Chapter 44 Shang Xin Ci

“Isn’t that Yang Kang, the newly appointed elder of Xu Village?”

The elder’s eyes widened in shock.

The demonic Gu Master in the memory was none other than Yang Kang, the newly appointed elder of Xu Village.

At just twenty-one years old, he had already reached the middle stage of Rank Three and was widely regarded as one of the village’s rising geniuses.

Suddenly, the memory began to shake violently.

By the time the elder realized what was happening, the guard’s chest had already begun to swell.

His heart bulged grotesquely beneath his flesh, while black and crimson blood vessels spread from it, writhing hideously.

“Of course, to keep you from leaking any secrets, it’s best if you keep your mouth shut.” The demonic Gu Master grinned viciously as he took out a needle and slowly brought it toward the guard’s mouth.

The final memory showed the Chijia Gu Masters discovering the guard buried beneath the ruins.

The moment Chi Hong pulled open the guard’s clothes, the killer move hidden within his body was triggered, blowing every Gu Master present to pieces.

When the old elder withdrew from the memories, his back was soaked in cold sweat.

The soul in his hand had become increasingly unstable from the soul search.

Its translucent body flickered faintly, on the verge of dissipating.

“The murderer is actually a Blood Path Gu Master!

And he’s unbelievably cunning.” The elder’s expression darkened.

“When he slaughtered the villagers, he deliberately left their blood behind to conceal his identity.

Anyone investigating the scene would naturally assume the massacre had nothing to do with Blood Path.

If I didn’t possess Soul Search Gu, I would never have uncovered the truth.”

“Blood Path Gu Master!?”

The others exchanged glances, their faces filled with horror.

In Southern Border, Blood Path Gu Masters were notorious for their ruthless methods.

They were enemies of the entire world.

Whether righteous or demonic, nearly every Gu Master would hunt them down without hesitation.

They were no different from rats crossing the street, hated wherever they went.

“We must report this to the clan leader immediately.” The old elder’s expression turned grim.

“A Blood Path Gu Master must be eliminated before he has the chance to grow stronger.

Once he gains a foothold, Chiyang Mountain will be drowned in blood.

By then, it will be too late.”

___________

Southern Border, Qingyang Mountain, Zhang Family.

Southern Border is home to a hundred thousand mountains, within which countless clans and villages of all sizes have taken root.

Based on their overall strength, these clans are generally divided into four tiers: small clans, medium clans, large clans, and super clans.

Small clans stand at the bottom of this hierarchy.

They are typically led by a Rank Four clan leader and have five or six Rank Three elders.

Altogether, they possess around fifty Gu Masters and control only a small region of a mountain range.

For example, the Fang clan of Dafang Mountain and the Mang clan of Mangdang Mountain.

Medium clans possess a far stronger foundation.

Although their clan leader is still usually a Rank Four Gu Master, they have more than ten Rank Three elders, hundreds of Gu Masters, and control a third or even half of an entire mountain range.

The Huang and Jin clans of Golden Mountain, which divide the mountain between them, as well as the Gu Yue, Bai, and Xiong clans of Qing Mao Mountain, all fall into this category.

Large clans stand just below super clans in strength.

They usually rule over an entire mountain range, with no rival able to challenge their authority.

Their clan leader is generally a Rank Five Gu Master, supported by one or more additional Rank Five experts.

Beneath them are nearly ten Rank Four elders and around thirty Rank Three elders, a foundation that fully reflects the strength of a large clan.

The Xiao clan is a prime example.

Not only is its clan leader, Xiao Shan, a Rank Five Gu Master, but his younger brother, Xiao Mang, is also a Rank Five expert.

Together, they reign over the northern region of the Red Dragon River and are recognized as one of Southern Border’s most powerful large clans.

Super clans possess an even deeper foundation.

Besides a Rank Five clan leader, they also have one or more Gu Immortal ancestors.

Rank Five is the pinnacle of the mortal realm, while Rank Six marks the beginning of the immortal realm.

Upon becoming a Gu Immortal, one gains immortal essence and can wield Immortal Gu.

A single Gu Immortal possesses overwhelming power, enough to annihilate an entire large clan alone.

Across the vast mountains of Southern Border, only a handful of clans can truly be called super clans, such as the Tie clan, Wu clan, and Shang clan.

The Zhang clan of Qingyang Mountain is a large clan with considerable strength.

It has a Rank Five Gu Master and a peak Rank Four expert who is only a step away from breaking through to Rank Five.

In recent years, the Zhang clan pledged allegiance to the Wu clan, the foremost super clan of Southern Border.

As one of Lady Wu Ji’s trusted subordinates, its influence and status rose rapidly.

However, every alliance brings with it new enemies.

By joining the Wu clan’s camp, the Zhang clan inevitably became a target of the Wu clan’s rivals.

In particular, those rival forces had recently begun attacking both openly and from the shadows, placing the newly appointed Zhang clan leader under immense pressure.

To strengthen the village’s defenses, he ordered layer upon layer of fortifications to be constructed.

The outer walls were reinforced, dozens of watchtowers rose around the settlement, and deep trenches filled with traps and combustible oil encircled the village.

Should an enemy launch an assault, the defenders could ignite the trenches at any moment, raising an impenetrable wall of fire.

At the village entrance, protective barriers of light and lightning had been erected.

Beside them, Red Thread Gu and Hound Nose Gu were deployed to identify anyone attempting to enter by their scent.

Any Gu Master who dared force their way inside would immediately be met with a relentless barrage of attacks.

The village’s defenses were exceptionally tight.

More than a dozen servants stood outside the entrance.

Dressed in ragged clothes and covered in blood, they looked no different from beggars.

Some had been punished after offending their masters, others for making mistakes, while a few had simply been expelled from the village for a day or several days.

In reality, however, most had been suspected of being spies.

The Gu Masters, already on edge, had interrogated them by force until they were satisfied, then thrown them out of the village.

The Zhang clan leader even set quotas for identifying suspicious individuals and offered rewards to those who met them.

As a result, many clansmen began accusing people indiscriminately.

Expulsion from the village was one of the Zhang clan’s punishments, reserved for servants who angered their masters, violated the village’s rules, or committed serious offenses.

Although most of the servants had been falsely accused and felt deeply resentful, none of them dared to resist.

After all, they were ordinary mortals from outside the Zhang clan and possessed no status or rights whatsoever.

If I dare say another word, I’ll probably be abandoned in the wilderness and left for the wild beasts to devour.

If I just endure it, at least there’s still a chance I’ll be allowed back into the village.

Suddenly, the servants lingering outside the village gates burst into cheers.

“Everyone, come quickly!

Miss Xinci is here!

The only young lady in the clan who truly cares about us!”

“Miss Xinci is beautiful and kind-hearted.

She’s like a fairy descended from heaven!”

“Miss, please save me!

My injuries can finally be treated!

Waaaah…

I don’t want to die!”

“Miss!

Fairy!”

The servants surged toward her.

In the blink of an eye, the village entrance was packed with people.

“Everyone, please calm down.

Don’t push.

I’ll do everything I can to help you.” Faced with the surging crowd, the young girl in green became visibly flustered.

Her gentle voice was soon drowned out by the crowd’s excited cries.

“Should we help her keep the situation under control?” one of the Zhang clan guards at the gate asked his companion.

His companion snorted.

“Hmph, no need.

She’s just a bastard who doesn’t even know who her father is.

Disgusting.

She spends all day mingling with those lowly mortals.”