Chapter 25: The Heart-Control Parasite

The general motive of the Ma brothers can be surmised, but what about Wan Gu Xiao? What is this cunning and ruthlessly venomous man plotting? As he pondered, Lu Sheng’s gaze, out of the corner of his eye, fell upon Wan Gu Xiao. Being the murderer of his father, no matter what outcome awaited, there could be no coexistence between him and Wan Gu Xiao.

Lu Sheng remained ever wary of him.

“Come to think of it, the Ma brothers are also my enemies!” His mother, in this body, was from Longsang Island, the daughter of the chief of the Sang family stronghold. When the Ma brothers seized Longsang City and unified the island, his grandfather, for a slight show of defiance, was mortally wounded by the Ma brothers, eager to establish their authority. His grandmother, devastated by the blow, soon followed. His mother, already frail from overexertion in her youth, was plunged into grief by her parents’ deaths and soon passed away as well. For this reason, both Lu Hai and Lu Sheng paid special attention to any news of the Ma brothers and were more knowledgeable about them than most.

“Yet, this enmity is somewhat obscure; the Ma brothers may not even know of it, or if they do, they likely don’t care—” “Even Sang Si Niang, they managed to tolerate, didn’t they!”

Contemplating the tangled web of hatred between himself, Wan Gu Xiao, and the Ma brothers, Lu Sheng speculated on the possible moves each might make:

“The Ma brothers are here for the treasure; as long as they get what they want, they may not necessarily try to kill me—” “My life means nothing to them!”

“But Wan Gu Xiao, regardless of success or failure, will seize any chance to kill me without hesitation.”

“Therefore, no matter what, I cannot let Wan Gu Xiao acquire the treasure. That—” “—would be the worst possible outcome!”

With this thought, Lu Sheng’s attention shifted even more closely to Wan Gu Xiao:

“I can see this. I wonder if Wan Gu Xiao can as well?” “If he does, how will he move against me?”

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“Boy, you certainly are full of schemes!”

A sudden voice startled Lu Sheng, making him think that Wan Gu Xiao had somehow perceived all his thoughts.

Fortunately, Wan Gu Xiao’s next words dispelled that suspicion:

“Even at a time like this, you can’t help but keep your eyes on your enemy!”

“So, he only noticed me watching him!” Feeling a bit relieved, Lu Sheng continued to listen as Wan Gu Xiao said:

“But I don’t care what you’re thinking—” “From now on, you’ll do exactly as I say!”

As these words fell, Lu Sheng, still searching for the source of the voice, suddenly sensed something was wrong—

A patterned, yet incorporeal gu worm abruptly appeared within his sea of consciousness.

Before Lu Sheng could react, the gu worm’s intricate patterns dispersed, extending toward and enveloping his spirit.

Within his mind, Lu Sheng’s spirit rapidly condensed into a sphere, lines of mysterious script flickering forth, temporarily holding back the invasive patterns of the gu worm—

These were the arcane lines forged by the Hunyuan Jewel Refinement Technique!

“So, you’ve actually mastered a spirit-refining art—no wonder you became a martial master so quickly!” Wan Gu Xiao’s voice sounded within the sea of consciousness, a note of envy creeping in. “Such damnable luck—enough to make anyone jealous!”

A ripple surged through Lu Sheng’s spirit, and Wan Gu Xiao’s voice rang out clearly—this was precisely the source of the voice Lu Sheng had been seeking.

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“Mind-control Gu! This is the Mind-control Gu of the Yuan Gu Sect!”

Within his consciousness, Lu Sheng finally reacted with a cry of alarm.

The Yuan Gu Sect of the Myriad Venoms School was so named because of its most famous technique—by channeling innate vitality and unique methods, practitioners refined corporeal gu into a semi-tangible, semi-ethereal gu, nurtured with mystic energy.

Such gu, forged from the martial artist’s own essence, became inextricably linked to its master’s life and spirit, thus called the Life Gu.

Depending on the species of gu refined and the methods used, Life Gu could serve many purposes. Beyond common gu that enhanced strength, speed, or healing, Mind-control Gu was a notorious variant—its function was to command the minds of other beings.

Now, Wan Gu Xiao was manipulating his own Mind-control Gu, attempting to seize Lu Sheng’s consciousness.

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“So, you finally realize?” Wan Gu Xiao’s wild laughter echoed through Lu Sheng’s mind. “But it’s already too late!”

Perhaps feeling victory was assured, or unrestrained by the absence of prying eyes, Wan Gu Xiao’s true nature was unleashed within this spiritual realm.

“Mind-control Gu: Command!”

With that triumphant shout, Wan Gu Xiao ordered his gu to act. Though surprised by Lu Sheng’s mastery of a spirit-refining art, he remained confident—a second-tier Mind-control Gu should be more than enough to dominate Lu Sheng’s spirit.

“Hmph! Did you really think my mind would be so easily compromised?”

While the gu’s patterns pressed in, forcing back the lines of mystical script and beginning to envelop his spirit, Lu Sheng remained perfectly calm, even a little delighted.

Earlier, upon realizing the voice was not transmitted through mystic energy, he had quickly considered the few gu in the Yuan Gu Sect connected to the mind and spirit. Had he not willingly opened his defenses, how could Wan Gu Xiao’s Mind-control Gu have so easily invaded his sea of consciousness?

“A Life Gu is forged from innate vitality and nurtured by mystic energy—its connection to the spirit is profound.” “A mind-manipulating gu is even more closely tied to its creator’s essence.” “This gu, in fact, contains the very qualities of Wan Gu Xiao’s energy, spirit, and mind—” “And they are incredibly distinct!”

“At last, I’ve found the breakthrough for perfecting the Three Treasures Art!”

The final step of the Three Treasures Art was to sense the qualities of another being’s energy, spirit, and mind, and then manipulate one’s own to imitate them. In principle, this step was not difficult; with the heightened sensitivity gained from training the Three Treasures Art, Lu Sheng could have mastered it quickly—if only he had suitable models.

But, ever since honing the art, he had been trapped in this pit of serpents. Though teeming with life, the den’s creatures were too alien for him to sense, let alone imitate, their energy, spirit, and mind.

Thus, his only option was to target those of his own kind.

Yet, in this snake pit, his only human peers were Wan Gu Xiao and, later, the Ma brothers—each powerful martial masters, each hunting him relentlessly. How could he dare approach them to sense their essence?

Because of this, his Three Treasures Art had stalled at this final step, never reaching perfection.

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“I had hoped to seize the chance to sense one of them while we were all together.” “But Wan Gu Xiao has delivered, on his own, a Life Gu imbued with his essence—”

“How could I possibly refuse such a gift?”

Guarding his spirit, unconcerned with the temporary risk of being controlled, Lu Sheng focused intently on the energetic fluctuations emanating from the Mind-control Gu.

“With such a clear signature of spirit and essence, how best should I imitate it?” “And since this gu is tied to Wan Gu Xiao’s very life, if I succeed in replicating him, will it recognize me as its master?”

Lu Sheng found himself deeply curious.