eventually, it turned white, and its body shriveled, still encased in ice.

[Ding! Congratulations to the host for successfully completing the task. Choose to receive the following reward: a piece of 1,000-year-old Luo Huang Di]

Chen Zheng did not linger. With a wave of his hand, True Qi burst forth like a wild wind.

As if drawn by an invisible force, Chi Mu's corpse fell into his hands.

Carrying Chi Mu's body, Chen Zheng shot up into the sky like a streak of light, vanishing over the edge of the mountain range in an instant.

A few short minutes later, he had already returned to Nanhai Stockade. His figure descended as gently as a feather. Kuang Nie and the others were still at the entrance, not having stepped inside.

"Master Chen Zheng!"

"Brother!"

Upon seeing Chen Zheng, everyone quickly came up to greet him.

BANG!

Chen Zheng tossed Chi Mu's corpse to the ground.

The crowd hurried to look. The dark red patterns on Chi Mu sent a chill down their spines.

"Brother, is this the legendary Gu Master?" Huang Hua asked, curiously examining the body.

During Chen Zheng's absence, Kuang Nie and the others had told him all about the mystery and power of Sky Control practitioners. This made Huang Hua hold Chen Zheng in even deeper reverence.

Chen Zheng nodded slightly and then said softly, "Yuan Qian Mountain no longer harbors any danger!"

With that, he turned his gaze to Kuang Nie.

"Rest assured, Master Chen Zheng, I will surely lead everyone to ascend this mountain!" Kuang Nie bowed respectfully, then turned to Kuang Hu. "Ah Hu, go inform the other stockades that the Gu Master has been dealt with!"

"At your command, Father!"

"But Father, will the people from Shanhuang Stockade still try to stop us?" Kuang Hu asked anxiously.

"Don't worry! Take this corpse with you and show Shanhuang Stockade what a real trump card looks like!" Kuang Nie said confidently.

It was a well-known fact that the Gu Master controlled Deputy Qiu of Shanhuang Stockade. The news had long since spread throughout Shanhuang and the other stockades. However, since the Gu Master was merely clinging to life, everyone could only endure it in silence.

Now that the Gu Master had finally fallen, perhaps the most elated of all would be Shanhuang Stockade. After all, they had been oppressed by Chi Mu for years, forced to hand over ninety percent of the medicinal herbs they gathered.

Of course, Chi Mu didn't use all the resources himself. There were many others in the Gu Chi lineage.

"The Gu Chi lineage!"

Just as he was leaving with Chi Mu's corpse, Kuang Hu heard a sudden cry of alarm.

Kuang Long's gaze fell upon Chen Zheng. He nodded slightly and then heaved a sigh. "This is undoubtedly the distinctive style of the Gu Chi lineage. Alas..."

He didn't wait for anyone to ask questions but began to explain on his own.

"The Gu Chi lineage is notorious for their cruelty and treachery. Their method of cultivating Gu usually involves living people or fresh blood, and of course, corpses and other such things."

"The Gu Chi arts are a disruption to harmony. They were once collectively exterminated by the Southern Barbarian Gu Masters, but the Gu Chi lineage never truly disappeared!"

"Furthermore, in the gathering places of the Gu Chi lineage's Gu Masters, there is always a Life Gu Insect. Now that Gu Master Chi Mu is dead, the Gu Chi lineage has likely already been alerted!"

"I fear it won't be long before other Gu Chi Gu Masters appear!"

As Kuang Long spoke, he turned to Chen Zheng. "Young man, thank you for killing that Gu Master for us, but in doing so, you've also brought us great trouble!"

Sensing Chen Zheng's doubt, Kuang Long quickly explained, "I don't mean to blame you!"

"I hope you will leave quickly, because the Gu Chi lineage will not let you off easily. Their methods are bloody and ruthless, and you may not be able to defeat them."

Chen Zheng furrowed his brows and asked, "And if I leave, what happens to Nanhai Stockade?"

"You need not worry about us. If the Gu Chi lineage dares to act so recklessly, other Southern Barbarian inheritances will surely step in to check them!" Kuang Long said with great seriousness.

However, Chen Zheng just shook his head. "Sadly, the reality might be harsher than that. The Gu Chi lineage has been active for a long time, so why haven't other Southern Barbarian inheritances come to deal with them?"

Kuang Long was at a loss for words.

The Southern Barbarian inheritances had always been mysterious and unpredictable, rarely ever revealing themselves to the world. To the residents of the nearby stockades, the name 'Chi Mu' was merely that of a mysterious figure who controlled Deputy Qiu. Other than Deputy Qiu, none of them had ever seen Chi Mu's true face.

Seeing his silence, Chen Zheng said, "Even you can't be sure of Chi Mu's identity. If I leave, I fear these stockades will truly be destroyed by the Gu Chi lineage!"

Having said that, Chen Zheng turned and walked toward the depths of the stockade without hesitation.

The others remained silent, simply watching his departing figure with gratitude in their eyes.

「Meanwhile, in a distant, deep mountain range, a group of people tattooed with dark red patterns were gathered.」

Around them, various venomous creatures roamed ceaselessly. Some insects even perched on their heads.

Suddenly, one of them snapped his eyes open, his gaze quickly falling upon his head.

The crowd looked up at the sky, where a swarm of dark-red insects was dancing. All at once, one of the insects shattered into countless pieces, which rained down from above.

The others opened their eyes as well, looks of terror spreading across their faces.

"Chi Mu has been killed!" someone exclaimed.

"Could it be the work of Gu Qing's people?" another guessed.

"No, our people sent word that no Gu Qing disciples are traveling outside!" someone else argued.

"What about the other inheritances?" another person inquired.

"No unusual activity from any of them!" came the reply.

Their brows furrowed in deep thought.

"Chi Mu brought back a rich haul of medicinal herbs every month without fail. We must avenge his death."

"It seems the time has come for the Gu Chi lineage to rise again!"

"Hmph... Those people may have forgotten the might of the Gu Chi, but this time, we will make them experience our former glory once more!"

"Shan Mu, take some men and ascertain the cause of Chi Mu's death!"

"As you command!" A man draped with a giant python stepped forward.

"After you find the cause, go ahead and wipe out some stockades. Our Gu insects need to be fed!"

"Understood!"

Shan Mu left the cavern.

Inside the mountain, silence and darkness returned.

「Three days passed in the blink of an eye.」

With the Gu Master dead, the nearby stockades rejoiced.

Shanhuang Stockade once again opened the gates to the mysterious Yuan Qian Mountain, attracting countless brave warriors from the stockades to swarm inside.

Everything seemed to have returned to how it was before. The only difference was that this time, the medicinal herbs were no longer offered to Shanhuang Stockade, but to Nanhai Stockade instead.

This ingenious suggestion had been put forward by the new leader of Shanhuang Stockade, and it was met with widespread approval. They all knew that deep within Nanhai Stockade resided a formidable being capable of slaying a Gu Master with ease.

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