The Stone Forest King's arm lashed out and struck the golden bird, shattering one of its wings. The bird was sent flying by the overwhelming force of the blow and crashed into the cavern wall, releasing a terrifying shockwave that caused rocks to rain down from the ceiling.
The bird let out a weak cry and collapsed where it fell, grievously wounded. Bao Qing Ming panted heavily from exhaustion, to the point that the Stone Forest King's arm crumbled apart, revealing that his reserves of primeval essence were no longer sufficient to sustain it.
Li Bing approached him slowly, laughing with great delight.
"This battle was truly magnificent. I never expected the Flame-Devouring Hawk to hold out against you for this long, and even force you into such a miserable state. Hahaha! My ancestor really did this little one a favor by capturing this beast and leaving it here."
Bao Qing Ming's aura was weak—far weaker than Li Bing's, who was in peak condition and had not participated in the fight at all. Although Li Bing was only at the initial stage of Rank Four, he possessed a complete set of Gu worms borrowed from the clan treasury.
"Li Bing, do you really intend to kill me? Have you forgotten that the Bao Clan stands behind me? What do you think they will do if they lose a Rank Four elder?"
Yan Zu Li Bing's smile faded as he stared at Bao Qing Ming coldly. He had broken through to Rank Four thanks to the Golden Hedgehog Gu, but in exchange he had lost four percent of his talent. Still, he was willing to pay that price for the power of Rank Four.
"I don't think they'll do anything, Brother Qing Ming. Perhaps they'll come to my clan to threaten us and demand an apology? …As you know, you've been sneaking here many times over the past years without my knowledge. It just so happened that I discovered you fighting a beast within my clan's forbidden region. I was angered—and cut off your head."
The mocking smile returned to Li Bing's face as he attacked without the slightest hesitation. He poured his light-golden primeval essence into one of his Gu worms.
"Star Current Gu!"
A stream of liquid filled with starlight surged forth at terrifying speed and slammed toward Bao Qing Ming. Bao Qing Ming recovered a portion of his primeval essence, allowing him to activate a Rank Three Gu worm.
His body twisted violently as he rolled across the stone floor. He barely avoided the Star Current, yet he was still grazed by the attack. Half of his left leg vanished, and his exposed flesh was coated in a viscous, starry liquid that clung to his body without dripping off.
Bao Qing Ming clenched his teeth, realizing that resistance was futile.
"I surren—!"
Before he could finish, Li Bing emerged from a patch of starry liquid and struck him with a punch that sent his body flying.
"Oh? It seems the foundation of my strength path was not in vain after all."
Bao Qing Ming's body shattered like a broken doll. His bones twisted and protruded through his flesh; even his collarbone snapped and pierced into his throat, flooding his mouth with blood.
Thus perished a prominent figure of the Southern Border. An ambitious man who sought to extort an entire clan to raise his own strength, only to bite off more than he could chew and choke on what he had thought would be easy prey.
"Clan Leader…!"
A voice shouted from afar. Two seconds later, Li Bing saw five clan elders approaching, led by two familiar faces.
He called out with solemn authority,
"Elders, I have found this thief who ingratiated himself with our clan in order to dig up our foundation and defile what our ancestors left behind. I discovered him due to the aftermath of the battle between him and one of the beasts left by a former clan leader to guard our clan. Qing Ming was severely wounded in that battle, and I was able to kill him because of that."
"Do you agree, elders?"
The elders were not too shocked by the situation. They had already taken precautions, as the clan leader's absence alongside Bao Qing Ming during the recent disturbances was suspicious. What truly shocked them was that Yan Zu Li Bing had reached Rank Four.
Most former clan leaders had only reached Rank Four after decades of cultivation. Li Bing had become clan leader merely seven years ago—and now he was already Rank Four?
This speed was not only unreasonable—it was astounding. Not only did they not feel inclined to oppose their clan leader, but a sense of pride and excitement welled up in their hearts.
The Elder of the War Hall and the Elder of Internal Affairs bowed toward Yan Zu Li Bing and spoke in unison:
"We pay our respects to the Clan Leader… We commend your dedication in killing the demonic Gu Master, protecting our clan's foundation, and defending our sacred grounds!"
The remaining elders bowed as well with equal fervor. They had already tacitly agreed to unite and face the coming difficult times under their clan leader's command.
Yan Zu Li Bing hummed in acknowledgment, then walked tiredly toward the Flame-Devouring Hawk, which was gravely injured. This mutated beast had been captured by one of his clan's great and famous ancestors. The beast had already lived for nearly a hundred years—a perfectly normal lifespan for a mutated beast of its kind.
When Yan Zu Li Bing approached, the hawk closed its black eyes but did not attack. It merely opened its beak and let out a faint cry. It recognized Li Bing as a descendant of its former master. Though it was a wild beast, it had grown extremely gentle toward the descendants of the Yan Zu Clan.
"Ancestor Li Hua, I thank you for leaving behind this bird that guards our clan with such devotion. I swear in your name that I will not mistreat one who has defended our clan."
Li Bing knelt beside the Flame-Devouring Hawk and activated one of his healing Gu worms within his aperture, beginning to treat the bird. All of the Gu worms on the hawk's body had been destroyed by Bao Qing Ming's final blow.
Even the bird itself was on the brink of death. If not for its immense vitality as a mutated beast and Li Bing's healing, its death would have only been a matter of time.
After finishing the treatment, Li Bing ordered the elders to clean up the mess and the cavern that had suffered multiple collapses. Rocks were piled everywhere, and half the cave had collapsed. If not for the strange roots reinforcing the structure, the cavern would have completely caved in from the battle.
Yan Zu Li Bing let out a weary sigh, tinged with a trace of relief.
"In any case, our clan will face heavy pressure from the super clan Bao. We must endure it. Fortunately, I possess ample evidence proving Bao Qing Ming's involvement. At most, we will offer an apology and compensate them with some resources for the caravan. Even that will merely be to save their face."
The Bao Clan was a super clan that controlled a vast territory of the Southern Border, standing on equal footing with the Shang Clan, Wu Clan, and Tie Clan.
However, it was still a righteous-path clan and had to follow the methods of the righteous path.
____________________
Outside the Liquid Mud Mountain, the Gu Masters of the Yan Zu Clan retreated after failing to break through the vine defenses, having suffered heavy losses. They turned to plundering the other parts of the caravan like bandits, capturing dozens of Gu Masters and looting all the goods.
Inside the Liquid Mud Mountain, another battle unfolded. This battle was less fierce, yet no less decisive. When Fang Tian entered the mountain, he was immediately detected by the Rank Three Gu Master in charge of the Liquid Mud Mountain, who intended to deal with Fang Tian at once.
However, he changed his mind when he saw Fang Tian turn against the Yan Zu Clan.
He allowed Fang Tian to fight them so they would exhaust one another, then planned to send his subordinates to finish off both sides. He had already dispatched his Gu Masters to encircle Fang Tian. When the Yan Zu Gu Masters retreated, Fang Tian was attacked once more—this time from within.
A muscular Gu Master charged toward Fang Tian, swinging his arm with the intent to strike. Fang Tian retreated into the shadows behind him and pulled the vines from outside, attempting to summon them inward.
"What?!"
The muscular Gu Master lunged forward with overwhelming momentum and threw a punch so powerful that the wind howled, the force even stinging Fang Tian's skin. Fang Tian tilted his head and activated the Jade Bark Shell Gu. The punch smashed into the wall behind him, shattering stone as the man's fists sank into the rock and became stuck.
Seizing the opportunity, Fang Tian summoned the Vine Garden Gu. Dozens of vine tendrils burst forth and bound the man's limbs. He tried to tear the vines apart with his immense strength, but managed to rip only two of them.
"Desperate resistance…"
The vines tore off the Gu Master's legs but left his arms and head intact. Fang Tian did not intend to kill these Gu Masters—they still had some value. The muscular Gu Master screamed in agony and begged frantically:
"Please heal me! I don't want to die! I'll give you all my Gu worms! Please, sir! …I'll tell you where the Gu worms that were displayed here are hidden!"
"Oh? Then hand over your Gu worms, and I'll stop your bleeding."
"You can check my aperture yourself, sir… I'm bound—I can't even move."
Fang Tian approached cautiously and bent down, placing his hand over the navel where the aperture was located. As his consciousness sank into the Gu Master's primeval aperture, he saw a sea of light crimson steel essence and four Gu worms—three Rank One and one Rank Two.
Fang Tian was in a weakened state in the outside world, but he was not worried about this Gu Master. Even if the man tried to attack, with Fang Tian's defense—which could only be breached by a Rank Three Gu Master—his enemies could only dream of harming him.
Fang Tian's primeval essence surged into the Gu Master's aperture, forcefully enveloping the Gu worms and drawing them out into the external world.
When Fang Tian regained consciousness, he looked at the Gu Master, whose mouth was filled with blood and whose teeth were shattered.
"Were you trying to bite me while I was distracted? Seriously—do you take me for an idiot?"
Fang Tian shook his head helplessly as he glanced at the Rank Two Gu Master, who was sobbing violently while spitting blood. Fang Tian placed the seized Gu worms into his own aperture and suppressed them to refine later.
At this moment, he finally took in the scene on the first floor—torn, burned, and dismembered corpses lay scattered everywhere. Pools of blood spread beneath them, staining the wooden floor and stone walls. All the Gu worms had already been taken by the Gu Master in charge of the Liquid Mud Mountain the moment the disturbance broke out.
"There are ten Gu Masters on the second floor—four Rank Two and six Rank One. Tch… I can't underestimate them. Even if they can't break my defense, they could still turn my insides into bloody pulp if they muster enough force."
Fang Tian possessed no offensive Gu besides the Vine Garden Gu. He was supposed to obtain two more Gu worms today, but plans could never keep up with changing circumstances.
He rested briefly to recover his primeval essence while assessing the situation.
"Can I draw the attention of the person in charge of the Liquid Mud Mountain and cooperate with him? …Perhaps we could split the spoils after killing the witness Gu Masters?"
This was truly a good idea. Cultivation was not solely about killing and fighting—only a foolish brute seeking death would think so. Fang Tian reminded himself of this, though at times he found his actions straying from that mindset. Even if he did not practice this philosophy himself, he could use it against others when needed. With sufficient benefit, he could lure the Rank Three Gu Master's interest.
Fang Tian had no doubt that the Rank Three Gu Master had considered fleeing with the Gu worms. However, these Gu Masters were hindering him, so he might use Fang Tian to deal with them first, then confront Fang Tian once he was exhausted.
The plan wasn't bad. Still, Fang Tian's battle prowess exceeded that of these Gu Masters, who lacked any coordination among themselves. In this world, quality often surpassed quantity—one man's strength could suppress millions.
After his aperture was fully replenished, Fang Tian let out a breath, activated the Air Vibration Gu, then the Vine Garden Gu. Dozens of vine tendrils seeped through the walls of the Liquid Mud Mountain. He then activated the Shadow Infiltration Gu.
Fang Tian moved with blinding speed through the darkness and swiftly crossed into the second floor. In the dim shadows, he launched his ambush.
A Rank One Gu Master was sitting in a dimly lit corner when thick vines burst from the wall and crushed his brain before he could even think.
"Enemy attack! He's among us—in the shadows!"
A Rank Two Gu Master roared in fury and hurled a massive ball of light toward the corpse of the Gu Master who had just died. The shadows on the second floor were dispelled by the sphere of light, revealing Fang Tian beside the corpse, rummaging through it with glee.
"You bastard! You killed my little cousin! Die! Die!"
The man who had thrown the light sphere charged forward at high speed, leaving a red trail of light behind him, then hurled a punch at Fang Tian. Fang Tian leapt aside. Brilliant lights gathered around the Gu Master's arm, dyeing it with shifting flames. His fist smashed into the corpse, incinerating it into rubble.
The Gu Master went mad and charged again. This time, he thrust his hand forward as if grasping something. A single-edged crimson blade formed in his grasp, emitting foul, bloody steam. The aura around it was terrifying and lethal.
"You people always force my hand! You shouldn't have killed my cousin! My family has already been taken from me, and now you take the last person bound to me by blood! You must die!"
The Gu Master surged forward like a red flash and appeared before Fang Tian in the blink of an eye, slashing his blade toward Fang Tian's shoulder. The blade scraped against the Jade Bark Shell before piercing through and cutting deeply into Fang Tian's shoulder.
The Gu Master collapsed after that attack, his body completely drained of blood.
Yet he died smiling, certain that he had wounded his enemy before death