Chapter 7: The Life-Bound Primal Gu

A thunderous rumble echoed through the passage. Without a moment’s hesitation, upon hearing the sound of myriad insects screeching, Lu Sheng unleashed his perfected Rolling Stone Palm, pushing a large boulder in front of him forward. Because he’d been searching for an exit, he’d been moving upward along a sloping tunnel. Now, empowered by his technique, the boulder was sent tumbling down the slope with irresistible momentum, roaring as it rolled away.

“This stone is sizable, but a martial master could shatter it with a single punch,” he thought. “Even with my strength behind it, it can’t truly stop Wan Gu Xiao. At best, it’ll buy me a breath or two.”

Thus, after launching the stone, Lu Sheng didn’t pause for even an instant. Amplifying his strength threefold, he unleashed blows with the force of seventy-five hundred catties, pounding at the tunnel walls in rapid succession.

The resounding bangs echoed ceaselessly through the passage. This was the strategy Lu Sheng had devised after sensing the Purple Serpent’s pursuit, using his spirit amplified to 5.88. The key was not the boulder, but this section of the tunnel, which was already somewhat unstable.

Under his relentless strikes, it took only moments before another earth-shaking rumble filled the tunnel—a collapse triggered exactly where Lu Sheng had chosen. Though the area wasn’t vast, it was enough to block Wan Gu Xiao’s line of sight.

“And as for you—” Lu Sheng sneered, watching the Purple Serpent that had evaded the collapse and lunged to bite him. “Do you really think I can’t kill you?”

In a sudden burst of speed, his short blade flashed, neatly separating the snake’s head from its body. This Purple Serpent, which had tangled with Lu Sheng for so long, was now in pieces. It was the speed gained through his amplified spirit that allowed him to strike so decisively.

Yet, though he slew the serpent, his short blade was too brittle to withstand the force and finally snapped.

“Hmm? There’s a secret here?” Noticing something wrapped in cloth within the hilt, Lu Sheng quickly pocketed the broken blade. Then, grabbing the still-twisting serpent’s body, he shook out its blood, splattering it across the collapsed stones.

Amplifying his spirit once more, he memorized the scent in the filthy tunnel. Stowing away his glowing pearl, he hurried forward along the passage. Ahead lay a network of branching tunnels; Lu Sheng hoped to use these to lose Wan Gu Xiao.

———

Behind him, Wan Gu Xiao had already shattered the rolling boulder. Hearing the sounds of the collapse ahead, he cursed and hurried after.

Across open ground, a martial master could cover over sixty meters in a single breath—an astonishing speed. Though Wan Gu Xiao was not at full strength and had to shrink his body to fit the narrow tunnel, he was still far faster than Lu Sheng.

Using both hands and feet, Wan Gu Xiao arrived almost instantly at the site of the collapse. He was about to dig through when he suddenly stopped, spreading his palm to summon back a barely visible, almost ethereal insect.

“So you killed the Purple Serpent my little parasite was dwelling in. This boy’s abilities surpass even my expectations,” Wan Gu Xiao murmured with a strange smile, gazing at the patterned but insubstantial insect in his hand.

As he spoke, he recalled his life-bound primal parasite. Like melting ice, the insect dissolved into his hand, merging with his body.

Then, using his hands like blades, he quickly carved a path through the rubble.

“This brat is more ruthless than I imagined,” Wan Gu Xiao mused, glancing at the serpent’s blood staining his hand and the silent, winding tunnels ahead. “To abandon such a rare serpent, even using its blood to mark my trail... Such decisiveness and cunning—hard to believe it comes from a boy not yet sixteen.”

Even Wan Gu Xiao, hardened as he was, couldn’t help but feel some admiration.

“So young and already so capable. Truly a worthy descendant of the Lu family.”

Examining the fist marks Lu Sheng left on the tunnel walls, Wan Gu Xiao estimated the strength behind them, his heart growing heavier. “Such power—enough to threaten even me.”

“Hunyuan Arts, Hunyuan Force! Did you think I wouldn’t recognize it just because your father never unleashed his profound energy?” Wan Gu Xiao sneered. “The Imperial Clan of Great Jing, secluded on this island... You must know the secret of Blackstone Island!”

Having discerned that Lu Hai practiced the Hunyuan Arts, Wan Gu Xiao guessed his origins, suspecting the Lu family held secrets worth uncovering. That was why he’d suddenly attacked Lu Hai, attempting to force the truth from him.

Yet the Lu family had guarded this place for seventy or eighty years—why would they reveal their secrets to outsiders? Though Lu Hai was caught off guard and gravely wounded by Wan Gu Xiao, who surpassed him in martial prowess, he managed to escape home thanks to the wonders of the Hunyuan Arts, sending Lu Sheng away to safety.

After witnessing Lu Hai use the Hunyuan Arts, Wan Gu Xiao was even more convinced of his suspicions, but he never managed to extract the secret from Lu Hai before the latter’s death.

Thus, when he was attacked and wounded by a Grandmaster from Longsang Island, who had tracked him down, Wan Gu Xiao fled without hesitation into the serpent pits, hoping to find Lu Sheng or the secret for himself.

“I thought you’d be dead, bitten by snakes and insects after all this time,” he mused. “But I never expected your strength to soar like this! Such potent fruits or elixirs are rare even in the martial world.”

Assuming Lu Sheng had consumed some rare fruit or elixir to gain such strength, Wan Gu Xiao’s interest only grew. “If you possess something like that and still remain on Blackstone Island, the secret you’re guarding must be even greater. I hope you survive a while longer.”

After muttering to himself, Wan Gu Xiao examined the traces in the tunnel and the branching paths ahead but chose not to pursue. Having already agitated the snakes and insects at the entrance to the pit to evade the Grandmaster’s hunt, it would now be impossible for anyone to enter or leave without alerting him.

As long as Lu Sheng remained within, Wan Gu Xiao would not lack opportunities.

“For now, I should focus on breaking through to Grandmaster. This time, I was not only hunted but also outmaneuvered by a mere boy. Clearly, the power of a martial master is insufficient!”

He released a jade-green viper, letting it devour the Purple Serpent’s corpse. After some hesitation, he did not release his life-bound parasite but turned back instead. For someone at the peak of martial mastery, breaking through to Grandmaster and evolving his primal parasite was the highest priority. When that day came, Lu Sheng would not escape his grasp.

“This journey began as a mere investigation into why giant demon serpents kept appearing in these seas. Who would have thought I’d encounter the heirs of the Lu family of Great Jing and the Ma family of Western Liang? Secrets valued by both—how tantalizing.”

Thinking of Lu Hai’s staunch secrecy and recalling the Ma brothers who had seized Longsang Island years ago, Wan Gu Xiao’s anticipation for the outcome of this expedition only deepened. This voyage across the sea was sure to yield tremendous results.

———

“Wan Gu Xiao, born to the Primal Parasite Sect of Yuezhou’s Ten Thousand Venoms Sect. Became a martial master at twenty-four, entered the Heroes’ List at twenty-five. Before dropping off the list at thirty, his highest rank was fifty-fifth.”

“Renowned for his mastery of mimicry and sonic techniques, he renamed himself Wan Gu Xiao—Ten Thousand Insect Howl. Rumor has it he can imitate any sound and communicate with all manner of creatures.”

Having passed through countless branches and laid myriad false trails, Lu Sheng now hid in a recess along one of the tunnels, suppressing every trace of his presence and holding his breath. His mind reviewed everything he knew about Wan Gu Xiao, gauging his adversary’s strength:

“There are three rankings in the martial world: Heaven, Earth, and Man.”

“The Heaven Ranking is ageless, listing only martial sages; the Earth Ranking includes martial masters and grandmasters under sixty; the Man, or Heroes’ List, is for martial artists under thirty. Fewer still reach the Heroes’ List without being a martial master.”

“Most on the Heroes’ List are martial masters. The top ten are usually grandmaster-level, the top thirty in the late stage of martial mastery, and those in mid-stage generally rank around fiftieth.”

Recalling the requirements to enter the list, Lu Sheng mused, “Wan Gu Xiao ranked fifty-fifth at thirty, so he was at least mid-stage then. Born in 890 of the Great Jing calendar, exactly twenty years older than this body—thirty-five this year, and he killed Lu Hai who was late-stage martial master. That means, after dropping off the list five years ago, Wan Gu Xiao likely reached the peak of martial mastery—perhaps even become a grandmaster.”

“Compared to martial masters, grandmasters possess not only greater strength and speed but can also project their inner energy outward for defense and attack, extending it several meters beyond themselves. In these narrow tunnels, there would be nowhere to hide.”

Though Lu Sheng was loath to believe Wan Gu Xiao had reached grandmaster, he knew he could not afford the slightest hope.

Gambling with one’s life was a wager best left unmade.