Chapter 539 501: Frontline Military Intelligence, The Alien Gu's Transformation

That shout of "I'm back" was truly strange.

He stood there, his gaze darting about. First, his eyes swept over the surrounding apricot grove, then they landed on Yu Wenxu.

He immediately cried out, a mix of pleasant surprise and agitation in his voice, "General Yu! Quick, I have urgent military intelligence for the Grand General! We who were poisoned by the Gu... Oh no!"

He was halfway through his sentence when his expression suddenly changed.

Behind Song Ciwan, a scorpion tail suddenly shot high into the air.

It was the half-human, half-scorpion Female Cultivator. She had been lying on the ground, her condition identical to the others afflicted with the Alien Gu—on the verge of death, looking as if she could expire at any moment.

This group of Cultivators had returned from the front lines in such a miserable state that the Medical Cultivators of Willow Leaf Hall had placed them in the open space before the hall. Their first instinct was to treat them, so while their guard wasn't completely down, it was extremely low.

Who would have known that at this very moment, a scorpion tail would suddenly shoot out from behind the half-human, half-scorpion Female Cultivator.

The scorpion tail was tipped with a sinister, blue stinger. With a violent twist, the long, whip-like tail launched a sneak attack from behind, stabbing viciously at Song Ciwan!

It was so fast it was like a phantom in the void, like a flash of lightning through the morning dew.

Faster than a tenth, a hundredth, even a thousandth of an instant!

The Centipede Leg Cultivator's cry of "Oh no!" hadn't even faded when the scorpion tail was about to pierce the back of Song Ciwan's neck—

No, the scorpion tail had already struck the back of Song Ciwan's neck.

But contrary to what everyone imagined—that Song Ciwan would be gravely injured or even killed on the spot—the tail had struck nothing but air.

It looked as if the scorpion tail had struck Song Ciwan, but in reality, it had stabbed into nothing but empty space!

Song Ciwan had once again used Upright Shadowless.

WHOOSH! The scorpion tail passed through her ethereal form. The next moment, Song Ciwan stepped out from her intangible state.

With a slight shift of her feet, she evaded the tail as it struck the ground where she had been. Then, under the icy gaze of the half-human, half-scorpion Female Cultivator, she raised her hand and hurled an Earth Element Crystal Pearl at her as if it were a meteor.

It was an Earth Element Crystal Pearl.

The instant the Earth Element Crystal Pearl was thrown, the other Cultivators with the Alien Gu erupted into a frenzy.

To be more precise, all the Poisoned Cultivators had begun to stir the very moment the half-human, half-scorpion Female Cultivator launched her attack.

It was just that Song Ciwan's counterattack was so swift that by the time she had dodged the tail and thrown the Five Elements Crystal Pearl, the other Cultivators infested with the Alien Gu only looked as if they were just beginning to move.

Yu Wenxu roared, "West Wind Army, Tiger Wing Array! Suppress all afflicted with the Alien Gu!"

As he roared, he raised his hand and made a grasping motion through the air toward a nearby Cultivator whose head was covered by a carapace.

Yu Wenxu was at the Innate Acupoint Fusion Realm, after all. Although he had struck from a distance, a Qi Force that seemed to move heaven and earth stirred. A surging True Martial Arts crashed like an ocean wave, and the violent gale instantly swept up the carapace-headed Cultivator, dragging him right in front of him.

The carapace-headed Cultivator was slammed violently to the ground. Crushed by the surging gale, he let out a wretched scream as the carapace on his body instantly cracked inch by inch.

His tendons were severed and his bones were broken. Though the Poisonous Insect inside him still tried to act up, it was rendered powerless, suppressed by Yu Wenxu's True Martial Arts.

But aside from the now-cured "Centipede Leg Cultivator," there were still sixteen other Poisoned Cultivators present!

Yu Wenxu had instantly suppressed one, and Song Ciwan had taken down the half-human, half-scorpion Female Cultivator. But that still left fourteen other Poisoned Cultivators who had not been brought under control in time.

When the calamity struck, many Medical Cultivators were mingled among the Poisoned Cultivators.

These included the three Four-star Medical Cultivators from Willow Leaf Hall, as well as Liu Mingzhong and the other Medical Cultivators who had just arrived in the Puppet Carriage.

As the Medical Cultivators watched Song Ciwan handle the Alien Gu, they had all unconsciously drifted closer to her.

Drawing ever closer, the Medical Cultivators ended up interspersed among the Poisoned Cultivators. Because of this positioning, when the afflicted erupted, the Medical Cultivators were on the front line, becoming little more than living targets!

"AHH!" A Three-star Medical Cultivator with the lowest Cultivation screamed in agony.

An insectoid tentacle had pierced straight through his chest!

More Medical Cultivators were grievously wounded in the same instant. One young Medical Cultivator was even swallowed whole after a Cultivator with an Alien Gu opened a gaping, bloody maw.

At that moment, the soldiers of the West Wind Army, who had been guarding the perimeter, hadn't even had time to charge in.

It all happened too fast. Agonized screams instantly filled the air.

Yu Wenxu raised a hand. With an unseen pulling force, he snatched several Medical Cultivators and flung them out of the circle of chaos, making sure to prioritize Liu Mingzhong and the young Xiang Qing.

The Four-star Medical Cultivator who had earlier been struck by the Forbidden Character was brushed by a fuzzy, brightly colored insectoid body. Half of his own body instantly swelled into a translucent blister.

Song Ciwan's Earth Element Crystal Pearl hit the half-human, half-scorpion Female Cultivator. She kicked the woman to the ground and, with one hand, used Heaven-Stealing Day-Changing to rip a monstrous, scorpion-tailed insect from the cultivator's Dantian. With her other hand, she pushed.

She cast the Wind Manipulation Technique. A gust of powerful wind instantly enveloped the Medical Cultivator who had been hit by the Forbidden Character, whisking him out of the combat zone.

After casting the Wind Manipulation Technique, a flash of Spiritual Light sparked in Song Ciwan's mind.

She immediately interlaced her fingers in front of her, cupping a Wood Element Crystal Pearl in her palms.

This was a Four-star Level Wood Element Crystal Pearl. Because it had been refined by the Spirit Star Race, it was shaped like a teardrop. Its shimmering, verdant green color made it look just like a naturally formed emerald.

At this moment, an incredibly dense Wood Element Power radiated from the verdant Wood Element Crystal Pearl. Song Ciwan pointed a finger and softly uttered a single word: "Wood!"

The Wood Rune Technique was unleashed.

The surrounding apricot trees swayed. In an instant, blossoms bloomed upon them. Countless apricot branches shot out like soaring dragons and snakes, riding the wind and growing at an incredible speed. RUSTLE RUSTLE RUSTLE! They shot straight toward Han Baiyu Square.

SWOOSH!

A supple apricot branch bent and bound one of the Poisoned Cultivators.

Another branch followed suit, binding a second Poisoned Cultivator.

Countless branches surged forward, scrambling over one another to bind their targets. In a mere moment, all of the wildly rampaging Poisoned Cultivators were completely entangled.

The various cries on the field had not yet died down. One person shrieked, "Hall Master, save me!"

Someone shouted, "General Yu, help me!"

Someone said anxiously, "Senior Sister, Senior Sister, quick, dodge..."

Amid the chaos, Yu Wenxu gripped the hilt of his saber, ready to draw the Treasure Saber from his waist.

But at that exact moment, the apricot branches, empowered by Song Ciwan's Wood Rune Technique, moved as one, binding and whisking away all of the Poisoned Cultivators.

The chaotic sounds finally ceased. Yu Wenxu's hand froze on his hilt; his saber was never drawn. The entire square fell silent in an instant.

Immediately after, the Heaven and Earth Scale appeared beside Song Ciwan.

The area was still silent, but clumps of human desires came fluttering toward her like a snowstorm.

[Human Desires: The surprise, bewilderment, and admiration of a Late-stage Qi Cultivation Cultivator. Forty-nine taels. Redeemable.]

[Human Desires: The shame, vexation, and lingering fear of an Early-Stage Divinity Transformation Cultivator. Thirty-nine taels. Redeemable.]

...

[Human Desires: The astonishment, oddity, and bewilderment of a Celestial Pride Level Innate Acupoint Fusion Realm Martial Artist. Seventeen taels. Redeemable.]

As for the Celestial Pride Level Innate Acupoint Fusion expert, this clump of human desires was, of course, from General Yu.

At this moment, this Military General who had been stationed at the border for years, after a moment of stunned silence, muttered four words under his breath: "Holy mother of God!"

Nothing short of a curse could express even a fraction of what he felt at that moment.

Even after letting out a curse, Yu Wenxu still felt an emotion churning in his chest—one that was hard to describe, impossible to depict, and difficult to vent.

A moment later, he spat out a few more curses, "This is fucking ridiculous... God damn it all!"

Everyone else: ...

They all fell silent, staring blankly as General Yu cursed repeatedly.

Cai An shrank back into his shoulders. The "Centipede Leg Cultivator," now cured, stood foolishly to one side. A gust of wind blew past, causing an apricot branch to sway.

The "Centipede Leg Cultivator" then hurriedly ran toward Yu Wenxu again. "General Yu," he said, "this humble Cultivator has something urgent to report! The Lotus Seeds in the Nine Transformation Lotus Pool—they can't be eaten!"