Chapter 395 - 392: Request

Half an hour later, Guo Cheng took the payment from Shen Changchuan and departed.

A short while later, Shen Changchuan emerged from the main hall of the City Lord's Mansion, his face grave with thought.

'The Spirit Race, the Witch Clan... This isn't going to be easy!'

As he recalled the information he had gotten from Guo Cheng, a sense of unease settled over Shen Changchuan.

Never mind the Spirit Race; their strongest members were comparable to experts of the Divine Travel Realm.

Even their subordinate Witch Clan, according to Guo Cheng's investigation, had members at the Soul Emergence Ninth Layer!

Trying to snatch food from the jaws of a tiger in front of such powerful beings...

This was going to be far more difficult than simply 'not easy'.

However,

'...perhaps it's not entirely impossible...'

Shen Changchuan hadn't forgotten that he still had a Jade Talisman in his Storage Bag, a 'friendly gift' from Young Master Zhou Lingyun of the Central State.

With the power of a single strike from a Divine Travel Peak Realm expert sealed within, he might just have a chance to slay a powerful foe.

But what good would that do?

The Jade Talisman was only good for one strike.

But the Witch Clan, and by extension the Spirit Race, surely had more than a few experts at the Soul Emergence Late Stage Realm and above!

He could use the talisman to kill one person, but could he kill ten? Impossible.

Besides, the Spirit Race's territory wasn't anywhere near Barbaric City.

Their domain, their main base of operations, was even farther south.

Looking at a map, it was a journey of almost a hundred thousand li!

For him to cross a hundred thousand li alone, infiltrate deep into enemy territory, and steal the Gold-Devouring Spirit Butterfly from their main base—it was basically impossible for Shen Changchuan!

'Forget it. I'll leave it at that for now.'

'First, I'll see what Master has to say. It would be best if he has a way to find it.'

'If not, I'll have to find another way...'

With that, Shen Changchuan quickly made up his mind.

He would cultivate for a while to increase his strength first.

After all, if he truly had to take such a risk in the future, more strength meant a greater ability to protect himself.

"Has your trouble been resolved, Martial Nephew?"

When Shen Changchuan left the City Lord's main hall,

he was surprised to find that the City Lord of Barbaric City, the Grand Elder of the Ancient Sword Sect, was still waiting in the open space outside the hall.

Seeing Shen Changchuan emerge, he took the initiative to step forward and ask.

"Yes, I've managed to find a lead."

"I am grateful for your assistance, Elder!"

Shen Changchuan said, cupping his hands in a salute.

He had good reason to be thankful.

The Grand Elder had pinned his request for information on the Gold-Devouring Spirit Butterfly to the very top of the task list.

And he had left it there until someone accepted it.

That was why Guo Cheng had spotted Shen Changchuan's request among the countless others and brought him the good news...

This unspoken favor...

...was something Shen Changchuan naturally understood and accepted.

"Ha! Think nothing of it. It was a simple matter, and it cost me nothing."

"As long as you are satisfied, Martial Nephew. Nothing would please me more than helping you resolve your troubles!"

the Grand Elder of the Ancient Sword Sect said with a hearty laugh.

Clearly,

Shen Changchuan's acknowledgment of the favor put him in a good mood.

"Regardless, you helped me, Elder."

"Favors should be returned. Is there anything I can help you with, Elder? If it is within my power, I will not refuse!"

Seeing the Grand Elder's reaction, Shen Changchuan's sharp intuition told him that the elder wanted to ask a favor, so he decided to ask directly.

"Well... there is indeed a matter. I'm afraid I must be shameless and ask for your help..."

The Grand Elder of the Ancient Sword Sect hesitated for a moment before finally speaking.

Although the Ancient Sword Sect and the Dragon Cloud Sect were allies, more or less,

he had only met Shen Changchuan a couple of times. Asking a favor from a junior felt somewhat embarrassing.

But seeing as Shen Changchuan was the only one who could solve this particular problem,

he had no choice but to ask.

As the Grand Elder of the Ancient Sword Sect slowly explained,

Shen Changchuan quickly understood the situation.

The issue,

it turned out, was related to his earlier rescue of Wu Tianhao.

「Several days ago,」

Shen Changchuan had used his Spirit Binder abilities with Xiaojin to force the Gu Insects from Wu Tianhao's body. In doing so, he had resolved the crisis and demonstrated his skill in dealing with such creatures.

When Gu Xuanqing, the Grand Elder of the Ancient Sword Sect, learned the specifics of this incident, it brought another matter to his mind.

The low- to mid-rank Cultivators on the front lines at the Broken Soul Mountain battlefield were suffering terribly, afflicted by the Gu Dao Secret Techniques of the Demon Dao.

Many Cultivators had been accidentally infested with Gu Insects during battle, suffering immense torture and even death.

Even before this,

the front lines had already sent word, requesting that they research methods to remove the Gu Insects.

A number of the most severely injured Cultivators, deeply tormented by the infestations, had even been transferred to Barbaric City to recuperate.

However, because so few in the Tian Nan Domain practiced Gu Dao Secret Techniques,

their knowledge of them was limited, leaving them with virtually no solutions.

At best, they could rely on Alchemists to refine some Insect-Repelling Pills and Rejuvenation Pills for rudimentary treatment.

But while these Elixirs had some effect,

it was minimal.

They only treated the symptoms, not the root cause. The Gu Insects would continue to multiply within the Cultivator's body, and ultimately, the afflicted still could not escape death.

Now, upon hearing the details of how Shen Changchuan had treated Wu Tianhao,

an idea had sparked in Gu Xuanqing's mind.

He hoped that Shen Changchuan could also help remove the Gu Insects from the Cultivators currently recuperating in Barbaric City,

and perhaps even devise a solution to the Gu Insect problem altogether!

"To be perfectly honest, I have also been studying Gu Techniques these past few years. But my aptitude is poor. At best, I can only identify a few types of Gu Insects. As for actually dispelling the plague they cause... it's simply beyond me!"

"For the sake of the battle on the front lines, I hope you can lend me a hand, Martial Nephew!"

As he spoke,

Gu Xuanqing actually bowed deeply to Shen Changchuan!

"Elder Gu, you mustn't!"

"This matter concerns the greater situation on the front lines. I will naturally do everything in my power!"

Shen Changchuan's expression turned serious as he quickly helped Gu Xuanqing to his feet.

Come to think of it,

he had heard Wu Tianhao mention this very thing a few days ago.

Wu Tianhao had taken on the mission to find Shadow's whereabouts precisely to find a solution to the Gu Insect plague, hoping to obtain the Minghuan Gu Scripture Fragment.

For a moment,

he was so preoccupied he hadn't fully considered the implications.

'The Sect and Cultivators from all factions are fighting on the front lines. Since I'm in the rear, I should naturally do what I can to help.'

'To put it bluntly,'

'if fewer people die on the front lines,'

'the chances of me having to go to the battlefield will decrease.'

'That's a good thing.'

"Elder Gu, time is of the essence. Please, lead the way!"

"I imagine our martial brothers cannot afford to wait much longer..."

And so,

under Gu Xuanqing's guidance,

Shen Changchuan arrived at a vast courtyard in the western district of Barbaric City.

Here,

was the very place where the Cultivators infested with Gu—those whose conditions were so severe they had to be withdrawn from the front lines—were being treated!