"This sacrificial chant... it seems they are worshipping some kind of Myriad Gu Demon God. What sort of being is this? 'Gu'... Could this be a demon god famous for controlling poisonous insects?"Huang Chengyan frowned slightly as he spoke.From the ancient chant that echoed from the altar, one could hear that it was offering tribute to a mysterious entity known as the Myriad Gu Demon God.
"Gu? That's nothing good,"Zhuge Liang took a deep breath, his expression equally serious.The danger of Gu poison was notorious in history. In the mortal realm, few had not heard of it—especially due to a major historical event during the Han Dynasty: The Witchcraft Scandal (巫蛊之祸). It had made the name of Gu poison infamous across the empire.
It happened in the later reign of Emperor Wu of Han. The chancellor Gongsun He's son, Gongsun Jingsheng, was accused of poisoning the emperor with witchcraft and committing adultery with Princess Yangshi. Gongsun He and his son were imprisoned and died, while multiple members of the imperial family, including Princess Zhu Yi and Princess Yangshi, and the Marquis Changping, son of General Wei Qing, were all executed.
The emperor's favored courtier Jiang Chong was tasked with investigating the witchcraft case. He used torture and false charges to extract confessions, leading terrified citizens to accuse others at random. Tens of thousands perished as a result.
Jiang Chong, who bore a grudge against Crown Prince Liu Ju, used the opportunity to frame him with the help of several accomplices. The prince, afraid, raised arms to eliminate Jiang, but was eventually defeated by imperial forces. Empress Wei Zifu and Liu Ju both committed suicide.
Eventually, officials memorialized the injustice to the emperor, who, upon realizing the truth, executed Jiang's entire clan and had his accomplice burned alive. He even constructed the Palace of Longing for My Son and The Terrace of Return and Remembrance at the site of his son's death. The incident implicated hundreds of thousands. It became known in history as the Witchcraft Scandal.
Gu poison not only poisons the body—it poisons the heart.
Had it not occurred within the royal family, it would not have affected so many. But precisely because of its impact, Gu poison became known throughout the realm. Successive royal courts treated it as taboo, strictly prohibiting its use in palaces. Anyone found with it would face clan extermination.
In Miao territory, however, the art of Gu flourished. Various kinds of Gu insects existed, each with bizarre and terrifying effects. Simply hearing about them made many tremble.
For instance, the Love Gu—once implanted, the victim would be eternally devoted to the person who cast it. Betrayal would lead to excruciating pain as the Gu devoured the heart. Other types were even more unpredictable. The ways of implanting Gu were many, and a skilled Gu Master could curse you without you ever knowing.
Once inside the body, they were like bone-burrowing parasites—extremely hard to remove.
If this altar truly worshipped the Myriad Gu Demon God, then the feedback received from the offering might be Gu insects.
"These foreign tribes plan to unleash Gu poison upon our Great Yi Dynasty. Truly vicious—they aim to annihilate us completely,"Jia Xu said calmly as he looked toward the altar.
No one could predict what kind of Gu might be summoned. If it was contagious and fast-spreading, the devastation it would cause could be catastrophic. Had they not arrived in time, the Great Yi Dynasty might have faced irreversible consequences.
"These foreign tribes haven't given up their desire to destroy Great Yi,"Yi Tianxing sneered coldly.
Still, he did not act immediately. He continued to observe as the foreign tribes rapidly presented vast quantities of sacrificial offerings to the altar. As more offerings were delivered, the sacrificial chant grew stronger, eventually blanketing almost the entire Briar Plain.
When the final ferocious beasts and venomous creatures were sacrificed—
"Wu Yong, begin!"Yi Tianxing finally gave the order with a wave of his hand.
"Yes, Your Majesty."Wu Yong did not hesitate. At some point, he had already drawn a fan from his sleeve. This time, it wasn't a feather fan—ever since Zhuge Liang arrived, and he saw his iconic fan, Wu Yong had replaced his own. Now, he held a plantain-leaf fan, which he still found slightly awkward.
Whoosh!He waved the fan over the Briar Plain.
Suddenly, a dense fog surged forth from the void, spreading rapidly in all directions like a tidal wave. It moved so fast that the foreign tribes could hardly react before it enveloped most of the plain.
Still, it couldn't fully cover the vast expanse of the Briar Plain.
This was Wu Yong's Cloud Mist Life Aperture.At first, it could only generate fog. But as his cultivation deepened, the area of effect expanded significantly. Now, the fog had acquired terrifying properties—it distorted perception, blurred vision, and induced hallucinations.
"Brother Wu, allow me to lend you a hand,"Zhuge Liang said with a smile.
With a flick of his feather fan,
Whooooosh!
A gust of wind swept down from the sky, not fierce, but strangely forceful. The wind massively accelerated the fog's spread, causing it to blanket nearly the entire Briar Plain within moments. The altar was instantly engulfed.
"Wind and fog? At this hour?"The foreign tribes on the plain were startled. Raising their heads, they realized night had fallen—but the sudden weather change felt unnatural.
"Something's wrong. Fog at this moment? That's too coincidental. Watch the human slaves!"Fan Wencheng frowned. The fog obscured vision so thoroughly that even he struggled to see clearly. This was no ordinary mist. Its appearance during the sacrifice was far too suspicious.
"Alert! Everyone stay on guard! If anything moves—kill it! First, slaughter all the human slaves! Continue the sacrifice—do not stop!"An ogre commander barked orders.
A dark divine radiance surrounded the altar, keeping the fog at bay.
Sacrifice must not be interrupted. If it was, the altar would deliver feedback prematurely, and the rewards would be vastly inferior to what might be gained with more offerings.
"Sacrifice the human slaves!"The snake demon tribe added.
"Zhi Tanhua—your turn,"Yi Tianxing ordered.
A figure stepped forward: Zhi Tanhua, one of the elite of the Calamity Hall, and a top expert under Tong Empress.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I will handle it flawlessly."Zhi Tanhua said confidently.
A mysterious, ancient box appeared in his hands.
Clack!
The lid opened—revealing countless lifelike paper figures that flew out rapidly, drifting with the wind into the mist.
These paper figures—nearly transparent—were virtually undetectable, even at close range.
Under mysterious power, they drifted purposefully toward the human captives. Silently, each one attached to a person, merging into their body and vanishing.
One... two... three...
In the blink of an eye, hundreds of thousands, even millions were marked.
"Zhi Tanhua, will the number of paper figures be enough?"Yi Tianxing asked solemnly.
This would determine the success of the rescue—and the number of civilian casualties. The plan wasn't to hide their actions from the enemy, but to seize the moment of confusion to finalize their arrangement.
They needed to rescue the people—but also kill the invaders. The key was to minimize losses.
Zhi Tanhua's ability was perfect for this task.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty. You allowed me into the secret realm to prepare, and I used that time to craft vast quantities of paper figures. Combined with my own stockpiles, I now have several million. It should be enough to cover all human civilians. Of course, if it's not... I won't be able to do anything more. I've reached my limit."Zhi Tanhua said as he lovingly stroked the treasure chest in front of him.
This was his precious artifact: the Heaven-Earth Paper Box (乾坤纸匣).It could store specially crafted paper figures, preserving their original power. Not only that—it amplified their effects.
The Heaven-Earth Paper Figure could redirect fatal attacks to itself in moments of crisis, temporarily shifting the bearer into a pocket dimension. The protection didn't last long, but when the space collapsed, the person would reappear unharmed.