Western Desert, Earth Cave
Kong Guying gulped in fright as Yuhun Kuang tightened the grasp on his neck.
Even if he forcefully resisted, he was only a rank six gu immortal. Falling out with the rank seven Yuhun Kuang was not something he wanted to attempt. The latter wouldn't let him off!
"Wait! I agree, I agree!" Kong Guying squeezed out the words.
Yuhun Kuang released his hand, his face still in a bitter frown after he conceded twenty percent of the gains.
Kong Guying only to catch his breath, his brows rose high and his eyes widened.
"There is clue! A hidden space is emerging."
Yuhun Kuang narrowed his eyes and sneered in his mind.
"Of course you 'find' it now. So my guess was correct after all. You already had the clues, but wanted to extort more resources."
He suspected Kong Guying's original plan was to return to this location after they gave up the search and explore the blessed land alone, keeping all the loot to himself.
"But I'm not that easy to fool! You, a rank six gu immortal trying to snatch my prey?! Once I've taken a bite, I won't let go!"
Kong Guying didn't dare look Yuhun Kuang in the eyes. Although he was relieved the clue appeared in the nick of time, he realized how suspicious his situation became now.
"Once I find this damned blessed land, I won't explore it. My life is worth more than placing it in the hands of this lunatic." He resolved himself.
The atmosphere was thick with tension, so palpable it felt like the air was heavy.
The cave was cool, but a sheen of sweat clung to Kong Guying's forehead, betraying the anxiousness in his heart.
He activated his space path methods, easily locating the emerging loopholes.
"There." He pointed out the blessed land's true location before the changes could become visible.
"That's more like it. Keep going!" Yuhun Kuang intently observed his every move.
Next, Kong Guying switched to another of his space path technique to force an opening into the hidden space.
He exerted all his might and soon a faint silhouette of an opening appeared.
The opening was only the size of a large fist, but its gentle warm glow in the dark and cold cave gave it the impression of a miniature sun.
A Yuhun Kuang's face involuntarily donned a satisfied grin. His palms were itching with anticipation to rush in.
"Not yet. I have to make the opening stable." Kong Guying reminded.
Time seemed to warp, the moment stretching and compressing all at once.
Each heartbeat pounded loudly in their chest, echoing in the ears like a drum.
These few minutes of wait seemed as agonizingly long as the previous months so far.
"This is it. This gate leads inside the blessed land." Kong Guying announced, wiping off the sweat from his forehead.
He turned to Yuhun Kuang.
"Go ahead without me. I located the blessed land and opened it for you, now have I fulfilled our original deal. But I fear for my life, and my meager strength can't protect it. Please understand my circumstances." He cupped his fist.
Kong Guying truly did his very best to appease Yuhun Kuang.
But hearing this a vein popped on Yuhun Kuangs head, even though he remained silent at the moment.
A cold, hardened expression, glared with barely concealed malice. His jaw was set, and his eyes, sharp and unforgiving, promising no mercy. The shadows on his face deepened the menace in his stare, making his intentions unmistakably clear.
"Still trying to trick me at this moment? Wasn't I clear enough?!" Yuhun Kuang couldn't believe the words he heard.
The demonic path was ruthless but straightforward. Power and violence being the tried and true solutions of all problems.
"Just what are you scheming? You want to trap me inside and beg for your mercy?" Yuhung Kuang had a deep seated suspicion and disdain towards tricks and schemes the righteous path often used.
Kong Guying's breath became shallow, his face pale, and a nervous sweat beaded again at his temples.
He tried to hold the gaze but faltered, his eyes flickering downwards, betraying his rising panic. His hands clenched tightly, as if grasping at the last threads of his courage.
His shifting gaze fueled Yuhun Kuang's thoughts even further.
"What else can I do? How do I make this demon leave me alone?"
Every muscle in his body was tense, bracing for whatever was to come, knowing that he was at the mercy of the other's dark intentions if it escalated into a confrontation.
"You go in first." Yuhun Kuang said in a hoarse voice and motioned for him to enter the gate.
"..."
Kong Guying was unwilling, but what else could he do?
"Alright, I'll go. But wait there is something strange, let's investigate first and prepare accordingly." He still tried to negotiate, unsure of the expected result.
With the opportunity right before them, this was the last straw, Yuhun Kuang's patience ran out.
Actions spoke louder than words!
"Aah!"
Kong Guying was grabbed by Yuhun Kuang without warning and the two entered the bright opening.
They appeared high in the sky. Their vision obscured by the churning yellow qi.
They both activated their investigative moves, but the response was very strange, like listening for an echo from a bottomless pit, nothing came from beyond the swirling qi curtain.
But soon the qi around them was all but gone, sucked away towards the center, and the small world revealed itself before their eyes.
The two of them breathed in sharply.
Winds of assimilation blew everywhere!
"So you wanted me dead! Die then!" Yuhun Kuang attacked Kong Guying immediately.
Kong Guying frantically tried to escape the attacks. His space path methods were used to the utmost in this environment. He used his short range teleportation and appeared behind a patch of winds of assimilation.
Yuhun Kuang could only go around, he didn't have the means to resist the winds of assimilation or bypass them.
The two were temporarily evenly matched in a game of cat and mouse.
"Yuhun Kuang you demonic scum, what are you doing? We are both at death's door!" Kong Guying erupted.
"Hahaha. Your scheme is foiled and now you show your true colors! Two-faced bastard, now your only way out is through me." Yuhun Kuang positioned the gate behind him.
Kong Guying tried to circle around many times, but he had to keep his distance as well. When he got close, Yuhun Kuang chased after him. When they got too far Yuhun Kuang return to guard the place.
"You are crazy! We are both going to die at this rate, why are you blocking the way?" Kong Guying's eyes were bloodshot. He has never met such an unreasonable gu immortal.
"You are the only one who's going to die." Yuhun Kuang laughed with madness. "Then it will be your blessed land that I'm going to loot instead. This is what you get for trying to scam me."
The situation of the two was at an impasse.
The winds of assimilation kept growing bigger and spreading in every direction by the moment limiting the space available.
Bao Zhi and group observed the battle of the two from the concealment of the Wondrous Inspiration Pagoda.
They had no incentive to intervene and reveal themselves.
There was a young man among them.
His hair, a cascade of black with hints of deep blue, catching the light like the night sky. It framed his round face, unmarred by hardships of cultivation, giving him an air of innocence.
His eyes colored in a piercing shade of blue, held a curious spark in them, as if he was always on the brink of discovering some new wonder.
His posture was unrefined, casual, with the careless ease of someone untouched by discipline.
His mouth slightly agape, he stared at the unfolding battle with undivided attention.
"Oh! Oh! Oh! Good one!" He glued his gaze even closer to the gu house's display as he witnessed Kong Guying narrowly dodging an attack.
The rest of them also observed while waiting for the opportune moment to break out.
"Who is this new person?"
"Did Bao Zhi take him out of his aperture to witness this fight?"
Jue Shi and Qinyang couldn't see from the yellow earth qi at the time.
Their thoughts remained unanswered, as Bao Zhi himself was also assessing the unexpected situation.
"The effect of Verdant Heart Seed immortal gu cannot be accumulated without limit."
"When the limit is reached, the rest will overflow. The effect being still the same, a human body."
He did not expect the gu would be able to materialize another body other than his own. This was his first takeaway.
Looking at the body of the newcomer it had some vague resemblance to his own features, but it was far from being a clone of him.
"There are noticeable differences. But what could be the cause?" He was currently wondering.
"Having the same origin, the flesh should be the same, no?"
"Origin?" An idea clicked in his head, as he looked at the hint of blue in the hair and deep blue eyes of his counterpart.
"The crucial difference is the origin of the earth qi! My current body was constructed from a human blessed land of my descendant. It is pure and human."
"But this blessed land belonged to a water path beast originally. The added water path dao marks explain the difference of physical features." This was his second main takeaway.
"Wait. Does this mean my first revival was doomed to fail? My grotto heaven contains overwhelmingly wood path dao marks, would that contaminate the new body? Or did my first revival end up with wood path dao marks because the activation was interrupted?" New revelations sparked even more questions in Bao Zhi's mind. He had to check these out in the future to fully understand his immortal gu's effect.
"I can use this person in my research. Let's establish a connection."
He secretly activated a gu in his aperture and produced a will that contained some of his memories.
But when he tried to send the will into the blue-eyed person's mind it was rejected.
"So he really is a different person." He confirmed.
Wills from the same origin could share information and merge together. Wills of different people couldn't merge, so Bao Zhi needed a different approach.
He placed a hand on the person's shoulder.
"Mo Xuan!"
The young man was startled from his deep immersion.
"Mo Xuan? Am I Mo Xuan?" He didn't understand.
"Ha! Mo Xuan is such a great name it must be my name." His eyes brightened at once.
Bao Zhi's suspicion was confirmed, this person had no memories at all, he was a complete blank slate!
He continued.
"So my son, is this fighting scene to your liking?"
Mo Xuan nodded instinctively. "Yes, very good." His focus still on the two immortals outside.
But everyone looked at Bao Zhi in surprise.
"Son?"
"..."
It also took a moment for Mo Xuan to register.
"Son? Then, does that make you my father?" His eyes opened wide in delight.
Bao Zhi replied matter-of-factually without a flinch, hands clasped behind his back.
"I am your father."
"Heh. Is this for real?" Qinyang smirked to herself.
As Mo Xuan gazed into Bao Zhi's eyes, something deep within him stirred. The sudden realization hit him like a wave.
Was it a recognition beyond words? No, of course, it was Bao Zhi's human qi manipulation.
Overwhelmed by emotion, his eyes filled with tears, and his heart swelled with a sense of connection he had never known.
"Baah!" He jumped into Bao Zhi's embrace, shedding tears of joy.
"I have a father! I didn't know I had a father."
"Father, you are so kind and so handsome, am I handsome too? I am so happy to have a father like you!"
"Good child, good child." Bao Zhi patted his back affectionately.
After a long while, Mo Xuan released Bao Zhi and wiped away his tears.
A clever glint appeared in Mo Xuan's eyes.
"If I have a father, then I must have a mother too!"
"Beautiful lady with the silver hair, you must be my mother, right?" He turned to Qinyang with a wide, innocent grin on his face.
Qinyang was dumbstruck.
Mo Xuan continued: "I understand now. This is what you call a family!"
Mo Xuan looked at Jue Shi who had the appearance of a teenager.
"And you must be my little brother. It makes so much sense."
Jue Shi looked back and forth between the three of them. "What is going on here? Who's related to whom?"
Qinyang was the first to rebuke these 'accusations'.
"Who's your mother!?" Her hand met Mo Xuan's cheek with a sharp slap.
The force of it sent Mo Xuan stumbling backward, and he landed on his butt, shock plastered across his face.
Clutching his chest in agony, he cried out.
"Oh, Mother, I never knew you, and already you cast me aside!" His voice trembled with a mixture of pain and sorrow, the rejection cutting deeper than the sting of a thousand slaps.
"I never was your mother!" Qinyang raised her voice about to hit him again.
"Father, save me! Mother wants to beat me up!"
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New cover art! I've grown fond of the old one, but I felt the need to have a v2. Let me know your thoughts!